The Commander

47 Hereford Road, Bayswater, London, W2 5AH - View on a map
Telephone: 020 7229 1503

BOOK NOW - Fast, Free & Confirmed

Overall 9.3
Food 8.0
Service 10.0
Atmosphere 10.0
Value 9.0
Based on 1 reviews

what the critics say

Marina O'Loughlin - 2/5

Wednesday, June 03, 2009 - The idea is to reference vintage American steak-n-seafood houses (it styles itself a 'Porterhouse and Oyster Bar'); there's loads of dark, pubby wood panelling including an odd central island, and waitstaff are tricked out in full steakhouse longwhite-apron drag…Perhaps they might do better to streamline and simplify; using a quote which our fellow diners will no doubt recognise, to 'get back to basics'. If The Commander were anywhere else but W2 it might be called something like Brannigan's or Woody's and cost about half as much as here. Smugness entirely unjustified.

Read full review

AA Gill - 2/5

Sunday, March 08, 2009 - The menu here is short, lively, confusing, but fine for a room that still maintains its pubbishness. I had a piece of cod that may well have been fresh to the kitchen, but I’d have guessed had been away for the weekend with the fishmonger. It had that dry, papery taste that yearns for beer batter…This isn’t a place you travel to for the food, but you’d be perfectly happy to eat here if you were coming to meet friends. What the girls liked best were some fearsomely legless cocktails.

Read full review

Terry Durack - 11/20

Sunday, February 22, 2009 - The whole place is lively, loud and young. With the bare shoulders, oyster platters and flickering candles, it presents a very pretty picture; but behind it, the offerings don’t really rise much above food-court level. Some ideas are just plain silly, such as having a separate meat and fish “market” menu that itemises the market price and the cost of preparation for the diner to add together at the table. It all gives me a strange sense of being in some expatriate manifestation of a gastropub/chophouse in an Abu Dhabi shopping mall; something rigorously copied and in working order but not quite the real thing.

Read full review

Guy Dimond - 2/5

Thursday, February 19, 2009 - At The Commander, the steak - which costs £39.50 per kilo - was tender and flavoursome, the portion to price disparity partly explained by the addition of three grilled prawns and what the menu described as a peri-peri sauce (actually too tame in heat and too sweet to earn the name). But this still doesn’t explain the £3 for a cup of chips, or £3.50 for a side salad…The Commander's not without its saving graces though – the friendly atmosphere make it a great place to pop in for a glass of wine.

Read full review

Feargus O'Sullivan

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - Let’s start with the decor: the place has nice old wooden pub fittings to keep it cosy, but the layout is a bit off. With bar stools directly behind our ¬table and a pavement’s worth of human traffic trundling by in front of it, we felt like we were eating in a corridor. The modern British food is good-ish, with the accent on fresh seafood and great meat. We were more or less satisfied – but there was nothing quite delectable enough to lure us back.

Read full review

Fay Maschler - 3/5

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - Operations director of The Commander, Canadian Michael Parker, has observed that gastropubs grew out of the last recession. We are left to infer that an establishment complete with flower shop, organic butcher and fishmonger and a function room upstairs that can be used as a crèche or ballet school is a natural riposte to this current downturn…A unique selling point of the venture is one of the three menus, which gives market prices for various fish and meats and then adds a preparation price of £11.50 across the board.

Read full review

+ Show more critic reviews

your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne

Amazing - Amazing, I have to say it again because it was so good. The food was done to prefection. We went with a party of nine, and everyone really enjoyed what they ordered. I had the oysters which were just great, then I had the portorhouse steak - too much for one, but somehow I managed to pack it all in.

Best of all, was the waitering staff who were a delight, attentive but not intrusive. Go here if you want good food and exceptional service.

10 out of 10
Comment on this reader review

Joe - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Friday, July 02, 2010

If this place cuts its prices and shaves down its menu, it could do well in the neighborhood.
Comment on this reader review

CC
3 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Friday, December 18, 2009

Had a free Saturday afternoon so walked down to Westbourne Grove to try the New Gastropub "The Commander". My wife and I were pleasantly surprised when we walked in the room was bright and airy and a lot of effort had gone in to transforming it from the rather grotty sports pub it used to be. The place was about half full and their was a nice buzz. The service was very friendly but perhaps a little overbearing at times though I put that down to them being very eager to please. I was particularly impressed we were offered iced tap water and this was refilled regularly like you get over in the States. My wife who loves oysters tried a couple of natives to start which she found excellent. We both had steak from the market menu, served with seasonal greens which is a nice touch. My sirloin was very nice but my wife's fillet steak was really top draw, loads of flavour. We had a prefectly decent carafe of Rioja with our main and coffee for afters.

All in all very good and we will go back soon. One slight drawback was the state of the ladies toilets which my wife thought had missed out on the makeover. However this place deserves to do well and matches up well to the nearby Cow and Bonaparte.
Comment on this reader review

david ginsberg - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Monday, February 23, 2009

what the bloggers say

Bellaphon

Monday, March 09, 2009 - Although heavy on the wood detailing side of things the British pub-ness of it all is missing, it’s more of bar of indeterminate intention... The Commander is obviously impervious to the current climes, the prices that they charge for such average (or below) tasting tuck is outrageous. Tom Pemberton on the same road has no worries whatsoever.

Read full review

Gourmet Chick - 7/10

Monday, February 02, 2009 - The Commander has been transformed through the renovations to an elegant looking dining room with dark parquetry floors and an oyster bar with beautiful lead lighting. There is also a gourmet deli tucked away to the side of the dining room which gives a hint of what is to come - alongside the standard menu there is a "Market Menu" that offers fish from John Norris or grilled meats from the Ginger Pig at "market price" (for an 8 ounce rib eye steak this was £6.06 which seemed about right).

Read full review

The Commander

BOOK NOW - Fast, Free & Confirmed

what the critics say

Marina O'Loughlin - 2/5

AA Gill - 2/5

Terry Durack - 11/20

Guy Dimond - 2/5

Feargus O'Sullivan

Fay Maschler - 3/5

your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne

what the bloggers say

Bellaphon

Gourmet Chick - 7/10

quick search

user tools

latest blog entry

New Openings

london tweeting

save this page

special offers

Massimo Restaurant & Oyster Bar, SW1A

Galvin La Chapelle, E1

Roka (Canary Wharf), E14

Incanto, HA1

Le Suquet, SW3

Tamarind, W1J

Tamarind, W1J

Theatre Deals

best for...

special offers

cuisine

our sites

city eating