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Submitted on Thursday, 20^th January 2022
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The Leather Bottle, Merton Park, SW19

277 Kingston Road
SW19
SW19 3NW

Phone: 02085427490

Correct details

Pub Type

John Barras (Spirit Pubs)

Served areas

Merton Park

Reviews of The Leather Bottle (Average Rating: 5 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

David Walton left this review about The Leather Bottle

Visited 03/02/25

This is a GK venue, so they had four hand pumps, two providing IPA and one each of Abbot and something called the Leather Bottle Bitter. Keg was a typical GK venue assembly of Guinness, Amstel, Inch's, Neck Oil, Madri, Peroni, level Head, Flint Eye, Moretti, Estrella Galicia, a vertical range of That hers flavoured ciders (blood orange. Apple & blackcurrant and cloudy lemon).

This is a large GK establishment. The bar counter is on the inside corner and has a flashy tiled skirt around a venue that is generally bare boarded. Regular tables and chairs abound in a venue with walls that are adorned with patterned wallpaper. There are some booth tables with patterned fabric seating, and several screens were showing nothing in particular on my late Monday evening visit. The copper topped tables with stools near the entrance part of the bar were my preferred seating. The venue was busy on my visit, but it is not altogether clear why!

On 18^th September 2026 - rating: 5
[User has posted 2067 recommendations about 2020 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Tris C left this review about The Leather Bottle

Supposedly dating from the early 18th century, the current structure was rebuilt in 1897 as a big roadhouse number; it reopened on Friday 7th June after yet another refurb.
My visit was undertaken the following Friday, arriving just before 9.30pm and the interior is certainly contemporary, with a part polished wood floor, then somewhat psychedelic tiling. There’s a raised area, Arts & Crafts-style floral wallpaper or Farrow & Ball (all visible on their website), the bar array featuring shiny blue tiles to the rear and tubular steel racking; obviously there were games machines and silent TV sport to a fairly loud soundtrack. Customers were a mixed age local bunch, many quite boisterous.
Cask held no surprises, with Abbot and GK IPA which was off, my emergency beverage of choice – Neck Oil – ‘That’s off’, so it was a half of Tadcaster’s finest: Madri, £3.35 a half, served up after an age, the product of utterly shambolic service.
This sort of utterly formulaic style really isn’t my thing and with the limited drinks choice – on a Saturday evening – and poor service, doesn’t really paint the place in a flattering light; there are only two pubs in this part of SW19 worthy of anyone’s shoe leather.

On 16^th June 2024 - rating: 4
[User has posted 2351 recommendations about 2289 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Graham Coombs left this review about The Leather Bottle

Large suburban pub with a good late Victorian exterior. Inside is still one large L shaped room but smartly facelifted and the games area has disappeared in favour of a greater food offering. Woodwork has been given the muted grey and brown treatment, the bar back has been tiled and much of the floor has become stone flagged, for no apparent reason. A number of large sports screens overlook proceedings. Outside is restricted to narrow patio areas alongside the road frontages. Ales on were IPA, Abbot and TT Landlord; condition seemed fair enough. Not really worth seeking out specially but respectable enough if you are in the area.

On 20^th January 2022 - rating: 6
[User has posted 4064 recommendations about 3996 pubs]

View more reviews of The Leather Bottle (5)

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