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Disappointment of the week with Tris39
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Surbiton Flyer, Surbiton
Surbiton
KT6 4NS
Pub Type
Fuller'sReviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Surbiton Flyer
Not immediately obvious but a conversion of a former bank, now given a very upmarket genteel feel by Fullers in the latest refurbishment. Dark woodwork and posh fittings abound, with a fair emphasis on tables for eating but including a few sofas. Beers were all from the Fullers range, with HSB, Seafarers, London Pride and Swing Low on pump. Comfortable and quite relaxing.
On 29th October 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Surbiton Flyer
Located just outside Surbiton station in a former bank premises, this is a surprisingly compact Fullers pub. You enter to a simple room with the servery along the left hand wall and seating opposite. The bar has a dark wood counter and bar back, with the counter broken up by two pillars, each of which are clad with attractive etched glass mirrors. The bar area has tiled flooring but elsewhere it's bare floorboards, whilst seating options are restricted to standard tables and chairs in the front and mid sections of the room. A large screen opposite the bar was showing muted coverage of the Paralympic Games and a huge Union flag was draped over the wall next to the screen. The interior's undoubted highlight is the series of sky-lit stained glass ceiling panels towards the rear of the room, which looked fantastic and were the only real nod towards the sort of opulent interior you might expect of a former bank. To the rear right there is a cosy raised seating area with a Chesterfield sofa and some padded benches all arranged around a decorative fireplace with a plain mirror above. Next to the raised platform, some high stools have been set-up beneath dark wood bookshelves housing copies of the Good Beer Guide (this pub isn't currently in it), old sewing machines and a beer bottle collection. There is a slightly obscured area to the rear left, hidden in a recess past the end of the bar with space for a single table under a huge Fullers and Turner mirror, creating a snug of sorts. Soft rock played quietly over the sound system and like many of Surbiton's pubs, the place was very quiet on a Sunday afternoon, although it may well have been busier during the Sunday lunch peak hours preceding my arrival.
As seems to be the case with most Fullers pubs these days, just the three Fullers ales were available - London Pride, Oliver's Island and Seafarers. I paid £4.20 for a pint of the Oliver's Island, served to me by a smiley barman and in pretty good nick if perhaps a little too warm. Other Fullers beers were available on tap or in bottles from the fridge.
As station-side pubs go, I thought this wasn't too bad. The building is pleasant and compact enough to generate a bit of a cosy ambience, whilst the beer is decent enough if not too exciting. I'd say this is very much a safe bet for a quick pint without really offering anything to make you want to stay longer.
On 5th October 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Surbiton Flyer
Decent Fullers pub with interesting skylight.Pride,Seafarers and one other dull Fullers beer on cask.
On 20th August 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Surbiton Flyer
Comfortable single-bar Fullers pub with a small raised seating area in one corner and a feature skylight above the counter. Traditional-style furniture and decor, mostly set aside for dining on a Sunday lunchtime. Good reggae / ska being played at a sensible volume. Beer-wise, there was Pride, Seafarers, HSB and the guest Black Sheep Velo (£3.90) available from a total of eight handpumps. Handy for a quick pint if waiting for a train from the nearby station.
On 13th July 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Nick Johnstone left this review about The Surbiton Flyer
Modern hotel lounge type 'pub'.
On 1st September 2011
- rating: 3
[User has posted 98 recommendations about 98 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Surbiton Flyer
I paid my first visit to this pub last Tuesday, and it doesn’t seem to have changed much since the previous reviewers’ visits. They did have on a Fuller’s ale that I hadn’t seen before – something called “Front Row” (a Rugby allusion I guess) – a 3.7% ABV ale which I imagine would be akin to Chiswick. But I was in the mood for an ESB, which was excellent. They now have those little candles on the table, presumably in a bid to inject a bit of subtlety, but the chaps playing poker on a big table didn’t seem to think they were worth bothering with. Anyway, I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit this pub, but it’s a decent enough watering hole to have right next to a train station.
On 24th February 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Surbiton Flyer
The Surbiton Flyer is a reasonable sized single room Fullers pub next to Surbiton Railway Station so it is very handy for a swift pint if waiting for a train. There is a limited draught selection in between the two banks of four hand pumps that were drawing Pride, Seafarers, Discovery and ESB and the Guinness that I ordered was very good. The décor is made up with dark wooden fixtures and fittings and there is a real fire in the slightly raised area at the rear that was reserved for a choir that were due to arrive just after I left. There are a few books that are available to read from some shelves on the back wall, but the pub was pretty dim when I visited as the couple of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling didn’t emit much light. There is also a piano in situ, but nobody was playing during my visit so there was some very low background music playing.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to drink here again, but it is very good for a transient station pub.
On 15th January 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5231 recommendations about 5199 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Surbiton Flyer
A single room Fuller's house near Surbiton station, a couple of slightly raised areas are carpeted, while the main bar has a wooden floor with a tiled splash zone against the bar. The bar on a side wall is polished dark wood with some etched glass mirrors. The ceiling over the bar has an attractive stained glass rooflight. Seating is mixed, but there are a few of the oft maligned high tables and backed stools. Local history photos, a few books on a shelf and 3 plasmas, presumably for sport.
Better than your usual station pub, ESB, Pride, Gales Seafarers with the HSB clip reversed. £3.30 though for ESB, but it was in fine fettle.
On 1st February 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]