The Bitter End, Romford - pub details
Previously called: Ford and Firkin
Address: 15 High Street, Romford, Essex, RM1 1JU [map] [gmap]
Tel: 0871 951 1000 (ref 27902) - calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras
Romford (0.3 miles), Gidea Park (1.3 miles), Emerson Park (1.9 miles)
Pub facilities/features:
- TV
Pub suggested by duffy on 10 Feb 2006
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> Current user rating: 5.8/10 (rated by 16 users)
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other pubs nearby:
Golden Lion, Romford (0.0 miles), Life Bar, Romford (0.0 miles), Brannigans, Romford (0.1 miles), Bull, Romford (0.1 miles), Lamb, Romford (0.1 miles) - see more nearby pubs
user reviews of the Bitter End, Romford
please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
5 most recent reviews of 17 shown - see all reviews
| I have loved this venue since I was able to get away with being served here in the mid -late 90's. It used to have a brilliant rock, punk and alternative vibe and a decent customer age mix. However over the years people have walked away from this place due to chronically bad management, extortionate booze prices, and more recently, entry fees! If you read through the previous posts the theme of the managers and staff being horrifically rude and discourteous to customers reigns supreme. It is utterly true. Whichever Brewery owns this pub badly need to replace Andrea and Ray (the laughable 'management') as they simply do not have a clue, and clearly do not want to be there. Ray hides away upstairs and is rarely seen, and Andrea (the woman on the door as has been mentioned in other posts) is dour, miserable, negative, sour and bitchy. She also loves to tell off and berate customers like an old schoolmistress…and is not afraid over coming over to your table to do so - clearly she is in the wrong line of work! Showing such contempt openly has been a silver bullet for the majority of the regulars. The price of the cheapest lager here is £3.20. Every pub in the area (the Golden Lion or The Bull) is considerably cheaper as well as cleaner and friendlier to boot! The quality of the beers here is also terrible. I have never heard about the taps or pipes being cleaned, and as there are so few customers the beer is stale and smells faintly of bad eggs...! A pub which is failing as badly as this one needs to make sure that customers need to come back. Apart from maybe two or three die-hard regulars, the rest of the clientele are transient business who have one drink and will never return. The desertion of the business has led to people being rudely asked to leave way before 11pm, as Andrea has decided to ‘shut early’. The juke box is good (The Sun, The Bull and The Golden Lion have exactly the same one though!) but made redundant by the bar staff lowering the volume so you cannot hear it, or depending on the time of night, turned off completely with little regard for how many songs people have paid for and yet to listen to. Simply put, if you want a jukebox and pool table go to The Bull 30 seconds walk away. It should also be worth mentioning that there are no televisions in this venue so there is no scope for any sport being shown. Once again, go to The Bull or even The Lamb for this! Simply put, if you walk into this place you will want to leave immediately. Everything about it is not what you would want in a pub. Being made to feel unwelcome by the staff, having to pay lots of money for appalling quality alcohol, and having to suffer terrible bands (they now advertise for groups as they are struggling to find anyone who wants to play to an empty room) is more than unreasonable. This old dog might still have some life in it, but the owners will need to be shot! Britbull83 - 12 Aug 2011 16:07 |
| The staff in this pub are rude beyond words. Customers are treated with utter contempt and spoken to like dirt. Their ID policy is laughably ridiculous, I have seen them ID and refuse entry to people who are quite clearly in their late 20s or early thirties and speak to them in a disgustingly rude and aggressive manner in the process. The beer is unbelievably disgusting and badly kept. The acoustics for live performances are unbearable. Without any doubt one of the worst pubs I have ever entered in my life. Avoid at all costs, unless you enjoy drinking gone off beer and being spoken to like you are the scum of the earth. deanamphlett - 13 Jun 2011 12:59 |
| This pub is now being run by new management, and unfortunately they are running the place into the ground, due to the over the top and beyond ridiculous door policy, disgraceful way they treat their visitors/bands. I recently attended a gig that the Bitter End was putting on, I was with one of the bands and whilst about to walk in with the band's merch, I was asked for ID. A little surprising to me, as I'm in my mid 30s. I dug out my driving license (I am unfortunately so old, it is a paper driving license as the photo version didn't exist when I passed my test). The Bitter End's website says that they are a over 18 venue and you need a passport or Driving License but the female manager on the door, refused point blank to accept it despite the fact that it is a legal proof of ID and what their website says. I have never in my life been spoken to in such a vile and disgusting manner as in the way she spoke to me. I was completely lost for words by this reaction and was really upset. I can understand the need to have a door policy, but this was unreal! After a heated discussion with the band, management and myself, I was told (after my credit card and driving license had been scrutinised) in a threatening manner that "I will let you in, but if I see you touch a drop of alcohol I will come and throw you out in the street!" But then later in the evening one of my friends turned up she asked them for ID, he didn't have ANYTHING, but she let him in and let him drink. The management issue is such a shame as the bar staff are friendly (soda and lime only 75p as that's all I got to drink that night) and the venue is a good size for gigs. There are fewer and fewer decent music venues in London and the surrounding areas, so it's sad that what could be a great venue is being ruined in this manner. pickle1234 - 10 Mar 2011 14:35 |
| I love this pub because of the live bands and friendly crowd. It may seem a bit shabby inside but at least it is not one of those artificial pub chains lacking identity. Drinks are quite expensive but it is worth the ambience. Also the bar staff like talking to customers. pubboi28 - 30 Dec 2008 10:42 |
| The acoustics are shite and has gone Indie as there seems to be money in it. Shame prime - 22 Jul 2008 15:09 |
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