The Anglers, Teddington

Angling for disaster? This expansive riverside pub in Teddington has a lot of promise but a lot to answer for. The weekend is nearly here �

As a discrete, very regular punter, I have noticed a catalogue of calamities that would deter a casual drinker, but something about the place pulls you back in.

The food menu is now fresher; less pub grub, more gastropub. That is when they haven�t run out.

The weekends, the light at the end of our working weeks, promises a range of ales, continental beers, fresh fish on the menu, and glorious Sunday roasts.

What you get on occasions like the recent fantastic weather is running out of most of the menu, soft drinks, change, bar snacks, as well as putting up with toilets from hell, and children turning the inside of the pub into their own private playground. As if having one outside wasn�t enough. People turned away because the demand is too high. People leaving due to the extraordinarily long wait.

Wow. If there was only a manager around to talk to. No visible presence. The place is overstaffed, but with no sense of direction. Maybe due to fear of a manager sacking them, like the public tirade I witnessed one evening. Shocking and indiscreet. Whatever happened to that girl should have been done behind closed doors.

My recommendation would be to go on a week night (quiz night on Tuesdays are great!) � where the food will be quick and hot, you can relax, and enjoy the evening, without battling the elements. If the Anglers was a band, it�d be The Kinks. A lot to iron out.

27 Mar 2009 11:07