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The Waterway, W9
W9
W9 2JT
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 4 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Waterway
A first the other night into what was once the Paddington Stop. I first happened across this place in 1994 and seem to recall that it was a fairly ordinary estate pub, serving the blocks to the immediate north and not the grand houses to the east, which at that time had yet to be gentrified.
Since 2002 it has been Waterway, a white building with carpark run by the same people behind the Clerk & Well and One Tun in Clerkenwell, neither of which are top of my return visit list. The most appealing - indeed arguably the only appealing - aspect of this place is the large covered patio looking out over the Grand Union Canal. Inside it’s essentially a very swish restaurant with a small, pale wood-fronted bar and much brown vinyl-upholstered seating around modern fixed tables, the vast majority of which were empty. I don’t know what the food is like as there’s no menu on the website. Most of the clients seemed to be Middle Eastern, like the bar staff, so perhaps this is a Lebanese restaurant like the Crocker’s Folly up the road. Nevertheless, you can just have a drink though the operation seems to revolve around cocktails, accompanied by muted mood music. In all, it's a bit pretentious.
Reviews relating to this bar’s poor service abound and I concur. There were two pumps, one unused and one with the clip reversed. The staff were uninterested and robotic: an eyebrow was raised in my direction, alerting me to service. I ordered a pint of the Purity keg Longhorn. Poured in silence, it was placed on the bar and I was presented with the card reader. No ‘hello’, no ‘thank you’, I wasn’t even told the price which was revealed to me by the reader’s screen to be a blistering £5.65 – I don’t think I’ve ever been charged so much baksheesh for a pint!
Will I be returning? Guess.
On 11th May 2018
- rating: 1
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Philip Carter left this review about The Waterway
Nice enough place, looks more like a restaurant than a pub, but that maybe what the locals want. I went in with trepidation (not really, I just wanted to use that word). Anyway I was not sure if I could go up to the bar, as they had a lady on the door, who looked like she would only let you in if you had a reservation. I made it to the bar and had a doombar, it tasted like a lager, very gassy, ice cold and left a poor taste in the mouth, even though it was poured using the usual hand pump, there were gas bubbles rising right to the end. Theyy charged me £4.25 for the privilege. Guess what, I only had the one
On 2nd September 2016
- rating: 4
[User has posted 757 recommendations about 720 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Waterway
This relatively modern build "bar & restaurant" has a superb location next to the Grand Union Canal, with plenty of seating at the front right by the canal towpath. inside I was greeted by a young lady doing sentry duty at a lectern, presumably to usher diners to their tables. The right hand side of the room is taken up by tables laid for diners, with the left hand side occupied mainly by well worn banquettes and normal tables and chairs, but with a clutch of sofas next to the fireplace on the left, which had a real log fire alight. There was a massive TV on the chimney breast (switched off) with another on the right hand side of the bar area showing some snooker, but muted so that we could hear the low volume background music.
So far so good, if you like modern build characterless bar/restaurants. But this one has its location as a massive redeemimg feature. Unfortunately the wheels came off when it came to the real ale. There were two handpumps on the counter, clipped for GK IPA and Doom Bar. The Doom Bar came up rank and undrinkable, and on my gesturing towards the GK IPA pump the barmaid came clean and said that he thought that was no good either. I took his word on that one! But I wonder if he thought the Doom was also undrinkable? Anyway, he gets a point back for offering me Purity keg Longhorn IPA as a replacement, which was actually very good, and easily the best bet of all the keg stuff available. Ale quality (or the lack of it) does seem to be a recurring theme here.
On 19th February 2016
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Waterway
Curious-looking building right by the Paddington Branch of the Grand Union Canal, housing a bar-restaurant on the first floor. Semi-modern decor inside, but the main attraction in good weather must be the part-covered front terrace overlooking the navigation. Staff a bit snooty, especially when it became clear that I was not planning to eat. Two handpumps on the short bar counter: Crop Circle (very cloudy - but changed on request, although how the barman failed to notice when pouring...) and Doom Bar (£4.05). Perhaps I caught it on a bad day (but from other reviews, I doubt it).
On 2nd March 2014
- rating: 5
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Waterway
This place is in a fantastic location and it is a massive shame that it isn't a nice old boozer rather than a pretentious café/bar. The barman was slightly snooty and my Pride was barely drinkable, but I stayed to finish it as the patio area by the canal is fantastic. Guinness, Stella and some premium lagers are also available, but the other customers seemed to all be drinking coffee which was quite pungent. There is a plasma screen on the wall above an impressive contemporary open fire, but there is no sport in here.
This is the sort of place I'd take the wife for lunch on a nice summer's day and not the sort of place I'd go for a beer.
On 13th March 2009
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5251 recommendations about 5219 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about Paddington Stop
Canal side pub/restaurant small bar with a seperate restaurant. 2 real ales on tap on my visit were Adnams and London Pride, outside drinking area overlooking the canal which i should imagine would be packed in the summer
On 17th January 2007
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Philip Carter left this review about Paddington Stop
Right next door to the canal and close to Little Venice
On 10th December 2006
- rating: 4
[User has posted 757 recommendations about 720 pubs]