The Elgin — Restaurant in London

I visited on a Sunday a few weeks ago about 1.30 to 1.45 pm and we were about to go up the stairs into the back room when we were asked by a gentleman behind the bar whether we wanted to eat. We said yes, and we would be meeting another friend. He told us that there were no tables and were 'full.' We said that we would have a table in the bar, but we were told: 'We don't serve food in the bar.' The bar was EMPTY (save for about 3 people). We went to a small table in the side bar where people were eating and sat at it but were told that it was 'RESERVED.' It didn't have a 'RESERVED' sign on it. We asked whether we could have a table here or what time roughly would there be a table and were told by a barmaid something like 'there was not much food left/we have run out of food' etc. Amazing. You couldn't make it up! But it's an English pub, what do you expect. I rang the bar a week later and asked for the manager. I asked him why he didn't serve food in the bar as I would be reviewing the pub on social media. 'We don't serve food in the bar because if people saw us do it for one person, everybody would want to eat' he told me. Make of that what you will. Honestly, you couldn't make it up! I don't understand British establishments and pubs. There are so many closing down I can't think why they wouldn't serve food in their empty bar? Why would they let people and their money walk out? They must have too much money, that's all I can think of (because this pub is owned by a large company, they have enough money)? Or they cannot plan and order enough food or just didn't want to serve us? But to be honest, I've had the same problem in other pubs with them running out of food or not serving food in certain places. The reason I mention 'British' establishments or pubs is that when I frequent Brazilian, Portuguese, Spanish, Caribbean places or wherever, they never seem to run out of food or have problems with service and they will go out of their way to set up tables or an area for you. Nothing is too much for them. In the Elgin and other pubs they are not even bothered about trying to find out when a table could be ready for you or just not bother full stop. When they are busy they panic. Now I understand why lots of pubs are closing. Suffice to say, I'll not be wasting my time going back here....

🚇 Ladbroke Grove 🍺 £6.60 Estrella

A Stunning West London Gin Palace.

The Elgin is located on Ladbroke Grove close to Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill. The nearest Tube is Ladbroke Grove, it’s a two minute walk to get here.

The pub was built in 1856 and remodelled to its present form in 1898. The Elgin is Grade II listed and is named after Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, the chap who stole the marbles from Greece. This pub has had some famous and infamous punters over the years. John Christie the serial killer of 10 Rillington Place used to drink here as did Joe Strummer, he played here with his earlier band The 101ers.

The decor here is simply stunning and takes you back to the time of Victorian London’s Gin Palaces. The pub has three distinct sections which have their own individuality and are all equally stylish and elegant. All around you will find dark ornate woodwork, beautifully carved partitions with etched glass, beautifully gilded mirrors, all of which makes for a grand setting.

This Young’s pub had a solid beer selection which included predominantly popular tipples, two cask, some craft and no and low. I decided on an Estrella, my pint hit the spot but was expensive for this fairly standard lager. The food menu consists of Bar Snacks, Sharers and elevated pub grub classics, Fish & Chips costs £18.

I visited this pub a few times last year, most notably for my Son’s 30th birthday party. The last time I visited was in September for an afterwork slurp or two. I arrived around 6.30pm, the pub was absolutely packed and had a great buzz about the place. The punters were a mix of locals, post work pinters and early evening out outers. The service was good, considering how busy it was, I didn’t have to wait to long to be served.

The @theelginw11 manages that difficult trick of looking like a place to eat, and a place to have a pint but at the same time not favouring neither. This is a beautiful pub that is a great place to spend time in and most definitely gets the LPM seal of approval.

ℹ️ Info correct on...

First time visitor at The Elgin, even though I am local to the area, decided to meet a friend there in place of our usual pub. What a gorgeous pub! Why didn't I go before! It was rather busy when we arrived, however, we were served immediately. Our intention was to move onto another pub after our first drink but decided to stay for the duration. As I mentioned before, we were served immediately and that continued throughout the evening, even though it was getting busier. A special mention to the bar staff, in particular, the lady with the North East accent, we found out later her name, Diane, she too is a local to the area. Her customer service was excellent, made sure that our pints were topped off at the correct level, (not like in some other pubs were you have to ask them to fill to the top before drinking them🙄). Even though, as I mentioned before, rather busy, she was attentive when it came to ordering our drinks, she was friendly, quick witted and a pleasure to have her serve us. Note to management, hang on to her, she is an asset to your pub. A good example of what customer service should be and look like. We will most definitely return, might even persuade my work colleagues to visit for our usual Friday drinks. Once again, thanks for a most...