Address: 1 Allen Street, W8 6UX
Nearest Station: High Street Kensington
Welcome: Good; Service: Good (SIT); Beer: Good; Toilets: Good
Cost of two pints and a glass of wine: £14.34 (Young’s Bitter)
Guest: Mum; Word: Eclectic; Person: Rupert Penry-Jones
Rating: 8/10
We were never expecting to find a cramped local boozer in Kensington, but the Britannia is really at the other end of the spectrum. With Young’s Bitter, Special, Hummingbird, and Bombardier on tap, it’s a Young’s pub but not as you know it: here the picture of the Queen Mother pulling a pint is framed in regal gold. In fact, with such a strong emphasis on food over ale, it’s not much like a pub at all.
After our tumultuous trip to Deptford, we were looking forward to a quiet pint among the elegance of Kensington. Alas, it was not to be. Fortunately for the other punters at The Queen’s Arms, all the tension was confined to our table – with Dad arguing that the pub deserved only 8/10, and Mum passionately making the case for 8.5. (For the record, it was clearly an 8.) Everyone else seemed to be enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and charming bonhomie: The Queen’s Arms is a pub entirely devoid of animosity.
Pub Impressions 