The Union Tavern, Westbourne Park — Restaurant in London

We came here on our last night London seeing as we were too tired to head into central London. A local told me this place used to be a proper pub but got yuppied out. Motorhead formed here. Joe Strummer jumped off the bridge into the canal to save someone though that tale may be a bit exaggerated. Anyway we came in and it was super loud because they were having a trivia night. The girl at the front was cool at first after explaining the set up. We decided to grab a table outside next to the aforementioned canal. Then I went up to order but the aforementioned girl had a little attitude when she asked for my table number. I don't know man, you didn't explain that part so down the stairs I went and then back up and then back down with the drinks. It was very pleasant outside especially with a view of the canal. However then we were informed that the outside area was closing so we went back upstairs. The food I got the fish and chips and she got the burger. The fish was excellent and well seasoned. The mint mushy peas were very nice. My lady said the burger was a little overcooked. And what's up with the scarcity with ketchup in the UK? We're Americans we drown our fries in that stuff. All in all a little wonky start as they say here but the food was good and the view was nice while it lasted and I was bummed they ran out of sticky toffee pudding. Would have been a nice ending to our trip. Next time London. After we went down the street to Angie's and had another round and that was...

The Union Tavern has improved significantly over the last 6 months. They have more bar staff on so you don't have to wait for drinks. The menu has been completely changed and now focuses on delicious smoked meats. Their Sunday roasts are the best I have had in London, but they sell out quick. The beer/ale is still awesome, and the wine list still tiny. Over all it is so much better then, when I reviewed it about 6 months ago.

----------old review --------------------- So close, but just misses the mark

We have been a couple of times to the Union Tavern over a two month period. The bar service is always slow (sometime 20 minutes at busy times) and the food is hit and miss. Sometimes the good is tasty and speedy, other times it feels like they have just microwaved stuff from the freezer and not done a great job. The venue is nice and sitting by the canal with a cold drink is a real treat. The street level bar / dinning area is nice and cosy, it feels like a comfortable family lounge. The real fire is a lovely touch on cold nights. The beer selection is fantastic easily my favourite out of all of London! However their wine selection is terrible. So I am happy but it doesn't work for my wife.

With a touch more effort on the food and some extra bar staff this place...

As more and more pubs close in the West London area, we look to local brewers Fullers to keep pubs open for local people. They have recently refurnished the Union Tavern, which is a good thing because there are so few Fullers pubs in the area around Notting Hill and Ladbroke Grove. The pub has great potential as it sits on the canal and in the summer is always busy in the outside area. Yesterday we went for Sunday lunch but it was too cold to sit outside. Inside the renovations don't look great, with battleship grey and a canteen atmosphere. There is nothing cosy about it. However it's great to have a pub serving London Pride and we always go out of our way to find one. We ordered food and paid by card where I was asked to add a gratuity even though I hadn't yet been served! They I was asked to give to charity (unclear which one!) I had roast beef which was appalling. Two slabs of overcooked beef that were inedible, they were hard to even cut. They were indeed like soles of shoes. They were served with overcooked veg on a strange oblong plate on which it was impossible to keep the food. They charged over £15 for this horrible experience (and the neither staff asked us if we were enjoying the food - perhaps they already knew) Come on Fullers - you can do...