Kew Gardens Hotel — Restaurant in London

I had the misfortune of 'eating' (or not) in the bar area of Kew Gardens Hotel on January 25th this year. Now, I accept it was Burns Night, and we were indeed regaled by the lyrical sound of the bagpipes played by a delightful chap in his full kilted-extravagance - being a Scot with similar wardrobe idiosyncrasies this was an interesting backdrop to an intended catch-up with a great friend. All would have been well were it not for an appalling plate of food that was presented to me - totally inedible. Given the on-going event we were informed the menu was limited, and it was indeed so. I chose fish and chips, if only because it seemed an easy option. What appeared was a disgrace - the fish batter was a great deal closer to grey than golden brown, as well as being soft and not a little slimy. The fish within was undercooked and rather 'smelly'. The odd chip (and I've never been server a smaller helping) was merely hard and lukewarm. When our plates were collected I told the server that the uneaten food was terrible only to be informed that she would 'tell the chef' - I was stunned. Of course we had paid for the meal in advance - so I could pride myself on having paid a premium price for quite the worst plate of food I've been served anywhere in the world for many a year. Lesson? If an event in any hostelry may quite understandably reduce the accepted quality of normal service, tell the customer and/or reduce the price. Or of course, advise them to find an alternative venue. I accept this might not the normal experience of a meal at this establishment, but that does not make either the quality of food served to me or the reaction to my obvious distaste any...

Unfortunately, I’m having to write a really bad review for Kew Gardens Hotel:||1. The sheer number of marks/scuffs/missing plaster on the walls (in the room and bathroom), I’ve never stayed in a room that looked so in need of work and a complete redecorate.|2. Mould in the bathroom, there were huge areas of mould.|3. The inability to leave the bathroom window open, if we wanted to have the window open I needed to prop it open with my glasses case. |4. Stained bedding.|5. Issues with the shower and bath; Neither the bath tap nor the shower seemed to run any cold water, the only temperature was hot. This meant that the bath was unusable because it was scolding and the shower was pretty unpleasant too. When we raised this with reception we were told it’s because the room is on the 1st floor and it is to with the water pressure.||I have attached photos of the issues I have raised. Considering the price we paid for the room, £321.30, I am incredibly disappointed with the state the room was in and the issues we had with the facilities. ||When I emailed the hotel about the issues they said that the price of the room reflects the wear and tear; however, I don’t think that is a good enough excuse (especially considering how expensive the rooms are) and if they’re aware of the state of the rooms they should make it clear make it clear on the website or inform people when they book to avoid disappointment and to give people the opportunity to decide to stay elsewhere.||The only reason I’m giving the hotel 2 stars is because of the location and the staff who met at the hotel were very nice...

I didn't try the pub, this review is for the hotel.

Overall: Great hotel if you're spending a few days at the archives or the gardens. Also a good option for those who don't like big cities and want somewhere quiet to stay ay the end of a UK trip before flying iut of Heathrow. If you're looking for nightlife in Central London, or to be near the most famous landmarks, this isn't the spot as it is about 40+ minutes in the tube to Westminster.

Cons: I had a top floor room, which meant walking up 4 floors, the last of which is very steep and has a turn that makes it difficult to manage carrying luggage up. Also the room was on the smaller side, but had enough room to eat and sleep.

Pros: -The hotel staff were friendly and helpful, I was able to email them ahead of time and get answers to my questions about covid tests since I was visiting from abroad.

-The bed was comfortable and the bathroom was nice, with a comfybsgower/bath.

-The hotel is a 10 minute walk from the UK national archives, 5 minutes from an Underground/Overground station, and 5 minutes from the Kew Botanical Gardens. There are a bunch of restaurants across the street if you walk 5 minutes either way. Otherwise this a verybquiet part of Richmond, which itself is waaaay on the outskirts of London. There are several filming locations from Ted Lasso about a 30 minute walk away too.

-Much closer to Heathrow than central London. The hotel called me a taxi for my departure, which cost $36 pounds and was about 25 minutes, even in a Monday morning ...