Pied Bull, Enfieldback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Now yet again re-opened under another set of new management - this venerable old watering hole is once more an option for the thirsty appreciators of charming older buildings in the local area. The positives are that it still has a wonderful "hideaway" atmosphere, where you can lose yourself in a cosy nook the building and forget the world outside, some decent beer, good service and a nice choice of background music that is more obscure and eclectic than in many places (albeit with a distinct bias towards the 60's & 70's). The one permanent negative is that for anyone over about 5'10" in height, you have to keep your wits about you to avoid braining yourself on the low beams and ceiling - particularly as you approach the bar which is suboptimal for your chance of avoiding a nasty headache. The other factor which could be either a positive or a negative depending on your viewpoint is that it does seem to skew very heavily towards being a food based venue. That's not to say that you can't just have a drink, or that there is anything wrong with the drinks that they serve, but it does mean lots of the available seats and tables are reserved for dining customers. This might be a false impression and the Sunday that my Fiancée and I decided to pop in for a couple of drinks did happen to coincide with Mother's Day. We were allowed to take a table for an hour before the people that had reserved it attended though. Looking around at their Sunday Roast it was so impressive that as we reached the time we had to give up our original table, and as the early diners started to leave, I chanced my arm and asked if we could get a table for 2 for dinner and they found us one. We both had the Roast Beef and for around £18 each it is easily the best Pub Roast Dinner I have had in years - highly recommended. Generous portions of lovely tasty food.
I was drinking Neck Oil which was reasonably priced and dependably good.
Would like to come again perhaps on a quieter midweek evening to just have a few beers and relax in the lovely environment. All in all very good and if you are within easy travelling distance, worth adding to your "To Do" list.
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This is my reply to Tuppence's comment:
I've been a regular at the Cock Inn for over 3 years now. After work drinks, birthdays, any general gathering - we always celebrate at The Cock Inn, my good friend used to work there as a chef and I also know Katie.
I've done some freelance design work for The Green Dragon because my husband and I often popped to The Dragon for a lazy Saturday lunch and got friendly with the bar staff. I found out about The Pied Bull through staff at the Green Dragon. When we went to investigate - I was truly impressed.
My other favorite pubs include the Peahen in St Albans and The White Heart Tap (where I used to work years ago and have nothing bad to say about the pub or the owners), The White Lion (I'm good friends with Dave/the owner and my friend Craig works there too) - I'd give them all 10/10!
Tuppence - your comment are not fair at all! I was praising these pubs because I like them, I drink/dine there and I honestly recommend them to my friends! I thought I was doing them a favor - and you've turned it into a "fake rating"... what a shame�
I hope people will ignore the snobby comments and will go and see for themselves - then it all becomes clear - great food, good choice of beers and wine, friendly staff and cozy atmosphere, what else could you ask for?
And cheer up Tuppence � you don�t always have to moan and complain � leave some good comments! ;)
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It is, in fairness, perhaps worth pointing out that this place, the Green Dragon in Barnet and the Cock in St Albans are all owned by the same people. Then its worth looking at kisska27's comment history.
Not that she would pretend to be a punter to boost the favourable reviews or anything...
Onto the pub itself: Gann is right. It looks like a Country Pub from the outside, almost all country pubness to the place was removed a while ago under previous ownership. The new refurbishment simply moves it even further in this direction. Another pastel semi-restaurant in an old country pub. If people want to have modern restaurants, there are plenty of empty retail premises at the moment. Oh well.
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Very good refurb and the food is well cooked.Most main courses between �9 and �12 which is fair value given the standard of the cooking The menu isnt too long and there are only a few specials which mean that the kitchen can maintain standards.The ale selection is dull GK IPA,Old Speckled,Abbott etc but this is not really a place to quaff ,although on a sunny day punters do sit outside on the benches.Worth booking to get a good table in the conservatory,and most dining tables are occupied at the weekend lunchtimes.Best pub for food in the immediate area.
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The Pied Bull is under new management (as mentioned in comments below) and has been given great a "facelift".
This charming historical pub has gone through a fabulous transformation. Comfortable and esthetically pleasing d�cor, with modern features and yet in keeping with the building�s old charm. I strongly disagree that the pub has lost its character, if anything its been given a second chance! I hated the old red/orange carpets and dirty floors�. It may be ok for a pub but I would never order food in the place that looks dirty and dusty.
The dinner service was great, the food (sirloin steaks) were simply superb! The blond girl serving us was very helpful, unfortunately can�t remember her name� Other people in the dining area seemed to be having a great time as well.
My husband and I will surely recommend this pub to our friends, anyone local should give it a go � I doubt you will be disappointed.
p.s. there is a huge car park at the back and a lovely garden area.
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The Pied Bull has just reopened after being shut for a couple of months for a refurb.
It remains ostensibly a one bar pub with a conservatory at the back and very pleasant benched outside drinking areas to the front by the roadside and to the back on a raised concrete patio area.
The dark wood interior has been replaced by a much more modern lighter wood effect d�cor, and from what I can make out much of the money has been spent on lowering the floor in the bar area by a good few inches , so that a normal height bloke can approach and stand at the bar area without clocking your head on the beam ceiling.
Nearly all the seating is now laid out for dining and it now has more the feel of a restaurant than a pub.
It�s a Greene King house and had the usual range of IPA, Abbot and Speckled Hen including a GK stable guest of a Ruddles seasonal ale. Unfortunately the Ruddles pint I was poured was the end of the barrel, but this was quickly replaced with a Speckled Hen which was fine and the pump clip turned around on the Ruddles.
The menu is not extensive and a bit pricey compared to my remembrances of the previous food offering .
Although the club sandwich and ploughmans we ordered were perfectly fine, we did have to wait over half an our for them, and other tables nearby seem to be having trouble with correct orders as well as a long wait. Couldn�t fault the service and attitude of the bar and food staff, but looks like there�s problems in the kitchen after the refurb that let them down.
Now I used to like the Pied Bull because the low ceiling and wood beamed d�cor gave it the feeling of a rustic country pub as previous reviews have mentioned. And I�m sure those that are going to like the new clean modern overhaul. But I just felt the makeover has largely now lost this character and The Pied Bull is just the same as many other modern d�cor pub/restaurant you now find in abundance. Still a nice place for an outside beer when the sun shines though. They haven�t managed to loose that�.
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Good country-style pub, well kept beers but staff were a bit off. Didn't eat and didn't hang around.
BobOs - 23 Aug 2008 10:31 |
Attractive country pub, with a reliable choice of beers. Good range of meals or snacks, reasonably priced, staff pleasant, service good.
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Great old world pub. Good food served badly and slowly. Service generally slow. No smoking is bonus. Staff could be friendlier and more helpful.
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Good food spoilt by lack of attention to detail.
Long wait between courses. Waitress thought chicken dish orderd was a fish-pie. Dirty plates not cleared promptly. Hot sweets served so long after cold sweets that those with cold sweets had almost finished. Manager stated that cold and hot sweets couldn't be served together. Grudging apology from manager.
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Nice old-fashioned pub as long as you manage not to concuss yourself on the particularly low ceiling beams. Ideal place to drink if you are a smurf I would imagine.
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One warning about this pub - if you're six foot it's easy to bang your head on the beams at the bar, the ceiling is so low! I know, I've done it a few times!!
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I visited this pub about 3 years ago and decided to re-visit it on Saturday.The food was very good but the service from one of the barmaids was diabolical,I was standing at the bar waiting to order my food and she just ignored me then when she brought the food to the table she just plonked the plate down and left me without a knife and fork, I had to get up and take some from another table,she didn't even ask me if I needed anything like vinegar- it would have been nice on the chips, I think she wanted to go on her break-go on a customer service course, love.The bloke behind the bar and the other barmaid were fine-she was very helpful, giving me a taxi number. As for the pub it has been unfortunately opened up and changed, I prefered it before the alterations.
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great pub - excellent menu and helpful staff
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This is a smoke-free pub, which is something we appreciated. They also had an extensive and tasty menu, including traditional pub dishes and some more interesting specials.
I was also happy with the selection of real ales (London Pride, Green King IPA and Old Speckled Hen)
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