please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Faultless, small & over the beaten track, with a really good beer selection for such a small pub. Beer quality is excellent
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A very small traditional pub with a good ambience,the beer is reliably well kept. The food is rolls and Mr.Barrick's Pork Pies and not all of the range contains pork! The Service is polite but can be slow as the barperson is on their own and has several tasks, food preparation,changing barrels etc.I have used this pub on and off for a very long time.Thankfully it now opens during the day. 9/10
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This pub has just got better. In 2016 live music Thursday and Friday nights . With a excellent range of beers , with more taps being added the year you would be spoilt for choice. This Friday the brilliant 'Dirty Spoons ' are playing .it's a must. So if you like music and real ale get yourselves down there.
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Excellent small pub off the beaten track and having several ales, other kinds of beer, pork pies, and live music, all in a tiny space smaller than most bars in larger pubs. Downton Quadhop did it for me. Several customers in on a Friday evening. I saw 'High Path' and remembered there was something down there. Like Alice, I followed. 'Drink me'? I did indeed.
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one of the best pubs around,enjoyed the surrey hills shere drop and collusion(new one for me)both very good.3 other beers on.cheeky cherry kriek finnish.excellent night had by all for my friends 40th birthday,and she did a good bat out of hell on the karoke!great pub and the staff were good too!
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Thursday night in the traff is always a treat. great beer and good live music. A different band / singer . Some original, some covers . Always worth a try.
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excellent boozer,enjoyed the surrey hills shere drop and very good by the horns lamberth walk porter.
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in traf last night,5 beers on,had the surrey hills shere drop which was excellent.only slight gripe was there being 3 downtons beers on,not a favourite brewery with me or a few of my party!good to see this place busy with proper drinkers in.good service too.
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The "Traf" has improved internally it is now clean bright and open lunchtimes( well done Dave the Wibbas Down enjoyed the extra trade) , If you want a KeyKeg fizzy drink at £6.00 this is where you can be ripped off. I bought a pint of Ol'Blue Eyes and it was vinegary and very cloudy but after a minute or two the Gnome behind the bar changed it and replaced it with another beer from the same Brewery(By The Horns) called Mick the Miller(also cloudy). Fortunately the ethos here is to serve ales from other parts of the country ( not just Locales). The Downton Quadhop was in good nick but why replicate the beers that are served at the nearby Sultan? Are they anti-choice or aggressively attempting a war with them? Most odd, at the very least a lack of thought! An improvement on the Hope but that was probably due to the pronounced lack of customers (only one other when we entered). A wide selection ? Well three or four real ales were on in truth! 6/10.
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The "Traf" has improved internally it is now clean bright and open lunchtimes( well done Dave the Wibbas Down enjoyed the extra trade) , If you want a KeyKeg fizzy drink at £6.00 this is where you can be riped off. I bought a pint of Ol'Blue Eyes and it was vinegary and very cloudy but after a minute or two the Gnome behind the bar changed it and replaced it with another beer from the same Brewery(By The Horns) called Mick the Miller(also cloudy). Fortunately the ethos here is to serve ales from other parts of the country ( not just Locales). The Downton Quadhop was in good nick but why replicate the beers that are served at the nearby Sultan? Are they anti-choice or aggressively attempting a war with them? Most odd, at the very least a lack of thought! An improvement on the Hope but that was probably due to the pronounced lack of customers (only one other when we entered). A wide section ? Well three or four real ales were on in truth!
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Kitchen refurb complete. Food ("Pot Meals and Rolls") starts Monday 8th September. Beavertown beers now in. Magic Rock and Alpha State arriving next week. Plenty of hops there :)
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Traf reborn, and serving good quality ales, although on my three visits so far, Downton and Surrey Hills have featured. please hop it up Roger
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We popped down the reborn Traf for the first time last night. Good range of well kept real ales in cask and now keg as well as bottles and micro kegs. The interiors have been simplified and it feels a bit more airy now which is no bad thing. The maritime ephemera is still there which is nice. Well done fellas keep up the good work!
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popped in for a quick one after wedding in church up the road.got to say im impressed.good selection of beers on,had a fantastic pint of surrey hills shere drop.liking the new look,with the wheel being moved giving more room to get round bar.
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Now re-open with a wider selection of ales, mostly from Micros, and a rapily growing selection of bottles, 'craft' and foriegn.
Opens at 4 during the week, 12 fri-sun.
new website: trafalgarfreehouse.co.uk
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The Traf is now closed for a (sensitive) refurb and should reopen around the end of May.
We are expecting to have support from, and trading agreements with, The Hope in Carshalton. This should make a good range of excellent beers available.
Thanks to Dave for keeping the Traf going all these years, the cricket team will continue! And yes, there will be some Jazz.
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enjoyed last night in traf,3 beers on by by the horns,stiff upper lip.doom bar and oxford blue,all very good.shame that after 10 years dave the landlord will be leaving on sunday 4th may.thanks to dave and his team for being fantastic hosts over those years.the trafs been a great place to drink..
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Splendid pub with fine ales and wonderful staff and regulars who are far too tolerant of my drunken nonsense.
In defence of Hoppy Al, in my experience he is not one to sexually discriminate based on gender, or indeed, species. In fact, quite the opposite.
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love the traff and i dont get in here as often as i should,just want to say sorry to fionaTG ,i made a cheap remark,didnt mean to offend.the traf welcome everyone. even seen the landlord in a fetching dress.
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The Trafalgar is a great pub. Lovely beer, great staff and a feeling of community, all of these things long gone in many places.
I see a few comments suggesting some unhappiness with the prices. Now there may be cheaper places around but really what you pay here is less than you will pay in many.
And for Hoppyal's benefit, being transsexual (not a tranny please) and a regular I am going to guess I was one of the two he spotted. The fact that the place is good to me is testament in itself. Somewhere then that all types are welcome.
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in last night for 1st time in 10 months,had 4 twickenham beers on,grandstand was the pick of them.also on pilgrims progress and market ale.nice to see many of the old faces in.even the 2 trannys became more fancyable the more we drank.lol
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Congrats for winning the SW Camra Pub of the Year again!
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Had to comment on another comment which is not my usual comment! Jelnet..if you
are an occasional visitor can you really be in a position to say "a lot of the same beers seem to show up" or "televising of major sporting events has reduced the pubs appeal"? etc etc...maybe more than an occasional visit would give an accurate view. If your comments have some truth then, no doubt, the management will take note. From my viewpoint..thank goodness in these difficult times that the Traf remains stubbornly independent. Value that or as is said " use it or lose it". And maybe the degraded customer service may, just, be as a result of the customer themselves!
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I went on a mini pub crawl of the Wimbledon area and factoered in the fact that the Trafalgar opens at15:00 hrs Mon-Thurs,only four ales on and the two I tried wereno better than average, fortunately I had spent an hour and a half in the Sultan which was on very good form indeed at decent prices.
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I've been a Traf occasional visitor for some years and was initially wowed by the relaxed atmosphere and amazing choice of great beers, rotated on an astounding frequency. Such excellence resulted in the Traf being awarded CAMRA South West Pub of the Year in 2007 and regional finalist for Pub of the Year 2008. Of course this is a very high standard to keep up, but if I'm totally honest, of recent months I've felt the Traf has slipped a little.
For my money the addition of large TV screens and televising of major sporting events has reduced the pubs appeal, to such an extent that I'll pass it by when such an event is on. Even without an event being screened, the TVs cause a distraction to conversation and degradation of atmosphere. I'm sure there may be very valid economic reasons for the inclusion of screens but I feel it detracts from the pub, or any pub for that matter.
Additionally it seems a lot of the same beers seem to show up, which wouldn't be such a problem, were it not for the fact that it seems to be more uninspiring brews that are most frequently on tap. Many's the time when I've been told a particular beer is unavailable because it's so popular and sells out quickly. I would have thought this might be an indication to order more, but I get the feeling that cost considerations are perhaps dictating the choice of beers stocked, which is a shame.
Another thing I've noticed that has degraded somewhat is customer service. The staff just don't seem so friendly as they one were and don't seem so willing to offer tastings of the beers, or if they do it's done somewhat grudgingly. With so many beers on offer and being changed frequently you sometimes need to try before you buy. Of course I do understand that this takes extra time and eats into profits, in which case I'd suggest the Traf follow the example of a real ale pub I visited recently in Scarborough. Here they sold "thirds", which effectively were tasters but at the third of the cost of a pint. This was a great way of trying something for little outlay and allayed the need for feeling a bit of a scrounger asking for a tasting.
Don't get me the wrong, the Traf is still a head and shoulders above most of the local pubs, and a great place to visit, but I do feel it's lost it's way a little. Hopefully this is temporary blip and it will get back on track and return to it's former glory days, and who knows, become pub of the year 2012...
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A good little boozer with a nice feel about it, not as big a place as I was expecting but this is not a bad thing. I had a pint of Ascots Alligator Ale ,not the best of its type but not bad and very drinkable. Nice pub.
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After all this time, the brilliant Geoff has still not performed down here again. Come on Dave, pull your finger out and give the public what it wants!
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I have been asked by Hoppyal to clarify the fact he loves Ellie as a friend.
I hope this clears any misunderstanding.
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I went shopping in Wimbledon with the wife and suggested a pint in the Trafalgar,so as it was only 14:00 hrs,we spent a pleasant hour in the Sultan waiting for the 15:00 hrs opening at the Traf, I wanted to try the Ascot brewed Market ale which was brewed on an idea of the Traf's Guvnor Dave,I normally prefer golden ales ,milds, porters , stouts ,basically anything but an old fashioned brown ale,this was exactly that.the Market Ale was really good the best beer of this type i've ever tried, simply superb.So, well, done Dave ! the Market ale is exclusive to the Traf,it is apparently available in bottles, try it ,be open minded,not really an ale I would seek out but I must admit it is excellent.
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Also in on 3rd April for the third time is as many weeks. The beer has been excellent on all occassions, especially the Art Brew Lemon! Found the beer was becoming a little inconsistent, but seems to be back to its best. Good pub with friendly locals.
Hoppyal loves Ellie!!!!!!
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had some very good pints of acer and sunrise from the bristol beer factory.hophead and 3 other beers on .nice to see a lot of the pub characters in last night.enjoyed my night in here,could of only been topped if the luvely ellie was in and the music was jeff smith.recommend this pub highly.
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Good range of beers and even some interesting lagers.. really lively little pub that I always try to visit when I'm south of the river - was in the area for a beer festival yesterday and popped in :)
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The Trafalgar finished up as my pub of the day from yesterday, narrowly pipping the Sultan. It's a single room small pub in an unassuming area, surrounded by tower blocks. Whilst it has a good range of ales and ciders, the key drawback is that it gets so crowded. Getting to the bar was a problem yesterday. In fact, getting through the door was an even bigger problem. Once at the bar, there was no chance of moving, with everybody packed in like sardines. But the atmosphere here is similar to a classic east end boozer, with a real community feel and a few eccentric characters to boot. A singer was performing at the one end. Beers available were Tintagel Harbour Special & Castle Gold, Ascot Single Hop & Penguin Porter, Merton Abbey Market Ale & Pilgrim Talisman. The one cider available was Millwhites Rum Cask. The Whisky Cask clip was turned round. There's also an interesting range of keg beverages, including Brauhaus Riegele, Meister Pils, Freedom Stout and Lilley's Star Gazer Cider. The bar staff were friendly. In short, I would recommend trying this pub at a non-peak time as it was a bit too busy to enjoy. For a quieter pint, try the Sultan. But for a typical local experience with fine ales and ciders, the Trafalgar is recommended.
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the best pub in the area...nuff said
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A tiny backstreet corner boozer, 'The Traf' is a bit of a local legend. Live jazz and blues can be had but don't go there expecting to hear any current pop! There's usually several i.e at least four real ales on in fine condition. As a contrast to The Sultan, it's a great place to go for a few pints.
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Real treat to see and hear jazz trumpeter Dick Pearce here last Saturday and especially looking forward to blues maestro Giles Hedley on guitar, harmonicas and vocals this coming Saturday. This tiny pub is a gem with an ever changing good selection of well kept real ales.
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What can I say about this place, it's a true gem. Excellent community pub, one of London's best kept secrets. Great range of beers, excellent staff, cosy and welcoming in the winter with real coal fire, cool and convivial in the summer, pub has it's own cricket team. Everything a local should be and yet much, much more...oh, I should also mention the interesting variety of cliental who in not in a small way help to make this pub such a gem.
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Great local pub with well served variety of beers. A proper local!
The pub is small so can get busy, especially at poplar times and if the jazz band or similar are playing.
If you don't like the squeeze, try another pub, there's enough others within a short walk though sadly not as many as there used to be.
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I think Beerwulf can't be drinking the same beer as me... The beer is usually excellent - not warm, but cellar temperature, and not the chilled stuff served at many pubs. He is correct about the beer at the Hope being very good, but they still have a bit to go before they can match the consistency of the Traf.
Of course, you can always get a pint near the end of the barrel. On each occasion that I have had such an issue at the Traf, the bar staff have cheerfully replaced it with an alternative and the offending beer has been taken off, the line cleaned and a new beer added. I always let the staff know if my beer isn't quite right. Sometimes, of course it is me and not the beer. The other good thing about the Traf is that they encourage people to try the beer before buying.
This is a pub that doesn't need a beer festival every other week!
I understand that he may not like midweek (or any) music. It is a small pub and it can be busy. Mind you, if it's busy it might stay open!!! I have seen lots of pubs where I have enjoyed a quiet pint and a read close down. I have chatted to Dave, the guvnor, and he says that without the business generated by events such as music, the pub would have closed by now. Sadly, the price of a quiet pint is the occasional noisy night. however...
All of the music events are advertised, both in the pub and on the pubs website, so a small amount of research will pay dividends. I often phone Dave and ask what's on. The quality of music, whilst not always my cup of tea, is usually excellent.
Hoppyal, needs his bumps feeling... Improve the music with Geoff Smith!!!
I love the Traf, the beer is great and so is the entertainment. I'd rather have a busy pub than a closed one.
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Mmm, beer quality has been distinctly iffy on my last few visits- too warm, off flavours, etc. The other problem is that although the music sesions can bring punters in they can also be an unwelcome surprise if one turns up midweek and finds it impossible to sit down and have a quiet pint..
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great beers, lovely staff, warm welcome. often pop along for the "old man" jazz on a sunday arvo. great place to stop off, read the papers and tuck into the wide variety of real ale. charming nelson-themed decor, looks like a pub should! only downer is that it's so small. brilliant place.
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nice pub with great beer,lovely old landlord,with very good staff,congratulations on winning south london pub 2009.needs to improve music with geoff smith.
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Mr Bonser writes below that the area around the pub is best avoided after dark. Er, why? Just because there's a council estate next-door? I've walked through that estate on many an evening to visit this pub or to attend a service at the CofE church over the road, and can attest to have never so much as been looked at funny.
One could argue that there's more anti-social behaviour from the toffs in leafy Wimbledon Village than in this salt-of-the-earth part of SW19.
kid_b - 25 Jun 2010 22:09 |
Externally, a rather unattractive looking building, The Trafalgar is a small community orientated traditional local situated in a back street of South Wimbledon / Merton.
It's a single bar pub with two distinct drinking areas separated by a notable ship's wheel. There's some Nelson related memorabilia and frosted windows help contribute towards a cosy feel, but, taken as a whole, the interior is somewhat nondescript.
To be honest, I've never warmed to this pub in the past. Being only a small pub, there's not a lot of room and the regulars tend to congregate by the bar, leaving little room for the passing visitor to manoeuvre into a position to see what beers are on. In addition, the friendly welcoming atmosphere that other posters refer to has always appeared lacking to me. Plus of course, it's in an area that I would prefer to avoid after dark, thus restricting visiting opportunities in the winter months.
However, in my book, a pub is as good as I find it on my last visit and my visit on a recent Sunday afternoon, coinciding with the afternoon jazz between 2.30pm and 5.30 pm, enabled me to see the pub in a more favourable light. Yes, it was busier than on my previous Saturday visits - and the regulars were still hogging the bar space - but I detected a much more welcoming and relaxed atmosphere overall, probably because there was a much wider customer mix, with a good number of people obviously there specifically for the jazz.
On the real ale front, there's six handpumps. Both beers sampled by me - Dark Star Hophead and a chocolatey tasting Lytham Dark ( both at � 2.90p ) were in excellent condition, served incidentally by a barmaid who bore an uncanny resemblance to Becky in Coronation Street's Rovers Return ( but minus the permanent scowl )
The pub is a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular and has won local awards ( eg - CAMRA Greater London Pub of the Year 2008 )
Two smallish TV's were showing the afternoon's Premiership football, one oddly positioned in a corner behind and above where the jazz band was, but the game was attracting little interest and it didn't adversely affect the atmosphere.
I'm now more enthusiastic about this pub and I'll try and get here again soonish - probably on a Sunday. Finally, do note that, according to the CAMRA GBG, it doesn't open until 3pm in the afternoon between Mondays and Thursdays.
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This pub is a real treasure, with its excellent range of well-kept real ales and cider on tap, gentle-tempered regulars and affable service. It's well-kept too, and nicely small, so is ideal for a quiet drink. It's hard to believe places like this really exist.
Someone below has said it's in the "middle of nowhere". The pub I was at a few weeks ago on the edge of Dartmoor was difficult to get to; this one is within two minutes' walk of the Northern Line and several bus routes. By what definition is that "the middle of nowhere"?!
kid_b - 30 Mar 2010 21:45 |
Excellent beer, decent prices.Go there!
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A proper free house, beer very good and very interesting....
Middle of no where or so it feels as you walk there but worth it once you sup first pint.
Highly reccommended.
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Cosy free house with 6 real ales always on and live music on Saturday evening, ( an impressive Frank Sinatra tribute act on our visit) , and Sunday lunchtime. The beer range is usually Dark Star Hophead plus 4 other guests (�2.80) and a specially brewed house beer called Market Ale from Ascot Ales (�2.60). The Hophead and Market were very good, with the Market popular with the locals. They also had Riegele German lager on tap and in bottles, which weren't tried, but were nice to see.
Although it's a bit of a trek from Wimbledon town centre, (it's not too far from the Sultan, so a visit to both makes sense), it is fairly close to South Wimbledon tube station. As has been stated below, it is very small, making it very busy on the Saturday evening we visited and a bit awkward to get through the crowd to the toilet and back, but all in all this pub is one to visit if you are a real ale fan.
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a very good selection of ale.i had popphams pride that was amazing dark smoky ale.very far out of london but well worth trecking too.
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Great place, can't recommend it highly enough if you like a traditional pub with excellent real ales.
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nice pub this - incredibly small but real ale selection was great and Hophead perfectly kept. Had a jazz/blues trio playing which - although not my thing - added real character.
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Highly reccomended. Excellent beer and great local atmosphere
codge - 18 Jan 2010 17:55 |
This is a very small pub which had a very hospitable woman behind the bar during my recent visit. I spotted six hand pumps, but I couldn�t get around the bar to check them out as a group of six blokes were blocking the bar � yes the pub is that small! There is also a bank of six draught taps from which I was served a fine pint of Guinness.
There is a dartboard by the entrance and a TV above the door that shows Sky Sports.
I�d be happy to have this place around the corner from my house for a few quiet mid week beers � Not before 3pm though.
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Good pub for a beer, not much else to recommend it though, certainly would'nt spend too long here.
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As Maldenman says in his review from Aug 2008, this is not a pub you can pop into for one drink. That was my intention when I 'popped in' last night only to find an absolute gem of a pub and I stayed for nearly two hours just enjoying everything about the place.
As others have commented, the pub is in an unusual location hidden away next to a tower block of flats, but don't let that put you off. Once you open the door and enter you are transported into the most wonderful friendly welcoming pub. This really is what pubs used to be like and sadly there are so few of them left.
There was a choice of six ales available. I had Dark Star Hophead followed by Dark Star Critical Mass (at 7.8% a superb winter warmer). Then I spotted a bottle of Dark Star stout and thought I'd try that. It turned out to be a bottle conditioned Russian Imperial Stout and was nectar.
I really didn't want to leave but had to, however I will be back just as soon as I can. This really is an absolute delight of an establishment. Do not miss a chance to pay a visit. Just don't expect only the one drink !!
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Let's deal with the location issue briefly - yes, it is what most would consider unappealing, and it is not the kind of area which one would expect to boast a superior ale house. But lest we forget, we should never judge a neighbourhood, or a pub, entirely by its outward appearance. Either would be serious folly in this instance, for the Trafalgar is quite simply one of the best public houses - certainly free houses - I have discovered this year.
I arrived with a couple of friends on Saturday evening and found the place thronging with a good mix of punters, all having a whale of a time and clearly enthusing over the forthcming live jazz performance, and the superb range of unusual cask ales on offer. Happily, we managed to find a seat and simply drunk in the atmosphere, and as many of the beers as possible. The clips in the bar area demonstrate how many they have served in recent years, and I found the quality of the cellaring matched that of the quantity. I come from near Reigate, where only recently has it been possible to source Pilgrim beer, despite having been brewed there for 24 years, and even then its appearance is intermittent, and usually confined to the Progress. Yet many miles to to the north we have the Traf, which regularly serves TWO Pilgrim beers, neither of them from the usual portfolio. One, the Thrupenny bitter, was subtly smokey and hugely sessionable, and the other was a brew specially commissioned for the licensees to mark their 5 years in the pub - Dave advised me that they have a good relationship with the other Dave at the brewery. Clearly they must if he was willing to create an exclusive brew for him! The other ales sampled were also on song, and this, combined with the lively, friendly and unpretentious environment, made for an exceptional evening's entertainment. Everything was convivial and gelled perfectly.
Regardless of the downbeat character of its environs, I'd happily get a place in the nearest tower block if it meant being able to maintain a prominent and regular presence at this pub! A fine blueprint of how good a simple, local boozer can be. David and Karen: I salute you.
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Forget the location, this is a splendid drinkers pub with 6 ales on including 2 from the Westerham brewery. Very quiet on the Saturday afternoon but the pub fire (not the serious type) was welcoming. Worth seeking out.
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It is a 'community pub' there is a tower block right next to it, but don't let that put you off at all, the locals were very friendly. It was a cold day and there was a lovely coal fire keeping the pub nice and warm. The beer range was excellent, sourced from micros mainly and the quality of the 2 beers I had was exceptional.
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Way too crowded and loud on a Saturady afternoon to stay too long. Will go back when it's quieter...
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Small freehouse with an interesting selection of real ales (including a decent pint of 'Cog' from the Box Steam Brewery in Wiltshire). Fairly ordinary interior, but you are almost certainly here for the beer so that probably doesn't matter too much. One of those places that you are surprised to find still exists, but which you are very glad it does.
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Over the last couple of days at the intimate "Traf" I have delighted in rediscovering Moorhouse Black Cat (selling at �2.70 per pint) which the management of the "Sloaney Pony" (White Horse on Parsons Green) curiously informed me recently was too expensive, along with Hobsons Mild, for them to continue to purchase any more, despite the past sales success there of both of these unique Milds. All power therefore to the "Traf" over Mitchells & Butlers!
Also an excellent Porter here at the "Traf" which was also consumed by the clientele at a similarly alarming rate as Black Cat. Always a very interesting and varied selection of six real ales from micro-breweries throughout the country.
Thank goodness for pubs like the "Traf" run by astute and experienced traditional pub landlords.
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Excellent ale festival today including some very rare micro-brews with live jazz (in beer garden) & complimentary cheese & biscuits and seafood. Looking forward to more dark milds and stouts apparently planned for later this month including Moorhouse Black Cat.
Many thanks for a most hospitable and enjoyable afternoon.
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Has a lot going for it re. range of ales, music etc., but the furniture is awful and it does smell. Also, not being a local, we did not feel very welcome.
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Sorry, I'm a day out of kilter, as usual.
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The Lymestone was Foundation Stone, and t'other was Doombar, so your LocAle must've been Mallard or Thru'penny - Horsham & Reigate respectively. Didn't know they had music on curry night (�6 inc a pint).
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Made first visit in a while last night. Five or six beers on offer, including Dark Star Best, Thru'penny Hop Bitter, W J King's Mallard Ale, and something from the Lymestone Brewery in Staffs (can't remember the exact ale). There was also a LocAle brew on, but can't remember that either!
I had the Thu'penny Hop and Lymestone. Both tip-top. Pub had live music on - she was an excellent singer - and was fairly full. We were made to feel very welcome. Highly recommended pub.
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Chatting to some locals and the staff today in The Hyde Tavern, Winchester. On being asked if I was local, and replying no, from near Wimbledon, a drinker at the bar immediately said, "Do you drink in The Trafalgar?" Reputations clearly travel.
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Firstly, I'm a real person. I'm not made up, nor do I work at the pub like a lot of positive reviewers clearly do on this great website! I cannot, as a man passionate about pubs, quite put into words the enthusiasm I hold for the Traf. Quite simply, it's the closest to perfection I have found, and Dave is as inspirational a landlord as I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. This pub is not only the hub of the community, but people come from around the world to taste the beer as well as experience the wonderful atmosphere. The fire is lit in the winter, and the door is welcomingly propped open in the summer. Quite simply, the Traf has to be seen to be believed.
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Prior posts and info are sufficient testimony to the fact this pub is a serious place for the discerning drinker. Viewed excellent gypsy jazz evening Sat 30 May with Bernie Holden and excellent new jazz violinist Ben Holder . Regret not knowing of this pub when lived in the area.
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Rumour has it that the Traf doesn't open until 3p.m. Monday through to Thursday. I know that the Traf is not in fear of closure so if this is true why take what looks like such a retrograde step? As a lunch time drinker I am unhappy( if it's true).
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What Getting Better fails to mention is the extremely rude behaviour that caused the reaction from the 'local' in question. I saw the incident and had I felt the need to intervene I would have done so. I believe that both I and the customer concerned are owed an apology in this matter. I am, once again, surprised that personal and offensive comments are not being picked up by BITE. This site should not be used for airing personal grievances, especially when they are not supported by the facts of the case. If Getting Better would like to discuss this matter with me I am available both in the pub and on e-mail via the pubs website. I am, however, grateful for the positive comments about the Traf and the Beer. Constructive reviews and comments on any pub are what BITE should be about. David - Landlord.
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This is a fantastic little pub with great beer. However do not go there alone as one of the locals is a nutter and will try to intimidate you not to go there, and the landlord Dave whilst very pleasant will hide in the corner and pretend he hasn't noticed.
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Continuing the value into March, the Traf has all ales at �2.40 this month. Tonight is curry night; choice includes korma, dopiaza.. up to phal, chicken or veggie, also thai beef, plus a pint - �6! Well done David.
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Very friendly and a fantastic selection of beers at very reasonable price, great little place - long may it continue.
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They now do not open until 3.00 PM on Monday to Thursdays. That caught me out yesterday lunchtime! Still a great pub though.
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I notice from this month's issue of The London Drinker (far more objective publication than the CAMRA national newspaper!) that The Traf is offering their excellent selection of micro-brewery real ales at �2.20 per pint for the month of February in order to help customers overcome the "Credit Crunch". What a marvellous example of improvisation and realisation that a number of other pubs could be well advised to follow in the current economic climate (e.g. over-priced Bricklayers Arms in Putney!) and which should be supported by CAMRA as a national policy in relation to pubs supporting micro-breweries (as CAMRA & SW CAMRA London also should be - rather than having "lost the plot" by being apparently subservient to their advertisers e.g. Youngs & Greene King). Look out for Hammerpot ales here - WOW! Also real ale lovers should vote for "value for money" in the current SW London CAMRA pub of the year - The Traf commendably won it last year, but the Eagle Ale House & Sultan are in the vote for 2009.
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Paid a first visit to this pub on Saturday and what an odd little place it is. From the street it looks like a private house with dark blinds drawn. On entering the pub and negotiating a heavy drape you find yourself almost on top of the bar. To the left a small seating area with a fireplace, to the right a more open area with a dartboard and TV, which, although on, no-one was watching. Among the clientele were a group of grossly overweight AFC Wimbledon fans celebrating their team's 5-1 win over Braintree and a couple of tickers with their notepads. Five ales on the handpumps, including Dark Star Hophead and Moorhouse Black Cat. All were in the 3.5 to 4.0 range. I would like to have seen at least one stronger ale available but the two pints of Hophead I consumed were good. An interesting pub that I will probably visit again.
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The people of South Wimbledon are very lucky to have the Traf and the Sultan within a few minutes walk of each other.The Hophead in here was in fantastic nick as was the seasonal Winter Meltdown.
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Interesting back street pub, with nice selection of quality beer. I had a couple of pints of Th'ruppeny Hop bitter, which was superb. Tiny little bar - most of the pub seemed to be given over to a dart board. I would ditch the darts altogether and have a few more tables for people to sit at, because it really is very cramped in the bar.
Definitely worth a visit, even if you don't live in Wimbledon. I will definitely go there again. I wish there were more pubs like this!
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Excellent Bowmans' Swift One on handpump over the last weekend - sadly all gone by today - but always a good selection of unusual & well kept real ales here (including, in the past, Moorhouse Black Cat). Unusual slip up with a couple of hot glasses on Sunday but pints readily replaced by barmaid with an apology - many thanks.
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What an amazing find, and well deserving of its CAMRA award. You would never think to look for the place, tucked in the middle of an estate in a tiny old house. Fantastic choice of beer, and also perry on tap. Retro feeling bar and cosy front area. Lookout for the magic "Narnia" cupboard in the gents. I only wish it was my local!
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WJ King Hopping Mad, Whitstable East India Pale Ale, Blackawton Original, Moorhouses Black Cat, Itchen Valley Fagins, Fuglestou Fulstow Common were available on Friday. All those I tried were excellent and the Whitstable was out of this world. Small pub, to the left it has the feel of a traditional pub - turn right and you could be in a working men's club.
Worth a diversion to get to.
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Unfortunately I couldn't make it to the beer festival this year, but I like to drop in for a lunchtime pint or two when I can and can certainly say that the beer selection and quality has always been top notch. And it does the best toasted cheese sandwich around.
The Traf deserves thoroughly the accolades it has been given.
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Maybe I can be of help to Slerpy. I am the Landlord of the Trafalgar Freehouse. Firstly thank you for the feedback.
There were different colours on later copies of the beer list. This was done in response to feedback on Day one of the festival. We had two bars. One inside the pub and one out. Some beers were on inside the pub and most in the outside bar. I had printed the beer list alphabetically by brewery. This meant that it was not immediately clear which beers were inside and which were out. The solution was to highlight those inside in another colour with a note stating whether this. In addition we had a number of extra beers (not on the original list). I added these to later lists and highlighted them so that people could clearly see that new beer was available.
Slerpy is clearly an observent person... He will have noted that my pub is very small. Certainly too small to carry a huge (an expensive) amount of extra glassware to be used once or twice a year. South West London CAMRA (who are always extremely supportive) kindly lend me glasses for my festivals. As they pay for and own the glasses it is only right that they should charge me a deposit on them. Slerpy clearly not an experienced festival goer so may not know that many people like to take festival glasses home as a souvenier and of course some do get broken. I pass on the charge of replacing any glassware not returned to me. This is common practise at CAMRA festivals and I've no doubt at festivals where a similar arrangement to mine is in place.
I would like to thenk SWL CAMRA for their continued support for the Traf and the other excellent local real ale pubs such as the Sultan and the Princess of Wales - it is greatly appreciated by us all, I'm sure.
Also thanks to all of you who came to my festival - your many fantastic comments meant a lot to my team. David
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Slerpy: No pub in Croydon or Sutton has ever had a glass deposit system for a beer festival, ever? At all? That bucks the trend in the rest of the UK ... I assume the three different colours on the list you mention would have been to differentiate between inside bar beers, outside bar beers and perhaps ciders. Can't remember exactly, but that still isn't complicated. It just tells you what's available from where - not a tricky concept.
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No pub in Crodon and Sutton have EVER had a glass deposit system, the festival was reasonable but a tad overly complicated.I have Saturday's beer list and it had THREE different coloured bandings for beers! Why oh ! Why ! overcomplicate buying a beer !
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I was also at the beer festival and can only conclude that Slerpy was either at a different one or life in general bamboozles him as
a) there was a bar in the yard and one inside but not 4 different colour zones
b) all the beers were available at 9.00pm on the Friday when I visited
c) a returnable deposit on the commerative festival glass is standard operating practise for most festivals
All in all a very enjoyable festival staged by what continues to be an excellent pub !
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I must agree with the last post. Perhaps Slerpy was at the wrong beer festival. I was at both days of the beer festival and one would have to be a bit hard of thinking to find it complicated. I heard nothing but praise for the beer range and I can assure you that at closing time on the last day there were still around 20 beers/ciders from which to choose. I spoke to the landlord who stated that he borrows the glasses from the local branch of CAMRA for his festivals. He has to pay for any that are not returned - hence a deposit (returnable!). He said that the reason for vouchers was to provide security for the staff in the yard and to speed up service in that bar. It worked extremely well. I must congratulate him on ensuring that the staff in the yard (Both Local CAMRA Volunteers known to me) knew their stuff when advising on beer choice. A great festival, well organised, well run and well DONE!
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As a satisfied attendee at the Traf beer festival, I'm not sure what Slerpy is going on about. There weren't four different coloured zones for beers. There was the inside bar and the bar in the yard. That's not a maze of complexity. And what's so difficult to understand about the concept of tokens for the outside bar? What's so strange about a (refundable) �2 glass rental charge when that's what virtually every beer festival does? No beers sold out in the first hour: I chose from a full list. I guess one or two might have gone relatively early on the second day, but that's what happens at any beer festival with a lot of visitors. Nobody I met had any problem with the way things were organised: I can only assume Slerpy had either been sampling enthusiastically or has an astonishingly low shambles threshold. Or an agenda.
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A reasonable beer festival today but most people found it over complicated, four different coloured zones for beers with tokens for outside and cash for inside the pub, a glass rental of �2 and some beers selling out in the first hour. This was not quite a shambles but seriously close to it, for a pub of the year for London CAMRA a little on the dis appointing side .
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Don't know what the last post was about. The beer is always excellent and varied. 6 Ales and 1 real cider last time. Some decent bottles too. Staff have been friendly whenever i've been in.
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To think I used to live 10mins walk from here many years ago and I didn't know of the place.......
Great selection of ale served in convivial surroundings. Dark Star Hophead and Sunburst, Oakham Endless Summer, Rudgate Ruby Mild (4.4%), WJ King Red River plus the house ale Thrupenny Hop, brewed for the pub by Pilgrim of Reigate.
This is not a pub you can pop into just for one!
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Great pub with a good selection of ales. Amazed by the number of beers on offer despite the smallness of the place. Maybe I should move to Croydon. All these pubs nearby and a tram linking many of them up nicely! My copy of the Tramlink Guide to Real Ale Pubs in South London is about ready to fall into dust. Any chance of a reprint Croydon CAMRA?
chick - 16 Aug 2008 14:59 |
Recent comments spot on. A great pub with a terrific selection of ales superbly served.
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This is just the best. I can say that with a straight face as I have been there a few times. The range of real beers is fantastic for the size of the pub (it must be the smallest in London). The staff are so friendly and you cannot be in here for longer than five minutes before you are in conversation with the locals. I just cannot believe that this pub can survive on the very small number of punters that could (but are not)crammed in. Try this pub. You will want to come back again...and again. It justifiably won the CAMRA South West London pub of the year. For me it is THE pub in London. I completeley endorse all the positive raves that other correspondents have posted on to this site.
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London's SECOND best pub, simply light years in front of anything Croydon 9 my nearest town) has to offer! Quality beer though a tad expensive.
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You might all be interested to know that recently this pub won CAMRA Greater London Pub of the Year 2008 for its quality and variety of Real Ales. I am amazed how such a small pub can survive in these times but if you keep to basics and look after your beers, customers and atmosphere you can't go wrong. They now go into the next level of competition as a top 16 entry in the country. Well done the Traf!!!
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Friday's top-notch selection was Hophead, Welton's Double Vision, Falcon Okells Mild (Manx purity brewed), Trafalgar Thrupenny Hop (Pilgrim), Milk Street Funky Monkey, Triple fff Stairway. Good stuff.
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I had heard a lot of good things about this pub and went there for the first time yesterday. I was not disappointed!
Great selection of beer - great atmosphere - very friendly and helpful staff - its a bit of a treck for me to get to but I will be going back
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Yesterday's offering (just the 5) was Darkstar Original, Gravesend Shrimpers, Doombar, Saltaire Bitter, JHB, very nice too. I noticed the aforementioned Dave Johnson is playing this Sat(07); anyone covering the likes of the Smiths, Beatles, Oasis has got to be worth a look but I'm usually in pretty poor shape by 20:30.
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Six handpumps with rotating ale selection, Hophead is quite a regular & 'Mild for May' was well supported here. A plain looking local that doesn't pretend to be anything else, but they offer jazz Sun pm, & the Dave Johnson nts sound good although I aint been yet. Beers �2.80, but have been �2.00 all day Mon for a while.
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Yes - well done Dave et all. One of my fave two out of, say 10 or so of Londons' core ale pubs. Last week went to drop something off and move to the Sultan (10 mins trott between them for those not been)when Dave decided to put on White Horse 'Saracen' IPA @ c3.4%! Uhm, well, the night was written off history and twas overhung next day. Oh my god what a pint. That folks is the Traf. Thats why they're SW Ldn POTY. GO!!!!!!!!
[When you have a dangerous mate living just round the corner from a 'dangerous'ly good pub with very friendly and intersting banter, surroundings like this, beer like that, no tacky plastic gaming machines, desperate juke box, prattish 16 year olds, etc etc - well, but the bare essentials of a trad community pub - yeah you can end up being unwell the next day]. Let the brainless chavs have their pubs and we'll have ours. Yes, being a 1st class ale place you will find the occasional, uhm...'interesting' died-in-the-wool, dirty shirted Camra bod but dont worry, were not all like thatin Camra! (Sorry Geoff, if you wont print it, then I'll say it elsewhere). 20/10!!
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The Traflagar defines the subtle difference between an estate pub and a community pub. It�s a laid back friendly sort of place with no fruit/quiz machines or juke box to get in the way of idle conversation, although there are a couple of unobtrusive TV�s. It�s welcoming to locals and visitors alike and I imagine that many make the pilgrimage from afar for the excellent range of beers. There are 6 hand pumps plus 2-3 ciders and some bottled beers. I had a Hippy High from Ventnor, a Moorhouse Black Cat and the Thrupenny Hop that I believe may be brewed on the premises - the name allegedly coming from an old nickname for the pub as it was the price of the bus fare from surrounding areas. Fantastic place, gets a 9/10 from me, not sure where it drops the one point, perhaps the fact that it�s too far away from where I live.
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Good range of well-kept beer, good jazz on Sunday, dog friendly. Wish there was a pub like this near me!
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Spent a very nice Sunday afternoon here on April 20th. Good beer,good music from the jazz band,friendly customers.Perfect end to the weekend.Dogs welcome too, we had our two with us.
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What a pub should be and what many were once upon a time...a real blast from the past and much the better for it...as long as you like simple honest back street type pubs. A wysiwyg pub..glories in a choice of well kept cask beers as their recent award shows with good pricing..you might even get a bite to eat...also look out for the many music events... friendly customers plus a licensee who seems to want and like customers..what more could you ask from a pub? BQ 9.2 the highest quotient yet.
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Congratulations on winning CAMRA SW London Pub of the Year award - well deserved. Good selection of well-kept real ales - and NO hot glasses thank goodness!
Looking forward to Harveys Mild coming soon here when I can get a pint served in a cold glass (unlike my unfortunate experience at the Royal Oak in Borough).
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I was getting to like very much the English handbeer here and nicely treated by the friendly workingpeople.
Oskar - 23 Jan 2008 07:41 |
Visited last night and very impressed now the pub is smoke free. Five beers on offer and the Westerham Black Eagle SPA was superb. When my round came the dark beer my friends selected was reaching the end of the barrel, so it was immediately taken off, which is not something you would come across everywhere. However they were very pleased with the Gales HSB they were offered as an alternative. We will definitely be back!
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Visited yesterday lunchtime. Very quiet, but welcoming nonetheless. Five real ales on - HSB; Dark Star Hophead and Meltdown; Black Eagle SPA; and Thwaites Original. Had the HSB and Thwaites Original - both superb. Easily the best pub for miles. Definitely worth seeking out.
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This is a great old fashioned pub with an eclectic selection of beers.
They often have Gales HSB, Evening Star Hophead and a Sharps on tap but on my last visit they had a couple of Downtown brewery ales including an interesting Chocolate and Orange Delight.
Although this may seem a real locals pub the barman and landlord always give a friendly welcome.
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a miserable rainy night and i'm greeted by a real fire, friendly barmaid and a choice of five great beers. Tried the hophead first - tip top. Gales (yes i know fullers) hsb was in luvvly condition. finished wth a pilgrim porter and wended my way home in happy mood through the rain. best pub on my visit to london. very small but friendly and the best beer.
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enjoyed a great couple of pints here with me mates on saturday. six beers on and the place is TINY! there was a frank sinatra impersonater singing - v. good. locals seem ok - bar staff friendly. just moved down from the frozen north - will come back to this pub.
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I really like this place. The beer is great - a nice range. The Dark Star Porter was excellent. It's small, a real old fashioned local, but friendly.
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best real ale pub 5 miles ov south wimbledon. beer aways perfect. will go back
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Top notch- excellent beers, good service, great community pub. Highly recommended.
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Marvellous pub and a beer festival this weekend 26th oct with some great beers lined up. Go there!
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Like the Dog & Bell in Deptford, the Traf is absolutely everything a local community pub should and used to be! If like me you abhore 'Gastro' then this is ya gaff. Very compact, friendly and proper. If like me you like ya Ales, they put on 5 is it or 6 constantly changing pumps. All those long time, so called ale fans in London who aint been (and the Traf aint new!)just because its "a long way" (don't get me started again - its very near the Northern Line so NO excuses)- you don't know what you're missing! Took my mate from the Midlands and you know what a wealth of old pubs they have up there. Loved it he did! In a word: GO! (Trad jazz Sundays if you like that - Old Brian would). Cant rate it fairly - only goes upto 10!
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In my top 5 pubs. A triumph of excellent beer,a great landlord and fine local people over location and architecture.
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Very cosy in all senses, interesting and good real ale, friendlier than the Sultan - liked it
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A fantastic pub and a real gem in the area. Always friendly and great ales.
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A little gem of a pub that had 6 real ales on (and none of the usual suspects)when I visited it recently. This is a friendly local that thankfully survived the High Path re-development that resulted in the demolition of at least one other pub in the area. It has a limited range of food, but the sandwich I had was OK and reasonably priced. Worth going for the beer alone, and is one of a handful of good pubs in the area. Highly recommended.
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Good cosy little pub with friendly locals. The landlord (who it was nice to see behind the bar) was very welcoming and knows his beers too. Unusually good selection of real ales (including permanent Timothy Taylors Golden Best & Fullers HSB). Looking forward to John Willie Lees Mild on order for next month. Some free parking nearby a bonus.
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Had an enjoyable evening there one Thursday. Good quiz, nice little bar, nice beer. Most of the regulars seemed decent and were enjoying the quiz, apart from one family that resembled Shameless - but then everybody was ignoring them, and eventually they went away.
Would definitely return.
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At long last, I finally got around to visiting. The selection of ales was excellent. Six offerings on tap, most of which were new to me, and, the couple I had, were immaculate and well-priced at �2.50. Friendly staff too.
It is small, so much so that it cab feel a bit intimidating (regulars are also spread across the bar) and it lacks a bit of space and privacy.
Even so, I�d definitely go back, and this pub is top class and should be saluted for its ales portfolio. A worthy rival to The Sultan (which probably edges it as it is closer to my house) and a great find.
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Yes, I did go back and wasn't disappointed, despite choosing a day when the "6 nations" was on and not being a particular fan of rugby, it only seemed to add to the friendly atmosphere and James, the barman made sure he had time to advise me on the beers, I particularly liked "Batemans triple X B" and tried a bottle of "Mann's Brown Ale" for the first time, presume,it's a rarity nowadays.
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Wow! fourth on my s.wim crawl and what a gem.Victorian exterior sisties bar and six real ales of great variety. All of themwere well kept and the fullers london porter was a revelation... sadly my crawl stopped here - i couldn't bring myself to leave. tiny and friendly with great beer - just what the doctor ordered!
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My local, so i'm biased, but this is a proper pub. I'm a timmy taylor man so the golden best is always a treat. One big complaint though - David always plans his food nights for when i'm on a late shift! still as you can see from my name perhaps he is trying to save me from myself! Keep up the good work...
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This is more like it... a nice welcome and a lovely warm fire to help me recover from a cold walk from the previous pub on my south wimbledon mini-crawl. What a great choice of beer - a genuine freehouse. all really well kept too. I like this place. this area is picking up beer wise and this place is streets ahead of the opposition - ther's bound to be something you like.
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I like the Traf very much. I am particularly struck by the way David, Karen and the staff welcome newcomers and passing trade and have a loyal following of regulars. They take pride in their range of beers and have regular food nights and quizzes. This is a pub with atmosphere and a far cry from the theme pubs so prevalent these days.
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Great to find a real pub again; friendly, good food nice atmosphere and a log fire.
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I recently got up the courage to go in here, even though I was alone and don't often go to Pubs alone, but was very pleasantly surprised. Very friendly bar staff and "locals",some of whom advised me which beer to try-I settled on "Fuller's London Porter", having been given a taster, even though its 5 something per cent but I was only having a half and it really did taste "chocolatey coffee". I intend to go again when I have more time in the area,I especially liked the real fire.
janei - 21 Jan 2007 13:03 |
Went to this fine establishment on Tuesday last week and thoroughly enjoyed their food evening. There were also 5 ales available all in excellent condition.
David & Karen are doing an excellent job and should keep up the good hard work.
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went with my lass over the weekend after a trip to the hell that is known as homebase. I had 2 of the 6 ales on tap, which were delicious. The lady had the organic lager which also got the thumbs up...
proper pub, proper beer, i will be back to try the rest of the brews...
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What more can I say - Mr. Norman is doing a fine job, as is his regulars making all welcome. Brilliant pub, no rivals at stake for it's excellence, come here and you won't go wrong. It's all cool stuff.
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Very impressed on my latest visit, had a really good lunchtime drink with a few old boys and enjoyed a lovely pint of Porter at 5.5% Had a very interesting ride home on the train! Beer and company as excellent as ever.
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What a great little pub! Always a great range of ales including, on my recent visit, Hophead (clearly one of my favourites!) and all the beers sampled were in outstanding condition. Add to that the convivial atmosphere and quirky charm, then I'd say this establishment is well worth a visit when in the Wimbledon area. Cheers!
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On all my visits the beer has been consistent. The range of beers is a welcome change to those found elsewhere. No GK IPA to be found here, thank god! Keep it up.
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Very fine TT's Ram Tam, and Sharp's IPA had been added by the time we got there last night. All were sampled, and helped to oil some genial conversation with old pals.
The large alsation was completely unfazed by the little yapping dog. However, when we opened the door she scarpered down the road pursued by her owner... Sorry!
Cheers,
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Dark Star Hophead, Nelson Dogwatch Stout and Timothy Taylor Golden Best and Best Bitter were on when I Visited last night. Need I say more!!! Other 'posters' are right it is small - if you have a cat that you need to swing don't come here. The real fire made it nice and cosy on a cold November night though...
anonymous - 7 Nov 2006 13:46 |
probably the best pub around. Good selection of beers (not all from the same brewery, unlike some pubs) and it is well kept. It's small, but the locals are friendly, as are the staff. A must if you are in the area...
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You're right about the friendly service Mitomighty, David, Christie, James and Lorraine are very good, and as for the range of beer when all the pumps are working there are no less than 12 to choose from (with no less than 6 hand pumps), which for the size of the pub is amazing. It's a very cosy place to go, and I'm sure that if you haven't visited before you won't be disappointed with what you find.
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Recommended. Tiny place and a local pub squashed between an industrial estate and a housing estate but not too far from South wimbledon or Colliers wood tubes. Great beer, about 4-5 interesting ales and some different cider and lagers to have. Very small. Like your granny's front room 35 years ago with a big ship wheel in the middle. If you are in the area or visiting the sultan take a moment out to go. Small bar but punters get out of your way when you go to the bar. Service friendly. Check out the website for more info. I liked it.
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Ales going from strength to strength, a recent one had (I can't remember the exact name of it) the words 'Port Stout' in it and was one of the best I've ever tasted. Absolutely lovely. Also the usual HSB and Golden Best on lovely form too. 'Leg Before Whippet' and 'Doom Bar' were also excellent beers recently. Cheers!!!!!!!!
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A good range of milds and ales in this friendly and compact little pub, surprisingly good for its location.
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Visited after reading reviews on this site. Everything and more as stated. Friendly small old fashioned public house..... a true joy. Felt at home straight away, friendly bar staff and locals,well kept beer. Thinking seriously about making this my local. Keep it up
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A wonderful back street local. Small but perfect, great beer, great clientele.
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Visited a couple of times recently - it's a real local pub, but friendly. They have a real fire in one bar and I have to say that the beer was great. They had Taylors Golden Best and a super beer from Grand Union - Honey Porter. I'll be visiting again when I'm in the area.
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Lovely treat over the Xmas/New Year 'gap' week. Santas Wobble - Hogs Back, 7.5%,nice!
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Excellent description Rich, put it this way I live 50 miles away (Basingstoke, Hampshire) and if I feel like a day out to get away from it all I do like to come here.......long journey but the pub, people and beers certainly are worth it.
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A lovely little backstreet local that appears to have changed very little over the past few decades. (It still has the 70's style Bass Charrington sign over the side door that is visible in the photograph above.)
Five real ales were on offer on my visit, I sampled Taylor's Golden Best, Hog's Back St.George and Gale's HSB; all served in excellent condition and reasonably priced, and complemented by a friendly atmosphere
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very friendly and lovely, will go back
anonymous - 22 May 2005 12:13 |
I visited the pub twice last week, as I was so impressed by everything there, the character of this place is something really special and the people I met there were really friendly. The beers were gorgeous and I spent a good few hours there on my second visit. I have been informed that the pub is quite unchanged since the 1950's/1960's and it is a real treasure. The tipple I was indulging in was the Gales Festival Mild, a lovely drop at 4.8%. The HSB was in excellent condition too. I don't live locally to the Trafalgar, and I really didn't want to leave to come home again! This is quite possibly the friendliest pub I have ever been to, and I take my hat off to the people that work there and the locals that were so welcoming to me. Thank you.
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Great little pub- good range of beer, and always on top quality. They generally have a mild on- Taylor's Golden Best and Gale's Festival Mild have been on recently.
Well worth finding.
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the oldest freehouse in wimbledon and argueably the smallest..last of the 'Olde worlde'type..not chrome & plastic.well worth a visit for its character alone..
john osment - 19 Oct 2004 12:55 |
Really interesting an nice traditional pub - sadly only one real ale on offer when I visited but that one was fine. Itwould suit me if every pub was like this - a country pub with good beer in the city.
steve - 3 Sep 2004 13:56 |
I have used 'The Trafalgar' since 1987 and have found the pub to be very unique. It is really the last bastille of the real meaning of a British Pub. The customers are very friendly and visitors feel that it is one pub that they can totally relax in.
The pub at present has been leased out to Rick, Ann and Mary. Real ales are still being sold and Sky Sports has been installed. This is one pub worth a vist.
Mick O'B - 21 Aug 2004 18:32 |
This used to be a regular haunt for myself and my south-London friends in the early 1990s. Personally, I found the Irish land lord quite friendly, it is, however very much (as per the last comment) a local's local.
A small, intimate pub, usually 3 or 4 quite strong ales available, but the quality (sadly) became so variable that when we discovered the Sultan in 1994 we didn't look back.
Sad, really, as I quite liked the Trafalgar. However I might be quite wrong and the beer could have inproved significantly - I will have to give it a try soon!!
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To be fair, I haven't visited this pub for a while so it may have changed, but I don't imagine so. Situated between an industrial estate and a council estate, on my visits it was either empty or occupied by regulars wgo obviously weren't used to seeing visitors (and weren't extremely friendly). A shame really, because in another location it could be a fine, small characterful local.
Martin - 10 Mar 2004 13:07 |
