The Dysart Arms

lw1

My wife and I went to The Dysart Arms last week and really liked it. Everything about it in fact!

It is more of a restaurant than a pub - we had a fantastic three course meal for I think £17 each, drink on top. The quality of the food was outstanding - an interesting menu (I had beef cheeks), well balanced through the courses, and with beautifully contrasting flavours from start to finish.

They've got loads going on as well. We were there on a Wednesday, but from Thursday - Saturday there is live jazz and classical music over dinner, concerts on Sunday evenings, and lots of charity events and wine dinners.

Great atmosphere and decor, friendly manager and staff, a real personal touch with everything - not like all the chains that we see everywhere these days.

Have a look, we definitely will again sometime soon!

Charlemagne

I went on a Thursday evening. I hadn't been for a couple of years, and found the new decor really nice, and classy. The lighting was low, and the jazz pianist was just at the right volume - perfect ambience for the date that I was on. I had the fish and chips which I can truly say is the best I have ever had. Just to mention the beers as well. As a beer coinoisseur, the Stella was really top notch - very clean pipes here! The staff were courteous and polite - especially the manager who was very nice. Would definitely recommend.

hollieh

I had been recommended The Dysart Arms by a friend but from the moment I walked through the door for Sunday lunch with two friends I knew the visit was going to be an ordeal. The noise was almost unbearable (largely from the piano - definitely not background music) which may be because the acoustics seem to be so badly designed (tiled floor, no curtains, limited soft furnishings). It was almost impossible to hear the serving staff and ourselves so we almost gave up on conversation. The food was delicious if served in slightly limited portions (eg no bread with the soup) but the whole meal was spoiled because of the struggle to hear what the person next to you was saying. It felt like being in a Saturday night club rather than a supposedly relaxing family Sunday lunch venue. Fab food but a frantic, stressful experience rather than the relaxing atmosphere I hoped it would be.

realscot

Nestling at the foot of the Star and Garter Hill and facing directly on to Richmond Park in the village of Petersham lies the independently owned Dysart Arms, which is now more of a gastropub than a true old-fashioned pub. Together with good parking it boasts a well furnished beer garden at the front. Inside the welcome is friendly and warm and always professional. This refurbished hostelry has an excellent chef and good service together with live music most nights of the week ranging from Classical piano to jazz and guitar. Not to be missed.

livewire4728

I went to The Dysart for the first time in a few years last week and was really surprised at all the changes. We arrived to find a jazz pianist playing a grand piano, and a beautifully presented and lit bar, complete with a great wine list and cocktails.

The food was great as well - I had a pub classic fish and chips but my companion went for fresh salmon which looked absolutely wonderful.

The place seemed really clean and well cared for, from the front garden down to the lavatories, which is always very important to me.

We'll be back!

sue

We used to eat regularly at the Dysart Arms, but after a break of around 6 months I popped in for lunch recently to find quite a different pub. It used to be a good looking gastropub, but since my last visit it has been renovated - gone are the gastropub-standard mismatched furniture and casual feel, the tables and chairs all match now and the latter are topped with very non-pub looking plump cushions. The vibe is now more restaurant, though the sunny beer garden at the front is still a good place for a beer, apart from the regular buses steaming past.

Seems to be a new chef too. The menu used to be a bit more adventurous and they could pull it off, however the lunch we had was disappointing - flavourless risotto's (particularly the Rabbit risotto, which should be anything but) and ungenerous portions and seasoning. Thankfully the sad looking slice of Lemon Tart we shared was actually delicious, just like my Grandma used to make.

Service was friendly enough, but there were some language difficulties and the staff seemed to have a problem with remembering orders - having to return to our table, and neighbouring ones to ask for orders to be repeated….perhaps they should invest in some note pads!