Right on the river, this capacious barn of a bar makes best use of its prime location. It’s a Young’s pub, so it’s well looked after, providing the usual range of ales from the brewery stable, as well as reliably satisfying steak pies and Sunday roasts.
What really brings in the punters, though, is the chance to sink into a chesterfield by the fire, or find a spot to stand on the river-view first-floor veranda, down a pint and talk about the rugby match that’s just played out on the big screen.
On Boat Race day, the towpath resembles Trafalgar Square on New Year’s Eve, crowds packed around a hog roast and staff working like stevedores. On the other 364 days of the year, it’s busy but civilised, the dark-wood interior lending a slight sense of grandeur.