Druids Head

This is where my lady has her first beer when she finally came of age and has fond memories of this place. She gently insisted that we visit this spot and knowing her story, I didn't object in any form. In fact, I visited with much excitement and was thrilled with all the concocted liquids made available at such a decent price. Walking in, you could tell who were the regulars and who made this place their home. I wanted to be one of them who fell in love with this place and never wanted to let go of it ever again. However, it truly failed to impress.

I expected something out of this place. I don't think my expectations were high but I nearly blurted out my disappointment in full to the lady who had sweetly brought me here to share in her memories. But before I did, I could see in her face that she was somewhat off like she had been served something to her dislike.

Oh wait...she really didn't like it either. Something and somewhere since she lived here eons ago had changed...and obviously not for the better.

It was the food. It was *only* the food that was lack-luster and a tell-tale sign that someone in the kitchen had either lost their passion OR was at complete disregard for the quality of food being served. Our mainstays were bland that neither of us finished them. It was sad. Had this been born out of a bad day or was it truly a case of "I-don't-give-a-#$%"?

4-stars for the brew.
4-stars for the service.
1-star for the food.

You do the math.

This pub has a lot going for it and doesn't fail to deliver. There is a good selection of Real Ales and other offering, good food, friendly and eager to please staff, an upstairs bar that will show the sporting event of the moment, comfy sofa's a real fire, a heated beer garden at the rear, plenty of space / tables and a strange isolated side bar.


This seems to be a well run pub, offering different things for different people and doing this well; I really can't fault it.


If you are in Kingston and don't try this place out, you are missing out.

The Druid's Head is ideally situated in Kingston Marketplace, a great neutral spot to meet friends from different parts of south-west London.

The ale is always to a high standard, and a fair price. The lager on draught is fine too. The upstairs area never has anyone on the bar though, so you have to balance your drinks all the way from the downstairs bar. The upstairs has a smoking area, a little patio with flowerpot ashtrays for the butts. The downstairs smoking area has a covered section for the evening with bright lights and a heater. Every so often, the light will go off and you have to fumble for the switch on the wall (I see this as a design flaw).

There is a secret side to the pub - the "snug", which is a separate little room with a fireplace and a bell for service where you can sit and hear each other talk. This room is great for couples.

The major downfall of the Head is that the staff are not knowledgeable enough about the products.

Good spot for a couple of drinks. Nice atmosphere in weekends. No children allowed after 6:00pm though. Food is okayish. Great selection of beers and ciders.

A friendly pub in the centre of Kingston, mere minutes away from the river. It is laid-out on a few levels so you can pick your setting to suit your mood.


I especially enjoy chilling here, on one of the comfy shabby-chic leather sofas, with the Sunday papers and a chilled glass of white in the summer, or a glass of warming red, in the winter. There's a good choice of well-priced wine on offer and a range of beers (but I'm not an aficionado there so I'll leave you to discover those for yourself) I've also found it a pleasant place to relax and chat over an evening drink - less rowdy than some other central pubs.

Best smoking area in Kingston as is the only one with working heaters! Food is a bit hit and miss but generally good. Nice central location and the snug is good in the winter with a real fire.

This pub is laid out well, which meand the night can be either personal or social. The service is good, so you wont wait too long for a drink. The outside seating area is large and heated in the winter. Overall it has a good feel to it.

Good food, had a nice burger, reasonable slab of meat and nice chips with a tomato relish. Very cosy next tonal open fire. Would recommend going here.

This pub is always full, the food is great, I would recommend the platters.. It's also great at this time of year as there is the Market right outside ..

This is my fav. pub in central Kingston to meet, chat and have drinks with mates in the evenings.


The pub is quite big, 2 floors (although I've only seen the upstairs bar open on a Thurs., Fri., and Sat.). Both floors have a nice selection of tables and comfy, chill-out sofas and big chairs (although you gotta go before 6pm to have a chance of bagging one).


The atmosphere in here is very conducive to chatting and catching up with un-intrusive music and enough space to not be standing on peoples toes or sitting on their laps.


They do have a few televisions scattered about the place including a large one on the top floor with a Sky subscription and they do show football with the volume on (certainly have the times I've been there) which can be a bit distracting if you've plunked yourself down near a telly earlier, before the coverage starts.


I think they have a fab. wine selection. About a month ago, they were doing the buy 2 glasses and get the bottle free promotion which they still might be doing. I was getting a quality bottle of Spanish Rioja for £10.50 quid which is a good pub price considering I recently paid £11.50 for 2 glasses of house red at All Bar One in Richmond!


I've eaten there a few times and never had a bad meal (albeit, the several pints beforehand might have had something to do with it :-) ). The food is a good mix of traditional pub food with a curry or 2 thrown in for 6-9 quid.


So, not the quietest pub in Kingston , but I'd definitely recommend it for evening drinks any week night if you want to be able to talk and be heard in a comfy, cozy setting but still like a bit of 'pub-atmosphere'.