The Boaters Inn, Kingston Upon Thames

This is not a great pub its just a comfortable pub to have a drink.What makes it is the location.On a long summer's day sit in the garden or sit on stools at the side which offer fantastic views of the Thames and on a day such as yesterday will take a lot of beating.There were 5 real ales on which on my visit were mostly local and in good order.I lived in this area for many years but never knew this pub was here.you learn something new every day!

The Boaters Inn occupies a riverfront position near the northern end of Canbury Gardens, a short walk along the riverfront and towpath from Kingston Bridge. It’s a relatively newish looking single storey, hut style building and with its part whitewashed, weatherboarded exterior, it could, at first glance, be mistaken as an extension to the boathouse of Kingston Rowing Club, which stands next door. Inside is a single room bare boarded L shaped bar with, up a couple of steps, an area that is laid out for diners. The walls are decorated with artwork for sale from a local artist – Paul Stafford. There’s a large outside shaded area and drinks can be taken into the gardens, off the pub premises, if a plastic glass is requested. Like the Bishop out of Residence, a 10 minute or so walk away, the Boaters Inn opens early for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am. Live jazz is staged on Sunday evenings. On my recent early Saturday morning visit, my entrance at around 11.15 am and order of a pint of beer initially seemed to disconcert the young barmaid and caused me to momentarily assume, incorrectly as it turned out, that the pub’s licensing hours didn’t start till midday. This was presumably because every other customer – obviously not early risers like myself – were still having breakfast and coffee and toast. Since my last visit several years ago, The Boaters Inn has been acquired by the Capital Pub Company ( they also have The Anglesea Arms in South Kensington ) and, pleasingly, although the pub doesn’t have much of a traditional pub feel, the interest in, and range of real ale on offer, has evidently increased. The 5 pumps were serving beers from Dorking Brewery, Surrey Hills, Twickenham Brewery and Ascot Ales ( 2 beers ). All beers sampled were in fine form, notably the Ascot Alligator Ale - £ 3.40p. The pub is listed in the 2011 CAMRA Good Beer Guide. A beer festival is advertised for the Spring Bank Holiday, starting on Thursday 26 May, when over 40 different ales and ciders will be available. This pub doesn’t have enough of that traditionally pubby feel for it ever to become a regular haunt of mine, but I shall certainly return. An interesting and adventurous beer range – particularly when compared with central Kingston’s pub offerings – means you should certainly make the effort to come here if you happen to be in Kingston

Randomness Guide to London - Boaters Inn entry

Randomness Guide to London - Boaters Inn entry