Our selection of Paddington bars

Heist Bank is the post-work pint & pizza bar or the party bar – like all modern industrial bars it’s as spacious as a football pitch. The entire ground floor can be hired and accommodates up to 120 for a seated meal and a meal you will want with 12 taps pouring local beers, 20 brews in bottles and cans and 9 different styles of pizza all on offer.

We rate Heist Bank for also offering the pool room for private parties (if you’ve ever tried to reserve the pool table in a bar for a party you will understand how rare an offering this is) which can accommodate a whopping 20 – 90 people. It’s kind of hard to find anything to criticise about this Paddington bar, it’s got pizza, pool and pints. If you can find something to moan about with that then nothing will make you happy.

The Bear is one of Paddington’s top watering holes. It’s a modern little pub brought to you by the founders of the Craft Beer Company, and whilst the love for beer is deep here the Bear also champions quality spirits, ales, and wines from other small businesses.

From beer kegs and cask ales to cocktails and wine to a menu of favourite pub grub, it’s a pub through and through with no pretensions or aspirations of being anything else. The Bear is simple and it’s good. It’s managed by a team who really care about both service and the quality of what they’re serving. A top-notch Paddington bar and it’s just around the corner from the station as well.

Darcie & May Green are two barges docked side-by-side on the Grand Union Canal right outside Paddington Station, you know the ones, painted in bright colours and geometric shapes – both barges were designed by pop artist Sir Peter Blake and offer Aussie fare, brunch, cabin seating and barge rooftop seating.

Darcie is the 'dining barge’ and May Green is drinking one and each has a capacity of 30 guests. Together the two sister barges have been a popular choice for special occasions and private parties and dining. If it’s bright, Instagrammable character you’re looking for then this is the Paddington bar you want.

Pret, Simmons, Black Sheep Coffee… Oh, how London loves a chain. Vagabond with its USP of self-pour wine is making its presence known in prominent London neighbourhoods, and if Paddington is on the up and up then it should be no surprise there’s a Vagabond.

The Vagabond aesthetic of modern industrial with a Bohemian bent fits right in with the Paddington bar aesthetic and makes it a little more comfortable with its well-known use of rugs, throw pillows, and displays of wine bottles. It’s hard to beat cheese boards, charcuterie, and canal-side views. Again, if you can find something to moan about here, nothing will make you happy.

Spacious feels like an understatement when describing Lockhouse. This Paddington bar is cavernous like a warehouse. It’s an all-day bar and restaurant in modern industrial surroundings, from concrete floors to exposed ventilation ducts to the giant crate above the open kitchen proclaiming ‘Lockhouse Paddington’.

Classic bar bites and dishes, craft beers, artisan cocktails and fine wines, from your morning coffee to your post-work pint, Lockhouse does it all, including private parties and events. Hire the private mezzanine for up to 80 guests or book out the whole place for a corporate event. Whether solo or in a group of 100, we assure you that Lockhouse has more than enough room for you.

The redevelopment of the Paddington Basin means the modern, spacious and laid-back industrial aesthetic is pretty prevalent in the area, from the high-rises to the bars. The Union in Sheldon Square is no exception.

Floor-to-ceiling windows look onto canal-side seating on the outside and a spacious, high-ceilinged bar and restaurant are on the inside, complete with exposed ventilation ducts and naked light bulbs that are part and parcel with the industrial look.

Pop in for brunch, lunch, dinner or just an after-work pint. Like its industrial neighbours, this Paddington bar is no stranger to hosting parties. On a sunny spring or summer day, take full advantage of the canalside seating.

On the way from the station to Little Venice, Smith’s Bar & Grill is a Paddington bar for summer afternoons wining and dining al fresco and summer nights toasting under lantern lights.

Like its neighbours, Smith’s is modern, industrial, and relaxed, offering a top selection of beers, cocktails, wines, and seasonal menus. If you work in the area it’s a great choice for a business lunch or dinner. It checks all the boxes: dining, drinking, and a canal-side location with a year-round terrace.

Overlooking Paddington, Notting Hill and Hyde Park in the distance, Skylark Roof Garden intends to bring a little bit of Miami to London. With blue and white striped cabana furniture, potted plants galore, and fairy lights, this weekend-only Paddington bar has the backdrop and the views influencers flock to like exotic birds performing an elaborate ritual of camera flash and poses.

With a total accommodation of 200 guests and its high-rise views, it’s a spot for a celebration. And if you don’t have 200 friends and a guest list, don’t worry, you can still reserve a day bed for a select few friends. Big or small, Skylark Roof Garden has an entire events brochure for private hire and a wide selection of beers, wine and fizz, cocktails, and canapé food for every kind of party.

It plays Miami beats, offers tequila and taco treats, including an endless taco brunch, and all the cocktails are of the tropical variety.

The Prince of Wales is a laid-back boozer near the north end of Paddington Station. What it lacks in traditional pub architecture it makes up for by offering London’s favourite pub food (other than the Sunday Roast, of course) of the last thirty or so years: Thai.

It’s painted in shades of blue inside and out, is bright on the inside from walls that are mostly windows, and offers heated outdoor seating. From classic British bar bites and fish & chips to Thai curries and noodles, the Prince of Wales lays down the usual traps: live sport, a healthy drinks menu, and all your favourite pub grub.

Closer to Hyde Park than Paddington Station, the Victoria is a classic Fuller’s pub occupying a lovely whitewashed building with outdoor seating on picturesque Strathearn Place – think hanging flower baskets and equally picturesque West End townhouses.

You know what you’re getting with Fuller’s – elevated versions of comforting pub classics, a decent wine and ale selection and Sunday Roasts. Let us not forget the reliability of Fuller’s for private functions. The Victoria Paddington offers two handsome private function rooms, the Library showcasing panelling of light wood and the dark and very Victorian Theatre Bar.

You’re further out from the station but it feels a little more quiet and residential. If you want a good old-fashioned reliable Paddington pub then it’s going to be the Victoria.