The Windsor Castle, Maida Vale

Had an interesting 'coupla' pints in this place on a Saturday night. There were no ales available and they are STILL serving 1664 in Stella glasses! The cost of a pint was pricey but when my partner ordered spirits, I certainly had no money left over for the woman who barged into the place selling clothes!

The locals make this pub what it is. There were some real characters in there and the woman behind the bar had personality too.

I will definitely return if I'm in the area

10 Jan 2011 14:00

The Robert Browning, Maida Vale

We went to this pub after going to the Warrington around the corner. And after that experience this was a welcome contrast. I enjoyed the Sam Smiths beer because it had been a while - and the price per pint was fantastic.

There was a cozy atmosphere - there were people reading the paper, people playing chess and people quietly chatting amongst themselves or with the lady behind the bar.

We then went upstairs for Thai and had a faultless meal!

Will definitely return if we're in the neighbourhood again.

10 Jan 2011 13:37

The Warrington Hotel, Maida Vale

Great building with a wonderful interior but I was also hoping to enjoy a pint or two, not just gawk around. The barstaff (mainly from mainland Europe) ensured that I would NOT enjoy my pints. They were slow, paid no attention to who had been waiting the longest and were unbelievably rude. At one stage, I moved five glasses so a barman could rest his tray of drinks on the bar and then run around and get them for serving. But there was no 'thank you' and he bumped into me on my side of the bar, again with no acknowledgment.

We sat next to three girls who were from another planet - we couldn't decide if their competitive, pretentious behaviour was obnoxious or hilarious.

The ales were surprisingly bad as well - the Pride and IPA tasted nothing like they should. A Gordon Ramsay pub, we decided, is a bit like the Ritz; it's nice to say we've been there but we'll never go back.

10 Jan 2011 13:23

The Goldhawk, Shepherds Bush

Went there for the first time last night after meaning to go in for a while now.

The interior is cool with the couches/chairs being mismatched together and there are pictures of rockstars from yesteryear all over the walls. The music being played at 5pm was perfect for this environment.

I was drinking very good Spitfire but then finished with a Kuppers Kolsch; which I'd never had before but really enjoyed.

There were some decent choices on the menu and our food was tasty and came out quickly.

The staff were friendly.

All in all, it was a pleasurable experience!

27 May 2010 10:18

The Mill Hill, Acton

This is our local pub and we love it. It's fun to watch the crazy Greek(?) chef serving up good food and if you want to engage in banter about the abundant sport on the TVs, there's every opportunity to do that. The manager is on the ball and the place is generally good no matter what mood you're in. In this strangely shaped pub there's a beer garden, pool tables, darts, music, sport and good clientele. On the downside there are no cask ales here and the service could be slightly better when certain Eastern European women are behind the bar. But apart from that, it's mostly good!

1 Oct 2009 22:07

The Rocket, Acton

I recently visited the Rocket with a few friends on a fine Saturday afternoon. The real ales were good (i.e. Sussex Best Bitter, London Pride etc) and the atmosphere was nice outside. The meals were good too (although the steak and garlic butter was nothing special).

An insect crashed into my half-drunk pint and I asked the bar staff for a spoon to help get it out. However, the thing disintegrated when we tried to get it out. At that point the barman went and got a strainer and tried to repeatedly strain the leftover beer. Finally, the owner/manager(?) saw what was happening and replaced my pint in full.

After the nonsense with the strainer, the owner/manager(?) had saved the day and I left a happy customer after an enjoyable day. That's the kind of service that keeps people coming back and I'll be one of those people.

1 Oct 2009 21:25