Ceci n’est pas un pub.
Rather, it’s an eccentric, glorious pit of nightly revelry filled with singing waiters, comedy nights, cabaret and circus performances in a big top tent, two year-round gardens (one with a firepit) and a collaborative, virtual reality escape room…
…that also serves beer.
For locals, The Aeronaut is the perfect pub, but for anyone else it’s still worth the jaunt out to Acton. Tastefully decked out with sage green walls and rustic wooden tables, the place has just the right amount of quirk thrown in thanks to the large model aeroplanes dangling from the sky blue ceilings, and the vintage carnival posters and circus lighting scattered around the space. Out the back you’ll find a traditional beer garden (available for private hire, and sporting its own bar and firepit), and a slightly less traditional beer garden lined with fairground stalls, which on closer inspection turn out to be heated, private booths ready to host you and your friends.
At 9 o’clock, however, you’ll want to sweep them into the Little Big Top, a performance venue within the pub. Every Friday and Saturday night, the theatre’s filled with acrobats, contortionists, silk aerialists, fire-breathers, hula hoopers and cabaret stars as you feast on whole racks of BBQ ribs, crab fries, jerk chicken and burgers, plus Coconut Shy cocktails to share. Once the show’s over, they’ll pull back the stage to reveal the dancefloor and the DJ hits the decks (accompanied by the occasional outburst of song by the barkeeps).
Head down on a Sunday, and it’s a lazier affair – bottomless BBQs, sharing roasts and board games, and a pop culture themed quiz are all on the cards…
…oh, and beer.
NOTE: The Aeronaut is open daily from noon till midnight (1.30am Fri & Sat). Booking a table is recommended, and required for the circus shows on Fridays & Saturdays – you can do that right HERE.
The Aeronaut | 264 High Street, W3 9BH
Last Updated: 5th July 2019
Like theatrical places to eat and drink? Sarastro would like a word…