Part of the Antic group of pubs, Westow House puts its focus on good food and good beer, with a friendly atmosphere to welcome young and old – and it certainly succeeds.

The Venue
Situated at the top of Westow Hill, with an exterior that’s painted completely dark grey, you’ll struggle to miss this pub. The interior continues the dark theme with deep-brown wooden floors and furniture, but with splashes of colour and lots of natural light, it still manages to feel open and airy. There are a mixture of sofas – perfectly arranged for big groups – and dining tables. The bar is central, with an artistic, pretty arrangement of spirit bottles. There's also a very popular table tennis table.

The Atmosphere
While dark and imposing from outside, you’ll feel welcome as soon as you walk through the doors. The pub will feel familiar if you’ve been to any one of a number of Antic pubs in the capital, and it has similar décor as its sister venues – Chesterfield sofas and colourful bespoke wallpaper are present and correct. There’s a mixture of people from young and old to groups and couples, with a family-friendly feel. You could easily spend an evening in here and wonder how the time flew by.

The Food
There is an impressive selection of dishes, from classics to more inventive, and the presentation and taste of each goes much further than usual pub fare. Starters include grilled asparagus with Winchester cheddar and poached egg (£6) which combines al dente asparagus with flavoursome cheese and a perfect runny egg. Alternatively, the confit duck, dandelion and pea shoot salad with broad bean vinaigrette (£6) is beautifully presented and absolutely delicious - a refreshing and original sight in such a homely pub.

Mains rework traditional fare, like in the beer-battered coley with hand-cut chips and dressed green salad (£10), which takes a pub favourite and reworks it by using a sustainable fish and replaces chips with wedges, mushy peas with salad – a welcome revamp. There’s also macaroni cheese (£8), 6oz beef burger with tomato relish and rustic hand-cut chips (£9) and coley, squid, chorizo and cannellini bean stew (£10) – an incredible dish with succulent fish, tender squid (with no hint of the unfortunately often rubbery texture), melt-in-the-mouth chorizo and chunky beans in a mouth-watering broth. Desserts such as walnut and cranberry chocolate brownie with apricot ripple ice cream (£4) are not to be missed.

The Drink
House wine starts at a respectable £14 and there are plenty of beers, ales and spirits to choose from. House ale is Adnams Lighthouse and it costs just £2.80 a pint. Cask ales are constantly changing, so you’re likely to find something new to try each time you visit. Stella and Carling keep lager-swillers happy.

The Last Word
Well worth trudging up the steep incline from Crystal Palace station, Westow House offers a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere with fantastic food and drink to boot.

venue information venue map view london review user reviews (9) image gallery (3)