Warwick Avenue – The Prince Alfred

This pub, is awesome. It has been in a number of Hollywood films as it has a very English old school feel to it. It looks incredibly grand from the outside as you walk down the quiet streets of Maida Vale. Gorgeous houses and lots of expensive cars. Right next to a cute little high street hidden away from the madness of the Edgware Road, only minutes up the road. As you walk in the Prince Alfred, you will notice that although various seating arrangements surround the large bar…you will have to duck under mini doors to different sections of the pub. If you walk in the main door on the corner, you have no way to turn apart from out, unless you are willing to maze your way through the different sections of the pub.

There is a large dining area at the back and the food is delicious.

The Prince Alfred has provided me with one of the best bloody mary’s I have every tasted…this could have been the bartender, but oh my…beautiful!

You can sit outside this pub on the high tables provided, or you can even sit on the pavement as it is such a quiet, leafy part of London.

100% visit!

Warwick Avenue – Water Ways

Who would have thought sitting opposite a questionable estate with Regent’s Canal separating the view would be such a lovely experience?

The Water Ways used to be for me, an after work drinking hole which had a nice outside, a decent bbq in the summer, and very nice wine. The down side of this pub was that said questionable estate was where a large majority of kids I worked with lived, so they would walk across the bridge staring, pointing, and calling myself and other staff alcoholics…maybe they had a point?!

Since then, this place has become a foodies friend, but not so much for your pocket.

As you walk through the patio to the bar, it will be packed in the summer. The bbq outside smells delicious and tables will be reserved. Inside, it seems more like a lodge than a bar with the bar in front of you, a few comfortable seats the one side and a small restaurant to the other. You do not have to eat in the restaurant which is brilliant as the food is definitely worth trying.

Although this is one of my favourite spots in the summer, they will charge you service charge to bring your drink to your table, so I recommend ordering at the bar! This was never the case a few years ago (so maybe 5 years is quite a while ago!), but this is the kind of place it is. The service is very good, the food is very good, the wine selection is very good…generally very good!

Warwick Avenue – The Bridgehouse

A pub just around the cute backstreets of Maida Vale, this pub overlooks the canal and gives you a lovely out of London experience in Little Venice. The pub looks more like a house and is quite olde worlde inside. The food menu looks good, although I have not eaten there myself. There is a garden out the front which although you can see the A40 joining the Harrow Road at one end, the other is the canal with pretty boats and a lovely bridge over the canal. It is very quaint and lovely.

Warwick Avenue – The Warwick Castle

This gem, just down a tiny cobbled street up the road from the station in Little Venice is super cute. It has an old man pub feel but with lovely hanging baskets and greenery surrounding. This pub makes you feel like you are in a little village pub as opposed to in Little Venice in Central London. It is only small, but you can stand outside as the road is super quiet most of the time.

Warwick Avenue – Idlewild

This pub used to be an after work haunt and is both brilliant for this, for dinner and for a drink on the weekend. The Idlewild is quite big and has an American feel to it with the bar in the middle and at the front, some mismatched furniture, but round to the back a more restaurant feel. The bar staff are attentive and friendly. There is an outside area spanning the front of the bar with seats and it is nice to sit out here, although, as this area would have it, is opposite quite a large council estate, so you never know who may walk past. It could be Jude Law, it could be the local thief with a can of Special Brew. This is part of the charm of this area is Maida Vale, Warwick Avenue, Little Venice are ridiculously expensive and beautiful, with lovely bars dotted around with great food and brilliant atmosphere. However, some of the kids I used to work with around there used to tell me not to walk the streets alone at night…there is a worry around here that it could be dangerous, but most of the kids stay on their estates and leave the super rich to get on with their lives. If you like a bit of contrast, sitting here, watching the world go by is just perfect.