The Isambard

I hate to use cliches, but here goes: It is what it is. That’s why I’m giving it 4 stars. It’s a pub inside of a gigantic train station. It doesn’t claim to be anything other than that, and you shouldn’t expect much else from it. That said, they’ve done a nice job of trying to help you forget where you are. So long as you sit facing the bar, you get the feeling that you could be inside a pub pretty much anywhere. However, the opposite wall is just a huge window, and that brings you back to reality and keeps you from missing your train. I was travelling alone, so I had a pint and some crisps and sat looking out that window. It’s really one of the best places for people watching I’ve ever been; you see everything under the sun in Paddington Station. Anyway, if you are too early for your train or if you’ve been delayed, what else are you going to do to kill time in a train station? This isn’t a place where I’d just go hang out if I didn’t have to, but they do a great job of providing a service that most people appreciate, so 4 stars and thanks for that.

A quick pint for the road, so to speak. Isambard (named after this guy:
) is located right next to platforms 10 and 11, though Unilocal’s check-​in has it some two miles away. :-(
Reasonably priced draft and bottled beers and pub snacks. I’ve never been asked if I wanted a packet of crisps before. Very «would you like fries with that?» from the bartender.
A couple of video games and a large screen television make for distractions while waiting for your train. Surprisingly isolated from the station’s noise, I was disappointed that I couldn’t find a wi-​fi signal to use while I had my pint.
Note: No smoking, even «outside» as it’s still inside the station. Drinks may not leave the pub.

Ok, so. Let’s get this out of the way first. It looks like it could be a branch of the Carphone Warehouse with all it’s glass walls and metal frame and it is smack-​bang in the middle of Paddington Station. It should be the epitome of the terrible station pub. Very expensive drinks and bored, drunk customers. But, well, it’s not. It’s. ok.
I often catch the train back from Paddington to West Drayton late at night when the tube seems like it’d just be too stressful. Often you can arrive at the station with a half an hour or an hour before the next train. A bit of an issue I find is what to do. I could stare at magazines in WH Smith or watch the sushi-​go-​round at Yo Sushi but recently I’ve been going into The Isambard. Not on my own, admittedly but when I’m with friends.
In my experience it’s a quiet, friendly, warm pub. It’s got sofas that don’t smell of vomit and are very comfortable to sit on, staff who seem like they can actually smile and the drinks really aren’t that expensive. It’s really not a rare occurance for me and my friends to decide to miss one train and wait another hour for the next one just so we can sit in here for a bit longer. So, you know. I wouldn’t get off the tube here and spend an evening in The Isambard but when you’re stuck on Paddington station there’s a lot worse choices to be made.

Ah … Paddington’s very own Spoons. Now if you’ve read my other reviews you know how i feel about Weatherspoons, so it’s wonderful that Paddington (the station I’ve been traveling to and from whilst visiting home in Bristol for the last four years) has one in situ.
Ok, so it’s the ugliest pub I’ve ever seen, plonked on the train platform Ike a shack, with open glass walls. It’s less of a pub, more of a shed with a bar.
That said, it’s a great cheap place to grab a pre journey pint, especially wonderful if you get delayed and have to kill some time. There’s always a red faced, sleeping bloke on the sofa, book laying open on his chest, cheeks with a good ale glow. I wonder if he is waiting for a train, or just likes drinking here?!