Unofficially organiser and veteran pub-crawler, Clint Heine, picks his very Antipodean Top 10 best bars, pubs and restaurants on London’s Waitangi Day pub crawl route.
If you want to find out more information about
the pub crawl on February 6th, check out Clint’s
Waitangi Day Pub Crawl blog.
Other venues you might want to check out for Waitangi Day:
Colonies in Victoria,
The Chatsworth Bar in Acton,
Jetlag in Foztrovia (which is showing 6 Nations rugby and serving Steinlager Pure)....
1
The Pride of Paddington
(Bar)
1-3 Craven Road, Paddington, London, W2 3BP
This is the traditional starting point. The staff are very patient and don't blink when you turn up in full body lycra asking for a shot of Jagermeister at 10am.
2
Prince Alfred
(Bar)
112 Queensway, Westbourne Green, Bayswater, London, W2 3RR
Bayswater is a mad area to drink in and the Prince Albert is one place that is heaving on Waitangi Day. Popular and plenty of good quality cold beer!
3
The Old Swan
(Bar)
206 Kensington Church Street, Notting Hill, London, W8 4DP
The Old Swan has been a pub-crawl staple for those who start at Notting Hill Gate. Situated conveniently on the corner, every single crawler thinks about going in but unless you're of the lucky ones, you'll need to move on.
4
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Duke of Clarence
(Bar / Restaurant)
148 Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London, SW5 0BE
Cuisine: Gastro
Directly across the road from Gloucester Road tube station is The Stanhope Arms. This place is rammed so we like to head out to the Duke of Clarence. The beer there is always cold and the bar staff welcoming.
5
Builders Arms
(Bar)
1 Kensington Court Place, Kensington, London, W8 5BJ
Cuisine: Modern British
High Street Kensington we have a choice. Do we slum it at the Prince of Wales or do we disturb the tranquillity of the Builders Arms? By this stage there are so many Kiwis on the streets we don't get too fussy!
6
The Zetland Arms
(Bar)
2, Bute Street, Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 3EX
The stop off at South Kensington is the Zetland Arms. It's another of the popular bars in the area that most pub crawlers never actually get to enjoy. Around this time the police are trying to move people along and we resort to our beer stash!
7
Oriel (closed)
(Bar / Restaurant)
50 Sloane Square, Chelsea, London, SW1W 8AX
Cuisine: International
Those who make it to Sloane Square are rewarded as the Oriel is the scheduled stop for the crawl. Lovely pub, pity about the drunken Kiwi clientele!
8
Duke of York
(Bar)
130-134 Victoria Street, , London, SW1E 5LA
Victoria is a free for all because it's just too difficult to get a thousand plus Kiwis to compete with locals, tourists and workers - we do try the Duke of York but you need to be quick!
9
The Old Star
(Bar)
66 Broadway, St James's Park, Westminster, London, SW1H 0DB
Cuisine: Eclectic
St James Park is one stop away from our final destination, however the brave or those still standing claim the Old Star is the place to go.
10
The Southerner
(Bar)
46 Essex Street, Temple, London, WC2R 3JF
As we all end at Westminster to do our Haka, we usually don't aim to drink there as it's near impossible. However as soon as the Haka is over we all disperse to whatever bar is close or suits us. I am a big fan of the Southerner which is by Temple station. Cold good value New Zealand beers and live music. It's the best way to end a hardcore day out.