please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I love this pub, friendly staff and great ladies dart teams
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Now selling real cider
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Just moved over to this side of Southsea and is a great local, much more friendly than the other pubs on Albert Road (not that they are specifically unfriendly, but you know what I mean!). Only gripe is that Kronenbourg is a bit pricey at �4.00 a pint.
PS - It's mentioned below that Strong Island hopper is a IOW brew - it's not. It was made by Irivings (which is a Portsmouth brewery) in conjunction with local culture website Strong Island!
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Return visit. 3 handpumps my notes from last visit showed 2. Good to see more ales in a pub. Nice pint of oakleaf may bee mild (a new beer for me). good pub
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As promised I returned and with the better half, on August Bank Holiday Monday. Superb atmosphere, absolutely buzzing, like having a street party inside the pub. Titanic Iceberg was in excellent condition.
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GBG says beer range varies which usually indicates a few on but here there were only 2 and one of those was turned round. Gripe over; I thought the place was great; chatty locals, nice atmosphere, lots of interesting things to look at on the walls, and the beer that was on was in excellent condition. Will definitely go back.
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Had a very quaffable pint of Iriving Strong Island Hopper (am IOW brew). Has kind of two halves, one of which is festooned with signed photos of various acTORS (a la Melvyn Hayes, Clive Dunne, that bloke of Crossroads etc). Thought it rather strange for a back street boozer to have such an array of memorabilia - though that was because we walked up from the seafront. Heading back towards town we realised the Kings Theatre was just round the corner. An array of notices in one half ranging from what you should and shouldn't do regarding children and the resident animals to anecodtal smoking related notices. One of Southsea's better establishments.
anonymous - 2 May 2011 21:44 |
Great pub, the beer is well-kept, the atmosphere is localish without being unfriendly, and you can find yourself playing "spot the celeb" on the amazing collection of theatrical posters in the lounge bar.
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Beer-wise, the Phoenix scores reasonably well, and in truth one wouldn't necessarily expect it to - it is a classic street corner local with no pretence, and stereotypically one doesn't now tend to find well-kept cask ale in such places as the majority of working chaps now favour a preponderance of pasteurised fizz to quench them. I must say though that this preconception proved particularly unworthy in Southsea, for there are in fact many boozers that some folk would ignore as "dingy", or "locals only", but in fact do yield both good beer and cheer if sampled.
We were led here by its entry in the '11 Beer guide of course, and weren't disappointed with the beer, or the earthiness of the punters and atmosphere. Numerous posters, theatrical, musical, whatever, adorn the walls, and there was a live PA that Friday - who I must say was a surprisingly consummate vocalist and far better than the average sub-early-heat-X-Factor rubbish so often seen in pub corners.
Ale for me was a pint of well-conditioned Type 42 from Irving. Not my personal favourite brewery, but always worth a try if kept nicely.
There was indeed a pub dog - alluded to in the last commentary - and perhaps there was a slight whiff. There so often is with pets who roam free in bars. But it wasn't so unpleasant and frankly a dog in a pub always seems to lend some sort of authenticity to proceedings; if the atmos is relaxed enough it doesn't really get on your nerves.
Get your GBGs out and find your way to this, and the surprisingly numerous delights of this district. You may be pleasantly put in your place!
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Seemed a very locals pub as this sranger found out as he walked in and it went very quite. Decent ales. The smell of dogs does let it down though.
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Lovely little pub with interesting theatre-related decor. Good beer from Irving etc.
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Lovely local pub with a fantastic pub garden and some friendly dogs. Some of the locals can be a bit "off" if they don't recognise you when you walk in, but the staff seem perfectly nice and the beer is good. Fully recommended if you fancy venturing 2 minutes off the Albert Road...
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I must be unlucky as i have been 3 times in the evening and found bar staff rude and very biased towards locals when serving, having said that it is a good old fashioned boozer and worth using as there is nothing pretentious here.
odbod - 18 Dec 2009 12:02 |
Welcoming backstreet boozer comprising two bars and a delightful covered garden known as the "Flame garden". Two ales available from a changing selection mainly from local small breweries.
Friendly jovial locals were drinking in both bars when I visited to sup a pint of Irving "Invincible" (4.8%).
Cosy and comfortably furnished; carpets and wood panneling; wood furniture. Walls covered with photographs of pub and famous drinkers. Note the collection of pewter mugs and copper vessels; and one or two other unusual artefacts, along with a sign pointing drinkers toward the King's Theatre.
The two pub dogs are docile and friendly. Children are admitted up to 1900 provided they are supervised by an adult at all times.
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NIce little pub, very friendly bar staff and good beer. Would certainly go back again.
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lovely pub with good landlady that makes you feel welcome.
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Lived in Pompey all my life and only got around to visiting about a month ago with my wife, have been back since. Both visits on a quiet monday night. Lovely pub with a weird set up, the pool table is in the shed. Friendly local talked us through one of the pictures on the wall.
When we get out will endeavour to try this pub more often. Well done.
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This is a real favourite with myself and friends. Always a friendly welcome and a good mixed crowd in an unpretentious pub. Have enjoyed some great late night sessions in the beer garden as well.
Landlady and staff really try to make the evening enjoyable. A real gem.
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yet again another "anonymous" posting rubbishing a very good pub, what do these people get out of doing this?, this is a very friendly backstreet pub, always something going on and always excellant beer
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WHAT A DUMP!! This must be where all the dropouts in southsea drink. warm beer, too many dogs and too many drunks!!
anonymous - 2 Oct 2007 18:08 |
A nice friendly back street pub just off of Albert Road. It always seems to be busy, especially in the summer as there is a small garden outback with attached games room with pool table included. The landlady is friendly and children are welcome. Actors from the nearby King�s Theatre also frequent the place, as the many autographed pictures on the wall testify.
Seigfried - 5 May 2007 21:57 |
