Elgin - Maida Vale — Restaurant in London

Never again. Every time we come here the experience gets worse and worse, and after this evening I can say for certainty we will never come again. Save yourself the trouble and go to any of the many bars and pubs in the area: The Warrington, Priory Tavern, Wolfgang, Milk Beach, the list goes on and every single one of them is a better value, has better food, and has much better service.

We've been here many times over the past year or so we have lived in the area. We've come for brunch, we have brought friends for breakfast, we have come for both cheeky and non-cheeky pints, and of course we've come just because. I'll start by saying the atmosphere is usually quite nice, which is probably why we have continued to come back despite very very poor experience.

Overall, the food is decent at best but a bit overpriced. I've never had anything here that I couldn't make myself at home, but sometimes you just don't want to cook.

Where this place lets itself down in in its slow, indifferent service and frequently rude staff. Take tonight for example. We come because we were out and wanted a pint and a snack. The place was as full as it usually is on a Saturday, plus there was a special event upstairs. One of the staff, a courteous and polite person, prepares us a table BUT then the couple right behind us takes it and acts like they didn't see us. We didn't want a confrontation so we just decided we'd sit somewhere else. Problem was there was nowhere else to go. Fine, we said. We eventually get another table, but after waiting quite a while for our food (we had long finished our drinks) we learned that the couple who took our table also apparently took our food and the kitchen was finally remaking it. Like, what the f---? Like yes the couple were entitled and clearly had no manners but it's up to the staff to keep track of order delivery AND address any mistakes in a timely fashion, not 45 minutes after we ordered.

So then I go up to the bar because our food is still yet to be served and I figured if we ordered another drink I could gently remind them about it. Before I could even ask the server anything he tells me with all the condescension he could muster from his scrawny frame that the kitchen is now closed. Um, what? I was even holding the drink menu, and the patron right next to me had to point that out to him before he could understand it. Eventually I get to speak with someone else who was clearly a lot smarter and a lot better at customer service, and finally we get our food and... You guessed it, almost 15 minutes later, the second drinks we ordered. No apologies, no attempts to remedy our terrible dining experience. We left as soon as we could, and I counted the staff as we left. It was amazing to me that more than 5 people were working the bar for only the ground floor and yet still the service was that terrible. Glad we...

🚇Maida Vale 🍺 £5.90 Elgin Lager ❤️ A superb local hangout.

The Elgin is located at the end of a tall Victorian terrace in the heart of Maida Vale. Getting here is easy, Maida Vale Tube Station is located diagonally across the road.

The Lord Elgin as it was once known was built in 1869. In 2013 the pub looking tired and forlorn was given a new lease of life by Urban Leisure Group.

The metro tiled servery dominates the bar and runs down the left hand side. Opposite the servery are several poser tables and stools. At the far end of the bar is some comfy low level seating, a projector screen and a random elephant adorning the wall. By the entrance are some beautiful Victorian glazed tiles which sit above Georgian panels and a nice big cosy sofa. Upstairs is a dining/function room which is available for hire.

The beer line up was impressive, there are ten London based draught craft beers and ciders to choose from, plus plenty of bottles in the fridge. I decided on a pint of the house lager, my pint was excellent and price point average. There is a seasonal food menu available consisting of elevated gastropub style dishes. The roasts on a Sunday are well celebrated, a Chicken Roast costs £19.50.

We arrived just after 6pm on a Saturday evening, on arrival the place was fairly busy with a local crowd in attendance. Not long after we settled in, things got very busy. There was a lively upbeat buzzy atmosphere emanating from the early evening punters. The service was excellent, the staff here were super friendly and clearly enjoyed what they do. Throughout the month there are Live Music and Comedy Nights, if fancy testing your general knowledge there is a Pub Quiz on Tuesdays.

We really enjoyed our time here, @the_elgin_maidavale was a pleasant surprise. This is a fantastic hybrid establishment that has a bit of something for everyone. The beer was great and reasonably priced, the food looked amazing and is popular with the punters plus there is plenty to keep you entertained. Pub traditionalist will probably give this one a swerve, but I would definitely recommend a visit here.

ℹ️ Info correct on...

I was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder last year and was barred for a month in October for "speaking to the staff too much and you've been here {as a paying customer} every day this week. Come back in a month" -these were the exact words the manager said to me. I returned earlier this year, explained the situation and they said it was fine. I returned subsequently on a handful of occasions with no problem and then one day they told me they couldnt serve me because my bar was outstanding. The staff are usually welcoming (like your extended family) but on this occasion they told me there was nothing they could do dispite me asking to speak to a manager to discuss it. I also we t back and spoke to the manager another day and he said he would speak to his staff. I called another day and another manager told me he was aware of the situation but I was still barred. The Sunday roasts are out of this world including the veggie options and this used to be my fave pub in the NW London area for sure..really sad I've been discriminated against. So if you want to support a cool local pub that discriminates but has friendly staff and locals and good food go ahead but be warned that they can be really unreasonable. So disappointed. I dont take drugs, get wasted, have arguments, break stuff or sell things there. It's simply poor management and discrimination. Really really upsetting. One star for great food. Another for staff that are nice. The 3 minuses for poor management and...