The Hero - Maida Vale

"Londoners like to spend their time on the pavement, gripping glasses of amber and black nectar while swapping stories—and The Hero is the most glamorous place in W9 to do that. Come the weekend, the Maida Vale pub is buzzing with beautiful sorts who are planning their next Tuscan jaunt to get over the stress of the country staycation before it. Booking a little chesterfield banquette or the dining room upstairs for a zhuzhed-up pub lunch or dinner is the move here." - jake missing, daisy meager, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak, heidi lauth beasley

"It’s the 100m final. You and Usain Bolt are neck-and-neck. The crowd are screaming your name as you near the finish line. But then Cilla Black, sequins and all, steams past, ducking low and pipping you both to gold. Your heart sinks and you curse yourself for: a) not realising sooner that this was a dream, and b) passing out drunk on the sofa watching reruns of Blind Date. The Hero of Maida, a pub in Little Venice serving French bistro food, is so impressive that you’ll have to keep reminding yourself that this isn’t just another one of your crazy, inebriated dreams. photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch The first thing you need to know about The Hero of Maida is that it’s good looking. Like properly good looking. It’s a big bright place with palatially high ceilings, dark wood, handsome leather padding on everything, and lots of polished brass. It’s hyper plush, and very west London. It feels like, at any minute, one of Hugh Grant’s screen characters could bumble in blindly looking for love. The second thing you need to know is that it’s not just a looker. It’s from the same people behind The Coach in Farringdon, so the food here is impressive. It’s classic French food with some very English twists. ‘French food in an English pub?’ you cry. Well, before you let your grandad’s questionable ideas about the French cloud your judgement of what to expect, consider some options from their sit down menu. How does a grilled rabbit leg topped with bacon in a strong and creamy mustard sauce tickle your fancy? What about a lemony sea bass served on a sheet of fresh charcuterie. That’s exactly what you’ll get at Hero. There are some other stand out dishes here like their white wine chicken, and the beef tartare, but really you’re going to be delighted here whether you pop in for a fish finger sandwich and some oysters at the bar, or full a full meal. Whether you’re looking for an extra special place for Sunday roast, or a very civilised family meal up in their dining room, you couldn’t do much better than The Hero of Maida. This place is the stuff of pub dreams. Just make sure you pinch yourself when it starts to feel like it might not actually be real. Food Rundown photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch Calves Brains Believe us when we say that the aftertaste of this will remind you of eggy bread. Strange nostalgic aftertastes aside, the richness of the brains is helped out in a big way by the punchy capers. photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch Burrata It’s decent but nothing new, and not really anything special. But you’re at a posh pub, and it’d be rude not to. Steak Tartare A little bit spicy, a little bit mustardy, and worth it just for the toast it’s served with. Grilled Rabbit This is cooked perfectly, and served in an outrageously good bacon and mustard sauce. photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch Sea Bass This is cooked in a lemon and dill sauce and tastes great, but the real surprise is the fresh layer of charcuterie underneath. It adds a freshness and a chewiness to everything, and it’ll leave you wondering why every fish isn’t served on a bed of ham. photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch Coq Au Chardonay Another standout dish. We wouldn’t have taken this for a summery dish, but the combination of shallots, mash, and the buttery sauce make it feel both rich and light." - Sam Collins

"We think about the mince on toast from The Pelican often. So we’re excited to hear that the team is opening a new pub, The Hero, in Maida Vale. This new spot promises to be just as good-looking as its sibling, with plenty of wood panelling and cornices. In the more casual ground-floor pub, you can get snacks like cod cheeks in curry sauce and pork scratchings. The more formal first-floor grill room will serve British dishes cooked over open fire.  We recently checked out The Hero. Read our first thoughts here. " - sinead cranna, rianne shlebak

"Verdict: Only the downstairs bar area of this gleaming Maida Vale pub is currently open but if its heaving popularity is anything to go by, the upstairs grill room is going to be similarly hard to book. As is, it’s a pleasant place (at any time that isn’t the weekend) with classy pub food." - jake missing, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak

"There are all kinds of pubs in London, and there are all kinds of gastropubs too. But few are as devilishly good-looking as The Hero. The Maida Vale spot is a pub in description (and a soon-to-be grill restaurant and cocktail bar upstairs), and it’s true, it does pour a fine Guinness and serve a mean plate of ham, egg, and chips. But most of the time it feels more like a never-ending Made In Chelsea reunion party rather than somewhere you’d go for a casual pint. Book a table early and you’ll be able to bask in The Hero’s rust-chic downstairs bar and its excellent service. Have a beer and eat a scotch egg. This is a luxury pub experience, after all. Just be warned that if you hang about too long on weekends, post-7pm say, then a drawling army of small moustaches and anxiety-inducing beautiful people take over. There’s nothing wrong with this, in the same way there’s nothing wrong with the people at the bar wearing sunglasses indoors. The Hero is a handsome gaff; it’s only natural people want to pose in it. photo credit: The Hero photo credit: The Hero" - Jake Missing