Earl of Lonsdale, Notting Hill, W11

Cannot really improve on the descriptions given below for the interior of this pub. As usual Sams Smiths have done a very good job on restoring it to its former impressive interior after it had the guts ripped out of it in the 1960s. And as a consequence this is a very characterful place to have a beer and a bite to eat, especially in the side lounge room when the large open fireplace is going on a chilly December lunchtime. Sadly it's the rest of the package that is not up to the interior and spoils this as a truly enjoyable pub experience. It's location on Portabello Road means most of the clientele are single visit foreign tourists who are very unlikely to ever return, so the pub doesn't really need to work to attract people back and consequently in this ones case SS doesn't bother to even try. Firstly the Sam Smith beer range is poor at the best of times, and especially if the draught version of OBB is not available, as is the case here. Fortunately being Christmas there was a couple of stouts available and the extra stout when taken with food is usually passable. Secondly, we did eat here and the food we experienced was edible but average at best. The Steak and Ale pies are now £9 plus and I was expecting something better than a clearly microwaved pie for that. And thirdly the service left a lot to be desired. Nothing against the hard-working barmaid and the young lad running around trying to dispense the meals and clean up the carnage left by previous diners, but two young staff only in a busy pub like this just isn't enough to avoid the frustrating queues forming at the bar. This pub could be a really great pub, if only the rest of the experience was up to the interior. Still worth a visit to see the interior if you are in the area.

This is still a Sam Smith’s pub, so the real ale choice is going to be limited, to put it mildly. In this one the range amounts to less than one, with only the keg version of Old Brewery Bitter being available (£1.45 a half). There is a sign in the window saying that food is available all day, every day. When I was in at Wednesday lunchtime there were simple menus on all the tables, with sandwiches between £4.50 and £6.95 and main courses reassuringly in the pub grub category at around the £8 mark – the steak & ale pie is £8.15. Being a Sam Smith’s pub it’s been sympathetically restored, with screening being added to return all the original separate drinking areas, complete with cut glass glazing and the low doorways between them that would have originally been there to allow potmen and cleaners, etc, to move between them without having to go via the street. They’ve done this style of restoration in several of their London pubs. Furnishings in the main bar areas are mostly upholstered benches with standard tables and small round stools, but in a large lounge at the back there’s a mixture of sofas and normal tables and chairs. At the back of the main bar area there was a real fire on the go, which was very welcome on a miserable November day. The pub itself is rather nice. I like places like this with plenty of character, but the absence of a real ale is a massive minus point for me. It’s typical Sam Smith’s – poor beer selection in great pubs.

Randomness Guide to London - Earl Of Lonsdale entry

Randomness Guide to London - Earl Of Lonsdale entry