BITE user comments - Garganey
Comments by Garganey
Big disappointment. Apart from the food and the big screen TV, it fails to meet the expectations set by its gushing website. Not easy to get to so you'd think they'd make the effort to get their beers right but when I went (on a Thursday) they were poor: a good selection of four but not well kept, all were flat. I ended up drinking wine (!) with the meal because I couldn't face another flat pint and the wine list's not great either. Toilets need some TLC. Service was average but friendly, the food was not bad, it had free wi-fi and prices are reasonable so I'll rate it 6 instead of a 4 for the beers alone.
2 Mar 2014 22:09
I've been going here on and off for years. It was taken over by new landlords last November. It was a good pub before; it's even better now and stays open more often and longer. Beer is just as well kept: it had T.E.A. on when I visited, (which is almost a local brew and was excellent), as well as London Pride and a couple of other stalwarts. Plenty of seating in spacious and attractive areas outside. There is a new menu with some excellent offerings and the cooking is restaurant-standard with fresh ingredients. Service was immaculate. Definitely worth travelling to for a good meal in a friendly pub-environment and with good beer albeit from an unimaginative selection.
3 Jun 2013 20:34
This is a cracking pub and well worth a visit if you're in Liverpool City Centre. It's away from the shops but is a short stroll from Lime Street and the bus station. It had a great selection of real ales and ciders when I went that included several American and 'continental' beers as well as a changing number of some excellent English brews: the Salopian Stout was especially fine. The service is brisk and not unfriendly. With its woodlined walls, the decor is pleasingly reminiscent of a Scandinavian chalet. The quiz (Thursday evening) was doing a roaring trade. The food looked and smelled like standard pub fayre and was resaonably priced but I can't vouch for its quality as I had none. I will definitely go again when I return to 'Pool. Perhaps I'll eat there, I'll certainly sample some more beers.
3 Dec 2012 22:37
To my mind, still the best pub in Weymouth and Portland 30 years after my first visit. It's refurbishments since have not destroyed much of its character. Good selction of beers and lagers: Marston's Single Hop was the star of the show when I visited. It can get busy on summer evenings and weekends but you'll generally get a seat. No food but pleased to see it still does pickled eggs as well as a good range of crisps and nuts etc.
28 Aug 2012 22:58
Based on my first and only visit since the Six Bells has been under new management, it seems to have improved. The new, friendly, management has brightened things up without destroying its character. The same old beers seem to be on tap though: I had a Sussex that was on the turn but it was towards the end of the week. The menu's standard fayre so not very exciting but the food is well cooked, served with a smile and is reasonably priced. Pleasant atmosphere, with a real fire in the winter . If you're visiting Newdigate (which has excellent walking and cycling about), it's a reliable, welcoming place for a drink or meal but, unlike the nearby Surrey Oaks, which has a better choice of real ales and ciders, it's probably not worth a special visit.
28 Aug 2012 22:47
This is an astonishingly good urban pub and is the best for real ale (and the odd cider and perry) in the area by a long way. It regularly has superb festivals. The staff are friendly and generally knowledgable. The beer is reasonably priced too. I've not eaten here but I'm told the Sunday roasts are good. Only let down is the gents' toilet: it's small and judging by the state of it difficult to clean. Great craic an hour or so before and after Fulham home matches but probably worth avoiding then if you're not a football fan and don't like standing up with your pint.
10 Mar 2012 11:08
This is a nice, friendly country pub. It has a changing range of beers, which are generally well kept, courteous bar staff and a pleasant bar area that are worth the trip alone but the main reason people come here is for its restaurant with very good food, made from excellent produce, and wines to match. Its unstuffy decor and ambience are equally as good as the food. The let down is the service: it's courteous enough but disorganised almost to the point of being chaotic. It needs to improve if the Parrot is to get a reputation that its produce and cooking truly deserve.
30 Jan 2012 19:26
Pleasant country pub with an emphasis on food and fish in particular. The beer's well kept but you wouldn't travel here for it alone as it's run of the mill (Badger / Tanglefoot). The food though a shade pricey IS worth a journey. The fish and seafood are always fresh and properly prepared and cooked. Non-fish dishes are limited but the local-beef steaks are a treat. The wine list (especially given its emphasis on fish) is expensive and disappointing as is the dessert menu - though the ice-cream's good. Service has improved greatly and is now close to exemplary: the food is freshly cooked so don't go expecting fast food. Its toilets are really well fitted out and immaculately clean but, like its sister pub, the Wheatsheaf, the place needs a bit more care in the dusting department. It's due a refit soon (2012?) so perhaps we can expect improvements in that department? In all, a good pub for a (fish) meal but not worth travelling to for just a pint or two.
30 Jan 2012 19:01
Comfortable, homely locals' pub in centre of village that's miles better than the nearby Falcon Inn for beer: Stroud's 'Tom Long' and Hook Norton's 'Twelve Days' were on and both well kept when last visited. Didn't sample the food but (apart from Puppy Dog Pie! - actually steak and ale pie) seemed the usual fare. Inviting roaring fire in one of the bars was welcome.
4 Jan 2012 14:45
Last visited on New Year's Eve for lunch as part of a walk. Beautifully located with a deserved reputation for food. A good mix of well-heeled clientele and walkers packed both sides of the pub. We were in the well-heated, homely bar and enjoyed both food (superb beef sandwiches and a turkey curry) and beers. I'm not a fan of Otter but it was well kept - better, for me, was the equally well kept Jouster. Service was attentive, polite and, given how busy they were, prompt. You can walk here in about an hour from Painswick or Cranham and less than two hours from Slad.
4 Jan 2012 14:33
This is a very good country pub. The menu might have ideas beyond its station sometimes but the food is always well cooked and they also have bar snacks for those wanting simpler fayre or disinclined to dine in the tableclothed dining area. Sunday roasts are very good. Beer selection not great so not worth travelling to just for a pint but I find its always well kept. Downside is that it needs a bit more tlc (a good dusting, window cleaning, table polishing etc) but if you can ignore that and you're in the area looking for something to eat then you're in for a treat.
17 Nov 2011 11:26
Cracking London boozer near Holborn tube with a mixed clientele. It does get very busy 6 - 8pm and the service can be indifferent at times but the excellent Sam Smith's beer, stout and lager, the sumptuous decor (from 1891 mostly, apparently) and the quaintly compartmented layout more than make up for this. The much vaunted men's urinals are probably now unique but are obviously as impractical to clean as they are to use - they invariably stink. Well worth a visit.
17 Nov 2011 11:10
Good food freshly prepared, friendly staff and reasonable selection of real ale. Great for wintry lunchtimes as they have a fire and very good bar meals. Restaurant can get busy at weekends so ought to book.
15 Aug 2011 09:43
No frills country pub par excellence. Rightly famous for its twice-yearly beer festivals on May and August bank holiday weekends. Changing range of always good beers, ciders and perries beautifully kept by knowledgeable and enthusiastic landlord. Nice garden with play area. Pretty standard menu but food is consistently well cooked with fresh ingredients. Try the steak and ale pie if it's on! Only gripe is that last orders at 2.30pm during the week makes for an early lunch. Thoroughly deserves all the kudos it gets.
16 Apr 2011 09:32
The Surrey Oaks, Newdigate
News that Ken Proctor has left after many successful years at the helm of this well-nigh perfect pub has saddened me. He knew what people want from a proper country pub and he delivered in spades. I wish him a well-deserved, long and healthy retirement. The Oaks had the best selection of beers and ciders for miles around and good food at a reasonable price but above all an unpretentious, friendly often jovial atmosphere that pulled you back for more. The latest reviews are starting to worry me but two recent visits have been good - the beer hasn't suffered anyway. I will attend the beer and cider festival as ever and just hope that the new kitchen will not change the food too much or be too expensive: many 'gastropubs' near here have disappointingly dull selections of poorly kept ales and sell overpriced and often badly prepared food with a poor to average service. Please don't let that happen to the Oaks!
19 May 2014 12:35