Duke of Wellington, Durham

Oh dear oh dear. This Pub has had the dreaded "refit." It has also had it's name changed, the old sign has been removed and it now simply says: "Ember Inns Dining and Pub" in huge letters, and then "At the Duke of Welligton" in little letters. Quite clear where Ember Inns wants the focus to lie then.

In my last post about this pub I wrote: "It's a generally pleasant place to go for a relaxed drink with a few friends." Well. sadly it's not anymore, half of the pub has been turned into a restuarant with the other half crammed full of tables and it's much darker and noisier. The clientelle was described by a friend as "up-market chav" - the kind of person who thinks that gastropubs are a cool, new idea. I also wrote "Food not great, but quite cheap." Well it's still not great, but it's not quite cheap anymore. Ditto the beer - to be fair they've kept the usual good choice of ale but the prices have gone up considerably - I now pay more for a pint of Landlord than I did in Cambridge!

A real shame, as this was a really nice place to go for a quiet drink and some quick food, it was just the right sort of business and felt quiet and relaxing. I'm afraid to say that we've now started to look for another place to drink, as I doubt we'll be going back.

15 Apr 2011 16:15

Sinclairs Oyster Bar, Manchester

The other posts pretty much sum it up. Used to be really good, is now terrible. The reason for going to a Sam Smiths pub is either OBB or AL but they've now been removed. The beer is also served in plastic glasses and the staff are awful. Shame as I started my stag do here when it was a good proper pub, but wont be going back. Avoid at all costs there are plenty of good pubs in Manchester.

17 Sep 2010 19:38

Dog & Gun, Bearpark

Awful pub. Nothing on cask, the gassy 'beer' which I was served (cant remember exactly what it was) tasted foul and made me feel very sick the next day even though I only had a pint. Noone else in except me yet the big screen television was on showing eastenders with the volume on full blast, which didn't make for a nice atmosphere at all. Decor tired, floors sticky etc etc. Very friendly welcome but really not worth a trip out.

17 Sep 2010 18:55