The Windmill, Mayfair, W1

A good sized pub that seems to specialise in pie based food offerings, it doesn’t have quite the same charm that many other nearby establishments do, but is nonetheless pleasant enough. It looks as though it may have had a makeover at some point, and perhaps lost some of it’s traditional character in the process. The pub is carpeted throughout which seems to be coming something of a rarity these days, has chocolate brown paintwork on the ceiling and is broadly one open room with a few partitions to break up the space a bit, and a separate room down a couple of steps at the rear. This is known as “Pie Room Too” and featured a large pie painting on one wall with dark wood panelling on another and another picture of an old windmill which is appropriate enough given the pub’s name. As mentioned, the menu is very pie orientated with most of them priced around the £10 mark. A chalkboard listed another five or six “Today’s Pies” options but if that’s not your thing the menu also offered a good choice of burgers and other pub staples such as Ham Egg & Chips, Sausage & Mash, etc. Good choice of beers on tap with Twickenham Naked Ladies, Doom Bar, Sambrooks Wandle, Young’s Bitter, Young’s Special, Directors and Bombardier. A specials board also listed Deuchars and Twickenham Grandstand, although I didn’t spot these on the bar. After such a good selection of ales, I was especially disappointed with the fact that they only had Strongbow on offer for the cider drinkers, unless you count a mulled option.

An attractive and rather elegant Young's house down a Mayfair sidestreet, the front room with the bar on the back wall has an elaborate ceiling with a gold inlay and cornice, decent wood panelling and mirrors on red walls. The tables are crammed in a bit but at least it means that you'll probably get a seat. The pub specialises in pies, there was even an exhortation on the wall to go online and watch their pie video! Upstairs naturally is The Pie Room with tables set in formal style and to the rear down a few steps is Pie Room Too (sic) which has its own separate bar. This isn't a sports pub, the TV was off on Saturday afternoon around results time. Decor includes plenty of photos and drawings of various windmills. A fair beer selection with a few regular guests, Youngs Ordinary Bitter, Special, Winter Warmer and seasonal Tiddler's Tipple (4.8%), which is individually named in the Youngs pubs across the stable. Additionally there was Courage Directors, Doom Bar, Bombardier, and Deuchers IPA, hot winter cider was on offer too. A pleasant spot, well worth a stop by.

Although this pub is in a Victorian building, it’s only been a pub since the 1980s, and only been a part of the Young’s estate since 1990. Being a young’s pub it has the usual ales on offer, but on my visit had on Sambrook’s Wandle, Sharp’s Cornish Coaster, and Bath Ales Summer’s Hare as guests. Food is obviously big business here as almost everybody in the main bar – which was very busy during my Wednesday lunchtime visit - was eating. There’s a separate room at the back on the right, down a few stairs, signed as the Pie Room 2 with all tables laid for diners. This room was unoccupied as I suppose it’s intended for more lengthy formal dining rather than for those who just want a quick bite to eat at lunchtime. The lunch bar menu included standard stuff at standard prices for the area – e.g. steak and mushroom pie was £9.95. The pub itself is quite nice inside; carpeted with normal tables and chairs and some banquette seating; the ceiling is quite ornate with the cornices and reliefs picked out in gold. It’s all quite opulent for a basic pub, but attractive nonetheless. This is one of the better pubs in the area. It gets busy, but decent places usually do.

Official site of the Windmill, contains menu and wine list - www.windmillmayfair.co.uk