The Jolly Gardeners

I’ve been going to this lovely little pub for a few years now and always highly recommend. It has a great cosy atmosphere and the food is always fab.
I will say that they’ve recently made it a lot more family friendly lately and I do miss the subtle naughty wallpaper in the loos and the less exciting variety of beers.
It would also be nice to be able to play board games with all the pieces.

Great place to eat! We were a bit apprehensive at first as there were not many people there for a Saturday night and. But were pleasantly surprised with the food. My husband had the aubergine dish, my niece had the ravioli and I had the pork belly. All the dishes were delicious! We shared a «bounty» dessert which tasted exactly like a bounty bar. We will definitely revisit.

First impressions were not too good, some builders materials just inside the door. The furniture is very basic, tacky plastic stools, bare wooden floors, etc
On the plus side they sell Wandle bitter and Doom Bar. The bar snacks are cheep but not a huge choice.
This is more of a drinkers pub, but they also have a separate restaurant.

What a lovely experience! My hubby and I went there for our anniversary dinner and were treated like family by the welcoming team at this comfy and relaxing pub. The food was delicious, with recipes that excited and intrigued us. Our favourites were the chilli squid (exceptional!) and the bread and butter pudding, but all of the dishes we ordered were very tasty and we will definitely be going back for more :)

Very disappointing!
So I went to the jolly gardners as I heard Dhruv from Masterchef 2010 had bought it.
We arrived outside and the smell of fish was pretty awful, but it was worse inside, not a great start.
The inside décor is minimalist, it just looks like the old owners cleared the place and the new owners walked in and opened up without changing anything. The bar was so bright it hurt your eyes.
Dhruv was sat at the bar with a pint. We asked for a table for two and we were seated In the restaurant. Again the place was bare walls and lights. You could see into the kitchen but why, it was disgustingly dirty. Dhruv sat drinking lager in the bar when another chef prepared the food. Not what we were expecting.
We received the a4 paper with the menu, 3 vegetarian dishes, three fish and three meat. We were told that two of the fish dishes were off the menu. You could order a starter or main meal for the 3 vegetarian dishes and 2 fish dishes, but they were off the menu, so vegetarian starter it was. My husband was not pleased.
I had mushroom risotto — tasted nice but the rice was not cooked so after two mouthfuls you get a build up of chalkiness and it makes everything taste bad, Fail!
Other half had spicy cheese balls, he ate them but said he could of made them better, fail.
The wine was nice.
Main meal — we both had pulled pork burgers, it was called something fancy on the menu, but it was pretty basic. Brioche bun with a little pulled pork and a sauce. Tasted ok but was tiny. On the side you had a few slices of avocado, tomato salad and frozen chips. Not Masterchef 2010 winner food, but Dhruv never moved off his chair by the bar and blatantly enjoyed drinking lager. We asked for mayonnaise and out came the bought Mayo from a bottle, disappointing.
So by this point we were having to lie to the waiter as he was asking us how the food was, we are British so don’t like to complain.
We ordered one dessert — lemon tart. Disgusting! Pastry was one cm thick and lemon custard spread on like it was toast. All you could taste was heavy under cooked pastry. It was dense and unpalatable. The three pieces of fresh raspberry was the best bit. Epic fail.
The places smells, is dirty, kitchen a disgrace, terrible décor, food terrible, poor lighting, toilets disgusting, chef useless and Masterchef 2010 winner lazy!
I was really excited about going and I am so unhappy to be giving it 1 star. I wanted it to be great as I used to love the jolly gardners.
A very underwhelming experience.
Kx

My husband and I were enjoying a little break from the baby, so we dropped by this pub nearby for some highly recommended German food. It was packed at 6pm on a Thursday night. Pretty much every table was either reserved or occupied, but thankfully we found 1 in the back in the quieter area. Overall the place was loud and lively.
The menu had a good selection of food. We shared the bratwurst and the meatloaf. All the sides were good. I wouldn’t recommend the meatloaf because it’s like a cross between a huge slab of ham and spam put together. Not really what you would expect. The bratwurst was pretty good.
My husband tried the German beer on tap too. The food was served fast and we had good service from the people we interacted with. Seems like a pretty fun place for drinks.

Lovely food, decent beers and nice décor — this is definitely an upmarket pub/​restaurant. But it’s pricey and service is often very slow.

This is a good up market pub (type restaurant) that serves really nice food. The front bar is pleasant for a drink and you can dine in the back too. They also have a nice beer garden (where you can eat also).
Good grub, though it is a little pricey. It’s in the upmarket pub, almost restaurant price range. However you get what you pay for. I have ate here several times and it has always been good. Nice meat, well presented and summplemented with good organic veg.
I recommend this place. Definately worth popping into if you live in Earlsfield or neighbouring areas.

This is a classy little pub with heart. I am a fan of the décor (wood floor, dim lighting, leather wing backed chairs, dark green tiles) and was excited by the interesting gastro pub menu.
We stopped in for the first time on Friday, and enjoyed thick glass tumblers of perfect mulled wine. I’ll certainly be returning for more of that in the snug bar area. We also had some great looking food which sadly just missed the mark, taste-​wise.
The menu is that of a proper gastropub — chunks of various fleshes pan roasted and served on various carbs with jus. A token pasta dish for veggies, and chocolate fondant at the top of the dessert menu. The conservatory restaurant area was romantically lit with fairy lights and candles, and the service was a-​ok.
My companion’s fillet steak, onion rings and potato gratin with red wine jus were presented beautifully and were mostly yummy, but at £21 I don’t think there is room for error, and there were some. The meat was cooked beyond the ‘medium’ that he’d asked for, the gratin was also overcooked so came out a bit dry, and the oil the onion rings were fried in was obviously not quite hot enough (they were not quite crisp, and had absorbed too much of it).
My belly pork with cassoulet was weird. It had aioli drizzled over it, which looked as if the chef had done something inappropriate in the kitchen (see picture). I can’t fathom why someone would think that a fatty piece of pork and creamy beans needs a drizzle of garlic mayonnaise on top to finish it off. The layers of fat in the belly pork had not melted sufficiently into the meat, so I had to scrape clotted Vaseline-​like layers of it out with my knife. The areas of the crackling which had crackled were cracking. The rest was chewy.
For much of the meal I was haunted by the awareness that my cassoulet reminded me of something…
Eventually I realised it tasted like a well known British brand of antiseptic cream (Germolene).
An internet search, one sleep and a phonecall with the chef later, I had cracked the mystery. Both the meal and said ointment contain cloves. In the case of the pork dish; waaaay too many cloves.
I wanted to love the restaurant, but at those prices I won’t risk going back for a while. It’s such a lovely little place though, that I’m bound to give it a second chance. As a drinking venue, it’s a new local favourite.

Good old Jolly Gardeners! I frequently visit this pub (well, it is a minutes walk from where I work). It is quite homely with the sofas and comfy chairs and with the bar area not being very broad, it is quite intimate too, unless your in the separate dining area or out in the garden.
The prices are about average for a gastro-​pub, about £3.30p to £3.50p for a pint (less than some fancy bars but more than a Weatherspoons!). The bar staff are all good though, quick and helpful (and chatty providing the bar is relatively empty). The menu can sometimes come across as a little fancy sounding but the quality of food is always very good.
No sports are shown there as the one TV they have is never switched on but the Jolly Gardeners isn’t a pub to watch sports in. The intimacy of the bar area and very pleasing décor make for a great meeting place for a group of friends, an after work drink or even meeting for a date (or an already established loved one).
There are other options for pubs in the area but the Jolly Gardeners is definitely a thumbs up,
Ian

Where to start??? There is so many good things about this pub! I have been here quite a few times now, always for a Sunday Roast and I have to say it really is one of, if not THE best, roast I have tasted! The staff are always friendly and welcoming which makes for a nice atmosphere. The dinning area is decorated in traditional heavy wood furniture with lots of fairy lights, it has and old romantic vibe but is still cosy. They have a good sized garden too which I will definately be trying out in the summer.
I totally reccommend this place for people who enjoy traditional food and an old england atmosphere!
Kids & dogs are welcome too!

I discovered this diamond of a pub last summer purely by accident (I was at the car wash across the road!) and have been a regular ever since. It looks like a traditional pub from the outside but it is way more than that! Inside it has the typical pub lounge bit in the front (complete with open fire) but nestling behind that is the restaurant area and a lovley beer garden.
Quite simply the food served in here is First Class! The menu is somewhat different, and might be described as what you would find in a ‘Gastro’ Pub, however on a Sunday it also serves the Traditional Sunday Roast which must compete for a place as the best in South West London (and beyond!) The cost doesn’t break the bank either!
Finally a mention must go to the staff. The Landlord is jovial and with his team all being extremely friendly and helpfull!
If you are in the area, give it a try!

The Jolly Gardeners is the local’s local in Earlsfield. The tables appear to tip over slightly, leaning either to the left or the right, probably because of the combined weight of hundreds and thousands of pints over the years. Comfortable leather couches adorn the front section, and on occasion you’ll find the service quite brisk.
If you’re from another country and you want to impress a local, The Jolly Gardener would be a good choice. They offer a range of British pub dishes and the usual selection of beers and spirits one gets accustomed to in London, in a small, intimate setting in an area that’s really quite quiet given its Zone 3 location.

The Jolly Gardeners is a great little gastro pub tucked neatly away in the heart of SW London. The pub is a great little place for a casual drink, a cosy dinner or a celebratory drink.
There is nothing pretentious about this pub at all. The interior is warm and hearty with the restaurant and beer garden wrapped in fairy lights, giving the pub a really genuine aura. The staff are friendly and helpful and I’ve found over the last few months that this is definitely *the* place to organise the odd birthday knees-​up and casual get together.
The food is absolutely faultless. The servings are as big as the pub’s hearty warmth — and that’s big. The specials menu is on constant rotation during the week and you can expect anything from a good old steak ‘n’ chips to Pollack served on a bed of curried rice.
I don’t have enough good words to say about The Jolly Gardeners. The casual atmosphere, food, friendly staff and big old vintage leather sofas culminate in its down-​to-​earth appeal and I highly recommend this pub if you ever happen to be passing along SW18’s Garratt Lane.