BITE user comments - simonpalmer
Comments by simonpalmer
Former cinema. Lovely architecture. Unfortunately now a pub.
13 Apr 2005 17:32
Good live music venue - one of a dying breed. John Farrell isn't exaggerating when he calls it the best live music pub gig in England. It definitely is now the Wheatsheaf in Stoke has been taken over. Don't go if you're expecting a quiet time!
13 Apr 2005 17:29
Good food, service not bad. Greatly improved following a slump a few years ago.
13 Apr 2005 17:25
The Marquis of Granby, Penkhull
Good pub, staple of Penkhull life for many years. Service is sometimes a little slow due to staffing issues, but probably the best pub in Penkhull.
13 Apr 2005 17:24
A listed building, The Greyhound is thought to have once been Penkhull's courthouse. Received negative publicity in the late-1990s when new management took over, but has improved again now he's left.
13 Apr 2005 17:22
Much improved since the retirement of Brian, the self-styled most miserable man in Stoke. Food improving all the time.
13 Apr 2005 17:21
The Ironmarket, Newcastle under Lyme
They need to sort out the clientele - people were throwing empty bottles last time I visited.
13 Apr 2005 17:17
Classy joint, slightly overpriced. Worth a visit nevertheless.
13 Apr 2005 17:14
Arnold MacHin, Newcastle under Lyme
The former Post Office. Service is about as slow as it was when the GPO owned it, except they've disposed of the queue rail. Not badly done out, but as per most Wetherspoons, it's the second home of various alcoholics and derelicts after a cheap pint.
13 Apr 2005 17:13
The Wheatsheaf, Stoke on Trent
The Wheatsheaf used to be Stoke's premier live music venue, with a band on most nights including a large number of big names. Following complaints about noise (from whom? Nobody lives within half a mile of the place!), the Council terrorised the landlord out (who went on to run the Talbot up the road). The pub sat empty for a while before being taken over by the dreaded Wetherspoons outfit.
Nowadays, it is the smartly-decorated home of every retired and unemployed alcoholic in Stoke. And no music. It's like watching a loved one suffer a drawn-out living death following a stroke.
Food not bad, however! (Wetherspoon cook-chill standard)
13 Apr 2005 17:04
Really good for families, although you have to like the style of pub for it to work for you.
13 Apr 2005 16:56
Small rooms off a corridor. Good enough local, but some of the regulars will get uppity if you occupy the seat they've sat in since 1953. Reckless landlord.
13 Apr 2005 16:54
Gone downhill lately - fewer ales, greater prices, and tends to attract the football hooligan crowd on matchdays.
13 Apr 2005 16:51
Bit tacky as per all Flares bars, but overall not bad. Too many kids, though.
13 Apr 2005 16:41
The Jolly Potters Inn, Newcastle under Lyme
A series of tiny rooms and corridors - not many pubs like this about these days. Nice atmosphere, shame about some of the regulars.
10 Apr 2005 15:21
Good pub if you fancy a visit to casualty afterward. It has improved in recent times, though - the sawdust has been swept up off the floor and the spittoon put away.
10 Apr 2005 15:17
Probably the last good pub in Hanley. Cosy and inviting. The acoustic night on the last Sunday of every month is a must-see, especially the resident lunatic double-bass player who travels in from Birmingham specially and can play almost any standard you care to mention. Excellent roster of guest ales and friendly service. It gets very full on theatre nights, however.
10 Apr 2005 15:15
The Surgery Bar, Stafford
The best late-night bar in Stafford.
13 Apr 2005 17:33