Richmond Pubs | Riverside Taverns & Heated Beer Gardens
We’ve got twelve more reasons for you to spend a day in Richmond…
…and they’re all pub-shaped.
Some of them offer the rugby, others offer riverside views. All of them offer booze. And food for that matter. And in such close proximity to Richmond Park, they’re all excellent places for a pint after going deer-spotting on one of our favourite London walks.
Together they go by the name of: The Finest Richmond Pubs. Although, individually, you can call them:
The White Cross
The White Cross is an iconic pub on Richmond’s riverside. It’s right on the edge of the water, which we mean quite literally – at high tide, the river floods the terrace and forces everyone to stay for another pint. The front courtyard is a lovely spot with a decent number of tables and chairs – otherwise, if it’s busy (which it often is) you can order and then perch on the riverbank just beyond. If you’re a history fan, you might like to know that The White Cross actually dates back to 1780, when it was called The Waterman’s Arms. If you’re not a history fan, well, then, maybe you like rugby, in which case you’ll also like the fact that they screen most of the big games. On Sundays they do a roast, with a vegetarian option. And, if all that’s not titillating enough, come winter it’s one of the London’s cosiest pubs with a roaring open fire.
Address: Riverside, Richmond TW9 1TH | Sunday roast? Yes | Outdoor space? Yes | Book The White Cross
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The Roebuck
Of all Richmond’s pubs, The Roebuck has the best view. It’s right on the top of Richmond Hill, and whilst it doesn’t have its own garden per se, they’re happy for you to venture across the road and perch on one of the many public benches overlooking the tree-lined Thames below. In winter, you can make do with one of the front-row seats looking out over the scenery through the ye old window panes – or settle for an armchair by the fire.
Address: 121-123 Kew Road, Richmond, TW9 2PN | Sunday roast? Yes | Outdoor space? There’s no beer garden, but the public benches are fair game | Book The Roebuck
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The Lass O’ Richmond Hill
The Lass O’ Richmond Hill is a love ballad written by Leonard McNally, and you’ll find plenty to love about this dog-friendly Richmond pub, from the colossal Sunday roast platters to the whiskies smoked up at the bar. A boozer for all seasons, there’s a fireplace and leather armchairs inside, and a shady flagstoned courtyard out the back. And its location makes it the perfect pit stop before taking on one of Richmond’s Park’s walking trails in the afternoon. If you can manage to get up off your armchair, that is…
Address: Surrey, 8 Queen’s Rd, Richmond TW10 6JJ | Sunday roast? Yes | Outdoor space? Yes | Book The Lass o’ Richmond Hill
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The Marlborough
The Marlborough has one of the biggest beer gardens in London. That’s probably this Richmond pub’s strongest draw, with plenty of tables and chairs, shady gazebos, and heaters for the winter. Inside is all country charm and rustic touches: you can treat yourself to a cold one and rest up on one of their big leather Chesterfield sofas.
The Marlborough’s all-day menu of quintessentially British grub – fish and chips; bangers & mash; mushroom and vegan cheese pie (quintessentially Modern British grub) – is definitely worth exploring. Dessert should also be top priority, seeing as it includes sticky toffee pudding; rhubarb and ginger crumble; and raspberry Eton mess. They also do superb Sunday roasts, including both a vegan anddddd an all-inclusive pork, chicken, and beef option.
Address: 46 Friars Stile Road, Richmond, TW10 6NQ | Sunday roast? Yes | Outdoor space? Yes | Book The Marlborough
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The Mitre
The Mitre offers pretty much the full pub package: there’s an enclosed beer garden out the back for sunny days (and twinkling bulbs and heaters for those winter nights); screens for sport; a roomy, old-fashioned inside space with stained-glass windows, chesterfield leather couches and cask ales aplenty; Neapolitan pizzas (which make up for the lack of roast); live music; and even a pub dog, Rudi. And he can’t fail to impress…
Address: 121-123 Kew Road, Richmond, TW9 2PN | Sunday roast? No | Outdoor space? Yes | Call 020 8940 1336 for bookings
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The Sun Inn
Justin De Souza
The Sun Inn arguably possesses the best match-day atmosphere outside of Twickenham stadium itself, and they really do love the sport; it’s all on the TVs, and signed rugby jerseys and memorabilia cover virtually every inch of the walls. If you couldn’t give a toss about the rugby, don’t be put off – it’s got a lot more going for it than just that. There’s roasts, solid pub grub (the homemade steak pie stands out) and multiple outdoor seating options, either parked on the front terrace or down the more private brick-lined courtyard surrounded by hanging flower baskets. You could say that the pub’s at the peak of its powers when the sun’s out…
Address: 17 Parkshot, Richmond TW9 2RG | Sunday roast? Yes | Outdoor space? Yes | Book The Sun Inn
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The Orange Tree
The Orange Tree’s credentials as one of Richmond’s best pubs include a well thought-out modern British menu (things like smoked ham hock and Nantwich cheddar rarebit, and Welsh Salt Marsh lamb loin with crushed peas and pink fir potatoes), an elite-level roast, an al fresco terrace and HD screens for the sport. It also doubles as a boutique hotel – handy in case you enjoy all of the above a little too fully.
Address: 45 Kew Rd, Richmond TW9 2NQ | Sunday roast? Yes | Outdoor space? Yes | Book The Orange Tree
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The Tap Tavern
Honestly the Tap Tavern feels more like an East or South London boozer that’s snuck itself back West… and moved back in with the parents to save for a deposit. Why? Well, there’s the exposed brick walls and wooden parquet flooring. Tall wooden posing tables are circled by red leather stalls, and it’s filled with leafy pot plants. They’re also focused on micro-brewed beers and small batch gins. They have twenty beer taps on the go at one time, and 28 different gins, mostly served as gin & tonics in big fishbowl glasses.
Food-wise they’ve gone for more of a global menu – grilled truffle and cheese toasties with red onion marmalade sit alongside hummus and dukkah with warm flat bread. Their Sunday roast has a strong case to being the finest of all the pubs in Richmond – beef, pork, chicken, and a vegan butternut squash option, with everything from cauliflower cheese to pigs in blankets on the side.
Address: Princes Street, Richmond, TW9 1ED | Sunday roast? Yes | Outdoor space? There’s a handful of tables out the front, but those (shock) fill up before you know it | Book the Tap Tavern
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Stein’s
You guessed it, they serve big beers. In big tankards. Authentic German brewskies, imported over from the motherland itself. They serve German wines too, and German food: bratwurst, currywurst, and large bowls of Bavarian goulash stew. The best part, however, is definitely the location – it’s right on the riverfront. Once a run-down old ice cream parlour, it was given a new lick of life, expanding into a pub that’s essentially one giant beer garden where you can sit, and drink, and watch the world jog by. A quick one to note though: their licensing means you have to eat to drink, meaning you should come hungry, even if it’s just apple strudel hungry… topped off with a little ice cream.
Address: Richmond Towpath, Richmond upon Thames, TW10 6UX | Sunday roast? No | Outdoor space? Entirely | They are mostly walk-ins and don’t take reservations for groups under six, but if you’re in a big group you can find booking info here.
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The Cricketers
As far as old pubs in Richmond go, The Cricketers has had one of the longer innings. Apparently it’s been around since 1770. The name comes from its post- and pre-game connection to all the cricket that’s been played on Richmond Green over the years, and you’ll see some of the pub’s sporting history on the walls – there’s tons of cricket-themed paraphernalia from bats to portraits of old players.
Drinks-wise, you’ll get your classic list of beers and classic list of grub (burgers, sausage rolls, scotch eggs, Sunday roasts served with duck fat roasties and Yorkshire pud). Nothing too out of the ordinary, but that familiarity adds to the ‘everyone’s a local’ sort of atmosphere. There’s also umbrella-covered benches out the front (for, you know, pints in the sun), plus screens showing sport (indeed, this is a good spot for watching The Ashes). You could say The Cricketers is something of an all-rounder…
Address: The Green, Richmond TW9 1LX | Sunday roast? Yes | Outdoor space? Yes | Book The Cricketers
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The White Swan
The White Swan calls itself ‘Richmond’s best kept secret’, so apologies if we’re spoiling things. It’s an adaptable, traditionally-styled pub with log fires for winter and a flagstone courtyard for summer. There’s a Sunday roast that can be sampled all-year-round; particularly the pork belly backed by allll the good stuff (roasties, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower cheese, gravy and a Yorkshire pud) and then preferably followed (ignore your stomach’s pleas) by sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and honeycomb ice cream. It’s 100 metres from the river, in case you fancied desperately need a walk after…
Address: 26 Old Palace Ln, Richmond TW9 1PG | Sunday roast? Yes | Outdoor space? Yes | Book The White Swan
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The Britannia
There’s a real possibility that you, very innocently, will arrive at The Britannia just before lunchtime under the guise of ‘one’ pint and then leave, very deliriously, many more pints later, as the last orders are being taken just shy of 11pm. Don’t beat yourself up over it though, you’re not the first to have succumbed to this historic pub’s irresistible charm. With a brilliant modern menu of British gastro grub (like Orkney scallops with crushed hazelnuts, day boat beer-battered cod and chips, and a 35-day aged ribeye steak), an idyllic, leafy outdoor garden and super-friendly, attentive staff, why not just spend 10-odd hours drinking and eating the day away here?
Address: 5 Brewers Ln, Richmond TW9 1HH | Sunday roast? Yes | Outdoor space? Yes | Book The Britannia
Not in the mood for pub grub? Book into one of Richmond’s best restaurants