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Cleveland Arms, Paddington, W2

28 Chilworth Street
W2
W2 6DT
Phone: 02077061759

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve C left this review about Cleveland Arms

The Cleveland Arms looks promising from the outside, and before entering I was hopeful of a nice comfortable traditional boozer. Unfortunately I was met by a pub that has been stripped to an inch of its life to become what feels like a late night bar. I was the only customer during a recent Friday afternoon stop off, but the friendly barmaid informed me that if would get very busy at 17:00 and will stay like that all night. Rather her than me! I’m no linguist, but I believe that the people running this place are Italian.
There is seating in the front windows that is faced bay a deep U shaped bar that supports three handpumps. Only Marston’s Pedigree was available because the TT Landlord was off and one was unused. A premium keg range is also available. I spied some sofa seating in the rear of the pub, but didn’t investigate as the barmaid was more interesting. There was some background music playing which I imagine gets louder in the evening. This isn’t somewhere I’ll be visiting again anytime soon.

On 3rd July 2022 - rating: 5
[User has posted 5179 recommendations about 5148 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Tris C left this review about Cleveland Arms

Grade II-listed and dating from 1852, this was probably once a coaching inn, judging by the entrance to the righthand mews.
There are beautiful polychromatic tiles to the entrance and a deer’s head mounted to a wall, but otherwise BF pretty well nails it with just a little more to add. I don’t believe the ornate carved ceiling is original and certainly what’s not original are the shabby chic rag washed walls, with ugly exposed metal trunking to power the sconces. Downstairs is a swanky dining room with herringbone bare brick walls, next to substandard lavs; Deliveroo would not be welcome now, so I suspect that its tolerance was down to the kitchen being closed due to the plague, as it’s now a serious gastro affair. Customers were a few very inebriated locals, then the young with a substantial and very noisy Spanish contingent. Of particular note was the presence of very inquisitive and noisy dogs, roaming all over and yapping noisily, stretched leashes aplenty to trip the unwary.
Ales amounted to two unused pumps, the one for Pedigree reversed and Landlord at a reasonable £5.20 a pint and in excellent condition too; there’s a Timothy Taylor’s Champions’ Club award nailed to a wall, which explains the superb quality.
This pub is ok and was probably once better. It would be greatly improved if the dogs were banished to the outside, their annoying presence ensuring that I won’t be returning, the lack of ale choice acting as a further disincentive.

On 15th January 2022 - rating: 5
[User has posted 1956 recommendations about 1923 pubs]


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Bucking Fastard left this review about Cleveland Arms

This pub could be so much better.Externally it's impressive,a mid terrace frontage with doors to either side,a side arch over the entrance to Gloucester Mews West with a side door entrance which all hints at a original layout with both a front and side snug,a left sided corridor bar leading to a rear lounge and a seperate door to a basement which is still used to this day as a restaurant.
Sadly it's all been opened out and has lost lots of character.The ceiling is now all carved wood,the walls have appalling distressed paintwork,there is a bar which projects in a U into the void left by the strip out,leaving a narrow vertical drinking area to the right,a jumble of substandard furniture to the front beneath the impressive front window,but at least the rear lounge remains with views over the mews.

It's gloomy inside and with the lights off at lunchtime it wasn't clear if the pub was open or not.The surly patron was hardly welcoming and I was the only punter.Three handpumps but only TT Landlord (NBSS 2.5,£5).No sign of food ,or any other activity although deliveroo could be used according to an A board blocking part of the bar.The souless interior induced a quick drink up.The array of fairy lights around the front window were also switched off but I doubt they would have enhanced the atmosphere.The muzak was edgy and political if you were a septic.

There is an attractive patio to the front and the street is quiet.I would class this as a mews pub but in it's current guise is more a faceless bar.Such a shame,with sensitive restoration this would be full of character if the snugs could be recreated and the modern detritus removed.It needs someone with vision.............until then nothing to see here.

On 5th August 2021 - rating: 5
[User has posted 2709 recommendations about 2709 pubs]


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Rex Rattus left this review about Cleveland Arms

I paid my first visit to this pub for several years, and have to agree with previous reviewers concerning the changes that have been made. It's no longer the traditional pub it once was, having been subjected to a typically modern makeover. But it was doing a very brisk trade on the Wednesday evening that I visited. They had Timothy Taylor Landlord on, and the Plateau went off as soon as I arrived to be replaced immediately by Tiny Rebel Smoked Stout, and at £4 a pint not excessive for a 5% ale in this part of the world. It's no longer the backstreet gem it once was, but it's still worth a punt (or even a pint) if you're nearby.

On 24th December 2014 - rating: 5
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]


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Pub SignMan left this review about Cleveland Arms

I'd never heard of this pub until it was named West London CAMRA's Joint Pub of the Year 2014, sharing the award with the excellent Harp in Covent Garden. Passing through the area recently, I decided to pop in to check the place out. Unfortunately, what I had failed to realise was that the award had been presented on 23rd April 2014 which was the long-serving landlord's final night at the pub. I obviously don't know what this place was like under his stewardship, but the current incarnation did very little for me. On approach, the pub looks like a typical traditional mid-terrace boozer with two front entrances leading you past pavement seating and bright hanging baskets, into a single, opened out room. The servery runs down the right hand wall with a basic dark wood counter and bar back and a selection of pastries and other breakfast type goodies piled up at one end. The room is bare boarded and offers pew and low stool seating around the perimeter and high tables and stools in the centre, directly opposite the bar. The walls are painted almost entirely in white and have a number of plain mirrors which add absolutely no character to the place whatsoever. The room extends to the rear left, past a table with a large floral display on it - possibly the only splash of colour in the whole pub - before opening out into an extremely bare area with a mix of seating options. The pub is lit with low wattage bulbs hung from exposed wires and each table had a lit candle, but they were fighting a losing battle to try and make the place feel even remotely warm or cosy. A TV above the front porch was turned off in favour of a selection of Rolling Stones tracks that brightened my mood slightly, as did the sight of an old Lancaster Gate tube sign on the staircase leading down to the toilets.
Three handpulls were dispensing Taylor Landlord, Greene King IPA and Burning Sky Plateau, with the latter clocking in at a remarkable £4.90 for a pint and not exactly being in great shape. A craft keg range included brews from the likes of Magic Rock and Mikkeller, although I dread to think how much they might cost. A blackboard next to the servery listed expensive bar snacks and sandwiches.
This was a massive disappointment, especially given the praise meted out in the reviews below and the esteem the pub was held in by the local CAMRA branch. There really was very little positive I could take from this visit other than the prospect that it might just be 'early days' and that things may improve, although with such an extortionate pricing policy, I'm reluctant to give it a second chance.

On 10th October 2014 - rating: 5
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


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Quinno _ left this review about Cleveland Arms

Well what a shocker. Called in after a long boozy session in the capital with my mate, to the ‘best local pub by the station’ only to find that that someone has raped the interior of the pub and removed most of the fittings; turning it into some kind of stripped-back, soul-less poncified urban bar. Absolutely criminal and a real loss. Three on ales on, GK IPA, TT Landlord and Ilkley Mary Jane. An even bigger disappointment was that the Mary Jane was in really good nick whereas I wanted it to be sub-standard so I could flounce out and feel 100% confident of my vitriol. Either way, I doubt I’ll be heading back here now I’ve found where the Victoria is. Oh and the bloke behind the bar looked like someone from the Private Eye strip ‘Grim Up North London’, which tells you all you need to know.

May 2013
A long-overdue revisit found little change from my review below. Music was on this time (it was Friday evening, so don’t know if it’s quiet during the early week?) playing a very tidy mix of Britpop and quality 80’s tracks. There is a slightly shabby feel to the place but in a homely care-worn way rather than repulsive and the subdued lighting enhances the effect. Five ales available on my visit. The O’Hanlons Dry Stout was merely OK but the Shropshire Gold was close to perfect. Other choices were GK IPA, TT Landlord and Harveys Best. Friendly barman and plenty of punters. The pissy peanuts and Bombay Mix ramekins remain and I did indeed indulge, gratefully. Well-worth the 5 minute walk from Paddington. A really good little local and a must for crawlers in the area; as a fellow reviewer has opined elsewhere, it’s the “kind of a pub that…rewards repeat visits”. Rated 8

Nov 2010
A bit of a find, as there are few decent pubs near Paddington station. Three real ales - Greene King IPA, TT Landlord and a guest beer, served well with Stowford Press on offer for the cider-types. Prices are reasonable. The pub is long and narrow (there’s an alleyway to a mews on the right) and splits halfway between a front half for drinking and a rear area that has darts and pool, along with card games. The clientèle are an eclectic bunch, which may put some punters off but I thought they were fine. There was no music or TV noise when I visited which is a bit of a rarity these days. Dogs are also welcome, again unusual in central (ok, sort of west) London pubs. Factoid - the pub apparently named after the First Duke of Cleveland, William Vane. I’d be happy to venture in again. Rated 7

On 7th October 2014 - rating: 6
[User has posted 5050 recommendations about 5033 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Cleveland Arms

Traditional pub, both inside and out, with an old-fashioned side arch on the right-hand side. Lots of memorabilia in the 'L'-shaped layout which extends back to incorporate a small dining room. Value food priced at £4.90 or less for mains, and curry plus pint at £5.25 on Wednesdays. Nuts and nibbles on the tables. Friendly and efficient staff. Reasonable selection of beer from the five handpumps: with Old Hooky, Harveys, and Adnams Gun Hill (£3.00) available in addition to Greene King IPA and TT Landlord. Overall, well worth seeking out if looking for a civilised pint just a few minutes walk from Paddington station. (NB - Review dates from March 2012.)

On 3rd June 2012 - rating: 8
[User has posted 8066 recommendations about 8066 pubs]


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Rex Rattus left this review about The Cleveland Arms

They had White Horse Village Idiot; GKIPA; and Harvey's Best on. Unfortunately the White Horse went off as I arrived, but the Harvey's was OK, at a competitive £2.70 a pint. The most unusual thing about this pub is the large stuffed boar's head complete with sunglasses mounted on the wall above the bar back – that's a first for me. The pub itself was clean and comfortable, although some of the furniture had seen better days. The furniture comprises mainly normal tables and chairs with some banquette seating beneath the window. There's a smallish, carpeted, room at the back with a pool table in the middle, with a handful of tables and chairs dotted round the sides. I'm not sure about the free peanuts in little bowls on the tables – I managed to resist the temptation.

This place displays the right balance between seediness and comfort, coupled with a couple of decent ales, that I like in a pub. Don't come here looking for a sophisticated gastro-pub. Any thought that this might be one is swiftly dispelled by the sight of the two microwave ovens sitting on the end of the bar, with a few rolls on one of them in the traditional covered plastic container. Classic. I really like it.

On 21st September 2009 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]


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Bob McGuffin left this review about The Cleveland Arms

Without doubt the best pub I visited in this area. Great staff a good selection of beer and cheap eats. Ask your host John for a Peruvian Rat Poison Tell them all that Aussie Bob sent you. You will either get a drink or a thump. ENJOY

On 1st May 2009 - rating: 10
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]