White Horse, The

TheLongBeachBum

California

2.66/5  rDev -36.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2 | service: 1 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

What a difference a few years makes. Decided to stop by here for a quick beer with BA RichLightWeight on my way to Heathrow after an excellent weekend in London.

The whole visit was laughable. Just after midday and we entered a quiet Sloaney Pony. Given that time was pressing I ordered a half of Roosters Yankee and Rich ordered an Echte Kriek…..this is where the fun started.

Our Server - I forget his name but I’ll call him Kevin as it seems appropriate as he acted like one - was a cross between Mr. Magoo, ‘Brains’ from Thunderbirds, looked like Elvis Costello and had the demeanor of Inspector Clouseau. He tried to pull an Echte Kriek for Richard from the completely wrong tap; it took Richard to point out the right one. But they were still cleaning the lines, rather shabby that, good Pubs typically do that before they open. Even so when it was pointed out by another dude behind the bar (one who knew what he was doing) that they were cleaning the lines, he still tried to pull an Echte Kriek from the tap Richard was pointing to – go figure! OK, so he gave up on that and said it was being cleaned and then proceeded to tell Richard about other keg “Lagers” that they had – WTF!? OK, so my turn, I’ll take a half of Roosters Yankee, took him a while to find the right Handpump and then he grabbed a Pint glass, I reminded him that I wanted a half only – duh! Finally after all that, we find that he has all the Mathematic skills of an Enron Accountant. He stood at the bar trying to work out the prices and then wanted some £5 odd for the two halves, both Richard and I reminded him that we had half Pints……took another minute or too to figure that out…..I am thinking “dude you have a cash register to add up for you”…..but there in also lay trouble, he didn’t seem to know how to use it, it took all of 5 minutes (no exaggeration) to get my change, at times I figured he had fallen asleep standing up at the cash register as he stared at it, thankfully the other dude came back and “speeded” things up a bit. I swear it took nearly 10 minutes overall and many, many reminders and corrections to get two “quick” halves. Utterly crap service. Totally Laughable.

Range is still good, when they are not cleaning the lines out during working hours, which did not impress me I have to say.

Quality was shit; the Roosters Yankee was flat, insipid and lifeless. Didn’t have the heart to take it back after the length of time it took originally, so it was time to leave and head to the Airport where the quality of the Greene King World Cup beer and service at Heathrow T1 Wetherspoons was better than here!!

So I re-mark my original from below accordingly. Do I feel bad about marking it down? NO. Yes I know they can do better, but the whole point is that they did not.

Good range for sure, but the White Horse feels like it is resting on its Laurels and seems to employ them along with Hardy behind the bar.

I’m in no hurry to come back here, if I will at all, too may better joints in London these days.

Last Visit: Monday 26th June, 2006


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LEGENDARY. And that is no understatement. Imposing looking building that was tidied up in 1999 with a sympathetic refurbishment. At the Northern end of Parsons Green (the nearby triangular park area). I had the best Pint of Draught Bass that I have ever had in my 18 years drinking here, as well as many of the special beers from the Bass Museum Brewery. Also sells Highgate Dark Mild on a regular basis. All of the other Handpumps sell a rotating, ever changing, choice of Guest Beers, which are a combination of some of the best beers the UK has to offer plus some newbie’s from independents - ALL in exceptionally good condition. Very friendly, welcoming atmosphere, I just love lounging around in the leather sofas - it is just like drinking at home. When the weather is nice you can sit outside and watch life in SW6 as it happens, but be prepared to fight for a seat. The high quality of the beverages also extends to the Food. I am unhealthy, and love the big English Fried Breakfast (ah, what the hell?!?), but the other food is wholesome and well made. Service is just superb. Also has a good range of Belgium and UK Bottled Beers plus a small selection from further a field. Frequently holds Beer Festivals, often themed (e.g. Milds, IPA's, etc.). Cask Marque accredited. Make the trip - it's worth it.

Original Scores: 4.5 / 5.0 / 4.5 / 4.5 / 4.5 = 4.65

07-08-2006 07:46:38 | More by TheLongBeachBum

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev -2.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$$

I went with 2 friends on a Thursday night, around 8:00pm, and the place appeared to be packed. There was some seating out front, beer garden style, that was crammed full of people. Walking into the pub, we found a standing-room only crowd filled with what looked like financial types just getting off work. We snaked through the crowd with little hope of finding a place to sit, and to our surprise we found a quiet room in back set up for restaurant service. Seating for about 20 in this room, all at tables with benches and chairs.

The taps list is great but not worth traveling across town, lots of cask offerings but you can find these in many other places in London. For me the real draw is the food. Pricy but very very good.

The beers were mainly UK, with some American craft beer thrown in. I'm not sure how many casks, but I guess around 10 or more. Excellent quality, but not worth travelling for if you don't want to be walled in by yuppies (or posh-tossers if I correctly guess a previous reviewer's meaning).

04-26-2010 01:05:35 | More by TurdFurgison

francisweizen

Australia

4.28/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4

A famous pub right by the Parsons green stop on the tube, in a nice area of fulham/chelsea. The atmosphere is nice, with the building looking great from the outside. Inside it is all dark wood, and dimly lit....nice. The selection and quality of beers is great, as I had a few great UK bitters and a pint of Alaskan winter ale (!) when I was here. They also serve up food, which is good but a little pricy. I had the chicken ceaser salad, and my friend had the salmon salad, and both were mighty tasty. The prices are good for a place as nice as this....I recommend it.

11-06-2003 18:15:46 | More by francisweizen

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.9/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

I visit London fairly regular and I always try and pop in here if I can. It can get really busy, so the outside drinking area is a real bonus when the weather is fine. They have Bar-B-Q's on the area sometimes too.

Inside people from all walks of life can be found enjoying the vast choice (for London) of beers. The range is always changing with good quality cask ales and continental beers dispensed through fonts. I have never tried the bottle selection, I prefer draught beers when out.

The service can let the place down, but it does get busy, as I have said already, but some of the staff haven't a clue about what they are selling, or how to add up.

The food is good and well cooked, a little expensive, even for London, but there is a good chippy close to the tube station if you are on a budget.

I have taken a lot of people here over the years for their first visit, many have returned and everyone has been impressed with the beer, food and the pub in general.

It is well away from the normal tourist areas of London, but with a day pass on the transport system and being so close to the tube line, it is easy to find and get too.

08-16-2006 09:21:59 | More by BlackHaddock

UncleJimbo

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4

The White Horse is located just up the street from the Parson's Green tube station (turn right as you exit the station), and right on the Green. This is a great pub, and the only one that I visited twice during my recent London visit.

The interior of the pub is somewhat "no frills" with a wooden floor and a bar with no stools and with tables and some naughahyde sofas and various mismatched chairs and tables inside and some seating outside. I saw a varied crowd here and even saw a few dogs wandering around inside the pub. This place was very busy even on a Sunday evening, but it is worth it.

I counted 32 taps and 15 beer engine hand pumps. The beer selection was excellent: some examples during my visit were Abbaye des Rocs, Chimay Tripel, Lucifer, Maredsous, Leifmans Kriek, Hoegaarden, Elderberry Ebulum, etc., etc. There was also a large selection of good bottled beers including Le Coq Imperial Stout, and many well known Belgian beers.

I found the service to be very good, and beers were served in either pint glasses or half pint tulip style glasses. The prices were right in line for London. I did not have a chance to sample the food, but the menu looked good with some standard pub offerings and a few interesting others.

Definitely a "must see" when in London!

Updated Nov. 2004

Had a few meals here during this visit. The food was quite good: typical English pub fare as well as some interesting ecclectic dishes. Prices were on the high side for pub food, but worth it.

12-24-2003 10:14:37 | More by UncleJimbo

drewbage

California

4.45/5  rDev +7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4

Woo hoo!

This is of course a world famous pub in that people here in the States know about the place.

I have had a few great summertime pints here sitting out on the green and in the pub.

WARNING: This joint gets hopping during ye old English happy hour. and you'll be stressed finding your more than 3 sq ft in which to stand let alone sit.

Beer of course is the reason to hit the tube out of the heart of London to come here. Mark Dorber maintains a tight cellar with a far more wide ranging and changing selection of beer than most of the pubs I spent my time in.

Food is good, but slightly more expensive than the norm (as is the beer, but hey..)

If you're a nice and reasonable fellow showing interest in beer you can catch Mark in a good mood and get him to show you around the cellar. It's a good lesson.

Go here you fools! Where else in Britian can you find Anchor products, too! :)

12-12-2003 07:47:29 | More by drewbage

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

4.16/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$$

Don't know what else to add to the previous reviews of this pub. Simply put, this is a fine pub, but not exactly a "REAL-REAL ALE pub". It has well-selected bottled beers and wines, consistently high quality real ales on draught (with Harvey's Best and Roosters' ales as regulars) served amongst their twelve-strong handpumps (though not always all of them are working), and impressive gastro-pub food menu. But, although that doesn't spoil the overall atmosphere at all, quite often you spot posh clientele going for a bottle of champagne and fine food rather than guarding a pint of decent malt-products at the bar as in lots of REAL-REAL ALE pubs over here. (OK maybe I should stop fussing.)

My latest visit was at their Old Ale Festival (25-6/11/05) and all the beer engines were working along with all taps, serving around 16 different strong ales and winter/X'mas brews on draught and tap at any time (from the totally 60 of them!!), be it English, Scottish, Belgian, German or Dutch, and all beers were in perfect condition and those which were soon sold out were replaced without hesitation. But when the pub was really packed with Real Ale fans from all over the world and got more and more hectic, the pressure gradually wreaked its toll on several young bar staff and their quality of service: under-measured real ales, frowns upon and impatience with customers asking for a reasonable top-ups, things like these happened right before me on at least three occasions. I don't know, as being under such pressure I'm not sure I could keep smiling like a summer sun. But my fellow punters, older CAMRA members murmured about how good their service used to be, etc. I suddenly wished I was older, for the first time in my life, for that matter...

12-02-2005 20:12:18 | More by wl0307

CRJMellor

Arkansas

4.45/5  rDev +7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5

This is it ! Real English pub with excellent food and even better selections of beers. The menu changes fairly regularly with a few standards always available. Beer selection changes often and The White Horse always seems to be having some sort of Festival of beers. The Old Ale Festival is probably the most well-know but I was in there once and they were having a festival of beers from East Anglia.
The only downside I've seen is that when it very busy (on most weekend nights) the staff can get a little surly.
Overall, White Horse is a beer mecca and worth the trip if your travels take you to London. You will always find a beer you have not had there.

11-24-2003 13:58:30 | More by CRJMellor

HardTarget

Texas

4.14/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Wow. 6-7 cask ales and a lot of great bottles (Anchor, Cantillon, Rodenback, Leifman, most of the Trappists). I spied an Imperial Gonzo, and even though it seemed a bit silly to drink an American beer here, I've never had one so I had to give it a good home. Old well worn wood everywhere up to the tall white ceiling. Long tables that encourage mixing of parties. A great 3-sided square bar that provided lots of spots for easy access. A large outside seating area with a barbecue grill working serving pricey hamburgers and sausages, but the prices at the bar were very reasonable.
The place started out busy, but fairly quiet at about 4 PM but by 11 when I left the place was crazy packed on a Wed. night. Clientele was fairly upscale. Started up a great conversation with a few guys that lasted many beers. The bartender commented to me that I needed to turn these guys onto Ales, as they were drinking Lagers. I did my BA bit, but didn't push it. Just tried to tell them they were in a world class restaurant and were only ordering french fries. Oh well.
Great time, I'm glad I called it a slightly early night as to not miss the Tube!

07-26-2006 12:55:11 | More by HardTarget

taez555

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +1.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

Headed over to the White Horse on a busy Wednesday night in August, my second night in London on my honeymoon. It’s a little out of the way depending on where you are in London, but it’ not to hard to find as long as you make sure to take a right out of the Parson’s green tube stop. It’s barely a block up the street on the left-hand corner.

A classic dark woody English pub style room with a big U shaped bar that is enveloped by a pretty large U shaped room. There are no seats at the bar, tables all along the walls, some couches and rails to place your beer on when you stand. There’s a pretty large seating area outside during the summer. It’s your typical, order at the bar, London style service. Although, I did eat outside and there was a waitress getting food and drinks, but most people seemed to just go to the bar instead.

The beer selection was decent on tap and cask. Cask seemed to be just a wider selection of your typical London cask Young’s and Fullers. There were some other interesting offerings as well as some Belgian and even American beers on normal tap as well. The bottle menu was something else all together. Nearly 100 bottles from around the world. There seemed to be more Belgian and English beers than anything else. I was tempted to order the Rochfort 10, but ended up hitting the Guinness Special Export, which you can’t find here in the States.

The food here was phenomenal. A very eclectic, almost artsy food menu. Not your typical London Pub Grub. My wife ordered the roast pumpkin salad with pine nuts and goat cheese, which was exceptional. I ordered the fish and chips which were easily the best I had in London.

Honestly, I wasn’t really that impressed with the White Horse on my visit. It was so crowded, smokey and had such a young 20 something type crowd you really couldn’t appreciate the beer as much. I’d defiantly want to check out this place out during the day when you could just sit back and relax. Worth a visit, just not my first choice in London.

08-31-2004 07:59:48 | More by taez555