Churchill Arms

Solid piece of history

You can spot the place from far. The whole building disappears under flower baskets, and you understand straight away why everyone stops for a photo. We came on an early Saturday morning — already crowded and loud. Pure luck that we found an empty table in the corner.

Churchill everywhere, war memorabilia on every wall, bits and pieces hanging from the ceiling. A proper old pub that wears its history loudly. It's cramped, it's busy, and that's the point. You squeeze in, you get a pint, you soak up the noise.

Then comes the twist. Walk to the back, and the pub turns into a Thai restaurant in a sunlit conservatory. And here, unlike some places, the food is actually a reason to come. Properly good Thai, in a place like that, calls for a pretty unique experience. It shouldn't work, but it does, and that's something.

Just… don't come for the beers alone.

Like most English ones, it's a watery product diluted down to a session ale, and you're lucky if it hits above 4%. Good luck squeezing some taste in there. That's the English tradition, not a fault of the place. The cask session ale is built to be low, partly because UK duty is charged by strength and taxes weaker beer less. There are stronger styles in the UK, but not at the bar there. Overall, worth the walk but more for a piece of history and good Thai food than anything beer-related.