West Ryde Hotel

The West Ryde Hotel keeps its beer garden lively without making a show of it. A trellis of vines provides dappled shade over tables set at the back of the pub, and dogs on leads settle in beside owners working through schnitzel specials or a cook-your-own BBQ fired up lunch and dinner. Chef Leon runs the kitchen, and rotating weeknight deals keep Ryde regulars moving through — Monday burgers, Tuesday schnitzels, Thursday tacos, Sunday roast.

In winter an open fire warms the front bar, while a projector in the beer garden catches whatever game is on across the twelve screens inside. West Ryde Station sits a few minutes' walk down the hill on the Northern Line, and Top Ryde shopping centre is just across the bridge. The pub feels properly suburban — families at the bistro on school nights, after-work crews filling the garden on a Friday, and plenty of water bowls stationed around.