Black Horse, Sidmouthback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I,'ve been here a couple of times and have been happy with the beer and the bar staff although there doesn,t seem to be a lot of interaction between the staff and the customers.
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We found thid place a little odd too be honest.
It has an interesting layout with a bar on two streets, when we first walked in my girlfriend said this is a coffee shop not a pub!
I thought the interior was fairly pleasant, my pint of otter bitter was ok but my girlfriends pint of fosters was flat.
I would go back.
6/10
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I think bdp is a bit harsh in his criticism of this pub. Yes, I agree the service and attitude of the bar staff is at times appalling, but it is an all-day catering establishment, which provides a useful facility for locals and visitors alike. I haven't tried many of the menu choices, but the all-day 6-item breakfast at �3.99 is good value for your money. And if you visit after 9pm on friday or saturday nights, you'll be entertained by some really good groups - for free !!
Like bpd's old gentleman, I've been ignored by the bar staff, and when that happens I go across the road to the Ship. My main concern is how they keep their real ale, and this is something the breweries should tackle, the Otter brewery especially. There is no excuse for serving a bad pint of real ale.
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Bad service, bad attitude, bad food.
I visited this pub on Saturday evening. Wasn't particularly busy which should probably have sounded the alarm bells.
We ordered our meals an 8oz burger for me and a lamb burger for my wife. Then the wait began. Whilst we were waiting an elderly couple came in and the gentleman stood at the bar waiting to order. And he waited, and he waited. Bar staff came and went, but the gentleman (the only person stood at the bar) was ignored. The lady that appeared to be the manager managed to speak to someone she new who walked up to the bar but continued to ignore the elderly gentleman.
Watching this going on I decided to intervene and the next time someone came through, which happened to be the manageress, I stood up and said 'Excuse me but this gentleman has been waiting for 10 minutes to be served'. To which I was told that she had seen him but was busy dishing out meals to other people and that was more important.
I responded that no one had even bothered to acknowledge his presence to which I was informed that she had been doing this for 20 years and she knew her job.
I was gob-smacked. And then our food arrived... The burger was worse than you get in McDonalds just plain between a soggy bun and if it weighed more than 4oz I'd be very surprised. It was overcooked around the edges and undercooked in the middle. The rest of the plate contained some chips which were ok, some lettuce and a small bowl of relish. For �7 I expect something far better. My wife's meal was even worse as you could hardly see the burger it was that small.
We ate and left never to return. Our family, who visit Sidmouth regularly, will never return and not only will I be leaving similar reviews on other websites but I have also written to the local paper.
There is no need for poor food, rude service and a bad attitude and the sooner these sort of establishments are eradicated the better we will all be for it.
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Had lunch last week. Decent pint of Otter Ale. The food was pleasent and reasonably priced. Friendly staff and seemed quite busy for a sunny day.
Worth a visit.
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A terraced pub with entrances from two streets. The exterior is a sickly kind of greeny colour, with this crude rusticated look.
The interior was open plan, with a foody area and a bar area. I was in the bar area, where chairs and tables still found room for the vogue sofa to snug into. The decor is wood panel and white, with beams and a bit of brick and there are lots of trophies and model boats around, as well as old pictures and memorabilia. There is a dart board and the background music fine. Service was very friendly and clientele mix and it was popular enough.
Beer; tap stuff of course, with excellent Otter Ale and Bitter on handpull, with the untried Adnams Broadside.
I really liked this place and would be happy to come back
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Served a pint of Otter Ale a few nights ago - could not believe that it was cloudy, because it is usually one of the best kept beers in this part of the county. When I returned it, the staff served me with another cloudy pint - unbelievable !!
For entertainment this is one of the best pubs in Sidmouth. Unfortunately, there appears to be very little proper management on these occasions, and all the customer gets is abuse for complaining about the beer.
What a shame, because this is where a really good pub falls down. I guess that, thanks to this wretched government, and in order to survive, the pub is forced to employ temporary staff that are not properly trained to serve real ale.
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I have just recently returned form a small break in Devon. I visited Sidmouth on a pre tour as I have heard of the sidmouth folk festival and I wanted to get the low down on the local pubs before my preposed visit to the festival this year (never been before). I read all the reviews on the pubs prior to my visit and I would like to add my humble opinion.
The Black Horese. Had not had the greatest reviews, but I felt this to be the most hospitalbe pub in sidmouth. There was a good varity of beer, I tried the local Otter Alle and also had a pint of Backs, no complaints on either. The menu was varied, a typical pub menu with no frills. However the food was excellent. It was fresh, cooked well, with a good service. Just what you want from a pub. I went back again at the end of my holiday as it was the best of the bunch.
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A place best avoided during the summer months when it is packed with tourists who can't be bothered to explore more than 100 yards from the shoreline. In the winter it is better - but not by much - as it is an average place at best - average staff, average beer, average food.
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The menu is basic but looks OK. It's only when you try that you get to know how bland and awful the food is. Vegetarians always get a raw deal, but this has usually meant you pay just as much for a basic Pasta meal as you would for Steak. In the case of this pub the Stuffed Peppers actually were raw! So you complain and what do you get? Nothing but indifference. If you are the slightest bit interested in proper food do not use this pub.
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Depending on which side you enter, either a pleasant but unexceptional pub popular with locals or a vast barn-like eatery catering for tourists. The ales on offer are limited but usually good and the food is good value and plentiful without being in any way inspiring.
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