57 Black Lion Lane,
Hammersmith,
London,
W6 9BG
0872 148 5184
Note: Calls cost 10p per min plus network extras.
The ViewLondon Review
Head slightly off the beaten track in Hammersmith and you’ll uncover pubs like the Cross Keys, a friendly Fuller’s pub on an otherwise residential street servicing local residents with pints of London Pride and live sport screenings.
The Venue
On the King’s Street end of Black Lion Lane, as opposed to the Thames-side, the Cross Keys has a simple black and gold signage, spruced up by pretty hanging baskets and bloomage. For such a quiet little side street, Black Lion Lane has two pubs in close proximity, with the other (The Carpenters Arms) offering a gastro-tinted offering further up the road. The Cross Keys is a more traditional affair and possesses a couple of big selling points for the area: they have a big screen for football and there’s a surprisingly spacious outdoor area to the rear, which is partially covered to save smokers from getting drenched. There’s a huge church across the way too, which no doubt provides a fair bit of trade.
The Atmosphere
The regulars seem a good-natured bunch and the female staff are smiley, courteous and happy to engage in chit-chat and banter.
The Food
Fish and chips, sausage and mash and steak and London Pride ale pies are the sort of sustenance you can fine on their paper menus attached to clipboards. Practically all main dishes are under a tenner.
The Drink
Given that you can almost smell the beer being brewed at the Fuller’s Griffin Brewery across the Great West Road, you’d hope that the quality of ale is up to scratch here – and you won’t be disappointed. London Pride (£3 a pint) and Seafarer’s pour from the pumps with an extensive range of other ales in bottles. Stella and Fosters are on offer for lager-swillers and there’s a steady range of spirits and wines too.
The Last Word
Definitely one of the best places for watching football in the immediate area, the Cross Keys is a good little find on a sleepy Hammersmith side street, and you can even use it as a stop off before going on a little tour of the nearby pubs along The Thames.
Cross Keys has been reviewed by 1 users