Bonds, Mayfairback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
considering the area and the type of place it is, it aint too bad!
we go in there for lunch at least once a month and the food is good (although a tad on the expensive side, what can you expect for the area?!) beer is also good.
atmosphere is relaxed and friendly but can get a bit lively as the beer flows!
overall, good place and worth a visit
|
Do you know, Bonds is not such a bad bar really. On paper it doesn't bode well for sports-friendly bar just of Oxford Street. But it's quite nice inside, decked out in a fairly typical city centre bar style (high stools and tables, sofas and all that). It's a good size for a group. It was pretty busy with a sort-of late 20s - early 30s age crowd in. Toliets were fine. Typical bar food available too - looked alright.
There are loads of TVs showing whatever is on really (Premiership followed by Serie A followed by La Liga when I went), but if you're not interested then it's not that intrusive. I've heard that Bonds is popular with Chelsea fans, so that's either reason to go or stay away when they play.
Beer wise, usual suspects of Peroni, Guinness, Becks, Strongbow and a few others. On the ale front there were two seasonals of Adnams "Ghost Ship" (4.5%) and Greene King "Gangly Ghoul" (4.2%). Ghost Ship is amber coloured, interesting and quite drinkable. Gangly Ghoul is a bit too nutty for my taste, but absolutely fine. I think both beers were in the �3.60 range.
My last comment is about the staff. For a change and amazingly for a place like this, the staff were excellent. Friendly, quick and sensible. I even had my pint topped up unprompted!
Bonds is never going to be some sort of quiet local to pop into for a cheeky half, but all in all, it's actually not that bad. 7
|
Bonds. Sounds expensive, doesn't it? Well trust me it is. You will come out of there wondering where all your money has gone once the penny drops and you realise how pricey this pub really is. The bar staff have no idea on how to pour a pint of guiness. They just pour it to the top without allowing it to settle. Their pints are never quite full, leaving a good inch or two gap from the top. For three drinks, please don't hand over a tenner otherwise you will appear to be a skint flint.
Go in there on a friday & you will be surrounded by people dressed up in suits who think they've just done a day's work in the city. Probably more like a done a day's work in a department store.
It's a noisy & well over priced pub. You can do better by going elsewhere.
|
Now 'Bonds', An improvement on the Hogshead.
anonymous - 23 Mar 2007 12:09 |
Ahh, the Hogshead...!!
A welcome hostelry for a mid-week pint!
It has a casual atmosphere, its a kinda Sports Bar, with Tv's showing footy/rugby/whatever sport is on! Mainly wooden tables & chairs (comfy sofa by the window, but that's always taken!) clean & tidy. A 'younger' clientele, but that doesn't make it a bad bar. I'm fast approaching mid-age (!) and i luv the Hogshead! It gets me away from all the Oxford Street and Regent St. mayhem! Have a welcome drink in the 'Hog' and if you feel too old in there, nip outside, directly opposite is a nice little boozer, The Duke of York, which maybe more to your taste..! TJ
|
Visited on a monday evening at 7.30.It was quite busy in the bar but only one chap was serving.I could see people close to de-hydration waiting at the bar...Not good enough as the ambience is quite nice and there is usually 3 ales.
|
Have used this place on a regular basis, the staff turnover is constant & that goes for the managers too. half the staff cannot speak english properly so you invariably end up with the wrong drinks/meals, Service is incredibly slow & when you think that most people have only an hour for lunch, waiting for your food nearly 3/4 hour is not on!
Clearly no organisation whatsoever & can I recommend that the managers train their staff properly before releasing them on the general public?!
Minxy - 26 Jul 2005 14:42 |
***Now under a new manager, watch this guy turn this place around!, *** He will bring life back to it, I have known him for a while and his track record, GOOD LUCK !!
|
heaving with football watching types and big screens inescapable both times i've been there. not even a major match...
|
a bit souless, but not bad if you want to sit and talk rather than stand and mingle, decor to similar other main stream chain bars for me.
|
not too bad for a Hogshead. Certainly nicer than the pub opposite (i cant remember its name). Fairly pleasant crowd being so close to Oxford Street
|
Further to my earlier post last year, this Hogshead is now heaving most nights. It is still a lively pub though, but consider yourself lucky if you get a seat. How things change.
|
We discovered the Hogshead pub on our first visit to London. We found the atmosphere, food, drink, service and locals to be very pleasant; enough so that we now visit it every time we're in London. Don't miss it, if you enjoy the pubs.
Rich and Jody Harding - 28 Oct 2003 17:07 |
It's a Hogshead pub so it looks and feels exactly as you'd expect. It is, however, a godsend if you find yourself in town on a Saturday night and want a guaranteed table and seat. It's never busy enough that you won't wait long to be served. Has become something of a gem as I approach 30 and actually want to sit and chat to my mates on a weekend. There's a one attractive girl minimum and if you find yourself ready to rock by chucking out time, simply turn right and you're falling distance from the Loop Bar. More birds in there than an aviary, but that's another establishment...
|
|
