The Dickens Tavern, Paddington, W2

Taylor Walker branded GK outlet. A pretty basic knocked-through interior with two rooms still just about discernible with a further seating area a couple of steps beyond and down. The front bar has wallpapered portraits of long-forgotten Georgians, laminate flooring and maroon walls. Four ales on; GK IPA, GK London Glory, Black Sheep and Twickenham Spring. I tried a half of the latter which was ostensibly fine but had a GK twang to it and clocked-in at over 4 quid when rounded-up from a half. Staff were noticeably poor. Paddington doesn’t have too much in the way of decent pubs near the station but I’d say this one really isn’t worth the bother.

A long thin pub, a sign says it's the longest in London. owned by Taylor Walker there are two counters, the front one has four pulls serving Belhaven, Greene King (London's Glory) and a beer from Twickenham which was fine. There is also a range of ctaft kegs. Further back than the second counter are some steps leading down to a large sitting area which was full of tourists on my visit.

The Dickens Tavern page on the Taylor Walker website - www.taylor-walker.co.uk

The Dickens Tavern page on the Taylor Walker website - www.taylor-walker.co.uk

This is an exceptionally long narrow pub, the last section at the rear is down a few steps and houses a pool table but this is not a particularly appealing space as there is no natural light here. The front section has traditional style seating and the middle area has high tables. Wooden floors, decor generally consists of pictures of Paddington Station and other railway related stuff. Four handpumps serving Woodfordes Wherry, Pride, Youngs Bitter and Bombardier. The Wherry was ok (£3.47). This is not an especially inspiring pub having no obvious remaining original features or anything to make it stand out but it was ok for a quick pre-train pint having got to Paddington a little earlier than anticipated.