The Cow

Avoid this restaurant,I ate at the Cow to celebrate a birthday with 3 other people. We ordered 6 oysters to start and paid £120 for what seemed an average quality meal. Unfortunately, 3 of us suffered from food poisoning the next day (I will spare the truly gruesome details) . Two of us missed 2 days of work, it was a truly awful experience.

Since it was the only dish we had shared, there is absolutely no doubt that the oysters made us sick. We emailed the pub to let them know but we didn't get a reply. Only after an angry phone call a week later did we get some attention and, a few days later, an offer for a voucher in the restaurant! Obviously, we refused, asked for a full refund. Another week and half later, we receive another email with another offer for a voucher! We then phoned again, the cow promised to reply swiftly and we are still waiting. It is simply unacceptable, unprofessional and disgraceful.

In summary, avoid this restaurant.

Beautiful, old school irish pub that always has decent music and great seafood. Downstairs is quite small, so not good for large groups. There is an upstairs but it lacks atmosphere, downstairs is where its at.

The fish soup at The Cow is delicious and deserves a mention. The poor service, bad lighting, iffy food and apallingly mannered drinkers and diners also deserve a mention.

We may have caught The Cow on a bad day . . . We may have not sampled some of the best dishes on its menu (3 of us went for the Beef pie which was watery and bland) - though one of us did plump for the fish soup (which I also tasted) and it deserves to be lauded, it was good.

The owners can't do much about the overbearingly drunk and rude 'trust fund' scions that seemed intent on taking over The Cow at everyone else's expense the night we went there.

The owners can do something about the poor service and the variable food.

A great pub. You bump into so many locals, the sheer buzz inside (and out during the summer) is worth the trip alone. You can crawl out of bed and amble over and spend a few hours. By the time you’ve left, you’ll have chatted to tables either side and 3 tables along, and everyone will exchange email addresses (and possible phone numbers, too!..) It must have been the wine…

The Cow is one of my favourite winter pubs. The place is dark and cosy and is often packed so its best to go early. The fish stew is the best dish on the menu down at the bar and is the main reason I go to the Cow. It’s a nice hearty dish, especially in winter.

The Cow is probably my favourite pub in London. A typical Irish pub recreated by Tom Conran on the ground floor with a few tables at the back (and a proper restaurant above it). The crowd is different from the Westbourne, more “trendy local” and less flashy than the Westbourne. The location facing North makes its small terrasse less attractive but there is always a lively crowd around the Cow and lots of activity at the bar where the two most served beers are Red Stripe and Guinness illustrating the mix of Irish and local Carabbean cultures. The menu is small but go there for the sea food, the even have a great sea food platter if you are really hungry.
The restaurant above is small but excellent with a great atmosphere and a menu that changes regularly. Booking essential and it is probably quite expensive too (say £45 per head).

This pub near Westborne Grove tube is a very popular place - cosy atmosphere & a good place for oysters and guinness. The place itself is very casual (wooden tables, bit scruffy) but at the same time very nice. Worth going for a casual drink.