BITE user comments - garabaldi
Comments by garabaldi
Recently re-opened after a major refurb and re-branded as a cocktail bar called the Brickyard. Expensive.
30 May 2015 10:54
Unpretentious traditional pub with emphasis on dynamic and varied selection of ales and ciders. Many activities such as music features on Wednesdays and Bank Holiday Mondays, beer & cider festivals, regular Spanish language night, pub games. Lively throughout the week with loyal clientele.
30 May 2015 10:48
Was in this pub last Saturday evening. On the face of it, a good selection of ales but all had run out by the end of the evening, despite the pub not being overly full. Within 15 minutes of calling last orders and serving our last pints, the bar manager had slapped a couple of plastic cups on our table to encourage us to get out, then started ostentatiously swabbing down the nearby tables with disinfectant. I understand that pubs need to close within a certain time, but is it really necessary to make your paying customers feel quite so unwelcome ? Surely a little charm is a requirement in this line of business, but sadly absent in this place. Won't be going here again.
19 May 2015 11:03
This is a good pub to remember if you're looking for a quiet drink within a short distance of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. It looks as though it hasn't changed much for many years and it does have a lot of history and character in a shabby chic kind of way, with its unusual layout, wood panelling, stained glass windows and its associations with old literary figures. It’s a little gloomy but the Wheatsheaf Ale was fine and the barmaid was friendly and attentive. Recommended.
7 Sep 2014 14:28
Visited this pub for the first time this evening. Good location (close to centre but off the main drag). Comfortable but unpretentious decor. Good selection of local beers (Surrey Hills Brewery). Friendly staff. Tables in sunny spot out the front. Very pleasant way to spend a summer evening. Mystified by the low rating.
23 Jul 2014 23:04
I think this pub deserves better than a 4-star rating. The location is superb with a large bay and tables outside from where you get great views across the dock. The beer was perfectly acceptable - Fuller's Summer Ale is not the most flavoursome but right for a warm summer evening. And good value food - not something that's always easy to find so close to central London.
24 Jul 2012 07:26
The Wellington Arms, Southampton
The best pub I found while working on a contract in the Southampton area for 10 months. Traditional layout with two narrow bars on either side of the serving area, and extra rooms off to the side. Fascinating if somewhat chaotic collection of pictures and bric-a-brac. Incredible range of beers. Landlord is friendly and an enthusiastic quizmaster on Thursdays evenings.
4 Jul 2012 09:56
Just re-opened after a major refurb and has been re-branded back to its traditional name, the Great Northern. The general image is much improved from its rowdy old sports bar days - time will tell how it develops. Greene King stable of beers, but does serve Doom Bar. Very useful for a swift half before catching the train.
4 Jul 2012 09:26
This is a great old pub and full of character. But a word of warning - check your change ! Was very obviously overcharged on just two drinks twice in a row - that's never happened to me before in 40 years of visiting pubs. The two barmen did hand over more change when challenged. I'll be charitable and say they're very bad at adding up.
4 Jul 2012 09:05
The Blue Keys Hotel, Southampton
Visited on a very quiet evening but it looks a classy place, the staff were very friendly and they served a decent pint of Doom Bar.
13 Aug 2011 14:05
My first pub in Southampton after starting a new contract there. Bar staff served customers out of order, seemed to guess at the price of the beer and forgot to give change. And a terrible pint of London Pride. Waste of a great location, being close to the station and the theatre.
30 Jul 2011 11:11
The Royal Exchange, Paddington
Was a bit disappointed in this pub last night. It's quite cramped and it doesn't take many football fans from the play-off finals to make it uncomfortably over-crowded. The beer wasn't great, and neither was the selection. Moved over the road to the Rob Roy and had a much better time.
30 May 2010 10:53
Retreated to this pub from the cramped and over-crowded Royal Exchange last night. It's pretty basic but the beer was a lot better than in the RE, the bar staff were friendly and the atmosphere was lively. They've also got a good selection of Scottish football memorabilia.
30 May 2010 10:48
A great old pub with a good location for watching the world go by from the street corner bay windows.
19 Apr 2008 20:25
Wards Freehouse, Harrow On The Hill
Don't know how this place rates 7.6 - presume it has gone downhill a lot in the last 6 years. Depressing rundown exterior, bleak interior. No ales. My companions were back out of the door in less than a minute.
11 Oct 2015 12:03