Gordon Arms, Chislehurstback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I have been in a couple of times in the last month and I think that old_at_heart has got it right. I would guess that every guy in the place (and it is overwhelmingly male this side of the bar) is a long-term regular or son of one. I agree with the compliments below to the female bar staff and it was nice that after my second pint the young lady could remember what I was having. Only problem is that the beers on the pump are along a section of the bar just below the TV screen and one would have to elbow aside an impressive scrum of guys to see what's on offer - I would guess an unwise move - so I stuck to lager.
Chislehurst boasts one or two good pubs and some pretty missable ones - the Gordon is a bit of a one-off.
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Good local pub - with the emphasis on local. It can take few visits to get the best service as they can seem a bit wary of newcomers. But once your face is known it is a friendly, good old fashioned no-nonsense boozer. Horseshoe-shaped bar, lots of knick-knacks, a boozy landlord. The Guinness is always good, I can vouch for that, and is a good alternative to the more other trendier bars nearby. It wouldn't hurt to have one or two guest ales though.
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Comments shown above are accurate and well observed, smoking apart.
Lunchtime food is excellent, homemade and very good value.
Real ale is exceptional, only in that it is consistently poor and of an unacceptable standard.
The Guinness is good. The lager, I am told, is of varying quality.
Gin's OK !
anonymous - 8 Nov 2007 15:40 |
Well-worn, Courage-affilliated, traditional English pub just off Chislehurst's main drag. Fairly large, single-roomed with a well-stocked central bar, fitted 'settee' seats & stools around the edges & toilets on either side. Olde skoole brasses & breweriania wallhangings, a TV showing live sport & a dart board tucked away at the back.
The place gets pretty packed out on a Friday evening. Clientele were in the vast majority boisterous males 25-70 & inside it was, at times, eye-stingingly smokey. This was compensated for by the hardworking & attractive barmaids who welcomed us, as strangers, with a big smile & who rushed around serving everyone as fast as possible.
The ale range consisted of Courage Best, Directors & Fullers London Pride. My Directors was certainly in much better shape than the ropey Spitfire I'd just been subjected to in the nearby Queens Head. The Stella, on the other hand, was flat as a witches tit.
All in all it is a bit of a time-warp & as such, won't be to everybody's liking. I'm sure the locals love it & I personally found it to be a breath of fresh (although smokey) air compared to the other alternatives: false, chain bars home to the beautiful crowd rife in Chislehurst & so many other towns in the UK. That said, it could do with a more adventurous ale cellar & perhaps a sympathetic makeover in the not-too-distant future.
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