BITE user comments - lynx
Comments by lynx
Chances of a decent pint in Redhill even less now, with all the handpumps ripped out of this place. Especially if you want some reasonably priced food to go with your beer.
Well done Toby. Never has a Wetherspoons seemed so alluring.
30 Apr 2019 18:15
Yes it has certainly gone up-market (down was not an option anyway) with a decent pint and very good Thai grub now on offer.
13 Nov 2018 17:40
The Jolly Brickmakers, Redhill
Great little street corner pub, though not actually on a street corner at present (though with this highway authority nothing is impossible). Usually 3 or 4 beers on tap, kept in good nick too, all from Marstons/Brakspear/Ringwood etc. Well worth a visit.
13 Nov 2018 17:33
Time for someone else to chime in? Nice friendly community pub, on my last visit serving a great pint of Larkins Traditional (there was one other, Harveys I think). Didn't try the food, which is now served Weds to Sundays. Recommended.
13 Nov 2018 17:24
Royal Oak Inn, Staffhurst Wood
Now a puffy cushion effort in the "Grumpy Mole" chain.
If you can stand the soft furnishings, the food is actually good, and not (quite) as expensive as I feared. But with all 3 ales now sourced from the Greene King portfolio, sadly this is another former rural gem that I won't rush back to.
13 Nov 2018 17:20
Now demolished. Hope they cleared the community group out first.
13 Nov 2018 17:14
Open evenings only now, but beer quality still good. "Volunteer" bar staff sometimes show their lack of experience, but this community pub deserves continued support. A great little pub.
31 Jul 2018 16:02
Probably the best pub in Redhill now, with the Garland in the doldrums. Always a good selection of ales on, including local breweries, and the food is well above average.
31 Jul 2018 15:58
Jon gone; and with him the management company that let the place run down so badly.
We'll see what happens next, and whether Harveys are really interested in restoring the Garland as one of their flagship ale houses. There is a lot of work to be done.
In the meantime don't expect any food, and do expect frankly hit-and-miss ale quality. Steve is running the show for now, and things are starting to look promising again.
31 Jul 2018 15:53
After a recent refurb, little has changed, except you now queue for the carvery in the opposite direction. I was so excited I nearly dropped a sprout.
The food is still good value, but go at a quiet time to avoid the chronic understaffing. I recently waited 10 minutes to be served, there was just one girl behind the bar, and still 2-3 people in front of me, when I heard the dreaded words, "I've just got to change the barrel..."
Time to admit defeat and move on. Sort your staff rotas out, Toby! At quiet times there's more people behind the bar than in front of it.
30 May 2015 03:37
A great little pub, always a friendly welcome. A good choice of beers, always changing, in top condition. Have a look around, the place is immaculate, yet has kept its atmosphere.
Food is quality cuisine at a fair price (for the area) but portions are on the dainty side.
30 May 2015 03:09
The Station Hotel, South Nutfield
After a couple of recent visits I'd say it has definitely improved. OK the beer choice is pretty run of the mill, but it's well kept and the food is well above par, and good portions too. I'll go back.
30 May 2015 02:58
Seems to be doing well under the new management. Beer quality remains high and there's even been (gasp!) a guest ale, Proper Job from St Austell, along with the usual Harveys (up to 7 on).
Beer festival on 20-21 June, looks promising.
30 May 2015 02:52
Has a bit of a Wetherspoon feel to it (wood panelling, 2 floors, toilets downstairs etc.) but thankfully here the similarity ends as the service and ambience are way superior. And the 2 local C&F beers I tried, Golden and IPA, were outstanding, and at under £3 a pint good value too. There were 3 other ales on tap (including Hophead) and 2 strong ciders on stillage. This is a reliable outlet for good beer and gets very busy at weekends; its popularity is well-earned.
The long trek to the toilets does showcase a shabbier side though. Slerpy is right, some outlay is sorely needed here!
12 Sep 2013 00:57
I like this pub. Food is good and unpretentious, service is friendly and attentive and the beer well kept - we had excellent pints of Bowman's and Tribute, with Harvey's Best as the untried third, on our latest visit.
With two other recommended pubs within 30 minutes walk (the George & Dragon and Sportsman), and river, downs and museum on the doorstep, this is a great place for a day out, as relaxing or energetic as you wish!
17 Aug 2013 23:53
I've been coming here on and off for over 30 years and it hasn't changed much. OK it has - they stuck a dining room on the back about 15 years ago - but the pub itself, and the lovely garden with the views, feels unchanged. It's a good pub without being anything special, decent food at a fair price and a fine pint of Larkins - only the one handpump on my recent visit - and not so green wellie as the Rock.
So worth a stop if you're in the area, or if you've been to Annie's up the road (Queen's Arms) and need some food. 20 minutes walk up the hill from Cowden Station; you can roll back down in 15 if you've had enough!
11 Aug 2013 23:14
Three years on and no change, signs still up and looks like a pub so my hopes were high as I approached. But it's all a ploy to fool the unwary, as its very much CLOSED still. Fortunately only a few yards to the Fleur de Lys.
11 Aug 2013 22:51
Still CLOSED. Looks open with all the signs still up, but that's just a cruel trick...
11 Aug 2013 22:43
Docking? Isn't that what they do to dogs' tails? No wonder Eddie threw you out, watching someone docking in the car park is very tasteless.
It all sounds like a shaggy dog story to me...
20 Jan 2013 04:00
Private beach 0/5, Views of the Pyrenees 0/5, North Korean karaoke nights 0/5, Alligator friendly 0/5.
Despite these drawbacks this has been my pub of choice whenever visiting Croydon (admittedly as little as possible) for many years now. As an old fart who likes traditional, friendly boozers with consistantly excellent beer quality, this pub can't be beat.
20 Jan 2013 03:17
Wot, no reviews for 5 years?
Anyway this place has closed and was being refurbished over Christmas. Allegedly sold by SN (yes, another one) and to be reopened as a "gastro-pub". We shall see...
20 Jan 2013 02:48
Paid a visit here recently after a long absence and was very pleasantly surprised. Small, friendly pub with attentive landlord. Beers: well, the Pilgrim was so good we stayed on it all evening so I can't vouch for the other two ales on offer.
It's only a small pub and slightly off the beaten track. This is the sort of place that's worth seeking out and supporting.
9 Feb 2011 21:52
Most of the reviewers below have got it about right - if you like a basic, slightly old-fashioned pub with superb beer and cider straight from the barrel, then it's well worth finding. The home made pub grub is excellent too, and very filling. Landlord may be an acquired taste to some but he's a decent bloke who knows his stuff, and after a couple of pints of his House Cider you won't care anyway.
One point, if you intend arriving with a large group (which I did), he asks you to ring in advance as a courtesy, which is fair enough as it's only a small place and if the garden's not available due to bad weather you may not be able to get in! Which really would be a tragedy...
4 Sep 2010 02:47
The Ferryboat Inn, Hayling Island
This place is better than your average pub chain pub, seems it's improved since earlier reviews. Food is probably standard Mitchells & Butlers menu, but you can get a decent chicken and chips for �2.99, and more expensive stuff of course. Our food was very good. Bar staff are young but friendly enough. I had the Ringwood bitter which was excellent, and only �1.99 a pint (the other ale was GK IPA), so overall the place gives very good value. Location great, in nice weather you can sit outside and watch the ferry come and go.
Note: there is no bus from Hayling, to get here by public transport you have to get the no.15 bus from Portsmouth (every hour, also runs Sunday but a different no,), then the Hayling Ferry across to the island (every 30 mins at least). The nearest bus in Hayling is over a mile walk away.
30 Aug 2010 22:40
Hear hear, TWG. I hardly ever come here now (it's a bit out of my way, and it's not real King & Barnes any more) but it's still a good local boozer with an excellent, welcoming landlord. Sign that petition, if it's not too late.
C'mon Pilgrim Brewery, buy the pub and sell your beers there! (Or don't they travel that far...)
5 Aug 2010 01:43
The Skimmington Castle, Reigate Heath
Food expensive but good quality, excellent pint of Adnams Bitter, landlord very friendly and knowledgible about beer � always a good sign!
5 Aug 2010 01:36
This lovely pub has had a tasteful refurbishment since my last visit (which was some while ago). We popped in for a couple of pints, to find the Westerham Ale was not in good nick, maybe the end of the barrel. Landlady kindly offered to replace them, and the Harvey's was fine. Will have to go back now and try the food, it looked nice...
5 Aug 2010 00:05
Visited in June and this pub was CLOSED. Word was it is for sale as a private dwelling � what a shame.
4 Aug 2010 23:55
Large Greene King pub which manages to be a local community centre as well as a good restaurant. We had some excellent, quality food here, beautifully presented and good value, though portions a little small. (There is more basic bar food too).
I tried 2 ales, both GK, one was excellent and one acceptable (can't remember which was which exactly). The landlord was very welcoming and staff attentive despite the place being busy. On the basis of one visit I would recommend this place and will go back.
4 Aug 2010 23:52
Good, friendly boozer handy for railway station and always good beer on tap (if you like Youngs/Wells). Haven't eaten here since last year when they served standard "pub grub", quite acceptable for the price. Pop in for a pint if you're between trains - straight out of the exit on platform 3.
4 Aug 2010 23:40
I think TWG has it about right. For a chain pub/hotel the service is above average, carvery good value (before 7pm) and a decent pint of London Pride for �2.25 make a qualified recommendation. Especially as a couple of years ago there was no real ale at all.
And yes, everyone still calls it The Lakers so why can't Toby?
4 Aug 2010 23:31
I use this pub more than any other so I'm biased, but lovers of good beer will not need telling that this is the best pub in Redhill by far (and there are a few other good ones, believe it or not). Always 4 Harvey's beers on tap, sometimes up to 7 or 8 with seasonals etc., and always in top-notch nick. And if you come Mon-Fri lunchtimes you can try one of Lesley's fine home-made pies (if they haven't sold out).
Slerpy, your comments about the previous landlord are offensive as well as downright wrong. Bill was a gentleman, a welcoming host and a mean cellarman, did a lot for the local community, and is still fondly remembered. Thank you.
4 Aug 2010 23:19
The Garland, Redhill
What's all this "earthy authenticity"? Someone give you a smack?
Sadly for me, despite the refurb, this place is a shadow of its former self. Beer quality still too hit-and-miss for me to visit regularly, kitchen still closed, landlord best described as disinterested. Shame.
27 Sep 2019 16:20