please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I was the first customer in here yesterday morning. It's quite a large pub with a number of different seating area. I chose to watch the world go by in the front window. This is supposed to be the oldest pub in the town. But it does now have a modern feel. As previous reviewers have said, there is a decent range of ales despite this being a Greene King pub. IPA & Abbot are the regular beers. But there were also 6 guests - Twickenham Autumn Red, Cottage Red and Ruth & Honey Bunny, Ascot Alligator Ale, Everards Tiger & Red Squirrel Hopfest. My only criticism would be that there were no milds, stouts or porters. I tried the Red and Ruth, which was a ruby ale, but too hoppy for my palate.
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Reopened.
Nothing major in the refurbishment, as far as I can see.
But still a pleasant boozer, on the Market Place in the town centre.
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Closed.
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I visited the Druids a week or a so ago before going to the Suede gig that was being hosted in the Hippodrome (formerly works nightclub) and I was impressed to the extent my rating has increased by two points.
This is pretty much based on the beer range. A nice selection of real ales including the wonderful Abbott Vintage ale. I wasn't up for getting too plastered so didn't opt for it as at 6.4% it is probably one to drink when you haven't got anything to do the following day.
I did however, go for a couple of pints of American Red IPA from the Squirrel brewery which at 5.9% did pack a bit of a punch! It is nice to have a choice of strengths though as a lot of pubs only seem to offer session ales which appeal more to old farts who have got the time to sit in a pub for hours on end sipping pint after pint of low strength beer.
This place now has IMHO the best beer range of any of the town centre pubs except maybe the spoons however, if you do not want the spoons (lack of) atmosphere then this is definitely the place to go!
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I travel some way to get to this pub simply because there is a dearth of civilised watering holes in London. By civilised I mean no children or TV. Although there is the usual caterwauling female coming from loudspeakers in the main bar, there is a snug bar without speakers ( who needs them?) in which the noise is insufficient to be an insult to the intelligence. Avoid at all costs on a Friday night when, presumably to attract the teenage element, the speakers are going full blast with the kind of noise that one might encounter darkest Africa.
Wetherspoons have a speakerless pub in Kingston but as with all their establishments, it's full of old plonkers rhubarbing away as the Fosters takes hold.
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I have been compelled to review this again as there have been some changes implemented since I last commented on this place.
There was a refurb done a little while ago which although has gentrified the downstairs a bit (the upstars appears to have changed very little) it has not gone to far so at least the place still feels like a pub as opposed to a wine bar.
The two main changes for me I feel that one is negative and one for the better. As is tradition, lets start with the bad news.
The pub seems to have completely done away with any TV's. You used to be able to watch sport here and the atmosphere was good. I have never ever seen any trouble at all in this place and now there is absolutely nowhere you can go in this part of Kingston to watch sport (except The Mill God help us).
Now for the good news. The pub now seems to be free of tie and always has a nice variation of ales on with some interesting stuff in there. When this pub was GK you could only get the customary IPA (which I wouldnt touch wiht a bargepole) or Abbott or Specked Hen so defintely a change for the better here.
I am sure I will be in here on Friday so I will add to this if need's be
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First visited the Druid's Head in January while shopping with my partner and it has become one of my favourite pubs in Kingston. Perfect for a quiet pint in the daytime, haven't visited yet in the evening but it is definitely on the to-do list. I managed to buy two pints of ale for around �5.00 on my first visit, admittedly this was before the budget price increase, but it was nice to know I could try a new ale and treat a friend to one without cost being a concern. As a student, money is tight, so I'm very glad I can visit a pleasant pub with friendly staff without breaking the bank.
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A renovated coaching inn in the more up-market pub-chain style. Nonetheless, it was spick and span, the Everard's Original was fine and complex, and the staff interested and efficient.
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It's difficult to ad more to what has already been written. It's clean and quiet when we dropped on a Tuesday evening. Six handpumps. All in all, pretty decent town centre pub.
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Given the drastic shortage of decent pubs in Kingston town centre, you'll invariably find yourself having a couple in here if on any sort of crawl locally. It's fine, little in the way of character or charm, but half-decent beers at reasonable prices. Decision to close the upstairs bar at around 10pm every Saturday bemuses and frustrates everyone up there in equal measure.
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Located in the Market Square, it has quite a small frontage but goes back a long way. The bar is on the right as you come in and has 6 real ale pumps. The lounge is well laid out and very comfortable. It has a patio area on the side and another room in the corner of that. The food menu had a good choice at fair prices. I was there for the Summer beer festival which had a good range of golden style beers served by a very friendly barmaid. Well worth a visit.
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Greene King pub, but with one half-decent guest ale on. Large downstairs and upstairs (bar up to but no one serving on a Saturday evening) and also a huge garden/smoking area out back.
Decent enough atmosphere and friendly staff, so points for that, although had run out of loads of stuff on the food menu when we visited.
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Now A Greene King pub, the Druid's Head has been modernised inside but not cmpletely knocked through so you can still feel the old coaching inn that was. Shame you can't hear it for the piped music. Unlike many GK pubs, they managed a decent guest ale (Hyde's Swict Delivery) alongside the usual GK pap. Staff were helpful and polite on a quiet lunchtime visit.
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Decent enough place to have a few drinks. Anyone who visits this place for the 1st time will probably be impressed however if like me you have been here more time than most people have eaten hot dinners then it all becomes a bit samey.....same beer...same clientel and same atmosphere. However this is a decent enough place and one of the few places that you would want to go and drink in in Kingston if you are over the age of 21!!!!!!
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not sure about this 1 went there expebting to see a f c wimbledon v stevenage in the f a cup was told we dont show football on the same day rugby is on telly even though there was about 2 hours between the football finishing and the rugby starting where is yoursense of occaision wimbledon play half a mile away this directed at the other pubs i went looking for the game in whn either had aston vila/arsenal on or nothing at all been here a couple of times and some miserable git has knicked my beer when i went for a smoke but fair play to the boss it was replaced for this reason it gets the nod from me
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The usual range of beers which are all fairly well kept.
Often staff are a bit grumpy but still better than most the pubs in kingston
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Interesting pub next to Kingston Market, probably the oldest boozer in the town. Decent beers from mainly mainstream brewers (GK range + Black Sheep plus occasional guests) which are well kept. Held a beer festival in the Autumn but not sure if they have any during other times of the year. Pub that despite being in 'buggy central' does not allow kids in which to many is a bonus.
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This is a 17th Century coaching inn in the the centre of Kingston, an area strangely bereft of pubs. As befits an old building, this pub has an unusual layout: on entering through the right hand door you access a bar-less snug room with a bell to summon waitress service, then you must traverse another small seperate room and passage to access the bar proper, which is directly accessed by the left hand door.
There are a number of side and alcove areas on various levels and the pub was an oasis of calm and respite on a Sunday lunchtime from the bustle of the town centre and Bentall's mall. There was rugby showing on a number of modestly sizes tvs with the sound off and some pleasant background music playing at a sensible volume.
Apparently the pub has a 100 year old ghost called George and one of it's windows has a comment etched on it by Jerome K Jerome (the vandal!) The original stable yard has been turned into a well appointed smoking area which must be well patronised in the summer.
GK IPA, Ruddles Bitter, Old Speckled Hen, Black Sheep and Bunce's Old Smokey were avaliable on draught along with a slection of kegs inluding Pironi and Aspalls cider. The Black Sheep and, especially, the Old Smokey were very nice and the food we tried was of reasonable quality and value. The service was friendly and I would certainly visit again when next in Kingston although I imagine that it gets very busy on Friday and Saturday nights.
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GK IPA, Ruddles County and Hen plus Black Sheep Bitter and Keltek Arthur's Ale. Small public bar with no actual bar, there is a bell to ring but not too loudly. Ok
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Pleasant range of beers, interesting place internally, a range of people young and old in there. Goes some of the way to make up for the almost total lack of decent pubs in central Kingston.
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Good beer, good pub food, plus a beer garden. Also a late licence - I've rolled in there many a time after 11pm with no problem at all, and never seen a scrap of trouble. The bouncers are great; really polite fellas. And there's some pretty hot barmaids as well. Yeah, this is one of Kingston's better pubs I think
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lovely pub with interesting layout. small 'snug' rooms and alcoves to sit in if you're in a big group. had a sunday lunch here a few weeks ago which was very cheap and very nice as well. also does very good tapas food.
if my sources are reliable i also believe this is the oldest pub in kingston, dating back to the 16/1700s?
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popped in for Sunday lunch.superb food well presented and nicely cooked. Friendly bar staff and fair priced drinks. The tables were cleaned of empty glasses quickly. A good venue
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Part of the Hogshead chain so the usual GK suspects on offer plus Black Sheep Bitter. Large pub with a further bar upstairs which is available for seperate hire. Clean and tidy and well run but not overly exciting.
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Dropped in for a couple of afternoons while in Kingston. Polite friendly bar staff, reasonable prices....What more do we need.
razor - 22 May 2008 13:30 |
I come in this pub quite often. I think the staff are very polite. The food menus are a reasonable price, and the food is nice, but i have noticed at times that the cutlery can be a bit dirty. Drinks are not too expencive, but i feel at times that the drinks can be a little flat...especially the diet coke.
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Haven't been in here since my favourite, very accommodating barman left earlier this year. Good venue for work leaving do's, always seems fairly busy. But the guvnor seemed 2 hav attitude.
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An okay pub in the pretty town centre of Kingston. Only a short walk down a back alley to the shores of the Thames, so a good stop off on a riveside walk.
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good ale, busy on weekends but not too busy you can;t get served, food is pretty good, friendly quick staff, no real complaint from me
anonymous - 1 Mar 2008 11:12 |
Paid a visit at lunchtime today. Seems quite reasonable for a town centre pub. Good pint of Ruddles and service relatively efficient. Food was very average, crispy bacon that wasn't even remotely crispy!
Major downside was a gathering of about six very loud students dominating two tables when they could have confined themselves to one. That wouldn't have been so bad if they'd actually been eating and drinking but they weren't. Another classic example of weak management which has more to do with the demise of the traditional English pub than anything else.
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Great name for a pub..! Sneaked in here, while the missus wasn't watching, for a pre-Christmas drink the other night. The footy was on the Tv, splendid! You have a choice of 2 Tv screens upstairs, however... the layout of the pub upstairs is not 'footy-friendly'..! If you are lucky enough to find a seat, people are constantly walking passed the screen, or standing infront of the Tv...!!! You CANNOT watch football (or i guess any favourite sport here..!)! What's the point in showing live sport, if your view is constantly bombarded by others not interested in seeing the game..!! GO TO O'NEIL'S AROUND THE CORNER INSTEAD, OK! They normally have plenty of room. Shame that...i quite like the Druids Head, just not on a European game night! TJ
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The Druid's Head � This is a very nice pub, with wonderful staff and good ale. This pub scores big with me, good customer service, a welcoming environment, a home away from home with good ale.
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Nothing wrong with this place... LOVE it. So much so, three of my dearest friends call upon it whenever it's a Wednesday as only a half day of education means quarter of the day pub-lunching (which is AWESOME, Angus Burger before the Burger King attempt at it) and drinking :p
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Its never been the same since Harry left which must have been over 15 years ago. The only food was ham or cheese rolls and the most modern song on the juke box was That's Amore by Dean Martin.
In the good old days Harry used to lock the doors at 2.30pm closing time and say 'let me know what you pour and I'll be back down at 5'.
Went in the year before last and it has changed but its still a good old pub.
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This has become a fairly regular haunt as it does have good ales, good attentive staff and is a nice middle of the road pub i.e. not too much of any one thing = nicely balanced (maybe).
The upstairs bar never seems to be open which means trying not to spill your beer on the stairs - not much of a gripe I know.
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Dont often drink in kingston but was really impressed with this venue especially the food and the welcoming door staff nice to see a female door supervisor and a nioce looking one at that!!!
cazza - 16 Apr 2007 15:40 |
I love the Druid's, mostly because of the atmospheric low lighting and all it's cozy nooks and crannys. It's right next door to where I work and me and my colleagues all love to go in there for a few pints after work. The manager is a lovely LOVELY man but the blokes on the door are just too stupid for words. Great deals on wines in there (buy two glasses and get the rest of the bottle for free - YAY!)and the food looks great although I haven't actually sampled any yet!
Only real criticism is that it's very poorly ventilated so on a busy Friday night you WILL come out of there sweaty and smelling like an ashtray and athsmatics (like me) are in for a hard time...but the smoking ban comes in soon so that's not really an issue anymore.
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I can't help it..! I admit it, I quite like Mariah Carey.. in a Freudian kinda way! But I guess if the pub advertises 'Live Premiership & Champions League' football, they're gonna have to have more than 2 Tv screens. But 'Karloff' is right, do we need to see all that other dross showing on the Tv..?! Perhaps have the telly's on for the sport only..? Would that work? I don't know, its a difficult balance. Different folk have different ideals. The ladies like their soaps..etc, boy its tough being a pub manager, who'd do it?...all those bloody people coming in at all hours of the day, getting sploshed & enjoying themselves, and some football fanatics too..!! whoah...Hammers for the Cup..!! One nil! (I'll just leave quietly now..!)
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I won't ever go to an O'Neils because they are predictable. I come here a lot because 1. I like the the way it's managed 2. because I like the beer and 3. because I like the fact it doesn't get crowded but just right. What's the point in going somewhere where all you think about is I'm buggered if I'm going to the bar and stand there waiting for 20 minutes. This place suits me fine and It's a great laugh. They do food too and they have a beer garden (not been in it yet though) Cheers. Chaz.
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I like this pub. It's on two floors with several smaller rooms or cosy alcoves - preferable to those huge one-room pubs which are increasingly common.
I had a couple of pints of Deuchars, which were in good condition. Shame that the Old Speckeld Hen has now been down-strengthed from 5.2% to 4.5%. It's an outrage!
Everything is rather spoiled by the presence of at least 4 TV screens. I go to a pub to drink and chat. If I want to watch TV, I can do that at home. What's wrong with punters these days? Surely one TV in one room would be adequate, not scattered everywhere so that you can't get away from them?
And while I'm being a grumpy old man, why is the name of this pub spelled (in at least 4 places, including the frontage and the sign) with no apostrophe? I'm all for quirky pub names, but is this plain lazy grammar? Can someone explain, please?
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Two pints of Deuchars IPA for under �5 is always a good starting point for a pub.
Staff were friendly enough, and apologetic about delays in food and wrong orders.
A nice pub and better than the over-priced Youngs establishment on the river, albeit without the view.
I am starting to quite like Greene King pubs - I've also been to the one in Monument and Wimbledon. Although they are pretty similar, you can usually get reasonable food and decent ale, well priced.
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A Hogshead pub, seems massive on the inside. Prepare for a long walk to the toilets if you are sitting downstairs. There are decent ales you can buy here. Good place to go if you are a fan of IPA
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Visited here before going to the works one weekend.
I quite liked it in this pub the doormen were polite, they opened doors for me asked a member of staff to clear all the glasses off the table for me and my partner to sit at.
Was quite packed in here but got served quickly.
The drinks were a bit expencive.
Nice atmosphere.
Will be making another visit soon.
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Now a Greene King pub. Popular with students from nearby college and uni. Expensive for area. Only visit if loud sounds and student skirt is your thing.
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weird pub, the apes on the door kept coming up to the section of pub we were in and threaning to throw us out for smoking in a non smoking place, did ask where the signs were to indicate this and was ignored, however did hear him on his walkie talkie telling them to put signs up. avoid
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Typical hogs head pub with lots of youngsters and noise. There is a good selection of beers and a range of food a little overpriced for the quality
anonymous - 28 Mar 2006 19:27 |
A regular haunt of mine for the all important beer and snack before going to a meeting at The Guildahall across the road. It's my first choice when shopping in Kingston on a Saturday too. The atmosphere is good, the range and quality of beers is excellent, and the bar snacks are appertising and reasonably priced. Definitely the best pub in the town centre.
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Once went in there and discovered there was a big pile of siick on the floor, which the bar staff could not be bothered to clean up. I left.
I was also refused entry once at 10.45 as they claimed the pub had called last orders. Had an argument with the ignorant doorman about the law, didn't get in, wasn't too bothered, they just didn't get my money that evening, who lost out in the end?
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THE LOOS ARE THE MOST DISGUSTING IN THE WHOLE OF KINGSTON
anonymous - 12 Sep 2005 01:34 |
Quite clearly an ex Hogshead despite the name change. Wasn't looking forward to a visit, as it seemed quite a sterile type of pub - However, wasn't that bad. The food I had was tremendous.
The only sour point was the piped music in the background, playing some awful Mariah Carey song. Why do they think this would appeal to customers?
TheGP - 30 May 2005 12:11 |
Popped in yesterday, Friday, afternoon for a couple of quick beers. The pub is just about to be refitted so will be closed from the 22/4 to the 5/5, I think !! They are currently running down their beer stock, so there was no real ale. They had the usual range, Stella, Fosters, Guiness etc. What draws me here is that they serve Hoegaarden (�3-25 a pint, very reasonable). Both pints I had were not quite chilled enough. Was served promptly both times. Will be interested to see what the pub looks like after the refit. I'm not going to rate this pub until after the refit!!
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No longer a Hogs Head!!!!!
Been drinking in there 2-3 times a week for a few years now and am quite surprised at the comments...the service to the small bar can be slow but if you walk for 20 seconds to the other bar you still get served quickly.
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It stank of sewage in there the other day. That coupled with fact that only one of the four bar-tenders seemed interested in serving punters (one girl was stock taking to be fair) forced me abandon my quest for a drink here pretty swiftly. See my comments below for a more balanced opinion but I am beginning to wonder why I ever went to this pub when you have the far superior Ram just around the corner.
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had lunch here on saturday. I am increasingly disappointed in the standard of food served in most high street pubs and this place was no exception. My scampi was overcooked to the point of being practically burnt, while my girlfriends bbq chicken resembled a piece of old shoe leather. This is simple pub grub, not very tricky at all. It really shouldn't be very easy to make a mess of this sort of food, but this place had me wishing I'd just stayed at home and done it myself.
Steve - 1 Nov 2004 13:25 |
The staff in this pub are disgusting in their attitude to customers, failing to serve the snug bar and causing eight customers to eventually leave.
Plainly given to some form of prejudice this placew needs a shaking up and some of the staff sacked or at least disciplined
anonymous - 25 Oct 2004 00:03 |
Terrace was closed, but it was a late September night. Good location in the 'old town' of Kingston. A reasonable range of bitter also.
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Hogshead is expensive and food is either great or terrible depending on how lucky you are... It's an attractive bar though, friendly staff apart from the one who had a right go at my boyfriend once cos he moaned he'd been waiting to be served for ages. Not selling it very well am I???? It's cool, I like it, no, really
Jane - 17 Aug 2004 10:58 |
Good selection of ales but, last night, they all seemed bland, unfortunately. A shame 'cos I like the place.
DeviousDave - 6 Aug 2004 10:24 |
This sucks, the guys on the door are the most uncompromising tossers ever, even when you're sober. There's nothing inside to set it apart, or even worth mentioning at all really.
Scotty boy - 16 Jul 2004 15:35 |
The reason the Druid's Head was kept, is because it's a listed building, the brewery would have loved to knock down the walls and make it one big boozer!
The fact that most of the local councillors often pop in to the Druid's after council meetings may or may not have anything to do with it being listed ;o)
Staff are always lovely, food is average, beer selection usually fab!
Badger - 8 May 2004 18:27 |
Well, having been fairly recently I can say that there are still bouncers on the door but they let myself and some friends back in at about 10:30 even though only one of us had the id they asked for.
Anyway, about the pub. It has almost certainly the best selection of beer in Kingston. It has 6 different bitters at varying prices, several lagers, and the option of cider along with an enormass amounts of spirits dangling on the bar wall waiting to be used.
The staff seemed friendly enough and it is one of the biggest pubs in Kingston. However, due to its quality, it is normally quite full. They have live music (well, I suppose I can get away with calling it that...just!!) on Fridays - not sure about other days.
I haven't had any food there so can't comment.
I think there is a nice atmosphere coupled with an excellent bar is a nice place.
QPRTom - 30 Apr 2004 17:32 |
Had launch at this place yesterday. Put my knife and fork down for a second to say something to my girlfriend and the barmaid came dashing up to ask if we had finished, which we hadn't. As soon as we had finished she came dashing back and whisked the plates away while I was still chewing my last mouthful of food. If she wanted to free up the table because the pub was busy her behaviour would have been just plain rude, but as the place was half empty it was baffling as well!
steve - 19 Apr 2004 16:19 |
nice friendly staff and the atmosphere is good! its nice to start off here then go on!!
I quite like it .. not sure why the other peeps who have commented dont!! Good place to have a laugh and joke with mates before getting bladdered!!
Lucy Chandler - 9 Jan 2004 10:56 |
The Hogsdead I am totally indifferant to. The Druids Head I like, simply because it's such a pointless waste of space. With a capacity of about about 3 men and a dog, it's hard to see why it was ever thought worthy of incorporating into the design. But who cares? It offers an alternative to the tedium next door.
Good for: gloating over a pint at the records you just bought at Beggars Banquet.
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I have just been refused entry to this pub on the grounds that the bar was closed at 10.45 on a Saturday Evening!!! I had two mates in the pub happily enjoying a beer!!
That is 15 mins before official closing time, and another 15 mins before drinking up time.
The bouncer who did it was a patronising ignoramus. I have lost more brain cells on a big night out, and then he has ever had. He was both rude and ignorant of the law.
Bouncers have a role in dealing with people who have become unsociable, and are ruining the evening for everyone else. But they are not there to prevent legitimate customers from enjoying a pint at closing time.
There are so many pubs in Kingston these days, many which have late licenses; it is really not necessary to ever go to this pub again.
If the Hogshead wants to prevent their customers from buying their produce then I will help them by going to the many other pubs, which are more than happy to have my business.
They may also benefit from teaching their door staff that rudeness is not a quality expected in customer facing staff.
Mike - 15 Nov 2003 23:30 |
We got a coupon from the Evening Standard newspaper recently saying we could get a free pint of Heineken or glass of wine from the Hogs Head pubs - on the list was the Kingston pub, and yet when we went there they didn't even offer Heineken and also refused to give us a free glass of wine! False advertising, false promotion, DISGRACEFUL. Will not be going to this Hogs Head or any others from now on...
Sam - 12 Oct 2003 18:40 |
Soulless place - avoid. Look for a Young's pub in the area instead
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Decent pub to go to if Casa and Ha Ha are packed. They have recently reduced their prices to try and pull more people in - �2.20 for a good pint of Guinness Extra Cold can't be bad.
Angus - 4 May 2003 11:30 |
A meat market that has had its cooling system sabotaged. Only joking. Some of the girls that frequent this pub are quite fit actually. But you have to take the rough with the smooth...... Bouncers are aggresive in a predatory-homosexual manner. Beer is standard fayre. Good if you have nothing better to do and your mate lives opposite.
Neville Bartos - 11 Apr 2003 17:52 |
They do tend to shove you out as early as they can. If you are upstairs at 11, you can guarantee you will be told, often very rudely, to get downstairs at 11.01. But apart from that it is not too bad.
Mike - 18 Mar 2003 16:08 |
I tend to use this pub as an after work venue for a couple of pints of Hoegaarden (sp?), so have rarely experienced the 10.50pm show. Agree about the door though - don't sit near the front of the pub.
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Dreadful place - they'll serve you a pint at 10.50pm, then at 10.52 the gorillas... I mean bouncers will make you go downstairs and stand by the door while you force it down your neck. They also open the door on cold nights, just to give you that extra incentive to get lost now they've got your cash. don't go there - go to the Ram.
ElDickster - 7 Jan 2003 17:27 |
nice little pun to pop into before a bid night out in Works!
anonymous - 16 Dec 2002 15:38 |
Enjoyed a lively Thursday night there not long ago - good, cheap Boddies (honest).
Devious Dave - 30 Oct 2002 14:47 |
Nice upstairs bar(when it's open)has doors that open onto tiny terrace in hot weather.
Simon - 13 Aug 2002 10:37 |
extremely average pub, has looked the same forever
Steph Walton - 22 May 2002 15:43 |
