Pride of Paddington, Paddington, W2

The Pride of Paddington has booth seating that runs below the windows along the long left hand side of the pub. These booths are faced by the bar that supports five handpumps, one of which was unused and two of which were off during a recent Friday afternoon visit. This left St Austell’s Tribute and Courage Best alongside some standard and premium keg products. Banquette seating runs along the rear wall creating an L-shaped pub. For some reason a single line queue had formed at the bar, which I ignored to be served promptly. This is an OK pub, but I think that ‘Pride of Paddington’ is a bit of a stretch.

This was originally the Westbourne Hotel, named after the lost Westbourne River, which runs under the area. It would also appear to be a relatively modern pub, possibly dating from the early 20th century, maybe rebuilt in the 1930s; there’s also a Watney Combe Reid roundel straddling the pub sign. A corporate branded pub this definitely is not. The interior is mainly clad in varnished tongue and groove, giving it the look of a sauna. There’s a worn carpet, some white and chocolate paint and strange amateur portraits with brass picture lamps to the left wall. There’s a raised area to the rear, with a cloth banquette and to the right, there’s a dining room, which looks like a transport caff; indeed, although no one was eating, there was a whiff of fish ‘n’ chips with accompanying vinegar condiment; the whole ensemble is a bit tatty, though there’s cheap accommodation upstairs; the luxury. Lighting is mixed, good sounds played at a decent volume and surprisingly, there were no TVs. Furniture is mixed, with sauce bottles and menus on top, food being the likes of Chicken Parmi and a pint on Thursdays for £13. Customers seemed to be foreign and possibly outdoor workers in manual trades, judging by the amount of high viz clothing; they seemed to be having a jolly time. Amazingly, there was an ale range which differed from the other locals, being two unused pumps, then something from Wainwright’s, Landlord and Tribute at a very decent £2.20 a half and drinkable. The place is more odd than bad. It’s worth a look, if for nothing other than out of curiosity, but I wouldn’t want to spend time here.

Surprisingly decent for Paddington, this has the feel of a proper pub. Red carpet, large amounts of varnished plank wood panelling, a plethora of national flags pinned to the ceiling along with the smell of fish and deep frying (less good). Five pumps with three on: Deuchars IPA, St Austell Tribute and Proper Job. The latter was a good half and not overly expensive but was topped up from a receptacle underneath the bar - hmmm. The clincher to make this a preferred Paddington venue is the large TV displaying the train departure times.