Lord Palmerston — Restaurant in London

The Lord Palmerston, London: Pub Dining with a Proper Dash of Class 🍺🍴👑

Nestled in the heart of London with a name that sounds like it should come with a cravat and a monocle, The Lord Palmerston is a proper British pub with a menu that goes well beyond your average pie-and-a-pint affair. It’s got character, craft beers, and food so good you’ll consider writing a thank-you letter to the chef.

The Vibe: Traditional Meets Trendy

The interior gives classic pub charm—think wood-panelling, warm lighting, and just the right number of locals perched at the bar—but with a little London polish. It’s welcoming, comfortable, and you instantly feel like you’ve chosen wisely. Bonus points for the excellent beer selection and the subtle background buzz of happy punters.

The Beer: A Pint for Every Personality

Whether you’re into sessionable IPAs like Neck Oil, want something more classic like Young’s London Original, or you’re on the hunt for a Proper Job (literally)—you’ll be spoilt for choice. The taps are stacked, the cask selection is solid, and everything’s poured with care. Not a warm, flat pint in sight.

Fancy something crisp and continental? They’ve got Estrella and Peroni, too. Basically, if you can’t find a pint you like here, it’s probably you.

The Food: Elevated Pub Grub Done Right 🍽️

This isn’t your standard microwave-and-hope-for-the-best pub kitchen. The menu at The Lord Palmerston is full of comforting favourites but with serious attention to detail. • Chicken & bacon pie with mash, broccoli and Young’s gravy? Rich, filling, and deeply satisfying—like a hug from your nan but with better seasoning. • Pan-roasted seabass with Cornish potatoes and champagne beurre blanc? Oh yes, it’s that kind of pub. Delicate, delicious, and plated like it’s on MasterChef. • Dairy cattle beef burger? A proper tower of a meal—juicy, well-seasoned, with crispy fries and all the fixings you expect from a place that takes its burgers seriously.

And if you’re just here for drinks and nibbles, the scotch egg, chorizo pasty, and sausage roll starters are excellent choices to keep hunger at bay while you work your way through the drinks menu.

The Service: Friendly, Fast, and On It

The staff are everything you want in a great pub: friendly without being too chatty, efficient without being rushed, and clearly know their stuff. Drinks came quickly, food arrived hot and fresh, and we felt well looked after from start to finish.

The Verdict: A Proper London Pub With Style and Substance ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Whether you’re out for a relaxed dinner, popping in for a pint, or need somewhere that’ll impress out-of-towners without being pretentious, The Lord Palmerston delivers comfort, flavour, and classic pub vibes with a little extra sparkle.

Five stars—plus one more for the fact that you can get both a Proper Job and a proper pie in one visit. What more...

We had made a reservation for 15 people in the garden. When we arrived there everything looked lovely and ready for our guests, we ordered some sharing platters which were good and everyone was going to the bar to get drinks.

However, my night was spoilt when my (6 month pregnant) sister came back from the bar having bought a tonic and said the bartender accused her saying 'you're drinking your own alcohol back there aren't you?'. She was shocked but pointed at her pregnant belly to sort of explain why she was only buying tonic. He kept insisting along the lines of 'are you sure? Should I come and check?'

When she told me what had happened I went to talk to him - I thought this was all because my husband had received a bottle of cognac as a present, but that visibly remained sealed and unopened on the table. When I asked the bartender what it was about he just stared into my eyes and smiled, as if to say he knew what we were actually doing but he's letting me off the hook. He then said 'don't worry about it' but never actually said sorry - actually acted like I was apologising.

Since then on I felt like we were treated like teenagers who were trying to get away with something, honestly ruined my whole night. I understand this might be a genuine issue some pubs have (is it really though?), but surely you can't go around accusing people like that just because not everyone in the group is buying alcohol. Extremely...

Really sorry to give two stars, but unfortunately, our visit on Monday was a bit disappointing.

The pub itself looks nice, good selection of beers and kind staff. The two stars are for the food.

Bear in mind the pub was quite empty, and from where we sat we could see all the dishes that were leaving the kitchen (they weren’t many, and mostly burgers…). We had to wait for around 40 minutes for starters (1 x Scotch Eggs + 1x Mac & Cheese which I assume are usually prepared in advance) and then another 50-60 minutes for the mains. The staff was quite apologetic about it, and I understand that probably the kitchen was understaffed, but I would have appreciated if they told us upon ordering, so we might have skipped the starters or asked for everything to be brought to the table at the same time. We could tell that everyone was experiencing the same as us, so surely the staff knew there was going to be a long wait for food.

As for the food itself, while it wasn’t bad, I don’t think it was worth the price (and the wait)

Lastly, the menu didn’t feature many of the items you can see on their “Main Menu” on the website. Not sure if it’s was because it was a Monday, but still, I wish I had know in advance.

I might come back for drinks, but I doubt I’ll give food a...