This is a delightful pub where the U of Texas Exes in London meet for some of the UT watch parties. I was there twice each time ordering their "Famous Pies. The traditional pot pie has a tasty crust all around. The inside is filled with creamy goodness and a mixture of perfectly cooked veggies and meat. Not mushy at all. The best in my opinion was the pulled lamb shank pie. The lamb is marinated with mint and roasted to perfection. Then the meat is pulled off the bone, surrounded in veggies and gravy (not too much that it's soupy) and covered in potatoes with the shank sticking out. It was divine. Funny thing, others who'd been coming here for years asked what is that? I informed them and told them how tasty it is. The response, "wow! I'll need to try that next time. The locals don't eat that." They were all eating burgers! Which I hear are excellent as well! But I can get plenty of good burgers at home! I can't get this! Service is a bit slow on the top level and you have to go downstairs to order. Top is where the private room is for viewing parties. read more

The Swan - Famous Lamb Shank Pie - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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Well, even though this is technically a chain pub, they do have decent beers on tap, which seems to be the case for a lot of pubs especially in central London. I believe that it is a chain pub, but the cool thing about it is that still pretty much has the uniqueness that a lot of other English pubs happen to have (as opposed to being all the same which is what you get with some chains, and of course the fast food establishments. The other thing is that it is in a pretty decent location, namely halfway between two stations (that happen to be across the road from each other, and have the same name). read more

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Find this gem place at last day of our stay, very convenient to hotel and Hammersmith station, just across the street. They have scan-order-pay system, which is very convenient. You can also order at the bar. We had ribeye, Mac-cheese, beef pot and chicken&mushroom pot. All dishes are quite sizable and delicious. We love them all! Great place to have a drink and enjoy a meal here, while watching a good football match. read more

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Solid pub. Located near Hammersmith Station and St. Christopher's Hostel. It's one of those places you'd imagine Stephen Hawking hanging out in with his college chums over a pint, discussing astrophysical stuff. Or maybe Charles Dickens in the corner smoking a cigar with other writers over a whisky. I came in twice and had a pint one night and dinner for another. I tried to get a pint the second time, but service sucked. The dinner was great! I loved the mashed with the gravy. The beef pie was perfectly cooked, with the bread buttery crispy. Would recommend, but would probably not have much expectations where service is concerned. It's one of those times I was glad I wasn't in America where customary tipping is 15-20%. read more

Following the instructions from the woman behind the bar, I took a seat at one of the empty tables and waited... for over forty minutes. None of the staff so much as glanced at me throughout that interval. I finally walked out. If I'd inadvertently committed some breach of pub etiquette, it would have been helpful for someone to let me know about it. Treating a person like they're invisible is unconscionably rude. read more

The restaurant was walking distance from our hotel so we decided to check it out.... amazing! It has 2 floors/levels with the first one being mainly a pub and the second the dine in restaurant. The place was packed on both levels and unfortunately we only had time for dinner but dinner was great. I honestly have no knowledge on what good English food should be but this place was so so good and exceeded all possible expectations . From the service to the beautiful environment and great food, we loved everything. Though there is a bit of a delay in service, they were very polite. All the food we would see brought out looked spectacular and ours was not a miss either. I would definitely return on my next trip to London! read more

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Amazing choice of beers. I counted at least 10 different kinds on tap, few really nice beers from London too. Food menu is typically English, everything for everyone I would say. Place is huge, you walk in and it is like a main hall, and there is more tables on the back and restaurant on the first floor too. read more

The Swan - Back bar - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Great place right off the tube. Service was friendly and quick. Food was very fabulous.

This was a great find. Friendly staff, beautiful pub, great ale and great food. Highly recommended!

This has been a long standing pub in Hammersmith. Located by the tube, it's a close place for people to connect or grab a pint before going home. Beer is good - as always in London. Great international selection. Food can be hit or miss. read more

I'm totally kicking myself for not reading the reviews about this place before sitting downstairs. If you're having dinner. GO UPSTAIRS! It's quieter and the strollers can't make it up the narrow twisty stairs (no offense) and you can hear your friend and have a conversation! Bonus! My friend had the reliable burger. It was a burger and it's hard to screw that up and she thought it was ok. I had the Salmon cakes with a salad and they weren't bad. The location is great and for you single gals... Have mercy do they lots of guys downstairs! read more

Very good english pubs. An amount of beers choice. We loves the ale ones (nicholsons, london pride, etc.) Fish and chips were really great too read more

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From the outside, The Swan could be any old tatty London pub for old boys to drink away their pension money in. But The Swan is actually a great pre-gig, post-work place for a pint. Sure, the drink selection is pretty standard and the food isn't the best but it's reasonably priced and the atmosphere is always happy. Despite how busy the bar can get, especially if something is playing at the Apollo, the service is quick and smiley. Everyone is up for a good time, so it's one of those rare London pubs where random conversations happen at a drop of a hat. (Not a bad way to make random conversation really?!) Hammersmith isn't exactly bursting at the seams with great pubs, but The Swan is definitely not one to miss. read more

Beautiful interior and some of the friendliest bar service I've had yet! Great selection of beers with real variety. Had a wonderful Orkney Citra ale - super tropical mango deliciousness! and a Tontine sweet milk stout - smooth coffee, creamy chocolate. If you are crossing the road from one Hammersmith station to the other and you are feeling thirsty! Check it out read more

The Swan - Orkney Citra - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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Perfectly decent place to get Sunday lunch - huge space with a great upstairs if you want it to be a little bit quieter (it won't be much quieter, but at least a little). read more

An interesting place! Stands out a little bit from the other pubs around it.... as it appears to be... well... decent. Recently refurbished and renamed by the Nicholson chain, it's got tasteful old school decor that you'd expect and a wide range of tap beers and ales to get your lips round. Popped in here on a Friday eve to find the downstairs absolutely heaving - a real mix of people. This used to be an Edwards Bar and so some of the rems that used to frequent that 'classy' joint are gripping on with their fingernails and loud shouty chat before they realise they ought to move on. Hammersmith's vaguely respectable young professionals are found in here too. We sat upstairs, which was much more relaxed, and which offers table service, and treated ourselves to some great food. The fish and chips are ridiculous. read more

This was by far, the worst meal I have ever had. The steak tasted like it was reheated a minimum of 40x's. My wife and I both had a different type of steak. They were both equally as bad. We had nacho's as a starter and they were cold, the cheese was hard, and knotted all of the nacho's together. We had wine with dinner as well, the wine was half way to becoming vinegar. There was nothing good i could say about this place. It was so expensive too! There are 2 eating areas. Downstairs is a very hopping pub/bar scene. It may have been fun for drinking but we were over the place by the time dinner was done. The second floor was quite for eating in. It was a bit to quite. The waiter was very peppy about his job though. read more

The lads (and ladettes) from work were nice enough to take me out for drinks and this is where we ended up. My eyes popped out of my head upon entering. They don't make pubs like this in Toronto, hell, they don't make pubs like this in North America. If they do, I haven't run into one yet and it's not for lack of trying. The Swan is all polished brass this and umpteen pumps that and comfortable seating here and fantastic wood trim there. Really, it's the kind of place that I could easily spend several days just sitting and staring out the windows people watching. My only contact with the upstairs was my trip to the washrooms. I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I saw the miniature goal posts complete with hanging football on a string sitting in the urinal. Stay classy London. Stay classy. The food was good, the drinks were better and I would love to come back. I guess those are the bullet points of this particular presentation. read more

We're traveling from the U.S. and wanted to grab a quick drink over in Hammersmith so we came to The Swan. Gotta say this was the rudest service we have dealt with in our time in London. Most places everyone has been super friendly but the bartender we dealt with was so rude for some reason and we have no idea what her problem was. She was actually rude to a few other patrons as well. One person asked me "why is she so angry?" which we have no idea. Don't know her name but she was the only blonde one there and just overall not a happy person. She was copping and attitude to the point that we asked her what is her problem with us and she merely smirked. Regardless we left as soon as we could and won't be stopping by this place next we are in London. read more

Service was subpar. We saw our waitress only once twice tonight. She gave us our food and drinks. The amount of time we expended to receive our bill was unreasonable. It wasn't crowded, but it does seem a bit unorganized. This was one of our least impressive visits in London, unfortunately. read more

I was overly optimistic about The Swan, it's got to be better than our experience, as it seems to have a healthy regular clientele. It is certainly is one of the more respectable looking pubs, but most of the local independent establishments have been snapped up by chains. In this case by Nicholson's Pubs. I visited several throughout the UK, and it's best just to go for a beer and pass up the uninspiring food selection. I might be being a bit harsh with two stars, but a point should be made. Located next to the Hammersmith Underground and The Apollo music venue The Swan should swing. My suggestion is to head south out of the station and hit Fulham. The Distillers Pub looked to be a better scene for local hipsters. We had the lamb shank and curry chicken pies which appeared to be huge. The crust was excellent. But I didn't come for a crust, I wanted a whole juicy pie. There was a shank bone sticking out the side -- which makes for a great photo -- but it's 2/3rs nuttin inside that lovely crust. When we went to Birmingham we avoided a Nicholson joint, but our friends dragged us inside to admire the decor. Fortunately I wasn't too hungry... read more

Gave this place a second attempt on the same day so I could finally review the food since the standard lunch special I ordered was completely ignored not once but twice. I finally had to go to the counter and request a refund since my lunch hour was nearly over. Very odd situation that made no sense why my order was ignored and then again after inquiring. Anyway, I ordered the fish and chips later that evening and it was delightful. Two stars only for good fish and chips. read more

The Swan - My lunch at the Swan since my order was ignored twice. - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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second try for fish and chips, and while it claims to the best in the area, (as does every other fish and chips offering restaurant) i was pleasantly surprised. nice ambiance, hearty large plate of fish and chips along with a serving of mushy peas and tartar sauce (yay the sauce came free, and didn't ask for the extra 2 pounds) probably better fish and chips out there, but i enjoyed it regardless. read more

I don't know what it is but I'm never that struck on Nicholsons pubs. The Swan sits directly opposite the entrance/exit to the Hammersmith shopping centre (whatever its called) which leads to tube and buses. Its a large Victorian pub that to be frank needs a clean on the outside. Inside, there is a large ground floor bar with two seating areas, as well as a restaurant upstairs with a separate bar. I quite liked the interior-it didn't feel as knocked about as I imagined from the exterior. The walls are covered in quaint pictures of lill 'ole Hammersmith in days gone by. Beer-well for real beer drinkers its pretty good. About five or six ales and the usual bottled stuff. Their wine list is pretty good-they have an actual list on tables for one thing. The missus had a really fruity Oyster Bay pinot. The downside-the toilets. Dear me they were...ahem...in need of a spruce up. Good job I wasn't eating. read more

An at times very busy (due to location) Nicholsons pub, that has that slightly grand look that most pubs in the chain have. Apparently it was a bit of a rough pub previously so that makes the work they have done on the appearance even more impressive. Some very good beer choices. Worth a mention were Thornbridge Jaipur and Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted. The first coaching stop west of Londonwell not any more obviously. My favourite in this part of town. read more

Horrendous Food! Disgusting Bathrooms! The nachos were absolutely disgusting; everything came out of a jar. The 'salsa' was sugary sweet and there was some sort of white ooze on the chips; I suppose they meant that to be sour cream but it was hard to tell; no sign of cheese. Oh, and you can smell the Gents from the bar in the next room; every time someone would go in or out, a terrible stink would waft through the room. If the toilets are that bad, you can only imagine how filthy the kitchen must be. The only redeeming feature is that the staff are quite nice; they should find themselves a decent place to work. read more

Close your eyes and imagine a classic English pub, dim lighting, gorgeous woodwork and lots of people chatting over pints afterwork. Now open them and step into the Swan. My friend and I stumbled upon this gem because we happen to be stay down the road. The Swan is right outside of the Hammersmith tube station, making it super convenient. Not only is it convenient, the place has great food. We order the ploughman's plate, and half roasted chicken. The bread was warm with a crumbly, salty crust. The variety of cheese was spectacular from stinky blue to cream cheddar. The pickled onions and veg balanced out the sharpness of the cheese and the meat pie was delicious! The chicken was perfectly cooked, even the breast meat was juicy. However, the gravy beat everything on that dish. It was hot and rich with depth of flavour, I'm drooling just thinking about it. If you enjoy a relaxed atmosphere and wonderful food, please go here and enjoy a pint, try the chicken and gravy and enjoy some great British cheese. read more

First time in London and a friend of mine brought me to this place as it was so close to the Hammersmith tube station. Beautiful décor and a splendid dining experience. Don't let the location and the atmosphere fool you, everything on the menu was reasonably priced with an exceptional food quality. I had a grilled chicken burger with fries that served with green salad and a soda as well. Altogether was about £15 which is very decent for London standard. Check this place out and you'll know not everything in London is expensive. read more