Paddy's Yard, Brixton, SW9

Facebook page of Paddy's Yard - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Paddy's Yard - www.facebook.com

Set in an attractive building on Coldharbour Lane, this is a basic, open plan bar and restaurant that seems to pull in quite a diverse crowd. The spacious single room set up has scuffed floorboards, windows down two sides and the bar over to the rear left. High tables and stools have been arranged under the front windows, long hard backed benches down the right-hand and rear walls, two short armless sofas in the middle of the room and lots of basic tables and chairs elsewhere. The bar has a very plain counter with curved ends and a bare brick bar back and the room benefits from lots of modern styling, including plenty of glazed tile walls, mixed light fittings, but perhaps not so much from the clichéd exposed utilities across the ceiling. There's an open kitchen to the rear right pumping out what looked like Caribbean cuisine and R&B tunes played quietly in the background throughout my stay, although maybe they weren't that quiet after all, because the pub was extremely noisy as there are no soft furnishings to be seen. Like many other such venues, cask ale is nothing but a distant memory, so I was left to the mercy of the keg range, opting for Brixton Defender IPA, (£6.40 a pint), one of three Brixton beers amidst a load of mainstream pap. The barman was very friendly and despite the general cacophony, the pub felt quited chilled on an early Thurs evening, although I can easily imagine it becoming pretty mental late on a Friday night. I liked a few bits about this pub, mainly the service and the general good vibes, but with no ale, a strong food focus and a stripped out interior, any good will quickly drains away. I was happy that I finally checked this place out, having walked by countless times in the past, but I think I'll be content to just admire the fine exterior in passing from now on. Date of visit - 18th April 2024

One room pub with bar to the left hand side. No real ales - just keg.

This pub looks very impressive from the outside, retaining its red brick frontage combined with original green and blue faience tiling at ground floor level. But inside it's been completed gutted, with nothing of interest remaining. It's a bit Antic-esque, with mismatched cheap looking tables and chairs, old sofas, and dark lacquered flooring. The bar counter front is embossed metal by the look of it, which probably tells you something about what sort of pub it is. I couldn't really find any positives to say about the place, apart from the magnificent exterior I suppose. The reggae music being played was in keeping with the area I guess.