Walmer Castle

We went there as is still states on the net that they have a Thai restaurant upstairs, it’s closed which we were told by a sulky bar man. The general issue is the service is so bad and the staff barely speak English which is frustrating you’re trying to ask them to clear the table and they literally have no clue what you’re saying. They bring two napkins to a table of four people dining and the food wasn’t great.

Meh. Beer pricey. Standard chain menu. So for 20 quid, I had very dry pie (used 1 pint to wash it down) with a slab of mashed and the most embarrassed collection of vegetables ever collected on a plate. 30 minutes later, I felt I should kick myself because around the corner and down the block is Cock and Bottle and the menu looked good there.
Staff was fine.

While the Walmer Castle never quite made it to the top of my list of favourite pubs with Thai kitchen, it’s always been a reliable choice of go-​to places. It must have been a while though since my last visit as a special trip this Bank Holiday Monday was a major disappointment.
Bad enough seeing the Cock & Bottle down the road boarded up, but where were the crowds usually spilling out of the Walmer Castle? You could have heard a pin drop when we entered. The atmosphere was bored bordering on hostile. It took guts walking up the stairs to check if the Thai kitchen still operated on the first floor.
Predictably, it doesn’t. Instead there’s a boring menu of your ubiquitous pub food — noone was eating.
We left. Never to return.

Wife ordered curry and son ordered duck. While good, they asked us if we wanted rice. Of course we wanted rice. Each bowl of rice cost 3£! Ridiculous. Food was ok but felt ripped off.

didn’t order food but love the atmosphere. nice & friendly staff

You need to try lots of pubs when looking for a prospective local.
As nice and civilised as the Walmer Castle was, it was just a bit blah, a bit expensive and well… it was nice.
Nothing more, nothing less.

Booked this place on a Sunday evening for four people. It’s a little off the beaten track if you aren’t used to London and to be perfectly honest when we walked up to it we nearly turned around. It was heaving outside with drunks from the pub, swaying and shouting not a good first impression.
Inside we weaved past more drunks and tried to not breathe in the smell of booze that was everywhere like it had soaked into the very fabric of the place and the strong smell of urine coming from the loos that seemed to waft around and went upstairs to the Thai resturant. By this point, one person in our group suggested leaving but we were all so hungry that we decided to stay.
Upstairs it’s basic Thai décor, nothing fancy that stood out, pretty enough but also like a pub. We were showed to a table and sat down. The menu was varied and so-​so in price. We waited 20 minutes to order, the place was so busy and noisy it was hard to hear yourself think, not only because all the atbles were taken but the noise from downstairs and outside floats up making the whole place feel like a club :/​
Finally the waitress came over and we placed our drinks order and then starters. then she walked off, not waiting to take our main meal orders. We looked at each other in surprise and one of my friends called her back over after 10 minutes of trying to gain her attention. She then told us that ‘No, I will bring drinks then take your main order, it’s the way we do it.’ Okkkay. Strangest way I’ve ever seen to take an order.
So the food came, it was ok, average, not mind blowing and I’ve had much better Thai for less money and in better surroundings. The final straw was after we’d waited a full 10 minutes after our meal to try and order desserts, I had seen a yummy looking pandan pancake I was really looking forward to, only to be told that no, they didn’t have it and hadn’t had that dessert for a very long time. So WHY is it on your menu???
Bottom line, food ok, but over priced, waiting staff friendly but confusing and run off their feet. I would not come back.

1. It’s got a castle in the name. Sit upstairs. 4 stars.
2. The food is friggin delicious. 4 stars.
3. I went there with this really cool black dude with an awesome British accent who worked for some secret financial institution or something. 4 stars.
4. Overall — 4 stars. If you’re in this charming neighborhood and want to forget that it’s also the name of a Julia Roberts movie before you vomit all over yourself, feed yourself at Walmer Castle.
Oh and order a Tiger beer already, what’s wrong with you? Good luck getting a cab late night, take the tube.

This pub looks pretty nice from the outside, heck, that’s why we went in, but I wouldn’t make the mistake of ordering a soft drink again. There are no economies of scale in this pub, if you want a large coke you are charged for two which means our two soft drinks came to over £7.50.

What’s not to love? Had dinner at the Thai restaurant area upstairs on a week night with some friends. Something about the décor is warm and comforting… the kind of place you want to down a bottle of wine in on a cold rainy evening (or afternoon, no judgement). So that’s exactly what we did. Four girls, a couple bottles of white and good food. We got one of the large banquet options, not sure exactly which one but I think it was around £24/​person. With the tastecard, they happily took 50% the foodbill for two of us (they will take 50% off 2 peoples meals per tastecard if going with a group). The banquets are a pretty great deal. It comes with an array of appetizers and a bunch of different Thai foods including Thai Green Curry (one of my faves!), Pad Thai, Grilled Prawns and a Sea Bass with Bok Choy. Every single item they brought us was really good, tasted incredibly fresh and had I not been amongst company I would have easily licked all the plates clean. And considering it was all only £12 with the tastecard, it was an incredible deal.
Would definitely recommend this place if you are craving Thai or just trying to find a place to hide out on a dark/​rainy London afternoon.

Cosy pub, nice interior, chilled atmosphere.
Didn’t try the food though so can’t comment on that.
Prices on drinks are average, so not too bad.
The location isn’t perfect, unfortunately! It’s a long walk from any of the tube station around, so do take a bus!

More «French Bistro» feel than English Pub feel here.
This was a welcome respite during the long and crowded Portobello market on a busy Saturday afternoon.
This place is slightly off the beaten path, but is just comfortable.
The wait staff was friendly, and there are nice seating options at the bar, inside, and outside on the standard wooden picnic tables.
They take cards which also makes it easier.
Nice and enjoyable place. Oh, and a nearby wireless internet connection was also an unexpected bonus.

Well, the best Thaï restaurant in London ! Food is great, service too. Downstairs the pub is full of people in great ambiance. Do not hesitate, go !

Interesting spot, all told. The pub portion downstairs was hopping on a Sunday night and seems to be a pretty solid place for a drink. Upstairs, it feels like you are walking into a totally different place. Dim lighting, modern decorations, and Thai food aplenty. The food was definitely good– the curries were appropriately spicy and flavourful without being greasy, and I liked the abundant selection of veggies in my red curry. I think pad thai may be slightly better than the food at Churchill Arms, if we are looking to compare pubs in the area that serve thai food, but Churchill Arms is much less expensive.

This rating is for the food at Walmer Castle which on my last visit was the Grand Palace Banquet and I think I can honestly say this was the best Thai food I have ever had. Highly recommended if you are in London.

Thai restaurant upstairs at Walmer Castle gets my thumbs up: nice atmosphere (buzzing on a Thursday night, so book) and décor, very friendly staff, and food didn’t disappoint either.
Make sure to be hungry should you go for one of their banquets for two people or more. We thought you’d have to choose one of the main course options but no, you get everything … So, plates and plates of food. Tastelondon card members so the bill at the end put a smile on our faces as well.
Round off the evening with a drink downstairs in the pub. Perfect.

Similar to the Churchill Arms in that it’s a pub with Thai food; but its in notting hill, its nicer, and the food’s better. The food is for uk thai food, really good; I think I must have dragged people there 3 times in 3 weeks. The place is nicer than your average pub, and near a bunch of neat stuff to do. The service friendly is friendly and clientele is a one would expect, thankfully it doesnt get too crowded or crazy

Walmer Castle is a real summer pub — if you pass here anytime that it’s vaguely warm there will be a bunch of people drinking outside on the pavement and in the street (it’s a pretty quiet street)!
It’s a pretty standard pub, located in an area full of expensive boutiques and posh shops. That said, the crowd are pretty ‘standard’ too — not rich, not poor, not trendy, not untrendy, not quiet, not loud…
The Thai food is pretty average in my opinion — but on the good side of average! Just nothing too special in my opinion…
This is a place I would go to if I was in the area, but wouldn’t go out of my way to visit. It’s also a good place to start off for some cheap food and a drink… then move on somewhere more exciting!

Following a success story of the interesting symbiosis of English pub and Thai food, Walmer Castle does not serve fish and chips but Thai!
In summer you will not have a hard time finding this pub, as the locals from Notting Hill enjoy hanging outside drinking their pints. It is a lively and busy atmosphere, especially on week ends.
Making your way upstairs, the first floor has been transferred into a amiable Thai place. A Thai friend took me there once and since then I kept on returning. Have you ever tried the coconut rice — it is delicious and a typical side dish. I tried to cook it myself — buy coconut milk and cook the rice in it.
This place has a lot of customers coming and going, it is for a filling and quick meal after or before a couple of beers. Afterward you can check out the bars around there such as Beach Blanket Babylon or Lonsdale, just 100 metres far from Walmer Castle.

The Walmer is a big pub on Ledbury Road, a 10 minute walk or so up from Notting Hill Gate tube. Downstairs it’s got the look of a pretty traditional place that’s always undergoing a bit of brush up and so it’s fairly smart. There are some nice big tables and a few plasmas so I’d say it’d be a pretty place to watch a game, especially during the week if you want something quieter and more civilised.
Upstairs there are is a nice Thai restaurant. I went the other night mid week at around 9pm and it was really packed. It’s definitely no secret that this place serves up good fast Thai food from a pretty wide menu. Lots of stuff on the menu is designed for sharing so if you and a friend aren’t suffering from any terrible contagious diseases this isn’t a bad bet. It’s also worth mentioning that The Walmer is included on many of the Top Table card offers so if you’ve got one of those you can get 50% off your food bill.

Ein schöner Pub, nur einen Katzensprung von der lebhaften Hauptstraße Notting Hills entfernt. Oben im Restaurant und auch unten im Pub kann man wirklich leckeres Thai-​Food genießen. Warum also keine 5 Sterne? Nun ja… Wir sind uns nicht ganz sicher, aber nachdem wir dort gegessen haben, hat meine Begleitung die komplette Nacht über der Toilette verbracht. Mir ging es hervorragend — ich habe allerdings auch etwas anderes gegessen. Auf eine Zigarette und ein Bier, ein Fussballspiel und einen kleinen Chat auf der Straße sollte man aber auf jeden Fall einmal vorbeischauen.