The Crown & Sceptre, Shepherd's Bush — Restaurant in London

🚇 Goldhawk Road 🍺 £6.45 Heineken

This pub is located in a quiet residential area of Shepherd’s Bush in West London. The nearest Tube is Goldhawk Road, Shepherd’s Bush Market station also close by.

This Fuller’s pub was built in 1866 and was once a Charrington’s House, as evidenced by the trademark stained-glass windows. Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, the Crown & Sceptre became the unofficial home of Queens Park Rangers fans. It was famed for its strong QPR ties, with players and supporters mingling on match days.

This is a reasonably sized, high-ceilinged one-bar pub that had a refurb back in April. The decor is a mix of traditional and contemporary styles. The servery sits in the middle and has a beautifully carved back bar, complete with an etched QPR mirror and a big painting of champion greyhound Rapid Ranger on the right. To the left, there’s a period cast-iron fireplace with a large crown on the wall above it. There’s loads of seating throughout—dimpled banquettes, comfy chairs, and poser tables with stools. Head to the loos past the open kitchen and you’ll spot some great photos and prints. Out back, there’s a stylish, partly covered patio beer garden.

The beer selection is on point, with a good mix of familiar keg favourites and four cask ales. I went for a Heineken—my pint hit the spot. Price-wise, it was a tad above average. The food menu features a mix of Thai dishes and pub classics. Pad Thai starts at £13, while fish and chips comes in at £15.

I arrived just after 6pm on a warm Saturday evening in June. The pub was fairly busy, with a good mix of punters of all ages. The atmosphere was calm and relaxed, making it easy to settle in. The service was excellent—the team on duty were upbeat, welcoming, and friendly. I plotted up in the beer garden to enjoy my pint.

What a fantastic backstreet boozer this is. Love the new paint job—the interior’s comfortable, and I like the nods to the pub’s heritage. The beer choice and food options mean there’s something for everyone. I really liked it here—a must-visit if you’re in the area.

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📅 21st June 2025

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Sat down for a beer on table that had no indication whatsoever that it could possibly be taken or reserved, i.e. perfectly clean, no "reserved" sign, open umbrella, and a big sticker on it saying that I don't even have to go in to order, can just order through my phone. Perfect!

So I ordered a couple of beers through the website on the sticker, through my phone, and as they were being brought to the table the waiter tells me that the table is reserved and that I would need to leave in about 5 minutes. I explained to the waiter that that's absolutely unreasonable, which only made him get mad at me. All he had to do is tell the people that had the reservation that he made a mistake and forgot to reserve their table and that they would have to wait no more than maybe 10-15 minutes. Instead, he just started arguing with me! Sad!

Thankfully, he did give me some absolutely solid advice that I recommend everyone follows: Finish my beer and never come back.

In all seriousness, this was a terrible experience. Just get some "reserved" signs. It's ultra basic hospitality, jeez. The waiter who dealt with this was Kitchen Nightmares material, rude (started an argument), arrogant (didn't admit he messed up) and childish (finish and never come...

The pub side was fine. The food side was less so. Four meals ordered, three meals delivered, of the three one was incorrect but, relatively quickly, amended. The forth meal had to be chased up, twice! 20 minutes after the others had started eating I had to chase it up a third time. I didn't expect to have to argue with the actual cook that I really wanted the meal, nor did I expect to have to carry it back to the table myself. No apology, no refund, even though I asked for one, and to top it all, food poisoning in the evening. Wouldn't recommend the food...