please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Young’s Special and London Pride on – Pride at £3 a pint is the going rate for this area I suppose. This is a big old pub next to Hyde Park. It has a great location, but in my opinion not much in the way of character. However it seems to serve its main purpose, apparently as a tourist restaurant. There was a rather pervasive smell of fish and chips when I was in. I suppose as pub it’s OK-ish, but I can’t see much reason to return.
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Closest pub convenient to my hotel since The Archery shut. Decent late night food, but that's about all. I'd rather get takeaway, hit an offy, & call it a night
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Looks are deceptive.
OK if you just want to sit out side, watch the world go by, and chat up the tourists. The beer price was about avaerage for Central London, or perhaps a few pence cheaper. Service was OK so long as you did not ask for anything outside of the staffs limited vocabulary. It advertises itself as a typical English pub, and unfortunately that is what it seems to be.
The food is best avoided - a strange eastern interpretation of shepherds pie, and the roast joint was hacked into mince meat rather than carved.
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Drifted in here after walking back from Lord's en route to Notting Hill Gate. Was packed with yankee tourists and dodgy Cameroon business men trying to buy my cricket hat.
Guitarist strumming foly sing-alongs keeping the Eastern Seaboarders in good voice. Good fun actually, good (ish) atmosphere, amusing landlord who looks like Mafia, and a scary huge KGB agent on the door.
Wouldnt go out of my way to come here again, but it didnt cause me any problems.
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Been to this pub before and returned with trepidation as on previous visits the beer was crap. Was pleasantly surprised as the beer was good and the service was very good. The only downside could be the tourists and delegates attending conferences at the Royal Lancaster Hotel
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Visited this pub recently because my regular haunt when visiting the area has closed down sadly. But will never never never do so again. Untrained unfriendly bar staff who seem to think that a pint of pride with a three inch head is normal. Myself and my friend played a game of spotting the tourist that had been ripped off the most. Never tried the food but a couple of tourists on the next table had the "nachos" which looked totally disgusting and they didn't eat.
AVOID AVOID AVOID
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This is a good bar thoroughly spoiled by shilling for tourist dollars. The signs out front all scream TRADITIONAL FOOD and FRIENDLIEST PUB IN LONDON. Inside, there are so many sign trying to sell tatty souveneir nonsense (does the world need ready access to Swan lighters?) that the actually-quite-good beer (well-poured by a competent, if not effusively friendly, staff) is almost completely forgotten.
I suppose it's better to scrabble for tourist money than to go out of business, which has been the recent fate of an excellent pub (the Archery Tavern) just down the road that apparently didn't have sufficiently garish signs. But it's hard to enjoy a beer in a place that feels like everyone in it is primarily there so they can tell their friends back home about going out to a pub.
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The Swan always was packed with tourists when I lived in Bayswater. When I went back in '01, '02 and last month, it seems like it hasn't changed much at all. I remember they used to be a bit strict when last calls came around though. I remember the food back then (80s) being good. But, if you're a tourist, there are tons of other pubs around to be visited. It always seems to be jammed pack everytime I went there. Note: Sneak off to the left hand side upstairs. It's not as crowded. Joe/USA
Joseph - 25 Oct 2004 19:04 |
What a great spot. As a business traveler you get tired of hotels and quiet meals alone. I love The Swan and my decision to stay around Lancaster Gate is influenced by this establishment.
Pete - 25 Oct 2004 16:24 |
This pub is FANTASTIC. Stayed in London for almost 3 weeks and spent many evenings on the balcony watching the world go by. Great staff and even better food. A MUST visit for everyone.
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When in London we frequent The Swan...fabulous fish and chips, other food good as well. Friendly staff. We've taken friends and family there and they agree...we will return on our future trips.
Jean Rees - 1 Aug 2004 16:56 |
I actually quite like The Swan, although it's changed a lot. I first was there 20 years ago, and i visited The Swan 4-5 times last week, when I was in London on vacation. Allright pub grub, nice bartenders, and quite good atmosphere: ECXEPT: the waitress was incredibly rude when I politely said that I did not receive the food that I had ordered. She got angry, and told me and my kids to eat what we got, more or less. Highly unprofessional! I dont like to argue, so I just ate the food. If I see her there again, I will not enter The Swan. Pity, because u might might all kinds of nice people from all over the world there. What happened to "the customer's always right"?
Had Becks an Fosters and a few british ales, will get rid of Fosters, and take Stella instead. I had hoped for a few more british ales.
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My family is from the states. We spent New Years Eve at the Swan last year. Was EXCELLENT. Will definately come back some day.
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Very friendly. Very comfortable. Good food and large portions. Fresh beer. Definately worth a visit and a return visit.
DJK - 2 Nov 2003 00:03 |
We loved The Swan. We met and chatted with very nice people there. The food was English with huge portions and the staff beamed benevolently on all the patrons having a great time! The prices were reasonable for London and the pasta better than we had at the Italian places.
The Williamsons - 17 Oct 2003 12:49 |
Absolutley wonderful, would best describe the food, and the atmosphere here. It was 3 years ago to the day that I am writing this that my wife and I spent our honeymoon in London, and ran across this pub while staying at the Plaza on Hyde Park. I can distinctly remember the pork roast and as someone earlier had described the HUGE portions that they give. I love this place and cannot wait to return in the near future!!
Jason D. - 8 Sep 2003 23:14 |
I love this place. I went there because I was staying at the Plaza on Hyde Park (like Lee,)and you literally stumble across it on the way to the Lancaster Gate Tube. It's friendly with what I thought were incredibly reasonable prices for London and the food is good hearty English fare. They aren't stingy with it either. The portions are huge. I ate there every day, and the barman started pulling my pint when he saw me coming. It was warm and comfortable and I felt welcome every time my foot crossed the threshold. When I go to London again, regardless of where in the town I stay, I'm heading straight for the Swan.
Jo - 30 Mar 2003 23:56 |
After being stationed in england, I have been back many many times, and when in London, I always stay at the Plaza on hyde Park, why, because of the Swan and the Mitre Pubs, they are the best! in W2, I have always found them to be wonderful in all aspects. As too the writer of the other comments, stay in the states, you don't deserve London!
Lee E. Pinder - 21 Oct 2002 18:54 |
well, what can I say? here was us, just off the plane and jet-lagged all to pieces, when we stumbled into this tourist trap. Welcome to London!!! luckily, I had been to England before, so I knew that there were friendly pubs that offered reasonable service at reasonable prices... well, reasonable prices by English standards. Stale beer, overpriced food, skimpy portions, and a less-than-welcoming atmosphere only added to our general feeling that we were taking part in a hijacking of our wallets. At least it was a warm and dry place to escape the driving rain...give them marks for a non-leaking roof, anyway. This was supposed to be the place where the Tyburn convicts took their last pint. We knew that the English prices would be punishing, but this pub was beyond what even a condemned man deserved.
bill - 3 May 2002 23:32 |
