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The Pubs of Windsor

Windsor has a good range of pubs and wine bars, from the deeply traditional to the sleekest modern bars.

Best Pub in Windsor

two brewers - the best pub in windsorThe greatest pub in Windsor is without doubt
The Two Brewers on Park Street. For almost every day of the year it is nigh on perfect, with great atmosphere, excellent cellar management and a wine list that never fails to please. Its location, about 20 yards from the great park could be better either. The management are friendly and the food is excellent. The only time of the year to avoid the Two Brewers is during Ascot week when for a few days it gets overtaken by the biggest bunch of wankers you will ever have the misfortune to meet.

For a riverside town it is surprising that Windsor doesn't have a riverside pub. The Riverhouse a short distance downstream from the bridge is great in summer, sitting outside, but it is now a restaurant inside (although it must be said, it is a good restaurant)..

Three Tuns
The building by the present Guildhall was erected in 1518 and served as the Town Hall until the 17th Century when it became an Inn. I like this pub, but it rarely surfaces on my beer radar.

The Highlander and Carpenter's Arms, both close to the Guildhall are recommended by ex-Windsor resident Michael Gegg for their warm welcome, good atmosphere and fine dining.

A little way down the hill, The King and Castle Pub on Thames Street (part of the J D Wetherspoon pub chain) is recommended as a lovely place for Sunday Morning coffee.

The Royal Oak Pub, close to Windsor and Eton Riverside Station has an excellent range of beers and a high quality lunch menu. Although the building looks 1930s there has been a pub on this site for hundreds of years and the landlord knows loads about its history.

The Swan at 9 Mill Lane, Clewer is the best surviving traditional pub in the area. Live music and a good atmosphere in this small cozy local near to the youth hostel.

Some people think of Brown's on Barry Avenue as a riverside pub, but some people are just plain wrong. it isn't! It does have a good sized terrace but the ersatz decor inside leaves me cold. It used to be the Fort & Firkin and before that it was the legendary Old Trout, a great live music venue. Before that it was called the Thames Hotel.

The Corner House at 22 Sheet Street on the Corner with Victoria Road has a nice upper deck where you can hide away with a pint and enjoy a very pleasant afternoon watching the traffic below. The Corner House has recently changed ownership, so we will wait to see if it can return to it's glory days of the 1990s when as 'the corner bar' it was one of Windsor's best hang outs. They currently run comedy evenings on the last wednesday of each month. Call 01753 862 031 for details.

The Prince Arthur Pub on Grove Road has recently been refurbished but still retains an authenticity which attracts loyal local custom.

The Vannsittart Arms on Vannsittart Road is known as either 'the vanny' or 'the Fancy Tart' by most locals. This is a great summer pub with a welcoming staff and quaint atmosphere, although it can get overcrowded at weekends. The strange name commemorates the Vansittart family who came to England from Holland in the sixteenth century. In the nineteenth century they owned lots of land around the area and Nicholas Vannsittart rose to the rank of Chancellor of the Exchequer and was knighted as Lord Bexley. It is no coincidence that the pub on the other side of the street is called the Bexley Arms.

The Alma on 61 Springfield Rd is a strange place and we love it. It is an old-style local with regulars at the bar, odd decorations and a thursday quiz night. They don't even have a great selection of beers, but on the plus side they do some really smart food at very cheap prices. Even the chips are cooked to perfection and served with style. Their chili in a bun is legendary. Bring guests and show them a distinctly different but rather endearing side to Windsor.

Despite the evocative name, The Copper Horse on Alma Rd, Windsor is not one of Berkshire's prettiest pubs. It is strictly a 'locals only' boozer on the ground floor of the ward royal 1970s housing estate.

Bel and the Dragon (formerly known as 'William IV' and 'Southwestern') is more a restaurant than a pub, but it is a good one and the location is great, right by the bridge.

The Waterman's Arms on Brocas St, just across the river in Eton has an interesting history. The building dates from the Sixteenth Century and has gone through various uses, one of which was as a mortuary. Local legend has it that in the seventeenth the victims of the plague were so many that the cellars were used as a temporary dumping ground for the thousands of corpses who dies in Windsor and Eton.

The Bell at 2 Dedworth Rd is about a mile from the town centre on the Dedworth Road where it joins Parsonage Lane, just opposite Hatch Lane. Inside it is a strange pub, decorated like no other I have ever seen. Nothing about it really made me think "I must come back here again" although it is technically the closest pub to my house and so is a candidate for being 'my local'.

Directly opposite, The Three Elms has poker nights.

More Pubs in Windsor

In Addition, there are a number of other good pubs and bars in Windsor:

Further afield there is good food at Ye Old Hatchet - Hatchet Lane, Winkfield, Berkshire. This pub is a few miles south of Windsor through the great park, but the trip to the old hatchett in winkfield is worth it for both atmosphere and quality of food.