It's hard to categorize the Cow. On the one hand, it's a British pub - beer flowing, small and bustling, and the gallery of young folks outside catching a smoke. However, on deeper inspection - the Cow is a marvelous dining experience - complete with an extensive wine selection, rotating specials, and a bespoken approach to food preparation. The food? Well, it's British pub fare - with a slightly divergent menu on Sundays. Everything is fresh and beautifully plated. The bangers and mash was exceptional. The green bean salad was so unique and popping with flavors, I scribbled the ingredients list in an attempt to reproduce the dish at home. The atmosphere is hopping - it's a small pub ambience and there is not any wasted space. Not to fear, the delightful staff can help find a table for your party. I was a bit intimidated walking in on a Sunday night all by myself. My trepidation quickly went away as the server made it easy to relax and enjoy my evening. As a small aside, I sat next to the small kitchen space on the main floor. To see the amazing plates being prepared one after the other in that tiny kitchen, well . . . that was an amazing experience in and of itself. Chapeau to the chef. Truly a masterpiece to put out such accomplished food from a space no larger than most bathrooms. read more

Just us having no clue whatsoever that this funny little spot was for London hobnobbers and wondering why there were middle aged men out front dressed like they were deadass in the circus. Never mind the (probable) English celebrity blocking the doorway in some ridiculous performative hug. Absolutely hilarious "scene". Lovely lovely waitstaff. My food was atrocious but my friends looked quite nice. read more

The Cow is a hidden gem - a delightful blend of nostalgia. It is a relaxed bistro ambience and old-shool vibes. The proof is on the walls - pictures of none other than David Beckham and Tom Cruise grace the place. Rub shoulders with the stars at The Cow pub, where even celebs drop by for fresh oysters paired with a perfect pint of Guinness and bottles of Prosecco. And lets not forget about their divine porcini soup. A heavenly concoction. I'll be back... read more

Delightful little space - cozy and atmospheric. Divine oysters. OMG. Very nice upscale food. I've had the bangers/mash/onion gravy and the daily terrine (with pistachios) and both were perfect. Their bread and butter basket is expensive, but so good that I call it value for money. They pour an excellent pint of Guinness and should get an extra star just for that! Overall a win. Kind of a haul via public transport... but it occurs to me that might just be by design. ;-) read more

The Cow - Oysters! Briny and fresh, and part of the daily special. - British Near Me - London, XGL

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A hopping pub with lots of activity but we're seated upstairs for dinner and had a great time. All the food was enjoyed. Love the vibe. Reservations are needed. read more

Delicious seafood stew! The broth was a rich tomato base. The fish was fresh and plentiful. They served it with a great piece of toast that was very memorable. Great spot! read more

Nice room upstairs above a cozy pub. Menu is limited but what we had was terrific. The standouts were the fish stew, roasted cod special and the beef pie. Service was good but they kept reminding us that we only had the table for two hours which was a bit annoying. I would definitely return but quit pestering us about what time we needed to leave. read more

While having a pub that's seven tube stops away from your flat as your local kind of defeats the purpose of a local, I'm thinking of making an exception for The Cow. Why? First, it's the only place outside Dublin I've had a pint of Guinness and enjoyed it. Second, the atmosphere is raucous and loud and you want to be a part of it. You'll find suits slurping oysters, peeps in t-shirts buying rounds of shots and barkeeps who are all about facilitating your fun. Also, The Cow's soundtrack is totally awesome. Third, the kitchen is the size of a small closet and yet, magic happens there. Skill, that's what you've gotta have to make that work! Oh, and, the flags from all over the world hung up around the place just make me happy. read more

The Cow - British Near Me - London, XGL

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This hidden gem in Notting Hill was a surprise. This is a local pub that has ridiculous fresh seafood. I know they have other menu items because I saw others ordering but I had to have the tower of seafood! Oysters, shrimp and escargot, what more could you ask for.....well a few pints of beer. Lol. read more

The Cow - British Near Me - London, XGL

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I enjoyed this bar of all the pubs in London that I had ever visited and we are talking quite a few I never met any Group of people more set on being curious as to know who you are where you are from how much money you have and why you are stopping by their beloveds pub Am I London tourist I've been there enough times to no longer call myself really a tourist But I just happen to end up there and I was just around the area and happen to run into Robert Pattinsons his flat. I've always had a crush on him I took a picture in front of his door for shits and giggles and pretty much just ran away with excitement and when I ended up at this bar I happened to mention that I was excited because I was at Robert Pattinson's flat and the entire table got so hungry with me saying that they couldn't stand him And that they were angry that he bought a flat in that area of Notting Hill they thought he was a sell-out doing all of those stupid Twilight movies I agreed with them on that part but when they told me that Robert Pattinson was welcome and there are kind of broke my heart I mean there was good service at this restaurant and some cool people hanging out you can tell me lived around the area I bought a round of drinks and I think I spent about £110 lol But it ended up evening out because everyone else at the table so thankful to have such great conversation with me that they paid for my shutter particular and drinks for the rest of the evening I just can't believe London pubs close at 11 PM that's worse than Los Angeles I'm from Las Vegas where booze is available 24 hours a day so it's very hard for me to adapt to the London nightlife I'm sorry I had to throw in the London drama of my Robert Pattinson story but I couldn't believe that the people that normally go to this pub or heating on to Robert Pattinson so bad Please be nice to him I love him I'm in the New York area right now temporarily he is here all week I may be on Yelp with some dramatic story if I decide to stalk him this week in New York City I'm undecided read more

The Cow - The Robert Pattinson hating posse - British Near Me - London, XGL

Appalling experience - extremely rude manager who incorrectly charged us a £90 cancellation fee and refused to refund it. Awful customer service. read more

My favourite gastropub in London. Seafood is king here. Crab and Chilli Tagliolini is a weekly occurrence for me, so is the fish stew (think Bouillabaisse). Rocks are solid (try w/ Guinness) and the whole cracked crab is awesome if you have the skill ;) Always a good Chablis by the bottle and a nice Ribera del Duero if you need a red. read more

The Cow - pint of prawns + pint of Guiness - British Near Me - London, XGL

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Yes, yes, and yes! Wonderful place for fish and Italian food. Great beers on tap. The cook is Italian and they make their own pasta. This place has a Todays Special menu with a wide choice range. They also have a Dish Du Jour weekly special Monday through Friday. Each day features a delicious dish. They also serve fresh oysters. The fishStop on in for a great meal. read more

The Cow is very popular and competes for business with the equally busy Westbourne Pub across the road. If you love fish then their seafood platters are a must. A visit to The Cow wouldnt be the same without me trying their pint of prawns in mayonaise- YUMMY However if fish is not your thing then try not to sit near the bar because there always seems to be a distinct fishy smell. The venue really is compact so it's best to get here late afternoon/ early evening if you can. read more

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Cleverly disguised as a rustic saloon bar, The Cow is actually a fine gastropub serving fresh, inspired food. The interior is small and cozy, with wooden tables pushed closely together, romantic dim lighting, and classic rock tunes playing from an antique jukebox. Eclectic vintage hand painted signs and photo cover the walls. I came here with my boyfriend for dinner, and we were seated immediately. To be completely honest, as a vegan person, I came here with low expectations. Perusing the menu, nearly everything contains meat or fish. However, I was so charmed by the ambience that I was happy to just drink (especially with Guinness now being 100% vegan)! Our server was friendly, and happy to speak to the chef about preparing a vegan meal for me. Fortunately, he was very accommodating, and I received a delicious pasta dish with a bright, slightly spicy tomato sauce that was absolutely incredible. We also got sides of fresh bread and Cornish new potatoes, both of which were excellent and paired perfectly with the food and wine. The high quality of ingredients and expert preparation of the food was evident, and appreciated. To drink we shared a bottle of the Corbieres Syrah, which was lovely and reasonably priced at £34. My boyfriend has been here many times and raves about the Seafood Stew, so if you are not vegan, order that. I look forward to returning the next time I am in London. read more

The Cow - Interior - British Near Me - London, XGL

Well , feeling hungry and ready to eat. We walk in ask if it's the ok to sit , yeah anywhere! Ok.. Menus ? Ohhh uh geez ok !! Then ignores us we look straight at her as we're ready to order a drink a meal... She looks away no I'm busy polishing the utensils. It's a small place and if I'm mistaken then I'm an extremely poor judge of a non resolvable situation We walk out as she smirked with satisfaction. Great food shit service read more

Horrible Service Cow fish stew was disgusting Waitress was rude. She was forgetting to serve, smile, and take care of her customers ~ But she was sure having a good time talking to her fellow workers rather than help or attend her customers ~ Food was just despicable. Not edible and gross. Seating area so small people sit on top of you. Just horrible and it is a terrible bar if you want anything but a beer. Do not go here! London has tons if other amazing pubs read more

The Cow Get a thumbs up from me... I must say i found it all rather interesting that a place calling itself 'The Cow' has a big neon sign saying Guinness and Oysters over the door and pictures that grace the walls the educate the drinker/diner on how well Guinness and seafood do actually go together?!?! Who Knew.. A lot of the menu is seafood which they excel at, and while I am usually not a fan of being able to see the kitchen from the table, in this instance i think it works very well..the kitchen is tiny! Be warned tho - tho portions are MAHOOSIVE..especially the entrees.. I ordered the goats cheese and pumpkin salad to start with and it was big enough to qualify for a main meal in its own right! read more

Oysters, beer, and lovely food accompanied our enjoyable Sunday afternoon hanging in the back end of this very cool pub. Normally this place is teeming with people, but just after Noon things were very calm and relaxed. We had the Irish Rocks to start. I had the onglet with potatoes dauphinoise and the hubs had the duck with mange-tout. Both were done to perfection. All washed down with Czech beer and a lovely sauv blanc. I can't wait to come back here for lunch. Haven't decided yet, whether I'm willing to wade through the evening crowds, though. Perhaps this winter when they crank up the lovely wood-burning stove in the back. read more

This place was happening when we went on a Saturday eve. We thought that at 9:45 we would have no problem getting a table in the dining room upstairs, but space is limited and that was a no-go, but I was kind of happy about that because the upstairs looked refined, formal and a bit old. We ended up luckily scoring 2 seats at the bar, and the menu down there is different. We had a spaghetti with crab and chili and a seasonal salad--both were good, but nothing to rave about. The crowd was rowdy and happy but friendly. The music included every genre you could imagine. Service was fine. Hoping to go back and eat the upstairs food that everyone was raving about, but probably on a weekday with a booking. read more

Probably the best 'gastro pub' I've been to. Only it's not a gastro pub, it's a solid boozer, which happens to serve great homemade food upstairs. Loved every dish i was served, from the pint of Guinness, to the half pint of prawns and then the crab pasta. Service isn't quick but if that bothers you, you don't get it. Just enjoy the vibe, drink some beers and look forward to the next dish. Value is good with specials mon-thurs. Portions are good too. My only slightly dislike was that the crab pasta was slightly too spicy, but that might just be me. Enjoy ! read more

The Cow - Shuck it ! - British Near Me - London, XGL

Best pub ever especially like the waitress Lauren she is super cool and served us very well. I think a raise is deserved, will be coming back because of Lauren, and only Lauren and maybe Petro. Love ya guys read more

I love this place. My most recent visit was on a cold Saturday night in January. Luckily for us, even at 8 PM the upstairs dining room wasn't very crowded. It started to fill up around 10 PM when we were leaving. My other half and I sat at a communal table, but had it to ourselves until about the time the check arrived. I really enjoyed my Cow Pie, which was a heavenly dish of steak spiked with a Guinness sauce in a flaky crust. My other half had the steak special. I was lucky enough to try a few bites, and it's one of the best steaks I've tasted in London. It was certainly on par with offerings from some of the American steakhouses. The restaurant was so small that one waiter covered the entire floor, yet service was efficient and friendly. They also have a nice wine list. Definitely give it a try sometime! read more

Wow. Can't say enough good things about this place. I walked in and was immediately greeted by a very friendly guy and his dog. Did he own the place? No he did not. Just a patron. That is the Cow. By the end of the night I felt like a regular. Best Guinness outside of Dublin. Food was good and after meeting half the bar and buying many drinks eating a great meal the bill came and I was surprised on how little it was. Great atmosphere, great people, great time. read more

I dont know why the fish stew has received so many great reviews...I found the broth a bit bland and not savoury. on the flip side, they have the best damn rock oysters I've ever eaten. Super plump, succulent, large, meaty and very fresh. Same goes for the half pint of prawns...filled past the rim and the interior of the pint was jam packed with these fresh lil' guys. Prawns and oysters tasted like they just came from the wharf. Hands down the best pub I've eaten at in all of England. If you like fresh seafood, a relaxed pub environment, and value, this is your place. I predict I will be eating here at least once a week and will definitely bring all of my out-of-town friends. read more

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This is a great, cosy little pub just off Portobello Road with a beautiful interior; particularly the dining area. And dining is what this place is known for; platters of oysters are ingested by hungry friends, lovers and patrons.They are famous around London and (so I'm told) deservedly so. The Cow is always jam packed full of drinkers and eaters, especially in the summer. They have a wonderful section at the back of the pub that gets cordoned off when it's not dining time. A really nice place to pop in for a glass of wine and a snack, a definite change from the norm. read more

The Cow is probably my favourite pub in London. A typical Irish pub recreated by Tom Conran on the ground floor with a few tables at the back (and a proper restaurant above it). The crowd is different from the Westbourne, more trendy local and less flashy than the Westbourne. The location facing North makes its small terrasse less attractive but there is always a lively crowd around the Cow and lots of activity at the bar where the two most served beers are Red Stripe and Guinness illustrating the mix of Irish and local Carabbean cultures. The menu is small but go there for the sea food, the even have a great sea food platter if you are really hungry. The restaurant above is small but excellent with a great atmosphere and a menu that changes regularly. Booking essential and it is probably quite expensive too (say £45 per head). read more

Short review: Oyster sampler was yummy! The sea food stew was to die for!! Bitter chocolate marquis was okay. Nice atmosphere but the staff wasn't very kind. Had to wait at the dining area by myself for 15 minutes as nobody was there. The server didn't really recommended anything. He said their menu changes all the time and everything is good. But to me, it sounds like "I haven't tried our food yet" Well, other than that, I had a great time there. Definitely going back to try the same seafood stew again!! read more

Wow. I was not expecting that. We ordered oysters and the seafood soup and it was incredible. I can't recommend this place enough. There's nothing like paying for an expensive meal and it being so-so. This was reasonable and the quality was much above the price. Also they had dogs inside and out which is really cool. Dog friendly and delicious. read more

The fish soup at The Cow is delicious and deserves a mention. The poor service, bad lighting, iffy food and apallingly mannered drinkers and diners also deserve a mention. We may have caught The Cow on a bad day . . . We may have not sampled some of the best dishes on its menu (3 of us went for the Beef pie which was watery and bland) - though one of us did plump for the fish soup (which I also tasted) and it deserves to be lauded, it was good. The owners can't do much about the overbearingly drunk and rude 'trust fund' scions that seemed intent on taking over The Cow at everyone else's expense the night we went there. The owners can do something about the poor service and the variable food. read more

Sort of random for a place to be called the cow and not focus on meat. The fish was very good as were the oysters. We sat upstairs, which was quiet and relatively romantic. read more

Very bad service. The food I ordered never arrived and when I went asking for explanations they just said there was a mistake and did not even apologized nor offer to speed up a new order. There are so many other nice pubs in the area that there is really no reason to focus on this one .. read more

Excellent. I had the fish stew, which was really superb, but all elements of the meal were very high quality. Ate upstairs, great service, a lively atmosphere for a wonderful meal. Enjoy! read more

I've only been to the charming and cosy pub downstairs, but it's definitely a neighbourhood favourite. They pull a great pint of Guinness and their coffee isn't bad too, surprisingly. My only quibble is that they don't serve much (any?) vegetarian food in the pub. I've been stuck eating side dishes there. If you're going for a drink you're best off going early to get any of their few seats. read more

Food, beer, and coffee were delicious! Limited takeaway options. We ordered the soup of the day, minestrone, and the fantastic fresh bread and butter to go with it. Then, for our entree, we had the sea bass filet with delicious baby asparagus and the beef and Guinness pie, washed down with a perfectly poured pint of Guinness. Service was solid, but there was only one server we saw for a half full restaurant. He was nice nonetheless and we enjoyed our meal here. read more

Favourite pub in london. Sea food at its best. Great steak for meat lovers. Real irish gastro pub. I always come here while in London.

One of the first true gastropubs in London. Book well in advance. Get the sticky toffee pudding.

I chose this place for my birthday dinner on the strength of the Yelp reviews. I have a baby and, owing to this, we were seated in the 2nd floor dining room -- much more sedate than the packed pub downstairs. We opened with an appetizer of razor clams with chorizo on rocket, which was quite tasty and portended well. However, we both made mistakes with our entrees -- my wife had a bland fish and chips (the chips/fries were clearly right out of a bag) and I had a bland coq au vin on mashed potatoes. The chicken was tender, which I'll give them credit for. However, the lack of flavor was so bad that by about halfway through I was dreading each new forkful. I turned my attention to the peas with mint, which were decent, and the draught cider from the pub downstairs, which was good. We finished by splitting a cream-gelatin with strawberry syrup (the name escapes me at the moment). The cream-gelatin was quite good, the strawberries had seen better days, and the syrup was overly sugary. The servers were very pleasant but not attentive in the least -- very difficult to get their attention. I come from the States, so this may be a national difference. Very underwhelming. Our best experience was with the clams, so I suggest you take other peoples' advice and stick with the seafood. read more

The Cow is a beautiful pub and i don't often describe pubs as being 'beautiful'! I love the location (near Portobello Road and Westbourne Park), I love the style of the pub and restaurant, i love the atmosphere and most of all i love the food. They have amazing seafood on the menu. Last time i visited i had their venison starter which was delicious and for main i had pumpkin and goats cheese ravioli-i don't often choose pasta dishes when i eat out but i saw someone else eating it and it looked great so i had to try it! Their partridge is gorgeous too though. The food menu is like that of a good restaurant and the prices are to match but then again the food is worth the price you pay here. I would only eat here when i want to (or others want to) treat myself. If you're into cigars then this place would be great for you as i've heard they specialise in Cuban cigars. The bar is quite small but it provides a great atmosphere and in the summer it's perfect to have a pint outside in their out door seating area. There's always a lively local buzz to the place on a warm summers evening. read more

This is a serious fish restaurant in the guise of a local pub. I had a crab and fish stew. Both were expertly prepared, and the fish was obviously right off the boat. It is well worth the long and dangerous trip from my house (ok, it's a three minute walk). read more