please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Has heavily invested in a large kitchen which dominates the rear room (in a bad way), and no attempt has been made to expand the limited, unimaginative menu which never seems to change. Why bother upgrading the kitchen if the food doesn't improve?? Now being well and truly shown up by the likes of The Forager and The Connaught, and with The Portland on the way to being revamped, the Westbourne risks being left behind. It will always be a half decent stop for a relazed pint but no more than that unless the step up a gear.
Beer is always Harvey's Best and a lacklustre guest ale like London Pride- not particulary well kept either.
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Finally tried the place after living here for nearly 30 years and was impressed with the improvement. Will give it a proper review under its new name - it doesn't deserve to have the Aldrington's rep hanging round its neck like a dead albatross!!!
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Huge improvement on when it was the aldrington. Staff friendly and run some theme nights which are good. The two bars offer something different from each other.
Not had any food but it looks good...
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Big open airy pub, with nice covered area out front. Friendly and helpful staff (especially lady with short dark hair). My children love it. Food good but menu a little limited.
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Staff are very good as is the food. Very convenient however the landlady (with the short hair) has a bit of an attitude problem, hence we don't go anymore which is a shame.
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The Westbourne was my 'local' when I was working down there. good relaxed atmosphere at lunchtime, happy hour very welcome after work! (ps who's the attractive barmaid with short dark hair?!) I always try to get there when I visit the area.
carl1 - 16 Apr 2008 13:50 |
I never dared venture here when it was the Aldrington but a packed Ancient Mariner forced our hand just recently and it was here that we ended up - sat in the large room to the rear. On the face of it the Westbourne doesn't seem to offer much other than a spartan white space in which to nurse one's pint, but the mix and match approach towards tables and chairs, a healthy distribution of plant life and the global relief adorning the western wall create an almost colonial feel that sets the place apart from similarly minimal drinking confines. For this reason I would gladly come again. And the staff were friendly too.
Good for: Not a day time pub I wouldn't have thought. Maybe summer evenings could be it's most potent pull - 7/10.
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Menu still hasn't changed!!! Very lazy. There are a few daily specials.
Currently offering a guest ale; the first was Tim Taylor's Landlord (excellent), now Tribute (also top notch), can they keep up this high standard??
There is a new 'garden' area to the rear offering an additional haven for smokers, and a pub quiz is on offer every other Tuesday.
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Live on the road and refused to enter when it was The Aldrington. Went in for the first time at the weekend and was pleasantly suprised. Friendly staff and good assortment of music, although make sure you visit during happy hour (sunday - thursday 5-8) as prices are steep for the venue that is is. Will visit again but there are still much better pubs in the area.
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Now called the Westbourne. Has been split into two distinct areas- the front bar appears to be reserved for �riff-raff (the old locals)� with the back bar being one large room with a variety of tables and chairs. Seems to be attracting a nice crowd of youngish people. The food is excellent and good value, however I was disappointed to return two weeks later to find the menu had remained unchanged. The menu only had a few dishes which isn�t a problem in itself but I can�t see many people returning to eat once they have tried every dish on the menu in a few visits. The music was a good selection(from the owners laptop) however the high ceiling of the back room means that echoed conversion makes for a rowdy atmosphere when the pub is busy drowning out any music. Outdoor tables next to the noisy Portand Road are not very appealing which could be a problem when the smoking ban arrives on the 1st July.
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Not been in but from the outside the refurb is finished and its been renamed 'The Wesybourne'. Remains to be seen if its enough to stop the annual summer mass streetfight.
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Just been taken on as an M&B franchise - hopefully it'll get done up by someone who knows what they're doing this time. Good luck!!
anonymous - 16 Feb 2007 21:19 |
Could be - given its layout - a great pub. Sadly, if you walk in you tend to get the same sort of reaction from the "regulars" that those poor lads received in 'American Werewolf In London' when they entered that pub on the Yorkshire Moors. I've lived virtually opposite for the last 2 and a half years but would never use it as a 'local', despite having given it plenty of tries.
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