please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The Somerville Arms ended up being my favourite pub in Leamington Spa. We had arrived earlier in the afternoon to find it closed, despite opening times on the doors suggesting it should have been open. All the lights were on too. But the doors were locked. A quick call and the landlord confirmed that he would be opening at 5:30, i.e. the same time it opens during the week. But please get the signs changed! This is an Everards pub with most of their ales - Tiger, Sunchaser, Original & Beacon all with original pumpclips. They also have 2 Adnams ales - Southwold Bitter & Broadside, in addition to Ossett Big Red. Westons Old Rosie & Country Perry are dispensed (rather lively in our case) from some fake barrels at the end of the bar. The main room has plenty of wood and some tables hidden away in alcoves. Locals were sat at the bar passing the time of day. There is a smaller room to the rear, also with access to the bar. Plenty of character and worth the trek out of town, assuming you know it's open.
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Oh the disappointment.
I've been taking inspiration from the Top 10 county pubs on this site - so was delighted to find that the 5th best pub in Warwickshire was also close by to the Millennium Way.
The reviews made this seem my sort of pub.
Got there at 12:23, having nearly completed the walk. Place in darkness and locked up tight.
Is it a dead pub? do they have lax opening hours?
I'll probably never know.
Some photos at my walking blog - http://mappiman.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/281115-top-10-twice.html
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Best pub best beer in Leamington Spa.
No juke box.
No fruit machines.
No piped music.
Bar snacks.
Friendly service.
Everard's beer kept in top condition.
Dogs welcome.
Perfect pub.
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I drank here for two years while a student at Warwick University. I was made to feel extremely welcome by the bar staff and the old school landlord, Paul. I liked it so much that I jacked in my job at the nearby 'spoons and worked at the Somerville until I graduated!
Apart from superb (and diverse) music nights, best point about this pub is that the clientele is remarkably mixed for a traditional ale pub; you're as likely to see a bunch of trendy students as you are a bearded real ale drinker. That's the mark of a proper pub!
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A nice CAMRA award-winning boozer off the beaten track in Leamington. A good choice of Everards ales, great darts facilities, a cosy little room at the back in which to entertain the missus, a beer garden the size of a postage stamp and there's a fluffy little cat too. What more do you want? This cracking pub attracts bearded CAMRA anoraks like moths to a lamp.
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Excellent pub. They keep the beer very well here - mostly Everards and one pump of Adnams Broadside. There's usually a guest, often another Adnams. They've even got Everards Mild on which you don't often see. Decent prices for nice pints. Some of the best live music in town (for free!) on the Irish and Bluegrass nights, can't speak for the others as I've not been down. Nice little garden, cozy back room, nice main bar. Can't ask for more.
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Proper pub. Friendly staff, nothing pretentious or showy about it. Happy to drink here.
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A good side street boozer. The atmosphere was good with a reasonable chocie of well kept beers although the choice was a little limited, rather too much Everards and virtually no guest ales. Shame as everything else is right.
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An excellent side street pub that is fastly becoming a favourite of mine. Divided into two rooms, the main room at the front and a slightly smaller snug style area at the rear. Out the back off the pub is the smoking area which is a gravelled yard with some pleasent plants (slightly small but thats the design of the building so no marks off for that). Landlord is a friendly chap. As reflected by the recent CAMRA Heart of England Pub award the Everard beers here are excellent and there is also a couple of decent ciders on. Peaceful during the day and busy (but not packed) at night, you could do much, much worse than The Sommerville. Wouldn't recommend drinking spirits here, I paid over �7 for a double whiskey and coke, and it was a 'normal' mainstream whiskey.
Also do some great acoustic music nights and sell excellent Pieminister pies!
cls14 - 23 Jul 2011 09:48 |
A pleasent enough pub with nice atmoshpere and friendly staff, The coice of ales was a bit limited but it was on reasonable form, I have to say the leamington pubs are a little dissapointing on the whole but this was one of the better ones!
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A Grand Pub, nice atmosphere, good entertainment when it's on. Nicely kept ales and a good variety of them as well. If I'm in this neck of the woods I always try to detour into the bar and usually succeed. The snug is probably the best one in Leamington!!
The most consistent pub I know of :)
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An absolute top top pub. Best in town by far, if great cask ale is your thing. Landlord very friendly, regular live music nights (free of charge) and if that's not enough, the pub has just undergone (at time of writing 'undergoing'! 15/9/10) a sympathetic refurb. Really friendly atmosphere - a must visit. Oh, nearly forgot - regular guest beers too ! What more could you want !?
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Early evening visit and the landlord was extremely helpful. All his handpulls were on top form and he offered us tasters of each. Excellent beer! definately the best real ale pub in Leamspa. A must for a vist. We must support places that serve excellent beer and this is one!
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Well, we only popped in here on the way back to town from the Newbold Comyn, but we are so glad we did. In our opinion the best pub we have found in Leamington. It was rammed, there was live music, there was a reasonable range, we had Adnams, which was on good form. There are plenty of places to discover within the pub, clean and tidy. A definite pub for a return.
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If you Like Adnams then this place is for you; Broadside, Bitter and explorer all adding to make you feel that you are in suffolk. Terrifix place.
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Lovely place. A little of the town centre track but well worth the walk. 9/10.
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A GEM. Fantastic pub. Good Beer. Excellant local. Wish I lived closer as would love as my local.
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I enjoyed calling in to the Sommerville arms but was probably expecting a little more. The atmosphere was quiet, although I probably went on the wrong night. The so called wide range of real ales turned into a list of the usual suspects which was a bit dissapointing. I have to admit when I left I couldnt find anything better. I feel Leamington is a beer desert and if the sommerville put their mind to it they could really clean up. Just my opinion.
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Called in after a long gap and nothing's changed, still as good at it gets for a traditional neighborhood local. Two bars, spit and sawdust public and comfy snug. Nice beer range, all top notch. You won't do better in Leamington, certainly worth seeking out.
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Absolutely brilliant pub.
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Visited the Somerville recently. The lounge now has a very effective smoke removal system. There are seven real ales. Folk music first Friday of the month.
John - 26 Jun 2004 10:22 |
Been to Leamington quite a lot and always rated this pub, glad to here it hasn't changed.
Jimbo Smith - 8 May 2004 13:47 |
The best pub in Leamington for beer with 6 well kept cask beers including Burton Ale, Broadside, Adnams, Ansells and often a guest. It is music free and basic. It can, however, get quite smokey especially in the lounge-like, aptly named, 'smoke room'.
tim - 13 Nov 2003 16:26 |
