First: the price. A pint of beer is about £3.50 in 2026. That’s aggressively cheap for London. You’ll get that classic Wetherspoon experience – ordering at the bar, waiting forever, then getting your drink and a side of mild disappointment that the chips are cold. But who cares? You’re in a pub with a mythological fruit-beast mascot.
Trans man and partner called 'poofs' and 'pair of freaks' in West
Second: the atmosphere. It’s a mix. Families with kids eating breakfast. Office workers nursing a pint. A guy in a tweed jacket reading a newspaper. And you, sitting there, wondering if the lion and pineapple ever had a fight. (My money is on the pineapple. It has spikes.)
Third: the garden. There’s a lovely beer garden out back. It’s green, it’s quiet, and it’s the perfect place to drink a pint and ponder. Ponder what? Why a pineapple? Why a lion? Why are you here at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday? No judgment. That’s the Spoons way.
Quirky details you’ll love
Look up. The pub sign shows a red lion and a pineapple. They’re not fighting. They’re just hanging out. It’s like a buddy comedy waiting to happen. The pineapple is the weird sidekick. The lion is the grumpy straight man. Together, they serve cheap Stella.
Also, the pub has a secret door. No, really. In the back, there’s a door that leads to a tiny courtyard that used to be a stable. It’s now a smoking area. But in your head, it’s a portal to 1743. You half expect a ghost to order a Diet Coke.
And the toilets? Classic Wetherspoon. They smell faintly of bleach and regret. The hand dryers are loud enough to make your ears ring. But there’s a weird comfort in that. It’s reliable. You know exactly what you’re getting.
Red Lion and Pineapple, Acton, W3 | The Wetherspoons, appare… | Flickr
