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If there’s one thing Kingston does well, it’s re-inventing jaded boozers. The Grey Horse, The Queen’s Head, The Albion and The Black Horse are all reaping the rewards of refurbishment. The Canbury Arms had been at the forefront of this renaissance – a dusty old cave that blossomed into a bright community pub a few years back. Unfortunately, as other pubs upped their game, the novelty wore off and last orders were rung mid-2018. But now – as per the local trend – The Canbury is back and it’s raised the stakes.
Behind the revamp is Pearmain Pubs: a good, old-fashioned group with a reputation for saving and sprucing up the deadest of pub dodos. The Crown in Twickenham is a case in point. Here, they’ve added a muted look and placed emphasis on gastro grub – the pub is now split into a bar and a restaurant.
High ceilings can make the place feel loud when busy. And we quickly found that drinkers can’t sit in the dining area but diners can eat in the bar, making it all the more manic. But there’s a lengthy and fairly priced selection of beers – and it’s particularly good to see local brewery Park getting a pitch. If you do require peace with your pint, the huge patio should prove popular. The borough may be positively creaking with great pubs, but The Canbury is back up there with the best of ’em.