BITE user comments - Lord_Jeffers
Comments by Lord_Jeffers
No surprise to see that the place has gone under again. Lease terminated by Enterprise Inns on 15th Jan (same as the Fishermans Arms incidentally). It is immensely frustrating to see this place failing time after time. I've said it before but it should be knocking the competition out of the park. All it needs is a competent landlord, or more accurately, a competent pub company that don't charge ridiculous lease and rental costs so the lessee has no chance of survival. I sincerely hope somebody with experience can wrestle it off Enterprise and make it into something special that it always should have been.
4 Mar 2013 11:59
Another one on the market at the moment. Yours as a going concern pub/restaurant for £575k. Never a great pub. Be interesting to see how it goes but for the price there is a serious danger of this being a sizeable number of holiday apartments rather than a pub.
4 Mar 2013 11:37
Opens during the season, so the premises are still in the catering arena, but no longer a pub or a bar.
4 Mar 2013 11:32
The Admiral Boscarn, East Looe
This pub/bar, that has never been run to its potential may be on the way out. The entire property is on the market for £1.25 million, and is promoted as "land" rather than "pub". Apparently any talk of Wetherspoons was turned down by the town a while back as it would have killed off any other pub in the town.
4 Mar 2013 11:25
The Fishermans Arms, East Looe
Sadly this pub is now no more. The lease was terminated and the premises taken back by Enterprise Inns on 15th Jan 2013. A local told me that the lease is £30k and the rent is £500pm so there is little chance of it coming back in my opinion. Shame, it was one of the only proper boozers in Looe.
4 Mar 2013 11:20
The Garrick Inn, Stratford Upon Avon
Spent a weekend in Stratford and went in The Garrick due to its appearance in the GPG. Beautiful old building, lots of old photos. Cracking Sunday lunch, and good beer.
6 Jul 2011 09:41
The Salisbury, Leicester Square
Visited here with a couple of German friends on their first visit to England, last Saturday. The place is one of the few London pubs with the original Victorian fittings. Polished wood, glass and mirrors everywhere. Good selection of beers, the Wells Bombardier was superb. The service was second to none, whether it was "locals" or tourists, UK or otherwise. My server was keen to let my friends, (uneducated in the way of the real ale) try the beers on offer, the food was good, hot and quick, and I could see that all the staff were happy to talk to customers about what they want, not just throw lager at them.
By the way, my German friends thought the Bombardier was excellent.
28 Apr 2011 08:32
Went in on a Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago and the place was packed. However, service was very quick by a team of hardworking bar staff, and the ales were excellent. Tiny narrow pub makes it difficult to get to the back of the bar but as other posters have said, it is well worth at least a quick visit, but don't expect to be able to sit down.
28 Apr 2011 08:27
Was in here last weekend and the place was absolutely full, standing room only. Food looked good, and the Doom Bar was in good nick. Best sociable pub in Looe.
2 Mar 2011 18:09
Place was always a bit of a shambles. Glad to see it has finally gone.
The Rusty Bucket is a little way off opening night I would say. They will have to get their skates on to still call it a "spring opening" as it says in the window!
2 Mar 2011 18:07
Agree with Midlandale below. This place doesn't know what it wants to be.
It has one of the best sites in town, the best view, and is visible to attract the punters, yet it is an strange mash-up of bar, pub, club, restaurant, sports bar, karaoke bar, etc. Since I last visited the inside has been made over, and all new furniture and upholstery which has made a big improvement.
We were there to catch the Six Nations rugby on a Saturday afternoon and in th past this would have been crowded for that. Not today.
Beer was average, service was adequate, view still spectacular, rugby was quality (England 17-9 France) but it is a lost soul when it should be packing them in.
I think the hot stone steaks are a mistake in the bar (although the meat looked great). The smell just lingers forever as it keeps sizzling long after it was served.
No sign of any kids running about as other posters have noticed, but the place needs a swift kick up the back passage by someone who wants to make the most out of what should be Looe's number one boozer. Lose the karaoke for a start.
2 Mar 2011 18:03
Very old, traditional pub in a fishing town. I can understand what some posters are saying, there was a "gang" at the bar, but then all pubs have this to some extent - what's the problem. Didn't have a problem joining in with that.
They have tried to make one bar the Family Room with the pool table, but I would never say that this is a "family" pub. It's still an old building, with a traditional view, and I for one want more of these places to stay.
It needs a bit of loving care, and if the outside was more eye-catching across the water at night (maybe floodlight the outside), they might pull the punters across from the East side.
2 Mar 2011 17:54
It is the only pub in Hannafore "round the corner" from West Looe. Lovely position and a great view over Looe Bay towards the Rame Head. We were staying round the corner so it was a nice local. Friendly landlord who came for a chat when we first came in (I believe he used to run The Jolly Sailor in West Looe).
Doom Bar and Tom Sawyers Tipple were good beers. Tried the lasagne on the evening we ate. Large portions, tasty and good value.
Not really a "pub" pub, but a useful watering hole where you can have a pint with one of the best views to look at.
2 Mar 2011 17:48
Visited on a Thursday lunchtime having walked from Looe along the coastpath. Haven't been here for five years at least and it looked very different to what I thought. L-shaped single room with the bar on the inside of the L, sideways on to the door as you come in.
Still, it was absolutely packed (it was half-term but not many kids in evidence) and we just managed to squeeze in. Food very fish based, which is good considering where it is, and good quality. No complaints bout the beer either! Set me up for the return journey.
2 Mar 2011 17:43
The Noughts and Crosses, Polperro
Still very much an ex-pub and no further action seems to have taken place when I looked in the window.
2 Mar 2011 17:38
Visited on last Saturday lunchtime and the place was doing a brisk trade for locals and visitors alike. This is what I would call a real Cornish pub - a bit dark and a bit worn, but lots of beams, well kept beer, good basic food. Somewhere that invites you to take refuge when the weather is bad (like it was that day). Doom Bar was excellent, and the prawns in my baguette were as if they had just come off the boat. Maybe they had.
2 Mar 2011 17:36
The John O'Gaunt Inn, Hungerford
Landlord tries hard but the place is not welcoming from the outside. The pub is looking tired inside and out.
Apparently Greene King are not renewing their lease - planning permission is currently in place to update the place and put it back to a suitable state before they hand it back.
So as the Town and Manor of Hungerford own the site, they will now have a to find a new lessee for the premises. We will see what happens.
4 Jan 2011 14:37
The Longs Arms, Steeple Ashton
I have visited here a few times with my friends from the village and I have always received a very warm welcome. The menu is encouragingly short, and evidently cooked on site. It is of a high quality complemented by the good service.
The beer is well kept and I assume it is a free house because In the summer, they host a beer and cider festival with live music in the large garden, which is justifiably well attended by beer drinkers, families, locals and their children alike.
The locals well support this pub, and it is well worth a visit for a meal or just for beer.
29 Dec 2010 21:43
The Plume of Feathers, Hungerford
Living locally, we come in here fairly often. We have always received a very warm welcome and enjoy the convivial atmosphere. Ruddles County is very well kept and the wines are varied enough to offer a good choice by the glass.
A short food menu is evidently prepared on site and is always good.
You don't have to be a local to feel welcome - It's a good pub to just walk in to, but beware that it is closed on Sunday evenings.
It was recommended to us, and I would recommend it to others.
29 Dec 2010 21:27
On my only time in Ely in October , this one required a visit as it is in my GPG 2009. Was early Friday evening and busy with "blue collar" and "white collar" afterwork types, plus people just having a pint like myself.
Can see that in the summer it must be a lovely setting away from the centre of town, and I thought it was OK. Didn't eat there but the beer was fine. Does enough to be a 'lucky dip', but I couldn't see how this could have been a Main Entry in the GPG in 2008.
6 or 7 out of 10.
6 Dec 2010 12:01
Went in during a weekend stay in Ely, and found it the best pub in the town and the most welcoming and convivial. Yes I would agree with other posters that it is a bit of a private members club, but a polite one with a good atmosphere, good Shepherd Neame and polite service.
6 Dec 2010 11:52
Agree with edb543. I live locally and have only popped in once since the relaunch to see what it was like. Excellent service, nice atmosphere, emphasis definitely on food.
Now known just as "The Halfway". The "Inn" part was dropped when they repainted it!
Also for info re posts below, The White Hart at Hamstead Marshall has closed.
With a large amount of bias (as it's my local), go to The Downgate in Hungerford for superb beer ...
19 Nov 2010 00:44
The Shepherd and Flock, Farnham
Great pub in a very bizarre position. One of the few places where you legally drive on the right - for about 5 yards to get off the roundabout.
Always had a huge choice of ales, and sitting outside in the sun watching the cars stream by is odd, but curiously enjoyable.
Hog's Back TEA is a particular favourite beverage here.
19 Nov 2010 00:32
The George and Dragon, Salisbury
Used to be my local when I lived in Salisbury 1996-2000. Used to be a very popular locals pub, with some passing evening trade and a crowd from the Friends Provident office directly opposite on Fridays!
Went back lunchtime today for the first time in about six years and the changes have only improved it further without losing the pubby feel. Pleased to see that Linda was still behind the bar despite a number of ownership changes over the last few years.
More inviting now you can see in better from the street. Good London Pride for �3.00 (same range of beers as poster below says). Short food menu, good service. Free house.
More light gets in and the extended area out to the garden means more room without making it feel like a corporate chain pub. Piped music, TVs for sport (sound off when I was there). Didn't go outside but garden looks smart for November!
Would definitely recommend going in here - only 200 yards or so from the Market Square.
19 Nov 2010 00:26
The Haunch of Venison, Salisbury
mendes - you may be right. I think it was a Courage pub cos it definitely used to have Best and Directors when I first went there in the 80s and 90s. I thought it still had the same licensee - Tony Leroy (but maybe he's gone or in abstentia) - and that he owned it outright. Either way, it is definitely a disappointing boozer from the good ol' days of late 80s early 90s.
17 Nov 2010 16:37
Have just come back from a first visit to this pub, and it is truly astonishing what is so good about so little. No draught lager, no mobile phones allowed, no music, no fruit machines/jukebox/video games, no pool table - just drinks and chat. The food is filled rolls, ploughmans' lunches and soup for the winter. That's it. What else do you need?
Beer is superb Arkells 3B, Arkells Kingsdown and West Berkshire Donnington Castle - at least that is what I had. There are probably more.
Although a Wednesday lunchtime, this pub was busy (although some locals said it was quiet!) friendly, warm and welcoming. Everything the GBG and GPG have said about it is true - this is a very special pub for beer and socialising. Has been run by the same family since about 1750 I was told. Had a good chat with 2 locals who I had just met and we were buying each other drinks within the hour.
There is no carpet because of all the walkers who come in. There is no bar! They have a number of "serving hatches" instead which is like a ticket booth. Some tables are inside the old bread ovens built into the wall. There are old photographs and business cards all over the walls (some of those people must be dead by now, the cards are so old!), wood tables and stools everywhere in an odd shaped pub, so it can be a bit of a squeeze past people sometimes I imagine.
This pub is CAMRA Regional Pub of the Year 2010 for South Central and it is easy to see why. They are therefore in the last 16 for the National title. The Bell has also been in the GPG every year since it started in about 1983 - not many pubs can say that.
It is a little difficult to get to across country, by OMG is it worth it - just make sure someone else is driving...
17 Nov 2010 16:28
Doggetts Coat and Badge, Southwark
Had lunch on a Saturday back in September. The Founders down the round was heaving because it is the local for Tate Modern. However, this place was comparatively deserted and a great place for beer it is too.
Food was OK, but this is a beer site. Went upstairs where we sat looking over London and had a chat with the very knowledgeable East European barmaid who was studying to be a cellarmaster and kept bringing tasters to discuss, as she wanted to know our thoughts on English beers. It was a difficult job, but stiff upper lip. Can't remember anything that was on the beer list now.
Not all bar staff are untrained monkeys - she would grace any beer orientated pub with her knowledge. I will go back there anytime I'm near.
16 Nov 2010 23:32
Beautiful example of a London pub. High ceilings, polished wood and brass. Good beer, good service, well worth nipping down to the Strand for a swift one if you are in Covent Garden shopping.
16 Nov 2010 23:24
Dexters Bar and Grill, Basingstoke
Oh, and it's not Dexters anymore, it's renamed as a Giraffe chain restaurant now.
16 Nov 2010 23:21
Dexters Bar and Grill, Basingstoke
My office sometimes use it as an after work drinking club for 5-7pm but that's because it's close. In reality it's a burger restaurant with a bar area attached. It ain't no pub! At least the bar staff know how to serve drinks correctly. No real ale in here of course.
16 Nov 2010 23:20
Definitely a gastropub, but the beer and the service is top quality. Attentive, sharp-eyed staff. No wonder this is the WINNER of The Publican Awards National Customer Service Pub of the Year 2010.
16 Nov 2010 23:15
Definitely benefits from being off The Wharf (the main drag along the harbour) - more of a traditional pub, with a good atmosphere, good beer, and good service.
16 Nov 2010 23:08
Used to be a great "two level" pub with outside tables and live music downstairs, and the more foody area with views over the water upstairs. Agree with all the posters wishing for the good old days. Went here in August after a couple of years break and it was a serious disappointment in its corporate guise.
16 Nov 2010 23:02
The Haunch of Venison, Salisbury
Definitely a Salisbury landmark, one of the oldest pubs, etc. etc. This is one pub that has been ruined by the smoking ban! It used to be tobacco smoke, orange stained ceiling, chimney fires every month, cobwebs, creaky floors, friendly crowd (suits and market workers all together).
Seems to have nosedived more since I was last there, but if you are visiting the city, go in if only to see the beams, the black and white chequered tile floor, the pewter bar counter and the "House of Lords" seating area up the steps.
Last I heard it had been in the GBG every year since the start, one of only twenty or so. I wonder if it made it to 2011's Guide?
16 Nov 2010 22:57
Clearly Doom Bar is something that not everyone enjoys. Surprised at the use of "omnipresent", it is brewed in Cornwall after all - Cornwall likes to keep it Cornwall.
Love the sloping tiled floor and the low beams, plus the old photos of sharks that people have caught over the years.
16 Nov 2010 22:49
The Fishermans Arms, East Looe
I used to have family ties with Looe, but if I ever go there for a weekend, it is the boozer of choice. The Fish is a pub where the pub-lovers go, and the emmets can go somewhere more packaged and plastic. Packed, hot, noisy, friendly, good beer, peatsmoke from the fire. Love it.
16 Nov 2010 22:45
The Star has gradually been turned into a quality village pub since taken on by Tufty and Jane the licensees since 2003. Took them a few years to haul it out of the mire left by the previous licensees... ... but the effort shows.
The beer is good, the range is good and it is ever-changing now it is a Free House. The decor, atmosphere, service, facilities have all improved immeasurably as they have regularly updated/replaced/changed things along the way. Regular live music, and at other times, an eclectic extensive personal CD collection played from behind the bar. Landscaped outside area at the back of the pub, plus seats out front.
Food is no longer Indian but is now "modern English Bistro" run as a franchise under a keen new chef. Short menu, quality food. I have tried it!
Was my local from 2001-2008, and have been back regularly since. The kind of pub every village should have.
16 Nov 2010 22:38
Footnote to the below review - Pub is in 2011 Good Beer Guide (fifth year in a row).
16 Nov 2010 22:21
A proper pub aimed at the more "mature" punter. Beer is superb (Arkells 3B and 2B), three different areas to sit in, tables outside with views over Hungerford Common. Homecooked food, piped music (quietly!).
Friendly local crowd (I'm one of them), dogs welcome, near the railway station, and only a walk up the hill fom the High Street. Plus, you are guaranteed to find it warm in the winter, this place is never cold!
The other interesting features are spectacular flowers in the spring and summer, caged birds on the roof over the door, and another chattering away in his cage by the fire.
16 Nov 2010 22:20
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The Noughts and Crosses, Polperro
Contrary to previous posters - Didn't have time to go in but it seems that this is a proper functioning pub again by the look of it. Landlord seems to be trying hard to offer an alternative to the 3 pilchards and the Blue Peter. Hope it works out.
4 Mar 2013 12:04