The experience i had when i was there recently was extremely good. From the moment we stepped into the restaurant, we were greeted well and everything went well. The person who looked after us took extreme care concerning food and wine selections, really impressive considering we expected this to be a pub. The seabass was incredibly interesting, a real must. Look forward to going back.

We nearly didn't go to the Dysart Arms after reading the reviews. But they're really mixed, and we'd been there before, over a year ago, (and it is a lovely place) so we thought we'd give it a go. I wish we HAD listened to the negative reviews because they are spot on! Expensive with tiny portions. The food is tasty...but the portions so small it undermines the whole experience.

The manager is an interesting character. On the food front, the steak was asked for medium rare, it comes in two chunks. One was fine, one was overdone. My husband hesitated about saying something but at £20 a pop, felt he should mention it. The whole thing was incredibly uncomfortable and the manager & staff defensive. In the end we settled for half an uneaten steak at half the cost. So we all left hungry. Oh, and they added two coffees we didn't have, easily done but really didn't improve on what was an awkward and unsatisfying lunch.

The interior is spotless, and the Dysart Arms has pretensions of fine dining and being a restaurant. If you're looking for tasty pub grub, with large portions and a friendly atmosphere then the Dysart Arms may not be for you.

Lovely location with Imaginative special food
I’m really happy that we finally went to the Dysart, it’s a beautiful location with incredibly exciting food. Our entire table agreed that this experience was on a par with numerous Michelin starred establishments that we’ve visited.
The Foie gras starter was divine and very well balanced with beautifully warm spiced bread. The potato tortellini’s were also a huge talking point, perfectly tender and moist.
The assiette of lamb was a technically very well executed dish full of flavours and some delightfully roasted ceps.
The service seemed a bit rushed at times, in all we had a great time at the Dysart and we will be back.

Pretentious - unfriendly and totally unwelcoming!

Following a wonderful lunch at the near by Petersham Nurseries - myself and some friends stopped off for a post lunch drink at the Dryart Arm. Even as the only customers in the entire place we were still made to feel incredibly unwelcome by the prickly and pretentious manager.

The fact that we had two toddlers with us seemed to be his main issue. On arrival were told we were not allowed to sit inside the pub because the tables were "reserved for dinners". And it was "illegal" for children to be in the bar. it was 5.30pm and the place was empty. But, we were still told that we had to sit outside if we wanted a drink. We decided to stay and obliged, despite the chilly weather. After a while another member of staff told us that we would be allowed inside for a while if we wanted to get out of the cold. Most of the other staff seemed lovely - it was the managers attitude towards us that we found offensive.

We then tried to order some food for the children but were told (by the manager) that the kitchen was closed and wouldn't reopen until 6.30pm which was just 20 minutes later. He completely refused to accommodate our request and when we asked if there were any crisps or nuts to give the children while we waited for the kitchen to open - his snippy response was to snort "no - we aren't that sort of establishment!". We then approached another member of staff who was happy to help and we did get something to eat in the end.

What was clear by the time we left is that the Dysart Arms is the 'kind of establishment' which does not cater for families. Does not make children or new customers feel welcome and is the kind of place I would urge anyone to avoid! Unless of course you like being treated like a second class citizen - In which case you will absolutely love the place!

Went for dinner with a friend this week and we had the 2 course set menu with extras (hard little olives not juicy plump ones), wine and coffee. Although the food was good the portions were tiny especially the soup which we exclaimed was the smallest serving we'd ever seen. Literally a quarter of the bowl!

The wine was excellent and service good from the friendly waitress with a smile although she did decide to top up my sparkling water with tap for some reason. Nice ambience with pianist playing background classics.

Overall better than I expected considering reviews but not good value if you are hungry!

Went for lunch and was greeted straight away with a friendly smile. Relaxing atmosphere and amazing view of Richmond park. Friendly staff who where willing to offer advice on a walk to go on after our excellent meal. Great value home cooked food. Recommended

I've lived in richmond for over 30 yrs and always enjoyed a beer and food at this pub. Unfortunately my recent visit was not up to the highest standards of previous visits. The food was pretty average, at way over average prices and way under average sized portions. The service was pretty ordinary and we left feeling that the Dysart was not the pub it used to be

Be warned! Expensive and miniscule portions. And I mean very small. Not the greatest service either.

Dont bring kids here. Not family friendly. Although this place is opposite the kids park in Richmond Park the management here do not want families in the pub. We were having a drink having been into the park on a gorgeous sunny day and were told to keep our 18month old boy and 5 year old girl on thier seats in the front pub garden. Any parent will understand why we just got up and left. I havent had this bad attitude from a pub restaurant in a long long time. I wont go to the place again.

a really good place! great food at good value (£17.00 for three courses), great decor and ambience, good service (a passionate and knowledgable waiter in a place like this is a rarity). a great winelist well explained.

fantastic music as well - classical music in a pub? never seen that before but it works beautifully here, we heard a pianist who was brilliant and was the icing on the cake of a great evening.

Great location, right next to Petersham Gate of Richmond Park and Petersham Water Meadow onto the Thames. Lovely building. The interior looks like a Nouveau-Rich version of All-Bar-One: it has zero character. The service is cold, sometimes unfriendly. The drinks list is pretentious - when we were there, the only vodka appeared to Grey Goose. The food is fine, but nothing special, in small portions, and about 40% more than you'd expect to pay for this sort of pub fayre, even on big white plates. The sooner this place changes hands the better. I recommend the owner tries a bar in E1 - that would be more their style.

Yes I agree with these last two reviews - it's a great place. I was made to feel really welcome when I went, the food and wine was fab and the atmosphere very bubbly. The fact that you can listen to such good music without an admission fee is amazing as well. Last time I went on a Saturday night and saw a classical pianist. Wasn't sure what to expect, but it really was the perfect accompaniment to the evening. Check it out.

Yes, I agree with these last two reviews - The Dysart Arms is a great place. I was made to feel really welcome when I went, the food and wine was fab and the atmosphere very bubbly. The fact that you can listen to such good music without an admission fee is amazing as well.


Last time I went on a Saturday night and saw a classical pianist. Wasn't sure what to expect but it really was the perfect accompaniment to the evening. Check it out.

The Dysart Arms is such a good pub if you're a musical connoisseur as they've got some of the best classical and jazz musicians in the country playing there. Now, I would be lying if I was to say these are words uttered from my flabby gob, but rest assured, a good friend who took me to the Dysart Arms seems to know all about these things and he concured. And it did sound awfully good, whatever it was.

The Dysart Arms is seriously nice. Once you've stepped inside you'll see that it's not like most pubs - the decor is sensational and perfect for the music they play. When we attended there was some jazz being played by a couple of young guys and it was the perfect accompaniment to our delicious dinner. We've made it our mission to get back to the Dysart Arms as much as possible in the future!