Windsor's Best Pubs

So, people of Windsor, I need your help! We're talking this week about the best five pubs in town. But I have a confession to make. With two small children, my pub days are pretty much behind me. If we go to the pub, it's with the kids, and we're looking for somewhere to eat.

This being the case, I can talk about the five pub / bar places we've been to and had wonderful food, but when it comes to a drinking experience, I'm a bit stumped. So, I'm putting here my top five foodie pubs, but I need your recommendations for great places to drink. Come and share your favourite drinking hole, and tell us why you love it.

Bel & the Dragon. This lovely old bar on the corner of Thames Street and Thames Avenue has a fab character complete with exposed beams and wobbly stairs. The friendly staff serve really wonderful food from a good menu. Although it's cooked with style and very tasty, it has a real rustic comfort-food feel with big hunks of bread served with sweet roasted garlic, and tasty fish pies and sausages and so on. They have a kids' menu, but also will do small portions off the main menu for children. And they have an outdoor seated area which is lovely in summer for watching the tourists walking over to Eton. They do a special menu which allows you to choose two or three courses for a bargain price.

Browns. Is this a bar? Or is it strictly a restaurant? It has a bar feel and a cocktail menu and is often busy with people drinking outside. It has an enviable position - perhaps the best in Windsor - with a view across the road to the river. They have a big staff so service is usually good, and the place is big so there is loads of room though they can get busy. They have a good menu - including a kids' menu - and do lovely fish and chips and good puddings. Browns does seem popular with drinkers in the evenings - mainly an office crowd it appears. Do you drink at Browns and can you say why you like it?

Ha Ha Bar & Grill. This fun bar is in the old royal station for Windsor town, and in fact seems to occupy the old station office with quirky train related details behind the bar and in the toilets and so on, and original tiles on the walls. It has a relaxed feel and is often busy, which, although child friendly can feel tricky being surrounded by older drinkers, and with limited space can be unsuitable if you have a pushchair. Because they're under the covered area, even the outdoor seating is all weatherfriendly, and they do a great fish finger sandwich. If you're not after food they have high tables with bar chairs near the entrance which are sociable for small groups.

The Royal Oak. This traditonal pub sits opposite the Windsor & Eton Riverside station and at the foot of the castle and is often lively. They have a seated area outside, with heaters for cooler weather, which is handy for smokers. And they often host live bands which brings a lively, polite rowdiness to the pub and lends a wonderful fun atmosphere. Keep an eye on their events so you can check out some of the bands.

The King & Castle on Thames Street, right opposite the castle is a JD Wetherspoons pub so pints are a bit cheaper in here than other local hostelries. It's a large pub, though has a pleasant feel to it with sofa seating and so on inside. Out the back they have a large outdoor seating area on several levels which is good for families in summer, and for larger drinking parties. It's not so big on character as some of the other pubs, but is very handily located near the castle and the centre of town. They have a fairly bob standard menu, but prices are reasonable for bar food, sandwiches, grills and so on.

So, which pubs in town would you favour and why? Where do you love to end the week for a drink with friends, or head to for a quiet Sunday pint? Which pub makes a great local, and where's a fun place to head to for frolicking on a Saturday night with mates? Share your thoughts please!

Photo courtesy of Francis Mayne's flickr stream.