A wander down to the Wandle.

First visit since recent refurbishment.

The Wandle is one of the pubs closest to Earlsfield station. When I first moved to the area it was known as The Sailor Prince, was gloriously run down and probably hosted one of the largest colonies of fruit flies south of the river. Since then, it’s been through a number of changes, but most recently it was notable for its unique smell and the booze fuelled music sessions on Friday and Saturday nights.

As it was the Wandle was not my favourite pub, but it was a decent drinking den and one of the best beer gardens in the area. The recent glow up though has I would say added much to the charm.

The exterior is now painted in a nice clean white, strangely this is like my memories of the Sailor Prince, though I’m not sure if that was white paint or mould. It looks smart and is more welcoming than the old exterior. The interior looks polished and renewed, and the garden has additionally been cleaned up.

The biggest change though appears to have been with the menu which you can view here. Previously the Wandle provided perfectly serviceable pub grub, now some care and attention seems to have been taken over the new menu.

I tried the sesame chicken skewers which were succulent and flavourful, whilst my companion really enjoyed the pumpkin and sage ravioli, which to be honest he wasn’t expecting to, thinking it would be a bit fiddly. Portions were of a good size as well.

We both stuck to the lunch menu enjoying a steak and fish finger sandwich respectively. Both were good, tasty and of a size to leave you not needed pudding (especially as we’d both had starters.)

Now I’m not going to kid you and say this was the best food in the world, but it felt like a significant step up from the old Wandle both in terms of choice and quality. The only downside was that the cost has also had a bit of an uprating, with sandwiches now around £12 and mains about £17.50 on average,

So, if you’re in the area and looking for somewhere for a beer and a bite, with friendly (in my experience,) staff then the Wandle is probably for you. If it’s the weekend and you’re looking to drink your weight in cider whilst dancing like your disabled uncle at a wedding and shouting 90/00s music at the top of your voice then the Wandle is probably also for you…as it should be.

Rob

The Wandle, 332 Garratt Ln, London SW18 4EJ

www.wandleearlsfield.com