The Black Lion, West Hampstead, NW6

Interior as described below. Keg only selection.

Visited 06/05/25. Visited previously 18/03/24. No cask. Keg offering of Guinness, Crush from Drop Project, Neck Oil, Panama Creatures from Hammerton, Yes and Sun Shine from the Goodness Brewing Company, Estrella Galicia and the AF version, Campfire from Two Tribes, Jubel Peach lager, Hofmeister Helles, Asahi, London Pilsner from Portobello and the Devon Red from Sandford Orchards. Pretty smart pub on West End Lane but not to be confused from its rather grander Kilburn namesake. This one has a seating area out the front with picnic benches and which was surprisingly busy on quite a chilly evening. Inside it is bare boarded around the sides with a zebra crossing style tiled area from the entrance to the rear right hand corner. The bar counter is on the left-hand wall just inside the entrance and it has a very attractive tiled front with a slatted wood curved end by the entrance. To the right of the entrance at the front with an illuminated wall shielding it off from the entrance is a seating area with tall tables and tall leather backed stools and a ledge down the right-hand wall with unbacked stools before a slightly raised stage area opposite mid bar counter. There is an interesting, shaped skylight above the stage and an old-style cinema illuminated board behind the stage listing upcoming events. The glass front of this side can be opened to bring the outside seating area metaphorically closer to the inside. There are some booth tables with leather seats down the middle of the venue and along the rear right-hand wall either side of the tiled zebra crossing flooring. There is quite a large, decked beer garden on a couple of levels at the back of the venue. Quite a glitzy venue, summed up by the illuminated stairs to the first-floor toilets, but the lack of cask beer scores it down for me. There may be two Black Lions in NW6 but only one cuts the mustard for me.

A large elongated boarded room with the bar in an internal corner effectively forming a bit of an L shape. Lots of exposed brickwork, a modern oval rooflight and lots of B&W photos of stuff on a ceiling beam, wall mounted angle-poise lamps. A chequered tiled area around the bar, seating is mixed with some booth styled areas to one side with button backed benches. A garden is to the rear although I didn't look, to be honest I couldn't be bothered. The pub is as bland and ordinary as it gets, the photos are just a pub by numbers item, one unusual point was the selection of games, including here possibly uniquely Subbutteo. Bet there's been some disagreements over that after a few pints. Beers were GK IPA and OSH plus Royal Arsenal Hop Stuff APA (£4.20). I have to be honest and say the beer was in very mediocre shape. The whole experience was rather forgettable and dismal, a bland and uninteresting pub in a bland and uninteresting part of London.

Black Lion official site with menu and event details - theblacklionnw6.co.uk

Black Lion official site with menu and event details - theblacklionnw6.co.uk

Yesterday was my first time in here for about 5 years and the place was unrecognisable. For better or worse I'm not sure as I was never a big fan as it always used to be full of drunks and there was an air of depression. Maybe the refurb has swung the pub too far in the opposite direction for my liking. Barmaid was friendly enough, but noisy outside seating with a bus stop five foot from the table we were sitting at. I did notice the beer garden at the rear a little later and it looked a lot more appealing than the position we had chosen, but alas it was a little late. There's not a great selection of draught and no real ales, but plenty of bottles and spirits which I'd imagine the usual clientele preferring. This place is nice enough if you like gastro pubs, but I'm afraid it's not for me.