The Bells, Staines Town, Staines Upon Thames

Having been a good dozen or so years since I was last in the Bells, I was attracted back by the fact that it is no longer a Young's pub. I remember it as a cosy backstreet local, with some character. On our recent Saturday evening visit, it didn't feel quite as cosy, feeling instead quite functional. There is a bar area at the front, with an unused dining room to the side. Although people were eating in the bar. Seemed popular with women. In fact, I think there were more women in than men, which makes a pleasant change. Children are also made welcome. On the ale front, the Young's beers have gone. Instead, there were Hogs Back TEA & Surrey Nirvana & Windsor & Eton Guardsman. Our Surrey Nirvana was in a decent condition, albeit a little on the cold side. There's not a huge selection of good pubs in Staines, but this is certainly one of the better ones.

A nice looking pub that has unfortunately been over-gentrified by Youngs. The interior decor is rather plain in mostly white and other pale colours, with some framed black & white photos on the walls along with some Renoir prints on the walls, a mix of high and normal height seating throughout the opened out room. Four handpumps for ale with Youngs Ordinary and Special, backed up with St Austel Tribute and Sambrookes Pale pale Ale as guests. A pleasant but ultimately unremarkable pub.

Set slightly away from the town centre, in a pleasant area next to the church, this is a smart Youngs house with a rambling layout and a strong emphasis on dining. You enter through a corner door into an open space with the public bar to the left and a dining area running to the rear down the right hand side. The public bar has a compact servery along the rear wall and a neat row of tables and chairs opposite under the front windows. The area is quite pleasant and perfectly functional and most definitely offers the best spot for those just wanting to enjoy a few drinks. A TV screen on the end wall here remained turned off throughout the length of our visit. The restaurant area takes up the vast majority of the pub and runs to the rear before branching off into a couple of other rooms to the right. Lots of set tables fill all of these areas and make it pretty clear that the casual drinker isn’t really welcome back here. There is a second bar towards the rear which has one less handpull than the main bar to the front, so best to consult both before ordering. The main restaurant area is carpeted and has fairly conservative decor that treads the line between typical traditional and gastro pub identities. A nice old brick fireplace has been cleared out and filled with a glass display case full of Youngs products, which isn’t quite as dismal as it sounds. At the rear, the pub turns 90 degrees to the right, running through a fairly empty space before emerging into a bare boarded overspill room with dark beams and whitewashed walls which have sadly been adorned with bland IKEA style art prints and filled with standard tables and chairs. A dreadful soundtrack was playing throughout our visit and I also noticed a collection of board games stacked up near the main bar. The bar had four beers on the go – Youngs Ordinary, Special and Winter Warmer plus regular guest ale St Austell Tribute. I gave the Winter Warmer a try and it was in excellent shape, even if the beer itself isn’t quite the great brew it once was. We stopped off for a Sunday roast here as well and the food was excellent, with generous portions and quality ingredients. The staff were all very pleasant and attentive, which added to the enjoyment of our visit. I think I liked this place more because of the fact that we ate here and would imagine I would feel a little differently if we’d just stopped off for a drink instead. I found the food, beer and service all to be top-notch and whilst the Youngs ale range isn’t the most exciting, at least it is kept well. If you can avoid being shunted into the room at the far end of the pub, you should be able to enjoy a pleasant meal or drink in traditional surrounds and I would suggest this as one of the better options in the local area.

An attractive pub in a pleasant setting near the church, the exterior has lots of well tended hanging baskets. Inside the pub is an elongated L, the longer side having all the tables set for formal dining although nobody was at around 3pm on Friday. The smaller front area is for the drinkers, patterned carpet, boarded near the bar, green panelled walls, a shelf of books, golfing trophies plus a case of porcelain Bells whisky bells. Some framed local scenes. I liked the long pictorial map of the River Thames near to the bar. Food is clearly served, there were some upmarket specials listed on a board but I didn't see a menu although I heard a group of blokes ordering food. A Young's house with Bitter, Special and St Austell Tribute shared across a couple of banks of pumps. Quite a nice and comfortable spot with a pleasant rear garden. A note below refers to afternoon closing but it was open all day on Friday, worth phoning to check.

A Youngs pub gone upmarket as Quinno says. My recent Sunday afternoon visit found it packed with diners, mainly adults in the main bar area and families with children in the second room to the right. Four hand pulls however offered Youngs Ordinary and Special, Tribute and Brains SA. My pint was okay, and service efficient if a tad perfunctory. Sunday roasts came in at £9.95, and a perusal of the menu found most main dishes in the £9.50-11 range, although I didn’t eat here. The pub had a well looked after, light feel to it and the patio garden to the rear must be quite pleasant in decent weather.

Bells page at the Youngs site - www.youngs.co.uk

Official site of the Bells Inn, contains menu - www.thebellspub.co.uk

Bells page at the Youngs site - www.youngs.co.uk