Handsomely rejigged by new owners Cubitt House in 2017, this Edwardian pub features three distinct floors, and is home to proper gastropub cooking, as well as a solid selection of craft beers and nifty cocktails. The oak-panelled ground-floor bar is where to sample the beers, and upstairs, a gorgeous dining room offers simple but extremely well-executed British classics.
Allow us to wax about this dining room for a bit, because it really is delightful in an understated way. Crisp tablecloths drape lazily over tables, light pours in through tall sash windows and wood abounds, from the fern green panelled walls to the pleasingly worn wooden floors, which have an old classroom charm about them.
We plonk ourselves down by the window and crack on with a well-poured pint of Guinness, as well as a chunky sausage roll and scotch egg combo. The egg is perfect - jammy, not set but crucially, not too runny. There's a lot to be said for getting these seemingly-simple things right and if you're in the market for classic pub snacks, you'll not be left wanting by The Coach Makers Arms.
There’s no holding back on the rest of the a la carte either. Plump baked scallops arrive in-shell, nested in a bone marrow crumb and a little pool of wild garlic butter, and elsewhere, there’s a rich twice-baked Cheddar souffle with a good hit of grain mustard. A pie is a must-order here too - there’s no pastry-lid nonsense here, it’s a proper pie, stuffed with chicken and wild garlic with a wodge of buttery mash and gravy on the side.
The wine list is similarly esteemed, and in the basement you’ll find The 72 - a sherry- and olive-tone bar reminiscent of 1940s Madrid, worth discovering for its very drinkable cocktail list. Is The Coach Makers Arms winning any prizes for invention? No, but it’s a very charming throwback that delivers some of the best pub food in London.