The Mad Bishop & Bear, Paddington — Restaurant in London

Very calm and relaxing pub, with professional and friendly staff!

We visited this pub in the last evening of our London and England trip to spend relaxing and wonderful time with looking back our memories of our trip with drinking. Yeah, it was much more wonderful than we'd expected!

The pub was built so relaxing and had many parts. Like where we can take seats on sofa in the very calm and relaed atmosphere, where we can sit on stools, where where you can enjoy both the atmosphere of being inside the huge Paddington Station and the relaxed pub atmosphere at the same time.

What was more, the bartender (a tall man with glasses) was so friendly and full of hospitality.

We took seats at a table in the relaxed atmosphere, and my husband asked for a half pint of beer and I asked for gin. Also I asked him his recommendations, and he kindly suggested 3 types, with asking me if I like flavoured gins (yes, I love those!). He whistled to hear me say "double please", it made me laugh as well. XD

And the gin he recommended was so amazing. I couldn't believe I was having such a fantastic drink! It had a refreshing taste in the mouth, but the aftertaste was slightly spicy and the aroma and filled with the aroma like various flowers... I felt like I was in a fields with a variety of flowers! I haven't had such fantastic drink before!

Before we left, we dropped by the counter again and said thanks to his wonderful work. And I asked him if I could see the bottle label again, and he kindly showed us. Thanks to that, after coming back to Japan I got to know I can get it in Japan too, but... I know I can never have such a wonderful drink I had here ever again, it was because of his dedication to make the drink to the best with his professional and hospitable heart, this pub's relaxing atmosphere, and friendly staff and so on!

I'll enjoy Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger in Japan with the great memory we had here! (Yeah, as I wrote, I know I can never have such a wonderful drink I had here! But I'll enjoy it with remembering the wonderful time we had here with smiling! :D ) Thank you very much for the fantastic time!

*I asked if I could take pics of the bottle label and him, but I forgot to ask if I could post those here. Only if you don't mind, I'll attach it to this post so please let me know! (It's such a good pic, actually! Hope you like it!)

Thanks and best...

Came in here yonusevthe facilities after returning from Unguja Zanzibar via Doha Qatar. Only to find my train cancelled due to flooding. When I went to the counter, I was greeted by lovely bar staff. Unfortunately there was also a rather obnoxious man, who amazingly enough comes from my home town. Which made ordering rather confusing. When firstbordered an out latte, then I mistakenly ordered the plant based breakfast at a huge charge of £13. I then managed yo get away from awful man and find a quiet place to relax. A lovely young male member of staff then brought my coffee. Which was perfect. The Algerian chef then brought my breakfast and asked if I needed any sauces, I said yes to tomato 🍅 sauce and hevimmediately brought it in a small metal pot. On the first taste of yhe spinach, I found it to be undercooked and very strong. The tomato 🍅 was very tiny. Always 🍒 size. The beans, hash browns and toast were fine. Then I found what looked like a slice of friend black pudding. Cutting into it, expecting it to be, some sort of fake meat. Which it was. I then decided I could not continue with this vastly overpriced offering. Taking it back to the bar, I dpokevyo the l9vely chef, explaining the problems. He was most apologetic and courteous. He asked if I would like him to cook something else for me. I said yes please could I have some porridge. He brought a lovely large bowl of it. I thanked him and he left. I ate some of the porridge but it was so very sweet that I had to take it back also. Jo the member of staff I had originally ordered with apologised and said shevwoild like a refund, to which I said yes. She said she was also vegan and she totally agreed with me and that the company needed to update the menu. My suggestion it is done by using the skills of their Algerian chef, to create authentic meals from his own country. As well as plant based meals, as advised by a member of staff that is vegan. I have been eating a plant based about 8 years now. And do not look for fake meat, fish,...

Early licence! As a station pub, they serve beer as soon as open with food and from very early otherwise. Nice location at the top of Paddington's concourse (unless you have luggage) with a very Wetherspoony feel - meant both positively (lots of space, table, chairs and beers on offer) and bad (sort of a corporate plasticky character). Staff better trained than W's and tend to serve in order rather than the random six-people-working-but-only-one-serving of W's. Good food but then plenty of choice in the area

"The Bishop of Willesden (Rt Revd Pete Broadbent): This particular bishop is very aware of the Mad Bishop and Bear, as he finds it a useful place for meeting friends from the West Country and it serves an excellent pint of Fullers! I understand that the pub is so named after the bishop in nearby Bishop’s Bridge Road. The episcopal connection goes back to the 16th century when Edward VI gave the land to the Bishop of London. The Bishop in those days was Nicholas Ridley, who was hardly a bishop one would describe as a mad one. Perhaps, therefore, it has a contemporary reference, in which case it is probably the bishop who was mad from the North-West, when he knows his hawks and...