Where to take tennis fans
If you're a tennis fan or you know one the chances are they'll be watching the Stella Artois tournament.
The Puzzle Pub Co
175-177 Fulham Palace Road, W6 (020-7381 8682). All Bar One, and then some
The Colton Arms and the Queen's Arms on Greyhound Road will both benefit from being close to the Queen's Club, but the sprawling Puzzle Pub is better equipped to cope with the legions of tennis fans. It's a bit like an All Bar One, but with a daub or two of colour. There's a short wine list and a range of snacks, with dishes costing less than £6.95. Live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The Priory
58 Milson Road, W14 (020-7371 3999). Moroccan-themed pub with outside space
Anyone using Olympia station to attend the tournament has a fabulous pub close by. The Priory has been kitted out in a modern Moroccan theme, which blends well with the stout wooden furniture. There's a thoughtful wine list and Hoegaarden and Abbot ale are both on tap. The kitchen boasts dishes such as beef-and-stout pie (£7.95). The Z Bar in the basement makes a great venue for parties, and there are tables and chairs outside when the weather's fine.
The Curtain's Up
28A Comeragh Road, W14 (020-7385 4064). Theatre and a pint
The Curtain's Up is, if you couldn't guess, a theatre pub - a 60-seater fringe theatre venue and home to the Baron's Court theatre company. The ground-floor bars make for a useful, if workaday venue, but it gets so busy during the tournament that the food offering is reduced to sandwiches.
The Chancery
316 Lillie Road, SW6 (020-7385 2658). An enormous pub with an equally enormous garden
Instead of using numerals, the clock face on the tower above this massive Victorian pub spells out the name 'Halfway House' - a one-time reference point indicating that this pub is halfway between the town centres of Hammersmith and Fulham. This is a vast venue. The furniture includes a mix of butcher's block tables, oldfashioned squashy leather furnishings and rickety tables and chairs. A huge beer garden at the back of the pub is nearing completion as I write - just in time for the tennis tournament, hopefully.
The Crabtree
Rainville Road, W6 (020-7385 3929). Sup and eat by the river
If the weather is fine, head for the riverside where the Crabtree has picnic tables and a riverside terrace - a wonderful place to while away the warm, evening hours. This recently renovated pub attracts family groups and the local populationwho come to suck on lager or Courage Best. It seems as though they've tried to gastrofy the place with a burger menu and reasonably priced main courses.
