Whether you’re after a night dancing to top DJs or just a couple of cocktails, this unpretentious west London pub is a great shout.

The Venue
Kilburn isn’t exactly known for its hip and happening night scene, but the Colombo Group – owners of Camden’s Blues Kitchen, Dalston’s The Nest and Angel’s The Old Queen’s Head – have done what they do best: seen the potential in an area and created a quality music-focused venue. With vintage-style decor – large gold mirrors, huge chandeliers and fancy lights, OTT chaise lounges – as well as an American pool table on a large raised platform, it’s a far cry from neighbouring old-man pubs. There’s even a separate function room for private events.

The Atmosphere
This changes considerably depending on what’s on, and while during the week, you’re only likely to see a scattering of twenty and thirtysomething locals catching up over a few pints, you might have to queue on a Friday or Saturday night to get in when people venture from slightly further afield to see acts such as The Nextman, DJ EZ and Wookie.

The Music
The management pull in all their favours to bring a stellar collection of DJs to play at The Westbury. The likes of Goldie, Tim Westwood, Joey Negro, DJ Format and many more regularly join the musical dots between house, drum and bass and hip hop. In between DJ acts, the venue pumps out popular crowd-pleasing indie, electro and even pop tunes. Cover charges average around a fiver and, impressively, the music tends to go on until 3am. Staff are friendly, helpful and more than capable of coping with large crowds.

The Food
The menu serves pretty standard pub grub, but it is more than adequate when your night is more about drinking and less about food. A big focus on the menu is its homemade burgers, which come well-presented on a wooden board with a little pot of coleslaw. The Mexican burger (£7.80) is a particularly large dish. The meat isn’t the finest quality but it is good value as it comes with a huge juicy beef tomato, fresh lettuce, red onion, and a tangy grilled tomato. An additional slathering of guacamole ensures the dish is nicely moist. If you’re a veggie, there’s the grilled portobello mushroom burger with creamy goat’s cheese (£6.80). The large slab of cheese is flavoursome without being too rich, while the mushroom is fresh and juicy. The dish is a little dry, but this is easily balanced out with the coleslaw. For sides, the beer-battered onion rings (£3) are a tad on the greasy side, but fabulously crunchy all the same. The potato wedges (£3.20) could be crispier, but still pretty fluffy inside and are nicely complemented by sour cream.

The Drink
The beer selection is average, but the bar stands out for its cocktails – featuring everything from its light, yet strongly flavoured signature cocktail The Westbury (£7.50), which blends Bacardi Superior, passoa, stem ginger and lemon with bubbly, and the very fresh and fruity, yet not overpowering Morado Dorado (£7.50), with tequila, fresh blackberries, passion fruit and creme de mure. There’s a decent selection of wine on offer and they start at around £15 a bottle.

The Last Word
With friendly staff, top DJ acts and expertly-made cocktails, this Kilburn haunt is undoubtedly one of the best music bars in the capital.

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