Queen Charlotte, Windsor

A curious pub in the tourist area which seems to have been done up as a restaurant but reverted to being a pub. There are three areas with a very grey personality and a glazed roof room behind. Friendly enough though, and apparently up for sale and refurbishment so could change. Just Windsor & Eton Guardsman on the three handpumps.

A traditional looking pub located in a side street just off the main drag up past the castle, they’ve made the most of the pedestrianised lane that they are located in with plenty of benches outside and it looked a reasonably appealing place to pop in. I was a little surprised to find it more contemporary than I had expected internally, with an entrance foyer made out of plate glass etched with the pub’s name like you might expect to find in an upmarket gastro-pub. Décor wise it’s fairly unremarkable, with blue wood panelling on the lower part of the walls and cream plasterwork above, although the panelling extended to the full height of the walls in some places meaning that it might have felt quite elegant if it wasn’t for the fact that it was looking a little shabby in place. Flooring was parquet wood strip, whilst one wall at the end had been entirely clad in sanded wooden boards. A small fireplace was off to one side with a wood burning stove and a large gilded mirror above. No doubt due to it’s location, numerous strings of Union Jack flags were hung around, but overall I thought it very much lacking in anything in the way of character. Service was a bit shoddy as well with tables left uncleared for some considerable time. The solitary beer on tap was Courage Best, with another pump appearing unused. Ciders meanwhile were Inch’s Medium Apple and Old Rosie. Prices seemed quite ludicrous with a pint of the Inch’s and a G&T coming in at an eye watering £15.70. Overall, whilst there was nothing really wrong with this place, there are far better options just a short stroll away.