We decided on the Crabtree after feeling in the mood for a meal along the River and after checking out a post on Timeout for riverside meals in London settled on this location. To begin the meal we felt in the mood for some sangria being on the river but as they did not have any so we ended up with a jug of Pimms(£19) instead. With drinks sorted we set about checking out the menu and ended up deciding what desert we knew we had to have before we even looked at the starters or mains. We finally tore ourselves away from the tantalising description of the Strawberry and Lime Crumble(£6) and chose to skip a starter to make sure we had room for desert and set about selecting our mains. I chose the Salmon dish(£14.50) which had spinach and new potatoes along with a citrus dressing. V opted for the aubergine pasta dish(£11.5) for her main. I quite enjoyed my meal and polished it off in no time, the fish was well cooked and flavoured beautifully, my only complaint is that there could have been a little bit of a larger portion of vegetables in the meal. V found her pasta to be delicious with the flavours involved of the pasta, vegetables and oil dressing but felt that far too much oil had been used for her liking. With mains out of the way we still had plenty of space for desert and half a jug or Pimms to go so we turned back to the menu to have a look at their desert options. We knew we both wanted to try the crumble so we decided to split it and another desert of the menu. In the end we could not decide between the Panna Cotta and the Banana Split on the menu for the second desert option so we asked the waitress for help and she said that while being new the Panna Cotta was by far the more favourite option of the two so we went for that. We tried the Panna Cotta(£6) first as we were told the crumble might be a little hot having just come out of the oven. The panna cotta was nothing special but the passionfruit sorbet was hands down delicious and when combined with the panna cotta and coconut mascarpone made for mini food orgasms in my mouth(apologies if that is not an appealing image but it really was a delicious combination). With the panna cotta finished we moved onto the crumble which came with custard. The crumble was delicious but I found the filling to be far too sweet for my liking as it reminded me of a Rekorderlig Strawberry and Lime cider. V on the other hand adores strawberry and lime ciders and generally all things sweet so she was having a heyday with the crumble and highly enjoyed it. Overall the service was friendly and the waitress being new was unable to give us great recommendations or opinions on the dishes but that was a minor issue. The seating area for the restaurant is spacious, though the view of the river was mostly blocked by a large tree with a lot of rubbish below it which was not the most appealing view. I would recommend the restaurant highly for the desert, also for the food but not for the view of the Thames river.
Kerri H.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Torrance, CA
Huge burgers!!! Double deckers! The cheeseburger I had was not very good. It needed some flavoring and salt for sure. The ambiance at this place is great. There’s a lot of outdoor seating and plenty of indoor seating as well. The staff were really helpful.
Soomin R.
Rating des Ortes: 3 London, United Kingdom
Went for dinner, and it was a lovely little place with an okay range of food. I ordered the prawn and crab salad for starter, then pork belly for main. Both were good, though slightly lacking in flavour. For instance, the pork belly came in healthy portions, but I wished there had been more sauce and the meat, less chewy. Having said that, it’s a fine job for a pub of sort. I quite liked the ambience. It was spacious and reasonably modern. Service was also generally prompt and good. Given that we were a group of nine, I give them credit for serving everything on time and the whole of dinner running smoothly. All in all, a good place if you’re in the area.
Melanie R.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
A nice pub with a great outdoor seating area right on the river. This is a good place to stop if you fancy a walk through the park or along the river beforehand. The food is good, there’s a large beer garden out the back and seating right on the river at the front. The roast dinner was really well done and of a good size. The only downside was I was unable to eat dairy at the time and the kitchen was slightly restricted in how much they could help me. Other than that, no complaints and definitely a good spot for a sunny day.
Samantha M.
Rating des Ortes: 2 London, United Kingdom
I’ve been to Crabtree a few times now and while I would recommend it for the atmosphere and venue, particular in the summer, I’d not recommended it for the food. The first time I went, thr summer BBQ was in full swing and smelled delicious. Unfortunately being gluten intolerant I couldn’t eat any of the BBQ items and had to order of the menu inside which was just as much of a challenge. The staff on duty that day didn’t seem too confident over what was gluten free so I opted for mash potato instead. Not particularly fulfilling or satisfying. Sitting outside in their garden area in the sun is really lovely and almost transports you away from the centre of London. I haven’t been there at night but I imagine it’s a great place to have after work drinks in the summer. The next time I went I desperately wanted to avoid having JUST potatoes so I asked if the grilled haloumi and roast pepper sandwich could be done without the bread. They said it could and that they’d make it into a bit of a salad. I said that would be fine but was a little unimpressed when it came out as a giant bowl of mixed greens with just a few pieces of haloumi and pepper. Plus the side of fries which comes with the sandwich wasn’t included yet I was still charged the full £9 which I thought was a bit cheeky. I didn’t mind not having the fries but I thought given I’d been given a bowl of salad greens with a few slices of haloumi and roast pepper and nothing else they could have at least knocked the price down. Needless to say when I head there again I don’t even bother with their menu anymore. I simply get a drink and eat later. I’ve also found the service to be quite sloppy. We were there as a large group recently and the last person to order was told they were no longer accepting food orders despite the fact she was part of our group. Eventually they said they could do a bowl of fries for her. She was less than impressed. The food of half the group came out a full twenty minutes before the other half which meant most of us had finished eating before the rest of the group got their food. That’s not the first time I’ve struck that here either. The staff generally just seem lazy… I wouldn’t recommend Crab Tree though unfortunately as it’s a favourite of my work place I’m sure I’ll be back. Maybe in that time they’ll improve their service and their allergy friendly menu…
Dan B.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Richmond, CA
The wait staff is terrible unless you are in the bar. We went back to(I guess) the restaurant part of the Crabtree and waited. We were hungry and tired of traveling and just wanted to eat. Three other couple got up and left the wait was so long. The wait staff was focused on the bar crowd and their orders. The food was fair. The atmosphere loud. Would not recommend.
Ariane V.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Paris
The Crabtree est un bar plein de charme, juste au bord de la Tamise. Idéal pour boire un bon Pimm’s en regardant le soleil se coucher depuis les tables à l’extérieur, par une belle journée. Dans la cour intérieure vous pouvez accrocher vos«souhaits» à un arbre, petite touché poétique du lieu :) J’ai beaucoup fréquenté cet endroit l’été, et l’ambiance est toujours sympa et conviviale. En revanche n’y aller pas pour manger, c’est vraiment cher pour ce que c’est.
Niel K.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Austin, TX
Very nostalgic about the C-Tree. Lived in H & F area for nigh on ten years back in the day, so returning on business was a blast from the past. Crabtree has a fantastic location along the Thames, in fact one of my favourite pub crawls starts here and ends near the black lion — quite a session. Great selection of beers and ales, sweet beer garden and a dining room which was introduced since my departure — a varied and delicious menu of some locally sourced ingredients. They do a quiz night during the week as well.
Félix F.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
This tip is gold! The Crabtree is a wonderful pub in the riverside with amazing views from their nice terrace. This place tastes to Bloody Mary, sounds to relaxing chat with friends and… look at how beautiful is my dog. The food very nice, we can say is a kind of sophisticated bqq. Don t forget wear your favourite sunglasses and take time enough to enjoy this oasis in the middle of Fulham.
Lauren V.
Rating des Ortes: 3 London, United Kingdom
This place was a good, low-key spot for end-of-the-week pints on a Friday night. Classic pub style with a slightly classier uptick. Expansive outdoor seating with heat lamps for a few tables. I’m flummoxed by the dinner offerings that start at £16 and include sea bass and toasted goat cheese that appear out of the kitchen in the typical towering, one-ingredient-stacked-on-the-other presentation so much favoured by fancy restaurants. This is no judgement on the food taste or quality — I guess I’m unsure who would pay out the nose for a dinner of that calibre and then sit amongst a pack of loud-talking, drunken pub go-ers? At lunch and on week nights, this menu probably makes sense. But this Friday night, not a one of the three tables’ worth of people we were with felt up spending £20 on a delicate salmon and dill entrée to soak up the 5 – 6 pints of Kronenburg. At that point, you just want a nice burger or something simple and filling that you can eat with your hands. Instead we ordered bowl after bowl of chips, which were thickly cut and crisped to perfection, but after the third order stopped coming out with any dipping sauce(the previous ones came with both mayo and ketchup). The bar service was so-so: competent but could have been faster and friendlier. The music catered to the late-20s professional and trendy crowd that populated the bar this night. Seating was plentiful inside with belly-up bar stools, picnic style, traditional tables and booth seating up for grabs. Can’t comment on the view as we were there at night. I had a nice enough experience, but due to the out-of-the-way location and price-prohibitive dining selection, I won’t come out of my way to come back.
Vikki C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 London, United Kingdom
Wow, what a range in reviews! I had a great time here once, so agree with Nassim and wonder if Oliver just had bad luck. My first visit was spent entirely out on the HUGE garden terrace, drinking through sunset and having a blast. The second was similar, but we also ate and the food wasn’t very good at all. Such a shame. It wasn’t too busy either occasion, and the bathrooms were lovely. Plus, a huge private room makes this an ideal location for a party. I’d definitely go back there for drinks, but would think twice about food. Even though the roasts are apparently to die for.
Laura S.
Rating des Ortes: 2 London, United Kingdom
Stopped in the Crabtree Tavern on a Saturday night with some friends. The day had proved itself to be gorgeous and sunny so lots of patrons were still hanging at the bar and in the beer garden from their afternoon sessions. The bar was packed with sloppy youngsters and lights were too bright. The beer garden was beautiful but it had gotten too chilly to sit outside– even with the attached warming lamps. Seems like a good place for a few pints for locals, but wouldn’t go out of my way to make a trip here.
Oliver A.
Rating des Ortes: 1 London, United Kingdom
If you are looking for a beautiful view over the river Thames and don’t mind awful service and mediocre food, then this is the place. The location is fantastic, but the the culinary experience is certainly not. The food is average and the service is terrible. The food isn’t bad, but then it’s not great either. My ‘rare’ steak came Meadium to well, but the meat was good. My girlfriends chicken was average and the starter(Houmus, babaganoush and pita) I could have easily made better myself. I can’t emphasise how bad the serivce was. We were served by 4 different incompetent waiters. All asking the same things one after another and getting the very basics completely wrong. I’m sure that the pub is a nice place to drink, the beer garden looks nice and maybe the BBQ is a good option, but I warn you away from the restaurant.
Nassim K.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
Watched the World Cup Final here over the weekend & had a lovely time. Enjoyed the evening with a glass of pinot grigio on the pub’s large(and I mean large) outdoor patio along the river. The very large with plenty of room outdoors to sit with friends and enjoy food/drinks. As I only had drinks, I cannot comment on the food, but it looked yummy as it went by being served to other patrons. This pub was quite lovely, but I suppose best for those who live in the neighborhood as it is a bit out of the way for those of us that rely on public transportation(easily a 15 min+ walk from the Hammersmith tube) to get around. If you are in Hammersmith and looking for a place to relax on a warm London summer evening, this place is worth checking out.
Herbie
Rating des Ortes: 1 London, United Kingdom
Went here a few weeks ago after walking past a few times and noticing the refurb. I also saw the review in the evening standard so was full of expectation. 4 of us sat in the garden and had food from the BBQ. Each of us was on the whole very disappointed with the food. We had steak, chargrilled swordfish and 2x lamb skewers. The steak was asked for rare but came very well done with chips that were more soggy than crisp. The swordfish was luke warm and raw in the middle, it looked like it had been slapped on a radiator for 30 seconds rather than cooked with attention on the BBQ. The lamb was very chewy and fatty. All in all it was not a good. The portion sizes were all too small, with each dish costing £12-£14.50 it simply was not enough. Desserts were equally poor: Lemon tart — very small slice. The table next to us found it very amusing how small it was which made up their mind that they wouldn’t be ordring it. The plate was hot, the tart was sweating it was so warm and the blob of crème freche had simply turned into warm liquid and was running off the plate. Crumble — tasteless but with strange tasting ice cream. The chocolate tart was good as was the crème brûlée, but by this time the experience had left all with a sour taste in our mouths. The boozer looked good though and the pint of Old Hooky was top notch, I just can’t find much good to say about the food which is a shame. The owner was there taking photos of his busy garden on a hot summer day, but perhaps he should pay more attention to the quality of the food leaving his kitchen as if things don’t improve he’ll soon be looking at a lot of empty tables.
Realpu
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
New Management & Major Refurbishment New website —
The Crabtree is a newly refurbished iconic Victorian pub set on the river in Fulham. It has stunning views of the Thames River from its extensive beer garden. Fresh food will be served daily, and there is a fantastic wine menu to choose from. Real ales are important to The Crabtree and so there will be plenty of choice of some of Britain’s best loved ales. Hope to see you down there soon.