please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
A good local but real ale not always as reliable as the Sister Pub (Nags Head round the corner). Food is good when it is on. Usually reliable for a quiet pint except when they have a music evening on.
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The comments about the decor amuse me - this isn't what the Castle is about - the Castle is great becuase anything goes - you never know what you are going to get - Big Stu's legendary Thursday night quiz, DJ's (of which I'm one), Bands, Food and a great landlord. Only a few weeks ago I watched an old school New Orleans style jazz band one night followed by a real ale festival the next and an Acid Jazz DJ the next - the Castle rocks!
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Good trip here recently. Lots of ales, pleasantly busy & good service. It was the afternoon though and there were a few too many kids for my liking (I counted 6 or 7).
Incidentally, you'd have thought SteveEast17 would have learnt his lesson after coming here in July, but no! He goes and takes his poor mates in (again), just so he can come on BITE and moan about it.
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Was ashamed of this place when a mate was visiting ans had misfortune to take him in there. No fun, no friends, no service, no smiles, no atmosphere, no nothing !!!
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This so called pub is like some sort of waiting room, poor service no characters. No atmosphere at all chilled sums it up erm chilly with frosty people behind the bar. Service is slow and as if you are a pain of some kind... I think the secret is to ask for a tub of overpriced olives to go with your drink, saying that go to another pub like the Nags Head it really is dreadfull.
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The pub is miles better since it was done up and the is getting better its just hard to put of finger on why this local doesnt grab me. The layout isnt that clever - it feels a bit impersonal and 'boxy' if its less than half full its a bit hangar like. Service is patchy too. When the foods on its fine and good value but its not often the good elements get together for a good evening.
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Went in this pub on recommendation for food. Was told that they were not cooking for whatever reason. Had a drink of bitter which was just drinkable. I was told by a guy that this pub is owned by the same guy who owns the Nags Head. I did'nt have another drink as I had had a bad experience in the Nags Head. Is there any decent pubs round here? I have just moved in to the area and it ain't looking too good pubwise!
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Took a mate in there one Sunday eve, barmaid surly and clueless. Full of dull couples and cosy cliques, pure rubbish. Just as bad as the Nags Head !!
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I visited on a Friday night at about 8:30pm with a couple of old friends, the place was lively with a eclectic mix of people and ages but no morons. The bar staff, a girl and be-muscled chap were pleasant and attentive. Had a few pints of Pride and found it to be pretty decent and Pride can be truely awful when kept badly. The decor is odd, especially the wads of render on the fireplace covered in gold paint but the lighting is soft enough to soften the quirks on the wall (including a Barbie type doll in glass case). However we got a decent seat and I would certainly visit again.
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What on Earth has happened to this place? It has always been a bit of a dump but some bright spark has turned it into a gypsy's caravan. Frightening bar staff! I walked in waited to be served, waited, waited and waited. It was so bad I went to the Queens in Orford Road instead. If they carry on like that it will be flats like the poor old Windmill!
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Went to this pub on a pub crawl in August 2005 and remember it as a bit dingy and very average - unmemorable in fact. Been there twice since the revamp and it's very nice. A good mix of punters, good range of drinks and good food. Also, not as ponsy and self-conscious as the sister pub, The Nagg's Head.
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This pub is improving - like its sister pub The Nag's Head it is pricey, but the chavs stay away which is good - can be pretty deserted, but on a busier night is good - strange layout...
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Bar staff attitude seems to have improved dramatically of late. Live open-mic night on 1st Sunday of month well worth checking out. Good range of beers too. If only we had a pub like this in Central W/stow.
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Definitely improving all the time.
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Slowly improving, aiming for a more upmarket clientele. Good luck.
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Seeking planning permission to put a 12 metre mobile phone antenna on top of the pub.
Drink in this pub if you want brain cancer!!!
anonymous - 11 Oct 2006 13:40 |
Pub which has the potential to be pretty good but is still a long way off it.
Female barstaff vary between pleasant and downright surly (mainly the latter). Beer garden is stuck around the back and can only be accessed from the street whilst the outside tables at the front slope so your beer skids off them.
Most of all the place desperately needs more customers to fill the space and give it some atmosphere. Gets busy on nights with live music but can be incredibly barren on other nights. Wide open-plan interior doesn't do anything to improve the atmosphere either.
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My pint had fag ash in the glass. I asked to have it changed some rough moody cow behind the bar finally changed it. As I sat down I look up at the bar and she was necking my pint.
I thought smoking and drinking behind a bar was not permitted. Avoid this pub at all costs.
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dreadful pub before its refurb
dreadful pub after it refurb
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Moved to E17 six months ago, and although the village is generally an oasis of serenity (have a go at the food from the Orford Saloon tapas bar - out of this world) the standard of pubs is woeful - with The Castle being near the bottom of the ladder. Where do these places find the surly staff? The one evening I visited with my wife and in-laws, there was some assinine little blonde troll behind the bar, doing her best to be as unfriendly as possible. When I asked for a pint of Leffe she looked at me liked I'd poo'd in her face and refused to serve it to me, citing their policy of only serving it in half-pints. 'It's a very strong beer, you know'. Oh, is it? I'd never noticed in the 10 years I've been drinking it with few ill effects. Here's a tip: give the customers what they want and they'll keep coming back. Treat them like idiots and you won't see them agan. Their 'sister pub' the Nag's Head is little better, with some of the surliest people I've ever met serving behind the bar. Sort it out.
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Lord B is a bit harsh there, I feel. Went there on Sunday night for the monthly open-mic music night - good variety of acts (folk to rap) and three good beers - London Pride, Adnams Broadside and Dark Island - at reasonable prices. Gentrified decor is a bit odd, but crowd was a mix of Bright Young Things and earthier E17'ers. Service prompt if a bit take-it-or-leave-it. All in all, not bad at all, and a welcome enhancement to Walthamstow's less-than-brilliant pub selection.
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Utter plop
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Taken over by the people who run the nearby Nag's Head a few months ago. The Castle has had a make-over - clearly designed to be female-friendly - and is further evidence of the gentrification of this part of town.
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