Black Lion

If I had read the previous reviews I would not have eaten here. Luckily, I did not read them! Today I have had the best Sunday lunch I have had in years. The meat was excellent and the gravy was real! Lunch was busy and the atmosphere was relaxed. This is a serious contender for the best Sunday lunch in North West London. I will be back again, soon!
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John
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Sunday, September 02, 2007

Hi again,

must say i went back again (this time with my girlfriends parents) and this time all the food that was served to us was fresh and delicious. It may be that they have a better chef on at the weekend but the food was so much better quality alround.

SO BLACK LION MAKE SURE YOU PUT A DECENT CHEF ON IN THE WEEK AS WELL!
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Mikey Mike
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Howdy people,

visited the Black Lion last week (21st June) with my partner. I can honestly say that it is a stunning pub with a lovely atmosphere despite calling itself a gastro pub which i think is totally pretensious.

However, the food was distinctly average. I ordered the steak and was promised home made chips - i got some very nice frozen ones (probably from Iceland - thanks Kerry!). I asked for the steak well done (BEAR IN MIND THAT THE BALCK LION IS CALLING ITSELF A GASTRO PUB SO I IMAGINED ORDERING A MEDIUM RARE AND GETTING IT TOTALLY RAW). The steak looked like it had been on a BBQ. Definitely not worth 13 quid.

My partner had the Sea Bass which was very nicely cooked but the plate was drowned in a greasy sauce.

Overall not a great dining experience but enjoyed it for the surroundings. I would advise sticking to the bar food type options as i guess they can't mess these up too much (even with the frozen chips).

IF ANYONE AT THE BLACK LION IS READING THIS GET A NEW CHEF!!! (YOU'RE LETTING YOURSELVES DOWN!!!!)

ps aussie bloke who served us is a great waiter/barman.

PEACE

They
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Mikey Mike
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 4
Thursday, June 28, 2007

We went this gastro pub yo try the "NEW MENU"

You called this a gastro food?sorry cuisine gastronomi its innocent.

starting from caesar dressing to tartara sauce let alone the spliting house dresing &burger,pie

ppl in kiburn been around dont full then

we wont be going get a goood chef
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keny
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 1
Thursday, May 24, 2007

Visited the Black Lion after a recommendation from a colleague who raves about the place and was not disappointed. A group for us went for sunday lunch and it was simply fanastic. Food cooked to prefection. Friendly staff, busy but relaxed atmosphere and a simply stunning building. Would highly recommend both the dining room and bar.
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Toby
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, October 10, 2006

I went there last night and despite reading mixed reviews I was very impressed with the quality of the food. My mushroom rissotto was really excellent. Menu is shot--ie four main dishes to chose from but perhaps this is why the standards are so good. Great ambience and wonderful old-pub interior. Will definitely be going back.
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Claire Hutchings
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Saturday, September 30, 2006

Had a sunday roast there and the food was very good (basic roast beef/veg/yorksire pudding type stuff).

Would go back again - food was very good. Menu was quite small, but enough variety for those who didnt just want a sunday roast.

Service was friendly and laid back - waiter did not know everything about each dish, but was friendly and helpful and willing to go find out things when we had a question. It was fairly quiet when we went, so waiter had plenty of time for us and was always around when we needed him.

They have a smoke free area which makes it much more enjoyable for non-smokers.

Only downside was the cost - £9.50 for a pub lunch is not cheap - but I thought the food and "dining experience" was worth it. Like many things, you get what you pay for, and this lunch was much better than some of the cheaper "sunday roasts" I've had.
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gavin nathan
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Monday, September 11, 2006

My family came down to London last week and we booked a table at the Black Lion. I was initially very impressed with the waiter (Australian man, I didn’t ask for his name unfortunately), who arranged for extra vegetarian dishes to be on the specials board as 3 of the 7 of our party are vegetarian. Unfortunately the food took a very long time to arrive, and when it did, my meal had been forgotten. It eventually arrived as everyone else was finishing their meals (having eaten very slowly – it took at least another 30 minutes!). Luckily, the food was delicious and all was forgiven, with a free dessert.

Overall it was a good experience, but lucky that we were feeling patient.

So, my friends and I decided to give the place another chance, and went back to the Black Lion on Monday for lunch. We wished we hadn’t! The bar staff were incredibly slow, grumpy and unhelpful, and we ordered our lunch at about 14.00, and after many queries (none of which were handled well, a lot of shrugging and ‘I don’t know’ and no answers) the first dishes arrived just over an hour later. Dreadfully over priced for what they were (in particular the Caesar salad, and the ‘cut fries’ that looked suspiciously like ready cut frozen supermarket brand fries), and again the last 4 plates arrived well after the others had finished their meals. We received no apologies, no explanation, and unfortunately this time the food was very average and didn’t make up for the lack of service or timeliness.

Overall, my two recent experiences at the Black Lion have left a rather bad impression. It is such a shame as we all agreed that the place has so much potential – lovely building and good menu. It just doesn’t live up to it’s appearance.
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Lauren
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, August 29, 2006

I have just been to the Black Lion for dinner with a couple of friends on Saturday night having heard postitive things about it for some time - although the last review on this site pointed to things changing for the worst.

Both the atmosphere and decor in the pub are first rate and, together with a blazing fire, provide a excellent place for a few drinks. We loved the pub bit.

The food, however, was a big let down. Our quail starters came with tasteless boiled rice and was a disappointment - especially given it was nearly £7. A mushroom starter was similarly tasteless. Before we started we asked the waitress for her opinion and she said "I don't know, I've never seen one"! A lamb shank main came with totally mushy veg plus the shank itself was small, dwarfed by the potatoes, and not well cooked. My skate wing was also very small, over cooked and drowned in sauce.

The Kilburn High Road badly needs some good places to eat and things are starting to change in this area. However, this place needs to review and overhaul its restaurant. Our complaints on the night didn't even result in any offer to take an item off the bill (they argued we had eaten the food). The general manager couldn't even be bothered to come over and see us. I don't think it will be listed as a 'gastro pub' for much longer if it stays on this tack.
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Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Sunday, March 12, 2006

May well be due to January malaise, but I went there with a group of 10 for Sunday lunch and was hugely disappointed by the food and the service. Tuna starters had to be sent back due to overcooking, mains took an hour to arrive, and some were only lukewarm when they did. On top of this, the service was slow and not very enthusiastic. Disappointing as the decor is simply stunning.
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Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Sunday, January 08, 2006