Lockhouse, Paddington, W2

Pub SignMan left this review about Lockhouse

This is a large, industrial style pub and eatery forming part of a modern development around the Paddington Basin. You enter into a vast concrete floored space with a very high ceiling lined with all the usual exposed utilities you'd expect to see from this sort of industrial styled craft beer bar. A large mid-height table stands in the centre of the room, with tub chairs serving smaller tables under the large windows to the front and left. The servery occupies the rear wall and has a wood effect counter and tall contemporary bar back topped with modern beer barrels branded by Heineken and other well known breweries. There's an open kitchen to the rear right where stairs lead up to toilets that were either filthy, didn't flush or were otherwise generally unpleasant. Steps to the left of the bar lead up to a darker space set up more for diners, with rows of tables and chairs in a quieter space devoid of the loud music that dominates the front bar area. We met friends here for food and found the menu expensive and the grub a bit underwhelming.
No surprises to find a lack of cask ale on the bar, but they did have a few craft options on tap, albeit the taps were not branded and the menu either specified the beer name or brewery name, but never both, so I ended up drinking an unspecified beer from Deya at a whopping £7.55 a pint. Other options included a couple of Beavertown beers and one from Camden, so not the most interesting range. The service was truly terrible with the exception of the cheery bloke who sorted our table out for us. The rest were more interested in dancing, high-fiving and chatting with each other than serving customers in order.
I don't really like this kind of modern development, but I thought the surrounding basin area was quite pleasant and I was ready to enjoy a pint in this modern bar, but it was a bit of a let down on all fronts - beer, interior design, toilets, service, food, value for money - it was all below par and a depressing signpost for the future of London's pubs and bars. If it wasn't for the fact that the Deya beer was delicious and that one member of staff was great, I'd score this even lower - a real shame as the potential is massive.

Date of visit - 16th August 2024

On 21^st December 2024 - rating: 4
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