please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
It lost more than its mojo, it lost its name. The sign says: The Globe
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That should read "lost its mojo"
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This was decent bar, not pub, but it seems to have it mojo a bit. No real complaint, but it seemed a to have lost a bit of its liveliness.
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great atmospheric litt;e bar, the chef is coming back soon after a refurb apparently, he was very good before, looking forward to his return
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Good bar, amazing wine selection, lovely food. Sound system v.good, atmosphere is nearly always charged. Yes, most of the staff are foreign, but I think it adds to the continental atmosphere actually!
One of the best bars in Taunton. Shame that last time I was there a 'For Sale' sign was dominating the outside...
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Asked for coke, served diet coke, complained. Barmaid rude. Asked to see manager ... not available! Asked to taste, think the 3(!!!) barstaff were all diabetic, but there was no sugar in my coke!!
Polish or sign language would of been handy, but English got me nowhere! God save our Queen!
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A large for sale sign outside has deterred the staff from serving...two people waiting at the bar and the staffg continue their mothers' union meeting....I would tell you about the time I had, but then I walked out!!
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Returned Sat eve last,a far busier experience,with the "better-heeled" rather than "well-heeled" 30somethings of Taunton having their Pinot Noirs and Voddy and Red Bulls and reminiscing on what school in Marlborough was like. (Sniff sniff,I can smell bullshit....)
3 blokes and one lass behind bar,one barman too fast for his own good,only interested in serving those coming in the door rather than those already at the bar with empty glasses in hand.... Little sweet (polish?) girl from previous visit saves the day,even remembers I was drinking Tribute not Speckled Hen,ale a bit cold,time to turn the cooler up a peg for the winter. Bizarre music blaring,though not unpleasant. Rating unchanged.
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Have to say before my review that I can understand how this pub could,or should,be in the Top 10,but just can't understand why... Last poster has it correct.
Visited Monday 24th,Old Speckled Hen and St Austell Tribute were the ales,served through excellent (and rarely seen) transparent beer engines. Greeted with a smile by a pleasant (Polish?) young lady,a well filled and high quality pint of Tribute was had (£2.60). It was so refreshing to see the barlady and her work colleague industriously cleaning behind the bar-unlike the usual view of the the staff chatting on their mobile or doing a sudoku!!! Good looking selection of wine,along with some fancy lagers. Nice looking sofas around the walls.
However I was the only one in at 9PM on a Monday. Like I said I could fine little wrong with this pub,but Top 10? (If I had to fault the place all I could say is 1) Mind the step on the way out and 2)dont hit the target in the gents urinal or it'll get you back in the eye!!!)
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Strange, not bad, just strange.
anonymous - 6 Sep 2007 12:45 |
Attended a very interesting quiz here last night.
Alas we didn't win, but it still made for a very enjoyable evening.
Makes a change from the usual pub quiz.
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There aren't many decent pubs in Taunton. The fact that the town can support 2 wetherspoon pubs say a great deal.
However this has got to be about the best of the lot.
The chef is French, and he certainly knows his stuff judging by tonights visit.
There is the usual assortment of different accents from the bar staff, but at least they can all speak English, which is more than can be said of some of the pubs in Taunton (including those that don't employ foreigners).
Easy to see why it's been in the top ten for so long.
Well worth another visit.
anonymous - 15 May 2007 22:41 |
I thought I'd give this place a try after reading so much about it.
It's certainly different. Maybe not to everyone's taste, but maybe that's just as well
I didn't eat there but the menu looks good, beer was fine, service exceptional.
A bit of a shock to leave the place and find yourself still in Taunton.
I went in on a sunday night when the quiz was on, but was too late to join in unfortunately.
Must return next week.
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This is a great pub for a pint on your own in the day, or out with friends at night. Music taste in here is spot on - jazz, funk, latin, and moves up a gear or too in the evening, far too urban and cosmopolitan for Taunton ! Wine list is excellent, beers are as they should be. This place is head and shoulders above any other place in town.
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Great quiz on a sunday night.
As with everything to do with this pub, even the quiz has a touch of class about it.
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Is it a bar or a pub? How do you draw the distinction? Is it a matter of decor? Clientele? Drinks selection? I don't know I could write the rules. But that doesn't stop me from declaring this one more of bar than a pub.
If you want to have a drink in Taunton this is certainly one of the better spots. This would be a fine bar/pub anywhere. However, being in Taunton that means it floats to the top.
We've had lunch here several times. The food is always good, but make sure you get some fries as they are the best in Taunton. They could pass for fries in Flanders.
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They have now also started to sell St. Austel Tribute, and a very nice pint it is too.
anonymous - 24 Mar 2007 22:50 |
Very Nice Building & A Great Pint Of Adnams To Be Had,9/10,Prob Best Pub In Taunton,Always Has Been Always Will Be!!
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This is a great pub during the day - thankfully free of the terminal alcoholics and football-clad chavs that characterise so many venues' staple clientele. You can actually go for a light lunch and a pint without waiting an hour for your food while you're jostled by people that smell like they slept in a bus shelter. The beer is clean and served in branded glasses, and the two real ales on tap, normally Old Speckled Hen and one other, are served from pumps with glass chambers on the bar so you can see how clean they are before you buy.
The spirit selection offers what many bars consider premium products as standard - Chivas Regal, Bombay Sapphire and Finlandia instead of Bells, Gordons and Smirnoff, but without the surcharge you'd expect in many places.
The wine list can look expensive, but any wine drinker will tell you that the difference between a three pound bottle of Pinot Grigio and a ten pound bottle has to be tried to be believed.
J.P. and Jane go out of their way to offer the best products they can to compliment food that has no peer in any bar I've eaten in.
The food service is exceptional, more at home in a top hotel or restaurant - needless to say it only reflects the standards obvious throughout. One of those rare places you can take your friends or family for dinner, and not silently squirm as they half-heartedly pick yet another microwaved lasagne and garlic bread.
As the evening creeps on, the lighting and music change gradually into the background for a great night out, with upbeat, eclectic dance music from around Europe and Africa that never reaches levels where you're reduced to sign language or screaming to be understood.
The Moat is one of the rare chameleon bars that actually manages to hit every note. No, it isn't a 'traditional' pub - clean toilets prove that - instead it is the best example I've seen of a modern pub.
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Great place to eat drink and enjoy ones self/ It somehow manages to be a pub, a restaurant and a wine bar all in one. The cask ales are all well kept and the wine list if fantastic.
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From my recollection, aside from the Adnams, the place had the usual nitro-keg glop as well as the standard collection of wines one would expect at an average bar, although very expensive for an outpost such as Taunton.
The layout of the place, including the first floor, made it spacious enough, but it just felt a little too contrived and orchestrated. In general, it seems to be trying to fuse a pub, wine bar and restaurant into one and not really managing to be any. That is not to say it is a hovel, but merely a distinctly average drinking establishment, even if these gushing, one offs postings are complimented by unnecessarily verbose and disjointed entries.
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Highly recommended
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Nice and relaxing place for having lunch but can be very busy with some delay on food, so I do advice to book. Candle light dinner at night
Excellent range of wine and high standard continental service make this place my first choice for my time out day and night time.
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To fully appreciate this great place you'll have to pay a visit.
When you do, you'll be sure to take note of the artistic, multicultural influences, friendly staff and the simply outstanding contemporary menu.
A refreshingly unpretentious success.
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Have visited a number of times recently when in the area. It is pretty much the only place to go in Taunton.
The wine list is the best in Taunton by a "country" mile & the steaks are superb! Yes, Taunton is in "the sticks" & this place isn't really a pub, but so what?! If you go to any establishment in Taunton, I recommend this one
rich. - 22 Feb 2007 14:51 |
I am so agree with Aleking, this place is not a pub... and thanks God for that, the red chairs (and the whole place) are far too clean... :)
Well done to the people who run it..
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Red...
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Not a pub. Only served Adnams when I went there. One of those typical, quasi, London-wannabe bars that you get out in the sticks.
It's fine, but simply having read comfortable chairs doesn't make it a top-drawer establishment.
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Visited several times last year, when on holiday in these parts. A great pub - glad to see it getting recognition.
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just about as good as a pub gets. excellent beer, fanastic food, super efficient staff. just about everything about this place is great.
Please j.p. stay in Taunton.
This is not the best pub I've ever been to, but it's pretty damm close
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Since first recommending this place I've moved away, and found myself missing the perfectly cooked steaks and a large glass of the excellent 'Archidamo' every time a serious carnivore moment rears it's head.
And now I've been back.
Thank God it hasn't changed.
Sure the menu is new, and a couple of the accents behind the bar are different, but the standard is as high as ever. I just wish I had more opportunity to enjoy this great venue, where you can go in for an espresso and a cigarette while you read the paper, and end up staying for lunch and supper because you just can't resist after seeing the food walk past to other eager customers.
Still Great.
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This pub has a lot of significance for me - I met my fiancé when he worked here, and proposed to him at table 16, but it's only since we've moved to Bristol that I've realised just how good the Moat House really is.
Despite the large range of upmarket cocktail bars and restaurants nearby, we haven't managed to find anything like the standards of excellence J.P. and Jane consistently maintain through attention to detail and sheer hard work.
Yes, that's them running about like lunatics on a Saturday lunchtime.
So go and see what a pub can be with a little vision and a lot of effort - I guarantee you'll be going home wishing they'd franchise to your home town.
Oh, and try the club sandwich - the best I've had on two continents.
Wifey - 17 Feb 2007 12:08 |
The food here is amazing, the service is second to none and the atmosphere is great! Also the pub quiz on Sundays is a good laugh and what makes it even better is that it is extremely unique from any pub quiz I've been to before!!!
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The food is amazing, the drinks were amazing and the whole pub is just amazing the people behind the bar need to cheer up a bit but i expect thats because they have been working hard. The chefs i saw who kept coming in and out of the kitchen were polite to customers and smartly dressed. The food is the best around taunton cause there is no competition really cheers everyone who work there!!
anonymous - 16 Feb 2007 11:05 |
"If you read the previous comment by the D.J.'s sister you will be able to imagine the sort of prats they are likely to be"
With regards to this blatant disregard of manners and intelligible argument, I would to make a point as one the resident dj's here. All of us try to make the very best use of our experience to trawl dozens of sources for many hours to compile the ethnically influenced house music we play. That said, there is no way you can please all tastes all the time but this is without doubt one of the best quality sets in the area, and provides and energetic atmosphere for the weekend visitors to the pub.
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This is a superb pub, if that is the right description. A genuine 'chameleon' bar that is many things to many people. Jean-Philippe and Jane are excellent hosts and their team members are all friendly and exceptionally well trained. There should be one of these bars in every town!!
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Went out for a beer this evening forgetting that this place always closes for 2 weeks in January. Instead I went for a mini pub crawl around town looking for somewhere where I could get a decent pint. Couldn't find anywhere; all full of drunken idiots.
You don't realise how good this place is until you have to go somewhere else. It's a shame that we need a Frenchman to show us Brits how to run a pub properly. Ce la vie!
anonymous - 5 Jan 2007 00:33 |
Gets let down by the friday and saturday night discos.
If you read the previous comment by the D.J.'s sister you will be able to imagine the sort of prats they are likely to be, and the sot of chavs they're likely to attract. Otherwise it's a great bar for the diserning drinker. The antithesis of just about every other pub in Taunton.
anonymous - 29 Dec 2006 15:02 |
I think your find the music on the sat n friday nights are dj'd by my brother dj airborne and his house mate marco! id like to say they are amazin at djin and they have a very good taste in music and i defo recommend trying out the moat on sat or friday! when there playin its defo an exerience
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Mel (below) obviously does not realise that what was once Taunton's library has been turned into a pub (and not a very good one at that).
anonymous - 12 Dec 2006 09:43 |
THE MOAT HOUSE IS TO THE FOOD AND DRINK
WHAT A LIBRARY IS TO THE CULTURE...
THANK YOU TO BE IN TAUNTON
Mel73 - 11 Dec 2006 23:12 |
an absolutely fantastic pub/restaurant; the food and service is second to none. I had a basic rib eye steak, but it was anything but basic! Prices are good for what you get and the staff are always very friendly. Highly recommended!
anonymous - 10 Dec 2006 21:58 |
The menu in this hostelry is second to none in Taunton, and in pubs in general, with some exciting and unusual dishes. The food is exquiusitely cooked to order and served by friendly professional staff. Be it from a bowl of chips (NOT fries, we are in England) or a duck wrap for a quick lunch-time snack, to a sea bass or superb local beef steak you dining experience will be an enjoyable one.
The Moat House also has an extensive range of beers wines and spirits from around the world and offers a very good selection of cocktails.
Whatever the occasion give it a go, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
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Well this is how it is. Got asked to go for a meal with some freinds on a Saturday night. The food in this place is some of the finest that i have ever had. The staff and service were superb, the choice of wine and beers were excelent, the atmosphere was relaxed and freindly and the people in the building i geuss were average age of 30+. To top the night off there was a DJ playing some fantastic music that i have never herd befor, my freinds told me that the music was being played by SOULPHONIC.
On the whole a great place for food, drink, music and to relax. PS Plese let people know who the DJS are!
anonymous - 15 Sep 2006 19:08 |
The weekend discos are dragging this once classy pub into the gutter. Sophisticated? well, maybe once but alas no longer, especially at weekend.The invisible fence that once kept the idiots out has been replaced by a welcome sign "Idiots are welcome here"
anonymous - 4 Sep 2006 23:28 |
I and my DJ partner play here most weekends, and specialise in bringing quality music to a fantastic bunch of people. We trawl through record shops and online stores every week to produce a new fresh sound for the weekend ahead to ensure a new atmosphere each time someone visits. I have to say the place has such an amazing vibe, always very friendly, no lager louts, it's a kind of sophistication that is needed in this small town!
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Crikey, this place used to be a gay friendly dive that was also (ironically) frequented by the lower ranking members of Taunton's burgeoning underclass! How it's changed since the last time visited about 7 years ago, more Saville Row than Skid row and with a massive selection of good wines and obscure beers. Certainly seems friendly enough and the invisible fence that appears to keep the local Neds at bay is a welcome addition to any Taunton town centre boozer. A hesitant but hopeful 7/10
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Great place to relax, nice comfy chairs. Service, food and drink indicating a French professionalism. An element of class and sophistication. Good place to take a lady.
Expensive for Taunton but you get what you pay for.
anonymous - 22 Jun 2006 14:44 |
At last someone has figured that you can run a succesful pub by offering a high quality of service and products instead of getting teenagers pissed on house doubles and filling the place up with pool tables and t.vs. A pub for discerning customers. Idiots do not seem to be made welcome, and long may that remain the case
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A fantastic bar/restaurant in the centre of town, offering that most unusual of things - a stylish bar with real personality. Playing great music from around the world - no chart cheese here! - it's chilled out daytime atmosphere gives way to a more up-tempo feel in the evening. The drinks are reasonably priced, with all premium spirits and fresh ingredients used in their range of well made and interesting cocktails. The staff are friendly, the service is excellent, and the food is simply the best in town, made from local ingredients wherever possible and reflecting the best seasonal produce available. Definitely the best place in Taunton to spend your money, as reflected by their ability to specify a strict dress code and expectations of good behaviour and still pack the place most evenings. Put on a nice shirt, grab your cash and have a great time.
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