Spring Grove — Restaurant in London

Ask anyone when walking around Kingston what their favourite pub is, and while their special places may vary, a vast majority will say the "nicest" is The Spring Grove.

Off the main road that connects Kingston to Surbiton, round the back of the University is a quaint area that doesn't look like it belongs. Old shop fronts - a bakery, an offy, a church, terraced houses, a sort of rural calmness prevails.

First discovered on a crawl a few years back, it won me over with their gigantic garden (heated and covered), which is amazing when not resembling a crèche. On repeated visits, the snug was a prime viewing spot for the weekend football, no longer showing, due to lack of interest and an ownership change. Which is a shame. But nothing is too much trouble for the staff who work here, a refreshing positivity that we all sorely need.

It feels like it's split into 4-5 areas, the stunning sky lights dominating the two main restaurant spaces, the booth filled kitchen fronted area usually occupied by swaths of families, and front area with a few TVs taken up by a much more varied crowd. It used to get full on weekends, but I've not seen it too busy for a while.

Beer wise it's the usual Young's suspects. Young's Ales and Neck-Oil on tap seem to be the go-tos mixed among the macro lagers. Hepcat is a nice addition, as well as a varied alcohol-free range. The Spring Grove was probably responsible for over half my consumed Neck Oils a few years ago, which now seem to mostly taste like soap wherever I go.

Food, it's pub fare but very good. Proper hefty portions, filling and tasty. Christmas day menu was a belter when we were still mid-covid. I could bang on for days about the pigs in blankets in yorkshires.

History wise there's not a whole lot distinctly notable, but it's still old. The venue itself dates back to 1896, as part of the Spring Grove estate developed by Mr Palmer Porter, designed as an area with affordable homes for those working in Kingston. There's a real community feeling here that is written about in most references to the area, it does feel like a space with its own identity.

Young's have a real talent for making pubs "nice", and this is one of the nicest. Despite the majority of this review being adapted from over a year ago, I still love coming here, and recommend you do too if you're...

I have been drinking in this pub for 25 years and am truly shocked at the behaviour of the current Landlord. He does not seem to be able to handle any criticism at all and immediately goes on the defensive resulting in toys being chucked out of the pram and flies into a rage in public whether it be towards regular patrons or staff.

Recently I was shouted at from both sides of the bar, in front of customers, stared at in the hope of intimidating me, refused contacts to escalate the situation to his superiors, then made to feel very uncomfortable with veiled threats about having my contact details and asking “if I will continue to feel comfortable drinking here”. All incredibly unprofessional.

I have never had a problem with Jack before, although many, many others have and now drink elsewhere, however I recognise that he is not a people person and does not really want to build relationships with people from the local community, however on this occasion he was being not only passive aggressive, but unprofessional, intimidating and downright rude. Not good for a customer facing Landlord.

The pub has faced many issues since the refurb, no heating in the toilets, no toilet roll, broken ovens, no gas available thus no lager, the wrong gas, no fires, no wood, no coal, no kindling, limited music choice (the landlords personal selection apparently) and a high staff churn with staff leaving voluntarily or re-assigned to other venues or sacked. A series of unfortunate events or just bad management?

At best a passive aggressive, controlling individual, at...

My partner and I have always loved The Spring Grove for Sunday roasts and eagerly anticipate every visit. As big roast enthusiasts, we’ve tried many, but nothing ever compared to The Spring Grove—until yesterday. Unfortunately, we were heartbroken to notice a decline in quality.

The chicken, once beautifully stuffed and wrapped in pancetta, has been replaced with plain chicken. The delicious vegetable purée has been swapped for basic cabbage and peas, and we were given just two potatoes each—disappointing for the price. We know that they change the menus between seasons, but it seems to have been made more basic this winter.

The atmosphere also felt off, with a nearby group of children climbing barefoot on furniture, which was distracting and unhygienic. While we understand it’s a family-friendly venue, some gentle intervention from staff to maintain a respectful environment would have made a big difference as these kids were definitely old enough to be wearing shoes and it's not nice to see their feet where people eat!

That being said, staff are always stretched on a Sunday so they took a little while to give us the bill. As a nice touch they took our drinks off the final bill which was very kind of them as they are always so nice and hospitable. Another reason I am so sad to have to write this review!

We’re sharing this feedback out of love for The Spring Grove, in hopes it can return to its former glory. We’d be so sad to stop coming to what has always been a...