Town Wharf, Isleworth

Visited in June 2010 Situated just downstream from the London Apprentice, on which I have just posted, is the much less well known Town Wharf, a two-storey Sam Smith's pub built to resemble somewhat a Swiss chalet.In true Sam's style, it is unbadged and also unsignposted from the main road, hidden away at the end of a quiet side street in an area of new build offices and apartments. As you'd expect from Sam's, the interior is very traditional - if not original - with a nice carpeted snug on the left of the main central bar with leather banquettes and old photos and a room with a pool table on the right, similarly furnished. The floor is tiled and there's some stained glass partitions. The outside decking affords a view of Isleworth Ait in the middle of the River Thames, but you can't see the towpath on the opposite bank of the river and the view is less impressive than further upstream. Steps lead from this decking to an upstairs bar, but this was not open on my recent visit. Notably, this pub appears to have a small band of regulars - perhaps for the cheaper beer. The Sam Smiths OBB is cheap at £ 1.99p of course and it's on the handpump as well. First time visitors to the area will probably want to go to the better known London Apprentice, but, assuming you can find it, the Town Wharf is a more than acceptable alternative and is likely to be less busy.

On this occasion the upstairs bar was closed in preparation for a private party, leaving the ground floor bar the only one in use. This looks like a new build pub built as part of the redevelopment of the immediate area. The downstairs bar seemed to be pretty comfortable with banquettes, a couple of sofas, and normal tables and chairs. There is a tiled floor, which is a little unusual. The main feature of this pub (for me anyway) is the outside decking area with views overlooking the river and Isleworth Ait. The setting is quite spectacular, but one downside is the fact that it is underneath the Heathrow flight path. Being a Sam Smith’s pub the ale choice is limited to put it mildly, but they did have the handpump version of Old Brewery Bitter on. The food on offer was reasonably priced typical pub grub. I had the steak and ale pie, plus chips and veg, which was just about OK for the £5.95 I paid, but it would have been better had it not been subjected to the ping/ding treatment. I certainly would not bother visiting this pub for either the food or the beer, but the views are worth the effort as long as you are not fussed about the food quality or choice of beers.