Inn at Kew Gardens

The management at this well-kept Victorian inn has done a terrific job in maintaining the ethos of a neighbourhood pub, so locals still drop by for a drink & a chinwag. At the back is a fairly smart restaurant with a large communal table, where ladies who lunch congregate, as well as Kew regulars who want a well-priced bite to eat. Posh sandwiches & sharing plates tend to dominate lunchtime dining, but come the evening, the likes of potted salt beef, scallops with oxtail stew, & macaroni cheese with wild mushrooms take over, followed by chocolate brownies. Drink well-kept beers, one of plentiful wines by the glass, or whisky (from a commendable list). Have one too many & you may need to retire to a boutique hotel room upstairs.