The Churchill Arms

During the last leg of our 2-​week vacation in Europe, my family stumbled upon this place on Unilocal after craving some good Asian food. We walked it at about 2pm with a group of 11 and were able to be seated in 5 minutes. I have high expectations when it comes to authentic Thai food and WiFi and this place did not disappoint! I ordered a few of my favorites and asked our server (who I think is the owner) for his recommendations. We came up with a total of 10 dishes from noodles, to curry, to rice dishes of all varying levels of spice. We loved everything we ordered and wiped each plate clean. I would highly recommend this very inexpensive and delicious and authentic thai spot… even the exterior and interior garden-​like décor is great!

Very impressive pub, both exterior and interior. And their Guinness is always fresh.
Overly crowded and boozy most of the times, which is part of experience.
Enjoyable local crowd and quite many tourists at all time.
And they have a lovely Thai restaurant in the extension on the right hand side, which is both cheap and tasty.

Tasty food, quick service, very lovely ambiance with fresh pots of flowers. FYI, there is no prawn in the prawn cracker! Vegetable spring rolls are good!

This place is fantastic. It is busy and hard to find a table. But we snagged a table by the bar (these are first come and first serve) and ordered drinks. When you sit in the bar area you can still order food — just walk back to the restaurant to order and pay and they will bring your food to your table when it’s ready. You can stay at the bar tables as long as you want. The restaurant tables require a wait. Thai food was fantastic, the drinks are great and the vibe is awesome. If you want to go to a place that’s lively and enjoyed by locals — this is the place to be!

Cool place with a relatively mixed crowd. Gets rather busy and due to it’s set up, this can be rather annoying. Trendy décor with a warm atmosphere, ideal for winter nights.

You have to come here with the right expectations. Most of the bad reviews are not about the food, but about the service. And most of the service reviews are about being told, often more than once, that you have ONE HOUR to eat. So, if that already bothers you, or if getting the bill placed on the table without asking (normal in the U.S., rare in the U.K.) don’t go, you won’t enjoy it.
The restaurant is decent looking. Not a particularly romantic spot, but a fun friends spot. The pub is bustling, and the flowers everywhere is a sight to behold.
My G/​f got the Pad Thai with shrimp. Tasty, not outstanding, but much better once she asked for some chili oil. I got the Pad Kee Mao noodle dish with the three heat symbols, with the mix of meats. The heat was fairly intense, and this coming from someone who always gets Madras hot, and sometimes Vindaloo at the Indian. I’d put the heat up there near Vindaloo, but, for me at least, absolutely perfect, with a little burn, but not unpleasant. And most importantly, it didn’t overpower the flavours of the dish, which were outstanding. I think the chef knows a thing or two. One of the best plates of food I’ve ever eaten. Yes, that good. And a bargain at £8.50 for a big plate of food.
The service was fast, fairly friendly, and the food came quickly. If we’d had appetizers (really limited choice, one being six very tasty looking fried egg rolls for £4.50 I think, but we weren’t hungry enough) then we would have been pushing close to that one hour limit, but with just the main we were done with no rush. I don’t think they will bother you unless you are done, and then sit with your drinks, then they’ll want you to give someone else a chance at this amazing food.
Book ahead and prepare for tasty.

No visit to London town would be complete without a stroll through the beautifully quaint neighborhood of Notting Hill. It’s here that you’ll find one of the most wonderful surprises, a Thai restaurant hidden inside a dimly-​lit oasis of flowers and memorabilia housed within a traditional British pub. It is one of the most delightfully odd combinations you’ll encounter in the English capital.
Delightful surprise aside, the Thai food was amazing! Authentic, delicious, and at a good price!

After dinner we were ready to go to our first pub! Since we were staying Notting Hill, we wanted to go to a local pub. We did a bit of searching and decided on The Churchill Arms, a pub dating back to 1750 which the grandparents of Winston Churchill used to visit! When we arrived the entire pub was watching a rugby match. I don’t really know the rules or anything, but it was exciting to be in the midst of the excitement!
My husband ordered a pint of London Pride and I tried the Cornish Orchards cider — yum! I would definitely come back — very cozy!

The Churchill Arms: Pub, 5 stars every time… Thai Restaurant, 3 stars but would return for sure… We have been a few times for the pub side of The Churchill Arms but this visit was our first Thai Restaurant visit. The Pub is just fanatic, quirky, British, fun, a good selection of Ales. Service quick and pleasant, as it has been on previous visits. 5 stars for the pub side… we love it…
The Thai Restaurant part I knew of its reputation and its didn’t disappoint. Running late with our table, and at the end of our meal being chased off it sharpish. Food is very good, and there is a good selection to choose from, maybe a little research beforehand as the staff are not too helpful with explaining about certain dishes as one of our guests found out. The wine took a while, and we should have grabbed a bottle from the pub side beforehand, as we had got well into our starters before it came. It’s a 3 star, but I would eat there again as it is an experience and with the right group of friends can be very amusing as we found it.
The Thai staff there are sharp, not rude but they will do their thing — their way… maybe that’s why people return to the scene of the crime… we would, and it’s NON-​halal according to James who works there, so a plus for us.

I am in love with this place! Very charming classic British pub, with an incredible Thai kitchen in the back??? What an amazing, random combination! The Thai food was some of the best I have yet had London. Simple menu, with just enough choices. It also clearly rates the spiciness of each dish with a pepper symbol– and the three
pepper dishes are VERY SPICY! It was amazing! So many Thai places tone down dishes for westerners, but not this place. Only order the three peppers if you know you can handle it. I was pushed to the brink of my spice tolerance, yum yum yum. Can’t wait to return.

Un endroit atypique à tester de toute urgence !
Pour tout vous dire, à première vue, il s’agit d’un pub britannique tout ce qu’il y a de plus classique. Vous né pouvez pas le louper, il est illuminé de milliers de petites loupiotes. Une fois à l’intérieur, je suis très vite fan de la déco et de tout ce qu’ils ont accroché au plafond. Casseroles, marmites, pot de chambre, paniers, et j’en passé. On commande une bière et un cidre en attendant notre table… dans le restaurant thaï qui fait partie intégrante du pub. C’est la salle juste à côté et là aussi on est fan du jardin suspendu au plafond (décidément !). Je né pouvais pas être plus heureuse qu’au moment où je découvre qu’il y a du Pad See au menu. Depuis Santa Monica cet été, c’est devenu mon plat thaï préféré et je n’en trouve pas à Bordeaux. Les plats arrivent, copieux et je déguste avec plaisir et gourmandise mes nouilles au riz sautées aux petits légumes, boeuf et sauce soja. Et à 10£ le plat, pourquoi se priver ?! Churchill Arms, c’est sûr je reviendrai.

THE prettiest pub I’ve ever seen! I’m kicking in 2 stars just for the beautiful foliage outside.
We were meeting a friend there for a pint and pub was lively because of the Rugby finals on TV. Unfortunately for us, it was so lively that we weren’t able to get a seat or attention from any of the servers for a table.
I was looking forward to having a pint and Thai food but it was not meant to be. I’ll give it another chance when I go back and hope that I won’t have the same experience.

I came for the beer, stayed for the food, and left cos of the service.
As advertised, quirky Thai restaurant in an old Fuller’s pub. You get the usual range of Fuller’s beer on cask — ordered a London Pride and ESB without even referring to the bar.
The food is more than decent — possibly as authentic as you can get in London. Flavours are very, very close to authentic, although a touch sweeter and possibly a little less spicy than what you get in Thailand (I’ve not really had a lot of very spicy food in Thailand — that said I have quite a high tolerance for spice, higher than some Thais even). I had the green curry, missus had basil pork. Meat was a bit overcooked, and I missed having Thai fig in my curry. Still, convincing enough for me.
The service though, is quite appalling. I’ve been to Thailand, and they don’t call it the land of a thousand smiles for nothing. Nary a smile from the Thai wait staff from the moment I entered, til I left. Was brusquely informed that we had one hour to eat. Thankfully we knew what we wanted, and ordered quickly. Being relatively hungry and spice-​resistsnt, we polished off our meals in short order, and settled down to make the best of our measly hour. Throughout my meal, the staff were gesticulating at us and plotting table arrangements, ostensibly conducting an academic exercise on how to accomodate more imaginary guests. At the 45^th minute, we were served our bill without word. And at the 60^th minute, we were perfunctorily requested to move to the bar area if we wished to continue drinking — I still had half a pint of ESB. This was despite the house being less than half full in my estimation.
Look, I’ve been to Thailand. I know that the Thai people are capable of embarrassing levels of hospitality and politeness. I’ve experienced it many times. This was really a very poor reflection of the establishment, and of the Thai people.
The beer is good, the food is great but the service is just a mess. I’m not coming back here again.

Crappy Thai food, very standard beer selection, outstanding florals, excellent brick-​a-​brac.

This is an absolute must if you are visiting London. My fiancé and I stumbled upon The Churchill Arms on our final day in London and I am so glad we did.
The outside is incredibly picturesque — bursting at the seams with flowers and flags galore. You walk inside and are greeted by a traditional British pub, but it won’t be long before you start smelling the incredibly curries and other Thai flavors. Wander to the right of the bar and you’ll find yourself in a beautiful oasis full of flowers upon flowers and a sit down Thai restaurant. (Don’t worry, you can still order drinks from the pub — we took advantage of that!)
The spring rolls, pad see ew, and red curry were phenomenal. The perfect of amount of spice and the rice was cooked just perfectly! This is definitely a spot I will be making sure to visit every time I find myself in London!
TIP: Avoid the need to make a reservation and grab lunch instead! We had no wait and the food was on our table within 10 minutes of ordering!

A Thai restaurant inside a beautiful old English pub? I was sold!
Upon arriving at the Churchill arms I was really impressed with the flower display and couldn’t wait to go inside and sample the food. The interior is also quite a spectacle; there is a somewhat eccentric mix of British bric-​à-​brac, Irish memorabilia and flowers.
The food prices are very reasonable for London. For £8.50 I got a large portion of rice with some vegetarian jungle curry. There was no tofu, which was a bit of a let down, but the food was okay. It was far from being the best Thai food in London, but really you are paying for the beautiful location.
I would happily come back for a drink, or just to stare at the building from outside.

The Churchill Arms is as good as it gets. Apparently the first London pub to replace a traditional pub kitchen with an exciting Thai alternative = legend has it that Jerry met the original chef on one of his butterfly hunting trips. You see the man himself less behind the bar these days, but the pub is just as buzzing as ever.
Actually, the Churchill Arms is a victim of its own success, it is way too busy. It is impossible these days to just walk in and stand any hope of a table. Too many raving reviews (this is another one, not that one’s needed!) pack the place out with tourists from all over the world. I wonder if any of the old regulars still pop in for their pint. I hope so!
The only chance you have is to book a table at the conservatory restaurant — highly recommended!

Love this pub. Great setting with trinkets and books and pictures and newspaper articles all over the place (genuinely all over the place, there’s random stuff galore hanging from every inch of the ceiling). We just had a couple of drinks but a friend got some food. This pub has a Thai restaurant running out of it, the food looked fab and if you want to sit in a more restaurant style setting then there’s a gorgeous conservatory space out the back full of plants and flowers and tables for meals.

Super Pub um 1 – 8 Bierchen zu trinken!
Man fühlt sich auch als Tourist wohl und schnell Zuhause!
Hin da!

V. Charming and quaint. Non-​Londoners and tourists — this is a «must visit». This is as good as it gets for a pub.
The Thai food used to be good but quality has gone downhill.

The Churchill is something of a London institution on the pub scene. It’s an odd mixture of British, Irish and Thai and yet somehow it works.
As most of the reviews mention, the outside is bedecked by flowers. The inside is equally cluttered with tankards, flags, chamber pots, Winston Churchill paraphernalia and Irish souvenirs. It all adds up to a very quirky environment.
Essentially though, it is a London pub and a fine one at that. It carries the Fullers range of beers plus a fully stocked bar. Many people gravitate here for the Thai food but as I’ve not eaten here, I can’t comment on that.
Gerry is a big character landlord who is happy to chat to the customers. At the time of writing, he appears to be canvassing votes for the VisitEngland Tourism Superstar 2015 awards!
A popular draw for tourists and Londoners alike.

Fun place with lots of kitch hanging all over the walls and ceiling. Standard pub beers, but with Thai food offered! Great location.

Pub vraiment trop cool la déco est vraiment époustouflante. LE pub par excellence. On né se lasse pas de regarder ce qu’il y a autour de nous. Deco surchargée qui fait tout le charme de l’endroit. Pub qui a une vraie âme. So british … Qui plus est la bière est a un prix abordable! je recommande vivement !!! Le seul bémol la fermeture à 23h … But we are in London

Cuando crees que vas al tipico pub ingles y entonces acabas cenando thai…
Unas amigas me llevaron diciendo que era super «charming» y que tenia que verlo. Por fuera es el tipico pub ingles al que ir a tomar una pinta. Al entrar la decoracion lo invade todo: mezcla entre tradicion y exceso con mil antiguedades colgando del techo.
Pero cuando cambias de sala comienzas a sentir un olor a Thai que te hace seguir caminando hasta llegara a la siguiente puerta donde un pequeño paraiso de flores saliendo de cada rincon te espera.
La comida es bastante autentica y no muy cara. Pero esa mezcla entre tipico ingles y un jardin floral en el medio lo hace diferente.
Siempre esta lleno, asi que la mejor opcion es reservar una mesa al llegar y tomar una pinta mientras espera.
La una pega es que solo puedes estar en el restaurante una hora, asi que es comer y salir.

simply the best thai in town. in the back of a pub. yea, sounds weird but is awesome.

Toller englischer Pub mit schöner Atmosphäre. Gemischtes Publikum, gute Auswahl an Getränken, Thai Food im Lokal erhältlich.

Ein britisches Original und mein absoluter Lieblingspub in London! Zu den After-​Work-​Hours totally «packed» und man braucht etwas Geduld und Glück, wenn man sich setzen möchte. Aber die Geduld lohnt sich: ein urig-​vollgestopfter, klassischer Pub mit allerlei –Überraschung!- Churchill-​Paraphernalia. Über die flüssigen Köstlichkeiten englischer Kneipen muss man wohl nicht viel sagen, erwähnenswert ist hier jedoch das angegliederte Thai-​Restaurant. Günstig, und soooo lecker. Für Leute mit HUNGER, aber nix für Weicheier — wer’s nicht so scharf mag sollte sich tunlichst am unteren Ende der Schärfescala der Speisekarte aufhalten.
Praktisch: wer nicht im Restaurant sitzen möchte, sondern lieber direkt im Pub speisen möchte, kann das tun. Einfach am Empfang bestellen, die Kellner mit den vollen Tellern finden Euch auch im vollen Gastraum des Pubs.

Bei so überschwenglicher Begeisterung, wie man es in den englischen Beiträgen über dieses Pub liest, bin ich immer besonders kritisch!
Also gingen wir letzte Woche mal hin… und waren begeistert! Absolut tolle, lockere, freundliche Atmosphäre.
Man fühlte sich sofort willkommen, ja fast umarmt.
Eine nette ältere Frau quatschte mich auch gleich an, zwei junge Männer machten die letzten beiden Stühle an ihrem Tisch frei. Beim Drink-​holen strahlte mich der Thekennachbar an. Nur der Barman sah etwas genervt aus, da er wohl schon Stunden im Dauerstreß war.
Das Churchill ist zwar etwas überdekoriert, aber es passt dahin.
Unsere Tischnachbarn, baten uns auf ihre Taschen zu achten, weil sie raus rauchen gingen. Als ihr Thai-​Essen kam, ging die Bedienung raus und holte sie, damit das Essen (zwei schmackhaft aussehende Berge) nicht kalt wird! Beide äußerten sich erfreut und zufrieden.
Tolles Pub — tolles Restaurant.
(Guter Busanschluß!)

Eine tolle Symbiose: in den Vorderräumen ein traditionelles Pub mit uriger Einrichtung und exquisiter Bierauswahl, in den Hinterzimmern ein thailändisches Restaurant mit günstigen Preisen (Einheitspreis: 6 Pfund).
Beide Teile zeichnen sich durch eine originelle Decken-​Dekoration aus. Während vorne Kupferkessel und Nachttöpfe von der Decke baumeln, hängen in den thailändischen Räumen unzählige Deckenpflanzen bis auf Kopfhöhe, so dass man sich wie im Dschungel fühlt.
Der ideale Abend im Churchill Arms sieht so aus: ein oder zwei Pint «Fuller’s London Pride», um die Wartezeit für einen freien Platz beim Thai zu überbrücken, danach lecker essen gehen und zum Abschluss auf einen Absacker zurück in die vorderen Räumlichkeiten.
Vorsicht: die kleinen Schmetterlinge auf der Thai-​Karte markieren den Schärfegrad. Ein Schmetterling hat mich schon heftig nach Luft schnappen lassen — wie scharf die Stufe «drei Schmetterlinge» ist, mag ich mir gar nicht vorstellen…