Rose & Crown London

The Rose and Crown in Wimbledon Village has been one of my favourite London pubs ever since the very early days before I even lived in the great city. Some of favourite drinking memories from the early days of exploring the city with Tiania Stevens were held here, as were several visits with my first London housemates to the regular Tuesday night pub quizzes. There have been more recent visits, including most of my birthdays for the past few years. The last time I propped up the bar was with Mike Davies, when we were lucky to have blagged probably the best seats in the house. With all that history, it’s about time that the place had its own post on this blog. It already has its own bus stop, so this is the logical next step. The pub is broadly split into four areas, with the bar in the centre. To the front there is one bar room, kind of split by the bar itself, log fire to the right of the bar, and another fire with slightly more seating to the left. There are tables of all sizes, including two that will cater for six to eight people in their own corners. The back half is a reasonable sized dining area, with a couple of very comfy low slung sofas, and a smaller room next to the kitchen, which perhaps needs a bit more attention. Outside there’s a big beer garden, with decent heating. The food is reasonable, but not the best in the village, but the place has always seemed to me more of a drinking venue. There’s a good choice of Young’s ales ­– on my last visit Winter Warmer, Bitter and Special were on offer, alongside Kronenbourg, Heineken, Guinness and Fosters. The fridges too are well stocked with different choices for the regular punter. When Mike and I visited, we were entertained by a two ladies making the most of a small dog wearing a neckerchief, which they seemed to think was hilarious. We were more than happy to read a serious newspaper, and enjoy the quality drinking. The Rose and Crown has always struck me as the village’s local pub, there’s always a good range of people in, from vicars to business types and walkers, but the atmosphere is always good. It’s also well placed for tennis and for Bayley and Sage, which remains my favourite grocers in the world. ————————————————————————

Great Youngs beer in a large bar and extended outdoor dining for the summer. Inexpensive menu, simple dining and nice staff.