Part of our Best Pubs in London microsite. Is your local listed?
Temptingly close to the Churchill for those on a pub crawl, the Windsor Castle is also an exceptional place to drink, or eat. From the outside, it looks more 'stable block' than 'royal castle', a feeling compounded by the whitewashed and heated beer garden, where you'd half expect to see a horse being shod. Two mature plane trees add a touch of green.
The rural charm continues inside, with a main bar more wooden than an am-dram production of Pinocchio. The whole is partitioned into cosy pockets. One screen, built from wood cut in the 1930s, requires adults to crouch right down if they want to make their way into the formerly women-only 'Sherry Bar', where you can now be as male as you like, and drink things other than sherry. Another front cubby has a roaring fire in winter, while the back room is made out as an airy, bright dining space.
The food options are suitably rustic, with juicy slabs of meat and hunks of crusty bread the order of the day, but all artfully arranged for the upmarket area. Be sure to pre-book at busy times. Every table was reserved on our last visit, but we were keen enough to get there at midday before the crowds arrived.
Five beers on draught and a decent wine list complete the picture.
Photos below are from 2013, and might not reflect the current look. We leave them in for the sake of nostalgia.
