please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Dropped in here in the summer and had a couple of decent pints. Dropped in yesterday and was met by a surly barmaid who served up an obviously cloudy pint. When it was pointed out to her she seemed rather baffled but the barman told her it was 'the end of the barrel'. Had a half of Youngs Special that was in woeful condition. Utterly dead with no atmosphere at 5.30 on a Thursday - an utter contrast in all respects from the Victoria around the corner.
Is it so difficult to keep beer well and be friendly to customers?
Shame, as the pub has some important original features.
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Lovely Youngs pub with very friendly staff. I agree with the comment below about guest beers and prices. Probably won't rush back here though.
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Bit of a gastropub by Youngs but still good for drinkers. Guest beer - Mad Goose was expensive at £4.24. Youngs Bitter £3.74 was an acceptable price for the area. Crisps were £1.30!!!
What do they say? " people are not interested in guest beers so we will not stock them." We are interested in them but not at that price.
Seemed a very transient place with tourists coming and going, not many staying for the night.
Overall not a bad place to spend an evening.
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Pleasant enough pub, decent beer food looked good.
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Nice pub, quite a few real ales to choose from, just a shame we didn't have more time as it certainly somewhere to enjoy the selection of beer
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We were lucky with the beer as they had Titanic Iceberg on draught when we visited! Food orientated but still worth a visit for a beer as it has retained much of its pubby Victoriana feel and was quite pleasant for a couple of pints. Not that far from Paddington station (7/8 minute stroll)
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Was staying at a nearby hotel and popped in here the other night. I've been witness to many a Youngs makeover in my time and this doesn't seem to have gone the way of some others. This at least still looks like the pub it was, and much of the impressive architecture and woodwork remains. Bit of a warren inside, what appear once to have been separate rooms now merging into one.
My Ordinary was fine and the staff too were fine and seemed to know what they were doing. This is not an area of London I know well, but if you are in these parts this is certainly recommended as a place to have a quiet snifter
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My first visit since Youngs takeover was not a pleasant experience. The ordinary Bitter was poor and the service was terrible. As usual Youngs are nudging their pubs towards the gastro eatery set with the beers very much an inconvenient sideline, it seems...
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Not a bad pub, the food was okay although I agree with the other sentiments about the plethora of reserved tables (I had to be moved from a supposedly "reserved" table that didn't have a notice on, even though several other tables were reserved).
The beer was fine and the staff friendly.
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Empty Sunday about 3pm - nice enough place - lovely back room, nice decor etc.
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A repeat visit. Range of 3 Youngs bitters, including London Gold, being ok or good, plus another bitter.
Food was only average - 9 quid for gammon, egg and chips, tenner for "fish" and chips (what fish? Cod? Haddock? Pike?!).
Bar staff decidedly mixed. One young lass very good, another awful - had no conception of shandy, and had never heard of Magners (they only do Bulmers). perhaps training staff before letting them loose on a saturday night might be an idea....
Still, a very nice old building, and one of the better pubs (the best?) in the immediate area.
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Possibly the best pub in the area? Lovely location on the edge of a mews, nice interior, good food, good beer and very friendly staff. A little gem.
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A nice experience. Superb place if you like buildings with charactar and history. All the glasswork, wood and tiles as I presume it's always been?
The Youngs Bitter was OK without going overboard.
A bit presumptious, but I enjoyed it.
A nice place to read the paper and relax.
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Not a bad pub. Beer was good (Youngs bitter and Special, Titanic), surroundings pleasant, clientele mostly 20-40s professionals and got quite full. Food was a bit pricey but not bad. Staff mostly pleasant, although one young barman had a face like thunder every time we spoke to him - a bit of seasonal cheer wouldn't go amiss. As is becoming common in pubs like this, some tables had reserved signs on them, which is an annoyance on a packed evening - what is it, a pub or a restaurant?
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This is a Young�s pub, with the usual range on, including Kew Gold. I had the latter which is a pretty good pint. The pub itself seemed something of a relaxed haven from the bustle of the Paddington area and the nearby busy Bayswater Rd. Very pleasant sitting outside on a warm August afternoon in good company drinking a refreshing pint of Kew Gold. The pub itself has been completely opened out from its original Victorian multi-room format, but retains some of its original Victorian features - carved wood, and etched and cut glass all over the place. The main entrance seems to be on the corner � but take the time to wander round to what is effectively the side entrance in Craven Terrace to have a butcher�s at the original entrance hall containing an original mosaic floor; tiling, and the doors leading to what were originally the Billiards Room and Ladies� Room. What would best be described as the main room � the room you find yourself in when walking in the entrance � is a reasonably comfortable functional pub bar, but the room at the back is more sumptuous, with armchairs, portraits on the walls, and has more of the appearance of a gentlemen�s club. Something for everyone then.
This pub is worth seeking out if you�re in the general area, and I�ll definitely drop in again if I�m in the area.
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Trequites - why would you want them to rip out original features and replace them with bland modern versions??? I thought the interior of this pub was great and my Bombardier was on fine form. I can't say what it's like in the evening because I only spent an hour or so in there in the afternoon but I'd certainly go back if I was in the area. And it had Erdinger on tap for the wife, which is always a plus.
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Just a 10 minute walk from Paddington station, you can get an excellent pint of Special at the Mitre. They also had Ordinary and I think Deuchars and Bombardier as well if they take your fancy. They had some nice looking snacks, too, although we were only there for the beer.
The pub is a bit odd - they've left a lot of the original internal doors and some of them don't open. It would have been nice if they'd improved on the Victorian toilets and brought them up to 21st Century standards as well. Just two very intimate urinals and one sitty-down jobby is a bit antiquated (two in the lady's, I am told) for such a large pub. But it's still a very nice place to have a pint or two while waiting for your train back to civilization.
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still some original or faux original features. OK beer. Not many punters the weeknight I supped there but the clientele that there were seemed pleasant enough. Got the impression that the staff like to shut up shop ASAP of an evening..........
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If you think that arty looking tiles are worth a visit then go there to have a peep. But leave it off your list if you are interested in authentic pub life. A number of individual rooms makes up this pub. Did not have a meal because the grossly overdone chips put me off. Expensive but the gormless, semi Sloane type punters looked as if they were happy to be ripped off. Pretty bland - best troupe to the Swan around the corner. One of Young's worst efforts.
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Nice local feel to this pub but nothing to make it stand out. Youngs range plus Bombadier and Tribute. �3.10 a pint .
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I used to use this pub in the mid-70s. It had a fantastic cellar bar. I guess that is no more.
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Having not been to the Mitre since last year I was amazed in the difference in food, service & atmosphere. We came for a snack and ended up having 2 courses in the dining room upstairs. the last time I was upstairs it was fairly bland but has now been nicely refurbished. What a difference. The two fireplaces upstairs make it really cosy in the winter. We will be back.
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Re-visit one year on. Yes it is now a Young's pub but , as far as I can tell, all the features are still "in tact" and there has been no reconstruction. The mosaic flooring and tiling on the entrances are particularly noteworthy.Very nice pint of Bombardier. Worth a visit for the interior features and there's nothing wrong with the beer. Lacking a little in atmosphere and maybe disappointing compared to other London pubs I visited. But maybe those comparisons are unfair. If this was my local pub (out of London) I would be well pleased. I hope it doesn't change, it is a nice character pub.
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I'm sorry to have to report that Youngs have now bought this pub - so previous reviews ( including mine ) that refer to "wonderful floor mosiacs" and "original Victorian features" might sadly soon become inappropriate, as might the listing on CAMRA's Regional Inventory of Unspoilt Interiors.
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Still retains some original Victorian features - note particularly the glasswork in the snug and the floor mosiacs and the skylight in the back room - and the pub is well worth visiting for these features alone, but in other respects, based on yesterday afternoon's visit, this seems to be a typically transient London pub with no regular customers and no real atmosphere.
The London Pride was surprisingly good and there are other real ales available as well, but, were it not for the original internal features, I wouldn't rush back here.
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Wonderful floor mosaics and glass in the partitions when you enter from Craven Terrace. Interior is spacious with a Victorian feel which very much suited my friend from out of town. We found ourselves some very comfy leather chairs and settled down for a natter. Went for a pint of T.E.A. first which was wonderful, light a crisp. In fact it was so good we went back to it after having a Bombadier which was in no means below par. However the chips served with my friends burger were visibly half cooked and I had to ask for parmesan (fresh grated when it came) with my fresh but average pasta dish. Other beers to try included Doom Bar. I may well return.
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This pub serves both the neighborhood and tourist crowd. Prices are extremely reasonable. Anushka does a fantastic job as the manager. She makes every customer feel likes the Mitre "their place'.
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Popped in on Saturday is now painted green outside, seems to have been opened up inside and is brighter.
I don't know what has happened to the two snugs and the cellar bar they seem to have disappeared.
A shame really it was a lot more atmospheric before, it's still pubby inside and there are a lot of old paintings and I seem to remember the stags head on the wall plus there are a good selection of real ales but I would like to know what happened to the cellar bar.
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Last visit the beer was in particularly fine form. The TEA was solid, the Pride excellent and probably the best pint of Bombardier I have had. Busy but not rammed.
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Good range of ales and well kept - usual London standards of Pride and Bombardier as well as Hogsback TEA and Sharps Doom Bar which were both delicious. Stood outside and on pleasant summer evening it was an excellent pub experience.
anonymous - 24 May 2007 19:20 |
Nice to see another example of a relatively unspoilt Victorian London pub. Although a close second, it was another pub on my Bayswater crawl that won my heart. This one had muisc and on the night I was there seemed to appeal to a younger crowd. Faultless pint of "Pride" with a fair selection of other real ales.
Would definitely vist again/recommend to those who appreciate real pubs and real ales.
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This was the mitre that I thought was ye olde mitre (LOL). This is an older corner pub in the bayswater section of London. It is a nice old school looking pub with lots of interesting paintings, a few nook and cranny style rooms, and lots of things to see. What is especially nice to see was the 5 taps of real cask ales they served. From what I remember, they were fullers, adnams, brakspear, greene king ipa, and hogsback brewery's t.e.a. I tried the brakspear, greene king, and t.e.a. and liked them all. Very tasty ales and a comfortable lounge like setting made this an enjoyable place. We stopped in for a pint, went out to dinner, and came back for a nightcap and were greeted like regulars by the very friendly bar-lady! Good stuff.
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The food comes in tiny and expensive portions. Think of it as a snack not a meal if you are feeling hungry. It's not bad, but there just isn't much of it.
Pub is Victorian, alright - good. But sort of dingy Victorian - bad. It doesn't have much in the way of atmosphere, really. It's not especially snug. On the other hand, there is no TV that I have noticed and if there are fruit machines, they don't gurgle at you annoyingly. So sort of unsnug dingy.
The bar staff are pleasant and amazingly put all pints into their appropriate branded glasses. But don't use too much English vernacular, they won't understand you. Makes you feel really at home in your capital city - not. Much like the rest of Paddington, then.
I seem to always end up here as a friend likes it, but I keep wishing that we could go elsewhere. It's OK, but I wouldn't go looking for it especially. You can however avoid the dinginess by sitting outside in the summer. If you can prise a seat away from all the other people who are also trying to avoid the dinginess.
Am I overdoing the dingy nature of the place? It's not that bad. It's just not that good.
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Visited this one on my birthday! Loved the ambience: fireplace, comfortable seating...and good ale.
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Nice traditional pub, well worth seeking out. Note in particular the skylight in the back room, which is the best part of the pub - this used to be a Billiards Room apparently. London Pride tasted OK.
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Enjoyed this quiet Victorian pub. Fair mix of tourists and locals. Beer was good not great.
A decent boozer - worth a visit.
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If you like dark drab (the Victorian colour) and lots of Victorian pub feeling - then this is a gem.
Cask Beer was good if not exquisite, and I had a nice first visit.
Non smoking seating is hard chairs in dinign area.
All over its good and lets hope it stays as it is.
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lovely pub, tastefully restored, good selection of beers unfortunately there ales are nearly always warm and flat, food is good but a bit steep for a pub
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Forgot to add that my mates raved about the quality of the Guinness.
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They were a bit late with the cleaning when I went there on Saturday and consequently their was an overwhelming smell of polish but fortunately it was a cracking day and the five of us on a session were able to sit outside. Five different real ales which was great to see with the Pedigree which I had being well kept. Didn't find it either dark or unwelcoming and would certainly make a return visit.
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Dark. Not terribly welcoming. A few local drunks. A few tourists. Not a lot else.
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Spent some lovely time in this pub during my London visit in May 2003 and again in May 2004. Friendly staff. Food has definitely improved - really interesting and tasty choices. Good wines. Look forward to visiting again when I next travel to London.
Mary - 19 Jul 2004 21:48 |
This pub has changed for the better recently. New paint and flowers on the outside make it look great.
The menu is all new and the food it excellent. Not your typical pub grub, closer to gastropub food. Definitely no longer from the freezer. Good selection of beers and they also do a nice Pimms also.
Scott - 19 Jul 2004 13:59 |
It has been my favourite pub around Paddington for years. Very inventive, quizz and so for visitors (half/half with tourists on evenings), nice place:
Well preserved small rooms around a main floor bar, with pleasant Fuller's beers and some visitors' (Brakspears, this very April 2003). Some events may occur in the lower bar at week-ends, but the former management was more efficient for these events. It is no more my local in the area.
The food is nothing but from freezer. Nobody welcomes you, it has become cold.
Sorry for this place, full of souvenirs...
Gilles - 22 Apr 2003 20:20 |
