The Pontefract Castle

I visited this pub last September 2013 prior to watching Wicked the musical.
We arrived around 5:30 on a Thursday evening barely escaping post-​work rush hour near Bond Street station. The pub was pretty packed, but we were able to get a table for 5 upstairs. Our server greeted us right away. First we ordered drinks which took 15 – 20 minutes to reach our table… then food… another 30 minutes.
All I can say is that the drinks were great, but the food and service was mediocre. Stick to the drinks and you’ll leave happy!

Traditional dark wood decoration, a beautiful elliptical staircase and three eclectic floors to fit ‘em all! Great food and rare ales!
On a Sunday evening it was packed, but being relatively big we were seated immediately on the top floor. This time we didn’t try any of the ales, since we all opted for a pint of our beloved Guinness, however we thoroughly examined the menu and finally chose the ‘Iberian Black Pig and Apple Burger’.
A juicy burger yet not drowned that lets you taste all the flavours equally with none of them overlapping the other. Chips, BBQ sauce and ketchup for the side.
Price-​wise it was £10 for the burger and approximately £4.50 for the pint.
UP:
— Excellent atmosphere, decoration, vibes.
— Seated immediately with no queuing.
— Very friendly staff!
DOWN:
— Dinner served in a very narrow dark-​wooden board instead of a plate that could not hold any crumbs from the bun. Definitely place your paper towel on your knees!
VERDICT:
Hell yeah!!!

After a long day of walking all over London, a cold beer was exactly what the doctor ordered. Did it hit the spot? Hell yes. Will I be back? If I can help it, yes… but not on a Sunday — maybe during the work week!

To celebrate my wonderful friend Jo’s birthday, we all decided to meet up for dinner and drinks. Bond Street was chosen as central to us all and a time was set. Good start to the planning.
Of course, Jo was running late. So myself and a friend Leanne wandered around looking for a pub to relax in whilst waiting for the fashionably late birthday girl. We found this place, just the right level of crowded for Friday 7pm, where you feel the buzz and the atmosphere but without having to trample over coats, bags and small people to be served at the bar.
We only ordered drinks here (heard the food can be good too though) and set about looking for a table. Exploring downstairs we found the cellar bar, with cool little alcoves and tables, chairs, sofas of all shapes and sizes dotted around the place. The room has a cosy, warm feeling, always good considering the pouring rain outside. Nice and spacious with a good selection of drinks, we were served quickly by friendly staff and settled in to wait for the birthday girl. She did arrive so the evening, whilst delayed, was by no means over! And this place was a good start to forget about work for 3 days — although seeing friends that you haven’t caught up with for while naturally leads to job talk. Why do we do that?!

Everyone knows that pubs in London are more about drinking than eating, however, this was one of the most pleasant surprises on a recent visit regarding their food.
Just 2 simple appetizers, the ribs and breaded mushrooms (about 4 pounds each) were really some of the best food I’ve had in London, in this price range. The meat on the ribs «fell from the bone» as they say.
I know i’m a little daft for going on about it, but it was a pleasant surprise.
If I had more time, I would have surely tried the ample and clean looking Fish & Chips which I witnessed heading to another table. Decent happy hour deals and easy to find, with upstairs seating and a fun slot machine like gambling machine, which took me for 5 pounds. They guys at the bar were attentive and helpful.

Excellent pub atmosphere. The music is occasionally pop-​y, but is never obnoxious and usually very good. Although nearly every male on the first floor wears a blazer, take the spiral staircase to the other two levels and the clientele is a bit more relaxed.
The food is excellent and reasonably priced. But be warned, it can be a very long wait. My personal recommendation is the wild boar and apple sausages. Well worth the calories.
Beer selection is great and the barkeeps are very knowledgeable and helpful with suggestions.

Definitely a fun place to grab a beer and relax. I went here to have a couple drinks after dinner and had a great time (how can you not have a great time with drinks in London?). It was my birthday and since it was our 2^nd night in London we decided to stick close to our hotel (Mandeville) in case we got just a little bit shit faced. Which for my part was both epic and less than super amazing.
Since I was visiting London from the US, my friend and I decided to try all the different beers that were available. The barkeep was super friendly, answering all our questions and kept us entertained for a good while. He did laugh when my friend accidentally ordered a strawberry flavored beer, while i ordered a pint of ale (yeah beer makes me happy). I am proud to say that I was able to try 5 beers that I’ve never heard of, not that surprising since I’m no beer connoisseur.
The interior is what you would expect of a pub, scattered high-​top tables and a bit dark. The music was pretty loud, but not so loud you couldn’t hear the person next to you. There’s a stairwell that leads up, but I don’t know to where. Being in heels I was determined to stay on terra firma thank you very much.
If the pub isn’t in your area then have no fear. It’s just a block away from Oxford St and incredibly close to the Bond St tube station.
I didn’t get to try the food, but it did look tasty, especially after a couple of rounds of beer.

The Pontefract Castle is situated a few minutes’ walk from Bond Street underground station, via the attractive lanes of St Christopher’s Walk. It gets very busy at lunchtimes and after work, but quietens down later in the evening.
Although the exterior is completely traditional, the interior has had something of a makeover: there’s a gallery eating area upstairs, accessed via a spiral staircase, and a large Cellar Bar in the basement. My main complaint here is that the layout on the ground floor can make the bar area hard to access when it’s busy: if a few people are drinking at the bar, it can be well nigh impossible to get to it. There’s also some outdoor seating in summer.
Once you’re there, however, there’s a good selection of real ales on tap: last night’s selection included Sharp’s Doom Bar, Nethergate’s Dirty Dick, Fuller’s London Pride, Timothy Taylor Landlord and St Austell Tribute. Prices are a little high, but then this is prime retail territory.
They also serve food, with the gallery area effectively being a sort of restaurant. The menu looks interesting, if again a little pricey, but we’ve not eaten here (plenty of others were, though).
Service was very friendly, although I had to ask for a top-​up, and then explain what a top-​up meant to the willing but perplexed bar staff. Why don’t these places train their staff? Still, she delivered with a beautifully pulled pint, once enlightened.