The Bird In Hand

Really warm and cosy feel to this pub (gastropub) as soon as we stepped inside. I had read good things about the pizza here and their chorizo pizza did not disappoint. Our whole group really enjoyed their meals and I have definitely got the pub in mind to bring people to in future.
I wasn’t expecting to like it quite as much as I did because generally the beer selection is a major criteria for me and that is one area where they were lacking. (Just the ubiquitous Doom Bar on cask). When a place has so many other charms though I am happy to throw my lot in with the wine drinkers and just enjoy myself.
There were some families in attendance but with remarkably well behaved children.
The worst part of the visit was me leaving my rucksack behind. But they held onto it until we could pop by and recover it!

WiFi pw: birdinhand
They change their menu monthly, so don’t pay attention to the pics on Unilocal,except to see that the food looks very good. I stopped here for a light lunch. I wanted something British, so I went for the croquettes. Because three croquettes aren’t filling and since I wanted to try another item, I also ordered the scallops sans almond paste. Both items were delicious. Strong, fine flavors. Not a tourist trap. Highly recommended.

Great find in this residential area. Lively buzz and upscale pub food — small plates of pasta, seafood, veg and pizzas. No reservations but the bar is a great space to make the wait for a table easy. Went on a Saturday night and the waited about 30mins for a table for 2. Best dishes: Short rib of beef with horseradish & the bass with clams

We stayed with a few blocks of this pub/​restaurant. Couldn’t believe how spot-​on the Unilocal reviews were — 5 star, all the way! The ambience was amazing — brick, wood and cozy with incredible ambient lighting. The food was incredible and was small tapas plates. They suggested 3 – 4 plates per person, and we ended up being satiated with 6 for a couple. The beef rib was incredible, as were the scallops. The fig and cheese plate is to die for and a must have. Definitely the BEST meal we had the whole time we were in the UK! Two thumbs up. I’d fly back to London and stay in the Kensington neighborhood JUST for this restaurant! Well done, chef.

Of course, we found this location on Unilocal,so it was a must since it was w/​in walking distance. Is it terrible to say that I want to marry the cook of these delightful little dishes? At first, I was quite skeptical because the ingredients for each dish aren’t something we are accustom to, however, we gave it a shot.
We tried 3 different dishes and ordered a pizza to-​go. Each arrived within minutes of each other and overall, were all out within 5mins of ordering. *Fast Service*
The roasted beef exceeded any expectations we had. It was like sitting down at the dinner table to have one serving at your Grandmas. The flavor was intense, the meat was juicy, and the carrot/​mashed side was perfectly portioned. I wish I could eat this over and over.
The 2^nd was Mac and Cheese croquettes with some sort of spicy orange sauce. I didn’t want to share this. Two little balls weren’t enough. It had such a calm yet spicy bite to it.
The third little dish was the Hummus. We love hummus and was pleasantly surprised, because if you’re a Hummus lover than you know that restaurant hummus can be hit or miss. This was a huge HIT. It appeared very plain with some large chickpeas, but it was spot on.
Lastly, the atmosphere… ahhh…sooo charming. I love the great outdoors and all you see is WOOD. Its rustic, and has a bistro feel with the small tables and chairs, paired up against an extremely LONG couch. Other areas have bench/​pillow seated tables. So there are different styles for groups of friends to share their tiny meals.
Overall, I wish this place was EVERYWHERE I end up living. Hats off to the owner. Its unique, the food is excellent, and I will return again.

Whenever I go to this place I feel like I am in heaven. The small plates are so delectable I want to eat all of them and then some. When we last went we had lamb and pine nut sausage rolls with pea panna cotta with frozen feta and lemon gel, steak tartare, scallops and burrata with heritage tomatoes. Everything was so good we wished the plates weren’t so small! I then shared a pizza with a friend while our boyfriends went the whole hog and ate one each. They were sensational. Our’s was smothered in gorgonzola — covered in ham — drizzled with homemade pesto. Last time I went I had the salsiccia, which was a truffle lover’s perfect pizza. The light bases mean that there is no heavy, bloated, post pizza feeling and the puddings looked good too. Sadly you can’t book but the staff are lovely and friendly and the interior is gorgeous.

Nice place, good service, nice clientelle. Must order a pizza to go with the little dishes… Or order a lot of little dishes! Pizza is banging though. The tuna was lovely and this little steak number with celeriac, hazelnut and truffle cream was excellent. Wine was also good.

Visiting from California, this bar/​restaurant hits the mark. Great drinks, delicious food and a great wine list that can’t be beat. There is one prime differentiator at Bird In Hand — that’s Charlie — nothing but the most fantastic bartender. She manged to keep around 100 people well taken care of while they waited for their private room to be ready, kept an incredible attention to detail always, while maintaining a beautiful smile. Sit at the bar for the best time possible here. Top shelf — all the way.

As a foodie from LA I am having a hard time finding great food in this area as I’m staying here at the local hotel for a week. I came here the first night because of all the superb reviews from Unilocal but feel I have been a bit let down. The bar and drinks were good. Atmosphere, awesome. The food was so so. Decent presentation but taste could’ve been better. The things I’d recommend: Salciccia Pizza, Parma Croquettes, and the Ricotta Gnocchi. Actually, just order any pizza. It was the highlight of our meal. And the pistachio ice cream was quite good too. I’ll will definitely give this place another go when I’m in town again and order some other dishes I may have somehow missed. Maybe my standards are too high for English food.

What a wonderful surprise. The Bird In Hand looks like a pub for moneyed west Londoners and indeed many of its clientel seem to come from this set. But really, the Bird In Hand is a kick-​ass pizzeria. A pricey pizzeria (think £13 for a pizza), but a kick-​ass one.
The pizzas are huge, at least 14 inches in diameter. The toppings are well-​chosen (the walnut, gorgonzola and artichoke Rustica was a stand-​out), generous but restrained at the same time. Far too many pizzas are ruined by excessive amounts of cheese — not here. And the base is thin and perfectly cooked.
The choice of beer is limited (Doom bar, Leffe, some lagers), the wine list looked better if nothing to get too excited about. The pizza though is what I’d be returning for. Wow!

Lovely little restaurant with amazing pizzas. One of my fave places to eat in this area.

I love the dish portions. You get to try almost everything on the menu.
Most dishes are extraordinarily tasty, chicken wings are ok, pizza is standard and the steak is rare.
Service is outstanding and the ambiance is welcoming and cozy.

Stayed in the neighborhood for vacation and tried this place out. Atmosphere was very trendy but not unapproachable. Great wine selection. Food was very good, although I wasn’t in love with the flavor of pizza I chose. The tapas selection was amazing — try the pork belly. Would definitely go back to try other things on the menu.

Great atmosphere and super nice staff. The pizzas were generous, crunchy and creative. A total winner. Only complaints are that the pizzas took way too long to cook and the «tapas» were tasty but truly tiny (not great value for money).

I went tonight for a dinner with other 3 friends. Really good location, not a lot of beer to choose but I think this decision is because they have a good and huge selection of wines (glass and bottles). We decided for a big pizza with salsiccia and truffle and it was amazing! Chocolate mouse at the end of our dinner was a perfect choice! To be honest is a little bit pricey but the quality of the food is great. I will come back again! they don’t take reservation so go there a little bit earlier to avoid any queue.

Although it was a passable meal, I have to say I was slightly disappointed. Maybe my expectations were just too high after reading reviews of this place. The menu was promising, but all of the dishes I tried needed to be bolder. Even those described as «spicy» were bland. Service was good, though, and the atmosphere was nice. All in all, a decent evening, but I won’t rush back.

Yummy! Fantastic pizza, large enough to take some home for tomorrow. Nice décor and great wait staff, very friendly and quick to serve:)

This is a personal favourite of mine. And many others given how it’s often busy, even on a Tuesday at 9pm. :-)
The atmosphere is super charming and cozy, yet somehow refined in a rustic. Trust me, it definitely works for them. It’s Italian, and it seems to staff a log of actual Italians which is always a good thing. It seems like most people get their excellent pizzas, which are of the thin, crispy crust variety. Definitely my preference. They also have a variety of other mains; pasta, pheasant, pork loin etc. Everything I have had is great, so go crazy.

I’m a big fan of Italian food and this place does it very well. We went to have dinner and chose to have some prosecco, wine and olives to start. The starter olives were very generous, so we had no problem waiting for the late member of our group. During this time the waiters were amazingly attentive without being annoying. So nice.
The menu has the most delicious options and it was rather difficult to make a decision. In the end I went with the pizza with the truffle oil … How could I resist. Most of us did as the pizzas are huge and amazingly crispy. One friend had risotto with shrimps which I was told was delicious as well.
All in all a great Italian with a lovely atmosphere and great staff.

This place is so great! Went here last night for dinner and loved the food and the service! I had the risotto parm and my friend had the pizza (which was thin crust and HUGE). I love the atmosphere and vibe of this place — cozy and inviting… but a little swanky at the same time. Love it!