This bar was near our hotel, so we stopped in for our last night in London. We were curious what kind of connection it might have to Charles Dickens. Spoiler: it does not have a connection to Charles Dickens. It does claim, I think, to be the longest bar in London. And I certainly did not see any longer ones during my visit. Staff were nice. My husband got a cider from the tap, and I bought it in a bottle. This was the second place in London where they asked if I wanted a glass of ice to pour it into. Well, I had not been aware this was a thing, I haven't seen it done at home in the US. But, heck, if someone is offering me a glass of ice in the UK or Europe, I'm going to take it! This treat was not offered to my husband, so I am going to try to remember to buy cider by the bottle if I want some of the precious frozen water. There were some large TVs showing tennis; there were some food menus but gave chain-pub vibes and nothing really seemed tempting to me. I giggled when Yelp asked me "is this place romantic?", as a couple were having a makeout session in the last room of the bar. Fortunately, it is indeed a long bar, so we sat in one of the other parts. We actually got into a really nice conversation with some younger people at the next table; I was glad we went. Though very slightly disappointed that Charles Dickens was not involved in any of this. read more

The Dickens Tavern - Cider with ice. Which I didn't really know was a thing, but if someone offers me ice I'm going to take it! - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Super classic English pub with great atmosphere and amazing service. Food and drinks are spot on!

Lively traditional British pub in the heart of Paddington. Stopped in for a drink and stayed for the pub food. Very popular, bustling with locals. read more

Filthy beer glass. Worst food I've ever had in my life. We got 5 starters and all of them were terrible. Ordered coleslaw for my daughter and it was warm and simply unappetizing. Avoid at all costs. This place is an F-. read more

The Dickens Tavern - Filthy pint glass. I still drank it, can't waste beer. - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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Took the train from bath to Paddington Station and had a few hours before I needed to go to the airport and stopped in here. Literally directly across the street from the station. It was a perfect place to sit, have a drink and a bite to eat. It was a Sunday so we wanted to try the Sunday Roast but they were out of it when we got there. My husband had a steak with a nice fresh Chimichurri sauce on top. I ordered a chicken breast sandwich with bacon and cole slaw. This was totally on me since I did this in London once before and remembered as soon as it came to the table. It's actually chicken salad which is truly a never on my list. French fries were amazing. read more

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Very very slow service! We came here on a Sat afternoon around 12 pm and it was half empty. We ordered our drinks and a plate of fish and chips. It took about half hour for us to get our meal. When it did finally arrive, the fish was a little cold. The chips were good. The accompanying peas and sauce were fine. I wouldn't recommend coming here to eat or drink if you are on a tight schedule. read more

The Dickens Tavern - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

This three-story building stands next to the river with a beautiful plaza right in front of it. (No drinks can be brought into the plaza, and they're serious enough to have hired a security guard to make that statement true.) We didn't have the best time, but it wasn't bad. We were thankful to get a table at prime time on Friday at a spot with decent food and clean restrooms, and we got that. This is a review over the restaurant on the third floor. The first floor is the Dicken's Tavern itself, the second floor appears to be an event space, and the third floor is "The Grill" restaurant. You MUST be eating to be on the third floor; the first floor was beyond packed and people kept trying to sit and enjoy drinks-only on the third floor. They were asked to leave unless buying food. PROS: -Really cute ambiance. I love that you can get your meal on the third floor and head down for socializing and drinks on the first (if you can get a spot!). -It's very walkable to lots of nearby areas if you're staying a hotel. -It was surprisingly peaceful on a Friday evening for how rambutious the bottom floor and nearby restaurants are. If the Dicken's Inn looks beyond full, don't be deterred; try coming upstairs for dinner! -Clean bathrooms were a welcome sight after some of the tourist places we'd been nearby. -Water was delivered as a pitcher, and it was refilled once throughout dinner. This made it easy to stay hydrated on a warm day. -Beautiful outdoor view on the third floor restaurant overlooking said plaza. In nice weather, you can watch people on their boats in the alcove and enjoy some people watching on the cobblestone walkways. It's very calm and cute. CONS: -I ordered an Espresso Martini with a Baileys substitution. It was rang up as a full pour of Bailey's and the Martini for a cocktail over 20 Euros. Yeowch. -Food was okay. The "Fish" on my "Fish and Chips" felt very over-fried. The french fries were pretty good and very potato-y and served without any seasoning. There was salt and pepper on the table itself. -Service was relatively slow. After we had finished our initial round of drinks, the waitress didn't stop back in until we had finished our entrees (which the kitchen brought out). We had planned on more drinks, but we just figured we'd head out since everybody was done with food and waiting. -Portions were relatively small. Two of us left feeling satisfied and the third was picking at our plates and was still a bit hungry when we left after three entrees and an appetizer. read more

Waitress left after we ordered and paid for food and drinks. Never returned. The place was "out" of 3/4 of what we wanted. No AC. Feel like I was robbed. Will dispute chargewith cc company. read more

Pure shit show just like their bathroom stall says! Staff was not polite or helpful, ordered two fish & chips which took ages... at the 45 minute mark and three pints I asked the staff if we were going to get food soon and the staff just walked by, then 15 minutes later came back with our food. No apology. I normally wouldn't fuss about timings but I saw two other couples come in the pub after we were there and ordered... they both got their food first! It wasn't any different of a meal as they were all fish & chips! The stall was correct, shit show... I wouldn't go back and wouldn't wish that experience on an enemy... read more

The Dickens Tavern - The whole freaking place, staff, and food - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Friendly and easy going staff, low key place, no hassle and great selection of beers. It is a local experience rather than a touristy spot. Absolutely loved it. read more

We ate dinner here on our first night in London because it was across the street from our hotel. I had the fish and chips. Over several trips to the UK, I've had better fish and chips, but I've also had much worse. Food was a bit slow coming out. Service was friendly. read more

The Dickens Tavern - Fish and chips with mushy peas - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

After a day of sightseeing and Boris bike riding and basically wandering around the west end, I decided that it was time for what the locals call a "swift half", i.e., a beer. I think it's supposed to be just half a pint, but I was hot and sweaty and I wanted to cool off before sitting on a crowded train. Here's Dickens Tavern to the rescue. The place is quite deep with several separate sitting areas, many of which are dominated by wall mounted televisions tuned in to the latest sporting event. It seemed that most of the patrons were cheerfully stuffing away whatever the day's special might have been with eyes fixated on the tube. I got my pint and found a comfortable seat way in the back, which helpfully had an electrical socket nearby. I nursed my pint while my laptop and iPhone recharged (and me too) and watched some ladies playing snooker on the billiards table. A nice little pub, great for a beer or a meal before jumping on the train. read more

The Dickens Tavern - Front of the tavern - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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Food was very bland the only thing I liked was the Cesar salad and desert was good chocolate cake.

This pub was basically being advertised as the longest pub in London, though I'm not all that sure what that was supposed to achieve - nothing all that much as far as I could tell. Honestly, this place really wasn't all that fantastic - it was just your typical pub in an area that seemed to be swarming with pubs, which is probably not surprising considering the number of hotels in the area. Okay, I was originally enticed into this pub because it advertised itself as being London's longest pub, but after a half-pint was was satisfied that I had seen everything that I needed to see and simply went somewhere more appealing. read more

The Dickens Tavern - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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Stumbled into The Dickens Tavern on a Saturday afternoon when we were near Paddington station. There were people there, but it was thankfully not busy. The bartender/server was friendly and explained to us that we should seat ourselves but could order at the bar. Simple enough. My party of 3 ordered 2 orders of fish and chips, chicken tikka, and a mojito. The drink was divine! Very minty but without them leaving the mint leaves in the glass which I appreciate. The chicken tikka was tasty, although the serving was quite small for the price and could've used some spice. The fish was under salted, but the chips were salty and delicious and the peas cooked perfectly. There is ample seating and it is indeed a very long bar. Friendly enough service. read more

The Dickens Tavern - Fish and chips - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Decent place for a quick bite and a pint. Not sure that you'll ever be blown away by the food but a good value all around. I had an hour between a quick visit to Central London and catching the train back to Heathrow. Not being familiar with local beers, I asked for some help from the bartender. He offered up a London's Pride ale. From the menu I ordered up the steak and ale pie. Food was decent and at £11 for the Pint and Pie, was decent value. read more

Good cold beer. Camden lager. Service was great. Friendly and quick. Fish and chips were outstanding. read more

The Dickens Tavern - Fish and chips were excellent! Good cold beer. - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

This is what I get for not going to Yelp first. My fiancé and I only had about 45 minutes to grab a bite to eat before catching the Heathrow express. He wanted to have one last pub experience before flying off to Madrid. Well we had an experience, it just wasn't the one we were looking for. After walking in, it took about 15 minutes for someone to actually show up behind the bar so we could order. I ordered a Philly steak sandwich (cooked medium) and seasoned fries while my fiancé ordered a braised beef and bone marrow pie with mashed potatoes and veggies. Forty minutes later...no food, no update, and of course, no bartender to be found. It wasn't until my fiancé went to request a refund that they said the food was ready in the kitchen. When we finally received our food, it was cold and bland . My supposedly medium steak was tough and the seasoned fries lacked any seasoning. When they say "longest pub in London" they must be talking about their service. Today's lesson is: Always refer to Yelp first. read more

The longest pub in London is probably some sort of justification for the slow service, but the good beer, good food, nice atmosphere and generally languid pace of life is a pleasant antidote to some of the other watering holes around here. The set menu is supplemented by regular specials - I had the greek salad which was colourful, filling, tasty and set me back £7.40. My friend had her usual falafel burger - did I mention that the choices for veggies are excellent. £8 for a main is standard for London, and having eaten here a few times, I can vouch for the excellence. Chocolate fudge cake is to die for, but is only ever on as a special. the ale is real, and this place comes recommended, if you can deal with the slow service. read more

It bills itself as the longest pub in London. That might be true: it's certainly narrow and long, and that affords it some different spaces to choose from from front to back (areas with TVs or without, for example). But otherwise it's a pretty ordinary, average pub. Extremely close to Paddington so it'll have lots of tourists, usually. Food and drinks are standard fare; staff are friendly but not what I would call consummate professionals. Not as gaudy and over-touristy or over-chained as some, but not a cozy place to find a fire and sip ales all day, either. read more

The "tavern" has three levels: drinks, pizza and a restaurant level. I was disappointed that the first item I order was not available - early on a Friday night. The food is okay, I am sure that they hope you drink enough that you don't notice the taste. The service was slooow, it would have been faster if Mister Dickens was working the orders. read more

Fullers pub. Long long pub. Nice n chilled. Pool at the far end. The green baize type not the wet kind. Pint of explorer for me and mate. What the dickens indeed read more

The Dickens Tavern - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Great atmosphere. The cask ales were delicious and Steph - the barkeep - is a gem. Gracefully on top of her game even though she was training a new bartender. If I am back this way again, I'll be stopping by here. read more

One of those pubs that is "TARDIS" like in that it is much bigger inside than the frontage suggests!! Small selection of draught ales, Sky sports on several screens, pool table, close to Tube.... read more

The Dickens Tavern - Perfect footy pub!! - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Nice Pub. Very warm service. Good british pub food and rumpsteak burgers. Pool table. read more

The Dickens Tavern - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Dreadful. Rude service. Horrible food. We were there on 11/5 and had literally the worst dining experience I have had on my visit to England. The waitress was super unfriendly and wouldn't give me a napkin when I asked. The food took just under an hour and was inedible. Even the pen they gave me to sign the bill and was broken. We left the nasty mess of glop on the plate and walked out. This place should go out of business as soon as possible. read more

Loved the history part of the building. We ate on the top floor. There were not many patrons. Our waitress was attentive. Food was only ok..chips/fries were tasty. The hamburger was good, not great. I had a small salad, and tomato soup....not remarkable. read more

We stumbled upon this place and man, am I glad we did. This place was right around the corner from our hotel and we needed to eat lunch. They had so many options for vegetarians! We got two of them: "fish" and chips and veggie sausage with mashed potatoes and mushy peas. Oh my. They were both EXCELLENT and I am still thinking about them, two weeks after returning back to America. I will definitely seek this place out when I am in London again. SO GOOD. read more

The Paddington area is a convenient place to stay if you need a night before catching a train to elsewhere or catching the Express or Connect back to Heathrow. If you look in the guide books you will find that the area is void of highly rated restaurants. Hopefully, that will change given the wonderful mix of ethnicities in the area. That said, we opted for Dickens Tavern based on the reviews here, plus we wanted to charge the meal. We don't eat meat so the favorable veggie reviews helped sway us. Plus it was just around the corner from our hotel. As you enter be sure to go all the way to the back. As noted earlier, this place is long. There are 4 or 5 distinct rooms all serviced by the same bar. Each room has its own feel and character. We opted for the first room off the street. The back room seemed more pub-like. The menu was varied offering salads, sandwiches, fish and chips, bangers and mash, lasagna, etc. But we did not find the menu as veggie-friendly as others did. The prices were reasonable. A variety of beers and wines are offered too. We opted for the falafel burgers which were serviceable but fine. They happily substituted a house salad for the chips for my wife. Unlike other pubs, staff came to each table during the meal to see if anything else was needed. They also refilled our drinks during the meal instead of us having to go to the bar. Before and after our meal our table was wiped clean. You can't go wrong here if you're looking for a predictable but quality meal served by a friendly and attentive staff all in a clean and welcoming environment. read more

We were in here a few times during our trip, as our hotel was right down the street. Beer is nice & cold, the meat pie, bangers & mash, and fish & chips were excellent. But the cheese & bacon toasty was hardly edible, not recommended. Service is on the slow side, with us having to ask twice for our food before it finally came out. But the atmosphere is great, so as long as you're not starving and not in a hurry it's a good place to hang out. One note: Everything in this area apparently closes at 11:00, so if you're out late looking for a place to get a drink, you're out of luck. read more

Nothing special to write about, but that works. It's a charming little pub much like any other. Quiet atmosphere with music playing in the background loud enough to hear but not so loud you can't enjoy a conversation. Pleasant staff. Solid service. No complaints here. read more

Sucks!!! Service sucks, food sucks. Just all around not worth your money. Yelp is making me write more. But there is nothing more to write. Did I mention it sucks? read more

Because some of our dearest friends have the family name Dickens, my wife and I had to go to this tavern on a recent visit to London. The tavern is located on London Street directly across from Paddington Station. The experience was everything I was looking for in a British Pub. The bar was well stocked with beers and ales from some top name European brewers as well as a good selection of English cask ales. The food was good and freshly prepared. I had a steak and ale pie with mashed potatoes and peas ... all good. The service was good and the staff was friendly. All in all, we enjoyed the experience and would go back if in London again. read more

Super friendly stuff! Cosy place to have a glass of wine after work :-) I recommend to try their Chablis!

Just got back from an overnight stay in London, was looking for a place to eat and came across the Dickens Tavern. What can I say, well first of I must disagree with all of the below comments staff were very freindly and the food wonderfull. I had the steak, and asked for it to be Blue and when it arrived it was just the way I liked it. The peas were fresh, and the chips cooked just right. Seeing that it was Halloween night iI thought it would have been a bit more packed, but no just a lovley atmophere and an enjoyable night at a pub. read more

I have been visiting this pub now for around 10 years and have had many a good meal there.This is a large pub with a long bar, which has always been most enjoyable for both eating and drinking. However, I feel most sad to have to report that in recent visits the pub now has a very poor bar service. On my last visit on Sat 23/11/13 there were two members of staff working the bar that day, one of whom I learned later was the pub manager. They were both just standing at one end of the long bar talking to each other and completely out of the view of waiting customers who could not be seen by either of them. This is due to the presence of a walled division over the bar, which in effect created two shorter bars. Since the staff were therefore unable to see customers approaching the bar, both of whom at the time appeared to be totally unconcerned about those customers waiting to be served, I feel this to be a very poor service. Having waited myself 10 minutes to be served. I eventually questioned the pub manager about the lack of service I received, but with no apology forthcoming I walked out of the pub in disgust. Shame though, as this is a very lovely pub but is badly managed. Very dissatisfied customer. Stephen Davis, Hull, East Yorkshire read more

Must be the worst pub in London. Don't believe the reviews. No-one speaks good english behind the bar. Ordered a pint of Cider got a pint of Lager, corrected them they tried to tell me they didn't have Cider on draft so I had to walk to the hand tap and show them. Two girls behind the bar had crappy attitudes. I ordered fish and chips for the first time in 50 years I sent fish and chips back. YES I SENT FISH AND CHIPS BACK and I'M ENGLISH. Save your money don't eat here. Drinks are ok but can get a pint anywhere. Totally crap place! read more