The Open Guide to London: the free London guide - Differences between Version 5 and Version 4 of Windmill, W1S 2AT

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This quiet and pleasant Young's pub, tucked away in Mill Street on the edge of Mayfair, is well worth a visit, partially for its atmosphere and partly for its award-winning food. The Windmill has won the British Beef Steak and Kidney Pie Competition several times and was also the Traditional English Food Pub of the Year 2002.

Drinks

Normal range of beers available at a Young's: Young's Bitter, Special and Pilsener; Heineken Cold Filtered; Foster's; Guinness; Stella Artois; Blackthorn. Prices are "typical Mayfair", which means at the upper edge of what you'd consider normally paying for a beer — a pint of Special is £2.40, for example [Price as of February 2003]. They also have bottles of Young's Waggledance, Ramrod and Chocolate Stout, which you can buy four of for a fiver. This is good.

Presumably the “four for a fiver” is only for take-out? --Kake

Food

Lunchtime food: main dishes include steak, pie, sausages and mash, burgers, salad. A main course will probably cost around £6.50, or a grilled sandwich, £3.50.

Evening food: The evening menu is quite small but of high quality. There is only one vegetarian option — Grilled Halloumi sandwich (£4.95) and no vegan options other than chips, though you might be able to convince them to give you some of the (rather nice) side salad that comes with the sandwiches, with it. The other menu options are the non-veggie hot sandwiches at £5.95 (Steak Mirabeau (with anchovies), Chicken Siciliano (with olives, bacon, sundried tomatoes and mascarpone), beef burger or lamb burger), shepherds' pie (£6.50), sausage, mash, & onion gravy (£6.50), and fish and chips (£8.50).

So a little expensive, but certainly the chicken sandwich (what I had) was worth the price. Simon Kent says: “The Sausage and Mash was great, and I heartily recommend it. Really, really good sausages, the mash was creamy and fluffy, and the onion gravy was perfect.”. MBM says that the grilled halloumi was good too.

The evening menu is served from 6–9:30pm Monday–Friday (though they have been known to stop slightly early, so make sure to order in plenty of time). There is also a restaurant upstairs for a wider choice of food.

Miscellany

There is a nice function room with its own bar on the ground floor (seats about 22–24) and “the boardroom”, a more luxurious function room, upstairs. The pub is very air-conditioned; I (Earle) felt almost too cold. I (DrHyde) did not, for I have insulating layers of blubber. Not quite, but almost. There is no piped music in the main part of the pub, meaning it was quiet enough to play go, which can only be a good thing.

There is however piped music in at least the downstairs function room. And the night London.pm went there for an emergency meet, in February 2003, it was very warm and there was an open fire.

(Note for those interested in the function room — room booking is done through their sister pub, the Guinea, on (020) 7409 1728.)


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