The Hero, from the team behind Notting Hill’s The Pelican, will draw you back into the past with its nostalgic pub atmosphere - think log fires, candle light and cask ales. Though the Maida Vale venture’s decor may recall the past, The Hero’s menu is unafraid of the present, providing a mixture of British pub classics and refined seafood dishes.
Start your meal at the ground floor pub here with a selection of hearty pub snacks, such as pork scratchings, cheese toasties, and scotch eggs, or perhaps a seafood starter such as oysters or brown crab and cucumber soup. For your main, enjoy classics like ham, egg and chips or sausage and mash, or vegetarian options such as stuffed tomato or cheese and onion pie. The pub also hosts a range of events in a casual atmosphere, including games nights and life drawing.
Up on the first floor, The Grill Room serves meats and fish cooked on an open fire, in a conscious effort from The Hero to curate a distinct atmosphere on each floor of the building. You’ll be surrounded by high ceilings and minimalistic decor that will remind you of a forgotten ballroom (indeed, the building began life as a hotel in the 1870s), while watching the chefs at work in the open kitchen. For a post-dinner cocktail, head to The Library on the second floor, which hosts regular bartender-in-residence nights.
The top floor private dining room, available for sit-down meals as well as more casual drinks parties, offers an elegant yet cosy experience for all your special occasions in a stripped back country house-inspired space.
A Victorian throwback imbued with a modern refusal to compromise on good food, The Hero promises a traditional yet sophisticated pub and restaurant experience.