The Railway Tavern, Richmond

Big improvement from whence I was last in here.Absolutely mobbed with rugby fans.Great range of cask beers.Redemption -sunshine was as usual from this brewer very good.

Nicholson's pub with quite a quirky shaped interior serving 11 real ales.

As is usually the case with Nicholson pubs, there were a number of ales available here - Doom Bar; Tiny Rebel One Inch Punch (a very hoppy and bitter American Pale Ale); Nicholson's Pale Ale of course (brewed by St Austell); Truman's Runner (£3.65 a pint); Liverpool Craft Beer Co Quokka; Sambrook Speakeasy Pale Ale; and Bragdy Conwy Beachcomber Blond (£3.55 a pint). They do a weekday lunch deal which gives a burger or sandwich for £9 - £10, with a drink that includes a pint of Doom Bar or Nicholson's Pale Ale. As the beef sarny I wanted was £7.95 on its own, it made sense to pay the extra £1.05 for a pint of the pale ale. The Truman's Runner, Nicholson's PA, Beachcomber Blond, and One Inch Punch that I had were all in excellent nick. One of our group had downloaded the "app" for various discounts, which seemed to work OK with us getting 25p per pint discount. This is clearly a large old Victorian pub. It's understandably fairly corporate in here now. There are loads of those solid butcher's block tall tables/tall stools along the front by the window, and a few normal tables and chairs along the sides, but the majority of the standard seating is reserved for the large dining room at the back on the right. The walls are mainly painted that greenish/indigo colour (the colour probably has a poncy name but I don't know it); some pop music was playing not too loudly, and some books on brewing plus pewter tankards, old bottles of beer and the like, were in a shelving unit near where we were sitting. But the most interesting thing for me was the plan on one of the walls detailing the fitting that was undertaken in the 1890s. It is hard to imagine it, but along the main road frontage there once was a shop (off-sales presumably), a vestibule, a saloon bar, a public bar, and a private bar. None of them remain now of course, except the old billiards room, complete with skylight, is now the dining room. The ale selection's very good in here, and at the reasonable prices you expect from the Nicholson branding. But otherwise it's typical Nicholson's, although undoubtedly a quantum improvement on its O'Neill's days. It's a shame there are no heritage features remaining, but it's definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in Richmond.

The good ol' Railway Tavern is still serving short measured pints, with an inch of froth/bubbles on top of your pint. Unless you ask otherwise. So I don't go in there as much these days, I get fed up asking..! :o(

As much as I like this pub (Railway Tavern), and I do. PLEASE BE AWARE:- The building & venue itself is fine & dandy. I luvvit! The barstaff are generally quite good & efficient. However... The Railway Tavern is a "Nicholson's Pub" and they have a policy (as depicted & described in a poster/notice high up behind the main bar) that they will serve every pint with a "Traditional head", unless you ask for otherwise! That means, you will get 2-3 centimetres of froth+bubbles on the top of your pint, whether it's ale, beer or lager. And that's INSIDE your glass, not on the TOP of your drink where it should or could be! In other words, they are not serving a full pint. Bar staff will argue that its all part of the modern drinking experience, and the 3cm of head adds to the flavour, etc, etc...!! When in fact, all they are doing is serving short measures. Don't let me put you off going to this pub, because it is now actually quite a nice venue, and very useful for Richmond train station! But just be aware of Nicholson's policy, and ASK for a full pint (...afterall, you're paying for a FULL pint)! God bless railway pubs...! TJ

All those previous reviews seem a bit dated, so here's some up-to-date news: O'Neills is now called "Railway Tavern", which is kind of appropriate as it is the nearest pub to Richmond railway station! :o) It has just undergone a major refurb, and should be open today (27/11/14), looking all clean+sparkling, and with a total new look. I look forward to the new experience. God bless railway pubs...! :o) TJ