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Richmond Vault, Richmond

5 Hill Street
Richmond
TW9 1SX

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about Richmond Vault

This is a nice basement bar in the centre of Richmond, operating as a restaurant and craft beer bar, with distinct areas for each. You enter via a staircase down into a bare boarded front room with whitewashed walls and ceiling which help brighten what would otherwise be a dark, gloomy space. Sofas to the front right offer some comfy seating in front of the fireplace on the end wall which has a mirror in a highly decorative frame above it. Moving into a notional second ‘room’, the servery appears immediately to the left, with a glazed tile bar counter split in two by a centrally positioned pillar. High table and stool seating has been squeezed into the small gaps created by a series of arches/pillars opposite the bar, which create a cavern-like feeling and make it quite a cosy spot to settle down in despite the uncomfortable furniture, although a few regular tables and chairs appear a little further into the room, although a board here suggests these are set aside for diners. The room extends into a much larger and more open plan lower level space to the rear, accessed by another small staircase and visible from the bar area. This space is filled with more tables, chairs and benches and the walls have been decorated with brewery mirrors, framed pump clips, beer advertisement boards and old black and white photos. As our visit was outside of peak dining hours, there was only one customer sat down here, but the bar area was lively, and I thought the place had a nice ambiance to it.
There were three ales available on handpull when I arrived alongside two real ciders, although unfortunately the Cloudwater Pale Ale spluttered its last when I ordered a pint, so I was left to choose between Mad Squirrel Hopfest and Mister Squirrel, plumping eventually for the former at £4.50 a pint. It was a nice, well-kept pint and the barmaid was very friendly and helpful, offering my companions various tasters before they made their selections. Beer menus detailed the wider craft keg, bottle and can selections which covered a wide range of styles and strengths.
I thought this was a nice atmospheric basement bar with a good deal of character, friendly service and some interesting, well-kept beer. It’s a bit of a shame that half of the pub is given over to diners, but it’s all well demarcated so there’s no real problem. This is a nice alternative to the traditional pubs that predominate in the centre of Richmond and well worth adding to a crawl of the area.

On 30th March 2020 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Rex Rattus left this review about Richmond Vault

This place is unchanged from previous reviewers' visits. There are sofas in a small area on the right as you enter, then plenty of standard seating separated by some round-topped archways giving a sort of crypt-like or cloistered feel about the place. Masses of bric-a-brac and curiosities on the walls are there to pique one's interest.

There are four handpumps on the tiny bar counter on the left - all were clipped during our weekday lunchtime visit, with Salopian Fault Line, 360 Single Hop, Kirkstall Dissolution IPA and South Downs Blackcurrant Cider all on. There were five of us in my group and between us we had all three real ales; all were in good shape and at an average price of £4.50 per pint. I noticed an advertisement for a "buy one get one free" happy hour after work on Monday - 5.0 PM to 6.0 PM as I recall, which seems a very good deal. As others have stated, there's a dedicated restaurant downstairs at the back with the "wait to be seated" guarding the top of the stairs. I didn't get to see a menu as we weren't eating there. What we all appreciated was the complimentary bowl of spicy peanuts plonked on our table. On a wall at the back is a board helpfully listing all the beers, including the so-called craft beers, that were on.

I don't normally go for underground drinking holes out of choice, but we all really liked this place. It helped that some natural light got into the place from the skylights above the restaurant area at the back; the excellent beer and complimentary peanuts also helped. I would certainly visit this bar again.

On 2nd May 2019 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


john gray left this review about Richmond Vault

This is a nice bar that I have been in loads of times and forgot to review.Basement bar so it suffers from lack of daylight but is always busy mostly with diners.Nice friendly staff and always something unusual on cask.Decent bottled beer list.Lack of outside space is a problem.

On 18th August 2018 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Malden man left this review about Richmond Vault

A hard to find and possible a stumble across pub, a pair of stairs take you down to this multiply vaulted undercroft which is sort of separated inside into different areas without being fully divided. The bar is along a side wall towards the front, as you pass deeper inside there is a half staircase dropping down further to what looks like a dedicated dining area with a transparent curved roof above. The gradual stepping down despite being underground follows the terrain as the land falls towards the River Thames valley.
There is mixed seating of all currently known styles, most of the roughcast walls are washed white, some lower walls are wood panelled.
Of the four handpumps, two were on, Thornbridge Lord Marples (£4.50) and Gun Brewery Pale Ale. A selection of keg offerings plus an impressive range of bottles also available. Food served, pizze and burgers but a pub grub menu too.
I liked it, a sign made me smile and a cheery friendly welcome always counts for a lot, "We don't do Fosters, Carling, Stella, Becks or....London Pride". Controversial? Maybe someone had to raise it.....Youngs, GKIPA, DB?

On 16th August 2018 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve of N21 left this review about Richmond Vault

I found myself on a return visit to the Vault when in Richmond but primarily to eat in the lower restaurant section of this cellar bar. But it was good to find three well kept real ales available and an extensive list of craft options on draft and in bottle available. We enjoyed a couple of rounds in the bar section before moving down for some decent ribs and burgers. Good to find this place still going strong and no need to modify my previous rating.

Previous review 6th January 2015:
Agree, a very good cellar bar that is easily missed and if I hadn’t have bent down to tie up a shoe lace and spotted the magical words “Beer Cellar” through the railings we would have done.
There were two ales on the handpumps for our visit alongside the twelve craft taps but as the reviewer below mentions there is an impressive bottled beer offering and I went for one of my favourites in the BBF Milk Stout and managed to get a comfy two seater sofa in the first bar section to enjoy it.
The food menu looked reasonable as well and as hunger pains were setting in we decided to move to the restaurant section and try it especially as we were in on an early Monday evening when they have a deal for a burger and a pint of Ale for £10.
As Craft cellar bars go I liked this one. It had a good atmosphere and a good range of non-standard Craft and Cask offerings and for that I concur, well worth searching out when in Richmond.

On 1st May 2018 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2094 recommendations about 1985 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Blackthorn _ left this review about Richmond Vault

Although located in the heart of town, this is a subterranean bar as it’s name suggests, and as such is perhaps not immediately obvious to the casual passer-by, which may perhaps account for why it seemed relatively quiet on our recent Saturday afternoon visit. Once down the steps and through the plain wooden door, it’s quite spacious inside and extends some way further back than might be expected.

Décor wise, the stone vaulted arches have all been whitewashed and there was also some wood panelling on the lower part of the walls, either natural or painted a pale blue. Dark wooden laminate was on the floor and there were large old mirrors covering the walls at the end of the arches. Various brewery mirrors and pictures were on the walls, as well as old schematic diagrams showing various aspects of the brewing process. The green tiled bar counter was to the left, and beyond this down a few more steps was something of a dining area. There was also a good sized roof window here, making it somewhat less gloomy than might have been the case otherwise. A snug at the front of the pub included a couple of sofas as well as an old fireplace and a bookshelf.

Beers on tap were Arbor Simcoe, Dark Star Hophead and Hallet’s National Treasure, whilst a fourth pump appeared unused. The solitary cider was the excellent Reveller from Orchard Pig.

On 8th December 2017 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1937 recommendations about 1850 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Moby Duck left this review about Pig's Ears Craft Beer Cellar

A bit of a hidden gem this one, situated underneath a solid town house currently operating as a dentist, I wouldn't had known it was here if not doing some homework before my trip. Obviously down one of either two sets of steps you encounter an unmarked wooden door, you enter into a white walled subterranean bar divided into small interconnected seating areas by way of several supporting arches within the room, further on a set of steps takes you down to a restaurant area. There were four handpumps on the bar one was blank with two ales and one Cider on, both beers were excellent, Gypsy Hill Hepcat and Bristol Beer Factory Independance, the Cider was called Craftman Cider but I didn't note who made it. I really quite enjoyed it here, it's worth finding.

On 29th December 2016 - rating: 8
[User has posted 1868 recommendations about 1841 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


hondo . left this review about Pig's Ears Craft Beer Cellar

As stated below an easily missed cellar bar. A characterful interior with a vaulted ceiling area at the bar and the dining area down stairs at the rear. 3 real ales,1 real cider and "craft keg" served during my visit.

On 11th October 2015 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Pig's Ears Craft Beer Cellar

Housed underneath a rather fine building housing another business, the steps down to the cellars from each direction are hardly obvious. The signage is also rather inconspicuous, so it is probably quite easy to miss this place if you are not specifically looking out for it. Anyway, one below street level, you find quite an attractive bar / restaurant in a jumble of spaces on two levels. There is mixed furniture in the first two small seating areas, ranging from sofas to high tables. The two-part bar counter is then on you left, with a small landing then some steps down to the slightly larger dining area beyond. Music at slightly higher than background level. Twelve craft taps, with six regular beers (mostly imported) and a decent selection of guests. One real ale on handpump - Tyne Bank Silver Dollar (£3.95) when I visited - but they can also serve others direct from the cask. Also has an impressive selection of 88 bottled beers. Well worth seeking out.

On 31st May 2014 - rating: 8
[User has posted 8066 recommendations about 8066 pubs]