Eagle Tavern, Rochesterback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Friendly service in a clean and comfortable environment. I visited during the day. The pint of Harvey's Susses Best was in very good condition. Worth a visit.
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Whilst on the whole it is ok and live music is always a bonus if you can hang about til 9 there is a certain arrogance about the fat sweaty evening barman ( he may even be the landlord for all I know) - the afternoon staff are lovely. I've seen a few occasions now where he's been rude to customers and now to top it off experienced it ourselves which following an evening of flat lager ( we had to get new glasses on at least 3 occasions much to his annoyance) is the last straw. It is unlikely we will come again which is a shame, as I've been coming here since I was a kid, but there are plenty of other bars on the High Street where the service is better and more local. Average pub, average beer, flat lager, good entertainment. It will always do business because of its location - hence the evident attitude of the barman.
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We visited this premises yesterday and must say i find the previous review quite the opposite to mine. My wife and i had a lovely meal in here, the staff were friendly, chatty and very helpful. I had a lovely pint of real ale, proving their place in The Good Beer Guide is justified, while my wife tried one of the speciality lagers on sale.Would recommend and definitely revisit.Well Done all at The Eagle.
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A real dump, avoid at all costs, bad beer, worse food, terrible service!
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The Mrs, baby and I popped in here on a rather quiet Monday lunchtime for a bit of food and a pint, and I have to say that although first impressions were a bit dubious (thought it appeared a bit studenty compared to the rather inviting frontage) we were soon welcomed in by (landlord?) Leon, who was friendly, chatty and helpful.
I had a pint of Tribute which was in fine shape, the Mrs had a vino, both reasonably priced. Food was your average pub grub, but done to a good standard. My burger was really tasty and the chips hot and crispy - no complaints here.
Overall I thought this place was good; warm and friendly service, good food and a decent pint. Can't say fairer than that.
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Not ostensibly a particularly inviting pub, but equally one that doesn't repel either - a good bog standard no frills local is what one might expect.
By and large that does seem to be what one gets - although beyond the initial impressions of the unremarkable wooden-floored bar area and further seating and performance area round the corner, there is a little more to this place than meets the eye. For a start there is a rather appealing and generous rear garden and decking area, which on a bright Spring day was the perfect suntrap in which to enjoy some sociable drinks. Beyond this, there is an entirely separate 'garden bar' which is an extension of the main building, and on the day I visited featured something of a mini beer fest, with a far greater range of cask ales for sampling than on the main bar - perhaps this should've been better-advertised?! In any case, it was gradually brought home to me that the Eagle has more merit than it might appear, and only a less-cursory visit allows this to become apparent.
Being Sweeps weekend there was the inevitable live country band plugging away - no worse than any of the others witnessed elsewhere - and the atmosphere was both welcoming and friendly. A pleasant Adnams Broadside was sunk and although I didn't stop to try the other beers this time, it's a note to self for possible future visits.
A pleasant surprise.
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good band playing in the bar and a good range of ales in the outside beer festival
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GOOD PUB SERVING GOOD ALE ATA GOOD PRICE, BARSTAFF VERY HELPFUL! WELL DONE EAGLE!
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Despite the raucous crowd and the music (hillbilly rock not being quite my cup of Bovril) and getting my beer in a plastic 'glass.... I didn't mind this place. It's unusual enough to find a music venue serving proper ale yet alone serving decent pints of it. The Reverend James was quite a nice pint. Of the multifarious drinking establishments on the High Street this is one of only two worth bothering with.
anonymous - 3 May 2010 22:56 |
From the Britannia at one end to the Eagle at the other....don't waste your time with any establishment in- between!
A good pint,Tribute,DoomBar and Rev James on draught,served well.Resonable grub,decent garden, a varied selection of patrons , live music and a Sunday evening Northern Soul bash-all of a better quality than the rest of the area!
I strongly approve....
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Great Music venue, however can get rowdy at weekends
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good selection of beer, but the seating plan, and the pillar that blocks the bands from many seating angle puts me off a little, likewise the decor.
decent pint of doom bar here though.
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As I pass along Rochester high street in the evenings about 9pm most nights, I have noticed that a lot of the pubs are absolutely empty during the week. Not so the eagle tavern which has developed into a great music venue. Wednesdays and Thursday are particularly good and I know they have jazz on sunday lunchtimes which looked well attended today. I have developed a nasty habit of not passing by now and am impressed by the friendly staff and management.
They have a pretty good choice of beer and food and the real ale is always kept well. I did question one once and they immediately changed without a moments hesitation. As the landlord said,he would rather be known for keeping a good pint and the punters happy than quibble about one wasted pint, which was a refreshing attitude.
Weds and Thursdays are the music nights tend to be a slightly older crowd (25 +) with a friendly atmosphere and the weekends (fri and sat) are more for the younger crowd with a DJ, They do an acoustic night on the sunday night too.
Reading earlier reviews I imagine it has a refurb since they were made as it is a well kept pub and a great beer garden. Well worth a visit.
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I have been using this pub for the last year and would say it has come on leaps and bounds since previous reviews. The hosts, Nigel and Sandra have developed the place into the top music venue on the High Street with Jazz as mentioned on sunday afternoon and an acoustic theme on some sunday evenings including jam sessions and acoustic bands.
Wednesday night features another jam session with a great variety of good and not so good (me!) musicians taking to the stage.
Thursday is band night and features top local bands including The Soundcasters, Alibi and Chix with Pix. A top night out and free!
The real ale is second to none on the High Street and well priced considering the entertainment provided.
The staff are friendly and efficient and the breakfast is a welcome solution on hangover mornings. The rest of the grub looked good too!
The pub was recently refurbished and is far from drab.
the beer garden is good and comes a close second to the one at the rear of Ye Arrow but that's only because its' got views of the castle and cathedral (although the beer isn't as good).
The only negative I would say is the trek downstairs to the toilet but that's a bit irrelevant now I have discovered there are Tena for Men to cover that situation!!!!!
If you are anything over 35 yrs old then I'd avoid it on a Friday and Saturday night as these are disco nights and not suitable for white suited swingers.
So, in summary, probably the best pub in rochester for entertainment, beer and pub grub with a good atmosphere.
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According to the barman this has just been done up inside, but on a sunny day you want to sit in the pretty good beer garden anyway...which is probably the best I've found in Rochester.
While they seem quite proud of their choice of ales none were particularly inviting, with only 3 pumps. And there's wine pumps on the bar, which is a bit wierd if you ask me.
Odd selection of customers from an arguing family to women on lunch breaks and a couple of old geezers. Apparently it's one of the best places to see live Jazz in Kent. Which means I'll definitely avoid it on Sunday lunchtimes.
Rating it a 6, mainly because of the beer garden.
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This pub is very different depending on what time of the day/week and what time of the year you visit.
During the day, it is completely deserted and has very little character compared to the other pubs locally. At the weekend, it can be pretty lively and gets very awkwardly full. When live music is on, it's generally an ok atmosphere.
The owners clearly make an effort but it really falls down in so far as that it is situated amongst much better pubs. Not one to go out of your way for.
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A large, well-lit and clean pub with an excellent garden located in the centre of Rochester high street. After talking to the staff (who were very friendly) I discovered that the pub has recently undergone a change of owner and full refurbishment. As well as the Jazz mentioned by other reviewers, I also found out that they run live music nights a couple of nights a week so will be venturing back to check them out in the near future. Beer was good and tasted well kept. I noticed that they also had a few real ales on as well as lager and cider, not being a real ale drinker I can't comment on them but will be taking back a few ale drinking friends to get their verdict.
Didn't notice any "unruly" customers as mentioned by the previous reviewer, maybe they shouldn't judge the clientelle on just one visit?
Would happily visit again and recommend this pub to others.
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The Eagle Tavern is bare, dull, drab, mundane and a little depressing. The white wash walls and scruffy flooring hardly elevated the experience. Clientele within seemed basic in intelligence and the music (well, �dance�) was too loud for a Friday afternoon. However, the outdoor area seemed spending and well kept. I didn�t venture out there, but staring out through the window was certainly preferable to making contact with the unruly crowd sat at a nearby table. One solitary ale was on offer, but this is a lager pub. The toilets are a bit of a trek down a staircase, but were pleasingly clean. Weather permitting, I�d perhaps visit for the garden, but with our weather, well lets just say, Friday (8th Feb) will probably prove to be my sole visit.
HTM69 - 10 Feb 2008 18:20 |
New landlord ,the London Pride had made way for Wadworths 6x,but the Bombadier ,and Fullers are still on, top class jazz on a sunday lunchtime as ever,free admission,but please support the raffle taken round by Johnny Jazz ,a well known local jazz ,and real ale afcionado!
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I've only ever been on Sundays where the (free)jazz feature the best names in the country. The atmosphere is absolutely fantastic,even if you're not that keen on jazz as there are some real characters, both on and off stage! The beer is pretty good too. Nice beer garden outside with decking backing onto the city walls.
anonymous - 17 Jan 2007 20:45 |
This is a very good pub if you like sunday lunchtime jazz all ages congregate here then ,the Bombadier is consistantly good at night it reverts to a kids pub noisy and souless.
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Rather uninspiring single room pub situated on the high street. 3 Real Ales - Bombardier, Speckled Hen and Young�s Special but didn't taste too good. A colleague complained that lagers were a bit warm. Beer Garden looked OK with good views of part of the old City Walls and drinking outside is probably preferable to sitting in the rather boring interior. Apart from a few local pictures on the wall, there is little to divert the attention away from the bare floor, plain windows and hideous cabinet housing the large TV screen that seems to dominate the room. There is a jukebox but volume tends to be a bit high. They do advertise live jazz and this is probably the best time to visit if you have to visit at all. In a delightful city such as Rochester, there are many far better pubs within spewing distance.
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This pub has changed a lot over the past five years. When I first went here it was a two bar pub - a bit rough and ready but with plenty of atmosphere. Then it went through a complete and expensive make-over to transform it into an open and airy pub with a delightful beer garden over looking a section of the medieval town wall and ditch. It had regular live musicians, and the beer was served in excellent condition. It was then bought up by the local pub chain - Veena Leisure. All the features of the make over have been retained, but somehow the atmosphere has slipped, as has the quality of the beer. The client�le are gradually slipping back to the old rough and ready days.
This is still one of the better pubs in the High Street, but I find the naked openness of the layout, combined with the assertiveness of the customers and the crude hand-written signs offering cheap burgers and cups of tea somewhat off-putting.
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