Queens Arm Kensington [London]

[Dapuma]

Has anyone eaten there recently

Is there any good draft beers / item menus

Seems like a good place close to the hotel to have a pint and something simple after an overseas flight

might need more than 1 pint :)

[mr_gimlet]

What was the attraction of the Queens to you - why did you pick it? Was it recommended to you or just close by?

[Dapuma]

We are staying at the Ashburn Hotel
111 Cromwell Road, London SW7 4DP, England

We will be coming over from the US on a transatlantic flight, so i was looking for somewhere close to the hotel that would have some decent food and a good pint, traditional british pub style - someone else had recommended this place as close by and a solid selection and their website and other items online seemed to back that up

I would certainly be open to another option (someone else had mentioned another pub nearby, but they specialized in indian food, which i do not care for)

Would love to go over to Master's Superfish but i dont think we will want to try to manuver that after that flight

[howler]

the queens arms is actively nasty. if you walk for 15 minutes or take a 5 minute cab, you are much better off at the anglesea arms, which is perhaps the best choice both for the quality of the food and the well keptness of its ale (you WILL drink ale wont you?)

[Dapuma]

Yes - I am looking to drink a good amount of beer / ale / bitter / cider once i get off that flight :)

Looking forward to trying a bunch of new beers

At micro brews in the states they have sampler platters where they will give you a few oz of each beer to try for a set price usually has 5-7 different options

not sure if that happens in the uk or not - but would be cool if a place did that

The menu looks MUCH better at Anglesea arms

Their beer list looks kind of poor, 3 of the beers on their menu you can get commonly in the states - kirin foster and amstel dont have any appeal at all

Do they have any cask ales that are not on the menu ever?

[howler]

something must have got lost in translation on the website. they regularly host guest ales - six of them at a time - so perhaps thats why they dont mention them on the website because the ale selection is constantly changing.

[gemuse]

I never noticed many pubs that offered samplers or 'flights' the way US microbreweries do, but keep in mind that you can order a half pint instead of a pint, and that's a nice way to have a chance to sample several different beers. My husband and I would often do that. Some pubs that are quite serious about beer will pour you a small sample taste before you buy, but not all bartenders have the time or interest in doing this. (Ask nicely, but don't be surprised if you are refused. This is most often an option at pubs where there are a lot of cask conditioned and/or guest beers that even regulars might not be familiar with.)

[ManInTransit]

With ales I'd be pretty peeved if a bartender refused to give me a small sample. Unless it was a Saturday night and they were absolutely rammed.
If you asked for one of Fosters they might not be so accommodating.

If it's a nice pub and you have food, a few pints/half pints of the ales and char to the barman you're very likely to get to try a sample of everything they have.

[Dapuma]

most of the time in the states they will give you a sample of the beer at most bars if you ask, We have a place called Yard House where they have around 100 beers on tap (good place but they charge for the selection)

I just didnt want to ask the bartender to taste 6 different beers before deciding, but the half pint idea is pretty good along with tasting other beers should provide a fun selection

I saw them say on the website they have 6 beers but then there were 6 on the menu so i thought those were the same, good to know they are not

sounds like we may have a winner, the only drawback is that the kitchen is closed from 3-6 and we probably will get to the hotel between 3 and 4 - probably depends on timing etc for everything

[PhilD]

The Angelsea Arms was always first and formost a good beer pub , with a strong reputation for a well managed cellar (and as good beer is a live product good cellar managment is key). So you won't have a problem even though they are cluttering the place up with continental lagers and food.

If you are trying to choose between a couple of beers a good barman will let you taste, but they generally don't let you go down the line. The tasting flights are catching on in some UK micro-breweries but they aren't common.

[Dapuma]

any other good ideas relativly close to the hotel - perhaps with kitchen hours between 3-6 ?

[PhilD]

I wouldn't choose a pub for food at that time it will be microwaved.

[Dapuma]

would it worth be taking the tube to Bull and Last or will Angelsea be solid?

[PhilD]

Bull & Last is better but not an easy journey. So if you still want what you asked for in the OP "....a good place close to the hotel to have a pint and something simple after an overseas flight" it wouldn't qualify, in fact it would be a pain to get to as you need to go through central London and change.

If you want great food the best is the Harwood Arms (but not really a drinking pub as it has good but limited beer) which is about a mile from you so about 10 mins in a cab (and not expensive) and the Angelsea is a 15 min walk.

Another good pub in the area is The White Horse in Parsons Green, I have not eaten there but it is an excellent beer pub with a good atmosphere and a lively feel (if you can put up with Prince Harry's mates) - http://www.whitehorsesw6.com/

Why not stroll down to the Anglesea Arms, have a pint then continue down to The White Horse by walking along the Kings Road - it won't take long and it is a pleasant walk. Then have some food and cab back to catch up on sleep.

-----
The White Horse
1-3 Parsons Green, London SW6 4UL, GB

[Dapuma]

great thanks for the info

the harwood arms was booked full on open table so if the conceirge cant work some magic that wont fly

thanks for the info - now we have a walking mini pub crawl, sounds perfect after a long flight

[Nancy S.]

Sitting at the bar to eat at Harwood Arms is also a lot of fun, and reservations are not necessary, although the menu is a bit more limited. Enjoy your holiday. You have many amazing treats in store. Bravo on your expert planning. Your wife is a lucky spouse.

[Dapuma]

ahh then i think we will try that - i would prefer to sit at the bar to get the proper british atmosphere - perhaps after a few pints at the other places :)

thanks Nancy - have a great time on your trip as well - sounds like you will be over there in another week or so - we can compare notes in 30 days :)

[Dapuma]

concierge hooked up the harwood arms so that makes life easy -- and have two good spots for some cask ales before / after - will try to sit at the bar if possible there though

Thanks so much everyone - very excited!

[Nancy S.]

Make sure to have the desserts at Harwood Arms -- they're brilliant.

[Dapuma]

will do

[Transplant_DK]

I'm curious to hear your report on Harwood Arms. I was there a little over a week ago and was underwhelmed, although I think a lot of my problem was a manager/waiter that argued me and my dinner guests about whether a bloody mary should have any spice to it, and a(nother) waiter that didn't really seem to know what he was doing there.

The food was good--I'd even say very good. But it wasn't out of this world fantastic or near the best I've had.

[Dapuma]

full report is coming shortly - have been too busy at work to get it going yet

hopefully up by the end of the weekend (at least for the london part)

[boredough]

Hope you enjoyed your meal at Harwood Arms as much as we did. We were just there on Saturday night, and the food was delicious (grouse, roe deer, smoked eel among the dishes we had). Plus the service could not have been more accommodating, especially when they volunteered to move us away from a group of (boisterous) young ladies. We would go back in a flash.