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Beer of the Week (w/e 15th March 2026) with trainman
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Detail Pages
The Horse & Groom, SW19
SW19
SW19 1DE
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Rex Rattus left this review about The Horse & Groom
There were a couple of decent beers on in here - Wimbledon WPA and Timothy Taylor Landlord at a very reasonable £4.65 and £4.25 a pint respectively. I didn't see any sign of food or menus when I was in there at around 5 o'clock on Monday evening.
Furnishings are very traditional, with mainly normal tables, fixed bench seating and mainly stools. There are seven large TV screens dotted around the place, so that you can see the sport being shown wherever you happen to be sitting thankfully none with the sound on. On Monday there was a choice of either watching the darts or the AFCON match between Angola or Egypt. I didn't notice any decor, perhaps because there wasn't much space between the TV screens. The sports theme continued with the rugby nations' flags plastered all over the ceilings. One of my companions said that there was a large outside seating area at the back, but I didn't explore.
I thought that this pub provided a largely traditional pub experience, although perhaps overdoing the sport a tad. But others no doubt visit the pub to watch the sport, and good for them I say. The barmaid was friendly, the furnishings were comfortable and beer was excellent and reasonably priced. That'll do it for me. This one fits nicely into a South Wimbledon mini crawl along with the Sultan and Trafalgar Freehouse.
On 31st December 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2617 recommendations about 2531 pubs]
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Horse & Groom
Pub round the corner from South Wimbledon tube station,It's open plan with two small wings and a long bench seat running most of the length of the pub frontage.Elsewhere a few high tables and a right sided door to the beer garden.The flooring is partly wooden,part tartan carpet.Two sports flatscreens and lots of bar stools ,the regulars were friendly enough despite their fruity language in this enclave from a very diverse ethnic neighbourhood.There are some live DJ nights.
The beer offering was described as value with pricing on each handpump or tap and indeed the single real ale of Adnams Ghostship was decent ,NBSS 3.5 ,and cheap at £3.90.I'm not sure Neck Oil at £6.60 can be described as such.
A basic boozer and with the Trafalar and Sultan not too far away there will always be better ale options locally,but It maybe worth supporting this type of pub if in the area.
On 18th April 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3126 recommendations about 3126 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Horse & Groom
This is a 19th century pub at the very least, originally the Bricklayers Arms up to 1882, when it was given the current name, presumably to avoid confusion with the other Horse & Groom – now Garden Shed – at the end of the street (?); as Graham mentions, it was the Dark House – from 1984 to ’94 – Horse & Groom again until 1997, then the Kilkenny Tavern, back to the Horse & Groom again from 2021 and run by Craft Union since May 2023, they presumably responsible for covering over the lovely green and brown glazed tiles with smoky blue paint.
The main room is carpeted, the right-hand side bare boarded, the colour scheme a restrained combo of brown paint to the dado, then white or blue. The bar back is modern with white shiny tiles, furniture is traditional and several TVs were showing the golf in silence; there are some mixed prints. Furniture is traditional to the main, then tall and modern to the right-hand side, where there’s also a games machine and selection of bored games.
Like Graham, I too spotted the unfulfilled promise of offerings from the Wimbledon Brewery painted onto a wall, though two pumps tantalised with the promise of Landlord or Ghost Ship, but the clips were reversed at the time of my Saturday 10.00pm visit, so perhaps it was too late for cask to reemerge. I made do with a good Guinness, £5.05 a pint, served by flustered barmaid who’d had to put up with all the ‘What shots do you have?’ shenanigans conjured up by a suspiciously young gaggle of women; in fairness, their website does peddle WKD Vibe things, two for £5 if you’re tempted.
This place is surprisingly sedate and restrained by CU standards, especially for a Saturday night and certainly better than the Nelsons Arms next door; with cask on, this place would have nudged average, but if I were in the area again, I’d swing by the Sultan.
On 22nd May 2024
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2307 recommendations about 2251 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Horse & Groom
Handily located next door to South Wimbledon tube station and once a Grotney pub called the Dark House, according to the sign on the end. Anyway, it has had a smart facelift, with bright colours and lots of space giving an airy effect, while the half dozen sports screens dotted about identify its customer base. Two handpumps offered TT Landlord and Tribute, although sadly nothing from the nearby Wimbledon Brewery despite the painted inscription on the wall. A garden is signed at the rear.
On 31st October 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3900 recommendations about 3832 pubs]