Tap Tavern — Restaurant in London

It's a strange thing, I lived down the road from Tap Tavern when it opened up, and I barely went in. I've moved away, but now when visiting I end up gravitating back to this place when in need of a quiet retreat away from the hoards of Ted Lasso tourists. Has the place changed? I doubt it. I was a fussy guy back when I lived in here, and was definitely guilty of the craft beer nerd cliché of assuming there's "nothing good on".

That being said, the remaining pubs in the area are mostly Fullers or Young's, so beer selection is limited, even more so now that Real Ale closed up shop in Twickenham. But coming here you've got 16 taps, a vast cocktail menu and even a couple of casks too. You'll be hard pressed to find something you won't enjoy.

Beer-wise it's not going mad for imports, hazy hype or lambics, you're not going to satisfy the most ardent beer nerds here, but to keep it relatively affordable you'll see Mondo, Siren, Deya among others. Those that are in that sweet spot of high-volume production. I dabbled in a 2% Deya Pale on this occasion, drank to the backdrop of a gormless chap on speakerphone to someone who didn't want to be video called.

Food always looks good here. I've had a few of the burgers, fries, sides, and they're all decent. The roasts fly out too, and booking is essential on weekends - we arrived here a bit before the influx of 1pm bookings hence the emptiness but nice to enjoy it while it lasted. Varied menu, veggie friendly too, and dependable quality as well based on the times I've eaten here.

Staff are always super-friendly, table service if you like, bar if you don't. I like the addition of the bar seats at one side, plus the window seating for a spot of people watching. It can get quite crowded, especially when the rugger is on. You don't have to squeeze in here though, the back room is spacious and comfortable, and there's a hidden speakeasy that's hidden from this post too (it wasn't open yet).

I used to hate going to Richmond (sometimes I still do), but I don't mind it so much now that I've...

Nice to have a bit of a tap room in Richmond. The Vaults is great, but that is quite seasonal being in a basement and doesn’t open until a bit later in the day.

The beer selection in the Tap Tavern is vast and available in schooners or pints (I think halves too but that’s not quite enough!). It’s a little pricy, but if you get something a bit more arthouse it’s worthwhile. The Wimbledon Weiss beer was very good and something I’ve not seen before. There was also Rothaus Weiss beer on offer too, not to mention a multitude of other keg beers and some cask too. I wasn’t even aware they did food so didn’t indulge, but I think I’d trust they’d knock up a mean meal.

Staff were friendly too and attentive to who was next in line at the bar (a rare trait these days) and there’s a decent amount of outside seating which is great for a town centre pub here. Of course the riverside pubs have a lot of space outside too, but the ones nearer the high street not so much. Can’t fault the amount on offer here at all or the diversity of the selection.

Probably the best pub/bar in and around the high street and that said from many years of plying the...

Where to start with this place. I have been in three times and have felt like a poorer human being each time I've left, and not just because they overcharge. Yuppy-friendly, the beers are more 'interesting' than 'good' - you know the sort of place that's really proud of the fact that it's the only place to sell one brand of beer, but only because everywhere else turned it down? Yeah, it's that sort of place. The staff are a blend of pleasantly proficient and completely rude and inept. I had one guy who was hyper enthusiastic to serve me once (which is in no way a criticism - heck, he's the reason they get a full star from me!) and the next time a guy ignored me for so long I ended up leaving without having had a drink. The food is just 'meh', and the seating is uncomfortable. If you want to drink with a load of other stiff collars who all pretend to know about beer, this is a good spot. But in a town with so many good pubs that set the standard so high, this place just doesn't...