The Scarsdale Tavern

This was my first visit to London and on the recommendation of one of the flight attendants, my husband and I decided to eat here. After a full day of sight seeing we took a cab here.
The place is not big but rather a cozy, neighborhood pub. There were no tables inside readily available and so you had to find a spot at the bar and then try and keep an eye out for patrons leaving to grab a table. After missing two, we talked to one of the bartenders that also seemed to be waitstaff and inquired about a table. She said they had reservations and could seat us in about an hour. We decided to stick it out.
Menu is not very large but all the items sound delicious. We did have a bruschetta appetizer that had way too many red onions. I had a beef pot pie that was divine and my husband had their specialty. Both of us loved our meals. Now I will say… service is slow. We happened to be seated near the kitchen and I could see that it was just one chef doing all the cooking. Eventually another chef came in and I think he was doing some prep which helped some dishes come out faster. If you aren’t in a rush, no big deal but if you were? You’d never get out of here on time.
We would try Scarsdale again… maybe in a warmer month so we can sit outdoors!

Bad service, mediocre food and a bad attitude particularly from Jane or Raymond purporting to be the manager.
I used to be a local but am afraid this place needs a new formula.

Excellent lamb shoulder. The veggies were done to perfection and the mashed potatoes a perfect compliment to the feast. Add a comfortable ambiance and neighborhood vibe and we have a wonderful evening in London

With a heavy heart I have to report that the quality of food at Scarsdale is not what it used to be. We stopped by last week for dinner one evening… it was pouring, but we wanted to go back to one of our favorite haunts. The place is still über charming and the vintage quirks are all very much intact, so go for drinks and to soak in the cool vibe, that only this place can offer.
This time the homemade soup was still tomato and basil (coincidence?), so I opted for it… and the husband had the duck confit. We also asked for a a portion of garlic bread for the table. The bread was the 1^st to arrive and it was a dull listless looking portion of charred bread — it tasted like something bought from the local supermarket, heated then covered in foil and then reheated and brought out again. Really bad… we sent it back.
The soup which I remembered well as a creamy, light concoction this time round was something that came straight of a purée of canned tomatoes. It was sour & under-​cooked — I took a few spoonfuls and put it aside. The duck was confit dry, chewy and lacking seasoning.
We didn’t get desert this time as the meal itself was not satisfactory.

Have eaten here three or four times and I really like this pub. There is a fine selection of cask ales, plus other less interesting beers, and for pub grub, the food is excellent. I especially like the braised lamb shank, which is a signature dish. They had Duck Confit (I’m a sucker for Duck) as a special one time and that was excellent, as well.
Friendly service, even when they are busy – the mark of a great waitstaff!
This is the quintessential neighborhood English Pub. Try it.

Awesome experience ! Felt like a local in era of days gone by. Tasty tap beer and food that passed our table looked delightful and of healthy British portion. I will return to eat and sit on the Patio!

So fun! I wanted a traditional pub experience and this delivered! The food was amazing and I highly recommend going here. such a wonderful neighborhood pub.

V. charming gastropub. So cool esp. in the Summer. Highly recommend this.

The Pub is situated in a calm and nice area.
Good atmosphere, excellent food and ale. An honest balance between quality of food and price.

Are we in England? We certainly are and this little English Tavern is a classic example of British dining. It looks as cliché as you can get. Imagine the state I got when I asked for gluten free bread. The record label took us here for lunch, partly for convenience and maybe to have a traditional English meal. The waitresses were nothing special, normal attention, it would be rewarded with the standard 18 percent tip in my book but it’s the labels money so I’d give em 25 percent to make them smile and show off there also cliché British teeth. Food is as you would expect, my «gluten free» meal (bland salmon with veggies) was exactly as I described. The goat cheese salad with beetroot marmalade made me jealous and want to stop being healthier. I think that’s what I should have ordered. The tomato basil soup was good, but I’m sure the recipe is commonplace. They didn’t reinvent the dining experience but they certainly creates a classic British environment. If this is what you want than this is the spot. Modestly priced or put it on the record labels card and make it free99. Thanks EMI UK.

What a great little gastropub. The lamb shoulder was fantastic! Paired very well with a red from the Rioja region in Spain. Great staff and a great meal. One of my favorite nights out in a long time.

Love this pub off the beaten path in Kensington. Haven’t ever eaten here, but this is my go-​to place when I want to have a few pints in an awesome atmosphere. Really nice neighborhood pub where I never feel weird about entering alone (I travel for work and am almost always exploring by myself). Here you quickly can spark up conversation with the other patrons and just enjoy the traditional English pub environment. Can’t wait to be back.

The Scarsdale was my Dad’s local when he was a student at the London Academy of Dramatic Arts just after the war. More than sixty years later it’s still the families local!!!

Came here Thursday night. It has a really buzzy, convivial atmosphere and was absolutely packed. Good idea to book. The food was average pub fare, I would say. I had the beef wellington (very tough meat), and others on the very large group had the burger (good), chicken (good), lasagne (okay) and caesar salad (very good). Service was friendly and good. I would definitely come here again, but maybe not to eat.

Edit as of Dec. 19^th, 2012: I have lived and traveled extensively around the world. My «English pub» experiences were largely based on my 10 years in Hong Kong, where hitting the pubs was great fun. I didn’t understand the culture of self-​service in London pubs, where one is expected to approach the bar for service. I stand by my rating and review, however, my experience might have been better had I known this bit of etiquette. I took colleagues to dinner at the Scarsdale a few nights after my lunch visit. The service in the dining room was about the same, the hospitality somewhat better.
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Atmosphere rates five stars, food rates five stars, service rates four stars, hospitality rates one star.
The folks who operate this little gold mine are completely uninterested in new customers. They have their regulars, whom they greet with warmth and camaraderie, but strangers are barely tolerated and largely ignored.
I had the duck liver and foie gras pâté, with Bramley apple chutney, as a starter. The pâté was delicious, the chutney was the perfect accompaniment. The Sunday roast leg of lamb with Yorkshire pudding is excellent, served with roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables swimming in gravy. My first pint, the Bengal Lancer was OK, but the second pint, Harvey’s Sussex Best, was superb.
I will come back for the food, atmosphere and beverage selection, but I’m disappointed by how inhospitable this establishment is. Perhaps Korean American visitors from Colorado are not their target market. :D

For a typical, cozy, neighborhood pub, this is a special spot. It’s especially perfect on a cold Sunday for some drinks with friends, and higher than average pub food. The window seats are the best for the sunlight, and the outdoor area on the street is lovely with heat lamps and lots of greenery. Perfect for a little romance, or just some quality chilled out time. Not sure if there is a fireplace but that would be a clincher.
Oh, and killer bloody mary too.

The Scarsdale’s entrance is like walking straight into a Huge Grant RomCom.: Man with floppy hair enters gorgeous, floral-​terraced pub to the sound of Wimbledon tennis on the telly and settles in for a proper pint.: (Ok, so maybe I just wait there far too often hoping that Huge will *actually* come in and sweep me off my feet, but that’s another story.)
In the meantime, I’ll tell you the one about how the Scarsdale is a lovely proper boozer tucked away off the hustle and bustle of the high street, and it not only plays host to Britain’s most popular sporting events, but is the hidden place to be seen on a sunny summer afternoon with a jug of Pimms, a plate of chips, and a carefree smile. I just wish Huge Grant would get smart to that tip and save me a few hundred quid in bar tabs…

I have always mocked Richard Curtis/​Hugh Grant films for portraying the UK in a way that doesn’t exist but The Scarsdale Tavern showed that such a place does exist.
Situated just off High Street Kensington in a leafy side street, The Scarsdale Tavern is the ideal place to spend a warm summers evening. The food is worth having nachos are great and the steak sandwich and just over £10 is the size of a small country. The only downside was the crick in my neck from watching more than 2 hours of USA v Ghana on the elevated TV.

On my first visit, I was drinking a half pint of Butcombe out front when right before my eyes a red Ferrari and a black Lexus SUV collided to a cacophonous crunch. The entire flower-​filled patio was struck silent.
I came again to the Scarsdale to watch the World Cup action and sampled widely of their menu: nachos, a cheeseburger, a half pint of organic honey dew ale, a pitcher of Pimm’s (shared with others, of course!)
The nachos were surprisingly well done. I also really enjoyed the rustic potato wedges that accompanied the cheeseburger.
Were it on my side of London, the Scarsdale would be in contention to be my local. Alas, it’s too far away for me to become regular with it.

An interesting pub, set in a quiet (and very upmarket) area of Kensington, a few minutes’ walk from the entrance High Street Kensington entrance to Holland Park. A plaque inside explains that the area around here was designed by a French architect and developer, intending to sell the properties to French Army Officers, assuming Napoleon would conquer Britain. He had to make do with English clients in the end!
The interior is very traditional, and ‘U’ shaped, with part of the right hand section reserved for diners. It has an extensive, upmarket menu with a gastro-​pub feel to it, and this a good reputation, although I’ve also heard some mixed reports of it, too. Booking is essential at week-​ends.
A major plus point is the choice of real ales, which are a little pricey (but to be expected in this part of Kensington). Service can be a little hit and miss, largely because the serving area is small (and right by the entrance) and it can get very busy.
There’s also a very leafy garden area at the front, although this tends to get packed with smokers these days. The clientele are reasonably mixed — although you can’t help noticing some of the city types, as their conversations always seem so loud. (They tend to sit outside, though, so the interior is usually rather pleasant).
It can also be a good place to do some celebrity spotting: we once sat opposite Madonna and Guy Ritchie here — I think they were house hunting in the area. But again, that’s Kensington for you. The other punters were determinedly cool about it