The Windmill, Cricklewood  

Mission creep continues apace with the gentrification of north west London. This place used to be a proper old-time boozer and there were fears that the renovation would mean the soul, as well as the seats would be ripped from the place. We've given the place a fair bit of time to settle, and we're pleasantly impressed with what's happened. The place hasn't been totally defaced: original fireplaces and woodwork have been retained and sit nicely alongside a few textbook gastropub features. It's something you don't see very often: a nice mix of the old and the new. As a sister pub of the nearby Black Lion it shares the great feature of offering you a bed for the night if you find it too hard to tear yourself away from the bar. The smoking ban means that many of us will be outside for a fair bit of an evening, so it's good to see the Windmill can offer a spacious decked garden, albeit one with plenty of heaters. Not exactly helping the flood plains or the ozone layer, but we suspect both will remain a fact of life for some time to come. They've a pretty standard range of beers on offer, with a nice pint of Adnams available of tap. There are plenty of wines by the glass too. The food offering is a bit pricier than your average pub grub, but the menu is wide-ranging and standards are high. The portion sizes are more than ample too. The place hasn't lost its locals, and whilst there's obviously a bit more money going over the bar, at least some locals seem to be standing by the place. The staff are friendly and more than capable, and work hard at keeping the punters happy. That's something that's becoming more and more unusual within the business, and places like the Windmill keep your faith, and your custom hopefully.

reviewed:
06/09/2007

pub features:(click on an icon to see an explanation)

TV

video jukebox

children welcome for meals

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