BITE user comments - Stein
Comments by Stein
Popped in to see whether the pub could be as nice on in the inside as it is on the outside. It was even better than expected. Cosy, warm. Fire crackling, some regulars purring at the bar. A range of well-kept ales served by kindly, bar man (wide of moustache, twinkly of eye), a large selection of malts along the shelf. A step back in time but without any of the faux-period relics and corporate-wide nostalgia you find in many other pubs. A gem.
23 Feb 2011 22:59
A long standing venue on the Moseley drinking scene, the PoW has undergone some odd personality changes in the last few years. It was refurbished a while ago and seemed to have ambitions of becoming a deli-dining-hog roasting pub - with limited success. The back room became a formal dining room and stood empty. Now refurbished and with an extended bar, it seems to have improved. A wide range of good beers on tap and a buzzing crowd, who may have jumped ship from the similar pub-not-pub The Fighting Cocks. Popular garden area out back with covered seating area. And serving staff who collect empties and bring refills. How continental. Shame about the prices, which are certainly above average. This might explain the lack of barflies, bums, red-nosed academics and dissolute old soaks that made it such an institution.
15 Sep 2010 16:08
A pub that has mutiple personalities due to the range of people who come. Musicians in the evening sometimes accentuate its Irish profile. Proximity to city centre means it can also be a little rowdy, though not in a bad way. Best time to visit in my opinion is during the day. It's quiter, though never empty. The service attentive - especially if the landlady is present. The Guiness is good; as is the food - good value sarnies and the chip butties are the best for miles (am told the Scotch eggs are similarly good). It's comfortable, the snugs especially (where you can look at the old carvings of names and dates in the wooden surfaces). And there can't be many places that have a JFK room.
10 Jun 2010 16:05
The Hillsborough Hotel, Sheffield
There can't be many pubs where, on a Sunday night, the conservatory is slowly colonised by 30+ folk musicians (including a harpist, numerous fiddles, concertinas etc). It's not always like this mind. What is consistent is the beer: always a good selection, including the decent Crown beers brewed on the premises. I had one featuring a badger on the pump sign. I can't remember the name it was that good. The food is good value. Better for carnivores though (the veggie burgers are a bit disappointing). But that's am minor grumble. Great bar staff, friendly locals, eccentric music.
17 May 2010 18:50
Fantastic location. We often pop in after a walk and sit in the garden, which the kids enjoy because it has a long lawn, a climbing frame and sometimes a bouncy castle. Not that this is a gaudy funpub. It's an old buiding housing a traditional pub. A good range of well-kept beers, including Bradfield Ales from up the hill. The food is straightforward (but popular - it's always busy), the sandwiches are basic (though they used to be better: served on thickly cut bread not sliced packet bread), the chips great. The staff are very friendly - not always the case with pubs in fine locations.
7 May 2010 16:17
Between Loxley and Bradfield, this unpretentious pub is owned by the Bradfield Brewery, which means the beer is great. Good selection of Bradfield Beers (Farmers, Plough, other specials), including their stout. Really good value - as are the bar snacks. Haven't eaten there but plenty do - standard pub grub by the looks of it. The staff are freindly and the atmosphere is pleasant. No pub garden to speak of, just some tables by the car park, but if it's views you want just head out for a walk in any direction from there. A lot better than the Brewery's nearest pub in Bradfield, the awful Old Horns.
7 May 2010 16:08
This is the sort of pub you hope to find in the country rather than all those olde English, over priced, barely tolerant of passing trade places. Not a wide selection of beers but the Whim Hartington was very drinkable. Went in with my kids and made to feel welcome. The food was well priced and the portions enormous (partly as an apology for being a little slow in coming).
Friendly staff, nice atmosphere. And an annual hen race.
7 May 2010 15:48
A good place, this. Friendly staff. Wide range of regularly changing beers. Convivial atmosphere - middle aged but youthful; some students. Well attended music nights which are a mixed bag, some pub singers belting outs 60s numbers and some good blues singers. They advertise their Thai accomodation in the gents', which isn't something you expect to see in a pub in central Sheffield. Or in any pub for that matter.
7 May 2010 15:40
The Rambler Country House, Edale
Great location! Rubbish pub!
Didn't try the food after a very disappointing and pricey meal there a year ago but had a quick pint instead. Their website claims it offers 'a warm welcome'. Nope: the staff are as sullen and disinterested as ever. What a wasted opportunity this place is. Head down the road instead (not great, but much better) or pack a sandwich and a bottle of ale.
7 May 2010 15:34
The Junction, Harborne
Been a couple of times in the afternoon. Good range of (pricey) beers, continental lagers, some decent real ales (Purity ales for eg). Ambitious OTT menu, which claims to be tasty pub food though I don't recall seeing squid soup in many boozers. Naff decor which will date in a few years and then the pub will be overhauled to look like a retro 2009 pub. Staff were bored and listless. The sort of pub-not-pub designed for people who are disappointed by the poor range of olives and meagre selection of croissants offered in other pubs.
23 Feb 2011 23:23