please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
This used to be my local back in the early 80s when I lived very nearby off Acton Lane. It was a Bass Charrington house then, serving good IPA. Can anyone tell me what's going on there these days, ie beers, service, crack etc? I'm thinking of paying a sentimental visit soon, but don't want to waste my time away from Chiswick high road if it's not worth it! Thanks! :-)
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What's wrong with Somalians ?
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First things first. This pub should not really be listed as being in South Acton (W3) as it is in fact based in Chiswick (W4).
Chiswick is a really upmarket area full of hooray henrys and ladies who lunch. South Acton is a downmarket area full of Somalians and young birds with prams! ! !
Now enough about the area. The pub itself is nice with outside seating out the front and a large beer garden out back which is lovely in sunny weather. Nices attractive barmaid served me a nice pint of summer lightning. As a drinker who tends to go for beers of around 5% ABV is was refreshing change to go into a pub that does just have session ales and ales hovering aroung the 4% ABV mark.
The clientel is as you would expect from the area however everyone seemed really friendly and not at all stuck up apart from a 1 particularly squify lady who was entering her twwilight years. We can let her off though as it definitely seemed she had had a few too many Chablis's.
All in all, would recommend this pub if anyone is in this part of Chiswick
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Currently visiting a pub for every station on the London Overground. Did this one for South Acton. Quite upmarket pub in residential area, nice garden and family friendly. Lots of yummy mummys here when I visited.
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The Swan was my local when I lived in Chiswick.
For ambiance, it's difficult to find a better pub in the area. The lighting is possibly a little dark and the furniture somewhat crammed in, but this only serves to add to the atmosphere. When a pub has music it should be at a volume that allows conversation and a style that is inoffensive to the clientele. Generally at The Swan there is some kind of Motown soundtrack playing in the background, which is great. The staff are always friendly and receptive. The slightly upmarket clientele might not be everyone's cup of tea, but you are in Chiswick, so what do you expect?
The beer range is fine, but not outstanding, with three rotating handpumps: Usually London Pride and two guests. The bar staff are generally happy for you to have a taster if you are not sure what to choose. I think it would benefit from having a more interesting bottled beer / cider range as I think there is a market for it. That said, they don't have much fridge space. There are the normal mass-produced lagers one would expect in a more upmarket establishment.
Location is 5 minutes walk from Chiswick Park station on the District Line (Ealing Broadway branch) and probably nearer to 10-15 minutes walk from Turnham Green or Gunnersbury.
As a bonus, this pub does brilliant (and reasonable value for the area) food and has a spacious beer garden, which gets the sun in the afternoon. Only open at 5pm on weekdays.
My rating 8/10 (Ambience 9/10, Beer 6/10, Location 7/10)
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another great meal at the swan tonight.
Thank you, always worth a visit.
Great waiter tonight, very friendly and welcoming.
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Pleasant pub with three ales on and a good sounding but expensive-ish food menu - it does seem to have gone the gastropub kind of route. Garden is small but pleasant. Not in an obvious place, round the back in the part of Chiswick towards Acton, but nice.
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Popular gastro pub that is slightly off the beaten track. It has two areas, with the rear area more restauranty. Ales on offer were Otter, TEA and Pride at �3.20 a pint. Nice atmosphere and the food looked great, although I didn't sample any.
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I finally got in here last Thursday and have to admit to being somewhat disappointed, but this maybe due to the fact that I was expecting some elaborate fanfare for finding the doors ajar.
The barmaid was OK without being very friendly and the Pride and Harveys were very good. Black Sheep was also available along with Peroni, Hoegarden, San Miguel, Staropramen, Kronenburg, Fosters and Guinness.
Like the previous reviewer I visited here around 18:00 when it was quiet so it didn�t have a gastro feel and the only way that you could tell was from the snippets from Timeout and GPG that have their pride of place in the toilet and on the board outside. From reading the Timeout review I can imagine it being a bit uncomfortable in the evenings if you just want to sit at the bar and have a few beers, but this is only conjecture. There are a couple of benches outside the front of the pub and a beer garden out the back that is �open when the sun is shining�.
This place is a bit out of the way so I doubt that I�ll ever return.
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Popped in for a quick half and found it to be a very friendly pub - not really the posh gastro pub I was expecting. I suppose it may have a different atmosphere later on in the evening though (this was 6pm on a Tues).
A good ale selection (St Austell Tribute and Harvey's Best were included), with a menu of 'forthcoming' beer. I didn't try the food and it was too early to see anyone else eating.
Is also a dog-friendly pub, if that suits you.
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We tried to go here for Mothers' Day. It can get busy so we went before their advertised kitchen opening hours. Two bored staff watched us heave tables around trying to make a table large enough for 7. They were then reluctant to give us menus to look at because it was 15 mins before the kitchen 'opened' - were they going to have some very last minute changes? The apathy persuaded us to go to The Duke of Sussex instead. I've had some great meals at the Swan, but I'd say the latter beats them now on so many fronts.
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I thought that I�d, once again, try to have a drink in here with it being a Wednesday, but alas no joy. There is now a board up outside giving the opening times as:
Weekdays, 5 � 11
Saturdays, 12 � 11
Sundays, 12 � 10:30
I concede defeat!
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Unfortunately after a conscientious effort to find this pub it was closed.
Fortunately the bloke in the darkened pub did come out to explain to me that it does not open until 5pm on a Tuesday and Thursday. He also gave me top class directions back to Chiswick High Road.
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First class pub and indeed one of the very best in Chiswick - great food and beer and friendly mixed clientele. If only the council estate next door could be moved a mile north towards Acton this would be quite perfect.
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By far the best bar in the Chiswick area.The manager is superb.The beer is fantastic. The food is a bit of an aquired taste but very nice all the same. The prices are a little high but not over the top. Although I prefer its sister pub The Cumberland in West Kensington, this is definitely a bar worth visiting.
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Nice pub and food very good as you'd expect (sister pub to the Cumberland, Fox & Hounds, Dartmouth Castle)
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Wonderful pub - excellent food, superb wine list. Best in Chiswick. Best in Acton.
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This is my local and i think it is great. Food is fantastic and I've always found the service very friendly and effiecient. Bar staff are welcoming. Not sure which "real" pub round the corner Anonymous went to but knowing what's around in this area all I can say is rather you than me!
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Superb pub to have as my local, great great food and lovely lovely garden.
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Food is generally very good, as is the beer and the excellent wine list.
Service can be a bit hit and miss at times and the staff can get rather aggressive at 'chucking-out' time!
All in all though, a good pub to have as your local (well its my local anyway).
By the way, the Swan can either be considered to be in the 'Acton Green' area (from the local park) or in 'Chiswick' (from the local post code), but definitely not in 'South Acton'!
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This place is no longer a pub but symptomatic of the Gastro style pub/restaurant that is sweeping the country. If you want good food go to a restaurant if you want a drink go to a pub...gastro is just a licence to serve average food at inflated prices.Wanted to go here last night for a drink to see what it was like after ten years away...was full of the kind of people who used to frequent the pitcher and piano and all bar one on the high road who five years ago would not have dreamt of going to pubs-went round the corner instead to a "real" pub.
anonymous - 7 Jan 2005 11:14 |
Lovely pub however I've always found the food and service to be a bit hit and miss. When its busy it can be a nightmare, I've had to wait upto 20 minutes on a few occasions to get served. I've had meals ranging from excellent to poor, yet despite this it remains the best pub in Chiswick. Whether that's due to the quality of the Swan or the lack of good pubs in the area I can't decide.
Clive - 17 Nov 2004 16:40 |
The Swan is a great gastro pub in a quiet aea of Chiswick / South Acton. The menu is solid, service excellent and the outdoor area is secure for children.
Eugene - 28 Sep 2004 19:03 |
yes too much rocket!! but good food good portions very helpful staff and management ..they are genuine... good wine selection bit pricey... london pride served well
bob - 28 Jun 2004 18:50 |
Boring, especially sunday roast cooked by chinese chefs, where sautee potatoes are called roast ones, using a trick - serving quantity over quality, horrible, stodgy ginger cake
nick - 20 Jun 2004 23:59 |
The Swan was always an under-used / under-rated pub that was wasted in its former guise. Now it has been turned around and will hopefully survive as a good pub. All pubs should be presented like this one. Would like to see the fire working in winter and the little toilets opened up again, otherwise the keep up the good work.
slim - 17 Jun 2004 13:09 |
Rather bland place - typical of many of the current breed of Gastro-pubs. The food was reasonable, though nothing exceptional and the beer reasonable, though nothing exceptional. All in all an average experience.
Sanj - 2 Jun 2004 17:09 |
Very friendly pub, I've never seen anything to support Johnno's comment on 6th April.
not a Yuppy! - 27 May 2004 18:22 |
Re Johnno's comment 6th April;
I am stunned at his 'yuppy' and 'black people' comment. The staff comprise Mongolian, Irish, South African, English & Polish. We welcome everybody, the more eclectic the better and enjoy nothing more than the atmosphere created by our multicultural clientele. Come in again Johnno and base your comment on facts not bias. Barbara McShane. (parts Irish/Scottich and Spanish) Swan Manager
Barbara McShane - 24 May 2004 12:31 |
Has picked up the Bollo's fallen crown as the very best gastro-pub in Chiswick!
thedoghector - 21 May 2004 17:52 |
While i appreciate that The Swan is slightly upmarket it is not full of yuppies, just locals who enjoy our food. Our staff also work very hard on making everybody feel welcome and definetely show no discrimination on the basis of skin colour - i should know as i'm Indian!
The General Manager of The Swan - 9 Apr 2004 14:19 |
Don't set foot in here unless you're a yuppy, or else you'll find staff and customers alike looking down their noses at you. They don't seem keen on having black people in there either. Truly awful place.
Johnno - 6 Apr 2004 17:07 |
One of my favourite pubs in London. People who appreciate The Swan with its brilliant food and friendly atmosphere might like to try the Atlas in West Brompton, and (my local) the Cumberland Arms in Olympia - managed by the same excellent team.
anonymous - 4 Apr 2004 21:23 |
Doesn't feel like a pub anymore, feels like a restaurant. Haven't eaten here, so can't comment on the food, but if you're after a pub then don't bother coming here!
John - 27 Feb 2004 16:22 |
The best pub in W4 by far. Great atmosphere inside & out, gorgeous food and staff who aren't just after the tenner in your wallet. The business.
anonymous - 18 Oct 2003 20:19 |
Once again i must say what a fantastic pub the Swan is, the food is absolutely fantastic and the service is great, it's also
just been voted one of London's Top Ten Restaurants by Harden's - get in quick before the crowds.
Definetly my choice for Pub of the Year.
James - 3 Oct 2003 22:23 |
Excellent carnivore's food and good, imaginative vegetarian choice for the missus - unusual for a gastropub. Infinitely superior to the nearby Devonshire House which has a Marco Pierre White trained chef! Shame they only do lunch on a weekend otherwise I'd eat here far more often... and the postcode is W4 so I think it qualifies as Chiswick. Wherever it is, its well worth finding.
Duncan - 27 Sep 2003 20:28 |
All in all a very nice pub. I've been before when it was nothing special but it has been done up well. The beer is pretty good, the wine list not bad at all, and the food is excellent, really very good indeed. Only two gripes: one, why not make the toilets nicer (see previous comment) and why does any nice pub suddenly end up in Chiswick? I'm fairly convinced that this is Acton. Otherwise my flat would be worth about a hundred thousand pounds more!!!!
David Jollie - 12 Aug 2003 09:18 |
Recently refurbished as another Chiswick gastropub but a very superior one. The wine list looks fab but I developed an instant addiction to the Terre in Fiore the first time I went so I haven't got much further with it! Food is great, staff are friendly, there's always a spare newspaper to read too. (Shame they didn't do up the loos when they did up the rest of it though).
Miranda - 5 Aug 2003 09:20 |
another fantastic night at the swan...in this sort of weather is there anything better than that garden!!!
James - 23 Jul 2003 16:18 |
fantastic pub, great staff (truly the nicest I have experienced in a london pub for a long time), yummy food (not your average pubgrub, really interesting and well thought out menu) and super location with a gem of a garden around the back. I took a friend and he was very impressed with the food and the garden. He had swordfish which was absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked, I had pork loin with a potato and beetroot gratin - simply perfect. I can't recommend this pub highly enough
Christine - 16 Jul 2003 09:30 |
great new wine list - try the rose it's strong and perfect for a summers night in the huge garden.
James - 9 Jul 2003 15:26 |
nice
anonymous - 1 Jul 2003 14:49 |
Of course it's interested in local trade. They shut over easter because a lot of local people go away! And fresh food is not so easy to source over holiday weekends. I live 20 yards away and go there about twice a week. Food is great value, so is the interesting wine. The (heated) garden has really come into it's own now we have some summer nights to enjoy.
Paul - 28 Jun 2003 11:39 |
very friendly staff and good VFM food.
ronnette - 20 Jun 2003 14:17 |
a little gem of a pub hidden away from the hustle and bustle. Nice atmosphere, easy listening atmosphere, comfy chairs and school style chairs inside and benches outside. Food looks and smells good.
emma - 2 Jun 2003 18:45 |
Not open weekday lunchtimes. Wasn't open on Easter Saturday night.
Presumably not interested in local trade.
Robin - 19 May 2003 10:49 |
