Goat Tavern, Kensington, W8

Goat Tavern pages at the Taylor Walker site - www.taylor-walker.co.uk

Goat Tavern pages at the Taylor Walker site - www.taylor-walker.co.uk

Clearly aimed at the tourist market but there seemed to be a few regulars in, which surprised me. Nice looking building and the pub clearly has some history to, although apart from a couple of wall plaques and photos they keep it well hidden. Four pump clips showing although on enquiry two of them were off, including the Youngs London Gold which I’ve found a bit elusive in recent weeks. Realising it was unlikely that their ale’d win tons of awards I went for a pint of Staropramen, and almost gave it back when they asked me for £3.95. That’s just a tourist rip off and with all this furore about loss leader beer prices this would have the supermarkets weeping with joy knowing they had little to beat. Service was efficient and, unusually for pubs like this, came with a smile and actual eye contact.

For a while I was a frequent visitor here when I worked in the area but it has certainly taken a turn for the worse in the 10 years since I left if my 2 recent visits are anything to go by. The pub has a history going back 300 years but the current building, one of the first Watney houses, dates from 1879 according to the detailed history on the wall near the front door. The long and narrow interior has sadly swallowed up the old wine and spirit section that used to be to the left of the main entrance. The pub does become more spacious the further you go in but it does feel very closed in. From the smell of vinegar you just know that this is going to full of tourists eating fish & chips and from the wealth of uncleared tables you have little option than observing the leftovers. 4 hand pumps (Pride, Bombardier, Wadworths 6X + 1 redundant) but on my recent visits it has been hit and miss as to what is available. There is also a strange pricing policy with the 6X priced at a bizarre £3.03! The plasma screen is not particularly accessible and the whole place seems badly run and fake. A disappointing return to what was once a regular haunt.

I found the staff friendly and the bar had bags of character