Review: The Pilgrm, Paddington

WHAT IS IT?

A classically cool hotel near Paddington.

WHAT'S THE DEAL?

The walls of the Pilgrm are currently studded with black and white photos – taken by celebrity portraitist Janette Beckman – of 80s icons like Debbie Harry and Keith Haring. The people in the display, which runs temporarily as part of the hotel’s rotating exhibition programme, embody that effortless, retro cool of the Pilgrm itself. The hotel is an urbanite’s ideal: specialty-roasted coffee bar in the lobby; hireable fixie bikes, free to guests, lining the walls; and a handsome Victorian shell that’s been updated just enough so that her original brick walls and grand mahogany staircase are on full display.

Some design-led hotels opt for flash, but not the Pilgrm – the stripped back, cabin-like rooms are comfortable and stylish with a muted grey colour palette and lovely paned windows looking out onto the busy street below. Bunk Rooms have space enough for two, but only just; after that, the Small, Medium, and Large rooms all ascend in size, with a king sized bed in the latter. Bluetooth-enabled Marshall speakers and vintage-inspired, monochrome bathrooms add fun touches.

The ground floor lobby doubles as a coffee shop that’s open to all, where laptop tappers drink espresso brewed with Monmouth Coffee beans. Up that 200-year-old staircase, you’ll find the lounge, where cocktails are served in the eve, breakfast in the morning, and brunch at midday. The drink menu is dreamed up by Untitled Drinks, the team behind Bar Termini and 69 Colebrooke Row, and includes aperitivo cocktails like the fortifying Classico Negroni and the chic Clear Manhattan. Food-wise, you’ll find the usual suspects – bacon butty, variations on avo toast, fry up – alongside some Pilgrm specials like miso glazed mushrooms on toast and sticky toffee pancakes, all made to be grazed leisurely, preferably with some indie literature borrowed from their magazine rack downstairs.

££££
25 London St, Tyburnia, London W2 1HH
thepilgrm.com