please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Not bad although very much a gastro pub with all that entails. Both service and customers were friendly but (oh dear!) the ale was all from the Mouldy Monarch.
A gripe which I have about most such places is the lack of drapes or frosting on the windows which makes it feel a bit like a fish tank. Must be somebody's kettle of fish though as very busy on a Wednesday night in January in the heart of a recession...
I was born locally but surprisingly don't remember this place at all. Did it have a previous name?
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This is not a pub. Gastro experiments are killing pubs....avoid like the plague unless you are middle class, looking for somewhere to read the Guardian with a coffee. Tragic.
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Had a pleasant pint outside in the afternoon sunshine however I would not really describe this place as a pub. I am sure that it used to be but this is really a restaurant with a bar. Not really my cup of tea but gets a half decent score for me due to my enjoyment of the pint.
Maybe I was just very thirsty though as it was a Thursday afternoon and it was my first beer since Sunday! ! ! Lol
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Ghastly service! Popped into the pub last night for dinner. Stood around waiting to be seated in the restaurant only to be ignored by every one of the waitresses. Decided to take a seat, only to wait another 15 minutes to be served. Drinks were ordered, but nothing arrievd for another 10 minutes which were then brought to the wrong table, by this time my patience were running a little thin. We ordered our meal which surprisingly came on time but the burger I ordered was still half raw. Waited another 20 minutes before we could get the attention of one of the waitresses. By this time I'd lost my appetite completely. Although we received an apology, the table next to us ordered burgers as well which were also still raw. All in all the service was shocking and the food sub standard. Defintely a ghastly "Gastro-pub" wannabe. I certainly won't be back!
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Nice Blazin fire in the dining area. Good service
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VERY BABY FRIENDLY.A great place to go for lunch.The staff are always polite and welcome us and our baby when we pop in at lunchtime. Good food and excellent choice of wines.All at reasonable prices.A must for any local mums who luch!
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Absolutely Amazing Sunday Roasts!! I recommend the shoulder of lamb. All the food coming ouit of the kitchen looked so good - it was difficult to choose, but I made a good decision! Heard the menu is changed frequently. Can't wait to see whats on the next one.
Off the beaten track, the venue is of a decent size with a pleasant atmosphere.
The friendly staff are quick, efficient and very accommodating - taking the time to go through the menu with us. The best customer service we have ever received, and all done with smiles. They made us feel like we were the only customers!! Awesome.
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Went at a quiet time in mid/late afternoon so there were no no diners about and thus didn't feel out of place. The tables make it look like a restaurant, but the bar layout does at least make you realise that it still operates as a pub as well. Two Greene King ales on - IPA and LBW - and the outside benches were a pleasant place to spend a little time sitting in the sun.
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Has Strongers been to the same pub?! The Bollo is great! The atmosphere is nice, gastropub type people and decor, and the food is absolutely gorgeous. Possibly a bit too heavy on families and 'yummy mummies' in the daytime but it's that kind of place. Upmarket and very pleasant-I'm taking my Mum there for sunday lunch tomorrow. The only really good sunday roast i've had in london other than the royal oak on colombia road in east london, and the black lion on black lion lane in hammermith.
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The Bollo is bo**ocks
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Is this pub a pub or not?
I would say that a varied selection of premium lagers alongside IPA and Abbott Ale would swing the answer towards it being classed as a pub. The problem arises when you ask yourself whether a pub would have 90% of its tables set out with place mats, cutlery, salt crystals, pepper, vinaigrette and large wine glasses.
I think that the Bollo is trying to attract a certain type of clientele and from the sound of the e-mail bookings that they were talking about I think that they maybe doing just that.
I�ll grant them the fact that it was during a lunchtime that I visited, but I did feel out of place as I hadn�t ordered any food and I don�t think that this should be the case in any pub.
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Absolutely appalling. The worst service that I have experienced in London. 10 of us went in for lunch and apart from the fact it took them an hour from us sitting down to bring out our starters, there was a 90 minute gap between the first of us receiving our main course and the last of us receiving our main course. Despite this, the staff swan around as if there are working at Gordon Ramsay.
All in all then, a place that thinks it is special but in reality is simply a pretentous gastropub run by half wits.
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Went here once for a meal with friends. We lingered over drinks and the staff wanted us to leave so they turned the lights out! Never been back.
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Nice pub, easy going. Quiz nights on Wednesdays, lots of fun, the whole pub joins in. Food however wasnt as wonderful as you'd expect. My friends chips were cold and so was my chicken. But apart from that I'd go again and again. Easy parking too which is a plus.
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Good drink, great food and very friendly staff. Monday night half price meals is now pretty much a weekly appointment.
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7 out of 10 for food.
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This pub is certainly improving. Not my kind of place to go and drink but I have eaten there 3 times and have loved everything I have been served. Time Out eating & drinking guide 2006 rates this place and had a 15% discount card for a few places this included and I plan to use it!
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Was there on Sunday for Mothers Day with my family. It was very busy but the helpful staff managed to find a table for us. We hade a lovely Sunday Roast and apple crumble. Both my wife and mother got a glass of champagne and a rose for Mothers Day.
Thought that was a great touch. Nice day out with the family, great place.
anonymous - 28 Mar 2006 12:49 |
One of Chiswicks better pubs - good food and atmosphere off the regular drag. Can be very smokey though and for this reason I prefer it in Summer.
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Lovely cosy pub with a wonderful selection of food to choose from. The lamb shank was particuarly yummy! Staff have been friendly overall. Depends what day you go really and who you get!
It's a nice place to go if you want to get away from the unoriginal chain bars/pubs that spring up everywhere.
I didn't find it pretentious at all and I am not a "ya" person either. (previous comments)
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I think that this Graam character is showing just how pretentious he is by his comments. I have been to this pub numerous time and it is a great "gastro pub" The menu is changed weekly and the food is always good. With a selection like what is on the menu who wants to eat a burger anyway?
Cosy atmosphere and good are outside for the summer! Highly recommended.
And no dont believe I know the type? Im not a 15K office assitant and I dont drive a Land rover.
You got issues mate!
p.s. Try the Sour Cream and Chilli wedges...awesome.
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Great place, nice atmosphere, mixed ages which is nice. I like the food and that they do lunch special every day and other meal deals. Staff are friendly and good. A good place for all occasions. Love the fire place and the candels on the tables.
kalle - 11 Nov 2005 18:46 |
I visited this pub early this year, it was great.
Went back recently I could not believe what happened to it.
How can you get it so wrong, especially having great pub round the corner as a competition.
Staff hardly know what they doing, no wine knowledge, no charm, never see a smile on the face.
I was there on busy Saturday night (2 weeks ago, blonde manageres was having cigarette with her friend at the bar, next thing jump behind the bar and served customer. No wonder why people get stomach problem in this place, end of the the day it's all about hygiene.
Moreover I've never seen anyone so misrable and stropy. I got served bottle beer with red hot glass, when asked for cold one was given dirty one.
Luckily we have new places opened in Chiswick.
Avoid at all costs, as Graam says.
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A really good wine selection and good beers make this a good lunchtime pothole. The food can be expensive (�8 for a burger!) however they do some cracking other meals and meal deals. A peaceful atmosphere with friendly staff. Itt's pricey, but sometime you have to treat yourself don't you....
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Ghastly "Gastro-pub" wannabe.
I hate everything about it, and would never go back. Poor service, poor range of beers, and being a "Gastro-pub", they just want you to drink the overpriced wine.
Went there for Sunday lunch. Looked around at the other customers. You know the type. Couples sitting there, not speaking, reading the Sunday broadsheets, wearing canvas trousers, non-ironed shirts and wooly jumpers. Range Rover parked outside. OR �15K per year office assistants, who think they're further up the food chain than they are. Aarrgh!
Felt uncomfortable, and left.
Just for wannabes. What ever happened to just being yourself?
Avoid at all costs.
Graam - 12 Sep 2005 14:14 |
Nice looking pub, clean toilets, good service but unfortunately after ordering a �8.50 burger the looked like it was worth every penny, I had a bad reaction and was sick for the rest of the evening.
Not sure what part of the meal made me ill and It defiantly wasn�t food poisoning because I felt fine after the contents of my stomach had been cleared. Shame nearly ruined my weekend
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I visited this pub on saturday and initially it looked nice, not too smoky and clean.
I was there on my own, I ordered my drink and looked around for the bar menu, when going up the second time the 3 girls behind the bar one eventually decided to serve me.
When served she was very polite. I ordered the the homemade Cheeseburger.
It came quite quickly, on getting the burger I asked for a floater coffee and recieved a black coffee ? hmmm, no worries.
Got to end of the meal, I left the burger to last, and on eating the burger, I found a nasty long hair in the food. ON taking it back I was not given an apology just 50% discount as I had eaten the chips and the salad.
I said I would be complaining and left, shortly that evening I was very ill, so needless to say food hygene is not a high on the agenda.
Whilst food presentation and surrounding was good. The proof of the pudding is in the eating or the vomiting !
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Had the Sunday Roast and although it was tasty the portion size was poor. The lamb was sliced as though intended for a sandwich. It was after 2pm so maybe they were trying to stretch what was left? Disappointing.
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lovely, cosy pub in chiswick, we had our get together recently there(SKY NEWS),very tasty food and nice wine selection, handsome manager.....
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The Bollo has good points and bad points. If you just want a few beers and don't mind paying over the odds then no problem. However, if you want to eat then think twice. The food is ordinary and over-priced. The burgers on the menu look OK but you cannot have cheese on them!? chef 'doesn't do cheeseburgers' (presumably because melting cheese requires some skill). This is something that I see more and more of - chefs in pubs/bars refusing to cook certain items like french fries because they worry it will lower the tone... I mean really... You're working in a bar, folks - not the Dorchester. Other than that - it's close to the tube and pretty clean and tidy.
James - 19 Oct 2004 15:29 |
By the way, table football needs to be taken out of the list of pub features, as that was the first thing to go when it was taken over. They have now got rid of Sky, so they clearly want to be more gastro than pub. Don't know why, as the food last time I ate there was extremely ordinary, and the service worse.
Dec - 18 Sep 2004 19:21 |
This place seems to have lost its head somewhere where the sun doesnt shine! It has partitioned off part of the pub as a restaurant. Unfortunately the quality of the food dont match the restaurant prices, especially when they have squid on which is totally out of the chefs league unless you like to chew on Bridgestone tyres.
slim - 21 Jun 2004 13:05 |
great value for money, friendly, relaxed yet proffesional staff, good wine list, what else would you expect from a local gastro, well done!
nick - 21 Jun 2004 00:12 |
This used to be a very fine gastro-pub where lots of locals would meet for a beer or three. Not any more, they're all down the Swan!
thedoghector - 21 May 2004 17:09 |
Well...I have very mixed feelings about this local gastro-pub. I have eaten many times, living few doors away from the place.
Lets start from the good things: desserts are very good even if a bit simple; ingredients are mostly very fresh and well chosen.
Now the problems: I had 3 accidents food-wise already with the third-one the most significant.
1. Once I was served a polenta with portobello mushrooms which were carbonised ( I've send on a small plate a couple of the mushrooms to the cook and asked if he would eat it). He send a new dish for me: that was a correct and professional way to deal with a customer.
2. Another time the gnocchi were so soft that you could make a puree with them.
3. Today, Sunday 21 March 2004, being on my own and not feeling the urge to cook, I decided to go for a meal. The bread was not very fresh (probably from saturday) - but if you are an expert and professional chef you would order on a saturday bread which can last for a couple of days without becoming old quickly?! I ordered some tagliolini with swordfish, olives, capers and tomato and I received some tagliatelle. When in a polite way I asked an explanation to one of the nice and helpful waitresses, another waiter came to assure me that I was eating tagliolini. I tried to explain to him that I knew what I was eating and in a not very diplomatic and slightly arrogant manner
(attitude "I am an artist, what the hell I am doing here as a waiter") he answered that the chef was italian and tried to explain to me what tagliatelle and tagliolini are!? Then I told him that I would bet a fiver that I was not eating tagliolini and his reply was "I can bet even 5000 quid that you are wrong". Unbelievable. He was even laughing when he got in the kitchen!!! At that moment I lost my apetite and all my good mood (I felt like an idiot)... I did not say a word, I paid the bill (�30) and I felt that I was wating my money...
THE BAD NEWS FOR THIS WAITER IS THAT I DO WRITE FOOD AND WINE ARTICLES IN 2 LANGUAGES (ONE OF THEM BEING ITALIAN) PUBLISHED IN PROFESSIONAL FOOD AND WINE MAGAZINES ... AND I WAS FORGETTING: I GREW UP IN ITALY...
Ivo Varbanov - 21 Mar 2004 16:49 |
Popped in here for a quick lunch the other day. And although the chicken and mash was fine it was a bit boring - no spice or anything to make two boring ingredients come alive. Also there was no atmosphere in the place and with only two other customers in whole pub it still took me 10 mins to get served. Prefer the Swan around the corner (though it would be great if it opened for lunch)
James - 23 Dec 2003 11:14 |
Bit of a strange one, is it a pub or a restaurant. Good food but not cheap, buts thats the smoke for you. Hoegaarden beer �3.70 a pint ,your having a laugh!
Staff all very friendly.
Geoff - 30 Nov 2003 13:54 |
Great food - though expensive considering it is really just a pub. Not overly welcoming, albeit very pleasant
Robin - 31 Oct 2003 13:54 |
The food is great, but no longer is there foosball table. quite often I have been there and I can't get a seat, yet the new and improved restaurant area is empty.... turning more into a restaurant than a friendly pub with good food.
Brad Dawson - 21 Aug 2003 16:09 |
I agree - the food is still great but the new dining area is off-putting - we used to be able to meet up for a drink then decide whether or not to eat, now there's nowhere to sit whilst deciding if it's busy! If you're fed up with it, head round the corner to the Swan...
Miranda - 5 Aug 2003 09:14 |
This used to be a good pub. Comfy seats for those relaxing nights outdoors and nice sofa beside the fire on a cold night. Then came the "renovation". No comfy seats outdoors, and half of the pub now a "dining room" as opposed to the relaxed dinning they had before. Reasonable atmosphere if you like hearing about the latest estate agent gossip. Appears to be high turnover of bar staff which adds to the negative feeling in this pub.
emma - 2 Jun 2003 18:39 |
Average selection of beers and good slection of wines. People 35-60 older Chiswick professional crowd. Nice sofas, great food & good seats/table outside. Lack of good music though.
Stephen - 2 May 2003 21:42 |
It has a reasonably trendy but relaxed and friendly atmosphere and lots of comfy seating. Reasonable seletion of beers and wines The food is excellent which is to be expected as it is run by the same people as "The Chiswick" restaurant. There's outdoor seating and a foosball table too.
Graham - 26 Sep 2002 13:29 |
