Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
New pub visits 2025 with Mobyduck
on the Pub Forum

Image posted by David Walton
Submitted on Tuesday, 6th May 2025
With picture contributions to 1471 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (4 more images)
Detail Pages
The Black Lion, West Hampstead, NW6
NW6
NW6 1RD
The Black Lion, West Hampstead
Tube strikes got you stuck working from home again this week?
We see this as a cause for celebration!
11:00 AM Aug 17th 2022 from Reputation.com-Social
Reviews of The Black Lion (Average Rating: 4½ of 10) see review guidelines
hondo . left this review about The Black Lion
Interior as described below. Keg only selection.
On 2nd October 2025
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3026 recommendations about 2961 pubs]
David Walton left this review about The Black Lion
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.
On 19th July 2025
- rating: 5
[User has posted 832 recommendations about 827 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Black Lion
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.
On 1st May 2017
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1710 recommendations about 1683 pubs]
View more reviews of The Black Lion (5)
Pubs Galore is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
- Black Lion official site with menu and event details - theblacklionnw6.co.uk
- Facebook - The Black Lion
- Twitter - The Black Lion, West Hampstead
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Black Lion - whatpub.com
West Hampstead, 0.33 miles, 6 min walk (show)
Finchley Road & Frognal, 0.61 miles, 11 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 08 July 2015 by Tris C
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 03 January 2017 by Tris C
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 03 January 2017 by Tris C
- Beer Garden : Yes - Front patio and rear garden. - last updated 08 July 2015 by Tris C
- Car Park : No last updated 08 July 2015 by Tris C
- Child Friendly : Yes - Barred after 8.00 pm. - last updated 02 October 2025 by hondo .
- Darts : No last updated 03 January 2017 by Tris C
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 02 October 2025 by hondo .
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 02 October 2025 by hondo .
- Jukebox : No last updated 03 January 2017 by Tris C
- Karaoke : No last updated 03 January 2017 by Tris C
- Live Music : Yes last updated 02 October 2025 by hondo .
- Micropub : No last updated 08 July 2015 by Tris C
- Pinball : No last updated 03 January 2017 by Tris C
- Pool Table : No last updated 03 January 2017 by Tris C
- Quiz Night : Yes last updated 02 October 2025 by hondo .
- Real Ale : No last updated 02 October 2025 by hondo .
![]()
Recently Viewed:
