Hoop & Toy

Este típico pub londinense tiene una gran virtud, es uno de los pocos en su zona. Aunque no lo crean South Kensington tiene mil restaurantes pero muy pocos pubs, tiene algunos bares de copas, pero pocos bares como este, donde se siente el ambiente ingles en dosis enormes.
Más allá de eso es un bar standard, con no mucho lugar para sentarse, ofrece las comidas típicas de los bares que es fish and chips. Los precios de las birras están como en todos lados, lo mismo los de la comida. Lamentablemente, como en casi todos los pubs, la cocina cierra a las 21.30!!! Si, es una locura, pero así son los ingleses, comen temprano.
Los pubs de esta zona cierran en general cerca de las 23, este cierra a la 1am y esa es la principal razón por la cual esta siempre lleno de gente. Tiene ambiente, eso en una zona residencial se valora mucha. Vale la pena parar si estas por el barrio ya que es el único bar por el area. Dije mucho la palabra pub/​bar, perdón, me quede sin sinonimos!

Our tour guide recommended this place.
Wasn’t impressed.
The tables were all filthy, they were out of several items on the menu, they messed up our dinner order, the food was just okay, and it was expensive!

Ein herrlicher Pub, so wie es sein soll: Gemütlich wie in Ommas Wohnzimmer, gutes Bier und lauter fröhliche Leute!
Großes Kino, ganz ehrlich…

Stopped in for a drink during the week as this pub was conveniently located across the street from our hotel (I guess that makes me one of the tourist noted in the other reviews).
Seemed like a very basic English pub. We did not order food, but the menu appeared to be the standard pub grub. Since it was summer, and we do not have it in the States, I ordered Pimm’s They were out of fruit (really?) so that was a bit disappointing. The service was good and while decently busy, it was not crowded.

Very disappointing!
We waited quite some time for our food as it turned out the order got lost, but the lady was unable to apologize her self, but sent a colleague.
The food was good though.

Well this place certainly isn’t going to set the world alight. But it’s the closest pub to the museums and, after dragging the kids round the Science Museum for what seems like three weeks, alcohol is required. It’s pretty big, very busy, averagely priced and reasonably friendly. It’s full of tourists, the tables all need cleaning and, on a Saturday lunchtime there are two very stressed bar staff on That said. They serve beer.

I travel to London for work with the Museum and more often than not the destination after hours is the Hoop & Toy. The first few times I went they still allowed smoking and if there were 100 people in the place, 97 of them were smoking. I felt pretty bad for the poor barstaff and damn thankful I could take my pint outside into the fresh air. Since then, drinking indoors or our is decided by the temperature. The food is fine, typical pub fare. Usually, we have a pint or two there and then head somewhere else for eats.

I went to this place a couple of times now after a visit to the Museums around the area and I’ve never been massively impressed with the staff level of customer service. It seems that they rely so much on the tourists around looking for that typical English pub, that they don’t really care about being welcoming, let alone charming. The place itself is nice, right in the middle of South Kensington and with lovely food for decent prices.

If you’re an Imperial College employee/​student it’s pretty hard to avoid the Hoop and Toy (at least every once in awhile). Located right outside the South Kensington tube station it attracts riff raff from the three big museums in the area, the College, and anyone else who works around there and wants to grab a pint before getting on the tube. As such, you’ll see a lot of tourists and young college kids, but it’s not all bad. Their beer selection is actually pretty decent, with several cask ales available to go along with all the usual lagers you see in the regular London touristy pub.
The food isn’t terrible as it’s a Taylor Walker owned pub, so you’ll find the same menu that you find in a lot of pubs here — all the classic English dishes without any «gastroness» added to it. So if you’re looking for something (relatively) cheap for the area (it is South Kensington after all…) you can get some food and a few pints here and be satisfied, but you won’t be raving about it to anyone.

All other reviews on point — not a great pub but close to home and open later than other locals. Busy and fun place to meet tourists!
It should be better — its a terrific location and big enough to be a massive success, but instead its basically a bog standard junk pub.

Frequented this place a few times a month, as it was just a gander down the road. Nice place to pop in for a drink if you’re looking to meet different people. It’s a bit touristy because of it’s location, but the service is usually all right. Might have to wait a few minutes, but hey — no biggie. Prices are a bit more than other pubs in the area, but again — it’s only a few minutes’ walk from the museums, so that’s to be expected.
One thing I really like about this place is the little game machines that they have. For 50p, you can play computerized darts, Are You Smarter than a 10 Year Old, etc. These games are quite fun… and a bit addicting :)

This appears to be the only pub within walking distance of all those exciting museums. And it’s pretty crap.
They rely massively on a tourist trade, so they were busy when I popped in for a drink with a friend (cheap bubbly is only £3.95). You’ll end up here if you fancy a pint after a walk around the museums, but you won’t be excited by it. In fact, I’d suggest the Reading Rooms around the corner instead (there’s books and wine in the same room how could that be bad?)
Location is the only thing this pub has going for it. There’s nothing wrong with the place, it’s just dull and generic.

I used to come here a few times a week when I lived nearby. We got pretty friendly with the staff, and that really made the Hoop and Toy a better place. The food is okay, the beers are a bit pricey, and other than the good location, this place doesn’t really have much going for it. When I visited again recently, the staff had completely changed, thus meaning the Hoop and Toy lost nearly all the charm it had going for itself. Nonetheless, it holds a special place in my heart.

3.5 stars… give ’ em 4 for the heck of it. Decent pub located near the V&A museum and the natural history museum, and right outside s. Kensington station for the underground.
This was our ‘London fish and chips experience’, and for about 9 pounds you get a huge piece of fried fish, tartar sauce, healthy portion of fries/​chips, and some green peas. If you look and or are English I think they automatically bring you malt vinegar; lol this was not the case with us, bit the tartar sauce was sufficient. Overall it was pretty good… standard I suppose… not sure what I was expecting, but it was satisfying to say the least. Big pub, both tourists and locals (always a good sign).

The ‘Hoop of Joy’, sorry the Hoop and Toy. If you’re a normal Imperial student (there are some) then it is very likely you will end up here at some point, or like me during my degree, many times. The only particular reason is that it is open until midnight on weeknights and therefore you can get a quick one in after the Union shuts, as I did last night. At 3.95 for a kronenburg, and around £5+ for spirits, you can only probably afford a quick one.
Never had the food, so can’t comment on that but the pub is pretty standard. If you get there before nine-​ish they often have the bar downstairs open (its very hidden), which helps as its often packed due to its proximity to the museums, Imperial/​RCM/​RCA and South Ken tube and many people stand outside on the large pavement. The also have a function room by the toilets upstairs. Drinks range, its very, very standard, a shame, and they’ve just got rid of hoegarden on tap. Sad times.
Overall its just a typical overpriced London pub, just happens to have great opening hours and a fantastic location. Shame it can’t live up to that location more…

Standard pub fare & somewhat overpriced (though not atypically so for London), but very friendly service & relatively clean. Burger was quite good, and I loved the sticky toffee pudding. Other review noted free wifi, but that must be gone now. But decent place and very close to Natural History Museum.

A good selection of ales and beers isn’t good enough to make up for a list of other problems, as this place shows.
The surfaces look like they get wiped once a month, and the price of drinks here borders on extortionate. The couple of times I’ve been here I’ve had to limit myself to one drink as you’re effectively getting one pint for the price of two. Spirit and mixer will set you back around a fiver as well.
Most recently I went here with a large group. The food was actually quite tasty. I had a rib of beef which, though small, was tender and fell off the bone and the sauce served with it was great. However for the £13 I paid, I would have expected excellence, and more than the token few chips and peas which accompanied it. The service is alright but nothing special. And the price means I’ll think twice before stepping in here again.

Reliably sticky! That’s how this pub has always been, and I don’t know why some people can clean tables and others can’t, so maybe some publicans can shed light on that? Anyway, the pride is reasonably kept, and it’s open late, but I still refuse to like it

What a namesurely it could not be forgotten on the walk from the ice rink at the Natural History muesumoh yes it can. Staying out later than other qypers on this school night of the Xmas Ice skating event, I was amazed that the number of customers this place had. It was so very popular. There were Londoners, tourists, people with pints, tall glasses, beer cans, half pints, shortswait a minute did you read beer cans?
Yes, service here was a little slow on the night I attended, maybe because the three staff were over run with custom. Some people turned up with beer cans and drunk them inside, always a bad sign because it means the beer is a) overpriced, b) difficult to purchase (it takes an age to get serve) c) the beer is bad or d) any combination of two or three of the above statements. They have Fosters, Kronenboug, Leffe, Stells and Staropramen, but no branded glasses for the premium products like Star and Stella which is a let down.
I have head this place called the ‘hoop and toilet’ by a friend of the family who works at a neighbouring muesum. It is a bit harsh, but there is not much in the area for normal people. The tourists drinking here seemed to think they would get in bourij, the infamous nightclub a few doors down.
The fuction room upstairs is small, but ideal for comedy of the stand up variety. There is a basement bar too. I didnt visit it, so can’t comment. Beware, by the way, given the amount of passing trade there appears to be a bag theif here. So keep your belongings with you. You have been warned.

This was my first time to The hoop and after an evening of physical exertion on the ice rink (!) at NHM, it was really nice to get into a cosy, friendly pub to enjoy a drink and a bit of a warm!
As per the other reviews, this pub is in close vicinity to the Museums of South Ken and also the tube. A good stop off point after a tiring cultural or fun afternoon/​evening out before heading home.
The Hoop gave me my first experience of Winter Pimms. I’d not come across this before, but it was great to see a big ern behind the bar where they were serving hot pimms with slices of apple and dashes of cinnamon. The staff were also brewing Mulled Wine, but it was taking 15mins to brew a new pot so I missed out on this, but it was a really nice seasonal touch and seemed to be going down well with tourists and locals alike.
It’s really sad to hear that theft is a problem here, but probably not a surprise given the location and pull of tourists to the area.
Next time I visit the NHM or V&A I would definitely consider popping in for one. I’ll just be forwarding on the advise from DMJ1962 and theduck for them to hold onto their valuables :-(

Hmmm well, this was a busy, bright, crowded pub with few tables, a tatty interior and was kinda dusty and dirty.
The beer available on tap was OK but nothing to write home about and although there was a lot of pimms winter warmer, there was no sign of any mulled wine so I opted to share a bottle.
It seemed to have a lot of passing trade and the place was a bit noisy — quite different than our last Qype bar which rocked the house.
AA firm meh

This is a traditional looking pub right next to South Kensington underground station which has recently benefited from a major refurbishment.
The exterior has an impressive fascia with the words ‘whiskies’ and ‘brandies’ in gilt either side of the name. Inside, it’s traditional — velvet curtains, dark wood, patterned carpet and bold wallpaper — but looks very clean and tidy after its refurbishment.
It also stocks a decent, if unadventurous, selection of real ales, including (last night) London Pride, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, Green King IPA, and (more interestingly) Ruddles County. It’s a bit pricey, but then we are in Kensington and a tourist trap area. It was busy, but there were plenty of staff on, and service was efficient and friendly. They do food, but I didn’t sample it.
The main downer is actually its location, just a stone’s throw from the museum area: it gets very busy, very quickly, with lots of tourists, and later on seemed to fill up with a few Hooray Henry types from a gig: in short, it’s not your cosy, corner local, so don’t expect lots of atmosphere. But you could do worse if you just wanted a quick pint.
Warning: the pub has a reputation for theft — another facet of its location and touristy credentials. It even has CCTV and a stock of police theft report forms behind the bar One of our party had their bag taken, although it later turned up, presumably because there was no wallet in it. So keep your valuables with you.