The Kew Gardens Hotel, Richmond

A slightly anonymous Victorian or Edwardian hotel in the leafy streets of Kew. Stepping inside you find vast expanses of polished floorboards with a limited number of socially-distanced tables - whether Covid-related or just pretentious I don't know. The plain green decor is largely unadorned giving a very restrained feel. At the back are some booths, a large table and stairs to an upper level, as well as an outdoor area. A Greene King pub with IPA and the house beer on pump, but at least they managed to include a guest in the shape of Windsor & Eton Guardsman, even if not in the best of form. Generally smart enough but lacking in any real atmosphere.

The interior consists of a large L shaped room with the bar facing you as you enter. The majority of the floor space is floor boarded apart from the black and white tiles surrounding the bar. The sash widows and sash boxes have been stripped back to the original timber, which had turned to a honey colour with age. The rest of the woodwork was painted in a heritage sage green colour. The bar consisted of a solid mahogany counter and painted bar front. Six handpumps on the bar with four in operation. It was great to see two from Kew Brewery, so we went for the Kew Brewery True Brew, which was excellent, also the service here was top class.

Aptly described by the last reviewer it has had a refurb but still more or less the same with an open kitchen underneath the gallery. 5 or maybe 6 handpumps and a good selection of styles and brewers. Beers from Portobello-Trumans-Urban Huntsman and a house beer from GK.Outside seating at the front.Very clean smart fresh toilets. Now called the Kew Gardens Hotel.

The name of this pub could be a little misleading, as it is not located in or next to the Gardens, but down a side street, a short walk from both the Gardens and the station of the same name. You enter into an L shaped room with the bar directly opposite. The floor is a mix of bare floorboards and mosaic tiles, parts of which have been covered with some nice rugs. There are a few sofas and comfy chairs at the front of the pub, whilst the area further back past the end of the servery has been set up more formally for those wanting to eat. A spiral staircase leads up to a small gallery with a mix of comfy seating which seemed like a nice place to relax. There is also a garden to the rear of the pub, but I didn’t get to explore thanks to the terrible weather outside. We visited the pub for a private function – a service that they delivered very well – and the pub also has a number of rooms available in the hotel upstairs. There were four ales on the bar during my visit – Black Sheep Bitter, Greene King IPA, Purity Ubu and Sharp’s Doom Bar. I tried the last two and whilst the Ubu was past its best, the Doom Bar was on top form and I enjoyed a good many pints of it. The staff were very friendly and helpful and really got into the spirit of the party. This is a nicely kept, pleasant and welcoming pub that I’d be happy to return to. Well worth a look if you’re visiting the gardens or passing through the area.

A substantial building, once the Kew Gardens Hotel, retaining some interesting features such as the columns both outside and inside the main door. The interior has been opened out from a collection of rooms which now form quite a large bar, and there are also dining areas towards the back and on a mezzanine floor - all refurbished in a reasonably restrained gastro-pub style. Four beers on handpump, plus a draught cider, and my pint of Sharps Own (not that badly priced for the area as £3.25) was in good condition.

Randomness Guide to London - Inn At Kew Gardens entry

Randomness Guide to London - Inn At Kew Gardens entry

I liked the layout of this pub with a proper pub area at the front and an eating area at the back the leads to a patio garden. There is a spiral staircase at the rear of the pub leading up to some more dining tables. The barman was friendly, but he served me a pint instead of the half that I asked for although it was the correct drink so 50% for that one. Lagers on offer were Kronenburg, Fosters, San Miguel, Bitburger and ales on offer were Doombar, Pride, Broadside and Twickenham Original. I don't think that I would have any complaints if this was my local pub.

Official site of the Inn at Kew Gardens, includes menu and wine list - www.theinnatkewgardens.com