Station, North Kensingtonback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I would go back too the original Name it was know as (The Latimer Arms) for years it was a excellent Old style Pub during the early seventy's which still had a lot of the original fittings a architecture now all lost for good. I used to go there regularly on my way too white City Stadium just round the corner sadly its not the sort of place I would go in now as its too modern & food orientated and not a Real Ale drinkers Pub its OK for a quick pint on passing but its not a pub you could spend all night in.
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Missing Bob's Goodtime Blues around here - a shame it's gone upmarket, although really given the other pubs nearby there has to be one where you could go without feeling you were going to be smacked one for not being local.
There may not be a station called North Kensington but the W10 / Golborne Road area is generally known as North Kensington. Latimer Road is, well, a road. And a tube station.
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Had a great evening in the spacious garden here. The staff were very pleasant, and while I agree it's pricey this should keep out the riff raff. BTW it is North Kensington.
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One of the major features of this place is a huge garden that you could lose a half dozen oxen in. The pub itself is a fairly typical upmarket boozer in a fairly downmarket area, you know the sort of thing, all wooden floors, stainless steel bars, free newspapers and over the top post ironic decorations. There isn't a hell of a lot of imagination in the choice of beers, well actually there's none to be honest, but if you're not picky and just want to get slowly inebriated on a pint of generic with a non specific chaser whilst a tiny screen shows rugby in the background then go for it. The food is imaginative yet way too pricey, although the well made chunky chips will set you back no more than a couple of quid. The seats are all stolen from a nearby church and along with the tables look like they are all about to collapse in a sudden draft. Agree that the pub does get noisy, and it does draw in the trendy braying west London media types like a wheelbarrow of manure attracts flies. But hey, short of setting up a road block on the Portobello Road and frisking people for laptops, how are you going to keep them out?
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Yes, it's a bit pricey, and the food is just OK. But you really can't argue with the massive -- MASSIVE -- beer garden, complete with sofas and many, many mushroom heaters. Summer was made for pubs like this.
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Too loud and full of football in winter, and expensive. But a nice beer garden in summer. Used to be better before they put all that wooden rubbish in there. Seems to have a lot of potential but stupid ideas of the landlord make it quite variable - like the quiz night that you couldn't go to unless you booked ahead. You could only sit in the garden until the 10-20 people in the bar had finished the quiz!
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Just thought i'd point out there is an identical pub to this one, right near Latimer Road Station.... This one here seems to be in an area called "North Kensington!!"....Anyway,..the one in Latimer rd is reasonable,..big boozer, music, large outside section,....but yeah, the other comment is right,..not much competition round here in "North Ken...."
"North Ken please my man, and be quick about it,...thats rights,..left at Leafy Sheperds Forest roundabout,..yes yes thats it,..now left again into Latimer boulevard,...straight down,..yep, yep,..straight down till you see Latimer Road tube,..ah,..here it is,...Yes yes,..here is fine....."
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Just wanted to tell you that they now seem to be building a shed emporium in the garden...
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I was born and brought up right behind this pub.
There used to be half a dozen others nearby and now they're all gone. All that's left is the terrifing Pig and Whistle and the Station which now lies right at the other extreme.
Full of tossy meejah types. Too loud, too phoney and too expensive. It'd ne nice if they tried a little harder to encourage some locals in. Some of them are quite nice people you know and could provide you with some of the weekend and later evening custom you don't currently get once the turds from the Chrysalis building have gone home.
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The management have got this place so wrong, and it's a real shame as it's one of the only pubs in the area. The acoustics are so bad, if there's more than 5 people in it, the voices are too harsh to bear. If you're unlucky enough to catch someone playing live music, remember suicide can be painless. Also, the TV has attracted footballers, which can never be a good thing.
anonymous - 7 Feb 2005 19:16 |
This pub has the worst music of any pub in London. God knows what it is, but it's teeth-grindingly bad, discordant, hammering techno pop played at deafening volume on the cheapest sound system imaginable. Even the bar staff agree that it's horrible. The owner must be a total cheapskate.
anonymous - 8 Jan 2005 15:05 |
The Station is a top pub with great staff and good atmosphere. One of the best beer gardens I've seen and inside the comfy couches are great. The food is fantastic as well with my recommendation being the Guiness pie with mash, bloody unbelievable!
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The Station is fantastic. The staff and atmosphere are just right on the money. Great place to come with a group of friends and to chill out around a table (yes, you can get a table and sit down) and enjoy some casual food and a few drinks.
Beers are good, staff are just fantastic and the food is nice. The music also puts you in a good frame of mind when you're out with your mates.
I would suggest paying it a visit. You never know if you never go.
Buff - 22 Oct 2004 14:16 |
This is my work local and we go there as little as possible. The beer and food prices are out of this world (I think they're trying to keep out all the smelly working class people who live in the area) and whilst the beer garden is large, it's full of annoying midges and gnats. The closest to an ale they have is a vaguely drinkable Boddingtons. Go there if you want to watch BBC News 24 on a poorly focused TV or listen to people talking loudly about their job from the nearby record company.
Hidden gem my arse.
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Hidden gem- the Beer Garden has had a makeover and is the perfect place for a fine summer's day.
Recent addition of a big telly could prove to be a mistake as the place is now full of Arsenal fans watching football on the weekends. Bring back summer.
Max - 13 Nov 2003 15:52 |
Well I went in at last, and I've got to admit that the drinks, staff and beer garden are great. Love those ferns and fairy lights.
However, the prices are quite high, the acoustics in the bar are ear-jarring, and the very loud bass-heavy music is horrible.
Outdoors - great. Indoors - like All Bar One in EC1 but with extra noise, if that's imaginable.
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I'm amazed to read Steph's comments - it's as though we're thinking of different pubs.
I've lived near this pub for 20 years and used to drop in quite often for the music when it was known as Bob's Goodtime Blues Bar. It was famous for live music and had lots of character and a great atmosphere, though it was very down at heel and smoky. A few years ago it was refurbished, which was kind of exciting at the time, because I thought AT LAST there'd be a really good pub in the area. No such luck. Admittedly it looks ok-ish, but all the original character has gone. I've tried going in many times but every time I was stopped in my tracks at the door by a wall of foul-smelling odour -exactly like an unwashed ashtray.
So I've never had a chance to sample the good food and drink, meet the friendly staff or visit the beer garden. I didn't even know they'd created a beer garden! I guess I'll have to give it another try because presumably that can't smell as bad as the rest of the place does.
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A great pub! It has it all, good food & drink, friendly staff, a great beer garden, always lots going on.
Managed by the same team that run The Priory on Milson Road (W14)
Steph Clark - 26 Jun 2003 13:10 |
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