The Wych Elm

Great local pub with a lovely garden at the back. Food was delicious and the friendly staff were very helpful and attentive. No surprise that they were runners up in the LOYA competition this year. Will definitely be going back. ...and here we are back again in April 2023. The food and service is still excellent and they have a piano, so my 98 year old mother-in-law couldn't resist having a go!

One of the elusive Kingston pubs that have escaped my reviews, simply because whenever I've been it's been too busy, or dark, or I've forgotten. All good things. It's cosy in the winter, busy in the summer, and once I'm there, I usually get so wrapped up in conversation that the idea of taking any photos for my Instagram nobody looks at or a review nobody reads on Google falls by the wayside. A Fullers pub but with substantial character, drawn to the stained glass windows that cast hues of green across the nooks and seats. Outside, hanging baskets draped across the front of the pub, I pause to try and capture the full display but it's hard when there's a torrential downpour on the way and a man going under the flowerpots looking for cigarette butts. You might have to take my word for it if the picture doesn't do it justice. Indoors it's divided into two distinct rooms; on the right, more of a casual seated area for solo drinkers. On the left, tables, mostly reserved, for dining later that evening. A little celebration goes off in my head as I see stools spread across the bar, but they have backs to them, bar chairs, even better. No need for coat-hooks (there's a coat stand), and no more precarious balancing act as I wobble on and off a stool with my constant back injuries. The garden is packed with seating, it's hidden from view on the main road, as are a few of them around here (Norbiton, Willoughby). The Guinness poured was lovely, hoofed it back before the storm came again, and basked in the relative quiet that was on offer. I would've opted for a pint of Fullers or Darkstar as I have done in the past, but I'd had so many bad Guinness recently I needed to course-correct. The pub is closest to Kingston Station, but you can also jump off at Norbiton. There's a nice little crawl this side of town - Norbiton, Willoughby, Wych Elm and Park Tavern. All walkable, all very nice pubs, a real sense of community with them, and some are my favourites in "London" . I'll pop back here again soon, maybe for an award-winning dinner, or one of their plethora of events - curry nights, cocktail nights, live music. Or just a pint and a back-supported lean.