- The Antelope
- 87 Maple Road
- Surbiton
- KT6 4AW
- UK
- www.theantelope.co.uk
- 0208 399 5565
The Antelope
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Surbiton.com 1998 - 2024
Comments
I called in last weekend for a drink and was extremely disappointed with the attitude of the the new lady owner who told me I would have to learn to have conversation when I politely asked if the Rugby would be playing! I hope she doesn't aim to insult all customer like this-good ale or not.
Don't buy that at all, know the owners from previous pubs and they are possibly the most accommodating people I've ever met. I would assume you chose to talk at her at your displeasure at the no sport policy and she understandably pointed out that it was a one way conversation.
Why do some people have to be so rude on this site?
Showing some manners and a bit of respect to other people (even when you disagree with what they are saying) isn't that hard, you know.
You might assume that the OP "chose to talk at her at your displeasure...", but as you were not there to witness the event, your assumptions on this are pretty inconsequential.
It is probably best to keep quiet unless you have something important to say.
Yes, that is poor. I personally love the fact that this pub is sport-free, but there is no excuse for being rude like that.
So does this pub not show the rugby anymore? It was rammed for the Lions last summer, that is a great shame for me as it was one of the only places around that had rugby on.
No screens at all that I could see. The rugby was always a fun experience at this place, but watching football (especially Chelsea) wasn't so I am pleased overall.
Sport free, what a wonderful thing to hear, I hear the ales good too and if it was child free I might consider moving in.
Great news about the new owners.
The Sussex has the best selection of craft beers (lots of rare US stuff too). If they make the Antelope even half as good, it'll be awesome.
That's such great news. Used to go fairly regularly until the owner was incredibly rude to us. I would never wish anyone out of business but this sounds like a great step for Surbiton.
Yep, I walked past it this morning, and it is now called 'The Antelope - Ale & Cider House'.
This pub deserves to be good - it is a nice building in a good location. There have been so many false starts and it never actually turns into anything decent, but this sounds very promising.
The Grove took two refurbs before becoming a good pub, but it is still a food-led chain, so hopefully the Antelope can become Maple Road's good 'proper' pub.
Maple Road should have all bases covered then with the variety already offered by Gordon Bennett, Rubicon, French Table/Tarte, The Grove and Da Lucio.
Not bad for such a small strip, and it would be good if the rest of Surbiton/Kingston learnt from that example.
I finally managed to get in here on the weekend, after it was too busy on Thursday and Friday nights.
As promised, this has turned from one of Surbiton's worst pubs into one of it's best. A very nice atmosphere, good refurb, a fantastic selection of beer at quite reasonable prices and even a loyalty card to enjoy every 10th pint free!
There was a very nice crowd in their on the weekend, and I really hope they can make this a lasting success.
My rating is for the news that the owners of the sussex arms are taking the antelope over.....all rejoice!!
I actually travel from surbiton to twickenham to drink in the sussex as it is quite possibly the best pub I have frequented!
I simply cannot wait! Was in the sussex last night and saw a poster for the antelope....apparently opens on Feb 6th. Woo hoo.
The owner is a complete burke. Avoid
The Antelope is about to go under new management. Ash & Pete who are taking it over are responsible for transforming the Sussex Arms in Twickenham into one of the best pubs in London! They are installing 15 hand pumps with a constantly rotating range of ales and cider from independent breweries from accross the UK, plus there will be 8 keg lines with some great craft beer. They also have plans to build a small brewery on the site which they hope to have up and running by the summer.
They are closing for the next 3 weeks for refurbisments and should be open by mid February.
This place WILL be great. If you don't believe me check out the Sussex Arms!!!
Yay! sounds like a proper pub may emerge from the shambolic shell of what is essentially an attractive pub in a good location,let us hope children,juke boxes and big screen tvs are forbidden.
The Antelope pub is terrible. I went in there the other night with my mother. There was a bald headed man who marched up to a young man and proceeded to shout and swear at him. The young man had accidentally knocked his own drink over. The man who said he was the owner told him to f***ing leave if he did it again and did not clear the drink up. It was all over the floor, the lady behind the bar came over with some toilet roll to clear it up and the owner told her to leave it. The young man was very intimidated, my mother and I were very scared for our safety. This behavior towards paying customers is grossly unacceptable and I do not suggest anyone visits this establishment.
I haven't been to the Antelope for years, but I live nearby and I have seen the guy are are talking about stalking around outside acting similarly to how you describe. I assumed it was some thuggish customer! The fact it is the owner makes me want to go even less.
It is a shame because it is a nice looking pub in a nice part of town, but there are plenty of other options nearby.
I do think that the rougher pubs around here really have to work hard to re-invent themselves and a lot fail and just end up attracting the same old crowd as before. Look at the Rat & Parrot that rebranded to the St Marks Tavern but ended up the same and closed down soon afterwards. Corky's Bar had several rebrands but had to shut dow in favour of a wine bar to sort itself out. The Grove seems to have turned the corner to a certain extent, but this took two major refurbs/rebrands to do.
We have to remember that Surbiton is a proper town with a mixed population as opposed to a homogenous Esher-style place, but it does seem to have a lot of rough pubs for somewhere that on the face of it seems very wealthy.
I had Sunday lunch here - the pork belly. It was fairly insipid anyway but the crackling on the top was literally revolting. And I do mean literally. It tasted and smelt of really, really old fat. I gagged. I made my friend try it. He gagged. I complained and was told the chef agreed that there was something wrong and that it had probably been contaminated in the storage box it was in. I was not offered a refund. I like this pub for beer and there's a good atmosphere. But this was an awful experience - and embarrassing as my friend was visiting from out of town.
Wow, that is crazy. So they admit to actually serving contaminated food and then don't even offer a refund! I'd have expected a refund, replacement dish and a couple of free drinks and even then I'd probably have reported it as it is a bit dangerous, especially with a dish like pork belly.
I have been visiting the Antelope now for a few weeks on a Thursday night with my girlfriend and have been pleasantly suprised by the pleasant nature of the landlord and by the high quality of the music, the first time a three piece blues band the second time was Ian Hunt and Papa George and the third time was Nigel Bagge all providing excellent blues and rock. The landlord may look like Al Murray but was charming and even found us some vacant seats in the front bar so we could see the band. I can definately reccomend this venue on a Thursday night if you are a real music lover - you will not be dissapointed.
Went in with a few girls from work, during the week, and found an island of sanity amongst all the pretentious bars and pubs cropping up everywhere in Surbiton. If pubs were shoes then this pub isn't the best pair I own but it's the pair I'll wear the most. Comfortable, warm and fun.
The Antelope pub is quickly becoming the only brave pub in Surbiton to not go the way of the GASTRO-PUB revolution. It's not all glass and chrome furniture, some of the chairs don't even match, but they're all comfortable and well spaced. The framed rugby shirts on the wall are also a nice touch and the spacious pool table area is good. The few times I've eaten there I've been blown away by the £9.50 steak deal and the perfectly cooked Sunday roast has me salivating as I type this. The expensive restaurant next door wasn't able to provide a better rump or lamb steak.
I found this pub to be "old school". The publican is hilarious. He even looks a lot like the Al Murray "publican" character. He walks around the bar sharing a quick joke, a Tommy Cooper impression and not only talks to the locals and visitors but does so with a pint and smile (maybe they're symbiotic), the staff don't all wear faceless black costumes/uniforms but rather tasteful/casual attire. There's one bloke in there who often wears an Australian rugby jersey when working behind the bar. He alone is worth a visit. It's a cliche about Australian and New Zealand bar staff but this bloke is brilliant. His attention to each customer and care and speed of service made me a little more at home every time I went to the bar. My wife said to mention that he is quite handsome to boot. I think his name is Simon or Shane.
I've only been there a few times over the last 3 months but my friends are now starting to join me and we all now feel we've finally found "our local". This pub is the way pubs used to be. There's busy and quiet nights but I've always enjoyed the consistently safe feeling I get from being in a bar where you know you're going to enjoy a good beer, be it alone or with 6 mates. The Antelope is a pub like that. The Quiz night is well attended by locals and not eggheads, the live music on Thursday is brilliant blues and rock but my favourite night is when they have they steak deal. Perfect for watching my favourite SKY Sports game on the 2 big screens.
I like the place and know it could do with a little bit of work to make it perfect but, so could my wife. I reckon I'm happy with them both the way they are.
I am sad to hear that the Antelope appears to have fallen so low (if the views expressed above are accurate).
I worked there for about 12 months between August 1993 and August 1994, when it was owned by Whitbread (as it may still be) and managed by a lovely couple by the name of Mike & Jude Snook. When I joined the team there (anyone out there remember wee Bobbie?) it was the busiest pub in Surbiton - and while tiny (I visited a few years later to see an extension had been added) it was packed most nights, did a lively lunch trade (I heated many a Cumberland Sausage, and toasted many a ham and cheese sandwich) and was generally a fun (if exhausting) place to work with entertainment midweek, and a darts team made up mainly of Met. Police Officers. The London version of my Stag night there will always be a cherished (if very fuzzy) memory.
My rating is for the Antelope as it was - not as it may be now.
I hope that they have got it together in the twelve months since the above comments were posted.
The Antelope is now once again a good pub. The current landlord Jerry Carrol has cleaned up both the biulding and the clientele.It is a rugby freindly pub and has a cracking quiz night on a Thursday.
Can't say I agree with you there Mark. Popped in for a drink just before Christmas and found it totally lacking in anything. Little atmosphere, horrible stark decoration with wires trailing down the walls, mismatched furniture, Guinness off and few if any snacks. Maybe things have improved in the past few weeks. I can only hope...
Always empty, miserable barman, staff hang around taking up the outside tables, drinking and leering at passers by during the summer. There is no atmosphere or ambience, and this was made even worse by an extremely cheap looking refurbishment in the main bar area a year or so ago.
The most miserable, depressing evenings to visit are Friday or Saturday evenings.
The location is absolutely brilliant, and large amounts of people frequent the cafes and bars surrouding The Antelope. It has the perfect opportunity to stand out from it's trendy neighbours and offer a good old fashioned, cosy, welcoming family pub and has the benefit of a snooker room. and garden seating. But it doesn't seem to know what it is or wants to be - at the moment it's a weird hybrid between a bar, a pub and my nan's front room. So come on guys, sort it out!!!
Have to agree.
Miserable. Unfriendly.
There's a pub a few doors along (I forget the name) that seemed far more lively, while the Antelope looked like a ghost town.
The review of the Antelope is from a year ago and I feel now needs updating. The pub has changed hands (and had quite a makeover) since that review was written. This place is now a nice local for those in the Maple Road /river roads area or a nice place to call in for those dining in the restaurants of the area. Also nice to sit outside with a coffee under the trees on Maple Road - although not perhaps at this time of the year I admit.
Has a really great head barman (?) called Josh. His customer service is excellent - unlike the rudeness of so many bar staff in Surbiton these days. Nice to see a friendly young face behind the bar and get such good service.
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