The Westbourne

The Westbourne looks a shabby local. It is shabby, with mismatched tables and chairs and an enormous patio area. I had a roast cod that was the envy of anything in Massachusetts (where Cape Cod Bay is located). The service is excellent, and the atmosphere very friendly indeed.

I’ve been coming to the pub, on and off for years. Along with The Cow pub opposite, it started getting prominence when Tom Conran started setting up camp in the Westbourne Park Road area.
The pub itself is starting to look a bit jaded and could do with a lick of paint. I know that some people would say that this look is part of it’s charm. That’s okay for the bar area, but no excuse for run down toilet facilities.
Why do I come here? It’s one on the few pubs in the area that has a large outdoor seating area, which is south facing. This is great when it’s sunny during the week, as it is quite quiet. A good place to come if you are in a large group too. I would not attempt to come here though at the weekend as it gets too busy for me.

Buzzing pub that is normally packed after work. This is a great place for large groups and they will take reservations. There is a large outdoor seating area in front of the pub which is normally filled when the weather is nice. The food here is quite simple yet tasty. You can definitely tell that this area is evolving into a hip area to live despite being surrounded by council estates. If you are doing a pub crawl, you can easily skip over to The Cow which is right across the street and is also a local gem.
Americans — note that you have to go to the counter to order your food.

This is a very popular pub that has been around for quite some time… As long as I have been there, it has been a great pub… (over 9 years…) The food is simple and setting is very unpretentious… and it is not as fancy or smart as other pubs may be… but it is a great food. I particularly love its pint of shrimp which is a quite an orthodox pub food which became quite hard to find. be warned — it comes all shelled and carrying some roe… simply boiled so you need to be a seafood lover who does not mind peeling to enjoy the dish but oh boy… the shrimp is so sweet — I love it! Other dishes are decent also. Onglet steak is always a safe bet. Simple pub, simple food… I quite enjoy it.
People are also quite nice, considering it is in Notting Hill :-D

Average quality pub the service is fast enough but the food and drinks just aren’t good enough for more than three stars. I’m sorry, I’m expecting improvements.

A friend of mine and I discovered the Westbourne one evening when we were searching for a place to eat in the area. It’s off the beaten track for real. Think more towards the Westbourne Park tube station than Notting Hill, or even Ladbroke Grove.
The outside sets up for a promising inside – not to be disappointed! The inside is a mixture of various tables and chairs. Reminds me of quintessential London. We went on a Thursday evening, and the place was dead until around 9pm.
As for the food, it is not the greatest pub food, but not the worst. I had the cod with baby potatoes. My friend chose to go with a salad and a side of chips. The drinks were a bit overpriced for the area this pub is actually in. Overall, though, was worth the meal out.

The is my group of friends’ go-​to outdoor day drink pub. It’s definitely not a standard British Pub — the clientele is generally under 35 and more Euro (and Canadian) than British, and the food is… not British pub food. I generally would not go here to eat as it is hard to get a seat, and it’s very crowded, so I can’t speak on the food. But in terms of ambience, if you are in the Notting Hill neighbourhood, or just want to have drinks outdoors on a real patio (rather than the sidewalk like other pubs), I would recommend this pub. But get here early as it tends to fill up on a sunny weekend afternoon by 3ish!

I have always avoided this place like the plaque mainly due to the crowd. Went here once a few years ago to meet a friend and left within 30 minutes the crowd. So when a friend (from a different crowd) booked a table (for seven of us) here for Sunday (1^st April 2012) lunch last weekend, we thought, okay, should be fine for lunch. We (the two of us) walked in at 1.15pm and surprisingly there was no one queuing at the bar. Four people behind the bar, a woman and three guys and everyone just looked at us. Two of the guys walked off and one was barbacking. The woman bartender just looked at us. No can I help you or what can I get you, just looked at us. So we asked if we could order drinks. She said yes. Great, thanks for letting us buy drinks in your pub. So finally all the group members arrived. Sunday seven people. We all had to go up to the bar and order individually as they don’t have table service. I had ordered the chicken but when two of us ordered it, they came to the table and said there was only one chicken available and one of us would have to take the duck. I opted for this as I do like duck. The food itself was nice, or on my part. They brought another duck out for one of our party who had ordered lamb. She had to wait another 30 minutes (we had all finished) before her meal arrived. And ordering drinks at the bar during lunch was a nightmare as there were a lot of people at this point. Let’s just say this experience confirmed my initial thoughts and we won’t be back. We walked across to the Cow for post lunch drinks.

Great after work pub.
This is a rare pub in this area with a good sized beer ‘garden’. ‘Garden’ in inverted commas only because it is a concrete expanse in front of the pub with chairs and benches — and heaters if I’m not mistaken.
There is always a good crowd mingling inside and out, feels quite hip and trendy on some nights (the fact I used those terms probably shows how hip and trendy I aint) but the atmosphere is always a good one.
Inside is one big open space, yet it still manages to feel intimate and personal, probably gets a bit too crowded at times, but hey, can’t hold hat against a great pub!

This little corner of where Westbourne Park meets Notting Hill stands directly opposite The Cow gastropub. The beefy named Cow is one of the original gastropubs that put this area on the map. It also is opposite the Idler Academy, a new concept establishment from the magazine people that allows loafing gentleman to read books and sip coffee. These neighbourly reasons to expect a high standard of this pub which has had a fair amount of recent reviews in the past.
However, with the exception of the starters and the pork loin everything else was disappointing.
We ordered at the bar rather than at our table, which was acceptable for a Monday evening. The reception was a little frosty, but I ordered and seemed to have a higher bill than expected. The shock horror of the servers face that I requested to see the bill receipt was unexpected, I figurred this was standard. My questions towards the bill were answered in a sheepish yet rude way. I eventually got the bill which stated I ordered two pork dishes, when in fact I had one with a (less expensive lamb kofta). It also was unreadable but did suggest I was charged £2.65 for a blackcurrent and soda. I gave up at this point and cut my losses, but was given back £1 for (one of) her mistakes.
Anyway, to the table, the starters were great, however, they didn’t require any cooking skill. The oysters were fresh and served clean. The pint of prawns were on the small side but tasty and served with a perfectly smooth aïoli.
(pic).
The main pork loin, gratin potato, beans and jus was soft tender and tasty. The lamb kofta was homemade but served with a ‘cool’ yoghurt sauce on top that was warm, this should of been served separately to keep it just that: ‘cool’. The tomato and courgette sauce it was served on was ok, but no better than a no frill Turkish restaurant.
The overall experience was below par but hit and miss with the dishes. Disappointed with the staff but certainly room for improvement.

Sunday brunch MUST be re-​established, by egg-​benedicting my way through them!
Eggs Benedict a la carte on english muffins, placed on top of light grilled ham topped with hollandaise sauce and a dill mini sprig (no side salad, or home fries, or french fries… yes, this is NOT america!)
should be simple enough for a chef in a nearly empty venue… right?!
Not so much. Both my friend’s and my eggs (meant-​to-​benedict) were hard-​boiled to perfection. Kindly we asked for the Chef to re-​play!
On second serve, they were poached to perfection, so props up to the Chef, and the servers that were super kind to get it right.
Yet, the saga for the perfect eggs benedict (in round ONE) continues…
p. s. two eggs benedict and two cup of java for a total of approximately £20.

Went here on a Sunday afternoon, with two companions, right as the place opened for lunch at 12:30. The interior is nice, with lots of natural light and plenty of seating. There is a long bar where you order drinks and food, as well as an exposed food preparation area. We ordered our food and sat outside. There is a lovely patio section which should seat about 20 people. The sunshine and crisp autumn air made al fresco dining mandatory.
The food was great. I had pan-​fried butterfly sardines stuffed with chillies and garlic, along with a small salad with tomatoes, parsley and a lemony dressing. It was great, well-​cooked and presented nicely. My partner had smoked salmon with a rocket salad, beets and soft boiled egg. That was good, too. And the third member of our party enjoyed his fresh greens salad and squash soup with croutons. The quality was there for all the food. The servings were on the small side but the prices were fairly reasonable: 4 pounds for the soup, salad, 6.75 for the sardine dish and 6.50 for the smoked salmon. Pretty good value I would say.
For drinks we just had lattes, ginger beer and water. The other patrons looked to be enjoying mimosas, bloody marys and the like. Overall we had a wonderful experience and will certainly be returning to this neighborhood establishment.

I like the Westbourne, it has a busy, but friendly atmosphere, and although the music can sometimes drown out decent conversation, it is well worth a visit.
There is a decent array of beers available and the staff are usually happy to serve. However on the occassions I’ve been lucky enough to be in the pub, the beer did seem a little flat — maybe it was just bad timing.
There is a good amount of seating, but due to the pub’s popularity, getting leather onto backside is a bit of a luxury.
The crowd are young and generally trendy, but the older regulars seem to fit in regardless.

Un dimanche soir d’été en terrasse à Notting hill, j’ai pu apprécier la qualité du Westbourne, sa bière variée et ses tapas généreux! La salle est suffisament grande et le service était plutôt agréable. Je reviendrai!

Me likey!
This pub is nice and light and airy, perfect for a summer afternoon. There are lots of seats out front too, which is also perfect for a summer afternoon. There are lots of cute bartenders, which is perfect for a summer afternoon, or any afternoon at that.
There are comfy sofas and yummy looking food (although I haven’t tried it, so can’t comment). The cute bartenders serve delicious drinks including a POM-​POM (some sort of fancy wine spritzer involving pomegranite juice)! I dare you to get one. In fact, get your boyfriend to order it for you!
I’M SOLD!!!

Kewl pub, with good looking people The bar tenders and staff are quite helpful. I would love to come back and try out some more food.
This place does gets quite crowded, so do be prepared for it. I have not had food here, so it is hard for me to judge the gastro part of things.

The Westbourne is a nice pub that suffers from overcrowding and noisiness. It’s a shame because their food is really very good. The menu changes every day and vegetarian options are always solid. The bread they put on your table is from Exeter Street bakery, possibly the best bread in London.
The trick to enjoying a meal at The Westbourne is to go for a weekday lunch or right at noon (when they open) on the weekend. I can’t say I’ve ever had a pleasant drink here in the evening due to the crowds and the fact that it gets VERY NOISY in there. You can’t easily have a conversation.

The Westbourne is where to go if the Cow (across the road) is too packed to move. It used to have a bit of a cool vibe — I can’t really place it, but there was a spark to this pub that has since left.
The crowd can be annoying as people are too busy watching other people (but who?) instead of just enjoying their day/​evening. And speaking of crowds: good luck getting attention at the bar if it’s busy. It’s a shame because the food here is better than average pub fare and the inside of the pub is pleasantly atmospheric.
The outside is nice, but you’ll easily feel fenced in on a crowded day.

The Westbourne may be hailed as one of the best pubs in the area but I would have to disagree. I know that during the summer the hoardes of people standing outside would give the impression of a fantastic venue.
However, I have been to the Westbourne a few times– each time hoping to receive a better service than the last.
I never have– each time seems to be worse than before!
It’s not all bad though– there’s some really interesting pictures and photographs on the walls.
I have been taken in by the hype and crowds standing outside only to be very disappointed when I had to wait around 15 minutes to be served. There really is no fun in being served overpriced drinks by rude staff!
It is a real shame because The Westbourne is a good sized pub with an outdoor space.
If you want to experience it for yourself then go once but do not make my mistake and return.

On a nice day the crowd of people at the Westbourne’s terrace becomes so many that it spills out onto the road and connects with the crowd of people at The Cow across the road so it is like a massive informal street party — you have been warned.
Drinks are expensive and service can be in the we are so cool because we work at this cool pub so we are just going to pose and not really do anything school but the brilliant location, good crowds and of course that terrace means that you will ignore this and keep on coming back.

The Westbourne is a bit of an institution in the area since it was taken over from the brewer by a couple of young and brave entrepreneurs in 1995. It is now not only one of the best place to have a pint or a drink around Notting Hill but also a very good restaurant, maybe one of the first London gastro-​pubs in fact. In the summer the crowd can be a bit overwhelming as the terrasse gets taken over by people desperate to find somewhere cool to enjoy a warm evening (there are so few good terrasses in London) but the place always retain its cool factor and its vibe with a very mixed and colorful crowd. Apart from the queue at the bar, a very good place (some even go and get a pint at the Cow opposite and come back to the Westbourne).