please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Decent looking pub close to the impressive Ely Cathedral - this pub is a place you inevitably stumble into, rather than search out. Some cask ales, and quite a few kegs. The cask ale I had, Salem Ernest, was not in perfect nick. Did not eat.
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When you go into a country pub in a market town, nay a cathedral city, like Ely, you might expect the best beer and lunch possible.
This place was described on Google as a "Classic old pub with real ales and a sizable menu of British and global favourites" and given 4 stars by them.
I went on a Wednesday. On that day they had an offer on their boards - Order a Pie and you will get a free Pint. On their bar they had a selection of so-called "Real Ales", but none of these was included in their offer. I was offered John Smiths or Carling as beers. I personally dislike both of these.
So I accepted the situation and ordered one of the so-called real ales and the pie - Steak Pie with Abbot Ale, a supposedly yummy sounding combination. Paid over to them £11.49p for the beer and the pie - full price.
When I got the "pie" it wasn't really a pie at all. A pie in my estimation is meat cooked in the oven fully enclosed top and bottom inside a crust of rolled pastry, with loads of its meat juices oozing out into the pastry. A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients.
That's not what I got. Instead I got this
A completely inedible puff pastry cooked separately placed on top of a enamel dish with some non-descript meat chunks swilling around in a supposedly Abbot Ale sauce, mashed potato made from powder, over boiled peas, cabbage, and carrots and a boat of gravy which seemed to have been made separately from the meat in the pie, probably from a reconstituted gravy shot you can buy in supermarkets nowadays.
Was this a "Classic old pub" - not really!! It had screaming kids playing in the bar, whilst you were soothed from their noisy intrusions by ghastly muzzak!
In my estimation Never Again.
Stars: Null Points!!!!
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Can't comment on the food although I had hoped for a more sedate atmosphere with it being within a stones throw of the cathedral. Noisy Sky Sports TV blaring out. I too had the Doom Bar which was just about passable.
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Gloomy, low-ceilinged entrance area takes a step up to a brighter back room. Five real ales including Jennings Cumberland and a surprisingly mediocre Doom Bar. Couple of foul-mouthed locals paraded the full range of their limited vocabulary while a pleasant young barmaid, who was more tolerant than she should have been expected to be - and deserved much better clientele - smiled tolerantly. Menu was the usual chain mix of meal deals and drinks offers and the air was heavy with the smell of greasy food. Fairly busy for a Friday afternoon, however, so they must be giving their overwhelmingly male patrons what they want. Nice comfy armchairs.
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This place always seems a bit dark and dingy inside. It's the kind of pub where old men arrive before lunch and go home when there dinner's ready at night.
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Pluses include high quality beer, location near the cathedral and plenty of space. The downside comprises rather tacky interior, somewhat offhand staff and a menu that is clearly using a caterer or chain. May be a pub to frequent only at quieter times
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A dirty old mans pub. sub standard food, cheap alcohol, rude and inexperienced staff (louise),overly keen to ban anybody.
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From the posters outside advertising their meals it looked like every dish came with chips.
Once inside and looking at the diners plates most of them did indeed have chips on. I may be wrong but the food didn't look home made. I'll guess it is supplied by a chain group.
One thing I was impressed with was the bar having four real-ale hand-pumps. But then on closer inspection I was unimpressed that only one was on.
I walked out. And so should you.
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Cheap food, lazy uninterested service. Decent deals on beer, half decent crowd.
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I go in there once or twice a week.Sometimes as on a weekend there are none of the 3 real ales on which I find absolutely maddening.Some of the staff are ok and polite some of the time.The thing that makes me think 'yuk' is there fact that the 'chef' comes out of the kitchen and puts their frame into the door frame in the main bar so that you can see that he is wearing dirty tracksuit bottoms,off-white trainers and a grubby T-shirt.That has put me off buying food in there everytime.The pub does seem to attract some of the local 'celebrities' meaning the Stella drinking ladies who punctuate the air with their F's and C words.The food ordering system has alot to be desired as I have watched folk from coach parties leave taking their dinner with them in tin foil,with gravy dripping out of the sides! I understand that pubs have to make money but not appreciating the cooking time etc is totally wrong and so is not refunding any/part cost of the meal due to the staffs fault...........3/10 food service,7/10 actual food,7/10 real ale (when on) and staff 5/10
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A wonderful pub for hot food served cold after an almost interminable wait. If you have precious time to waste waiting then get your food here. If you like a steak meal get it cooked and served cold here. If you like to be told on enquiring where the food is that it will be 5 or ten minutes, time and time and time again, them make sure you eat here. They take your money and then couldn't care less. Diabetics requiring a meal should go elsewhere. The wait could kill you.
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A nice exterior lulls the visitor in, especially as it lies directly opposite the Ely Cathedral.
The inside however, though pleaant enough, offers an average experience.
The beer on offer was standard Greene King IPA which was okay if unspectacular.
We tried the food, this was plentiful and quite nice, but typical standard pub fayre.
Overall, this pub deserves a 5 for 'average'. It is okay, but I left wondering what the pub must have been like some years ago - it has clearly had one or two 'improvements'. The pub is owned by the Mitchell and Butlers chain and this possibly explains my comments.
I don't know Ely but there must be a more traditional and perhaps better pub in the centre than this ?
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Don't know what pub charliepickles was in, but my hubby and I were in there just two days ago and it was great. The pub itself is very pretty and the staff were polite. There was a slight problem with our order but they were prompt and courteous to tell us and to fix the problem. The food arrived hot and in a timely fashion, and was delicious. We'd definitely go in there again when we are in Ely.
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Terrible staff, terrible food. Dont bother! All the food was cold and not what we had ordered, tried to give me sausages instead of veggy sausages (because hey had run out of veggy sausages!!?!?!) Waiting time for the food was over 1 hour for it to be cold on arrival (ordered at 1.20pm last plate of food came to us at 3.15pm!), and a group of 4 of us all ate separately with 20 mins inbetween even though we ordered at the same time. Staff sighed at us all as we were ordering the food as they had suddenly become busy and made it obvious we were not wanted there....stupidly we stayed! I wont bother EVER again.
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tragedy how one of the best located pubs in the entire city has come to be a beer n burger spot. the interior must have been beautiful once, but it was clearly been stripped years ago. If your idea is to watch football while eating chips in the family room, then go for it. But if you thought that this prime location and ancient exterior might hide a beautiful english pub interior with decent food, then...beware.
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Handy for the cathedral and has 2 cosy chairs (grab 'em while you can) and a large eating area. Not that I'd recommend eating here. The food is terrible which is down to the cook/chef as it seems they are run by the same company as The Mitre in Cambridge, with the same menu but not a patch that pub's food.
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WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT THE MINSTER? GREAT PUB UNTIL BASIL TOOK IT OVER. MY GOD IT WENT TO THE DOGS AND HAS NEVER REALLY RECOVERED. I NOW UNDERSTAND SKY SPORTS HAS GONE. NO PROBLEM FOR THE HEREWARD. THE ASSISTANT MANAGER WHO WAS THERE AT THE TIME OF BASIL TRIED HIS HARDEST AND WAS BLOODY GOOD TILL HE WAS DRIVEN OUT BY HIS LORDSHIP. BRING HIM BACK!!!! SHAME IT WILL NEVER GET BACK TO WHERE IT WAS
PRE BASIL I WOULD GIVE IT A 9 NOW A LUCKY 2
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Agree with all the posts below. Staff and beer and food all very good. I like the interior as well, nice and homely at the front, slightly more modern at the back. Although Cutter has been done up this is still the best pub in Ely.
mrse1 - 19 Sep 2007 13:08 |
I've been to this pub a couple of times and each time the service was first rate. The new management has got the place up to speed & working like clockwork. Friendly bar staff and perfectly cooked & served food. Added to that, the view of the Cathedral makes a perfect backdrop to while away a few hours in pleasant, warm surroundings. Highly recommended.
Sniff - 19 Nov 2006 20:33 |
Surprisingly good chain pub next to the Minster - only went in as sole option open after 11pm, and full of young Magner drinkers, but the Youngs Special was actually superb. Plesant but unremarkable interior.
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Superb pub great beer and really friendly staff, by far the best pub that I have drunk in for a while.
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This pub has one thing going for it, it stays open until 1 am. I would suggest you only arrive after other pubs in town has closed. The selection of beer is good, but the quality is not always and overall there is much room for improvement in terms of hygiene. I have seen mouldy lemon slices given in gin & tonics, and the bar staff not acknowledge that this was poor service. The do show sport, but rarely with the sound on. Give a wide berth.
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probably the best pub in ely , nice food as well , and totally agree with the other comment probably the cheapest boozer in ely
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A good friendly pub with a mix all agegroups. Probably one of the cheapest places to drink in Ely despite it's close proximity to the Cathedral. A good range of beers and food at reasonable prices. Kept spotlessley clean. Well worth a visit.
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