Garden Bar, W10

Official site of Garden Bar - www.gardenbarw10.com

This is a mid-19th century pub, located next to Latimer Road tube (possibly overground use at some time), which was originally the Station Hotel, unsurprisingly. No trace of the original pub’s interior remains, the current one clearly aimed at the young fizz or cocktail drinker. The floor is bare boarded, with walls and ceiling painted dark grey, with some bare brick and planking; the bar back is essentially dark grey glass fronted kitchen units, with a shiny metal bar top. There’s an open kitchen to the left, furniture being either raised studded banquettes to the periphery, then picnic tables to the centre. Lighting amounts to vestigial wire housed filament lamps or huge industrial metal shades over the peripheral tables. There are several pink neon signs masquerading as artworks and a huge clock to one wall, all to the accompaniment of quite loud music. There’s a huge landscaped garden to the rear, claimed to be the largest in [fairly] central London; I doubt I could argue as I gazed out at it through one of two ship’s portholes, inset into the wall above the urinals. As expected, customers were young, though I did spot a couple of around my age; the crowd here couldn’t be more different from that at the Pig & Whistle a few yards away. Amazingly there were two real ales: a reversed Sambrook’s clip then one for Pumphouse at a very steep £2.80 a half and perfectly drinkable. I wouldn’t bother coming here again, only visiting out of curiosity, but I could survive it for a night if pressed.

Official site of Garden Bar - www.gardenbarw10.com

I went in here recently and its changed a lot in the years since I have been here first thing I would do is go back too the original Name it was know as (The Latimer Arms) for years it was a excellent Old style Pub during the early seventy's which still had a lot of the original fittings a architecture now sadly all lost for good. I used to go there regularly on leaving the station at Latimer Road my way too white City Stadium just round the corner sadly its not the sort of place I would go in now as its too modern & food orientated and not a Real Ale drinkers Pub its OK for a quick pint on passing but its not a pub you could spend all night in