The Monkey Puzzle, W2

nothing from the outside, the ground floor of a block of flats its a traditional pub inside, a little unfriendly & the beer, admittedly not to my taste, was a little underwhelming for a Good Beer Guide pub. Nice enough inside though

There's been quite a few reviews for this pub recently, most likely due to its appearance in the latest Good Beer Guide. Whilst I've been to the nearby Heron before and I've passed the Monkey Puzzle many times on the bus to Paddington, I'd never ventured inside until earlier this week. From the outside, it doesn't look much. There's an actual Monkey Puzzle tree in the small front yard which you'll pass if you use the front entrance on Sussex Gardens. However, there's a second entrance on Southwick Street. Inside is carpeted, fairly cosy and much more traditional than it would seem from the outside. Being a Hall & Woodhouse pub, the real ale selection is never going to be that exciting. Badger Tanglefoot & Fursty Ferret are the real ales. I chose the Fursty Ferret which was in good condition and reasonably enjoyable. The landlord spotted that we were all keen on trying the beers and offered us a taster of their keg beer (Outland West Coast IPA). In all honesty, I preferred the Fursty Ferret.

An ugly exterior gives way to a quite pleasant interior, low lit with lots of mid brown wood an comfortable furniture. Just a couple of Hall And Woodhouse beers on, so predictably uninteresting which was the case with my Badger Winters Tale.A nicely don pub but given the beer selection, a return is unlikely.

An oddity GBG24 entry, a 1960s 'estate pub' though it's a Hall & Woodhouse place with a mid-market clientele so actually as edgy as Taylor Swift. That said, it’s a lovely comfy place seemingly unmolested since the mid-1980s. Professional, uniformed and friendly staff, landing just the right side of obsequious. 2x H&W cask, neither of which really convinced; Tanglefoot (NBSS 2.5) and Fursty Ferret (2 – suspect over-use of aspirator). Customers mainly locals with the odd adventurous tourist thrown in. I did really like the place but the cask didn’t really bring home the bacon, much like all the H&W pubs I’ve ever been in.

The Monkey Puzzle is a Hall & Woodhouse pub with a paved seating area out the front that sets it back from the passing road. This area has an outside bar, which was closed on a recent Friday afternoon visit, and yes there is a Monkey Puzzle tree as well. Inside there is seating along the front windows, including a snug against the left hand wall. A small step down leads to an L-shaped bar that supports five handpumps. One was unused and the Fursty Ferret was off which left Tangle Foot (x2) and Badger as the cask ale options. Premium keg is also available, as is food with the burger being priced at £15. At the rear is a laminate floor seating area that feel more geared towards dining. The service was friendly from all the ladies behind the bar and I enjoyed my visit because this was the first pub of the day I visited that felt like a local’s pub.

The sister pub to the Heron, this was built as part of the Hyde Park Estate in 1969, a rather swanky high-rise development just off Sussex Gardens, possibly still one of the capital’s most notorious hotspots for sex workers. The interior is smart and tidy and essentially looks like a modern interpretation of a traditional Victorian pub. There are sectioned areas, topped with leaded stained-glass panels. There’s a carpet, except in the dining area; food is typically fish ‘n’ chips and pizza but not gastro. The bar has a traditional wood appearance with pot shelf. The walls are dark green Anaglypta to the dado, then white on up to a white ceiling. There are plenty of knickknacks, along with framed beer mats, framed photos of modern London along with sketches of London of old. Furniture is mixed in style; there’s soft music and customers are mixed. A Hall & Woodhouse pub, Fursty Ferret could have been served if the clip hadn’t been reversed, then just Badger served by a nice barmaid at a very reasonable £2.30 a half. This isn’t bad for what it is and given the dearth of good pubs in W2, this is actually quite good compared to the competition on and around neighbouring Praed Street; worth a visit only if waiting for a train but the neighbouring Heron is a much better bet. Rated 4.5.