Down a slip road off the M4 and insulated from traffic noise by thick hedges, this charming and immaculately maintained bar and informal restaurant has something of the best kind of Victorian country railway station about it, with its neat brickwork, jaunty flowers and wooden floors.
Although by no means huge, a welcoming bar divides informally into cosy sections, and an area towards the back has a stove and views over the Royal Canal giving it the best of every world.
Menus posted beside the front doors don’t give too much away - soups, sandwiches, steaks, burgers, salads - but references to home-made ‘house paté’ and ‘home-cut chips’ hint at the good home cooking for which they are renowned, and one of their famous steaks, with ‘all the trimmings’ should be just the ticket for whether you’re breaking a journey or coming up off a boat.
Do call ahead, though, especially if numbers in your party are large, as ‘groups can only be fed by arrangement’.
