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The King’s Field, Church Grove, Hampton Wick, KT1 4ET
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Tucked away at the corner of Bushy Park, just over on the far side of Kingston Bridge, Pistachio in the Park is slightly off the beaten track, yet still within easy reach of Kingston’s town centre.
It is one of a small chain, presently boasting ten outlets across the South-East. Coffee is from John Street Beverage, ice cream from Marshfield Farm and cakes are either made on the premises or ‘sourced from local artisan makers’.
The ice cream is sometimes available; sometimes not, but there is a good choice of perhaps a dozen flavours. The cake options are often limited to cookies, shortbread/brownies, muffins and small Italian pastries.
Coffee is served in small, medium and large sizes, available in proper cups with saucers (small and medium only) or corrugated disposable cups. There is no advertised discount for customers bringing their own. All the usual options are available.
Prices are reasonable, but not cheap. We paid £2.60 for a small black Americano and £2.80 for a medium cappuccino. Large sizes are £3.20. Our muffins cost £2.10 and millionaire’s shortbread £2.20.
Pistachio’s is child-friendly – many enjoy the adjacent playground or skatepark – and extremely dog-friendly, both inside and out.
Opening times vary, however, though Google Maps suggests 10:00-15:30 on weekdays and 09:00-16:00 at weekends.
The inside of the Café is small and fairly basic, with a handful of tables seating upwards of 20 customers.
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Outside the seating is even more limited, with just a couple of small metal tables and a bigger wooden table with bench seats that has seen better days. There are no sunshades.
There is a single unisex/disabled toilet with baby-changing facilities which is clean and well-maintained. It supplies instructions for carefree male urinators.
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The manager is friendly and welcoming, though he often has no assistance, so service can be quite slow. But the Café has a pleasant ambience, with a community feel – there is a community noticeboard and a small shelf of books too.
We thought our coffees were hot, tasty and appropriately strong. The cappuccino had added chocolate sprinkles.
The millionaire’s shortbread was good, without being outstanding, though the portion size was relatively small.
The muffins were more substantial, with plenty of fruit (blueberry and raspberry on the day of our visit, though other flavours are often available).
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Plus points
Friendly; often quiet outside peak times; dogs particularly welcome.
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Minus points
Limited opening; little outdoor seating; relatively few cake options
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Ratings
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Our rating system
1 = Don’t bother
2 = Only if there are no alternatives
3 = Come back again
4 = Come often
5 = Always make a detour
5* = An unmissable experience
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Reviewed: 2 May 2019, 14:00
Reiviewers: TK-S; TD; guest
Eponymous 