The Steam Packet — Restaurant in London

🚇 Gunnersbury 🍺 £6.00 Amstel

The Steam Packet is located on the banks of the Thames, close to Kew Bridge in Chiswick. The nearest Tube is Gunnersbury, it’s a ten minute walk to get here.

This pub was built in 1870 as The Steam Packet Hotel. The pub's name is derived from the steam launches which once docked at Kew Pier as part of the regular steam packet service up the river.

This is a smartly decorated traditional pub that is set out over two floors. The main bar is on the ground floor and has a solid wood servery with a unique brass hand rail with mermaid fixings. The walls are beautifully tiled, the seating is varied and includes a sumptuous tanned banquette. Just off the back of the main bar is a snug area with panelled walls and colourful artworks. Head upstairs and you’ll find a bright and airy dining area with an exposed brickwork wall and a Victorian fireplace. The ultimate place to be, is the balcony with superb views across the river.

The beer selection is solid and had a good choice of premium beers plus three cask ales. I decided on an Amstel, my pint was excellent, price point was average. The Gastro food menu has a combination of Pub classics and Mediterranean dishes, Fish & Chips cost £18.50.

I arrived just after 1pm on a sunny Saturday lunchtime in May. The atmosphere was relaxed with a local crowd in attendance, most of whom were soaking up rays on the balcony. The soundtrack was a mix of indie and rock classics which set a nice backdrop. The service was superb, the team were welcoming, friendly and even posed for a photo.

The @steampacketchiswick was a very pleasant visit indeed. The beer is reasonably priced, the ambience is convivial and relaxed, the surroundings are welcoming and the service friendly. If you’re having a stroll along this stretch of the Thames, be sure to visit this lovely riverside pub.

ℹ️ Info correct on...

Unfortunately, despite having spoken to staff about their post Christmas offering and booking weeks ahead, we were given a restricted menu choice, contrary to what I was told. Thus what was meant to be a seamlessly enjoyable significant birthday celebration became, first a wrangle about menu choices and then a dispute about inappropriate service charges. I had to wait a good while before my main meal arrived while the other four diners tucked into theirs. Similarly, with my coffee. We chose to overlook and pay for the double ordering of desserts. What we couldn't accept was the inclusion of a hefty service charge for wrong orders, delayed meals and a poor experience. The manager's attempts to redeem the night by sticking three candles in a complimentary icecream masquerading as a birthday cake did not assuage us. We could have had a better quality steak at any Wetherspoon's and with less problematical service. It's a real shame as the staff at the SP are polite and were trying their best. Regrettably, the management did not make available the food or the training to help them deliver the service they are charging customers to expect. The venue and the setting are lovely and I really hope they can rapidly overcome their deficiencies to make this a destination location. Unless we can be assured it has changed significantly we won't...

Good service. Polite staff. Adequate, pleasant, but quite expensive food. The new Steampacket pub is on the site of the old one that closed in the 1980s. However, since that time two separate phoney French chain restaurants have occupied the premises and so none of the original fittings have survived. The old pub was rooted deeply in the local community and catered for people from all backgrounds. The place radiated authenticity and you could literally smell the Courage Bitter and Embassy cigarette smoke when you entered! The new pub has more in common with the restaurants that immediately preceded it. The fittings look like they have been bought by a contracted interior designer with the aim of giving the place "character". Doubtlessly, they will be all thrown out in a decade or so and replaced with another lot of disposable relics. The pub appears to cater exclusively to the liberal bourgeoisie who appear to prefer drinking wine and craft beer to real ale. The menu (especially the starters), as in so many gastro pubs, seems designed to shoo away the non-pretentious. Of course, the the working classes no longer really exist in London, but that is a separate matter. Anyway, I wish the new team well. They need to watch...