The weld is a cool pub with great atmosphere, looks the part and has a good music selection which is usually at a good volume for conversations. When its not busy the staff are friendly and quick to serve though I have experienced a long wait when it was busy. Excellent beer selection too.

The pub is quite nice with a good ambience. The music was a bit too loud to speak to anyone who wasn't standing right next to you.

The range of beers is very good if a little expensive but the food on my visit was a real let down.

The vegetarian food was dreadful. The wild mushroom salad contained at most one chopped up mushroom and the haloumi was very sparse. In effect it was a bag of spinach with a few morsels of mushroom and haloumi. It was not worth the £8 that was charged.

The butternut squash burger was a thick slice of butternut squash in a bun. I don't what the definition of a burger is but to my mind this was an expensive sandwich.

Don't eat here!

This is a great place in Shepherds Bush! The cocktails are class and the cocktail offer that runs is even better (buy 1 get the second for £1)! Food was delish - especially as I sometimes have a hard time finding something that is vegetarian and tasty - and the Aubergine Stack really delivered!. Prices were good, staff was friendly and the buzzy atmosphere was just what I needed to unwind. Would absolutely go back!

I am giving Defectors 2 stars for the cocktails and happy hour. Good quality cocktails. I was there a few Sunday's ago and the staff seemed friendly enough, although a lot of people here have critised them. Music was good and there was a decent crowd. However my beef is as follows: We got there about 2.30pm on a Sunday and ordered roast dinners. 2 of us got the chicken. About a third of the way though our meals we cut into the chicken and blood ran out. I don't mean pink juice, I am talking full on blood. I stopped eating my meal immediately, hey I didn't wanna end up in the hospital.

I complained to someone who I believed was the manager, who did nothing to rectify the situation, I mean no apology, no refund, barely an acknowledgement and then we stared at each other in silence as some tumble weed blew past. Awkward. This is the kind of service I would expect in Eastern Europe.

This place has so much potential, but they need to think about the customer experience. If that guy was the manager, there is absolutely no hope for the place. He was plain rude!

I really like the Defectors, the best pub in the area (along with The Haverlock and Bird in Hand) with loads of atmosphere, great decor, good selection of beers on tap and a much improved food menu.

They have added real gastro dishes like Barberry Duck breast and Cod Loin to the menu, which sit alongside one of the biggest and tastiest burgers ever (skin on chips are incredible), all washed down with a fairly affordable list of wines (the Portuguese red is great!)

The bar staff have alwasy been pretty decent although you have to wait to be served on a Friday night with the crowds of media BBC types invading the area after work.

All in all a great local, perfect for whiling away an evening or lazy Sunday and Shepherd's Bush would be less pleasant without it, for me at least.

Agree with most other reviews here...the decor of the bar and lounge areas is great. That said, a couch isn't going to pour you a beer now is it?

The staff behind the bar may as well be furniture, where the boys and girls (yes, they are only barely out of their teens) behind the bar are about as stiff as the bar stools.

Sorry, the bar and range of alcohol is a keeper (hence the 3 stars), but somebody please put the staff out of their misery already!

For the price you pay for the food (it is decent to be fair), at least give us staff who smile and put in a bit of effort behind the bar once in a while!

The reviews of this bar are dissapointing but accurate.Sadly this wonderful pub is let down by the young & image conscious staff.I have been going to the Defectors for years as it is convenient from work, and there are a few things I am sure of...1) The Staff are arrogant, unfriendly & slow. If the owners sat at the end of the bar for a night & watched the amount of people leave as their staff slowly walk from one end of the bar to the other whilst flicking their hair they would be concerned I'm sure.2) The food is brilliant & has improved even further in the last few months (Not the cheapest no...but thats because it's fresh, creative & really tasty. Unlike it's neighbours that serve 2 for £5 meals. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE EATING FOR THAT PRICE?)3) The music is always appropriate to the mood and DJ's create a great vibe. (unless the staff jump in and then it goes tits up)4) The range of lagers/ales that they serve is the best in that area.All said & done, if you are thick skinned then Defectors is the place to go in Sh B. But if you are likely to head butt someone with no manners and no real desire to serve you & your mates, then stay away.

Problem with bars like these are the size of their EGOES!

The staff are rude and the management unpleasant(even tho he looked like he need a shower, shave and clean clothes!) but only after we'd had a couple of drinks and food, which is overpriced too.

No point arranging to meet anyone here unless you are aware of this bar's policy, of course displayed in some dark corner (where no one can see it!)

Reputation's are built by customers not staff! This place would do well to remember that.

Misha,£6.50 for a FISH FINGER sandwich...reasonable, are you nuts?!

This pub is great. Good cocktails, homemade food and a lovely warm fire place for those cold winter nights. I've been in on both a weekday and a weekend and always had a pleasant experience. This is by far the best place to relax and socialise in Shepherds Bush.

I don't think this place deserves a star at all. Sure, it's a nice place in the mess that is Shepherds Bush. And reviews from other sites say that it's a good place to go to on Sundays. Maybe because BBC types fancy it, it's grown itself an undeserved ego. Especially the staff. I have gone to several pubs and bars in Central London and never experienced as bad a service as I had from the piss poor lot at the Defectors Weld. A friend tried to justify that the staff is stressed because of the sheer number of people that go to this pub...but how about this...there are tons of pubs out there, bigger and more crowded, and the staff copes well...well enough to say "be with you in a minute" or at least indicate that they'll be with you shortly.

These people...no...I'd hate to see what happens when the BBC moves out of London. Where will there pompous attitude go? But just a word of warning to the wise, and those that read reviews before heading off to this hole. Don't. Unless you fancy waiting 20 minutes for your drink from bartenders who have the worst attitude in the world and use their bare hands to pick ice for drinks.

This is a pretty safe bet for eating and drinking in Shepherd's Bush. Imaginative decor and good location near Wood Lane.