The Gloucester Arms makes a pleasant change to the swishly decorated, ubiquitous glamour bars of the area.

The Venue
The houses may be expensive here and the shops may cater to richer tastes, but the area still misses the presence of traditional pubs. The Gloucester Arms is one of the better ones between Gloucester Road and South Kensington and although it has the menus of a big brewery, it succeeds with commercial traditionalism.

The large pub is a single floored collection of high and low wooden tables, spread around a large boomerang-shaped bar. The thick gold framed mirrors, wooden panelled walls and rich coffee-coloured floral wallpaper are touches of class that, although a little synthetic, seduce you as the lights dim in the evening and fool your mind into believing that the majority of stories out there finish with a happy ending.

The Atmosphere
The Gloucester Arms keeps hold of punters with quiz nights on Mondays and other staged events, but during the day it seems to be a no-go zone for most. It's pleasant enough so it's probably the cheese puff Muzak style pop pumping out like a drone that annoys people. Besides the fact that you'll always find a table for lunch, there’s not much appeal before 5pm.

From about 5.30pm, gaggles of students rant at each other at volumes that blend out the music and there is a strong after work drink crowd that give a more upbeat, appealing edge to the atmosphere.

The Food
The menu is a mixture of pub grub and traditional British food. The average price of a meal is £6 and choices on the menu include pie of the day, gammon, egg and chips, lasagne and the interesting falafel burger. There are also sandwiches, sharing platters and burgers.

The Drink
The menu at the Gloucester Arms advertises seasonal drink menus such as the Taste of Autumn with a collection of drinks like Spiced Crush, a mix of Morgan's spiced rum and orange juice. Aside from the long drinks, the pub has a wine list that includes a decent choice of around a half dozen bottles of each colour at reasonable prices.

A premium beer costs around £3.50 a pint and there is Stella, Kronenbourg, Fosters, Staropramen and Hoegaarden on draught. The ales on tap include Greene King IPA, Tribute and Blueberry Thrill.

The Last Word
The Gloucester Arms is pleasant and polite with an atmosphere that warms up the longer you linger.

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