The Burlington Arms, Mayfair, W1

A comfortable little pub on the edge of Mayfair, done up with a slightly bistro feel but still very welcoming to drinkers. I did find the outsize painted wine list a bit overwhelming though. A function room is signed upstairs, while in the corner is a splendid and increasingly-rare specimen of a rope-worked dumb waiter. A nice bank of handpumps had GK IPA, Ghost Ship and Wimbledon Copper Leaf on, while the craft selection included a couple from Battersea. Actually not an unpleasant place for a pint.

Something has been here since 1720, probably the Coach & Horses, rebuilt twice, in 1783 with the current name arriving around 1793, rebuilt again in 1882. It’s just round the corner from Saville Row; suits you Sir! It rises one-and-a-half hours later than Bertie, but is closed on Sundays. It’s a simple room, bare boarded, a little plain match boarding to dado height then plain crimson walls, plum papered with gold patterns to the rear and a rust brown ceiling. Furniture is conventional and lighting is simple, with décor comprising just a few framed prints; of note is that there was no music playing. Staff were efficient rather friendly, serving up Sambrook’s Battersea Rye, Wimbledon Copper Leaf and Ghost Ship at a cheap – especially given the area – £2.30 a half and nice; sadly, there were three unused pumps. This is a nice little pub and the closest thing to a traditional boozer in Mayfair; its relatively backstreet location saves it from tourists too. Getting the three other pumps up and running would certainly increase the score, as would a smile from the staff.

Small pub with more people outside than inside during my visit. 6 real ales and food served.

Official site of The Burlington Arms - www.burlingtonarms.com

Official site of The Burlington Arms - www.burlingtonarms.com

The ales on here were Sambrook’s Pale Ale (£1.90 a half), Hogsback TEA and Adnam’s May Day, with one pump apparently unused. Food is at usual Mayfair pub prices – bangers & mash is £11, as is fish & (hand cut) chips. For something a bit cheaper, soup plus baguette is £3.50, and the scotch eggs behind the bar at £2 a pop looked a pretty good bet. This is a high ceilinged pub (probably Victorian) with large clear glass windows that should let in a lot of light, but the canopies at the front made it a lot gloomier than it should have been. Inside it’s fairly characterless, being bare-boarded with mainly normal tables and chairs but with a couple of tall tables/stools by the window. The red and gold “flock” design wallpaper gave it something of the boudoir look, and the absence of music and other unnecessary mechanical noise (the TV was off) was welcome, although the noise of conversation was still loud – but that’s what pubs are for of course. There’s apparently a restaurant and function room upstairs, but I didn’t venture up there. The clientele consisted of young Mayfair types, and is the sort of place where everyone (except yours truly of course) pays by credit card. It’s not really my type of place, but to be honest there’s nothing wrong with it although it’s like many other similar places. A bit “run-of-the-mill” I would say.