please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
A further appearance in the latest CamRA Good Beer Guide, which deserves some credit I daresay. However, from personal experience this year I wouldn't rate this as an obvious destination for beer appreciaters, and not the best quality or range the chain can offer. The Jack has some character and history in tow, which is more than can be said for some of its nearby peers. But despite this, beer-wise and atmosphere-wise, I can't pretend it's somewhere I have a hankering to deliberately visit. Serves a purpose if in need of a quick 'alf after shopping at Waitrose!
|
Fairly nice JDW pub near Horley train station. I visited in the morning, they open at 08:00 a.m. I had eaten breakfast before I arrived, but this seems to be a fine place to have breakfast. A few cask ales and bottles should be enough to keep you entertained for a while.
|
Absolute rubbish. I walked out yesterday having waited for ages to be served whilst the chimps behind the bar messed about doing very little. This establish is definitely off my list now - won't patronise it again.
|
Visited twice in the same day and I found this 'spoons to be okay.
The food didn't look great but the bar service was fine.
I left in the evening before the "rabble" arrived but I would go back.
|
It is fitting that this pub used to be a garage owned by a former racing driver because it is the pits.
|
We have stopped by for a Sunday Roast on a number of occasions over the past few months. When it has been good it has been really good but when it has been bad , it really has been awful and last week it turned up without any roast potatoes, together with a surly repsonse when we asked for some. If the manager is reading this, he would do well to step up on quality control. I know that Wetherspoons doesn't claim to be the Ritz, but it really should be a lot better than this. And the service should be a lot, lot faster. Other branches of the chain can manage it, so buck up Jack Fairman !!
|
Not normally a great fan of any JDW establishments, I have to say this is one of their better efforts.
It does not appear to suffer from the high level of chav scum / dole dodgers that many of their chain is afflicted by. Even the level of kids is lower then I have found elsewhere.
Beer selection is the usual JDW fare and the food does appear to be a better level than in many other outlets. At the end of the day the Fairman will not blow you away but on saying that I would happily frequent this place in front of any other Horley pub (except the Gatwick).
|
Subdued lighting in a fairly standard Spoons that the barman said is only a Lloyds No 1 on Saturday nights. RCH Pitchfork, Cotleigh Nutcracker and a Naylors apart from standard beers.
|
The food here is awful. Gammon undercooked with soggy chips and cold eggs. The recooked meal was just as bad with hard cold eggs. You will find sticky tables, so mind where you put your elbows..
|
The food and service in this place has improved profoundly in recent times. They now have people in the kitchen who know what they're doing. The steaks especially on the Tuesday grill night are really good quality and cooked exactly how you ask them to be. Service generally is above average (with one or two exceptions up and down). Only gripes are that the dedicated glass collectors don't tend to do a very efficient job even on quiet nights, and that they still insist on correcting my (correct) pronunciation of my favourite tipple, Leffe! (They could do with the proper glasses for this beer too!) But overall, the Jack Fairman has a heck of a lot going for it now.
|
I ate at Jack Fairmans on 25th Feb 2010, for the first and last time! After looking at the menu and thinking that it was all quite cheap, i thought i would go for the safe option of burger and chips, after all how hard is it to cook a burger... obviously quite hard for the idiots in the kitchen, as they gave me food poisoning!!!! Not only that but it was on my birthday which i then had to spend in bed. NOT HAPPY. When i rang to tell the Manager what had happened he said he would ring their suppliers, not even so much as an apology or even my money back! Don't eat here their food is cheap and nasty.
|
I love this pub and I love mark, james and steve :)
|
A late night visit on Monday found the pub very quiet, but with a great choice of beers. The two I had were in very good condition, and I left happy. A good Wetherspoons.
|
anotherpintplease is a fool
Every pub I comment on I have been to on several occasions. I don't visit a pub once but make my mind up after giving the pub the benefit of the doubt if things aren't quite right.
The Jack Fairman is improving, but has a little way still to go
|
Popped in here on the way home and was impressed with the beer quality. There was only one beer marked as not available (Hogs Back), but the Weltons was of very good quality. Kings was also available, and here I would agree with mrgrumpy, they are not beers I would drink out of choice. I think mrgrumpy likes stirring things up from looking at his other comments as this is certainly one of the best Wetherspoons around.
|
Hello Mark (I hope you don't mind me calling you Mark, it is much more friendly than Mr Landlord. You can call me Grumpy is you wish). I would love to be able to say nice things about pubs I visit, and of course I will when they merit it.
I'm pleased to see you are supporting local brewers (although Hogs Back are not particularly close, but I get your point). Personally I would rather chew by arm off than drink King's poor beers, but I would not mark you down for this.
It must be my lot that I am unlucky and chose times to visit when the guest ales have run out. I suppose that Horley is full of thirsty ragamuffins with a penchant for local brewed ale, and take great delight in running ahead of me and having their fill.
However I admit that it is a little time since I last ventured in, and so I will do so soon and I am sure be reporting back here how things have changed.
Au revoir then Mark, and keep those beers in tip top condition.
|
** WJ King (typo)
|
mrgrumpy it doesnt seem that you have anything nice to say about any of the pubs you visit?
As for guest ales we currently use only local brewers (JW King, Hogsback, Pilgrim etc) and have 2 guests on plus Abbot and Ruddles. The only time that this differs is when one will run out and is in the process of having a new one put on. This has been the case for a long time now
|
Mr Landlord, how good to hear from you.
I was last in the pub a week or two before the beer festival. There were no guests beers on at all, just nonsense from the big brewers. There were pumpclips on beers from local brewers but the beers were not available.
I walked out.
|
mrgrumpy when was the last time you were actually in the pub as we always have six different ales on, pedigree abbot and ruddles plus three guests and I haven't used the "not now available" signs for months.
|
I really would love to like this pub as it is so handy for the shops. It sells a selection of beers called "Not Now Available" but not much else. Could try harder (much, much harder).
|
We visited here in the late evening & it was quiet but that was fine with us. Pretty good range of interesting microbrewery ales and that is all I really care about, everything else can go to pot, place though was clean and they had some interesting indie music. My only complaint is the 'coming soon' logo over some of the pumpclips - I was only there for that one evening so I was never going to have them!!!!
|
moriarty thanks for the suggestions i think dark star is on the list of brewers waiting to be added by wetherspoons and i shall ask after surrey hills.
|
It's a Wetherspoons, if you want high quality food and a intimate atmosphere you are in the wrong chain.
As for the client�le I have used the pub on many occasions with no problems at all apart from once when what looked like the biggest bunch of chav scum were celebrating some event or other with their kids running riot, the Gatwick got my trade that day.
Overall it's better than many Wetherspoons I have visited and I will continue to use it when in Horley.
One compliant which applies to most Wetherspoons, get some more bloody bar staff pulling pints the wait has forced me to walk out in the past.
|
Hi Land Lord. Well done. Your pub has definately improved recently.As a fan of real ale and especially Stouts, Porters, Olds and Milds i was delighted when i called in on thursday afternoon to discover 3 dark ales on offer.
Good to see your support of local brewers. May i humbly suggest DARK STAR and SURREY HILLS breweries. Both produce superb local ales.
No problems with clientele or service on recent visits.
Good luck
|
I'm the new manager of this pub and have recently taken steps to remove some of the problem clientele so i hope you'll give me a chance to improve my pub and maybe help e by suggesting any particular ales or brewers you'd like to see on sale here?
|
2 very well kept pints of ale quaffed few weeks back, friendly quick service and nice building, 8/10 well worth a visit
|
TGW, the fly in the ointment IS the clientele, just as it seems to be in every other Horley pub. Let's face it, that rapidly deteriorating town no longer boasts the type of establishment where one can enjoy a meal which isn't run of the mill pub grub or sup a good pint in a place where drunkenness isn't customary. You have to go outside the town to escape that , as many people now do !!!
|
Well, from what I hear, the local clientele might yet again be the flies in the ointment here, at least of an evening. This is a shame, as the Fairman appears to be a well-conceived, quality conversion by JDW, and a perfetly comfortable town hostelry, which can't be said for all their outlets. I haven't deigned to try the food, which at the risk of gross generalisation I expect to be pretty standard microwaved Wethy fare, but both the quality and range of the cask beers was excellent. A very tasty half of the award-winning Triple F Alton's Pride was quaffed - show me another pub in Horley that serves that sort of offering, AND in good nick! Service was attentive, although I should say my visit was at 11AM so in fairness there was little competition (the earliness of the hour also accounted for the half, in case any of you should worry that TWG is reducing his ale intake!).
|
Well I have been using the Fairman since it opened and a quiet country pub it isn't. It is a Wetherspoons which means lots of beer and wholesome food at indecently low prices. At the times I visit I like the atmosphere and rarely have any problems with the beer, food, people or getting served. I keep going back and I keep going to other Horley pubs and everone has it's plusses and minuses!
|
Definitely the worst drinking venue in Horley - and that's saying something !!!
|
