Wine Vaults, Southseaback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
this was a good pub, but has realy gone down hill now;
seems to have lost all its atmosphere for some reason, the refit seems to have made it false plastic like any other pub-out-of-a-box.
Shame, Real ales can be a bit hit and miss, but when on form they are great.
Maybe resting too much on its past reputation; needs a new spark to bring it back.
Staff are all very pleasent though.. but the toilets are still very poor.
come on guys, what happened??
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This is a good pub. However it HAS gone downhill a bit since being taken over by Fullers. I used to think their "Nachos Grande" was the best meal ever for a Saturday/Sunday afternoon - but the portions have got smaller and the guacemole/salsa now taste like they come out of a jar. What a shame. Having said that it is still a great place for a few drinks with friendly staff and locals.
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Definately over priced! The venue itself is great for all age groups!
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Was in there last night , bloody packed but bloody good !
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Can get VERY crowded at weekends. Popular with crawls owing to large size (it's actually 4 old shops knocked into one building). Bare floors, well kept beer. Less smoky than the 5th hants across the road, and best of all I found £20 on the floor last time I was in there. fantastic! High student population in term time. No pool table, no juke box. Started as a microbrewery in one old shop before expanding both sides.
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used to be THE place to be but under fullers its now a fading star, overpriced. once the staff where good and friendly and knew about the beers that are available, not now though, try the phoenix round the corner for a genuine welcome
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Definitely one of the liveliest places in Southsea on a Friday or Saturday night with a great atmosphere. The beer selection seems to be narrowing since the Fullers takeover - I used to go there for a nice pint of Summer Lightning. The nachos remain a generous-sized favourite on their bar menu.
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A Pompey Institution.
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Been here a few times and have always enjoyed it. Has decent food and a range of ales. Also, handy for a curry as there a quite a few restaurants nearby.
blamm - 15 Nov 2005 17:59 |
The change of hands seems to be a Fuller's takeover, and on the evidence of a couple of visits in the last week it is no bad thing.
Things had reached a point for me where I rarely bothered with the WV any more, because the beer policy had become boring and prices were becoming poor value for money. At one time there was regular rotation of ales, and new guests were a regular feature, but when one particular guy who was managing the place went, the rot set in. This pub for years was one of a very small number in the city which took real ale seriously, and it still attracts a high rating even if it had lost its edge.
Maybe in time the Fullers lineup will get a bit boring too, but the beers aren't at all common in Pompey (London Pride excepted) so for now they are a refreshing change and an improvement. They are also carrying Belle Vue Framboise and Kriek in bottles.
Punters who are upset by the change will almost certainly find the old beer portfolio reproduced by the WV's ex-owner in the "Duck" bar which has been seperated out of the One Eyed Dog, and which is a sort of mini-WV. I quite like it, and although it may be a sort of opening offer, there are various reduced prices for daytimes and Monday nights.
Food (esp. in the "Vines" annexe) has always been a very strong point and it will be interesting to see if anything changes. God help them if they tinker with the excellent Sunday roasts.....
First time visitors shouldn't be put off by the vast expanses of bare wood in this cavernous pub - while it looks Spartan, it is still very welcoming.
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Surely the daddy of Pompey pubs, and I'm not just saying that because it's my local... Currently occupying two floors of what, presumably, used to be about four different shops, there's room for large parties down to quiet couples and everything in between, and they seem to find an extra room to add on every couple of years.
Sadly, one of these expansions must've resulted in the loss of the on-site brewing facilities, as the legendary Offyatrolli (the longest survivor from what used to be a nice little portfolio) turned into a re-badged Directors - a poor show. Still, there are always about a dozen decent real ales on tap at any one time, often featuring Hopback, Ringwood and Itchen Valley amongst others. Prices, which used to be excellent, have risen excessively in the last couple of years - currently averaging £2.40 a pint - but there are still some bargains to be had (especially in combination with food) if you arrive at the right time and carefully check the signs. Also of note are the Chilli Nachos, and whilst the quality sometimes falls short of their mythical status, no one's going to complain about the quantity... It often gets stupidly busy Friday and Saturday nights, so be prepared for a long haul to the bar. I'm afraid I have to drop them a point for the loss of Shakey's pork scratchings; it's just not the same without them!
The Vaults has just changed hands (last Thursday!), so the future is uncertain... it's had its ups and downs in the ten years I've known it (I'd have ranked it 9 at some points), so only time will tell if we're at a brave new dawn or on the brink of a tragic downward spiral - or will it just be business as usual? I'll just say this - the new touchscreen tills make me nervous...
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