please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The Turk's Head was my final pub of the day. It's a Fuller's pub situated on a corner plot in a residential area of St Margaret's. The interior felt large and airy and there were plenty of staff available to serve. There appeared to be a function room at the back. The ale selection was lacking though. Fuller's London Pride & Oliver's Island were supplemented by Butcombe Haka. Probably an above-average Fuller's establishment.
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For clarity I am Fiona, the GM of The Turks Head. With reference to the comment from StMargs, I am sorry you have issues with The Turks Head, I am also disappointed you have used my name to be critical when as a 'regular' you are aware that I have been on Maternity since February.
I would be happy to meet yourself and discuss these personally.
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Can somebody at Fullers please take an interest in The Turks Head. You had a great local community pub on your hands and it makes me weep how badly things have gone downhill since Fiona took over.
Most evenings the pub is empty, most weekends the garden is full of screaming kids. Someone must have noticed that the locals are staying away in droves, and that when there are groups they are a bit chavy and from outside the area (I know that sounds snobby - but The Turks is a local pub not a high street Weatherspoons and those groups don't come back)
The staff are really bad - surly and lazy - I am sick of taking glasses back to the bar so that I can see the person on the other side of the table. I'm talking stacks of pint glasses not just one or two, and almost every night. The pub is unclean, and toilets are filthy, paperless and stink.
We used to have a pub you could walk into on the way home, always know someone in there and always a friendly face serving who knew my drink and said hi, how was your day. No more I'm afraid. Now we get a surly "What?" from the beast woman, or scabbies man scratching over your pint as he pours it.
And at 11pm - bang, bright lights turned on, your drink taken physically out of your hand and told to get out. This by people who see me in the pub almost every day after work and usually once or twice at the weekend.
We're locals, supporters of the pub, not scum. There is no concept of building connections with the locals.
Food is overpriced, menu lacking, and the dining room is just dead space.
The only night the pub is busy is when Sugar T play, but now the St Margarets Tavern have poached the band this too has gone.
Someone at Fullers must be taking note that the takings are way down - as locals we have loved this pub for years but with a sad heart we are voting with our feet. If you would like to talk to us about this Fullers, we'll be in the St Margarets with all the other locals - first pints on us.
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Looks as if the quiz has now gone.
Three people in the pub last Tuesday evening.
Didn't bother going in.
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Post refurb and change of management, this pub has gone steadily downhill.
The food is overpriced and under par. Don't bother with a Sunday roast - bland, mean on the meat, and boring (lukewarm) boiled veg served separately.
In fact, don't bother at the weekends at all, as it's full of unruly children.
The staff are disinterested and incompetent. Tables are left to pile up with empty glasses, overflowing ashtrays and general detritus without anyone giving them a second glance. There doesn't seem to be any management. I saw that they were advertising on their Facebook page recently for staff - 'no experience necessary' - and goodness, it shows!
The toilets are either strewn with toilet paper, or there is none to be found. The chains are all broken so you have to tiptoe to grab them and flush. I have found them in varying states of cleanliness.
As others have mentioned, the acoustics are now terrible (reminds me of a swimming baths) and the 'restaurant' is completely dead space.
All in all, with the St Margarets down the road (which is fine), and the Crown recently reopened with a beautiful garden and sympathetic refurb, there are better places to spend your money.
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It looks like a Pub from the outside, but you will be sorely disappointed inside, unless you like expensive and poncy. Yes, the previous regime had customer service issues, but the beer was good and the place was a local street pub. There appears to have been a serious change of policy, to the detriment of pub users.
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As a local I have seen this pub steadily change for the worse over the years. The latest revamp is yet more disappointment. This was a decent residential street boozer, its now pretentious, seems poorly managed and over rates itself. The food is adequate but simply not good enough for what it's pitching at. Overall, if you go here expecting to be disappointed sometimes you will leave pleasantly surprised......sometimes
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A by product of making the bar area a more open space is that the acoustics are now terrible. Quite a modest number of people talking creates a reverberant din that is very unpleasant. Of course Fullers threw all the old etched glass window panes into a skip a couple of refurbs ago which doesn't help.
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I popped in here a week or so back. The Turks Head has recently been put through an unnecessary refurbishment. The pub used to be a very pleasant and comfortable drinking establishment before what looks to be a change of management. The idea I assume has been to increase profitability by introducing a restaurant which already existed in a more informal arrangement. I do not know what the take up is for ESB at this venue but removing the option seems inappropriate for such a well established and popular local Fullers pub. The Pride I was served was in very poor shape and akin to 'Pride off tap' in an 'All Bar One'. The Pride in The Turks has always been immaculate before this reinvention. The prices have gone up markedly and the place was uncomfortably cold when I was in there. It's a real shame this once charming pub has deleted its regularly customers from its business model. You can't get a decent local pint in St Margaret's at the moment. With winter starting this is all very disappointing.
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After the refurbishment, about 30% of the floor space has been taken out of action by making it "restaurant". The "restaurant" is always empty.
The rest of the pub is now subject to a table booking policy. Tables can be booked even just for drinking, not eating. So you can be having a drink with friends but be ejected because someone else has booked that table for a drink - very odd.
Don't go Sunday lunchtime - the bar is a creche, full of buggies and screeching kids.
With The Crown closed and the recent disastrous re-positioning of the St Mags, it's now impossible to find a decent quiet drink in St Margarets.
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The Turks has reopened after another refurb this Summer with a large part of the floorspace now a restaurant. The bar has been made lighter and airier and is very pleasant indeed. Haven't tried the food yet but drinks prices have been raised significantly. Made the mistake of taking the family on the Saturday afternoon after it reopened and found that half a pint of Coke is now �2.10!!!!
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Popped in last sunny Sunday and first impressions were very good. Bengal Lancer was on and fine, though barmaid was a zed. Beer garden clean and big enough to avoid being right next to the many families, but the number of toddlers crawling around in and outside could become an issue if here for more than a couple. Will go again in the evening.
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Dropped by for a quick pint of Bengal Lancer; featured on two pumps. "No, mate, we've sold out" said the long-haired fatty, finally trolling around behind the bar to serve me. Clearly expected me to order a different pint. Fcuk him; walked out. Simple isn't it - if you don't have a beer on, turn the clip round or put a towel over it. Apparently not to the half-wits in charge here.
Passed by half-an-hour later; clips still proudly on display.
Crap-house of a Pub.
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Pleasant, slightly quirky pub. Friendly welcome and efficient service on my Wednesday evening visit. Enjoyed a pint of Chiswick in tip-top condition. Well worth a visit.
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Sunday lunch special of 'Pork Wellington@ served with absolutely no pastry. WTF?Steak very small. Guest beer Spring-something-or-other on good form. Back door slams regularly - put an f'ing damper on it!
Does anyone in this pub care?
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Busy on a Monday night when none of the other places I went to were. Not sure why as it's a fairly standard Fullers pub that retains it's old appearance but has had the innards ripped out to provide the expected open-plan look. Pleasant enough but no spark.
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I know it's warm, but the beer shouldn't be. Tepid ESB is not a refreshing brew. Asked for a bottle of Fullers bottle-conditioned Bengal Lancers IPA from the cool cabinet "we don't have it". Of course they don't - they're only a fecking Fullers pub, aren't they? Sainsburys have it but they don't. Place is useless and even the barmaid who flashes her tan-line tats doesn't redeem it.
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Back to the Turks on a Friday night; staff not coping well with the crowd a World Cup game brings. Garden unbearably smoky from the smoulderings of those who Blair's public health fascists threw outside. Of course, the children in the garden get the biggest lungfuls. Garden fountains rusty, sharp and slimy. This place is a bit of a pit but it doesn't bother the undiscriminating locals. Bah.
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Large Edwardian Fullers pub situated in a residential back street behind St Margarets Road.
For many years a splendid community orientated tenanted pub run by the much respected Brazier family, Fullers took this pub into their Managed House Division a good number of years ago ( late 2002), carrying out a refurbishment that took away the separate public bar, removed some of the splendid etched windows and created much local resentment which expressed itself in the letters pages of the local Richmond and Twickenham Times over 7 consecutive weeks. To their credit, Fullers did draw back from their original intention to go down the full gastro route, but it does unfortunately now have that rather typical Fullers managed pub ambience and look to it.
It's a large pub with the old public bar area at the front, which leads into a larger food orientated area, which in turn gives access at the back into a largish garden. Notably, what was previously a boules pitch has now been taken over by some childrens equipment ( slide, swing etc ) - indicative of a move towards more of a family emphasis, especially at weekends.
The pub featured in a scene in a Beatles film and there's a signed photo of the Fab Four on display. Rugby memorabilia - including some photos of teams in 1895 - reflects the proximity to Twickenham and, notably, enterprising supporters have left tickets as souvenirs on the high ceiling.
There's a Comedy Club in the adjoining Winchester Hall. On 14 May, a 50's music night is taking place.
On my recent visit, the London Pride - � 3.10p - was moderate. The pub has been in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide for the last couple of years, but previous postings here indicate beer quality is unreliable.
In conclusion, whilst I don't think this pub is as bad as previous postings indicate, it's certainly not the pub it was in the 1980's and I don't envisage an early return visit.
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bored staff. who dont give a toss. totally uninspiring beer ale and wines.. poor service all round, slop food. crappy pub all round really. was good 10 years ago... now its just another bland pub full of people who are not quite well off to live well or up the road and just self obssessed enough to to act incredibly worthy in their local non gastro pub...
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This place is dreadful, service is poor and the Pride undrinkable. How they manage to ruin one of the best brews in town is beyond belief. Though it is a training pub for Fullers, the actual manager is not visible and clearly does not extend his influence to keeping good beer.
If you want good beer in a trad pub go somewhere else, if you're happy with rubbish beer, poor service, screaming kids etc then welcome to hell.
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Visited again yesterday; ESB in good form (though is �3.10 really the going rate for this brew???). Place sometimes seems like a hostel for SCOPE beneficiaries (seriously), but live and let live. Steak and Kidney pie excellent and great value; burgers much less so.
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This place is Ok, if not a little unispiring. The main problem I have is with the staff. Generally they are quite friendly, but it sometimes feels that the customers are secondary to their little "click". Also, beware of the menu, don't be fooled into thinking that what you have ordered is what you will get. Have you ever seen a cesar salad with red onion and disturbing absence of croutons!!
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Relative absence of children (see The Crown nearby). Beers really cold, lagers and Guinness that is; don't know about the ales.
Again, food seems good and varied. Has outside seating, but is next to infants' school which can damage hearing at lunchtime! This pub's alright.
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Once more to the Turks for Sunday lunch. ESB on good form (no more Pride here. Ever.). Great duck special; sorry to say the Ploughmans is a complete rip-off. Avoid.
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Another visit: really good home-made burgers and - I never learn - a sour pint of Pride that gave me the shits almost immediately. But (again) the ESB was great. What IS it with this place that they can't keep the Pride well? How they get in the Good Beer Guide is beyond me.
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Great local, with fantastic staff and landlord. Great atmosphere especially on rugby days and have some great live bands! I have eaten here on several occassions and food has always been fantastic. Great garden with climbing frame - very child friendly pub. Overall great pub!
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Very friendly, slightly back-street, St. Margaret's Pub. Excellent pints of Leffe on offer. I find the above comments on the pub inexplicable. Always seem very pleasant to me - although I cannot comment on the food. As someone who comes in regularly for a couple of quick pints and has been coming in for the last 13 years, I couldn't ask for a better House. Current manager is excellent.
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perfectly reasonable pub - interesting lay-out and friendly atmosphere
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I have only ever been to this pub at lunchtime and in the week it is filled with the irritating sounds of the mindless waffle of telesales agents from the nearby Arvato Loyalty Services on their lunchbreak. Regulars include a short balding Irishman who is always eating pie and chips sometimes joined by a massive roly poly guy who eats a whole tub of mayonaise with his cheesy chips! ! !
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Nice interior - refurbished without being ruined. Patchy food - roast lunch a damp washout; other options better. Garden a den of kids, which is fine but it could be cleaned more regularly. Pride is indeed a disappointment; when I went the ESB was on good form but then they ran out and didn't have another barrel. Needs to get its act together.
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The staff at the Turks possess the uncanny ability to ruin the Pride as no other pub can or does.
It's high time that Fullers did something positive, that they have done so much damage to what was a great local pub.
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Saved by the Bearcat Comedy Club. Otherwise a complete disaster as a local. Took my dinner date six attempts to find a dish from the very limited menu that was available. Beer is served average at best. It has stiff competition from a host of pubs locally including the Red Lion and the Swann in Isleworth. Rugby matches and TV may be saving it's income but it lets Fullers down big time.
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Typical looking West London bar; beer very average, though somehow pleasant enough.
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An alleged flagship pub for Fullers.
The Pride is regularly flat, tasteless and insipid.
We have decamped.
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they may have repainted this joint but it takes real skill to serve beer this bad. The pride is dead the discovery needs to be found and the ESB tastes 6months old.
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Turks Head has re-opened following a refurbishment.
Sterile and lacking character.
Beer as ever dreadful.
Service, as of old, awful.
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Fri 10th August.
London Pride flat, insipid, thoroughly nasty. All that for �2-70, a rip-off.
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GREAT PUB AND LOCATION SHAME BEER IS CONSTANTLY BELOW PAR AND STAFF HAVE TAKEN LESSONS AT THE JOHN CLEESE SCHOOL OF MANNERS
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Very poor quality London Pride.
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Top quality London Pride, always. Real mixed bunch of locals and passers by. Not incredibly exciting, different or ground-breaking but the Turks is a real pub worth visiting. Comfortable, cheery and villagelike. Recommended.
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Visited a couple of weeks ago after the smoking ban. Seemed a bit quieter not surprisingly. They have spent some money doing up the beer garden outside - which is a nice touch. Good Fuller's (Discovery) on tap and the pub grub was decent value and quality. Recommended if you're in the area.
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WhatI meant to say was "dumpy", and It was a Hard Days Night!
anonymous - 22 Jun 2007 15:16 |
The Beatles once filmed here. I don't think John Lennon would have taken any rubbish from the dark haired dump barmaid the night I visited. Shame, quite a nice pub, decent pint. I was a hard days night though.
anonymous - 6 Jun 2007 15:32 |
Great little Pub - worth a visit if your in the area. Avoid match days!
anonymous - 5 Jan 2007 17:04 |
Just discovered this pub relatively recently. A bit hidden away but worth finding - nice pub with good real ales, decent food and very friendly staff. An excellent blues club runs every Thursday with top level live acts. If you are into blues/accoustic music - a real find.
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Visited after watching England get beaten by NZ at rugby over at Twickenham (disclaimer - I am not a rugby fan - was invited by work mates). Very busy, gratified to see football on, enjoyed every minute of Chelsea's frustration.
Pub itself isn't up to much - big, lacks character, only serves London Pride in plastic glasses on match days which is annoying. Nice girls behind the bar thoughbut. 5/10
anonymous - 6 Nov 2006 11:33 |
it's getting a little run down and uncared for but used to be alright. However popped in for a quick pint yesterday and was put off by the amount of foul mouthed builders, obviously their not aloud at the St Margs anymore (a plus for that pub) so have gatecrashed the Turk's. I hope someone sorts that out soon
anonymous - 4 Nov 2006 16:09 |
what a cracking idea to have boulle or ball or whatever you want to call it, made my day to have a couple o rounds in the evenig sun. great staff ok ish food nothing special but at least its served with a smile which is more i can say for most richmond and twickenham pubs. will be back soon
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Good pub, friendly staff & excellent landlord - the best pint of Fullers London Pride that I have had anywhere.
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This pub is my local and normally very consistent. Went last night (13 Sept) when the footie was on. I'm no big fan, but the pub had advertised the event with screens in most rooms - so it was pretty packed .... and yet: only 2 people serving, with average 10min waiting time and not enough manpower to clean the tables - so the place was a bit minging. Could have been a one-off... let's see.
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Decent pub; friendly guv'nor and barstaff. Quiet during the week, busy at weekends. Good beer, plenty of screens for football. Not bad at all for a local, but wouldn't travel miles to go there.
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James's quiz back??? I took a fair few quid out around 10 years ago when Chris Brazier had the pub and Jack (RIP) was still behind the bar. He met the Beatles don't you know!
I visited last Wednesday afternoon and was shocked to see the changes.....two bars knocked into one, living area turned into a third bar, garden opened up. St5ill, the beer was pretty good and if the quiz is back...who knows?
What night is the quiz?>
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Have been here a couple of times and have enjoyed the atmosphere and food. Bar staff are friendly too - always a plus.
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The Turks has really improved since the new manager took over. Good to see James' quiz back as well.
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The Turks Head is a real gem of a local. Friendly punters, excellent staff and really good food.. It's such a charming place and a great place to pop into for a pint whether with friends of by yourself as it's so laid back.
The best pub in St.Margarets by far..
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I've been a few times a while back and whilst it was a nice place, it seems a bit quiet. Seems a bit busier now and is all the better for it.
Great beer - food is more than adequate for pub grub - look forward to frequenting here a bit more often now.
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This Pub is home of The Bearcat comedy club, Saturday nights, �10 in, really good acts. Have seen Rich Hall, Ardal O'Hanlon and Al Murray here in the past. Brilliant. The pub itself is good too, nice food, good wine and quite posh, but still a local pub. Way better than the tatty St Margarets Tavern down the road.
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Nice beer.
Too smoky.
Friday night live band so loud we couldn't talk even in the other room - why have amplified music in such a small venue?
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Despite what the other people on this site are saying we have found this pub to be great. The staff are really friendly and have made us feel part of the community. Very good fun on Friday nights - great bands playing. The beer is always good. Its got a lovely area outdoors in the summer months, Everything a local pub should be.
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another mournful reviewer tells his tale of woe - this pub used to be great.
It's now like a an idiot tv set-builder's half-arsed impression of what a pub is like: bare floors, bare atmosphere, barely worth walking past.
survives purely because of the lack of alternatives in the area, and the continuing presence of the comedy club upstairs
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What a waste. A previously fantastic pub spoilt by the bean-counters in the brewery.
It's sad when such a great pub now has to advertise "Karaoke" to drum up business. How low can you get?
More atmosphere on Mars now. Poor food.
I feel sorry for the staff now, as all their customers have gone to the St Margarets Tavern - which shows how a pub "makeoever" can be done.
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We occasionally visit the Turks for old times' sake but it is nothing like it used to be. The refurb a few years ago was an object lesson in how to wreck a fantastic local. Some of the old regulars are back I see but it is still like a morgue on Friday and Saturday nights I am told. On our last visit the Pride and ESB were served far too cold and we saw they had installed a cash machine that charges �1.50. Nice! I can't see Fullers letting this go on much longer.
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Seemed very quiet last Sunday afternoon. Staff were pleasant enough and the Pride was on form, but this pub seems to lack soul and atmosphere whenever I visit
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Just off the A316 (Chertsey Rd) and just a dogleg on the route from Twickenham Station to the rugby stadium, this is a sometimes crowded but always good-natured favourite with rugby supporters. Excellent staff, good beer.
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Pretty average sort of place really. Foods OK. Best avoided on rugby days. Good for a few drinks before going next door to the excellent Bearcat Comedy Club.
anonymous - 11 Mar 2005 11:32 |
This pub is getting better all the time, catching up on the St Margarets. Great place to watch football.
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Hello Bulldog. The Turks is a lovely pub full of Twickenham charm and rugby pundits. I'm suprised you do not go further a field to find a watering hole you really enjoy. There does not appear to be any pubs in local area that agree with you apart from the Aisla (speaks volumes about you)......BIG UP THE TURKS!
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I'm somewhat bemused by the comment below about taking the' stupid sport' back to the home counties when it already is home in its present location. Didn't think that one through did you. If you don't like rugby, don't drink in Twickenham on match days, doesn't take a genius.
Home of Bearcat comedy club. Nice cold beer, great food, friendly staff, easy to get served and pleasantly tucked away in suburbia. Charming.
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Good pub, pity about the plastic glasses but that's what being so close to Twickenam does for you. Been in their for the last couple of Saturdays pre and post rugby and service was excellent - even when packed.
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This was a great little boozer, in a quiet location, a haven for the regulars. Now with a face lift and make over, still held with affection by many. A place of charm.
Dill - 3 Aug 2004 12:40 |
good place for a 21st B/day in the function room
Nat Wills - 24 Mar 2004 17:10 |
Another great old pub far too modernised now for my liking, however still a good beer selection.
Claim to fame - One of the solo Ringo sections in A Hard Days Night was filmed in here.
PJ - 24 Mar 2004 11:22 |
nice friendly pub food not too great but more relaxed than the maggies
tracey dale - 20 Jan 2004 21:07 |
Much improved now under new management - you no longer have to hunt for a member of staff so that you can get a drink!
Disappointed to see that spirits are still being served in glasses so small that you've finished them by the time you've got to your table though...very annoying...please, please stop and give me a proper size glass!
Flimsy - 28 Nov 2003 12:30 |
Relaxing, laid back and comfortable. A good place to go before the Rugby. Much better than The St Margarets which is always completely packed.
Tetris Steve - 27 Oct 2003 21:07 |
Great pub with good safe atmosphere, fantastic food and beer
Paul - 2 Oct 2003 21:48 |
