The Roebuck — Restaurant in London

Forget the chaos on Chiswick High Rd from the past 9 months, the sanctuary of the Roebuck is back! The opening night was a class act, congrats to the new team.

1 - starting with the front of house staff, all bursting with enthusiasm, even with a packed house they made it easy to get a table while turning up unannounced. Josh was a real stand out from start to finish and it was great to see the lovely Sonia again too.

2 - the kitchen and hence the food, in our opinion the main improvement over the pre-covid Roebuck, was simply fantastic. We only tried the cauliflower soup, spicy calamari, scallops and shared a beef burger, all were exceptional. Still love the open plan kitchen, lots of staff doing great work, seriously these guys are the heartbeat and unsung heroes of a decent gastro pub.

3 - the beer garden, wow what a makeover... we were gutted not to spend time here this summer after the previous owners had made a lot of the changes before the March 2020 shutdown, including new heaters and undercover dining... but it was visible from the street that there was still more the new team had done to make it ready for opening today. There’s a brand new outdoor pizza oven and bar - once word gets out this is going to be difficult to get your rule of 6 booking in! My green thumb advice: give it a bit more greenery on the now bare brick wall, after the previous ivy forest a few grape vines would give it a nice Mediterranean feel. And In 10 years time, maybe the first Chiswick Chardonnay?

4 - speaking of grapes, we didn’t venture far into the drinks menu other than a decent Aussie Shiraz and a lager and Prosecco to start. Otherwise the drinks menu looks solid with a few quirky cocktails to explore. Looking forward to their twist on an old fashioned.

Overall, great to see this gem of a pub making a strong return to Chiswick with a great team delivering a quality night out at the start of Tier 2 festive London. Plus dog friendly...

Sunday, Oooh, treat myself to a nice roast .... My first time at this place, I won't be going back. Menu looked great, if on the higher price for a pub. Ordered the Pork .... or Porcetta .... Mmmmm. When it arrived, it looked like a child's portion, aside from the gorgeously flamboyant Yorkshire, Oh well, I'm sure for 21 quid, it'll be gorgeous ..... Hmmmm Potatoes - tasted, felt and looked as though deep fried, if not totally, only finished in an oven to give, slight crisping on base .... luke warm and obviously cooked some hours earlier given texture. Veg - as with potatoes, the carrots cooked, at some point within last week (I do appreciate that veg, potatoes, sundry other items will be pre cooked, obviously, however, sort out how you keep them till service). The cabbage was fine, slightly tough, but I do like some bite. Stuffing - don't quite know how to describe the texture erm .... Meat - well, described as slow cooked, I'm sure it was, but again, however they kept till service, managed to make me feel pity that the pig must have been so parched in life .... and so overly seasoned, I had trouble tasting whatever taste there had been. Crackling - would not be surprised to learn that they opened a pack of scratchings and heated them up. Gravy - I can't. Yorkshire - My Mum would have been proud. Apple sauce - If it hadn't said apple on the menu. I wouldn't have known .... Mimicked look well though.

First member of staff, I think needed a break, as did second but hid it better, they were not rude .... Just obviously need a break.

I have never not eaten a meal and just left before, I don't like the feeling, I also don't like being angry at people who are, obviously, working hard .... Hence why I just walked out, rather than vent.

I will not be going back .... Truly feel like I have...

Last time I visited, the miserable waiter hasn't brought napkins/cuttlery with the chips (standard practice? have seen this before, in other pubs. We may have different standards in the continent) but probably that wasn't necessary as there was not really a chance to get your fingers dirty with the few dry samples that were offered (half as much as I get from my local, which is also Gastro and charges even less then the Rbk). But the worse thing was when I discovered on my way back home, that I have lost my phone - when coming back to the pub, the bar staff has changed, and the boy who was behind the bar didn't think he could ask the staff from the previous shift if they found my phone because they were having dinner. Surely you could disturb their dinner to keep a customer happy? I stepped three steps to the side where I spoke to TWO different waiters who were serving before and were more helpful. (Probably something the boy could do himself) I did find my phone the following day when I could actually see something in day time. No complains about the lady who worked then, in fact she suggested to call somebody else to find out if they know something. Otherwise it's quite a good place but I was put off by this experience with the boy...