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The Hop Poles, Hammersmith, W6
W6
W6 9HR
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Delboy 20 left this review about The Hop Poles
Decent pub not far from the tube station. Pride and Doom Bar on when I called in. The Pride was fine. Happy to have visited and would do so again.
On 3rd May 2023
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1661 recommendations about 1561 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Hop Poles
Dating from 1798 on the site of the Three Hop Poles, two being lost following a rebuild in 1857. Now grade II-listed and on CAMRA’s register of pubs with historically important interiors, this being of Some Regional Importance and better viewed on their website, rather than described in writing.
Some of the remaining historical vestiges of this pub are lovely, especially the quality of the etched and cut-glass mirrors and fibrous plasterwork ceiling. Otherwise, it’s a modernised pub, the remaining work, such as an abundance of shiny, white glazed tiles and games machines aren’t; customers were few in number and younger. Unsurprisingly, there’s free Wi-Fi, but it coms from Lloyd’s bank next door. What little enjoyment there was to be had, was spoiled by a very intoxicated customer (legally or illegally, I couldn’t say), harassing customers for cigarettes or lighters, the staff clearly put out by his behaviour; perhaps a remainder from the days when this place was visited by Roger or Steve, over a decade ago. Either way, his belligerence continued upward, swearing at staff and going over to intimidate them, which coincided with my leaving and not before time either; they should have called the police.
Ales amounted to Pride, Doom and Tribute at a very decent £4.50 a pint and fine.
This pub is very attractive in parts, a real shame that it’s been mucked about with, but the inability to control disruptive customers is reason enough to avoid a return visit to a pub which has a late, then very late licence, Thursday to Saturday; hardly something to attract the more sedate drinker.
On 30th November 2021
- rating: 3
[User has posted 1990 recommendations about 1956 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Hop Poles
A trendified old pub with various decorations obscuring the remaining original features. The layout includes a row of dining tables down one side and a 'cocktail corner' at the rear, with some oversized benches at the front and a café-style area round behind the bar. A roof terrace was signed upstairs but was not visited. Draught ales were TT Landlord, Hobgoblin and Doom Bar: condition just acceptable.
On 30th October 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3352 recommendations about 3289 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Hop Poles
Being a Stonegate pub I was not surprised by the uninspiring ale choice of Doom Bar and London Price (£2.15 a half). They also had Lilley's Mulled cider on draught as well. food seems to be mainly pizze (£8.75 upwards) and burgers, with the classic burger at £10. There are a few other pub grub favourites such as cod & chips (£11.50) and beef and Doom Bar ale pie (£12).
The pub is mainly very ordinary with row of tall tables/benches and stools along the front of the pub by the window, and some booths along the right. But the really interesting things about the pub are on the right. A corner here has what looks like original Victorian wood framing cut glass mirrors on the wall, as well as an unused doorway, also with apparently original glazing, which must lead to the rear of the servery. A bit of the bar back, with more woodwork and cut glass, survives although some unattractive shelving has been added.
A pair of doors on the right leads to a large room at the rear, which could possibly have been a billiards room in years past. Immediately to the left of these doors is another glazed door leading to the rear of the servery. On the wall in this back room is more of what looks like original Victorian woodwork and bevelled and cut glass mirrors. This is a four bay piece that has all the appearance of a classic bar back and with what looks like an unused dumb waiter in the centre, now showcasing gin bottles and the like. But there is no counter here and it's not the place where they would have had one. So, maybe it is reclaimed as suggested by Quinno, or maybe as it matches the rest of the glazing in the front room it has been relocated from behind the bar in the front room for some bizarre reason.
As a pub this place is nothing special, but if you're nearby it's definitely worth a peek at the surviving Victorian features.
On 8th March 2019
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Hop Poles
Feels almost like an ex Nicholsons pub but I am reliably informed that it’s not the case. So with that opening gambit you’d probably guess the interior fairly well – a two-roomer with touches of (faux?) Victoriana with a lovely mahogany and etched glass reclaimed bar back in the agreeable rear room. The front bar is a classic loud open space. Apparently there’s an upstairs room but I failed to spot it. Plenty of pumps but just two actually available and a rotten pairing of Doom Bar and Pride (fair). For the record the beers off were Adnams Mosaic, Brains SA, Rev James – poor for a Saturday. Beware useless European staff. Judging by the reviews below I perhaps caught it on a bad evening but I left pretty unimpressed by the overall experience. 5.5
On 26th October 2016
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Hop Poles
Distinctive three-storey façade, comprising the main structure plus a diminutive side building in matching brickwork. Partially opened out so you can walk all around the bar. Busy at the front, but you can usually find somewhere to sit at the back of the bar. On this visit, we noted Sharp's Doom Bar and Atlantic (£3.80), Rev James and Hobgoblin available from the two banks of three handpumps on the main counter. Upstairs you can find the lounge, another small bar (with no real ale) and a roof terrace.
On 21st November 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Hop Poles
The Hop Poles is a Grade II listed building, formed back in the 1850's when two previous pubs were amalgamated to create the Hop Poles Hotel. Despite its listing, the pub underwent a pretty substantial refurbishment back in 2007, so that today we find what is essentially an enormous single room laid out around the vast central servery. You enter into a bare boarded front section with high tables and stools along the front wall and a mix of banquette and standard seating further back. The bar area is huge and the bar counter had some massive floral displays on the corners which looked pretty spectacular. The décor is quite attractive, with light floral wallpaper on the walls and a lot of lamps and light fixtures running through the room. Further down the left side of the bar, you pass through a former doorway into the rear part of the pub which has some nice booths down one side, separated by etched glass partitioning screens. The rest of the rear section is carpeted and has a mix of standard chairs and more comfortable lounge style seating. There are some lovely cut glass mirrors here and a stained glass internal window that looks like it might be an original feature. The right hand side of the pub is much darker and narrower than the rest of the room and was relatively quiet compared to the bustling crowd around the other sides of the bar. There are a lot of TV screens throughout the pub, all showing promotional material mixed with occasional historic scenes of Hammersmith, which was quite a nice touch. An alley at the rear of the pub has a few stools along a drinking ledge and may well lead out to a beer garden, but I never made it that far. There is a heated garden terrace upstairs though, as well as a lounge and function room which was being used for a private party on my visit.
There was no sign of any Brains ales when I arrived. In fact, the handpulls were only offering two beers - Bingham's Space Hoppy IPA and Cottage Between the Posts - with one real cider also on and three 'Coming Soon' clips, including one for Sharp's Doom Bar which seems to be a regular fixture. The Space Hoppy was a bit of a mixed bag as I started off not really liking it, but found it much more easy going as I got towards the bottom of the glass.
I only ended up in here because the pre-gig queues in the nearby Swan and William Morris were too long to contemplate, but this turned out to be a pretty good alternative. Whilst some of the pub's historic charm has undoubtedly been lost, there are still a few points of interest and the pub is a spacious and comfortable spot in which to enjoy a pint or two.
On 21st January 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Hop Poles
Large and bright pub with a good roof top area at the rear for enjoying the weather.Always has 2 or 3 Brains beers on often including their craft range from the Brains micro brewery.
On 20th February 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Hop Poles
Not quite the full Ugly Duckling to Beautiful Swan scenario but since it was refurbished in 2007, the Hop Pole’s once shocking reputation that attracted almost weekly police raids has been checked and it is now a far more inviting and wider appealing place than it once was. In all fairness, even during the darker days, my only visits have been early evenings when the place was relatively chav free, the DJs weren’t wreaking havoc on the eardrums and the lights weren’t burning out the retinas.
Externally the pub is now quite presentable, something that was not always the case whilst internally, the décor is a lot fresher with an assorted collection of sideboards and cabinets haphazardly arranged giving it a bit more of a homely feel in places. Whilst there are 3 or 4 various sections as you traverse the walk round bar, it is largely all knocked through although there are remnants of previous room divisions, fireplaces and patterned mirrors still intact. At the rear is a small courtyard made slightly more attractive (but not nuch) by a mural of the course of the River Thames. There are a couple of tables and a ledge but the area will be of little interest to anyone bar the smokers.
The multiple screens, some cunningly disguised withion picture frames, once blazed endless sport and music but now seem to offer a diet of self publicicity and video adverts which I’m not sure is much of an improvement.
The ale range has steadily improved and the current offerings of 4 across the 6 hand pumps include 3 from Brains (SA, IPA, Rev James) as well as the now ubiquitous Doom Bar. They are Cask Marque accredited and I had no problems with the quality of my pint or with the service although the previous cheap prices that fuelled some of the problematic areas of the past have now become a bit more realistic for the area with my IPA being £3.35. The food is very much in chain pub grub territory with snacks around a fiver, main courses £7-£10 and grills £8-£16.
The core customer base these days issourced from shoppers, office workers and pre-Apollo gatherers and on my last 2 or 3 visits I have found the place to be about as civilized as it has ever been.
The place is certainly no classic but it commands a prominent place in the heart of Hammersmith’s shopping area and makes a functional stop if you just need a quick couple of pints. Credit must be given for the seemingly impossible task of making this once no-go pub into a credible proposition.
On 1st June 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Hop Poles
I had the misfortune of ending up standing next to an old Irish bloke at the bar that was so slaughtered that he couldn't speak except for shouting indistinguishable ramblings at the poor barmaid. He seemed to be a regular and thankfully she informed him that he wouldn't be served any more drink although this was probably about five pints to late.
The Pride was good, but the other ale offering of Landlord was off as the barrel had just been changed and it needed time to set, whatever that is supposed to mean. There is also an unused ale pump along with a mixture of standard and premium lagers.
On the whole it wasn't that bad an experience as the staff were friendly and the place has been tarted up a bit. Even with the drunk old soaks, I think that this place has improved vastly since my last visit ten or so years ago.
On 4th March 2009
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5267 recommendations about 5235 pubs]