The Racehorse, Carshalton

Official site of The Racehorse - www.theracehorsepub.co.uk

Official site of The Racehorse - www.theracehorsepub.co.uk

Set back from the street a bit, and with a slightly austere façade, this detached pub doesn't immediately stand out. However, it was built with unusually high ceilings in the two main rooms. The public bar is plainly decorated but busy with football fans watching the big match, whereas the more upmarket lounge was much quieter. Also has a couple of covered tables out back. With a total of six handpumps between the two counters, the real ale selection of Black Sheep, Doom Bar, Landlord and Tribute (£3.70) could most politely be called 'mainstream'.

There is little to choose between the public bar and saloon,both are decent sized rooms with standard pub furniture.The public bar had three handpumps,yet the very efficient barmaid sourced the Palace Blond Ale that most of us were drinking from the saloon,so it might be worth making a trip in there first to see exactly whats on.Cant add much to previous detailed reviews ,only to say that my beer was being served too young,and that this pub will always be overshadowed by the closeby Hope.It still worth a visit though.

The Racehorse is split into a right hand public bar with a dartboard on the rear wall and a plasma screen that was showing Six Nations rugby during my recent Saturday afternoon visit. This was on terrestrial television, but Sky Sports is advertised in the front window. The slightly larger left hand side is advertised as a restaurant, but I would have said that it is a saloon bar. There was no sport being shown in here, but Heart FM complete with adverts was being played in the background. By the front window there is a small raised seating area with a piano and live entertainment in the form of a karaoke and disco is advertised for Friday nights. Live music was advertised for the evening of my visit, but it was St Patrick’s Day so I’m not sure if this is a regular occurrence on a Saturday. At the rear of the pub is a smoking shelter with a large car park beyond. A range of standard draught is available from the bar and the four hand pumps were drawing WJ King’s Brighton Best and Sharp’s Doom Bar alongside Otter Ale and Bitter. At the back of the bar is a table top where the governor was making fresh sandwiches which I would have sampled if I hadn’t already eaten. I found the service to be very friendly and I enjoyed the surroundings so I would have no problem returning here.

On entering this pub, visitors find themselves in a small porch with a colourful mosaic floor, with a choice of two doors, each leading to a separate room served by the same central bar. To the left is a traditional feeling room with plenty of exposed beams, some upholstered banquettes, a large fireplace with an assortment of tankards on the mantle and numerous pictures of various racehorses. The room to the right is a more functional affair, with half pine panelled walls, standard tables and chairs, a dartboard, book exchange and a plasma TV, which was turned off on my late afternoon visit. The radio was playing at a suitable level. There were four ales available - GK IPA, Sharp's Doom Bar plus a couple from the Acorn Brewery - Blonde (£3.00) and Motueka IPA. My pint of Acorn Blonde was served by a friendly enough barman and was in good condition. Food is usually available at lunchtime and in the evening, but unfortunately I arrived a little too late to try it, although the barman did offer to make me a sandwich. I thought it was a nice, clean and welcoming pub and was a little surprised to find the Acorn beers. The place seemed to lack a bit of atmosphere, but I guess I wasn't there at the busiest time of day. I'd probably return and would certainly include it in a Carshalton crawl, but I find that the Hope is a more complete pub and would most likely spend my time there instead.

Randomness Guide to London - Racehorse entry

Randomness Guide to London - Racehorse entry