Another posh pub has landed in west London
Phil Winser and James Gummer, the duo behind The Pelican and The Bull, Charlbury (both of which we loved) have just opened another new pub, The Hero in Maida Vale. It’s a beautiful old building dating back to 1878 and the guys have done a great job stripping it back and restoring it to its former glory. Coming soon, there’s a grill restaurant upstairs, a PDR, and The Library, a nice little lounge bar with cocktails and a banging sound system. For now though, it’s ‘just’ the pub downstairs, but what a pub it is…
Eat This
The menu offers comfort food classics done to perfection – and actually at a very reasonable price too, especially for bougie west London. From the snacks, go for the incredible scotch egg, the chicken liver pate, and the deep fried cod cheeks with curry sauce. There’s also an epic looking cheese toastie on there that’s practically a meal in itself.
Next there’s a ‘Soups and Salads’ section, and we very much enjoyed the smoked eel and bacon salad, with big chunks of eel, lettuce, a caesar dressing and finely chopped bacon for a nice salty crunch.
The mains selection is insanely good – we’re talking the likes of shepherd’s pie, fish pie, sausage and mash, and steak frites. We ended up going for a superb half roast chicken with salad; a throwback ham, egg and chips done with a nice juicy bacon chop; and, probably our favourite of them all, the cheese and onion pie. For dessert don’t miss the sticky toffee pudding – it’s a little lighter than your average STP and all the better for it.
Drink This
Even west London is getting in on the natural wine action now and there’s plenty of oranges and juicy chilled reds alongside some more classic options. There’s also pints and cask ales galore.
Why Go
With three brilliant pubs under their belts, these guys are on a roll. The Hero is another sure fire hit and we can’t wait to get back there to try The Grill when that opens upstairs later in the summer.
Key Information
Address | 55 Shirland Road, London, W9 2JD
For more information | theherow9.com