The Churchill Arms has earmarked itself as one of West London’s more charismatic venues. Self assured and untroubled, it’s a comfort zone for anyone looking for a few quiet drinks and fantastic food.

The Venue
This pub is hard to miss during the summer months with baskets and pots filled with flowers shrouding its facade in colour. A short hobble from High Street Kensington and Notting Hill Gate, it is worlds away from some of the slick, upmarket venues found in this area.

Upon entering the Churchill Arms, you could be mistaken for thinking you have penetrated the world of Harry Potter - there’s an astonishing array of memorabilia, crooked pots and pans, and curious copper vessels crammed into every nook and cranny. It are these beguiling objects that add to the charm and character of this pub, as well as the scattering of pictures of famous political figures and royalty, with the front-runner being images of Sir Winston Churchill – hence the pub’s name.

The bar area is snug with tables packed together so don’t be surprised if you can hear five different conservations at one time. Red lighting glows throughout giving it a traditional English pub ambience, further helped along by the wooden panelling and higgledy-piggledy array of tables and chairs. Towards the rear of the pub is the Thai restaurant, found in a conservatory-style room covered in creepers and fleshed out with hundreds of butterflies and plants. Like the bar area, the restaurant is shrouded in intricate objects cluttered across the walls and ceilings. If you’re looking for minimalist and sanitised chic, the Churchill Arms is not your bag. The toilets are also decorated in reams of colourful butterflies and is reached by walking through the endearingly named Penny Lane.

The Atmosphere
The enchanting nature of this pub extends beyond its walls, coaxing an eclectic array of people in off the street. Businessmen can regularly be found dining here alongside students, young professionals, Notting Hillbillies and grumpy (as well as chirpy) old men. This may well be the result of the earnest landlord and friendly staff who attentively work through the punters’ demands for drinks. Tailored towards leisurely all-day drinking and eating, the pub hosts two screens with Sky Sports, which can be seen from numerous corners of the pub.

The Food
The smallish selection of Thai dishes are all made from scratch, are perfectly formed and full of flavour. To tick another box, the food is very reasonably priced - £6.50 for a curry including rice - particularly as you’re tucking into a meal in W8. Each dish includes rice or noodles. The Panang curry is delicious, throwing in flavours of lemongrass, sweet basil and chilli, as well as lashings of prawns. Beware – when it indicates the dish is hot, this is no understatement. The menu warns you may have to wait a while for your order, but often the food is brought out promptly. There is always the option of snacking on Thai prawn crackers or spring rolls with sweet chilli sauce in the interim. As well as the popular Thai food, simple British bar food is also available at lunchtimes.

The Drink
The Churchill Arms does not disappoint when it comes to a large selection of draught and bottled beers, wines and spirits. The prices are about average for the locality with pints coming in at the £3-£3.50 mark. If you’re after a crisp pint, you can certainly devour one here. Being a Fuller’s pub you can expect the usual selection of Fuller’s brews, including some nice, well kept ales.

The Last Word
A plethora of eccentricities and charming oddities only serve to complement the excellent, well priced food at the Churchill Arms. It is a rare treasure among some of West London’s spiritless venues.

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