Dog & Fox, Wimbledon Village, SW19

The Dog and Fox is a large old pub at the top of the hill and in the very posh Wimbledon village area. Once inside there was one very large room that i noticed and i did'nt really like this room that much,this is a Youngs tied house and there were three of their beers on the bar i had a drink of Youngs bitter and this was'nt on top form the other beers were Youngs Special and Winter warmer. This was by far the worst pub i visited in Wimbledon on my crawl. Pub visited 14/12/2002

This pub is big, I mean massive; On a friday night you could arrange to meet a mate in here and spend the whole night looking for him. The emphasis on the place is very much on the food side which I don't really have a problem with - it is Wimbledon after all. Its probably the area's most popular boozer and that is reflected in the pricing which is fairly steep although my pint of Youngs Special was in reasonable order. Perhaps for a quieter, more traditional setting I'd suggest the Rose & Crown up the road.

The Dog & Fox is set in the very heart of the very upmarket Wimbledon Village, and it shows. This pub has been part of the Young’s estate since 1834, although the current building results from considerable rebuilding in 1900, after which it was renamed the “Wimbledon Hill Hotel”. Thankfully it’s now reverted to its previous name. The usual range of Young’s ales was on during my visit, as well as the excellent Butcombe Bitter (£3.40 a pint). They do food of course, but cheap it ain’t. It hasn’t changed since my last visit a year or two ago, and Maldenman’s description this summer remains valid. It is a good example of a Young’s pub made over to such an extent that any original pub character has long gone. High tables, high stools, high benches, and sofas abound. The only decent feature remaining is the mosaic flooring in what would have been the entrance hall in days gone by. But maybe this is the sort of pub that the patrons in this very upmarket part of London want. However, on the plus side, it was open when I was in Wimbledon Village at 11.30 AM, and the Butcombe Bitter was excellent. But there are better pubs down the road, or across the Common if you’ve got the time to walk to them.