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The Sindercombe Social, Shepherds Bush, W12
W12
W12 8HH
Pub Type
Castle (Mitchells & Butlers)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
David Walton left this review about The Sindercombe Social
This place was the glitziest of the venues visited today in this area. It is a nice space and was pleasant to occupy for 30 mins or so pre dinner. It is sprawling and so at least during our visit here at 6pm even though it was the busiest venue of the day it was possible to find a realistically quiet place to sit and chat. there is a stage area suggesting live music is performed here presumably at even busier times of the week.
There is absolutely no cask beer options here these days and so a departure from the reviews below. Quite a few keg options, most typical ones, but for some reason I plumped for a pint of the Camden stout. Not a bad quaff of its type but at more than £7 a pint it felt pretty toppy.
Probably the best of the venues visited today but the bar was v low and I suspect on a more competitive day in terms of quality I would have flipped this down to a 5 rather than the above average territory of a 6. Can’t say I would return to any of the visited venues in W12 today, but here’s hoping I find something better whilst investigating the remaining venues in this area.
On 24th April 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 108 recommendations about 108 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Sindercombe Social
I remember visiting a long time ago for a pre gig pint in its O’Neil’s days and being singularly unimpressed. First time to visit in this new guise and have to say I found it much more appealing and comfortable spot to meet up and socialise in the ‘bush.
A very spacious pub with lots of different comfortable seating options all the way round the large central serving area with its copious keg drink dispensing pumps, the couple of Meantime beer tanks referenced below and five ale pumps. Unfortunately for my visit only three of the five ales were on with the mainstream London Pride, Doombar and fortunately a very decent St Austell’s proper Job being available. Decent diner type food menu with a focus on Burgers and a plate of nacho’s went down well.
So despite the pedestrian ale options I still liked it here and there were plenty of interesting craft options also available and if you were looking for beer choice you now have the Brewdog with its 40 lines opposite.
On 8th September 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Sindercombe Social
Formerly a dull O'Neills outlet, this place has now been remodelled into something rather more appealing. There is now a wide range of seating areas all around the elongated island bar, with fairly dark decor (apart from the bar-back) and a variety of furniture ranging from lounge tables with sofas to booths and high tables with stools. Hosts regular live music on a small stage in one corner. On this visit I found Doom Bar, Pride, Proper Job, Hare & Hedgehog from Oakham and Robinsons Blonde, James Blonde (£4.30) available from the five handpumps. Still as handy for the Empire as it ever was, and not a bad spot for a pre-gig pint.
On 4th May 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about Sindercombe Social
A large barn of a place, extending round an L-shaped bar, with a mixture of trendy furnishings of various styles, and a mixture of flooring also, with prominent tiling round the bar. Appears to have guest ales alongside the usual Doom Bar etc and seemed in good form (Cask Marque listing). Was pleasant enough at a quite time of day, but guessing it gets busy at times.
On 7th October 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about Sindercombe Social
This was The Bush when I lived in the, err Bush, back in the 80s before it became an O'Neill's faux Oirish pub in a part of London full of real Irish boozers. Now reinvented again as the Sindercombe Social, Sindercombe was one of the Levellers movement who had apparently plotted to kill Oliver Cromwell. The pub is much more upmarket now than it was in my days around there, the layout feels vaguely familiar if expanded, the main area is L-shaped, tiled and boarded flooring, high and low seating in the bar, an area beyond to the rear is more American diner with red upholstered booths. Lots of exposed brickwork, dark grey walls and ceiling, 33rpm records and various hubcaps mounted upon the walls. Live music looks to be a regular feature with a corner stage set up with the drum kit in place. The food menu seemed to major on burgers and cocktails, on the day the beers were Pride, St Austell Skipper, West Berkshire Good Old Boy, Doom Bar turned around and one unclipped. A range of kegs too with a pair of Meantime tanks on view towards the rear area.
This pub is probably all sorts of different things at different times. My afternoon visit was fine, enjoyable and civilised.
On 23rd June 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about Sindercombe Social
A first in what was originally The White Horse, but is now called the Donald Sinden Social Club or something and is influenced by an American diner which explains why lavatories carry the imbecilic description of REST ROOMS. There's some fluorescent signs, scarlet vinyl booths, bare brick and strange leatherette seats which look a bit early 1970s'. Otherwise furniture is fairly conventional high/low stuff. Lighting comes courtesy of hipster filament bulbs. What is genuinely interesting though are the polychromatic floor tiles which look like they were designed by Minton in the 19th century; there are a few columns and music was muted.
Monday is tappy, Thursdays and Sundays host live music whilst Fridays and Saturdays are when a disc jockey puts records on a gramophone. Not surprisingly then, this pub is the preserve of a young trendy crowd.
Ales: Sharp's Doom Bar, Hopback's Summer Lightning and Purity's Mad Goose at £3.30 (usually £4.30) a pint and good.
This isn't my kind of place so I don't envisage returning.
On 16th August 2016
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Sindercombe Social
Making my way to the nearby Brewdog bar for a few pre-gig pints prior to a show at the neighbouring Empire, I noticed that this former O'Neill's Irish theme pub had been given a completely new identity, so I made the short diversion inside to see what was new. The pub is pretty vast and has been laid out around an enormous central servery which runs a considerable distance to the rear of the pub. Amusingly, the distinctive O'Neill's decorative floor tiles remain in-situ around the front entrance area, but that was just about the only clear sign of its former existence I could spot. Elsewhere there is a mix of tile, bare floorboard and quarry stone flooring, with seating restricted to the perimeter of the room, therefore affording ample vertical drinking space for peak times. Seating options include sofas under the front windows, canteen style benches down the left hand side, padded banquette booths to the right and a lot of standard tables and chairs in the largest seating area at the rear of the pub. The servery has a plain, dark wood counter and a white tile bar back with a large circular mirror in the centre. Rather cleverly, an extended section of counter has been added in the rear half of the room, where no pumps or taps stand, allowing people to pull up a bar stool without blocking other customers access to the bar. Décor is a bit hit and miss, with undressed wooden planks on the right hand wall and a neat collection of old hub caps displayed to the rear. The rear area also seems to double up as some sort of performance space, with a small stage in one corner and the option to remove tables and chairs to create a dancefloor. Food is available in the form of an American Diner themed menu, with burgers taking centre stage.
There were five handpulls but sadly only three were in operation, offering Fullers London Pride, Sharps Doom Bar and Red Squirrel Porter. It didn't require a lot of thought to opt for the Porter, which was in fine form, slipping down nicely on a cold, windy December evening. The two turned clips on the other pumps were for Purity Ubu and Roosters Yankee, which would have enhanced the remaining ale options no end. A fairly decent keg range included brews from the likes of Meantime and Sierra Nevada.
This was a pleasant surprise and a good addition to what I've always found to be a much over-rated Shepherd's Bush drinking scene. It's not exactly a cosy, traditional pub experience, but it seems to be the sort of place the trendy young locals will like and I expect to visit again the next time I go to the Empire.
On 10th January 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about Sindercombe Social
Just opened after a makeover and is a smart modern pub.M +B range of beers with a decent selection of kegs and 5 hand pumps.Adnams -mosaic was in fine fettle.Liked this pub a lot.Shepherds Bush now has a lot of decent pubs.
On 3rd May 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Philip Carter left this review about O'Neill's
Usual O'Neills pub. Food served all day. Not sure if this is classed as real ale, but they have Smithwicks on tap. Not many customers in on the day I visited.
On 9th January 2009
- rating: 6
[User has posted 757 recommendations about 720 pubs]