BITE user comments - Beerscout
Comments by Beerscout
Pleasant pub tucked away in old Stourbridge. Good choice of real ales. Pleasant, friendly clientele. Unfortunately the bar maid (who is obese) lacked training in most aspects of her duties.
2 Oct 2015 21:40
The Warrington Hotel, Maida Vale
There are four hand pumps but all with high alcohols beers meaning caution is called for if drinking other than late evening. Carpets need vacuum cleaning followed by professional attention. Table tops need cleaning. If you plan to eat , check the rating on the Government's "Scores on the Doors" site first, unfortunately they do not display their rating. I would not eat here but presumably plenty of people do.
23 May 2015 17:23
The Rising Sun, Tottenham Court Road
This pub is a beautiful building in its own right. Real ale very acceptable quality. Spoiled by unfriendly staff.
Seems to have unusual opening hours but you'll be OK in core times.
1 Feb 2015 14:15
Big Taylor Walker pub right opposite Victoria station. This place is in great need of a refurbishment as the decoration and furnishings are in a bad state. This makes the place look a bit dirty though that is probably only an impression. It gets very crowded and later in the evening there are too many people who have over indulged. Somewhat to my surprise, given the unpromising beginnings, the real ale was actually quite good and we were served quite quickly and efficiently.
The dining area is separate from the bar area which is a good thing.
The pub needs a lot of money spending on it and a stricter serving policy. The location is obviously very good but there are better pubs a short walk away.
30 Jan 2014 09:58
We came in for a pre-theatre drink. Nice crowd of customers, quite busy but there was soon room to sit down as people departed, perhaps for their trains from nearby Victoria. Excellent beer (Taylor Walker pubs are usually quite good) and, for one of us, the draft cider was also thought highly of. Excellent service. The menu looked pretty good but we did not sample the food or go into the dining room.
30 Jan 2014 09:46
Disappointed. I called in at about 1.30 for a quick drink. The staff member looked bored out of their mind. My drink (expensive side of reasonable) was not served properly. The pub needs a good clean. Clientele included two mums spoon feeding their babies and taking up plenty of space to do it too. I'm sorry but if I as a working man go into a pub for a lunchtime drink, I want a pub atmosphere not domesticity. There is a time and a place for everything.
I have to say the the food served to nearby customers looked good.
6 Nov 2012 16:04
Small, friendly traditional East End pub (one of the very few left) amazingly undamaged by its proximity to Canary Wharf. Beer (London Pride was the one of the three on offer that I tried) in excellent condition. Old fashioned decor, beautifully clean. Run by a land lord you can have an intelligent conversation with. Superb.
3 Aug 2012 11:52
The Pontefract Castle, Marylebone
Very good pub, round the back of Debenhams. Good range of beers, I had Doombar which was well kept and well served. West End beer prices! Food was excellent, i.e. good quality and good value.
One gripe: in the evening, they turn the lighting down too much - the place is almost dark.
Pleasant and professional staff.
24 Apr 2012 21:26
Had lovely well kept Harvey's Sussex but served in a mucky glass. Whole place did not seem too clean though Henry the vacuum cleaner was in the corner. What a shame. Other better establishments quite near to hand.
28 Mar 2012 11:45
This pub, busy with student types (who must be properous!) will provide you with very good beer that is very well kept and presented. It is, however, expensive @ �3.80 per pint. Unfortunately the choice of three real ales disappointed me because all were high ABV - not what you want for an after work pint, I suggest. The landlord should try to get a better range.
PS - awful seating. New furniture required.
23 Feb 2012 14:09
Absolutely appalling. There was only one real ale on, very average London Pride served up as well short of a pint, as was the norm here during our visit. A Top Up was given but only after a display of truculence or dumb insolence by the bar maid. All the staff are pretty awful, headed up by an Australian was seems to have been trained for the Six O'Clock Swill trade that used to apply down under.
We were in the downstairs bar where the door to the pub yard was open, a truly filthy hole it is too. The pub is not clean and I certainly would never consider eating here. The toilets stink and the blocked WC shows you lots of toilet paper and faeces.
Avoid.
18 Dec 2011 15:21
The Hereford Arms, South Kensington
Very well kept pub with high quality fixtures and fittings. Full range of Fuller's beers, Seafarer �3.60 a pint. The beer was in very good condition but served without a head. (The barmaid needs training; management probably not up to their job.)
15 Jun 2011 10:23
Good quality (though expensive) beer. The problem is that other than London Pride, the other real ales are high ABV and that is not suitable at midday or early evening. The landlord should organise a better range. Good menu and although we did not eat, the food served to neighbouring tables looked good.
Gents' toilets grim. Inexcusable in 2011.
9 May 2011 15:45
A large pub (circa 1930?) with good car park but all doors locked except the one at the front. Once you get in the place is very down at heel and the staff very "couldn't care less". Banks's bitter on hand pump unremarkable, one would not want a second pint.
Gent's toilets awful.
29 Sep 2010 10:19
Lovely old fashioned pub, unchanged for years. Excellent choice of beers. Friendly, knowledgeable landlord.
4 Sep 2010 10:26
I called in here on a Saturday afternoon, it was fairly quiet but nice ladies and gentlemen having a drink and a chat. I took the opportunity to read the free newspapers while enjoying my pint. Excellent real ale. The TV screens are a bit intrusive but perhaps that's just modern Britain.
4 Sep 2010 10:23
Friendly little pub in a once glorious now run down area. Not for the smartly dressed. Got the impression that it is really struggling financially. Shepherd Neame house. Beer good. Did not linger.
4 Sep 2010 10:17
A lovely small old fashioned pub, selling two real ales on my last visit and a god range of other drinks. The bar staff are anything but smartly dressed which detracts from the impression one retains of this gem located just off Pall Mall and within yards of St James' Palace. Verdict is "could do better".
4 Sep 2010 10:11
This "pub" is two shops converted into a drinking space (the pic on BitE is out of date). Atmosphere is lacking and the all the punters cram into the one shop where the bar is, leaving patrons in the other side of the establishment feeling second class. Not pleasant. Good range of choice on the real ale front though not well kept. Good for lager drinkers though.
25 Aug 2010 22:08
This is the most impressive JDW building I have come across. Magnificent really - and massive. Customers are mainly office types presumably from all the nearby banks. Staff are friendly and efficient. Huge choice of real ale and the one I chose was excellent.
A further good point is that there are some other good pubs within a short distance so one can visit more than one with great ease.
14 Aug 2010 17:27
The Lamb Tavern, Leadenhall Market
Very nice historic city pub used by well dressed ladies and gentlemen more for a quick drink at lunchtime or after work than a "session". Youngs very good, various lagers on sale and being enjoyed. Food is limited to hot beef and pork baguettes but looked good. I'd definitely go again and I'd go dressed like the other clientele rather than jeans and an anorak.
14 Aug 2010 17:23
Good beer condition and choice but pricey at �3.40 a pint in what is now rather a scruffy pub. Staff proficient but look bored and as though they want to do the minimum they can.
22 Jun 2010 20:53
Well located, smart pub selling excellent condition beer (Adnam's, Sharps) @ �3 a pint, good choice of lagers, bottles etc. and caters for wine drinkers quite well. Gets a fairly large "after work" crowd of pleasant, normal people and then gets quieter into the evening. Food and snacks look good. Two large TV screens showing football.
22 Jun 2010 20:48
This is a barn-like Wetherspoons in a challenging area. I think it is good that JDW are persevering with it. I called in on a Saturday lunchtime when the market was in full swing outside. Clientele were a mixture of older characters having a drink and a chat and some parents with children. All seemed nice people when I was there. The staff were very knowledgeable and helpful and took an interest in the beer. I confined myself to Ruddles (it was lunchtime and I had things to do later!) and found it very acceptable indeed.
25 Apr 2010 16:45
Called in here on a Saturday evening recently, my first visit for a few years, and was impressed. There was a very pleasant crowd in, some were eating food that looked excellent but we concentrated on the beer. Enville ale in good form and also the guest ales we tried. The Black Sheep was superb. However, beware the disgusting gents'... hold your nose and avert your eyes.
25 Apr 2010 16:36
The Starving Rascal, Stourbridge
Wonderful pub driven past by many, frequented by few. Has its own car park in Collis Street so stop and go in. Knowledgeable land lord keeps his real ales (4 or 5) in top condition. Comfortable bars. Appears to make a thing out of its range of whiskies but that is a closed book to me. Go out of your way to call in.
2 Oct 2015 21:51