The City Barge — Restaurant in London

🚇 Kew Bridge 🍺 £6.30 London Pilsner

The City Barge is located on the banks of the Thames in Chiswick, and is one of four pubs that line this stretch of the river. The nearest station is Kew Bridge.

The City Barge claims origins from 1484, which would make it one of the oldest pubs in London. This pub was originally called the Navigators Arms it later became the Bohemia Head and the City Navigation Barge. The City Barge name comes from an old barge that was once moored between here and Oliver's Island, as a toll collection vessel.

The pub is famous among Beatles fans as one of the locations in the movie Help!

This is a one-bar pub that is split-level and has a country pub feel. Much of the space is given over to dining, especially the sunken room, which features a fireplace, flagstone floor, and curved stone steps. Directly in front of the servery are a number of tables for those just here for a beer. Upstairs is a private dining room with sturdy herringbone tables. There are two outside spaces: one at the back by the car park, and of course, the riverside terrace, which is the best place to be.

This Greene King pub offers a decent selection of beers, which included some local London brews and three cask ales. I decided on a Portobello London Pilsner; my pint hit the spot, and the price was around average. The food menu offers classic British pub grub; Fish & Chips costs £19, and roasts are available on Sundays.

I arrived around 2:30 pm on a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon in May. The atmosphere inside was very chilled and laid-back, as the majority of punters were enjoying the sun and the views outside overlooking the river. The service was excellent; the team here were upbeat, welcoming, and friendly.

The @citybargew4 was a thoroughly enjoyable visit. This riverside Gastro offers a fantastic traditional pub experience within a country pub setting and riverside views.

📅 11th May 2024

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Well this was the first time ‘out out’ to eat since lockdown ended so was looking forward to it albeit a little apprehensive. The City Barge always excelled at a Sunday Roast and we’ve been customers here for a few years but sadly, today was a big disappointment. Started off ok with decent covid measures in place although staff now not masked (before you jump, I know it’s not mandatory any longer). Plenty of sanitiser and extra outdoor space although we were in restaurant and a window was opened as requested. They should be open as standard really. Delightful waitress moved us to another table with more space and windows open, she must’ve picked up on my body language which was very astute and accommodating of her, thank you for that. She was extremely polite and helpful, couldn’t do enough. Menu price definitely increased!! Food arrived and downhill it all went and so not worth the cost. We waited quite a while and we it finally arrived, the chicken dinner was just not pleasant. Half a chicken split into 2 joints on the bone (not the usual way), gravy was like water and all very tasteless. Veg was sparse and our ordered extra broccoli became cauliflower cheese! The waitress (as you know she couldn’t do enough before) took it back to replace with broccoli however we waited so long to that we’d almost finished our meal so pointless really. We did ask the other passing waitress to cancel the broccoli order and from then…… we were avoided completely. Gone was the bubbly staff member, never to grace our table until the bill which was hastily placed without a glance, disinclined to have a pud! Won’t be going back in a hurry now, well not to eat anyway. Such a shame as this place is in a great location and has always been lovely. Has it been taken over...

A delightful surprise on as hot and sunny afternoon as September can provide. It was my first visit for nearly 50 years, when I went with some of my more enthusiastic real ale aficionado friends on a scenic walk from Putney to Barnes. On this occasion, it was a wet walk, and the spring high tide had caused the river to irritate the pub's carpet, four to five foot above the Thames Path, which goes right past the front door. On this occasion, the cellar was flooded, so no ales were available. As an enthusiastic toper, I wasn't going to let this little setback spoil my evening. A little persuasion convinced the guvnor to dive deep for what he could salvage from the wine vaults, so our visit bore some rather fruity treasures. How I bless my catholic (with both small and capital Cs) education. On this most recent visit, the high tide merely wetted my sandals, but the ale I tried was beyond reproach. Argy Bargy is its name, and the 3.9% ABV hardly represents the kick it gives to anyone brave enough to taste it. I have been a connoisseur of real ale, or whatever it's called at any given moment, and was (almost) a founding member of CAMRA, only being thwarted by the piffling snag of being a few years below legal drinking age at the time. I can safely say that, with fifty years of experience, that Argy Bargy is in my top ten of ales in all that time! The service was great, the prices reasonable considering the wonderful location, and the atmosphere was patient beyond belief - it's not everyone who can cope with a family of Fripps in full-on hedonism mode. I'm adding 🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅 in appreciation for everyone's...