BITE user comments - rah
Comments by rah
Looks quite nice from the outside but pretty horrible if you venture inside. Go back outside, turn left, and continue down the High Street until you see the Coat & Badge on your left. Go in there instead.
2 Jun 2005 16:59
Big chain pub overlooking Parker's Piece. Popular with local youngsters. You'll be lucky to get a seat at the weekends/evenings. Nothing special by any means.
2 Jun 2005 16:56
Handily placed between the station and town centre. A very average pub.
2 Jun 2005 16:54
Usual Wetherspoons containing their special blend of old men and chavs.
2 Jun 2005 16:50
I rate The Lamb a solid 6/10. Lots of pub guides rate this place much higher than that; the Good Pub Guide actually puts it in the top 3 London pubs, which I must admit I don't understand. It's popular with surgeons and doctors from Great Ormond Street and nearby medical organisations. Victorian old-style London pub; quite an expensive pint as I recall. Nothing special but ok.
2 Jun 2005 16:40
The Axe and Compasses, Arkesden
I'm afraid I only gave this place 7/10, but would probably have been higher if I'd stayed to eat. A good little pub in a pretty little village, and the menu certainly looked very tempting. This is the village where Steve Marriott died in a house fire, and the pub still collects for the fire brigade. There are lots of thatched cottages in the village.
2 Jun 2005 16:24
I quite liked it here, but it should be remembered that this is now a restaurant, not a pub. Not even a gastropub, but a proper restaurant. Good food; the Jamie Oliver link hasn't hurt popularity, so need to book.
2 Jun 2005 16:22
It's not really my sort of place - too much ice hockey/American sports on the tvs - but not too bad a pub. Service is alright and people are as friendly as in most London pubs (make of that what you will). I'm not a big fan of American/Canadian beer, so wouldn't be high on my list of places to go to. But I guess I'm not really the target audience, so no complaints.
2 Jun 2005 16:18
This is a dive, populated by old men smoking and drinking away their pensions. The only young people in there are visibly attracted by the price. Contains the kind of people you'd expect to find in a town centre Wetherspoons.
2 Jun 2005 16:08
The Elephant Inn, North Finchley
Great for watching football on the big screen. Good Thai food in attached restaurant. Used to be my local and served me very well.
2 Jun 2005 15:51
A good "traditional" pub, but extremely popular as it's by far the best known in Highgate, whereas in Hampstead there are quite a few well-known pubs for the tourists. Quite nice in summer and cosy in winter. The pub to go to if you're in Highgate.
2 Jun 2005 15:48
Spaniards Inn, Hampstead Heath
Very nice old pub with a great beer garden. Only trouble is the clientele. On a sunny day there is a pretty constant queue of Porsches waiting to get in the car park. And it's so well known that it is always rammed, so difficult to get a table for food, difficult to get served etc. A good pub, but don't even think about going on a sunny weekend. Go on a weekday instead if you can, after a walk on the Heath.
2 Jun 2005 15:43
The Earl of Spencer, Southfields
I'm very keen on this gastropub. Excellent food - far above the average pub (or gastropub), but prices are also more suited to a restaurant. Sometimes have to wait a while for a table as it now has a very good reputation for food and gets pretty busy. And they have a set number of each dish so they tend to run out of the popular items early on.
2 Jun 2005 15:35
The Alma Tavern, Wandsworth Town
Very crowded whenever I've been in there - standing room only unless you're very lucky/early. Good if you can get a table - known for good food.
2 Jun 2005 15:32
Terrible service for drinks. But it's famous as a gastropub, not really one to come for drinking.
2 Jun 2005 15:30
The Argyll Arms, Oxford Circus
Not a bad pub, nothing special. Very convenient for Oxford Circus so a good place for a drinks break when shopping, or a good place to arrange to meet people.
2 Jun 2005 14:54
Quite rare in that it is equally good in summer or winter. Good views over the river from the balcony or cosy inside. Gets very busy at times, especially weekends.
2 Jun 2005 14:44
Very quirky, very dark pub with an equally dark labrador. "Interesting" music selection, good atmosphere. Worth a look for something different.
2 Jun 2005 14:39
Very handy for Cambridge United and does excellent Thai food and good beer.
2 Jun 2005 14:36
Quite touristy for historic reasons (DNA discovered there; popular with WWII pilots), but a nice old pub in any case. The courtyard gets very busy on Sunday days. The food is unexceptional, canteen standard stuff, but the beer is tastier.
2 Jun 2005 14:28
This used to be a really lovely dark old pub, very popular with tourists. Now it's a shiny modern Hogshead. A terrible waste of a great pub. Fine, but hardly original.
2 Jun 2005 14:26
Small and very busy - not a combination that makes for a good night out, especially given that all the punters are local suits straight after work. Quite uninspiring.
2 Jun 2005 14:21
Have only been twice, but both nights it was "Eurovision night"! I think that pretty much sums this place up.
2 Jun 2005 14:19
Not a bad pub, though obviously gets busy given the location. In my distant youth I must confess to stealing a pint glass; I do apologise most profusely.
2 Jun 2005 14:17
The Porterhouse, Covent Garden
Ok, but over-rated. I've never understood the popularity of this place....
2 Jun 2005 14:15
Good atmosphere. Nice gastropub with local atmosphere. Ideal for reading the Sunday papers over a tasty pint.
2 Jun 2005 14:13
Doggetts Coat and Badge, Southwark
Looks horrible from the outside and not much better inside. Has a reasonable number of outside tables which is handy on sunny days. Only redeeming feature is the great view of the river.
2 Jun 2005 14:09
Usual Wetherspoon's, but with big screen showing football, music etc in downstairs bar.
2 Jun 2005 14:07
I'm surprised this pub has rated so highly - I like traditional pubs but not this one. The front room is ok, but not so mad about the back room. But then, I don't like Sam Smith's.
2 Jun 2005 14:06
Very busy, usually with tourists, and especially popular in summer, but an essential stop if you're visiting Cambridge. If you can't get a seat and it's a nice day, just walk to The Mill and get a pint to sit on the grass with.
2 Jun 2005 14:00
One of the best Cambridge pubs, especially in Summer. Good views over the water if you like ducks, punts and cows. Good stop on a summer pub crawl.
2 Jun 2005 13:54
Great on a sunny day if you fancy getting a takeaway pint and sitting on the grass by the river. On the downside, not much good for anything else. Very seasonal, but an essential stop on the summer Cambridge riverside pub crawl, along with the Granta and the Anchor.
2 Jun 2005 13:52
Great for a punch-up with local chav kids at closing time. Otherwise has little going for it apart from the very low prices, especially by Cambridge standards.
2 Jun 2005 13:48
Nice pub tucked away so tourists can't find it. Traditional, non-smoking, good food, good beer.
2 Jun 2005 13:46
I quite like this pub. Handy for pre-match drinks, and has a big screen and plenty of tables. Sometimes fairly quiet as a bit out of town but the food and beer isn't bad.
2 Jun 2005 13:44
Good location on corner of high street, and better than most Wetherspoons, but bit of a waste to go there with so many good pubs nearby.
2 Jun 2005 13:41
My favourite pub in London - very friendly local. The only pub in London I've ever given 10/10. Bustling, with great beer, great atmosphere, and usually the odd friendly dog. Good food, especially snacks like the Nachos topped with everything.
2 Jun 2005 13:36
The Duke of Hamilton, Hampstead
One to avoid on a Hampstead pub crawl. Full of bitter, depressed old alcoholic men talking about horse-racing when I was there (briefly). If you're there, you're within sight of Ye Olde White Bear, possibly the best local in London. Go there instead, quickly.
2 Jun 2005 13:33
One of the best pubs in London; the only drawback is that so many people know it!
2 Jun 2005 13:30
A good pub anywhere else, but overshadowed by at least two near neighbours in Hampstead: The Hollybush and Ye Olde White Bear.
2 Jun 2005 13:28
The Lamb and Flag, Covent Garden
Very old, traditional style pub. Fairly tucked away, so not quite as many Covent Garden tourists find it as you might think.
2 Jun 2005 13:24
A fairly dark scabby-looking Victorian pub. Sam Smiths, with all that entails. Personally I'd rather drink my own urine, but settled for the very similar tasting cider.
2 Jun 2005 13:22
Generally very busy with after-work office types. A very average pub - perfectly adequate.
2 Jun 2005 13:20
Not a bad little bar, with an incredible vodka menu. Great atmosphere, mainly because it's impossible to stay sober after the first couple of drinks. Quite plain and uninspiring-looking at a first glance, but you'll soon forget all about that.
2 Jun 2005 13:19
Quite small, very traditional pub. Perfectly ok for a quiet night; usually full of local office workers.
2 Jun 2005 13:16
The Shakespeare's Head, Holborn
Your usual cavernous Wetherspoons with little to recommend it except the prices. Better pubs close by.
2 Jun 2005 13:15
I'm a big fan of the Ship. Gets very popular in warm weather, but plenty of outside space and the food is very good. It's a good winter pub too - cosier than it looks inside. Good for a relaxing Sunday lunch with the papers.
2 Jun 2005 13:13
Nice pub. Can be a few too many rugby/rowing types, and very busy if the sun comes out, but ok beer, and the food is perfectly edible.
2 Jun 2005 13:10
Nice pub if you've been out for a stroll. Good garden if the weather's sunny.
2 Jun 2005 13:08
Probably the best pub in Putney - relaxed, friendly - has pretty much every thing you need for a good night in the pub.
2 Jun 2005 13:07
Bad even for a Wetherspoons. Old man alcoholic type pub. If you can't afford to drink anywhere better, stay in and watch television.
2 Jun 2005 13:05
Very good to watch football, or to have a drink with friends in a relaxed environment. An ok pub if you're a local but not worth a special trip.
2 Jun 2005 13:03
The Bar at tcr, Tottenham Court Road
This pub almost scored an adequate 5/10: it's reasonably priced but certainly nothing special. Unfortunately the introduction of the kareoke machine near the end of the evening means that it fell to 4/10. The music was too loud (and of exceedingly poor quality), forcing us to leave to seek more appropriate drinking facilities elsewhere. I wouldn't bother going back.
3 Jun 2005 12:35