Dartmouth Castle

we went on a friday night and had no trouble getting a table even tho it was reasonably busy.

i had one of the nicest and most tender piece of roast lamb that i have ever had and delicious roast potatoes with lots of bread, olive oil and balsamic to start.

good selection of reasonably priced wines too.

service was relaxed but then it is a pub so it's what i would expect. menu often changes so will definitely go back at some point.
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Annie - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, August 13, 2008

I like this gastro pub. It is often very busy (week days and week end), so I recommend to go after 9 to avoid long waiting times for your meal and queues at the bar The pub itself is very charming .The quality of the food is excellent and the portions are big enough to satisfy stomachs of any size. I recommend lamb and meat.
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- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Friday, February 15, 2008

My girlfriend and I found this fantastic gastropub purely by chance: - we were walking home along overstone road but ducked in to it to take cover from the rain. We walked in to find the pub cosily light by numerous candles and the lights dimmed to create a perfect atmosphere. Good music was playing softly and the soft but excited voices of the customers created a warm and friendly atmosphere. The friendly bar staff greeted us upon entry and served us quickly and efficiently. They helped my girlfriend choose a fantasic glass of red wine - The Calbuco - Merlot while I chose a pint of Kronenberg from their good selection of lagers and ales. We sat down near the warm radiator and looked at the menu which enticed us to stay for dinner. And what a choice we were faced with - all the dishes were extremely interesting - ranging from a poached salmon salad to a ribeye steak with new potatoes, green beans and salsa verde. I settled on the grilled tuscan sausages with mashed potatoes and red onion marmalade while Ali chose the 'Saltimbocca of monkfisk' wityh parma ham, sage and sauteed potatoes. Our meals were amazing: - the service was quick, the staff were friendly and we stopped thinking about the rain outside!

We will definately be back - this time with friends so we can share this great experiece with them!!!
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sugarplum - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, January 24, 2008

Just having been here for a Friday lunch from work, considering they tell you it's 30 minute wait for food, and you only receive the starter (basket of bread) after 45 minutes, doesn't make it a lunch time venue. Good food, very very slow service and all the staff too busy to interrupt. With a menu of excuses which didn't really support themselves, i'll only eat here during lunch hours if I can order ahead. In saying that, I'm now at my desk with my takeaway order and very nice stuffed peppers. However, it would have been much nicer with friends, beer and maybe even wine. Big disappointment for a lovely London pub. I did mention to the waitress about various bad reviews I had read about the service and how unfortunate that they came true.

When querying for the third time where our food was, we were advised "by the kictchen" that ours would be next out in a couple minutes, so five minutes later when the guys at the next table (who ordered 15 minutes after us) received their main, it became clear that Dartmouth Castle cannot handle the amount of tables they have available. Hence the refund and takeaway meal (although I was only offered one or the other I exclaimed it's a waste of my once off lunch out so then finally offered both).

Also quite loud so you feel the need to block your outside ear to hear your friends, and half shout rather than talk.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Friday, October 05, 2007

Went here for a quick dinner and was completely disappointed. My meal consisted of a full portion of goat's cheese on a bed of rocket salad with oil and vinegar and charged £15. Is it just me or can any idiot throw that together?

Maybe it had been so long since the place had eating customers the chef forgot how to cook, we were the only people there...
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hungry
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Thursday, November 16, 2006

I can't help wonder if this place has suddenly had a change of management. Went there on a Sunday recently expecting the same old happy, smiley, friendly and efficient service and was met with a barman who couldn't care less and was more happy messing about with his mates/fellow staff outside

They are still serving good food but the price:quality ratio also seems to have taken a tumble along with the inspiration. £11.50 for a pork chop with mash is pretty excessive.

This is a big shame as it was my absolute favourite place in Hammersmith but after that experience we'll be staying well clear.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Hammersmith's King Street has been crying out for a decent gastro offering since the Autumn House closed and reopened as an eat-as-much-as-you-pike thai buffet and the Dartmouth fits the bill perfectly. Hidden discretely away behind the old Citibank building, it's nicely off the beaten track and well worth deviating from King Street for. (It's a little-known yet scientifically proven fact that your chances of being called 'bruv' decrease in proportion to your distance from King Street).

Anyway, back to the pub. The soothing dark green exterior and sturdy wooden tables tick the required gastro-pub decor boxes. Likewise the staff have that bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and enthusiastic demeanour you can only ever get by paying over and above the minimum bar wage. It's cute, but I amuse myself by running a private book on how many times myself and my girlfriend are addressed as "guys" while here. The clientele are correspondingly classy - "the girls" lunching post-gym, trios of rugger lads feeding hangovers, the odd couple - copies of the Indy and the Grauniad are as much a part of the decor as the distressed wood. The background music is unobtrusive.

Food-wise this place is a winner. The menu changes daily and in several visits I've yet to find my choice stymied by a case of "had-that-one-don't-want-it-again." The cutlery and condiments condiments appear with bonus warm-from-the-oven slices of crusty granary bread with a shallow bowl of extra-virgin oil for dipping. I'd recommend sharing a plate of the antipasti, crostini with a very livery liver paté, roast peppers and feta and a pair of fantastically moreish chorizo and vegetable fritattas. My main of leg of lamb in red wine was surely accomplished and well-presented, a generous portion of tender lamb accompanied by a chorizo gratin and minted yoghurt was well worth the £11 charged. The chef did appear to go a bit mad shaving and shaping the garnish but who minds a little showboating every now and again? My girlfriend opted for the portobello mushroom and asparagus risotto and was as happy with her choice as I was with mine.

For around £40 for two padded out with a few beers and soft drinks you'd be hard pressed to do better among the á la microwave chain pubs on and around King Street. The Dartmouth Castle represents an excellent post-shop lunch alternative.
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Tom
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, May 02, 2006

I tried this restaurant last summer, the food was excellent. (especially "Beef in Guinness" which is a must-taste).

The atmosphere is really good, the decoration is charmful.

This place isn't the most romantic place in London.. but it's for sure a place I love.
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Raphaël B.
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, February 13, 2006