Since 1856 The Mall Tavern has been a mainstay in the ever changing face of Notting Hill Gate. It has been through the shag-pile carpet phase, the steamed up smokey windows phase, and the experimenting with fusion food phase. It has even been through a Gaiety phase. There have been a few successful operators, and there have been a few short stays.
We think we may have hit the right note, and brought it back to rival some it's most popular reincarnations. Come in the daytime for a sunny lunch and a cocktail, or in the evening for a candlelit dinner and drinks, a wonderful hidden space in the heart of Notting Hill Gate. Chef Jesse Dunford Wood and his team cook beautiful and colourful British food with a sense of humour.
The Mall Tavern
Pub in Kensington
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9 / 10 from 3 reviews
Address
71-73 Palace Gardens Terrace
Kensington
London
W8 4RU
71-73 Palace Gardens Terrace
Kensington
London
W8 4RU
Telephone
020 7229 3374
020 7229 3374
Region
Kensington
Kensington
Category
Pubs
Pubs
Website
http://www.themalltavern.com
Opening Summary
Monday - Saturday: 11.00 - Midnight
Sunday: 12.00 - Midnight
Monday - Saturday: 11.00 - Midnight
Sunday: 12.00 - Midnight
Venue Facilities
Smoking Area
Food Served
Children Welcome
Credit Cards Accepted
Outdoor Area
All In London Review
Buzzy West London pub with hearty food
They have retro dishes like ‘chicken Kyiv’, and irritatingly named options like a ‘remarkable’ pork pie with green tomato and chutney, and ‘Pierre’s-Plethora-of-Posh-Potted-Pates-&-Pickles’. If typewriters were still in use there would be some very disgruntled staff members, not to mention illegible menus going around.
We naturally have to try the most conceited-sounding dish, and we soon forgive the P-P-P-P-P&P for its name because each little bit of it is delicious. Served in vintage-looking receptacles (naturally), there is a rich pea mousse with watercress and whole peas, a smooth chicken liver pate with a pickled onion, and salmon pate topped with roe and garnished with chopped gherkin. The pickles consist of thinly sliced pickled mushrooms, carrots, and beetroot, and a chunky piccalilli. Delicious homemade sourdough, still warm, is the perfect base for the pates, and brown bread crisps are ideal for dunking into the pea mousse.
The starter is big enough for two to share, but we also manage the ‘piggy fritters’, chunky pork and potato fried in breadcrumbs, and fried Brie, which oozes out of golden parcels, with a tart cranberry sauce on the side. Both are very good indeed.
The ‘cow pie’ obviously does well here, as we spy several of them sashaying by. An impressively large dish is topped with a glazed pastry, containing huge chunks of beef that could have done with being a little softer. But the real talking point is the cow’s bone positioned atop the pastry, with a liberal quantity of rich marrow spilling out of it.
Another main, the grouse pasty, is superb. The meat has seemingly been cooked in red wine, adding a sweet flavour (aided by chopped carrots) to this already strong-tasting bird, and it is cleverly paired with a simple yet brilliant salad of leaves, blackberries and crisps.
The peach jelly is another triumph, refreshing rather than saccharine, with slices of peach that have marinated in red wine, but have been dried till their texture has firmed up.
To drink there are classic cocktails as well as the very English Spiced Champagne Rhubarb, and Sour Marmalade Martini. Locally made Sipsmith vodka and gin are also featured; but if spirits don’t appeal there is a more than decent wine, of which we select the Picpoul de Pinet, a crisp, dry white wine that is appearing more and more on London’s wine lists this year.
It’s easy to see why The Mall Tavern is popular, they’ve struck the balance between fashionable pub and good hearty food. A meal for two with wine is around £80.
Reviewed by Leila
Published on Sep 3, 2012
User Reviews
Don't Harrass Me, I
Sep 29, 2011
This is an extraordinary neighbourhood gastro-pub with excellent food, fine service, and good atmosphere. We go here relatively often for dinner, lunch during the weekends or just a few drinks and it’s always an enjoyable experience.
georgie101
Oct 25, 2007
The Mall Tavern has now changed dramatically from the description above. There is no longer a billard table etc. The Mall Tavern is now a Bar & Restaurant serving fresh gasto style meals with influences from all over the world. There is a seperate Restaurant area and also a bar area serving both A La Carte food and a full bar menu for a more relaxed evening. They have an extensive cocktail and wine list, a garden for al freco dining in the summer and a private dining room available for dinner or canape parties. This website has been informed of the changes but has failed to edit the blurb.
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