BITE user comments - robinbrum
Comments by robinbrum
The Case is Altered, Five Ways
Been there a couple of times. At first it reminded me a little of the bar scene in American Werewolf In London where two strangers come in and the whole room goes quiet and looks at them...a little unnerving but maybe I was just being hypersensitive. It's a pub that's slightly off the beaten track after all.
Really excellent ale in very tranquil surroundings. Need one ask for more?
I'd love to see some American tourists wander into there...or better still golfers!
19 Mar 2014 11:29
Not the sort of place you want to go to impress on a first date...wait at least until the third or when you've had your wicked way...
This place can be completely heaving at 8 AM with hardcore drinkers and lots of slightly dodgy types. That said, i have never seen any trouble there.
Biggest challenge here is actually getting a drink within 10 minutes of approaching the bar. Forget about fist come, first served - it's a complete free for all.
Without doubt the worst Wetherspoons I have been too and definitely the worst bar staff anywhere on this planet.
18 Mar 2014 20:44
The Railway Inn, Leamington Spa
Appears a little rough and ready from the outside but it's not a bad little boozer. Locals are generally friendly and it's easy to strike up a conversation (if you so wish).
Decent beer and staff too!
18 Mar 2014 18:05
Nice refurb, friendly staff and the finest pint of pale ale (Lapworth Gold) you could ever dream of tasting - served in a jug too!
Class act.
24 Feb 2014 18:46
Excellent range of ales and very knowledgeable barman, this is clearly a serious drinking establishment...nice atmosphere though and welcoming to newcomers like myself (on the recommendation of my sister).
Not a draught lager in site...keeps the riff-raff out! There were bottled lagers though and some very obscure and rather pricey porters if you're looking for something a little more unusual.
Has a lovely cat too, sitting nonchalantly on the end of the bar, perfectly at one with his/her surroundings...as were all of the drinkers!
Great little boozer, highly recommended.
4 Feb 2014 06:59
Have to say to the last reviewer, your remarks don't surprise me as the ale supped there back in Easter was the foulest I have had in a long time. Not a place you would want to linger, I left the remaining half pint on the bar...it probably got served back up again just as you described!
23 May 2013 13:13
Some good ales if a rather limited selection. Very small place and definitely comes under the category of a restaurant with minor provision for drinkers who are are slightly shunted to one side for the diners. Friendly staff though and when you can sit outside in the summer months there are few better places to be when sipping a pint of your favourite ale and taking in the spectacular views of the Warwickshire countryside.
Location is everything here.
16 May 2013 11:02
I visited today after a hike across the Clent Hills and having found the Hill Tavern closed - as per norm it would seen - I have to say I felt like I was entering a restaurant, definitely NOT a pub. The staff were not unfriendly but I certainly felt out of place and was ushered to a little table near the bar complete with place mats, polished glasses containing neatly folded napkins and gleaming cutlery. Well at least I ordered a packet of nuts!
On the plus side, the beer I ordered was an excellent, fruity number from New Zealand of all places, the name of which escapes me now.
Very nice, olde worlde place, if a little on the small side but definitely NOT a drinking establishment.
26 Sep 2012 23:31
For some reason this has now been renamed the Hatton Arms...I hate it when pubs change names that have been established for years. I think some time ago the new management decided to abandon the bikers' evenings as they didn't want to be associated with them anymore...a shame for all concerned. Went in there this evening and no question it's a lovely looking place and very tastefully decorated but that will fade given time. Slovenly service from disinterested bar staff who looked like they'd rather be doing anything else than serve you (one of them was polishing glasses for a good two or three minutes before he deemed it time to serve me - I HATE that).
�8.50 for a pint of Pilsner Urquel, a Bells and Orange Juice. Guess who's paying for the refurb???
I shan't be going back in a hurry?
1 Apr 2012 23:43
Popped in for a couple of pints recently. Must have been the only pub in Oxford that wasn't showing the royal bloody wedding so I warmed to it straight away. Guiness was excellent, friendly staff. All in all seemed a cozy,cracking little pub. Would like to go when there's some music on.
3 May 2011 14:37
There were chalked-up signs outside on the day I went, one of which read something along the lines of mind where you put your wallett,the other read "Where Even Despair Dies". Intrigued I went in and ordered a pint of,ahem, Hobgoblin. You know, they weren't being ironic. I was there on the day of the royal wedding and what a shower were assembled in front of the huge screen like it was extra time during an England game. Couldn't get out quickly enough.
Fair old pint though and a decent price too. Maybe I just came on a bad day. Oh yeah,it was the royal wedding!
3 May 2011 14:32
The Benjamin Satchwell, Leamington Spa
I have to second the last remark. On a bad day this is probably the worst example of Wetherspoons you will find anywhere in the country - the poor service is legendary. Nearly as bad as the Square Peg in Brum but with an ever so slightly better class of customer.
Wetherspoons - where would we be without em??
25 Jul 2010 19:56
The Blue Bell Cider House, Hockley Heath
Went for the fist time tonight to this pub I had heard so much about. Found the staff very helpful when it came to advice on the ciders of which there was a pretty good range. Simple, unpretentious pub that is cozy and inviting. Nice to find a country boozer that has probably hardly changed over the decades. Gastro pubs are fine but if it's a good range of beers you're after in traditional surroundings you can't go wrong with the Blue Bell.
28 Apr 2010 23:54
Of all the Wetherspoons I have been in this has the worst bar staff who just randomly select a punter to serve like thery are playing eeny meenie, minie mo - regardless of who has been waiting longest(usually me). Very frustrating when busy. Staff more interested in chatting amongst themselves and definitely favour their regular customers over the occasional drinker like me. Of course there are always exceptions, today I was served quite promptly by a barmaid who actually remembered to say please and thank you.
Pub is very dark in the central part - bring a torch if you want to read a newspaper. Oddly enougb quitest section is in the family dining area whivh is also well lighted at the back. Just don't attempt to exit by the doors there - they are alarmed!
Could be a good pub, just the staff let it down.
6 May 2009 15:07
Quite nice, decent beer, friendly staff but somehow has the feeling of a private club rather than a pub, cliquey I would say. But a million miles from a Wetherspoons and that can't be a bad thing!
4 Jun 2008 14:33
A great big nothing of a pub, one of the very worst of the "Scream" pubs. But then what would you seriously expect of a "student" pub painted yellow?
Shame on me for going in!
4 Jun 2008 14:20
Great for live music in the evening(or was). Got character but some dodgy locals in the daytime.
27 May 2008 01:11
The Jug and Jester, Leamington Spa
Prefered it before the refurb, has a slightly more corporate feel, could be one of endless "chains" judging by the interior. Unique pub with lots of nooks and crannies to explore, still one of the best in town.
27 May 2008 01:08
This pub is currently indergoing a refit...not before time! Staff were friendly, back street location but has potential.
27 May 2008 01:05
The Hope Tavern, Leamington Spa
Haven't been for several months but I could quite easily say this is the least desirable pub in Leamington. Someone always seems to bother you in here. One small room with a pool table at one end which doubles as a karaoke bar at weekends. Strictly locals only.
27 May 2008 01:03
The White Horse, Harborne
The White Horse is a pub which has a lot going for it. Most importantly, real ale drinkers would go quite some way to find a better selection of beers and in my experience they are always very well-kept. It is a cozy kind of place with traditional bar and lounge and back room which is used for music evenings. The locals are a good mix and and I’ve never had a problem with them. It also has a lovely cat who is fond of sitting on the bar or will crawl up and make herself comfortable besides you, especially if you have left your jacket down for her to lie on!
What a shame then that the staff let down what otherwise would be a really top pub. On a recent visit I stood at the bar a little bedraggled after quite a heavy rainstorm. I was certainly looking forward to a drink. The place was barely a quarter full and the barmaid was currently serving someone and there was one other customer ahead of me. It took a good five minutes before my turn came round but I wasn’t complaining. Then , to my complete amazement, instead of serving me she dashed over to the corner of the bar to serve one of the regulars (I’m guessing) who had only been waiting a couple of minutes and was probably as dumbstruck as I was that he had got served before me.
I am a big chap and I was standing directly in front of the barmaid while she was serving. I was not waving my arms or making a fuss but I had my hand outstretched with a £20 note in it patiently waiting my turn. The barmaid, up until that point, appeared to be quite competent, having dealt with a large round of drinks in a courteous and efficient manner. You would have to be unbelievably incompetent not to notice it was my turn to be served next so I can only conclude she didn’t like the colour of my eyes or that maybe my nose is too big. I do look a bit odd but is that really a reason not to serve me?
Joking aside (?), the barmaid in question (about twenty-five, slim, shoulder-length brown hair and wearing glasses) clearly favours regulars above occasional visitors who don’t cluster limpet-like around the bar as many of them do in here. To me, that is an absolute cardinal sin in a pub. I’m not normally one to complain but I said, “Excuse me, it was my turn to be served next”. She looked at me with a smirk on her face and just said “sorry”. I pointed out that I had been standing in front of her for a good five minutes. She said “Sorry, I just didn’t notice you” and carried on serving her regular. At this point I was told to “calm down” by someone, presumably the landlady, who suddenly appeared from nowhere to put this stroppy customer in his place. What a shame she couldn’t have been so efficient in coming to help out at the bar when it was needed. I turned on my heels and headed for the door, feeling truly humiliated and with a still unquenched thirst.
I sent the pub an email complaining about the service. I received no response. No surprise. On another night with another bartender, this would not have happened but I am not the first on here to comment on the standard of service at this pub. The fact that I did not get a response to my email says it all really. They don’t give a you-know-what.
Cheers to the White Horse, what wonderful customer service.
11 Apr 2014 10:24