The Churchill Arms, Kensington

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#1,470 of 21,589 Restaurants in London$$ - $$$, Bar, Asian, Vegetarian friendly

+44 20 7727 4242+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

12:00 PM - 10:30 PM

Mon

11:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Tue

11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Wed

11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Thu

11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Fri

11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Sat

11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

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What is Travelers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.0

2,046 reviews

#1,470 of 21,589 Restaurants in London

Travelers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

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CUISINES

Bar, Asian, Thai, Grill, Pub

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Late Night, Drinks

features

Location and contact

119 Kensington Church Street, London W8 7LN England

+44 20 7727 4242

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Details

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About

The Churchill Arms lays claim to being London's most famous pub. Built in 1750, this Kensington pub was once frequented by Winston Churchill's grandparents and now many a modern day celebrity

CUISINES

Bar, Asian, Thai, Grill, Pub

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Late Night, Drinks

FEATURES

Reservations, Seating, Parking Available, Street Parking, Highchairs Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Digital Payments, Free Wifi, Discover, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

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4.0

2,046 reviews

Excellent

989

Very good

684

Average

183

Poor

Terrible

122

Vicky1345

Redditch12 contributions

Awesome 😎 casual Thai

Oct 2020 • friends

Deep in the heart of Kensington you stumble upon great ambiance, fabulous decor and a roaring open fire! 🔥 Leading through to the Thai restaurant dining area with interesting memorabilia and atmosphere the service was great and authentic as was the efficiency and the re delivery of more refreshments when ordered. Relaxed and casual the perfect place to catch up with friends and stunning flavours to the duck green curry and the Jungle curry soaked up with a plentiful portion of Thai sticky rice. Price wise, exceptionally good prices for an inviting and tasty restaurant experience with the majority of main courses commanding a price of £11 each. Thoroughly enjoyed!! Would definitely seek this one out again with intent.

Written October 15, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dave M

Wickford208 contributions

Wonderful pub full of character

Feb 2020 • friends

The Churchill Arms is a fabulous pub on Kensington Church St offering a full range of Fuller's beers (London Pride, ESB and 3other ales). The outside of the pub is covered in flowers &plants (even in February) while the inside has lots &lots of memorabilia on the walls and hanging from the ceiling (including lots on Winston Churchill &a large collection of bedpans) All the staff, especially the Irish landlord, were all very friendly. Attached to the pub is a Thai restaurant serving a whole range of tasty Thai dishes -all for £10 (a bargain in this part of London) Well worth seeking out!

Written February 6, 2020

C3051AHjamesk

Hi Dave, thank you for you review! Hope to see you again!

Written February 24, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Issey Dodd

London2 contributions

A fun and different pub night....

Feb 2020 • none

This pub is so much fun! From the extravagant and instrgamable exterior to the authentic and crazy thai restaurant any group is bound to have a laugh. The food was not ridiculously priced and tasted very good and authentic. The service is good although a bit like they quickly drop the food in front of you (adds to the authenticity though) but the overall service is fast so perfect for a quick pub lunch that is different to the usual

Written March 11, 2020

thechurchillarmsteam

Hi Issey, thank you for your review! We hope to see you soon :)

Written August 8, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Terry Maltby

Cathedral City3 contributions

Take a picture of the beautiful and quirky exterior and move on

Mar 2020 • none

Have passed by for many years and finally decided to give it a try hoping the inside would be as great as the outside. What a disappointment. Maybe drinking in the pub is good, but forget the Thai restaurant. They rush you through (1 hour at a table) and push you to order. We ordered a bottle of wine and at least 3 times servers walked by to take our order within 5 minutes. Once when we sat down and ordered wine, once while we waited for the wine and when the wine was delivered. When we said we wanted to have a sip before ordering, we were reminded again. If we had not opened the wine (you do it yourself) we would have left. I final said, "trust me we will only be an hour". The food was average at best and it is clear much is premade: we ordered spring rolls which appeared within 30 seconds of ordering. The clincher was that as we were finishing up a server came by and said we could stay longer as they did not have that many reservations! The food may be inexpensive, but not worth the rushing, the crowding and the herding. Do yourself a favor and if you must go inside, just have a pint and eat elsewhere.

Written March 13, 2020

gma71

Pleasant Hill2 contributions

Poor service Very rude server

Jan 2020 • none

I came in with friends who already had eaten at Borough Market but I wanted Thai food and Churchill Arms came up on our search and met up there so I can have dinner and they can have drinks. The bar was full when we came in so we decided to head to the restaurant side. The Asian lady who lead us to our table warned us we can only eat for an hour and leave the restaurant side. Btw, were Asians too but living in the US. Never went to a restaurant t that limits my time to eat nor drink. When we sat down, I ordered food and my friends ordered drinks. She said you have to order 4 entrees. I said they already ate. She asked us to leave and go to the bar side, wait for a table to open up and order food from her. This is the worst service I’ve had in any tavern, restaurant or even diner anywhere in the world. I’m glad we left. We don’t need to be treated like we can’t afford to pay for food and drinks. The worst tavern.

Written January 15, 2020

C3051AHjamesk

Hello there, We are sorry you had this experience at our Thai restaurant. Our waitress was just following the restaurant policy, which is one hour seating with all the people at the table having a meal. Our restaurant works mainly with bookings(but we try to give a table to walk-ins as well) and due to the high demand we must have some rules to be sure we give everybody a chance to try our lovely food. On the pub side, however, you can sit as long as you like and if you wish to order food from the restaurant, it doesn't matter how many of you are eating. We apologize if this made you feel uncomfortable or not welcome in and if you need more details, please email us at churchillarms@fullers.co.uk . Regards, The Churchill Arms

Written February 24, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Beatriz L

Hawthorne1 contribution

Visited on March 3, 2020.

Mar 2020 • none

Visited on March 3, 2020. Nice looking place but the Thai restaurant servers were extremely RUDE! We walked up to be seated for dinner and got asked numerous times by servers if we needed a table and we would say yes and they would just walk away. We were left there standing wondering what was happening. Finally after being seated they let us know we only had one hour to eat. We ordered beers and while I poured my beer into the glass it fizzled a lot and it got the server’s attention and then called other servers to look at how I was pouring my beer and they all laughed. I felt like they were talking about our table constantly, because they kept looking over and laughed. And when we would make eye contact with them they would look away because they would get caught starring. Management should really invest in training in proper customer service at this location. So unprofessional and extraordinarily RUDE!

Written March 25, 2020

Isabel C

8 contributions

Thai food

Jan 2020 • couples

I love the pub as it’s different and has something special. However when you go into the restaurant it can be quite unpleasant. First thing you are told you have an hour, service is rushed and depending on who the waitress is can be different. Today we went and the lady that was serving us was rude,unkind. There was a family with two kids and I felt embarrassed how she talked to them. I don’t know why some of them are so rude. I tried to speak to the restaurant manager but wasn’t there. It is such a pity the service is like that as it’s a beautiful pub,the food is delicious but I don’t know if it’s worth it with that kind of service.

Written January 3, 2020

C3051AHjamesk

Hi Isabel, Thank you for your feedback. We passed this review onto the Thai management. We are happy you loved our pub and we are sorry about your restaurant service experience. Hope to see you again.

Written February 24, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

GailMcKenzie

London31 contributions

Dinner for two

Dec 2020 • friends

Been going here for 20 years for food and drinks and always a lovely experience. Tonight I was so disappointed though, I’m away for most of this month working as cabin crew including Xmas so tonight was a special time to catch up with my friend for our Christmas meet up. We arrived and had to wait 10 mins whilst they seemed to have some issues with bookings no problem at all happy to wait I know it’s a difficult time. We sat down and ordered a drink which after 20 mins I was asked would I like a drink to tell them we did order as soon as we got in so again no problem and waited for our drink whilst enjoying the beautiful pub and catching up with my friend. Eventually someone came to take our meal order we ordered it came quickly then after maybe 5 mins after our meal and also ordering another wine in advance as the last took a while we were told we had to eat and be out in 20 mins and it was said exactly like that! We said we only just got our food and they said worse case scenario we can take what we haven’t eaten to go!! Absolutely shocked at this! Never in all my life eating in all sorts of places around the world have they said this and with such a short time to eat a meal too without any warning. Then the lady came over and told us we need to eat up quick as had to leave we both left half our meals as felt rushed and not enough time to eat to compensate I said ok we will pay can we just finish our drinks they in other words said no so I asked if a plastic glass and it was no again. The woman who dealt with this was beyond rude and had no customer service etiquette at all, just saying we everyone is told on entry when they had to leave but she failed to do so with us as they had there drama they were dealing with as I arrived instead so failed to tell me any of this. Meanwhile others having prawn crackers for there meal were allowed to stay much longer as there before we were and after with no bother from staff where we had a full blown meal. The meal was delicious pad khing & pad Thai as always ☺️Just a pity we were not allowed to finish it. Ruined our night tbh. Saying that the place is as always beautiful inside and out and the gentleman behind the bar was lovely and after handled it a lot better. Hate to complain ever! Understandably they need tables and it’s weird times but handled really badly. Maybe one of my first complaints on this site I just felt it was deserved.

Written December 7, 2020

la_vixen89

London43 contributions

Tasteless & Very Rude

Feb 2020 • none

I was always drawn to this pub due to it's beautiful exterior and seemingly traditional English vibe. Indeed, interior is as nice but it all falls in water when extremely rude Thai servers start emphasising that you have 1 hour to eat before even saying welcome. We ordered few curries and pad thai, all beyond tasteless. At this point you try to suck it up and at least have a good glass of wine, but no luck on that front either - their wine list is very poor. Thankfully it was just a random Saturday night and I was happy that I haven't gone to this place for a special occasion. The Churchill Arms has so much potential, hopefully someone will turn it around. Until then, I won't be back.

Written February 16, 2020

C3051AHjamesk

Hi there, Thank you for your feedback. We passed this review onto the Thai management. We are sorry about your restaurant service experience. we are sorry you found our wine list very limited we will pass this on to our wine developer. Hope to see you again.

Written February 24, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

MB 83

London1 contribution

Bring the old Churchill Arms back!

Mar 2020 • business

What happened to this once fantastic pub over the last 5 years is a crying shame... Place is becoming a tourist attraction only; prices go up and service goes further down every year. Rude, cold, and miserable bar staff. Have no clue what they are meant to be doing. Waiting 20 minutes for an overpriced flat pint and shocking minimal customer service. No greeting. No smile. No chat. Smelly, damp room. Disgusting toilets and tables. Mice infested. Empty glasses, plates uncleared for ages. Incompetent management. Less and less beer selection. Bland pad Thai. Despicable kitchen staff who still rush you through your meal every chance they get. No music. No fun. No banter. Nothing Irish. Just random tourists having their pictures taken in every corner of the pub with a few old pots, flowers and Winston in the background. All regulars and locals left as Jerry and bar staff also left one by one - no surprise here. Quite a shame.

Written June 28, 2020

CNF

2 contributions

Truly amazing and exceptional pub but very mediocre food and restaurant staff

Jun 2021 • family

This is a must see in London. The atmosphere and decor in the pub are exceptional. The pub staff are friendly and efficient. Unfortunately the food is quite basic, overpriced and the restaurant service is mediocre to say the least.

Written June 7, 2021

jaimeelsabio

Maryland5144 contributions

The food and service at the Thai restaurant were very good

Mar 2022 • couples

Went for dinner and came away pleased. The host was insistent that we could only stay for an hour which surprised me since the restaurant’s back room was entirely empty. The service was very good as was the food, the food arrived in a reasonable amount of time, and the food prices were reasonable. I felt the price for the glass of wine to be a little steep. We we’re finished within our allotted hour. I’m sure the limit was there to keep people from lingering after eating since tables were scarce in the bar.

Written March 3, 2022

Clare L

24 contributions

It’s a Thai restaurant, no it’s a pub, no it’s BOTH

Feb 2020 • solo

When my uncle told me he knew of a pub in London that was also a Thai restaurant, I was all ears! The staff was very attentive despite it being a busy night, and the food and drinks I ordered were exactly as described and came out fast. A great way to enjoy some ethnic food in London while also getting the pub experience and you could tell the place was very historic. Convenient from the tube and also walking from several neighborhoods.

Written February 21, 2020

C3051AHjamesk

Hi Clare, thank you for you review, we are very happy you enjoyed! Hope to see you again!

Written February 24, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

belen m

Madrid50 contributions

Absolute dissappointment

Feb 2023 • couples

Absolutely dissappointing. You go through the pub onto the restaurant and as soon as you say you have a reservation an impolite lady tells you that you have one hour to eat and she takes you to your table in quite a rude way. The tables in the dining area are too close together, you can perfectly understand the conversations of the people eating around you. The food is tasteless, big pieces of pepper and carrots and not spicy at all. We ordered our curry to be spicy and it wasn't. All in a rush, we hadn't even finished our food, they brought the bill. Come on, we are eating!! We would NOT recommend this restaurant whatsoever: rude waiters, simple and tasteless food, and ugly tableware (the dishes were like if you were at school!). Not worth it at all.

Written March 21, 2023

Graeme M

Hamilton164 contributions

“This was our finest hour (of Thai food during our London trip)” - Winston Churchill

Jun 2022 • friends

The place is a wedding cake of flowers and union jacks on the outside, more union jacks and British symbolism and Winston Churchill stuff inside. A fun place to be on the eve of the Platinum Jubilee weekend, we drank pints of Guinness while waiting for our reserved table to open up. I was pleased to find out our dinner would be Thai, because who wouldn’t? (Sour reviewers on this comment board, that’s who. Sheesh.) Our apps of spring rolls and dumplings were delicious and plentiful and my order of Green Curry Beef was as expected from my cravings. Well done, Churchill Arms, we had a splendid time!

Written June 7, 2022

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THE CHURCHILL ARMS, KENSINGTON, London - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor