The Goldhawk, Shepherds Bush, W12

Pub interior as described below. Horseshoe shaped bar serving 4 real ales and food. Advertising live music and quiz nights.

There were two pretty decent ales on in here – Thawaite’s Wainwright and Westerham British Bulldog. The Bulldog was in good nick, but at around £3.60 a pint as I recall. Two handpumps were unused. Food was available on Saturday afternoon, with main courses around £8 to £10 and sandwiches around £5. This pub was doing a roaring trade at 2.00 PM on a QPR home day, but for some reasons the TV screens weren’t on, even though the Liverpool v Man Utd game was being screened. Pints were being served in plastic “glasses” although my half was served in a genuine glass “glass”. The pub itself is clearly of Victorian origin, with the trademark polished brown granite columns adorning the exterior. Inside nothing remains from that time of course. There’s an extremely long bar counter stretching way back on the left, and for me that’s the interior’s best feature. The right of the room is filled with sofas, allowing a handful of people to sit in comfort; some more sofas on the left, plus a tall table or two with stools to match. On the wall on the right there are masses of vinyl records plus sleeves, and in the room at the back on the left the walls have on them a number of more modern paintings. And the leopard pattern lightshades above the bar counter are still there. The floor’s bare-boarded; the pillars are painted battlership grey; and there’s a large potted plant sitting proudly by the wall on the left. So, very much a mixed bag as far as decoration goes. I don’t think I saw this pub on a typical day with QPR playing at home, and I suspect that it would be a more comfortable pub if it was a little less crowded. But two less commonly seen ales, in London anyway, is a real plus.