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New pub visits 2024 with Tris39 on the Pub Forum

The Bear, Paddington, W2

27 Spring Street
W2
W2 1JA

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Bucking Fastard left this review about The Bear

Part of the Craft Beer Co. chain,this shop conversion has a very modern interior but the crittal windows on both street sides give the building character.There is limited outside seating,while inside there is a mix of seating booths down the left wall with some clever small cross benches for 2,the front section has a large bench seating and trad tables while the rear has some smaller tables and benches.Downstairs are the loos,kitchen and cellar snug,a good overflow area when the upstairs is rammed.Tables can be booked with a time showing ,and no shows tables are released by the staff after half an hour.
The 6 real ale handpumps face you on entry with the choice on my trip Padstow Pale,Burton Bridge Porter,Mackintosh Best Bitter (malty mess),the house Craft Pale brewed by Kent and Bang the Elephant Rubber Duck Rivers (NBSS 4,proved to be a great session ale taken at volume).Shame no strong ABV but the vast keg gantry would provide both high strength and style variance which might please keg fans.
It's an upbeat pub with friendly and efficient staff but a few short measure pints were pulled at busy times.However with a rotating ale selection this is a safe bet near Paddington and will get my custom again.Not quite up to the standard of their flagship Cask in Pimlico,but better by a country mile compared to many of the pubs in the immediate area.

On 27th April 2024 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2730 recommendations about 2730 pubs]

Danny O'Revey left this review about The Bear

Moden interior, raised booth seatings and lots of pastel colours, a lot of keg beers but also 4-5 cask as well. not the biggest or most comfortable but good beer house

On 11th February 2024 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]

Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Bear

With time to spare between changing trains and with the Mad Bishop and Bear closed on a Sunday evening, I quickly looked up directions to the Bear to sample a pub/bar that I've been meaning to visit for some time.

I'd never realised the exact location of this bar (it does feel more bar than pub) which belongs to the Craft chain, but was surprised as to how near it was to the station.

The interior felt quite spacious. Although, being late on a Sunday, there weren't many other customers. I was instantly captivated by the vast range of beers, particularly kegs which line the long bar. Handpulls greet you on the corner of the bar. As such, I didn't pay too much attention to the interior in my brief visit. I did notice a series of booths which must help to give this place a slightly more intimate feel.

As with other Craft pubs, Kent Craft Pale is the house beer. 4 guests were Lakedown Sussex Pale & Goldhawk & Siren Mesmerist & Yulu. Craft beers were Hackney Improved Night Vision, Drop Project Choppy, Deviant & Dandy So Long and Thanks For All The Brews (presumably a last beer from them), Tenby Portal, Otherworld Unknown Fire, Lost & Grounded No Rest For Dancers, Cloak & Dagger Yeti Confetti, Brulo Lust For Life, Goodness Yes!, The Kernel Table Beer, Siren Soundwave & Caribbean Chocolate Cake, Anspach & Hobday London Black, Double-Barrelled Parka, Bianca Road Hay-Z, Pretty Decent The Greatest Love Story, Lune Valley Lune Brew, Nothing Bound Aubrey, Cantillion Gueze, Questche Tilquin, Ticking Clock Every Second Counts & St Bernardus. Ciders were limited to the keg Crafty Apple & Crafty Rhubarb.

Bar staff were friendly and were happy to serve a customer walking in fairly close to last orders. Although they did warn me that they were due to close soon. My beer (Lakedown Goldhawk) was good without being exceptional.

The Craft chain of pubs has always been a good concept. Whilst beers are quite expensive, the range is fabulous and this pub is certainly one of the better ones in the group. I'd imagined that my first visit here would be for a session, instead of a swift half. But I can easily see me returning for a much longer visit sometime in the near future.

On 21st January 2024 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2493 recommendations about 2492 pubs]

Moby Duck left this review about The Bear

More modern bar than pub but a great beer showcase, not cheap as mentioned, £5.70 for a 3.9% session pale on cask.
Most of the details are obviously the same as the recent reviews below, four cask on while I was there with two from 360 degrees and two from Siren, the keg options numerous from the twenty five keg taps. everything is striking about this place, from the wasabi green walls to the exciting beer range and indeed the pricing. I would certainly call in again.

On 7th January 2024 - rating: 8
[User has posted 1875 recommendations about 1848 pubs]

Quinno _ left this review about The Bear

New, funky & exciting beer hole (a barely branded Craft Beer Co, I’ve just discovered) below a block of flats. Beer everywhere, there must be at least 25 on the keg flyer. In the 2024 GBG, there were four cask and my pint of Redemption Fellowship cleaned me out of £6.40! Fook me. It was at least in good nick (NBSS 3.5) and 5.5% - gotta pay for quality, right? White, mint and light brick interior with booths down the left. Possible downstairs bar. Oddity; I didn't dislike it but the prices are too much, even for that there London. That said, as a regular user of Paddington BR I suspect I will re-appear in the not-too-distant future.

On 16th December 2023 - rating: 7
[User has posted 5107 recommendations about 5090 pubs]

Will Larter left this review about The Bear

A very nicely done conversion of some space below a block of flats, and well described below by Tris. Much of the seating was in booths opposite the bar, slightly raised from floor level, with more normal seats and tables elsewhere. Some of the decor hadn't quite made it to the exposed brickwork and concrete lintels, but overall the room was well presented.

There were six hand pumps at the end of the bar with beers all from modern craft breweries. I went for the Bluebell Sussex Best Bitter 4.3% from 360 degrees brewery at Sheffield Park station on the Bluebell railway line near Uckfield in East Sussex, none of which I knew at the time of purchase so didn't influence me at all in assessing my pint as NBSS 4 (full disclosure: I was born in Brighton, East Sussex and have lived more than 25 years in Sheffield).

It wasn't all that busy at the time of my visit, around teatime on a winter Wednesday, but service was friendly and prompt, and the beer was tremendous. (I nearly typed The Bear was tremendous, which would not have been far off the truth.)

Date of visit: 25th January 2023

On 27th November 2023 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3751 recommendations about 3486 pubs]

Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Bear

The former Gyngleboy has been reincarnated as a barely branded Craft Beer Co outlet, and seems to be doing really well as a result. Very busy in all parts of the bar and dining areas early on a Thursday evening, with many customers standing outside on the pavement, but well staffed and relatively easy to get served. Three Burton Bridge beers on the six handpumps, including the XL Mild (£5.50, 3.5), plus the 'house' Craft Pale and Buxton Spa Pale. Also had a huge choice of 29 craft keg beers from all but one of an elongated 30-font on the main part of the counter.

On 27th November 2023 - rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

john gray left this review about The Bear

Liked this a lot.Same green and pink colour scheme as the Hammersmith branch but toned down and really works for me.Windowless basement room and a nice feature is the glass door that lets you see where the beers are tapped.In my 52 years of drinking cant really say i have seen the cellar or the set up for the beers many times before.Friendly barmaid.6 cask beers ,good quality but expensive cask.Outside seating to the front.A Paddington must visit.

On 11th March 2023 - rating: 8
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Tris C left this review about The Bear

Opened on 1st December 2022 as a low-key branch of the CBC, the name seemingly arising not out of tradition, but because of the proximity to a certain railway station, this being a shop conversion at the base of a 1930s' block of flats, which for decades had been a wine bar called Gyngleboy, recently a branch of Cork & Bottle.
The floor is either patterned tilling to the bar or new pale herringbone wood. Walls are either bare brick, with hackneyed exposed galvanised trunking, sea green brick or similar plastering to the rear; the ceiling is white, textured. The bar back, bar front and booth-style peripheral seating are clad in mock burr walnut; if the mid-blue vinyl seating had been leather, it would have been like drinking in an enormous Rolls Royce. There’s some old brewery regalia signage from the likes of Bass, Allsopp’s and Whitbread, along with a bespoke ‘Bear’ mirror to the bar back. The only electronic distraction was a good soundtrack from the likes of Bowie, Madness and the Verve. Staff were very friendly – they would be on opening night – with a suitably bear-like guvnor welcoming people, the venue being full to capacity with a mixed crowd.
There are 29 keg taps, then six pumps from the likes of CBC, Burning Sky, Fyne Ales, Thornbridge, DEYA and Titanic, my Plum Porter Grand Reserve in excellent shape, coming in at £6.20 a pint, served by yet another friendly member of staff; there are 26 whiskies if that’s your tipple.
This is simply the best outlet for real ale in Bayswater and one of the best in the borough of Westminster, but inevitably there’s still the lack of traditional pub feel. However, it kicks ten bells out of all the other somewhat mediocre pubs in the immediate vicinity.

On 2nd December 2022 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1993 recommendations about 1959 pubs]