The Hero: Does Maida Vale’s poshest pub offer a new path for London’s beleaguered drinking dens?
Three years on from its opening, a new dining room at the Public House Group’s W9 address proves it has as much substance as style
London’s posh pub scene has been enjoying quite the renaissance of late. When I say ‘pub’, let me be clear which side of the coin I’m referring to: not the East End boozers and countless traditional watering holes smattered across the city, but the type of establishment once known as the gastropub (and which now probably grumbles at the unfortunate reputation that precedes this overused term). At the forefront of this new era of posh pubs? The Public House Group.
Haven’t heard of it? Well I can practically guarantee you’ve either visited or, at the very least, scrolled past one of Public House Group’s extremely aesthetically-pleasing pubs on Instagram. The brainchild of founders Phil Winser, James Gummer, and Olivier van Themsche, and opening its debut site, The Pelican in Notting Hill, in 2022, the portfolio has now expanded across the capital – see The Hart in Marylebone, The Fat Badger on Golborne Road, The Hero in Maida Vale – even reaching as far as the Cotswolds with The Bull. A natural extension of the group’s success in the capital, The Bull is now the place to see and be seen in Charlbury (aka Notting-Hill-on-the-Wolds). It was here, back in 2023, that I got my first taste of the Public House Group – and, as you can read here, I thoroughly enjoyed it. So when I was invited to try out the new dining room at The Hero, I didn’t hesitate.
You’ll hear The Hero long before you see it. In fact, protect your phone, put away Google Maps and follow the chatter of the huge pint-sipping crowd which swarms its pavements each evening. I visit on a Friday night and, as predicted, the ground-floor pub is packed, with the bar at least three-people deep. The leather banquettes that fringe its terracotta walls are populated with date nights, friend catch-ups and family drinks, and herein lies its appeal: The Hero is an unpretentious space for everyone and anyone.
Housed in a four-storey building that’s flanked a corner of Shirland Road since 1878, the pub was formerly named The Hero of Maida in honour of British Major-General Sir John Stuart, who led his troops to a celebrated victory over Napoleon’s forces in southern Italy in the Battle of Maida in 1806. When Winser, Gummer, and van Themsche got the keys in 2024, they wanted to protect the storied building’s character, simply sprucing up the stucco walls and dark floors with oak panelling, mirrors and peachy hues.
Follow the stairs to the second floor to discover the beating heart of the pub: the Dining Room. Formerly known as the Grill, this is a more formal space kitted out with candles and white tablecloths – offering a different vibe to downstairs, which specialises in pints and bar snacks such as classic pork pies, leek rarebit, and fish finger rolls. Which isn’t to say it’s stuffy, far from it in fact, aided by a team that is not only unflappable, but friendly and genuinely interested in conversation.
You’re more than welcome to order ice cold Guinness to your table if that’s your aperitif of choice, but I urge you to select from the concise cocktail list to sample The Hero’s ability to nail the classics. I opted for a sweet and salty paloma, complete with a lightly-salted glass rim and a large wedge of grapefruit, but my neighbouring table’s martini was enviable. Proceedings always start with homemade Guinness bread, whose notes of ginger, toffee and cake-like texture are best served with lashings of salted butter.
Word of warning: don’t fill up on the bread. It’s easy to do, but don’t let the menu’s two-word plate descriptions fool you into thinking these are small portions. They are instead designed to showcase the group’s ingredient-led ethos, which may sound like a buzzword, but The Hero’s new menu, overseen by head chef Ed Baillieu, takes it seriously, with plates simply listed as ‘beans, hazelnut’, ‘octopus, fennel’ and ‘T-bone, marrow’. While the staff will happily provide a more thorough description, I think the ambiguity is part of the fun – even more so considering I wasn’t even marginally disappointed by anything that arrived at our table.
Starters included a parade of plates ranging from the aforementioned beans and hazelnut – a moreish dish of grilled green beans topped with roasted hazelnuts that tasted exactly like you’d expect savoury Nutella to be (and I mean that in the best way possible) – to a decadent chicken liver pate on toast, served with a portion of pickled vegetables and lightly toasted sourdough. The lamb and anchovy salad is a whopper topped with layers of finely-grated cheese; save for your main course instead of doubling up on the greens.
By this point, the lights had gone down and the candles were working overtime in the moody, low-lit dining room. From my vantage point in the corner of the restaurant, I had a clear view of the open kitchen and the constant flurry of patrons taking their seats or choosing their wine. It’s certainly worth taking your time perusing because the wine list is seriously extensive, ranging from £40-£1,100 a bottle and divided into varietals and countries such as red from Portugal and Puglia, white from Burgundy and an interesting section dedicated to the ‘rest of the world’, featuring highlights such as alvarinho from Uruguay, riesling from New Zealand, and Côtes du Jura from eastern France (I thoroughly recommend the latter).
The Library
Onto the mains, then. I was intrigued by the goat curd dumplings with courgettes and peas and my curiosity paid dividends: perfectly-formed gnocchi-like rectangles doused in a fresh but creamy green pesto-style sauce. The beef rump was pink perfection, and glistened in a light jus quickly mopped up with triple cooked chips. It would have been remiss not to try dessert despite how full I was (seriously, go easy on the bread) but the light white chocolate slice, topped with honeycomb and raspberry coulis, cut through the richness. Fancy elongating the night further? Head upstairs to The Library cocktail bar to enjoy a nightcap (or two) in what feels like a cosy living room, complete with bookshelf-lined walls, sink-in sofas and a vinyl record player.
At a time when pubs are in perilous danger – relentless tax burdens, business rates and overheads have led to UK pubs closing at a rate of approximately two per day – it is hard not to feel despair at the loss of these British institutions. But, if The Hero is anything to go by, the Public House Group may be a beacon of hope. Its unique recipe for not only opening a pub, but ensuring it stays open by making it a destination in its own right, is a playbook worth studying. The Hero is a destination that caters to every crowd while staying loyal to its roots. Long live pubs – and, specifically, the Public House Group.
55 Shirland Road, W9 2JD, visit theherow9.com
