please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Had one night to kill in Darlington last week and was recommended this pub by a barmaid in another! I wasn't disappointed. An amazing range of real ales, efficient staff, friendly locals and a cracking atmosphere. The bonus was a live band, Uncle Gilbert. If you are in Darlington this is one not to be missed.
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Spent a couple of hours in here on Sunday evening. Only tried the Dark Seam which was one of the best beers I've ever tasted.
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A hidden gem thats well worth finding - a mate of mine waxes lyrical about this gaff so I thought I'd go - I hoped I would be given the opportunity to prove him wrong and deflate his man ego ( sadly he was right about the travesty that is bar 22 up the road) - I could not. A cracking pub- a good selection of very well kept ales - I think there were 10 but when i left i wasnt really able to keep count. Very popular with music and beer fans and a very eclectic group of locals. Not one to take a lass to on first date beacause:-
A) You do have to at least try and behave and not sup ale and wax lyrical about it's all healing properties which is impossible here
B) There was a rather attractive goth lass who would turn the head of pope german rastenberger himself
C) Your date might make you take her there again thereby depriving you of the real ale bolthole you will need in the future when you have 2 screaming kids and she want to go to sharm el sheikh on holiday( by the way if you are already experiencing this issue you should be in 22 with the rest of darlo's pretentious w!!!ers)
All in all best place in darlo and perhaps for a radius of 30 miles. Just go!
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Down an alleyway with no signage of note outside it is easy to miss but is by far the best place for ale in Darlington. Had a good pint of York Red here in what is a smallish bar.
anonymous - 22 Jul 2012 11:51 |
Proper pub with good ale choice, including plenty of local brews, and a warm atmosphere. Beer was in fine condition and altogether the best experience of the day's drinking activities.
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Goos pub in Darlington, 9 real ales on when I was here. Didn't get a chance to try them all!
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Nice pub, has a very good standing with the local CAMRA people. Voted "Pub of the Year" on numerous occasions. Decent and ever changing selection of cask ales in good condition.
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Briliant pub with a very laid back atmosphere. Quite bohemian by Darlo standards. Outstanding ale selection and, more importantly, well kept and served. Not to be missed if in Darlo.
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A brilliant little drinking place - I always try to get a session in here when 'oop North' visiting relatives higher up the Dale.
Excellent and interesting selection of beers, ability to try before buy, and a friendly welcoming ambience from staff and regulars both. My favourite 'pub' in Darlo!
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Visited with a group of AFC Wimbledon fans on a very cold January Saturday. What a great place. Good range of ten local ales from the likes of Mithril and Toad. All ales tried were in top form. Very friendly and welcoming staff and regulars. So good we went back after the game!. Only downside is that its very small and gets packed quickly.
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The carrot crunchers return, very happy with 3 points off the Boro. It really is a great pub, we tried most of the beerrs, and we did not have a bad one, the stout and porter being particularly good. Very friendly staff and customers - Just about the perfect pub.
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Hi everyone.
Just letting you know things have changed somewhat since the last comments made regarding the pub. Brian Dourish and myself have been running the pub since Feb 2009 and are co-owners of the pub since Oct 2009. We have kept up and believe improved the standard and variety of Real Ale at the pub. This is a Rock venue having live bands every Wednesday night, and have just converted upstairs to an acoustic 'chill-out' venue. Steve Metcalfe no longer has anything to do with the pub, but we have continued his ethos, having achieved Darlington CAMRA Best Town Pub and Overall Winner for the last two years.
We don't serve food other than the usual snacks etc, however we welcome any hungry traveller who wishes to consume his/her food and hope they taste our ale during their stay.
I'm not going to rate the pub as I will leave that to others. Thanks for the kind reviews, they are most welcome. Cheers Garry
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Back up to Darlo for the weekend & of course spent much time here. Met ex-landlord Steve who has passed on the keys to no ill effect. Ten (!)!) pumps with a glorious selection & turnover, faultlessly kept. To my shame, I cannot remember the new landord's name but he was friendly and accommodating and I must apologise for my lapse of memory. The downpoint was turning up after a supper in the local pizzeria with a pizza box containing our leftovers. We were refused service by the barmaid because they 'don't allow outside food' (what happens if you are on your way home with a bag full of Taylor's pies??). TEN hardened drinkers then met elsewhere and spent the evening buying beer at a higher price. I expect that the Quaker lost around �200 in turnover as a result. Should anyone connected read this, please take note & clarify the rules for your staff. Having said that, if you visit the town & enjoy your beer, this is the place.
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Always the best real ale pub in Darlington & despite strong competition from the Britannia & Ralph @ 22, I personally prefer the atmosphere here. Steve the landlord never fails to recognise me on my (extremely rare) visits to my home town & I don't even have to specify a choice - he makes it for me & is invariably correct. I keep hearing the odd rumour about if being sold & that has been going on for years; I hope that never proves to be the case. This is how all pubs should be - welcoming, friendly and comfortable for regulars, exiles and strangers alike.
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Still the best beer pub in Darlo, period.
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Called the Quakerhouse, and located just off the Market Square, up a little alley, near Greggs. An absolute gem of a pub, I just can't praise it too highly. Four 'carrot crunchers' made to feel very welcome by customers and staff, the staff could not have been more helpful, and the beer quality was just first class.
We tried a good selection of beers, and all were served in excellent condition - Just a great pub, and well worth making the effort to find. No food is served, but the staff suggest you go to Greggs or the other bakers and eat it in the pub. Thanks to all for making us feel so welcome, and if the Smoggies don't go up, see you next season.
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A gloomy, dark, cellar like bar in spite of it being at street level. Basically a bit of a tickers pub with 10 handpulls carrying beers from mainly micro and smaller breweries. There is also A UK lager, A stout, A euro lager and A keg cider. There is a scrumpy too � Old Rosie. Beer quality is great as you would expect from a multi CAMRA award winning establishment, but it falls into the beard, sandles and matching beer bellies stereotype which does not appeal to everyone. With live music on sometimes I guess it will also draw in a younger clientele. Upstairs is a function room, apparently keg only. Under threat of being sold by S & N Pub Enterprise hopefully the current licensees will buy it and retain its ambiance.
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Another good pub I always pop into when in Darlington. Enjoyed a Hydes and Slaters this time round.
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Located down a small alley next to Binn's department store. Not the easiest of places to find but worth doing so. Slightly untidy exterior that does not do it credit. A small and narrow bar but a fantastic range of beer on offer (local beers and guests from further afield) and also real cider from handpump. The beer we had was top quality and it was a quiet cosy place to enjoy a good beer although this was early evening on a Saturday and I suspect a few hours later it wold be very busy.
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Would have to agree with Carlurmston about the cliquey feel in here. That said the guv'nor behind the bar was friendly enough and the beer was wonderful. A tadge difficult to find but worth the effort.
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Good Timothy Taylors. Friendly welcome from Barmaid, nice change. Great selection of beer on offer.
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Hidden place up a back alley away from the main square. It has the best selection of ales in Darlington, but lacks that proper pubby feel-as the name suggests you might say. Also I get the unmistakable feel that it's rather cliquey. That said, it's not a bad place and is a safe bet for a good pint in decent surroundings. Unmissable for ale fans in the town, but for a more traditonal experience head to the Britannia.
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Had a rare bad pint in here , it was exchanged no fuss. If i could make one suggestions it's that the bar staff cheer up , they have quite poor customer skills. Apart from that it's ok.
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Superb small pub with a wide range of well-kept ales.
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When we visit Darlington we always visit this real ale house. We are never disappointed by the beer on offer.
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Great pub if you know where it is, several real ales on and a lovely upstairs room when the groups are playing down stairs. Very old and well worth a visit you will be surprised.
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Great beer. Pub a bit small especially when your rolling about a bit.
A pub that sells proper beer.
Only criticism is its a bit scruffy.
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Great beer, don't find it cliquey at all. Can get very smoky for us non smokers thou'. Isn't it meant to be haunted?
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Winner of the 2006 Camra award for Darlo. Well done.
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Fantastic pub. What more is there to say. Small and tucked away, you have to know it's there, but well worth finding. Good atmosphere and superb beer, always different every time you go.
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Dell 72 and Darwins are mislead by their own stiffled self conciousness. 22's sucks bad and needs to be invaded by class war I agree, Tanners is owned by the facist brigade otherwise known as wetherspoons and as for the Boot ... who the hell goes there? This is a real ale pub in Darlington, never mind if theres Goth's in it, what would you prefer? Doot dee doo music crowd ala radio 1 of a Friday night!
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A pub popular with real ale drinkers , rock enthusiasts and goths . An extremely small pub , which can be quite uncomfortable for the visitor .
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Beware entering this premises can be seen as hazardous unless you know the locals. the clique in here does not take to kindly to outsiders.
Although they have as good a selection as the Tanners Hall they are very over priced. Although the sevice is considerably quicker this is due to the volume of customers, or lack of.
If you like your ale and you are willing to pay over the odds then this is the place for you.
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This is a great little pub, tucked away in one of darlingtons "old yards", situated between two of the main streets. Always a good selection of ale to chose from, pleasing atmosphere with plenty of rock music on offer. Can get a bit busy on a weekend, but what the hell, considering the small number of places one can enjoy a proper beer in Darlington, my quarm is small.
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The best pub in Darlo, impressive range of real ales with the majority being from micro's countrywide, this place and Number 22 round the corner ensure that everyday is a beer festival in Darlo
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Off the main High Street in Darlington, in one of the cobbled paths (yards) thats leads up to Skinnergate lies The Quaker, the towns best and most enjoyable ale house. Like a Dickensian cove, hidden away from the 21st century shopper and screaming children, this intimate bar thrives with its (up to) ten real ales, and local celebrity of its rotund landlord. A favourite as a pre match meet up for the ale professors of visiting football teams (along with Darlington exiles), and a regular North East camra winner,the empathsis is on the quality . The food is also out of this world - try the fabulous Steak and Mushroom baquette and chips, washed down with a couple of the supreme Ghost Ales (from the excellent Darwen Brewery). They have live music regularly on sundays, mainly specialising in sub standard pub rock, though even this is passable after several tipples. There is also an upstairs restaurant area for the missus, though to truly enjoy this gem is to take one of the downstairs tables, and wonder (and occasionally partake ) at the selection of beers. Don`t worry if you really want a lager - last time they had their own brew, aptly named `Quakerhof`.
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