We went for Sunday lunch. The choice was minimal: a' roast '(hot chicken or cold ham); a burger; or a pasta dish. We chose the chicken and the burger. The chicken itself was fine, but the accompanying 'roast' new potatoes were not roasted at all, just tossed in a bit of butter. The accompaniments on offer to go with the roast were all cold (i.e. salads) - there were no other cooked vegetables. Merely providing a roast chicken (to carve oneself and served in a cold dish) does not constitute a traditional 'Sunday roast'. There was only one waiter who was very pleasant but obviously overstretched - apparently the manager was upstairs asleep. The two course meal took three hours. There is very little that would induce me to return. The feedback on the 'award winning' burgers was not particularly good either.

I approached the Idle Hour to run a masterchef style charity event, to take the pub and kitchens over for one evening, and the landlord couldn't have been more accomodating, to the extent of working with us to create what was a memorable, enjoyable and charitable evening.

Guests came from all over London and the South Coast, all enjoyed the hospitality and the fun the landlord helped provide, in a setting that virtually everyone mentioned as a surprising and charming find, and most of us are adfolk.

Can't recommend the place highly enough for the charm, courtesy and hard work put in by the owner and his team. Long may it continue.

What a disappointment. Booked Xmas meal for a dozen or so, largely on its reputation for the king crab and supposedly 'amazing' roasts. Crab arrived after an age (how long does it take to steam some crab claws?) accompanied by a mealy portion of overcooked and greasy chips. The 'salad' consisted of five lettuce leaves! Another monumental wait before our roasts, which were - you guessed it - overcooked (the chicken had lost almost all texture, while the lamb had the colour and flavour of a school dinner). More greasy potatoes - roast this time - a mound of sprouts and a couple of carrots: not exactly the gastropub experience we'd expected. To be honest, this wasn't really cooking at all - just assembling some ingredients (of which goose fat seems to play a leading role) and bunging them in an oven for rather too long.
Service was sweet but unbelievably slow - my coffee took 40 minutes to arrive, and that was after two reminders.
I noticed that the other three positive reviews are all a few years old; draw your own conclusions!

I was taken to The Idle Hour on Wednesday and thought my friend was winding me up when we approached the area. What a gem I discovered and only 10 minutes from Chiswick!

I love the feeling that the owner is living his dream and I reckon the man (whoever he is) has got it bang on! The Idle Hour is the place I would certainly take someone if I needed to illustrate my inarguable understanding of cool.

Friends took me to The Idle Hour on Friday. How can I have lived in Barnes for five years and not known it existed. What a great hidden gem and what friendly people. The Idle Hour restores your faith in London.

A friend recommended The Idle Hour organic roast Sunday lunches that you carve yourself at the table. I'd heard the food at The Idle Hour was really good but I hadn't expected an open roaring fire, a good wine list and really friendly bar staff. What a find.