Earl of Lonsdale, Notting Hill, W11

Great interior in here (at least in the front part), if rather awkward to navigate without breaking your back. All really charming, Sams do such a great job with these historic pubs. Worth diving in from the Portobello chaos for a swift pint of stout (£5.20). Mixed and touristic clientele as expected, drinking a very wide range of beers!

A Sam Smith pub with a noteable interior ,much like The Prince Alfred ,Warwick Avenue. There are 4 seperate rooms all with their own front doors and low level partitions requiring flexibility to duck under.The island bar serves each ,the largest room gives access to both the beer garden and the lounge,empty on my visit and looking like an overflow area.Ducking down,there is a small snug,then the one table Private Bar,charming,then the Library.The ceiling is impressive with great cornicing and well preserved.There is lots of etched glass around , wood panelling everywhere and the dark stained floorboards give a lot of atmosphere. Such a shame it's a real ale free zone ,so a SS Extra Stout it was,a little cold and not very tasty.The other keg offerings were all SS derived and the pub grub was from a standard menu. Worth buying a half to look around,there are some fine features,but just how much Sam Smith keg beer you are able to stand will define how long you stay put in the pub.I pushed off sharpish after having clocked the interior for which marks have been awarded.