London Dog Blog – All dogs welcome at The Shaftesbury, Kew Road

Dogs in London - The London Dog Blog

Friday night and we were looking for somewhere to eat while keeping an eye on the Six Nations rugby. Richmond town centre can be a bit of a zoo on Friday evenings so we wandered down the Kew Road to The Shaftesbury.

It was busy here too and most tables had been booked (for the rugby) but it wasn’t overcrowded. And we found a table in the walled garden out the back where there was a jolly fire pit. There were lots of tables under cover – and with overhead heaters – and all the seats had cushions. So we were quite comfortable. They also provide bright red rugs in case you are still chilly.

And then we met Rose – a Great Dane rescue. She was small for a Great Dane but still a rather sizeable dog. She sat quietly outside by her owners. Then a youthful Weimaraner arrived and took a seat at the other end of the garden. Clearly this is a pub that is dog friendly. I then ventured inside and found a charming snoozing Bulldog. I noticed that there was an area providing free dog biscuits, a variety of water bowls and even rugs for the dogs. Now that is welcoming.

We settled in for the evening with a couple of glasses of wine. There’s a pretty good menu too – in addition to the bar snacks (loaded potato skins and such like) there’s a good selection of starters (e.g. fish cakes, salads) and mains – steaks feature. I can thoroughly recommend the sharing fish platter – chunks of crispy cod in batter, scampi, a fiery sauce for crayfish tails, slices of smoked salmon along with chunky bread and mayonnaise and tartare sauce. Practically a feast.

So. Another Richmond/Kew pub that now only tolerates dogs of all sizes – but positively welcomes them. I suspect that Alfie the Chihuahua and I will become regulars.

Posted Date
Mar 13, 2017 in Dogs in London - The London Dog Blog by London DogBlog