please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I had fish+chips here for lunch the other day, during the week, and it was very good. Washed down with a pint of London Pride. Mmmmh.. can you taste it..?!
The pub was busy, they're obviously doing good business here, we just managed to get a table in the 'restaurant' part, right at the back. Good service. I will increase my rating from 7 to 8/10. TJ
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Went here on a Friday evening after work and really enjoyed it.
Nice crowd and great beer.
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Good pub, always lively despite as everyone else says the prices which are ridiculous. Saying that worth a trip to get the party started
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Nice pub, nice people, nice food, nothing special... APART FROM the extortionate prices!!!
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Still a great place to meet and to stay a while and even to have a bite to eat before the theatre. Too much open space around the bar and too little seating anywhere for this to be a comfortable regulars' pub but it does what it does very well and is a worth stopping point on a crawl.
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Nice enough pub but I wouldn't eat there ever again. Apart from the food everything was fine. The hot cheese was alright but my main course, simple sausage and mash was disgusting! I literally took two mouthfuls and had to stop. My friend had the fish and said the potatoes tasted of soap, which was weird and worrying! Would go back for a few pints yeah but to eat? No chance!
anonymous - 10 Jul 2007 15:19 |
Have always liked this pub, but ate here today for the first time since the refit and it was very ordinary. Had a steak sandwich which was nice, but the fries were meagre and the salad was gritty. £8.95!!! Definitely will not be eating here again. The outside area is now out the front and completely covered, no doubt in preparation for the smoking ban, but who wants to have a beer in a tent when the weather's nice?
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£3.30 for Fosters £3.35 for Guinness. I know the toilets are nice but I don't want to single handedly pay for them. The refit is not too bad but I just can't bring myself to pay that much for a round for essentially a really nice All bar one refit with too many suits. Sorry.
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As Richmond pubs go it's pretty high on my list.
As other bloggers have commented don't expect much change from £10 for a meal, but the food, service and range of beers is good.
I haven't been back for a couple of months, but ditto the blog about the non-smoking section being a bit on the small side.
All in all a top class pub.
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possibly the best bar in Richmond? I mirror previous posts about the suit crowd after work but that aside a fantastic pub. I reccomend a sunday session, spot of lunch and the papers
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i think it's surprising that richmond does not have that many good pubs - so to say this is one of the better pubs is a fair comment.
they have a better than average beer selection and the pint i had was in good condition.
beware though, this pub is close to richmond station and therefore gets very full - lots of the suited and booted crew.
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"Pub of The Year Award, 1976"... so there!
Even nicer now though. Called in at 4pm today, there was only about 10 folk in the whole pub, but 'cos half of those were smoking, i was surprised to find the whole pub stank of stale cigarette ash...not very appealing!! (STAFF TO NOTE PLEASE) Get the air-con working, or give the place an airing occasionally..!! For this reason i shall have to amend my rating from 8/10 to 7/10.
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Had a nice steak-burger in the Orange Tree last night, it certainly filled the hole. Lots of 'suits' clogging up the bar, I felt quite out of place in my multi-coloured kaftan! A busy little pub after 5pm, but service is efficient. The restaurant/no-smokey area was full, bar one table, by 6pm. Toilets are upstairs (for some reason - perhaps as a sobriety test..!)
The London geezer, older than anyone else behind the bar is jolly Roger, he's the new manager. (No pirate jokes please..) but he does like his rum..! TJ
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Come on 'GP', the OT isn't that bad..!
The food is better than average, but you won't get change from a £10 note for your lunch. The leather comfy chairs are comfy, but the 'no smoke' area (ie: the dining area at the back) is too small, with no place to 'lounge' (all tables). But that will have to change in 6 months time..!
I like the Orange Tree 'cos its different. I always find the barstaff helpful, and if you come early enough (ie: before 5pm..) you'll get a seat, maybe a comfy one! TJ
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Totally disagree with Mr GP. This pub is one of the best in Richmond town centre, apart from the occasional moody barman.
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Used to be one of the best pubs in Richmond, now a Youngs version of All Bar One. Sad
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Agree this is a funny pub, service is quick; a minor gripe that a barman rather than let me of 5p off the price of a round (totalling £15.05) insisted in giving me 95p worth of change. No atmosphere to speak of, but a good place to meet close to the station.
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This is a tricky one. Freindly welcome, beeer's good - Youngs - and the food is fine. What more could you want? Dunno really. Would I go back? That's the problem as I wouldn't. The only thing I can think of is that it isn't really a pub but it's loads better than most new wave bars. Phew, I'm confused.
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Really big improvements since the refurb a couple of years back. Lively, friendly, and good service. An unusual mix in Richmond !
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Place for eating. Does not really have the feel of a pub. The drinks are too expensive. Bit it is Richmond after all
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Bit more of a place for a romantic dinner than a good old booze-up. Also significantly overpriced. At least the Guinness is quality though and you could do worse for atmosphere
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Great pub and Roger the landlord and his wife Tracey know how to run the place well. Lets hope the Young's suits let them get on with it and dont try to spiritise it too much. Great food as well.........
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Walked in here the other evening, the place was busy, people all over the place. Folk obviously like it here! Even so, I went straight to the bar and before I'd even made my mind up the barmaid asked me what drink I'd like! That's good bar service. (Better than the 'Slug & Lettuce' by the river earlier today, which took 5mins to be asked, and it was only half as busy as the 'OT')!! TJ
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Quite a pretty little place, not too cheap though and nothing of note to keep you there beyond a pint.
Didn't see the place pre-refurb, but I quite liked it in here, well the corner cubby-hole by the door anyway.
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Whatever happened to the rudest barmaid in history? I went to the Orange Tree once for a funeral wake, asked for my pint of ordinary to be changed as it was cloudy, and was subjected to a tirade from this woman. When the Landlord came down she reported me and the son of the deceased to him for our impertinence. Sometimes you just have to stand back and wonder. Her name was Sharon, or perhaps Tracy.
bulky - 24 Jul 2006 11:24 |
Excellent pub! Nice leather arm chairs & sofas for reclining after a busy day! Restaurant & no-smoking area at the back to the left. Relaxed & roomy atmosphere. Quite a few 'Southern-hemisphere' staff are attracted to this pub, which tends to break-down any 'stuffy' British starchiness...! Very busy & noisey on RUGBY days, so unless an ardent rugby fan.. best to avoid those evenings!! Apart from that, i can't find many faults..! Oh, a pint of weiss beer (white beer) will cost you £4+ ..! (TeeJay)
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Nicely air conditioned and a splendid pint of Ordinary yesterday evening, but I don't go much for these high tables and bench type seats that Youngs seem quite keen on nowadays. Probably the only pub in Richmond with upstairs toilets.
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Nicely air conditioned, especially on a baking hot Sunday afternoon - an excellent Ram & Special too.
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Went in very early on Saturday to watch the rugby and ended up staying for most of the day . Great atmosphere , excellent banter and above all fantastic service - top marks all round !!!!
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Was in there this week after not visiting it for well over a year, I think the refit has done it wonders compared to what it used to be (Even the Dodgy bog got an awesome overhaul). Will be Back!!!
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Yes, the windows are clean, but since they're leaded windows, I'm not sure how you can think there's no glass in them !
anonymous - 12 May 2006 13:36 |
just had a nice pint of youngs in the orange tree,the windows were so clean i thought there was no glass in the windows
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Saturday afternoon .Sunday afternoon they are recovering from Saturdays binge.......
anonymous - 10 Jan 2006 08:29 |
I was in yesterday late afternoon - didn't see any chavs or hoodies, just fairly respectable looking 30 and 40 somethings of both sexes. When did you visit - Mr Anonymous ( previous poster ) ?
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Unfortunately now attracting the chav/hoody brigade . Such a shame ,another legendary Richmond pub falls foul of refurb madness .To be avoided.........
anonymous - 9 Jan 2006 09:38 |
Definitely a good place to meet, e.g. before going to the theatre across the road, but this is a place for passing through rather than staying in. That said, the passing through is good.
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went in at the weekend and was full of women on the pull - this is clearly a pub now aimed at the ladies, which is not a bad thing in itself, just means i will avoid like all other similar all bar pants places!
incidentally though, all these birds on the pull are not going to have much success now - pop over to the Racing Page, it's packed full of men!
it's by no means the worst pub in the world, and of course I exagerrate, and moving with the times is good, if the change is good - it's just a shame that one more good pub has fallen prey to the Changing Rooms brigade - it's not as if there are no pubs like that in Richmond is it?
MrsGP was a big fan of the refit though - so at least thats 50% of this household happy!
TheGP - 13 Dec 2005 18:49 |
I think the re-furb has made a vast improvement, and must disagree that it's like a Slug and Lettuce - there's far more character in here! It's quite pricey and it's difficult to get a seat because most tables are now reserved for 'food only' - which is annoying. However, good atmosphere and definately worth a try if only for the good beer - they do a great Kriek and a nice Winter Warmer.
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Well I think the refurb is a massive improvement. Granted, it may seem a little generic to many in a 'Bear in Twickenham' way, but that's the style these days and if you accept that and are prepared to move with the times then it works very well. The pot plants, cubby holes and many comfy sofas make it a cosy and welcoming place. Efficient and friendly service and they had Winter Warmer which was delicious. Also has a good wine list and plenty of drinks choice in general. Appeared to be the only busy pub in Richmond on a Wednesday evening. And it wasn't showing the football (woohoo!). Far more atmosphere than before - no longer feels like it's chucking out time all night thanks to vastly improved lighting. Excellent ventilation too - the person I was with had a cigarette and I barely noticed. Definitely recommended.
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Good beer. Shame they weren't serving any Winter Warmer. The staff here are full of that Aussie charm - "what time are last orders mate?", the bbq loving con replied "I'll tell you if you stop smoking at MY bar". Hilarious. Well actually "Bruce", it's not your bar, it belongs to the landlady/brewery. It's like being in a Slug and Lettuce but slightly better. Oh and for some reason it took at least 5 members of staff to have a go at my mate who (by accident) smashed 2 glasses. One can only suggest they by provide better quality glasses, or mop up after beer spilling kids to prevent accidents. That's another thing, it's a pub not a govt funded comprehensive so keep the underage drinkers out.
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Oh my God ! They have made it even worse than the last refurb ! May as well merge the place with Edwards.......
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Dear oh dear, have the pub refitters consulted changing rooms perhaps?
A pub that did not need refitting - Before it was too light, now it is too dark. Before it was open plan, now it has pot plants and cubby holes.
What is it with pubs and pot plants these days, garden centres must be making a fortune.
I found the service very friendly, and there are far worse pubs in the area, but the ambience and charm of the old place has been ruined. If anyone likes The Bear in Twickenham (which tellingly used to be an All Bar One) then the Orange Tree is now virtually identical. Has turned a good pub into an average one.
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I virtually used to live in this pub during the 1980's.
I remember the first refurbishment in 1975 when it won the Pub of the Year award I think in the following year.
Then it had another makeover about five or six years back and yuck what is this ????
If I can get today's opening (15/09/05)they may have taken it back to how it was in the 1980's?
But I doubt it?
Trendy Style over substance rules OK !
For the poster who commented that the beer is crap I suggest they stick to the American Budweiser(Budscheizer) and other related pisswaters.
To illustrate the point there used to be a Watneys brewery next door to a Youngs pub in Mortlake. A customer ventured in one day and asked for a pint of Watneys,"sorry sir we don't sell it.". The barman gave him a pint of water as the customer then asked for the nearest thing to a pint of Watneys as they didn't sell the stuff.
The furious customer threatened him with ,"I'll write to John Young and get you the sack !"
The letter from Youngs said in effect - 'The barman gave you the correct drink, the specific gravity of Watneys is **% and the specific gravity of Youngs is **% - There for the nearest thing to a pint of Watneys is a glass of water'.
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Now re-opening on September 15th - cant wait !
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Currently closed for refurbishment. Lets hope that sunglasses are no longer an essential accessory when it re-opens
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Awful management. Need a serious re-think here. Used to be well kept and fun. I wont be here again.
anonymous - 10 May 2005 14:16 |
Agree about the lighting, wear your sunglasses if you're planning a night in here. not a bad place really but not much atmosphere. Wouldn't want to spend the entire evening here but OK for a pint before moving onto somewhere more fun. takes bloody ages to get served though...
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Good pub and ambiance welcoming - beer is OK. However the lighting is verging on a little on the bright side. Still i have many a good time here.
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Its now one of Richmond's typical Star Trek pubs -" it's a pub, but not as we know it".
In response to The GP ( previous contributor ) I would agree that the old pub wasn't really exceptionally good, but it did have character in abundance, which it certainly doesn't have now.
For character and a traditional pub atmosphere, try The Sun round the corner in Parkshot, but beware as reviews on this website are quite rightly mixed.
Alternatively, try The Shaftesbury Arms which is the other side of the roundabout in the middle of the small parade of shops on the way to Kew Gardens
John - 17 Nov 2004 15:55 |
Was the old pub really that good? Usually I completely agree with the dodgy pub refit, but this place seems to have been done with taste.
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yet an example of the interiors of a once great pub destroyed to make it look wine bar chic. youngs should be ashamed of themselves.
PB - 25 Aug 2004 14:33 |
Lovely. Good beers and food, nice decor, an example of a pub refit that actually works.
TheGP - 10 Aug 2004 14:00 |
this place used to be the best-what happened-its shocking. I worked away for six months and now the foods bad the rugby boys dont want to go back and the landlord is dreadful.
anonymous - 2 Mar 2004 14:00 |
Nice friendly NZ and Ozzie staff. Pity about the beer. Layout and ambience doesn't encourage you to spend an entire evening. Avoid when rugby on at Twickenham because it is completely packed.
Jay - 14 Feb 2004 14:33 |
Nice enough - bit airport lounge style. If your not from the area then its a decent meet up point. Wouldn't spend the evening there though.
Richard - 17 Nov 2003 13:03 |
It's a Young's pub. Crap beer. OK atmosphere. Need I say more?
Dush - 9 Nov 2003 04:38 |
Absolutely great aussie staff...
melanie sullivan - 12 Oct 2003 11:58 |
great night out, bud on tap, loads of big rugby type guys-loads of fun.thought staff were great too.
anonymous - 12 Sep 2003 22:21 |
The rudest barmaid I have ever met. You must be good at something or you would not have a job that involved meeting the public.
anonymous - 28 May 2003 16:31 |
Great Atmosphere, and two very yummy barmen! ;)
- - 27 Dec 2002 13:40 |
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