The Anglesea Arms

full of italians
nice atmosphere
Italian beers!
tables also outside
it is on a very quiet road so you can also stand outside, not in the crowd

This is an excellent pub in South Kensington, a little off the beaten path (and the better for it). It is part of the Metropolitan Pub Company, but unlike the countless Taylor Walker, Nicholson’s, or JD Wetherspoon pubs in London, it doesn’t offer a streamlined, «seen one, seen them all» experience. And if you suspect that because of its genuine atmosphere and more individual food menu it is also more expensive than the chain-​pubs named above — you are right on the money!
The Anglesea Arms is located about a 10 minute walk (if you don’t walk too fast) from South Kensington tube station. My favorite pub in the area used to be the Zetland Arms (now a Taylor Walker), which is closer to the tube station, but has no outside seating area. I have given up on that because the beer prices there are even more inflated than is customary now in London (and London being expensive per se, that covers a lot of ground), and the staff aren’t as friendly, the atmosphere not as relaxed as at The Anglesea Arms.
Which by no means should indicate that the pub won’t get busy. Ohhh, it does! The outside seating area especially — the inside less so. So my advice for people who want to EAT at this place (And you should: The pub food here is first rate!) — do it inside. On weekends from the early afternoon, and one weekdays after 5 p.m., you won’t feel alone at The Anglesea Arms.
The furniture is appropriately rustic, with rough hewn wooden tables inside. It first seems deceptively small, but there are small stairs to the right and the left of the bar that lead into a spacious back area (not always open though!).
There are always five or six real ales available, along with some (not as many as in those other chain-​pubs) international lagers, plus an assortment of bottled beers and ciders. All the hand-​pumped ales I’ve had at The Anglesea Arms so far were fresh, no oxidized (i.e. off) one among them.
The food menu changes, but always includes pub standards like fish & chips (very good here!), pies, and some grills on Sundays. But pasta and various salads may also make an appearance. On the whole the food is superb, but expect to spend around UKP 12 – 18 for a mains, and 5 – 9 for a starter. Menu deals (2 course and such) are generally not available. But you’ll get great quality for your money.
It should be noted that food isn’t available *all* day. The kitchen opening times are: 12 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, 12 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and 12 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. on Sundays.
The bar staff are friendly and helpful, and they will let you sample a beer if you’re unsure about its style. The opening times are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (so nothing quite for night owls), and 12 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. on Sundays.
So, in summing up: Great atmosphere, excellent food, more than decent beer, good location. What’s not to like?!
See my photos for impressions of the atmosphere and food.

My dad and brother were visiting from abroad and had both never tried Sunday Roast nor Fish & Chips. I wanted to find a particularly good gastro pub so that they would get a memorable first impression. The Anglesea Arms came up as one of the Top Ten Sunday Lunch locations on Londonist. I trusted this review and confidently made a reservation. The pub has a nice traditional dining room but I was beginning to feel doubtful when I saw that it wasn’t crowded. My family ordered the intended typical English dishes and I went for a fennel salad. Unfortunately the roast was a terrible piece of meat that my dad could barely chew and my brother rightly wasn’t excited by his fish & chips either. Quite sad! My little salad was lovely but that didn’t make up for the letdown of the classics.

Good pub food. Giant fish in fish and chips. Chicken Pie and Burger also good.

The best bar. If I lived anywhere near here, this would be my frequent jam.
The bar tenders were always nice and there were always tons of people. I love how in London you can just flood out into the streets and drink your delicious bevy.
Age range seemed to be 20−30s crowd.
only two complaints: closes early, and bathrooms are a bit sketch.

Ate dinner here based on the write up in Rick Steves… and very glad we did. It was the Friday night of a 3 day weekend so the pub was quite full of happy folks starting a long weekend with a few pints… but the small restaurant section (which is «shabby chic» charming) was quiet. The fish and chips were delicious as was the chicken and leek pie. Would definitely return!

Firstly. The crowd is awful. But that’s not The Coopers Arms problem.
Secondly though the bars great! Really chilled environment and then really busy in the evening! They have some really great beers of draught but for any of you Guinness lovers the London Stout is fantastic, like a really decedent creamy Guinness. Any of you ale heads the London Pale Ale is great too! So if you can put with with pretentious nobs, your in for a treat!

My local when I lived in South Ken (about 2 mins walk away). Great pub. Simple as.
Despite coming the best part of a hundred times to this place, I only ate here a few times (and I think I was already drunk every time I did), so this review is about the ambiance/​drinks really.
I’m an ale man, and they always have a good selection of ales on tap, changing reasonably (but not annoyingly) often. On the very few occasions where the beer has been off, they’ve apologized and gone down to replace the barrel (many pubs just pull you a pint of something else).
The clientele is a pretty typical South Ken crowd, which is to say they’re generally pretty civilized and well turned out. The atmosphere is always good, though it can get a little crowded on a Friday/​Saturday night.

This is a weekend favorite, especially if the weather is nice. It’s filled with people especially early evenings when it is sunny. It is my local — so I’m a bit bias.

I came here with my family. They were catering to my brother who wanted to go to a pub before we left for our home in the States. I ordered the salmon cakes and the sticky date and toffee pudding with a cider recommended by the waiter. My brother ordered the fish and chips and loved it! My cousin and uncle ordered the lamb and said it was delicious! I loved my meal. I thought it was perfectly portioned for me. The salmon cakes were wonderfully flavored! And the pudding… I was a bit hesitant to order it because of the dates, but I’m glad I did! I couldn’t taste the dates and I wish the the dessert portions were huge!!!

Great ambience and good food. Nice vibe and good location. There are other better pubs in the area but this isnt too bad either. Give it a try.
The one thing I didnt like was sticky tables during dinner service… something to improve. Vintage doest mean vintage dust on tables too :)

This pub is quite the busy little place. The beer selection is uninspired though has an OK selection of ales and the food isn’t bad (somewhere between a Youngs, and a true gastropub).
On the weekends and any time it is sunny during the summer this place is jammed. People pour out from the patio onto the streets and around the side of the building; its a fun place to hang out and get afternoon wrecked.
The inside of the pub has a very country vibe with loads of wood, and old glass partitions which provide a bit of quiet when the place is overrun with drunken ghouls.

I had fish & chips. There were over 10 bones in it when I was ¹⁄₃ of the way through. Completely inedible. I sent it back, and requested a different dish, which they were out of. So they gave me something else which was fine.
No offer to comp my dish, even though it basically ruined dinner, as my husband had finished eating before I even got my meal.
At least offer dessert or another glass of wine???
Also the portions of the fish & chips I did eat were not even good. The mushy peas didn’t seem fresh and were too sweet. The tartar sauce was also sub par and the fish wasn’t as crispy as the one at Admiral Codrington’s.
Husband had a burger that was overcooked but good flavors.

This is probably my favourite pub in the vicinity of South Ken, especially on a sunny, summery London afternoon. I love being able to sit outside, sip on endless supplies of French Rose, and share tables with friends and strangers alike. In fact, it’s one of the great places in London where you’re likely to meet new people and make new friends from around the world. The sheer friendliness of the joint makes it worth coming here.
It gets frightfully busy around 7−8pm, with a massive ‘spill-​over’ effect on to the curb and even street, but somehow that makes things even more social. Also, we magically always end up getting a table at some point. I have no idea why.
This is a great place to begin your evening in South Kensington, it’s a super international crowd (in your typical London way), and only a 10 minute walk to Eclipse for night caps :)

4.5
Hmm… what was my first meal in London going to be… Fish and chips! Duh! For my first meal, I had a few requirements: 1.) Fish & Chips; 2.) Good beer; 3.) I wanted to feel as though I were on ‘Coupling.’ 1 & 2 were well-​satisfied. 3 was there for all intents and purposes: AA is a cozy place where Steve, Jeff and Patrick could certainly take down a few pints. If I weren’t dining by myself, I suppose 3 would have been nicely realized. It’s all fine and well, though. I was there to eat and drink and I’m much more of a ‘Jane’; I’m quite fine with my own company.
Walking the the Arms from my hotel, I nearly skipped down the street. Everything about the night, walk and surrounding neighborhood/​homes said ‘London’ to me and I was so excited to be here. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by the friendly barstaff. I mentioned that I wanted food and drink, so I was directed past the bar and downstairs to the dining room. From there, my waitress took great care of me. I ordered a lager (even though I was in the mood for a stout) and some food and sat back to take notice of all the wood. The chairs, walls and floor are all old, worn, wood… and it’s fantastic. Living in a young city like Miami, it’s positively charming to be surrounded by so much history. I truly enjoyed it.
My butternut squash soup came out piping out from the kitchen. It was a bit thinner than I would have imagined but it was packed with flavor. Warmed up (figuratively and literally), I was ready for my fish and chips. The order was giant-​sized and I wondered if I would be able to finish it all. I received haddock pieces the size of steaks and an abundance of freshly-​cut, thick chips. The fish was nicely breaded and fried to perfection. I’m not much of a tartar sauce man, but the sauce (and vinegar) made every bite enjoyable. The fish also added to my fondness for my lager. Because I’m not fat enough, I ordered dessert. They were out of my beloved chocolate fudge cake, so I ‘settled’ for the apple crisp. Oh man. Again, served sizzling hot, the cinnamon-​y crisp topping hid a bevy of seasoned, crisp apples. I was on a food high. Seriously, in that moment, I was just so… happy. And, it got better. My waitress told the bartender that I was American. After my meal, I was invited to sit at the bar and discuss American football, politics and other subjects — all while drinking on the house! A better introduction to London, I can’t imagine.

The food at this pub is so good you can hardly believe that you are dining at a pub. All dishes are to die for.
A great place to go for a drink when the weather is nice but beware, it will most likely be packed.

This place was hoppin’. I am not sure their prices were worth what they were offering. My meal was about the same price as their Pimm’s Cup. The fish and chips were alright but not worth the price. I would come back here for just a drink.

When the weather is nice, you can almost count on this place being packed. As a matter of fact, the only spot I have even been at Anglesea is the corner on the sidewalk. No joke.
Do not expect to find a bunch of Brits here. Likely based on the makeup of the South Ken neighborhood, it’s a very international crowd (Europe and American).
I find the friendliness of patrons to vary (reminder — not as openly friendly as in America). One night a girl friend and I were there for drinks and not one person talked to us or even smiled politely. But Saturday night I think three different groups approached us and numbers were exchanged.
I can’t vouch for the food but you can guarantee I’ll be back here again. Post-​work drinks or to begin the evening. How could I ignore one of the few places within a 5 minute walk?

I booked a table for four for a Friday night, which seemed smart once I saw the throng of people standing outside drinking; this place gets packed! The restaurant area is in the back and it is a calm oasis compared with the loud bar area. I had the fish and chips which came with minted mushy peas. I thought it was quite good. I was here a few years ago for lunch and the pub area was much calmer. It is a bit of a walk from the tube station.

We were on a quest to find the best fish and chips in London. This one was definitely the top. Crispy, not oily, with the best mushy peas we had the whole trip.
Super neighborhood-​y, local vibe, and a good mix of people. Really good selection of real ales.

Le Anglesea arms, le pub snob par excellence ou se retrouvent les francais de Chelsea et autres anglais en costard-​cravate. Moi j’aime bien. Ils ont un petit jardin ou il fait bon s’asseoir (si vous avez la chance de trouver une place) et regarder passer le temps.
Les bieres sont bonnes, ils ont meme de l’ichiban a la pression si je né m’abuse et le vin est plus que correct.
Ils se disent gastro-​pub, je n’irai pas jusque la mais la pinte de crevettes va tres bien avec un verre de vin blanc ou une pinte tout court.
Situe pas trop loin du metro, vous né serez pas perdu pour errer jusqu’a chez vous (et le coin est sur) et il y a plein de petits restos sur la route en cas de petit creux.