Tuesday 11 November 2008

The Kings Tun

The resident JD Weatherspoon bar is no doubt the largest and most popular drinking venue. We've been putting this one off due to it's impersonal and commercialistic feel.
Over the last few years this place has turned into a haven for the young, loud boozer. Deafening DJ's often play sets on weekends with their sole purpose to make you talk less and therefore drink more. If driving past on a Friday or Saturday night, be sure to keep to the middle or right hand lanes as you undoubtedly be blocked by an ambulance otherwise.
It was pleasant to come on a weekday and see the contrast of getting served straight away and being able to find somewhere to take a pew.
Those who work in a pub should know how to pull a pint, which made it especially strange that staff made us walk from the upstairs bar all the way to the downstairs with no explanation when ordering a round.
Bear in mind this place closes at 12am weekdays, there will be no 'time at the bar' warnings and you'll have literally 5 minutes to drink up and get out.
Other things to note are the jet powered 'air-force' hand-dryers in the WC, they claim to use 50% less energy than regular dryers, this is because no one dares to put their hands under them for any length of time for fear of dislocating both wrists. Towards the end of the day it will be nigh on impossible to find a table that won't smell of food scrapings or not be stickier than a gecko's foot.
The Kings Tun might not be the nicest, but it will certainly be the cheapest place you can buy a pint in Kingston.
-Alex




Really we should have done this one ages ago but we left it till last as we used to go here lots until it changed to a lloys bar then it all went downhill. Personally the whole point of Wetherspoons bars was somewhere to go to get some cheap drinks and catch up with your mates, then move onto a place playing music loud enough to cause permanent damage. Once it went to Lloyds it then took over 20mins to get served while standing under a 200W speaker which is almost one of the reasons this website came into existence, to catch up as our usual Friday hangout meant we were meeting up but couldn’t actually talk. I was pleasantly surprised to find they have now disconnected the upstairs speakers and being a Tuesady it was really empty so service was very fast as well, this is of course until 11 and everyone upstairs is forced to relocate to the ground floor, not great when you have to settle at a new table for the last hour of opening, then all of a sudden as soon as 12 hits you have bouncers saying to drink up now and get out, which is not great when you have just been served and have a full pint to get through, having to neck it in less than 10mins did not help me the next morning, if they want to leave work at 12:15 then stop serving at 11:30! Otherewise defiantly the cheapest round and central location in Kingston work in its favour so they can afford not to worry about the service level as people will always come back. I know I will more for these reasons than any other!
-Andrew


Drinks Price
(Strongbow, JD & Coke, J2O)

Snacks

Alex's Score

Andrew's Score

Oliver's Score

£6.03

Yes

7.3

7.9

8.7




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