Spring Grove

Ask anyone when walking around Kingston what their favourite pub is, and while their special places may vary, a vast majority will say the "nicest" is The Spring Grove. Off the main road that connects Kingston to Surbiton, round the back of the University is a quaint area that doesn't look like it belongs. Old shop fronts - a bakery, an offy, a church, terraced houses, a sort of rural calmness prevails. First discovered on a crawl a few years back, it won me over with their gigantic garden (heated and covered), which is amazing when not resembling a crèche. On repeated visits, the snug was a prime viewing spot for the weekend football, no longer showing, due to lack of interest and an ownership change. Which is a shame. But nothing is too much trouble for the staff who work here, a refreshing positivity that we all sorely need. It feels like it's split into 4-5 areas, the stunning sky lights dominating the two main restaurant spaces, the booth filled kitchen fronted area usually occupied by swaths of families, and front area with a few TVs taken up by a much more varied crowd. It used to get full on weekends, but I've not seen it too busy for a while. Beer wise it's the usual Young's suspects. Young's Ales and Neck-Oil on tap seem to be the go-tos mixed among the macro lagers. Hepcat is a nice addition, as well as a varied alcohol-free range. The Spring Grove was probably responsible for over half my consumed Neck Oils a few years ago, which now seem to mostly taste like soap wherever I go. Food, it's pub fare but very good. Proper hefty portions, filling and tasty. Christmas day menu was a belter when we were still mid-covid. I could bang on for days about the pigs in blankets in yorkshires. History wise there's not a whole lot distinctly notable, but it's still *old*. The venue itself dates back to 1896, as part of the Spring Grove estate developed by Mr Palmer Porter, designed as an area with affordable homes for those working in Kingston. There's a real community feeling here that is written about in most references to the area, it does feel like a space with its own identity. Young's have a real talent for making pubs "nice", and this is one of the nicest. Despite the majority of this review being adapted from over a year ago, I still love coming here, and recommend you do too if you're in the area.

Absolutely incredible service at the Spring Grove. We got married here on Easter Weekend with 75 guests. From start to finish the service was wonderful - Ed and Rebecca were really communicative and fully on board with all of our ideas for the day in the planning stages. The menu choices were really broad with something for everyone. The team were all really flexible, opening up for us to get in the morning of the wedding and set up. All of our guests commented on how fantastic the food was, everything was really fresh and all of the staff were so lovely and hospitable throughout the day. We couldn't have asked for a better day - thank you so much to everyone at the Spring Grove for all you did for us!

Quaint pub with great style, great drink, amazing food and fantastic service. The garden is incredible in the summer especially the snug at the end. Can't fault this place.

Really nice pub, the team are so friendly and you feel very welcomed straight away and the service is great. Food was absolutely delicious too and it’s a really nice atmosphere throughout. Can’t wait to come back again soon! :)

Hosted our engagement party over the weekend. Words cannot describe how lovely the staff were towards us. They were tentative, caring and generous. I would highly recommend this venue for any function and will be using them in the future. Thank you to all the staff and management! 5* service