BITE user comments - Greshon
Comments by Greshon
Had heard great things about this pub and was really looking forward to going. Got in and saw the great range of drinks, and it seemed a friendly enough place. Ordered a round of pints for me and my two friends, after which I asked for half a pint of tap water, no ice. The landlady plonked the water down on the counter in front of me, looked me in the face and said "70p" in quite a defiant tone, which took me back. I genuinely thought she was joking, and asked her if she was. "No, she said, "that's 70p." "We don't get it for free, you know," chirped in the enourmous landlord. Her turn again next: "You can't just come in here for water." At this I had to answer back. "Just come in here for water? We've just spent over �10 on a round and were going to have a couple more. That's not 'just' water, is it?" I couldn't believe it when the landlord then told me to "Shut up". The whole pub was silenced in listening to this little conflict, and the customers then preceded to whisper to each other - the incident seemed to spark off somehting of a debate. Needless to say, we didn't stay any longer after our round (the quality of the drinks was excellent, I might add) and none of us will ever be coming here ever again - and I doubt if the owners care less ("See you lads" said Enourmous, sarcastically, as we left. But isn't this just completely out of order? If we had just wandered in and orrdered a round of waters, then fare enough. Or if one of us was only expecting free tapwater. But we ALL ordered premium priced drinks and, as it was a very hot day outisde and we were lugging heavvy bags, also wanted a glass of water - and didn't expect to pay through the nose for it (70p! Does that mean a pint of water would be... �1.40?). And she didn't listen to me, surly woman: I said NO ICE!
28 May 2010 11:38
The area immediately around this pub looks almost like a village - very C19. It's a really obscure little corner, the pub invisible until you get very close. First time I went here, on a summer's afternoon, some women were peeling potatoes in the dining room. All very rustic. This time, on a winter's night fast approiaching Christmas the place was dominated by a very loud TV in the corner, even though none of the customers were watching it. We asked them if they could turn it off or turn it down, but we were told it was needed as background noise otherwise there would be 'silence'! Doubt it - the place was full and everybody was chattering. The carpet's horiffic, the barmaid could have done with being a bit more cheery and alert and the the whole place looks pretty grubby but... I still like it. Very old school and they look like they serve 'good honest' food as well - and at cheap prices.
10 Dec 2009 15:09
Really nice pub with a very broad clientelle. It was meant to be a pub crawl but we ended up staying here all night so cosy was it.
10 Dec 2009 15:04
The Harrison, St Pancras / Kings Cross
Once we'd found outr way in, I liked this place. There were two huge groups at long tables having their work Christmas parties, and the service looked very efficient. But crowded though it was, the barman was very acommodating to us two drinkers and even put a makeshift table together for us out of something or the other. My London Pride stank but the same friendly barman changed it (to a Timothy Taylor) for me no questions aksed, even though I'd already had quite a few sips.
10 Dec 2009 15:02
Lovely location on the canal but apart from that I was disgusted with this pub. We came in here on a barge holiday and ordered a round of 4 drinks and were told 'These will be your first and last drinks - we shut at 2.30'. Pretty rude way to tell us this, I thought. Also, a group of friends came in here on a long walk up the canal, Thatcham-Hugerford. They came in at 2.32pm and were all refused a drink because it was after 2.30pm, even through the next refreshement stop in both directions was miles away. I know a further person that went in here with her boyfriend. They thought the menu on the blackboard was specials only, and when they asked to see the menu they were told: 'What do you think you're looking at?' Clearly this place has issues with customer service. There are two other pubs in Kintbury, both not far from the canal. My advice is to check those out instead: both are nicer than this place.
7 Dec 2009 11:53
Not a bad pub. Came in here after watching Titanic 12 years ago and didn't go back until 2 days ago. It seems to be run by Thai people and they do Thai food. Nearly every single draught drink was off (only Fosters, I think, was on. Still, I quite liked it somehow. Nice beams.
7 Dec 2009 11:32
I went to univrsity in Reading, 1997-2000, but i bevr went in here - did it even exiasit back then? Glad I paid it a visit last weekend, anyway. A very odd little place indeed - a proper Italian restaurant and a Fuller's pub all in one. It's lovely actually: great beers, really friendly and attentive barman, great Christmas decorations and warm, cosy furnishings. Could not work out why it was deserted on our visit on saturday afternoon. The barman said it would get busy later with people eating; I certainly hope so.
7 Dec 2009 11:29
The Fishermans Cottage, Reading
Pleasant, old-fashioned Fuller's canalside pub. With the Jolly Angler's sadly closed, this place is even more valuable.
7 Dec 2009 11:00
True, the selection of beers does seem to have gotten better. They have HSB and they also had a Christmas one, which wasn't bad. Previosuly I liked this pub, but had only ever sat outside in the big beer garden, as I'd always visited in the summer (makes a good lunch stop if you're on a barge holiday - the canal passes by very close) but this time, it being winter, we sat inside waiting for a train - the station is also very close) and it's better inside than out. The area it's in is a bit industrial, but inside it feels like a proper old country inn, has lovely old beams and great little nooks and crannies. The menus make it seem very 'chainy', but actually it isn't. Good, solid pub.
7 Dec 2009 10:55
Nice proper pub on my Hackney pub crawl. I'm pretty smashed by this point though.
25 Nov 2009 14:55
Truly lovely little place in the heart of Hackney. You'd think Broadway Market was walled off from the rest of Hackney - everyone is so 'young professional'. This is the nicest of the two Boadway Market pubs and, though I need more visits to confirm it, possibly one of London's best, too.
25 Nov 2009 14:54
Incredibly posh little place in the heart of Hackney. You'd think Broadway Market was walled off from the rest of Hackney - everyone is so 'young professional'. Still, this place is right on the edge of that enclave and you can see some weird goings on if you stand outside and look out over the entrance to London Fields.
25 Nov 2009 14:52
Nice little pub and, from the outside, one of the better-looking Mare Street pubs. Not as nice on the inside as the Dolphin, though.
25 Nov 2009 14:49
Give this dark, dank-seeming place a chance and appreciate the beauty of the heritage Victorian interior. A lovely little haven, deserves to be more popular.
25 Nov 2009 14:48
The Pub on the Park, London Fields
Could be such a great place with its location right on London Fields and close to the station, but sadly it's tarnished by the terrible and rude service. I was ordering a pretty big round but the barman didn't acknowledge any of what I said, so I repeated the last drink I ordered and he looked at me agressively and said "Yes, I heard". Yeah, so why didn't you acknoledge what I said, then? On top of that they're really really slow and unhurried, no matter how busy the place is. If it wasn't for the location (it's even visible from the train) this place wouldn't BE busy. Resting on it's laurels.
25 Nov 2009 14:45
Clientelle seem a bit better than most Wetherspoons, and it's got a good location on Mare Street. A good inclusion on a Hackney pub crawl.
25 Nov 2009 14:40
Looks incredible from Mare Street with it's amazingly narrow facade, but once you're inside it looks like a nice old pub that's been gutted of all character, and it stinks of not-very-fresh fish, too, from the kitchen. There are seats out the back and that's your best bet, if the weather's warm enough, as there's not much atmosphere within.
25 Nov 2009 14:39
The Globe on Morning Lane, Hackney
My friend reckoned this place was a bit scary, but I thought it was fine, and on a sunny summer's day a seat out front is makes for very pleasant drinking indeed.
25 Nov 2009 14:37
The Duke of Wellington, Hackney
Nice pub with pleasant beer garden for the summer and friendly service. Try the Chesham Arms, up a back alley from here going towards Homerton High Street, too.
25 Nov 2009 14:36
Went here for drinks and dinner one evening and I loved the old boozer atmosphere, good beer and good food (although the fillet steak - for about �8 - nice though it was, wasn't a fillet!). But came here again as part of a 15-pub pub crawl at about 1pm on a Saturday and found it all closed up. What's going on?
25 Nov 2009 14:34
Read some negative things about this place but on my two visits it's been really nice. Empty, yes, but the friendly barman really helps. Comfy chairs too. Whilst not one of the best pubs in Hackney, it would be a shame to lose this place.
25 Nov 2009 14:31
Fantastic place. Started a 15-pub pub-crawl here that wended its way all through Hackney down to Old Street, and this was a great start, straight out of Hackney Downs station. A friend of mine had an exemplary BLT sandwich and a couple of us had some of the delicious organic beer. But great food and great beer alone wouldn't sell it for me: this is a great pub all round and in a lovely old building too.
25 Nov 2009 14:30
Too gastro, not pubby enough. But I'm not saying it's bad by any means. It's a nice looking place, but doesn't stand up against it's counterpoint over the road, the Queen's, which is even nicer looking, has more character, and does both the pub bit and the food bit better. Not bad, though.
17 Nov 2009 16:10
This is a gorgeous-looking place and if you're in Crouch End a bit of a must, really (and if I lived here, I'd come in here pretty regularly), but on the whole I think it's architectural twin down the road in Haringey, the Salisbury, has slightly more going for it.
17 Nov 2009 16:07
For some reason looks a bit forbidding from the outside (maybe it's the location opposite the station and the huge Sainsbury's) but this is a great, cozy, friendly little pub, and makes a good night out when combined with food at the spectacular Salisbury down the road. Some nice architectural features here (but should the ceiling really be black, and it would be nice if they got rid of all those cables).
17 Nov 2009 16:05
Fantastic architectural twin of the Queen's in Crouch End, but bigger, more spacious and more impressive. We had the best pub food we have ever had in here - rib-eye steak and sausage and mash - and the prices were reasonable too. There was also some very odd pear cider on offer with 'blueberry', from the Channel Islands. It was literally lumious turqoise (didn't taste as bad as it looked)! I am a big fan of this place, but it can have a bit of a cold atmosphere with all the uncomfortable seating, spaciousness and hard surfaces. Check out the Beaconsfield down the road (opposite the station and Sainsbury's) for more impressive Victiorian features but a cosier (although grottier) atmosphere (but no food).
17 Nov 2009 16:01
Yeah, it is listed. I had a drink here about a year and a half ago and it was totally dead, so I wasn't surprised to see it closed and boarded up at the weekend. So what's going on then? I do hope it's re-opened as a pub, as it's a lovely ornate Victiorian buillding, right at the centre of the old village and has great potential.
17 Nov 2009 15:55
Me and three people from work went to the Palm Tree pub in Mile End on Friday night. It's well known as being a great East End boozer. We were drinking in there from about 6.30pm and must have had six or seven pints each - so, in other words, we'd spent a lot of money. After about my fifth pint, at the same time as buying a round of four drinks, I also asked for half a pint of tap water. They refused to serve it. I thought it was the law and told them this. I was told that it certainly wasn't the law and it was at the manager's discretion. I asked to speak to the manager and she came over and said that it's not their policy to serve tap water and that if I wanted water I would have to buy bottled water. They said that people often come in off the street and just want to use the pub to get a free glass of water. Really!!?? Who does that? And anyway, this is a small pub and they knew full well we had been drinking there for hours (and spent about �70-�80), so why couldn�t they give me a glass of water? I've been reading up on this on the Internet and it seems that it does really annoy some people when people order tap water in pubs. But I have ordered tap water in literally hundreds of pubs and never ever been refused, and if you�re buying loads of drinks at the same time, I think that it's a reasonable request. Since this experience I have noticed that many other reviews on this website about this pub also complain about their policy of not serving tapwater - and some have even been charged �1 for it! So, for the record, is it against the law or not?
16 Nov 2009 13:11
The Weir Hotel, Walton on Thames
Great place. The owners don't stand for screaming children ruining everybody's experience, either, I hear, so even better. After all, pubs are for adults, as you have to be over 22 to drink alcohol in the UK, I think (don't take my word for it, though - check at the bar). Superb Thameseide location. Can make a nice 3-pub crawl, satrting here, then going to the Anglers, and lastly the Swan.
29 Aug 2008 14:38
The inside of this place defies belief. never seen such a miraculous warren of a place inside. Not like a cosy little den, though: extremely rich and grand-looking. Very expensive drinks, young staff delivering table service, absolutely lovely garden outside. On a sunny afternoon, this place was bliss.
29 Aug 2008 14:33
Out of our four meals, all four were very good. The staff, too, were lovely. Great lcoation on the bridge by the Thames. I must admit, I was a little too drunk to have a proper look around (been drinking whiskey in the Thamside meadows opposite, you see), but although there were a lot of people sitting and eating, and the food was good, it did still seem to feel like a proper pub to me, which is all-important.
29 Aug 2008 14:30
Out of our four meals, all four were very good. The staff, too, were lovely. Great lcoation on the bridge by the Thames. I must admit, I was a little too drunk to have a proper look around (been drinking whiskey in the Thamside meadows opposite, you see), but although there were a lot of people sitting and eating, and the food was good, it did still seem to feel like a proper pub to me, which is all-important.
29 Aug 2008 14:30
Is this really a pub? Doesn't look like one. We stayed in the hotel and found it a pleasant place, with very nice staff. If you want a pub, I can recommend the Kingfisher, just the other side of the bridge. Decent food and lovely staff.
29 Aug 2008 14:27
Is this really a pub? Doesn't look like one. We stayed in the hotel and found it a pleasant place, with very nice staff. If you want a pub, I can recommend the Kingfisher, just the other side of the bridge. Decent food and lovely staff.
29 Aug 2008 14:27
Surprisingly rough and ready for a pictresque little Thameseide village that makes it into the Windsor & Eton sighseeing bus tour. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. At least it feels like a proper pub, and nobody was bad to us.
29 Aug 2008 14:25
Not bad, but I expected better from the lovely look of the building from the outside, and a picture of one of the bars in a guidebook I have. Seeemed very average. Needs to be run a bit more traditionally.
29 Aug 2008 14:23
One of the best pubs in a Thameside village. Still, I agree with Caroline's comment on the reviewer who bemoaned the lack of parking spaces. Come on, get your priorities right. Pubs are for drinking, so why drive there? Try walking, it's better for you.
29 Aug 2008 14:19
Would be the best pub around in any normal situation, but with the nearby Bel & Dragon even this excellent establishment must take second place.
29 Aug 2008 14:15
Perhaps the greatest pub I have ever had the pleasure to visit. Top building, top staff, top garden, top location, good drinks, food looked great. Has everything, really. 10 on 10. Makes me want to stay at Cookham for the weekend just to hang out here all day and night and to hell with the nearby river and other attractions (something about Stanley Spencer).
29 Aug 2008 14:14
Nice pub near the banks of the Thames. Seems very popular. Seeing a female member of staff nagging a male member of staff, very sarcastically, to clean the fridge door handles while he was trying to serve me was, however, mildly distressing (for him and me).
29 Aug 2008 14:11
The Rose and Crown Inn, Henley-On-Thames
Stayed here and witnessed a first-class old inn in operation. Good breakfast, too. Nice, herby aroma coming from behind the bar in the morning.
29 Aug 2008 14:06
Seemed like a decent place. On 26th, we enjoyed watching a young blond thing try extremely hard to pick up the handsome young barman, bending right over the bar in a low cut top. I wonder how that ended?
29 Aug 2008 14:04
Lovely old pub in the former red light district. The landlady is a real charmer. I felt like I had jumped back in time 50 years.
29 Aug 2008 14:02
Why wasn't this pub open when I was there? The opening hours sign said it should have been, but it wasn't. Instead we had to suffer the initially appealing Bell.
29 Aug 2008 14:01
This pub looked really nice to start with: C12 building, lovely bars and garden, friendly staff, the best pork pies I have ever tasted on the bar (we bought all 5).
But things got worse and worse. The barman was superfically friendly but totally messed up the timing in bringing out our lunch. And then he asked the member of our group who had ordered a burger what sauces she would like, even though she was in the toilet. He was full of stock responses. We sat in the garden but a man with a huge strimmer began to cut the lawn, so we had to go in (couldn't he have done that before openeing time?). The then proceded to test the fire alarm and for 25 mins it went toff, extremely loud, in our ears, without any apology from the staff.
First impressions don't always bear up.
29 Aug 2008 13:59
This pub looked really nice to start with: C12 building, lovely bars and garden, friendly staff, the best pork pies I have ever tasted on the bar (we bought all 5).
But things got worse and worse. The barman was superfically friendly but totally messed up the timing in bringing out our lunch. And then he asked the member of our group who had ordered a burger what sauces she would like, even though she was in the toilet. He was full of stock responses. We sat in the garden but a man with a huge strimmer began to cut the lawn, so we had to go in (couldn't he have done that before openeing time?). The then proceded to test the fire alarm and for 25 mins it went toff, extremely loud, in our ears, without any apology from the staff.
First impressions don't always bear up.
29 Aug 2008 13:59
Turned up here walking the Thames hoping for a nice rink in an old pub. It was shut when we arrived but the Machiavellian imp of an owner/manger let us in so that my friend could foul his toilet.
While my friend was doing this we ordered a round - 2 pints of San Miguel and a bottle of Organic cider. This came to over �14!! I asked the imp if this was correct, and he said it was, and that you can;t get a pint for less than �3 these days. Lies! Anyway, �3 would have been alright, but not �4-odd in some out of the way backwater which wasn't even very nice. GHHe also said that this is no longer a pub but a hotel/restaraunt.
We are now glad that my friend fouled the toilet.
29 Aug 2008 13:52
The Windsor Castle, Kensington
Amazing pub in Kensington. Really olde wordly, with an impossibly low door from one bar to the next, and a lovely big tree in the delightful beer garden. One of the very best. Kensington is blessed with great pubs.
18 Jul 2008 10:28
The Scarsdale Tavern, Kensington
This is one of the best pubs in London. It has a country pub feel about it, even though it is in the heart of Kensington. Great beer, great food, friendly service and customers, lovely outside area, lovely inside. Lovely all over really. Let's hope it doesn't change.
18 Jul 2008 10:26
The Freemasons Arms, Covent Garden
Really good pub. Had a great night here last night - the kind of great night that you are supposed to have in a pub.
18 Jul 2008 10:22
The Elephant and Castle, Kensington
Quaint old pub on a lovely corner in Kensington. This is just the kind of pub I like, and I have known about this place for years but had never been there. I was therefore bitterly disappointed by the rude reception I received on Saturday afternoon. I asked for 2 pints of Amstell. I nipped to the toilets while the barmaid poured them and on my return I found a pint in an Amstell glass and a somewhat darker pint in a Pride glass. I politely asked the barmaid what the darker of the two was, and she told me it was Pride, like I asked for. Just as politely, I told her that I had actually ordered 2 Amstells, and could she please exchange it for another Amstell. "Of course," she said, "No need to argue." Who was arguing?! She then said to me, as she was pouring, "In that case you owe me another 50p". No 'please', very blunt. I handed her over the 50p and she took it without a thank you and then plonked my pint down on the bar. Is this anyway to treat customers? Has anybody else had similar experiences in here?
14 Jul 2008 14:59
My aunt used to manage this pub in the 50s, so took my parents there recently to see how the place had changed over the last 50 years. It's nice inside, and a welcome retreat from the mayhem of Whitehall on a weekend, but the single barmaid serving was slow, monosyllablic and rude. After waiting 15 minuets while she leisurely served just 2 other customers: "Do you have tea?" "No. "Do you have coffee?" "No". Is this any way to treat customers?
14 Jul 2008 14:49
The Top Of The Morning, Victoria Park
Was aware of this pub for ages, cycling past it twice a day along the Hertfor Union Canal. For some reason I thought it would be pretty horrrible, but went in there the other day and was pleasantly surprised. Nice location by the canal and by Victoria Park, friendly staff and a BBQ outside when I was there on a Saturday.
21 Jun 2008 14:19
Exeter lacks good, traditional pubs. At least this pub looks the part on the outside, a C16 half-timbered affaor down a narrow Medieval lane in the cathedral quarter.
Inside, though, it looks like your everyday, slightly tacky, slightly run-down pub. I was reminded of a similar pub next to Coventry Cathedral.
This place could be much better, and I just hope they don't turn it into flats before someone can make more of it.
10 Apr 2008 23:26
The Eight Bells, Saffron Walden
I can only imagine the wonderful pub this place probably was. How could they have done this to such a wonderful, characterful old pub?
It is now a sterile restaurant where the only seating on my visit seemed to be rows of dining tables with very un-publike chairs. No respite from this exposure, no nooks and crannies, no bar area. When you walk in, serving girls are there to seat you and take your order. Nice, in its place. Not when, to get it, you have to lose a pub with hundreds of years worth of atmosphere.
Hopefully none of the original features were removed and some day a more sensible owner will try and regain the warmth and atmosphere this pub must once have had.
6 Apr 2008 21:35
The White Horse, Hampstead Heath
Very pleasing pub architecturally, the corner location at a very sharp road junction giving it an unusual and airy shape. And, predictably for the area, a very nice pub all round. As with the other pubs around here, this one is clean and smart to a fault, but at least any renovations don't seem to have removed any of the basic original features that could, hopefully, make this pub feel traditional and homely again after 20 or so years more wear and tear.
5 Apr 2008 22:01
The Garden Gate, Hampstead Heath
And yet another very good pub in Hampstead, this one very near the Heath. By this point on our little crawl, though, I was beginning to wonder if Hamsptead any really traditional-feeling pubs left other than the White Bear. Hampstead's pubs are mart to a fault. This pub and the White Horse face each other across an interesting little junction, between Hampstead and Belsize Park. Spending a summer evening in this area could be very nice indeed.
5 Apr 2008 21:58
Yet another very good pub in Hampstead, one of the many pubs scattered around the Royal Free. Pints and nuts were shockingly expensive, but then perhaps a reasonably-priced round would be more shocking in this neck of the woods.
5 Apr 2008 21:54
Needed a pee whilst my Spurs-mad brother was ducking into the Spurs Shop to stock up on memorabilia to take back to Australia with him. The pub on the corner was shut so I went in here instead. Bought half a pint while me and the wife nipped to the bogs. Was slightly scared to enter, given the look and rep of this area, but was pleasantly surprised by a friendly, laid-back pub. Wouldn�t exactly seek this one out, but if you're in the area, it's probably not a bad place for a drink. I'm sure that everything about it changes at match times, however.
2 Apr 2008 15:49
Probably the most famous pub in the Strand, with a long and interesting history. Good traditional place for a drink, conveniently located.
25 Mar 2008 09:48
The Old Cross Tavern, Hertford
Friendly, traditional old pub in the medieval town centre. Carpeted and small, like an uncle's living room, there is a warm, cosy feeling. There were 6 ales on tap when I was there, and other stuff besides. Gets very crowded with ale-supping locals at peak times.
25 Mar 2008 09:47
The Ship and Shovell, Charing Cross
Great little poky pub just off the Strand. Very unusual in that it is split in half by a street! Both sides nice.
25 Mar 2008 09:46
The Fox and Grapes, Wimbledon Common
Really superb location on the Common, but not a very nice pub, really. Hard to put your finnger on why, but this place could be so much better.
21 Mar 2008 11:43
The Fire Stables, Wimbledon Village
Right in the heart of Wimbledon village (which doesn't really look much like a village, with almost all of its old buildings long since demolished, but which is very nice nonetheless), this is a great gastro pub with a nice atmosphere and really good food.
21 Mar 2008 11:41
The bar's actually called 'The Edge', and its a cool, chilled-out kind of place with muted lighting and spacey music literally overhanging the Thames. Lovely stuff.
21 Mar 2008 11:39
Bishop Out Of Residence, Kingston Upon Thames
Great location overlooking the Thames, and housed in a 70s building. That sounds worse than it actually is. Friendly bar staff, a good range of drinks and all in all seems a good place. Looking forwqard to returning when the wetaher gets warmer.
21 Mar 2008 11:37
The Druid's Head, Kingston Upon Thames
An okay pub in the pretty town centre of Kingston. Only a short walk down a back alley to the shores of the Thames, so a good stop off on a riveside walk.
21 Mar 2008 11:36
Riverside pub almost out of view of the river. Seems a bit soulless, and the nice old building has been somewhat ruined by the ugly conservatory tacked onto the front. Don't want to say too many bad things about it, though. Great location and I've seen much worse. An okay place, and I'm willing o think better of it.
21 Mar 2008 11:33
The Tide End Cottage, Teddington
Quite a nice pub near the River. Possibly better than it's slightly more attractive and better-located neighbour, the Anglers.
21 Mar 2008 11:31
Lovely old pub on perhaps the most gorgeous village green in all of London.
21 Mar 2008 11:29
The Famous Cock Tavern, Islington
One of the worst choices for a drink in Islington, but it's near the station and so easy to meeet people here. Saying that, the nearby Wetherspoon's is a better choice - and not often you can say that!
11 Mar 2008 00:13
The Hen and Chickens, Islington
I've noticed this pub for years but never went in it before last Friday. For some reason I thought it would be a dive. However, it isn't a dive. It's a very nice, cosy pub with quite a cool 'arty' feel. This well cared-for late Victorian, possibly Edwardian pub even looks nice on the outside, so I don�t know what I was thinking.
10 Mar 2008 15:21
The William Morris, Hammersmith
Not sure if I was drinking in here or in the ornate Victorian pub which appeared to be next door but which didn't have a name. Are they the same place?
10 Mar 2008 14:00
This place is a massively inferior choice of riverside pub. Much much better is the Dove, about a 5 minute walk downriver. This place has been made to feel as sterile and un-publike as possible inside. A massively long bar with very average fare on tap, too. It's in a really nice old building. You get the feeling this place used to be better, and has been mauled and maimed by some seriously bad decisions. Given its location it could be a star.
10 Mar 2008 13:57
Absolutely lovely pub along a quaint little lane lined with old buildings by the Thames . The location is perfect with a terrace overlooking the river, the best seat being up a cast-iron staircase perched on a bit of roof. In fact, it's the only seat in the house which feels safe from the river, which rose until it was well above the level of the pub floor while we were there. Ales include the amazing, organic Fuller's Honeydew, which we drank far too much of, and the food is extremely good (if expensive - but then you're paying for the heavenly location) - pate, fish & chips, pork belly and sausages and mash were all excellent. In summer this pub could be perfect.
10 Mar 2008 13:53
Extremely cosy and traditional old pub within a small network of narrow, very picturesque back alleys which, bizarrely, is only about a one-minute walk from the frenetic chaos of Holborn station. I was in there on a Thursday night and the place was absolutely packed out. We managed to find standing room at the back. The upstairs was closed. I considered the people who had found seats to be very fortunate. Despite the crowds, drinks could be had quite quickly, the bar sparsely manned by efficient staff. My friend got a pork pie with a ramekin of Branston pickle as a bar snack, and very nice it was too. This place might have peeped the Princess Louise as my favourite pub in Holborn, so I'll be back.
7 Mar 2008 10:32
Been coming in here for four years on and off and was glad to find that it's still the same old boozer as ever. Cute little Victorian pub with lots of characterful original features and a friendly, cosy atmosphere. A little antique worth patronising and preserving.
5 Mar 2008 13:44
Looks like a bar from the outside, but inside it's an airy mediocre pub with wooden bar and quick, efficient service. Good convenient place to stop in for a drink, with Peroni on tap.
4 Mar 2008 15:08
The King William IV, Hampstead
I wouldn't mind a beatiful Swedish girlfriend. Has she got any friends?
3 Mar 2008 12:35
So-so bar on Upper Street. Nothing really stands out, but there's always plenty of room.
2 Mar 2008 13:11
Surprisingly unrowdy even on home match days. Not a bad place to to talk football and get hammered in - if that's your pint of Foster's.
2 Mar 2008 13:10
Really nice place down St Paul's Road and so off the main drag of Upper Street. This makes it a bit more relaxing and laid-back. Looks a bit like a country pub from the outside.
2 Mar 2008 13:06
The Prince of Wales, Chingford Hatch
Just found this pub by chance. Will make a good pint stop on walks through Epping Forest from Wanstead to Chingford. Seemed like a friendly enough local. Pretty barmaid.
2 Mar 2008 13:03
Change the name back to The Forest Edge. 'The Sirloin' makes it sound like a big piece of steak. Still, it's not on the edge of the forest.
2 Mar 2008 12:59
The main bar dates from 1890 but the core of the building, with some of its original timbers, dates from the C16. Surprisingly, the building is not listed, only 'locally listed', which gives it a lot less protection from developers than some people might think. How about getting it properly listed? You would think it already would be, given its survivor status.
The pub adjoins the tiniest fragment of Epping Forest, but nearby good walks are to be had in the more substatial woodland of Larks Wood.
A good range of ales and some outside decking.
2 Mar 2008 12:56
Yes, this pub has been closed for at least 3 years now. Shame it's not still a pub as it would make a great pint-stop on a walk through Epping Forest.
29 Feb 2008 20:11
It's true this place is full of a bunch of people that seem like they have never left Broxbourne. But when I was in they were a familiar crowd and all friendly enough.
28 Feb 2008 10:47
The water that runs by this pub both is and isn't a canal. It is thre river lea or lee, which has been canalised.
26 Feb 2008 13:32
The water that runs by this pub both is and isn't a canal. It is thre river lea or lee, which has been canalised.
26 Feb 2008 13:32
The water that runs by this pub both is and isn't a canal. It is thre river lea or lee, which has been canalised.
26 Feb 2008 13:32
One of two pubs in this tiny village. Have spent less time in this one than in the Coach and Horses, but this made a good pint stop on a long walk in and around nearby Broxbourne Woods. It's only a two-and-a-half mile slog from here to the Baker's Arm's in Bayford (or about three and a half to The Woodman at Wormley West End). Very friendly woman behind the bar. I'll be back.
25 Feb 2008 19:09
Was only in here briefly on a long hike in and around nearby Broxbourne Woods, but it seems like a decent place. Most notable feature was a very long bar! I know people who have stayed here the night (it has rooms) and they raved about the food - serves great local sausages and mash apparently!
25 Feb 2008 19:05
Seems like a decent pub. For some reason looked a bit rough from the outside, even though I double checked on the way out and the exterior's actually quite nice, with it's Victorian tiling.
Nice on the inside too with it's exposed brickwork. Far enough away from Upper Street not to have that frenetic feel. Friendly, effient service. Quite a comfortable and relaxed feeling. Good solid pub.
25 Feb 2008 11:53
One of the few pubs in Hemel that are not terrible. Nice old building just across from the moor.
10 Feb 2008 20:20
Michael Brown has long gone, but this is still a nice pub in a nice quiet village. Right near a McDonald's drive-in.
10 Feb 2008 20:17
Nice building and location by the canal, but in the 15 years I have known this pub they have just never gotten it right. Maybe one day.
10 Feb 2008 20:15
One of the best pubs in Hemel. Small and cosey in a nice road. Ideal for a date. Also, good beer garden.
10 Feb 2008 20:14
Nice pub which on the Friday night I visited was full of a friendly and youngish crowd who all knew each other. A good local I guess, where everybody knows your name.
10 Feb 2008 20:06
The C16 beamed building is stunning. In London it would be a major tourist trap. This one is less flamboyant than the narby White Swan.
10 Feb 2008 20:04
Couldn't believe it. Even more beatiful than the Golden Lion - another stunning C15 or C16 century beamed building. If this pub was in London it would be a major tourist trap. A characterful, lop-sided treasure.
10 Feb 2008 20:01
Another fabulous-looking pub along Hoddesdon High Street. Very lively and full of a young local crowd.
10 Feb 2008 19:58
This is quite a renowned old boozer and very fine it is too. Makes for a good stop off on a Farringdon to Islington pub crawl, too.
8 Feb 2008 18:19
An Upper Street mainstay. Even though the place isn't in any tangible way 'good', you so often seem to end up here, or at least pop in on your way to somewhere else. Even when the only table you can get is right outside the stinky toilets at the back.
8 Feb 2008 18:17
This place seems to have a bit of an identity problem. Pubbers can't relax with all the white tablecloths and silverware laid out on the tables. And at the same time it doesn't seem to offer diners much either, because all those tables were empty on my last visit (at 8.30pm on a Friday night). Go back to being a pub!
8 Feb 2008 18:14
The Marquess Tavern, Canonbury
Really brilliant old boozer which doesn't get much look-in from tourists because it's fairly far from the main hubs of Highbury Corner and Upper Street. Nice, almost rural, setting, with the New River running alongside (you can follow it all the way from here to Ware in Hertfordshire, and see a statue of the guy that built it - on nearby Islington Green).
8 Feb 2008 18:11
The Florence Tavern, Islington
One of the nicer pubs in Islington. Lovely old Georgian building. Very relaxed in the day and then very lively (a bit too rammed actually - but always fast, friendly service) in the evenings. Often gets overlooked because of its location just off Upper Street behind the petrol station.
8 Feb 2008 18:08
Spaniards Inn, Hampstead Heath
I've always thought of this pub as being pretty perfect, with its ancient building, quaint appearance by an old toll gate (which for all the world looks like it is in the deep countryside - plus a million cars) and its legends.
However, on my last visit my opinion changed. The place was packed. There was only one barstaff, a girl who was painfully slow and totally unaware of the seething mass of customers who had been waiting up to half an hour to get served and were growing angrier by the minute.
And out in the garden it was a cacophony of people showing off their screaming kids and yapping, fighting dogs. Why would we want to hear that? Just shut them up and go away.
8 Feb 2008 18:01
The Freemasons Arms, Hampstead
One of the less characterful pubs in Hampstead. Nice conservatory out back, and good location just off the Heath, but it is a pretty standard, place, if not a little sterile.
8 Feb 2008 17:55
Haven't seen it since the refurb, but hope they haven't ruined this lovely old pub. Not as famous as its namesake across the Heath in Highgate, this is nevertheless an exemplary local boozer.
8 Feb 2008 17:54
Superb pub in a picture-perfect Hampstead street. I think it's more pub than gastropub, but if the food is good as well (haven't tried it yet) that makes this place even better than I already think it is.
8 Feb 2008 17:52
The Duke of Hamilton, Hampstead
Very nice pub in a lovely part of the village, but since the smoking ban it's a bit whiffy. Maybe shampoo the carpets?
8 Feb 2008 17:50
This pub is so small and simple, with nothing seemingly outstanding about it, and yet it is just so perfect!
8 Feb 2008 17:48
An old favourite. Best pub in Holborn. Beautiful old gin palace serving cheap good beer (Sam Smith's). Always packed, but that's because it's good.
8 Feb 2008 17:47
Went in here last night for a quiet drink. Nice looking pub (claiming, somewhat dubiously, to be the oldest in London). Slow bar staff who would rather chat to each other than serve you, but otherwise a pleasant experience, with room to breathe.
8 Feb 2008 17:45
Can't understand the negative remarks about this place. It is seemed the perfect country local on our visit. Meant to be the final stop off on a walk through nearby Broxbourne Woods before a taxi back to the station, we ended up staying there for hours, chatting with the locals and playing darts. Beautiful location in a verdant valley surrounded by woods, and a lovely old beamed C17 building (grade II-listed), too. I will be going back very soon.
8 Feb 2008 17:41
The Coach and Horses, Newgate Street
Lovely old local in tiny village on the edge of Boxbourne Woods. Great house red and satisfying baguettes. Very good lunch stop on a country walk. You can see the gherkin and Natwest Tower from the hill behind the pub.
8 Feb 2008 17:38
The Matt and Matt Bar, Islington
I've been here with some friends that know the owners on a number of occaions and I've always thought it one of the best drinking spot's along Upper Street. Friendly, good amosphere, and a good mix of people. And the be-mulletted owner doesn't mind getting his hands dirty to clean vomit off the floor when required.
20 Dec 2007 15:00
Normal Wetherspoons, but not normal for the area, as not many of the other pubs round here have such a gritty, depraved feel.
29 Nov 2007 13:56
Nice location on the banks of the Grand Union Canal in some quite lush countryside. Had a yapping dog there when I visited.
28 Nov 2007 23:35
Decent and no-frills Sam Smiths pub in the heart of Soho. Upstairs bar can pack a lot in.
22 Nov 2007 10:17
Strange that the 'Chocolate Breakfast' includes either tea or coffee but not hot chocolate, which is also on the menu.
22 Nov 2007 10:15
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Fleet Street
One of the best pubs in London. This is the epitome of an olde worlde pub - wood panelling, nooks and crannies, blazing open fires and strong literary connections. It's Sam Smiths, too, so it's cheap. The bigger bar is closed on Sundays.
18 Nov 2007 23:18
The location, on a kind of island surrounded by water on the River Lea, could hardly be bettered: this is a very beautiful spot. A very attractive pub as well. On both occasions I have paid a visit I haven't stayed here long enough to really find out what it's like, but seems pretty decent.
6 Nov 2007 09:54
Nice windows. Right opposite a pretty ancient gatehouse, and good location on the banks of the Lea.
6 Nov 2007 09:52
Found this pub quite by accident on a country walk, and so glad we did, and that we chose to eat here. My fishcakes and my friend's ham, egg and chips were exceptional, and very reasonably priced. Lovely location, too, next the church and close to the New River. Could have stayed here all day, and might come back and do that soon!
6 Nov 2007 09:50
The Lord Louis, Stanstead Abbotts
Close to The Jolly Fisherman, but not next to the river like that pub. Seemed OK.
6 Nov 2007 09:48
Jolly Fisherman, Stanstead St Margarets
Seemed a pretty nice pub. Nice looking old building, and right by the river. Still, I asked for vodka and red bull and they automatically gave me a double which cost over �4.
6 Nov 2007 09:46
The Park Tavern, Finsbury Park
This place is alright. Somehow manages to be very inconspicous.
1 Nov 2007 21:58
Great in summer for its riverside location, this pub, according to the locals, is the best in Broxbourne (there are only three in total). It's a bit sterile and harvester-like on the inside, with little atmosphere (and a poor show of beers), but the staff are friendly and it's cosy enough. My friend and I both ordered the pesto and sun dried tomato pasta - I got ten sun dried tomatoes and he got one!
1 Nov 2007 21:28
The Marquis of Granby, Cambridge Circus
Grand old Soho pub and a good alternative to the Cambridge opposite.
28 Oct 2007 15:05
Perfect, perfect olde worlde pub: ancient outside and in, old beams, fireplaces, etc, etc. Beautiful churchside location too in a gorgeous street. Who would have thought Harlow could be so idyllic?
28 Oct 2007 15:04
Winchester Pub Hotel, Highgate
Nice elegant Victorian pub on Archway Road with very good food.
28 Oct 2007 14:58
The Cat And Canary, Canary Wharf
Fake olde-worlde pub, and done pretty well too. Great beer and lgreat ocation on the quayside.
11 Jul 2007 12:30
The Ledger Building, Canary Wharf
One of the best Wetherspoons, in great grade I-listed building on the quayside.
11 Jul 2007 12:29
A surprisingly nice pub, right next to Limehouse station. Good place to meet people.
11 Jul 2007 12:26
Hasn't got the history or Dickens connections of The Grapes but, apart from The Grapes's posh nosh, this pub is as good as or better in every other way. The building is just as ancient and rickety (though it's only been a pub since '79), the views are just as good, the tables get closer to the river, the service is friendlier (no smart-ass comments from waiters). The food too, for it's type (this is pub food, but good pub food, with an emphasis on fresh salad) is to be commended.
10 Jul 2007 14:05
Great historical warehouse conversion, but very noisy and dingy.
10 Jul 2007 14:01
Ticks boxes: clean, good quick service, good (and cheap) food, good range of drinks (including Fruli on tap). Nicholson's isn't a bad chain, and this one's a good example of what they can do. Not pubby enough for my tastes, but that's just personal.
10 Jul 2007 13:59
Nice old pub - the best in Potten End in fact. The Thai chef does a good job with the English staples as well as the Thai meals. Relaxing, peaceful - great.
3 Jul 2007 16:55
Posibly the best pub on the whole of the Hadrian's Wall Path. Not as pretty inside as the nearby Stag in Crosby-on-Eden, maybe, but boasts much better food. Like the Stag, there is a very good range of Jennings beers on tap. It's the only place to get food or a beer in Walton, so it is the hub of this isolated Cumbria village. A good mix of locals and walkers make for a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
11 Jun 2007 14:17
Another nice old pub in Theydon Bois, this one on the way from the village centre to the Forest.
29 May 2007 10:11
Bright yellow pub popular with students. Good for watching football. Occasionally some friction between the townies and the students, but generally a nice place.
21 May 2007 16:22
Something odd's going down in here. Look at all the lovely barmaids. Look at the all-male clientelle. Interesting night out.
18 May 2007 13:33
The Thomas Willingale, Chingford
This pub has been renamed The Station. It's still bad.
18 May 2007 13:30
Better than its more favourably located neighbour, the Princess of wales.
18 May 2007 13:25
The Princess of Wales, Clapton
Lucky to have a great location on the canal (which I suppose is why it appears in all the pub guides), but it's a pub that doesn't care. The Ship Aground, next door, is better, but without the waterside location.
18 May 2007 13:24
For some reason the Hemelites think it's pretty sophisticated and come here for big nights out, where they drink bottled beverages rather than ones that come in glasses. Now that is sophistication.
18 May 2007 13:18
Lovely old courtyarded pub. Only pub in village of Mells. Good, but overpriced.
18 May 2007 13:16
The Coppermill Tavern, Walthamstow
Has more of a 'country pub' feel than any other pub in Walthamstow, located as it is on the edge of the marshes by the canal/river. A well-kept pub serving a good range of well-kept ales.
17 May 2007 10:17
A surreal survivor. Great location on the canal, dwarfed by high-rise council flats, and absolutely tiny inside. Very curious customers too. I've always loved this place. I have often brought friends and family here, though, and its general craziness hasn't sat well with them. Hasn't put me off though. If only there were more of these characterful little places dotted around.
26 Apr 2007 13:53
This pub changes ownership like changing ownership was going out of fashion. I literally cannot count the amount of times this has happened since I first came in here in 1989. It's currrent incarnation is going down much better with the locals (who haven't got anywhere else to go, bless them!)than its last one. Keep it up!
24 Apr 2007 15:05
This is a contender for the best Wetherspoon's in the country. It's an exceptionally nice pub with exceptionally cheap prices.
18 Apr 2007 15:28
Fantastic atmosphere in here, and I know it's well loved by many. Definitely looking forward to another visit soon.
18 Apr 2007 15:27
The Hope, Tottenham Court Road
Good pub with a pleasant feel to it. Was a bit dead on my visit but I got the feeling that things could really get going here - in a positive sense.
18 Apr 2007 15:26
Came in here for lunch today. Great pub. Had a seriously nice fish'n'chips (with a truly odd rendition of mushy peas), and the range of ales was excellent. My pint of Waggledance was outstanding.
18 Apr 2007 15:24
Stopped in this canalside pub for a pint on my cycle home. Nice inside, with flamboyant gold wallpapaer, but the real draw was the outside, where it was very pleasant indeed to sip my drink on the grass by the canal.
16 Apr 2007 16:28
There's been a pub on this site since the 1700s, but you can't really feel the history. It hasn't got as nice a feel to it as the other Market pub, Chequers, but I do hope it gets better.
15 Mar 2007 16:28
One of the best pubs in the borough, and easily the best of the bunch on the Bakers Arms Junction.
4 Mar 2007 19:53
This pub hasn't been called the Goose & Granite for at least two years! It's next to the station, so it's good for meeting people, and it's the cheapest pub in Walthamstow. Those two things alone probably secure its popularity.
4 Mar 2007 19:52
The Coach and Horses, Walthamstow
Wasn't pleasant before it was boarded up and re-opened. Looks a little better now - I'll venture back in one of these days to find out.
4 Mar 2007 19:50
The Langstrath Country Inn, Stonethwaite
Much appreciated pub on a stroll down from Keswick before pressing on up the hills over to Grasmere the next morning - has accommodation. Gorgeous location in beautiful Borrowdale, nice atmosphere, good ales. Also, interesting mix of customers, and very busy considering its extremely isolated position.
4 Mar 2007 19:44
Great pub in a lovely stretch of country. What a delight it was to see this place on a hard afternoon scramble from Kendal to Windermere!
4 Mar 2007 19:35
The Salisbury, Leicester Square
Highly ornate and well-preserved gin palace, very handy for the theatre.
4 Mar 2007 19:28
Elegant old pub with its frosted glass and wooden panelling. Seems to have retained its Victiorian character well. Always busy, but big enough to cope. I always get the impression its a bit tatty and grubby, but looking round last night I couldn't pin down why, and decided that it really isn't. Whenever I am drinking in this area I nearly always go either here or to the - sublime - Cask and Glass round the corner. Good range of ales and decent food.
22 Feb 2007 17:34
Right in front of Victoria station this noisy, smoky pub is full of people waiting for other people, commuters having a quick drink, and bewildered tourists. A place to meet somebody in and then move on to somewhere else as quick as you can.
22 Feb 2007 17:30
The Harringay Arms, Crouch End
One of the best boozers in London. A classic old-school pub which I just hope never changes.
20 Feb 2007 18:53
The Bank of Friendship, Highbury
Best pub (excluding bars - see T-Bird) on Blackstock Road. This old boozer has real atmnosphere.
20 Feb 2007 18:49
Great little bar which plays excellent music and has a really lively and yet laid-back atmosphere. Anyone who has this as their local is lucky indeed.
20 Feb 2007 18:48
The Twelve Pins, Finsbury Park
Not a bad pub, right next to Finsbury Park station. Has gotten some bad press in the past, but I've never seen any evidence that it's a bad place.
20 Feb 2007 18:46
One of the better pubs in Finsbury Park, you can always rely on this pub to be decent. Nice original Victorian features on the ceiling in the back bar too.
20 Feb 2007 18:44
White Lion Of Mortimer, Finsbury Park
One of the least appealing Wetherspoons. It's cheap and that's the only thing going for it.
20 Feb 2007 18:42
This and the Faltering Fullback are the two best places to go out in Finsbury Park (both for different kinds of evenings). This one is more of a bar than a pub. Lovely exposed brick interior with a red glow. Good DJs and live music, and good food too. Had many great nights in here.
20 Feb 2007 18:41
Gets good reviews, and it's a lovely old building, but it feels really empty and impersonal - 'disengaging'. Needs a bit of warmth and atmosphere.
20 Feb 2007 18:39
Fantastic place, though can't understand why it's classified as a 'pub' in so many places. It's a restaraunt and, possibly, a bar, surely. Good mellow ambience and great food. Friendly staff. Lots of candle-lit nooks - could be quite romantic. Seem to remember there was something very odd hanging from the ceiling - possibly a motorbike (honestly).
20 Feb 2007 18:38
The Clarendon, Chandlers Cross
I came here last spring, and it was great. Nobody I know doesn't like it. In a really nice rural setting, too. It's a pleasant walk out of Watford - through Cassiobury Park, accross the River Gade and through Whippendell Wood - which makes it an ideal lunch stop on a stroll. Look forward to it re-opening soon. Hope it does.
20 Feb 2007 18:30
The Bricklayers Arms, Flaunden
Sublime pub, in the middle of absolutely nowehere. Beautiful old brick building with a lovely old creeper adorning the exterior. Inside, the bar area feels pubby and the rest seems to be set up for food. The food itself (French/Brittish)is some of the best pub food you are likely to have anywhere. It's not really pub fare at all, of course, and could quite easily grace a top restaraunt. People come from miles around to sample it, I gather. The Dressed Cromer Crab was fantastic. Accommodating and professional staff, extremely posh 'clientelle', but all very friendly indeed. I would recommend it to anyone and can't wait to go back.
20 Feb 2007 18:23
Elegant, creamy, stucco Georgian-looking building right in the centre of Oxford. Lots of stripped down wood inside. Seemed good, and certainly did nothing worong, but did lack atmosphere after the nearby Turf Tavern.
20 Feb 2007 18:13
This is an exemplary pub. It is located down a stupendousy picturesque, narrow alley and nestles beneath ancient city walls, with spires rising behind it. Inside it's a warren of snug little bars, old wooden beams and uneven stone walls. There's a very large range of ales and a famous cider on tap, the food is very good and the service is professional, fast and friendly. Clientele seem to be a mixture of students, dons and tourists. One of the bets pubs I have been to.
20 Feb 2007 18:09
A Thames riverside pub just behind the train station in Oxford. A small back street divides the pub from the actual river. I passed this pub last summer whilst walking the Thames Path, but it was shut at the time. Ever since then I have been curious to go back and check it out, and today I finally got the chance. Seems like a friendly local, quite far flung. I asked the elderly barman whether they get many walkers, but all he wanted to talk about was the food, which he claimed was the best pub food you could get anywhere - "proper British food". I've read some good things about the food, and it did look reasonably priced. But I had already eaten in the Turf Tavern.
20 Feb 2007 18:02
The Three Horseshoes, Bourne End
Known simply as 'Winkwell' to many, this one's a long way out of town but has always been a bit of a local landmark. Superb in summer for its seats out on the canal, and superb in winter for its snug and cosy atmosphere. Great old C16 building too.
17 Feb 2007 10:43
The Faltering Fullback, Finsbury Park
This has got to be one of the best pubs in London, let alone Finsbury Park. And you'd never find it by chance, tucked away up a back steet in a residential area as it is. Something for everybody - friendly locals and bar staff, good range of ales, cosy traditional boozer section, good (Thai) food, big sports screen (in a different, somewhat school canteen-like room), pool table, (secluded) beer garden: it's got the lot.
17 Feb 2007 10:40
Not a bad place halfway between the Village and Wood Street. Is known to have a bouncy castle in the summer, which can be fun - and possibly dangerous - when very very drunk.
17 Feb 2007 10:35
Really nice pub on Richmond village green. Good views over the green from upstairs, and seats outside too.
17 Feb 2007 10:32
Handy after-work alternative to the characterless chain bars that characterise the area: this is an old 1920s dockers pub with a ('salmon pink') modern makeover. It hasn't got much more character than the chain bars, however. It's full of braying bankers and the drink is horribly overpriced - well over �3 for a pint of anything. The food has gotten much better of late and is more resonably-priced than the drink. Good 'gourmet burger'.
17 Feb 2007 10:17
The Ferryboat Inn, Tottenham Hale
Simply the best pub in the area. Lovely old grade II-listed building with gorgeous fireplace. Friendly and attentive service - table service in fact. Good quality and reasonably-priced food from an extensive menu. There's nowhere else like this in the Tottenham/Walthamstow area - it's an island of civilisation in a sea of run-down nastiness. Nice stop off on a stroll up the River Lea and surrounding marshes too.
17 Feb 2007 10:12
Lovely, ancient lpub in the backsteets of Oxford, serving an honest pint and decent food. Seems like it must have been here forever.
16 Feb 2007 09:58
One of the best pubs in Stoke Newington, on a really nice part of Church street by Abney Road cemetary. Traditional old boozer, well kept - with Japanese beer on tap!
16 Feb 2007 09:53
Absolutley awful place - soulless and empty of all character. Its only redeeming point is its location, on the edge of a particularly beautiful patch of Epping Forest.
16 Feb 2007 09:50
The Rose and Crown, Woodford Green
Very average local pub, set in a backstreet off the main road.
16 Feb 2007 09:48
Ancient, probably medieval, pub with wonky beams, right next to Waltham Abbey and the town�s main drag, Sun Street. A very characterfull place. The local morris dancers drink in here after their shows.
16 Feb 2007 09:46
Travellers Friend, Epping Green
One of two pubs in a tiny village, on the route of an old �drove road� running between Harlow and Waltham Abbey, now a part of Epping Forest. Not bad. Sitting out front is scary, as it seems like the cars coming round the bend are going to drive staright into you.
16 Feb 2007 09:45
King's Harold Head, Nazeing Common
Beautiful old pub on the route of an old �drove road�, on the edge of a tiny village between Waltham Abbey and Harlow. Has a separate, somewhat formal, restaurant at the back which contrasts quite starkly with friendly local atmosphere of the front bar.
16 Feb 2007 09:43
Noisy and brash, full of bare-chested Essex boys racing their cars or playing football in the large beer garden, whilst guzzling pints of lager. Don�t hold your breath whilst waiting to be served. Marginally more pleasant in the winter.
16 Feb 2007 09:41
Set on top of a verdant hill above the forest, there has been a pub on this site for centuries, though the current incarnation was built in the 1960s after the last one was demolished becauise it was unsafe. Serves decent food and the beer garden affords excellent views over Epping Forest below. And what is with that 'Don't tease the water otter' sign?
16 Feb 2007 09:40
The King Edward VII, Stratford
'King Eddy's' is a perfect old pub and the only reason for coming to Stratford. It's a traditional old place that does everything right, including the drinks and the exceptional food. God knows what it's doing in the middle of such a hell-hole, but it really is worth making the effort to get here. In a taxi, preferably, to avoid contact with all else Stratford.
16 Feb 2007 09:37
Not a bad Wetherspoons, full of a typically-odd bunch of down-and-outers which are nonetheless reasonably unoffensive. Probably the second best choice for a pint in Stratford, all in all.
16 Feb 2007 09:34
Nice looking old place, and a bit more genuine than the nearby Nag's Head, but badly run, with dirty crockery and glasses.
16 Feb 2007 09:33
One of the Bakers Arms pubs. This one's Irish and is functional and workmanlike: not good, not too bad.
16 Feb 2007 09:31
The Lord Palmerston, Walthamstow
A friendly cavernous place on a big junction. Not a bad choice, and one of the better pubs in Walthamstow.
16 Feb 2007 09:30
Contender for best pub in Waltamstow. A really traditional old-school place that feels like a country pub.
16 Feb 2007 09:29
Quite an odd little Wetherspoons, much more cosy than their usual pubs. This junction - the 'Bakers Arms' junction, has pubs on every side, and this is the second best of them.
16 Feb 2007 09:28
Quite a landmark because of its prominence - the junction is actually named after it - but a right old shabby affair.
16 Feb 2007 09:26
Quite a freindly little den of a place slap bang in the middle of Walthamstow Market. Also, it's the oldest building on the High Street, hailing back to Georgian times. Certainly nothing special, but not bad for the area.
16 Feb 2007 09:24
The Pilot Inn, North Greenwich
Went to this old-school traditional Victorian pub last night with a friend. North Greenwich is such a bleak place - all modern warehouses and carparks - that it doesn't look promising ground for a good pub. In fact, this place looks like it might be the only pub on the peninsular. And it's a great one. The pub and the little terrace of Victorian cottages that its a part of look like the only old buildings in North Greenwhich. Has a bit of a villagey feel. A masive range of ales is on offer, and the food was very good and ambitious (my friend had a game pie and I had butterfly chicken), if overpriced (most mains cost around �10). The staff, all semingly from eastern Europe, are attrractive, attentive and friendly. What a great find!
16 Feb 2007 09:20
Ancient and now touristy pub right by St.Ives harbour. Very picturesque. We ended up in here because, whilst we were eating in the restaraunt just behind it, the restaurant caught fire and we all had to be evacuated! This seemed like a sensible option for the rest of the evening. It was a good choice.
15 Feb 2007 09:25
I was pretty pleased with this famous gay venue. The pub sign outside, instead of sporting a picture of Queen Victoria's head, sports a picture of Freddie Mercury's head. Very friendly, and I was even cracked on to by a handome fellow - despite the fact that I was with my girlfriend.
15 Feb 2007 09:20
Lovely traditional old pub in a village-like part of Hatfield very close to Hatfield House. The pub features in the Dickens book 'Oliver Twist' - not much here can have changed since the 1830s.
14 Feb 2007 13:51
The Warren Wood, Buckhurst Hill
Functional, workman-like pub next to a petrol station on the main road through Epping Forest - good on a walk through the woods. Great views over the forest to Chingford from just outside. Seems to be getting friendlier.
14 Feb 2007 13:49
Quite a famous Thameside pub, this, but it was a big let down. Fantastic location and nice looking black & white building. However, run down inside and out with couldn't-care-less Ozzy bar staff and naff food.
14 Feb 2007 13:44
One of the best pubs I have ever been to. Massive, sprawling old (very old) building, with a warren of dark and cosy little bars. Dickens used to drink here. The food is excelelnt too.
14 Feb 2007 13:42
The Full House, Hemel Hempstead
What a dreadful place. One of the worst Wetherspoons. I rememeber when this place used to be the old cinema. It also used to have the largest capacity of any pub in the country at one time.
14 Feb 2007 13:39
Has more of a solicitor's waiting room feel than that of a pub. Very bight, clinical and smart. Not really my cup of tea. I believe this place is quite renowned too.
14 Feb 2007 13:35
Looks like it originally must have been a very characterful old place, with its different bars on different levels and heavily timbered interior. Food looked good.
14 Feb 2007 13:32
Gorgeous-looking pub close to the green and leafy banks of the Thames near it's rural source. The food looked spectacular, though we didn't have any. Lovely tranquil beer garden too. Not very pubby, though perhaps one of the nooks would suffice for serious drinking purposes. Very gentrified.
14 Feb 2007 13:27
Massively busy on a Friday night and quiet and meditative on a weekday. A good old pub in a very atmospheric setting down a Victorian-looking street. Huge range of ales.
12 Feb 2007 23:58
I stayed in the hotel here. Didn't think much of it - unfriendly staff who get things wrong snd then don't even aplogise. Peeked in at the bar and it looked as threadbare as the rest of the place.
12 Feb 2007 23:56
The Kings Head and Bell, Abingdon
Beautiful old building with sprawling, maze-like interior and lots of little cubby-holes. Big open fires and low beams. Despite that, it hasn't become a gastropub and retains a grotty indie ambience more like that of a student bar.
9 Feb 2007 16:45
What an awful place! It's handily close to the river (me and a friend were walking the Thames Path), and that's what lured us in. Psychotic looking bar staff were hanging out with their mates and serving us beer with deep scowls. Looks like a tip too, with its dated rock murals all over the walls.
9 Feb 2007 16:43
Big old warehouse conversion. Great location - the beer garden spills right out onto the Thames. Little atmosphere, though. If you look carefully you can see the weird 'Satanic' carvings on the big red brick building on the other side of Folly Bridge.
9 Feb 2007 16:40
Very nice, quiet old pub just out of the centre of Oxford, famous for its associations with JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis - they used to meet in here to discuss their respective book projects. Nice atmosphere.
9 Feb 2007 16:38
This has been one of the nicest pubs in Hemel for as long as I can remember. This, and the fact that it's very old (the core of it was built in the C17) persuaded me to have my wedding party here in 2004 - it has an upstairs room that can be hired out.
9 Feb 2007 16:37
The big empty bar has more going on in it than the cosier one (not really cosy), but this pub hasn't got much to recommend it. The Hollybush down the road is a better choice.
9 Feb 2007 15:58
The Hollybush, Welwyn Garden City
Been in here loasds as it's my sister's local. It's a friendly, drunken, merry place, where everybody knows each other.
9 Feb 2007 15:56
I was in here recently with a friend, both of us laden down with rucksacks - from the train station, this pub is on the way into the Lake District National Park. We found it a friendly and welcoming little place.
9 Feb 2007 15:52
The Rose and Crown, Hemel Hempstead
This pub used to be great in the crazy days of Jane and Chris. It's still a looker - ancient building with a well-preserved fireplace. Serves Thai food now and has gone somewhat up-market.
9 Feb 2007 15:44
A nice traditional East End boozer in the back streets of an area which has become glitzy and somewhat soulless. A nice respite from the braying wharfers and characterless chain bars. Friendly, and with very cheap food.
9 Feb 2007 15:42
Just perfect. A Thames-side location (with a terrace literally hanging over the river), a lovely old - very historical - timbered building, and an amazing food menu (including a Kobe beef burger for a very reasonable �13 and an antelope burger; live lobsters and crabs also cooked on-site). Can't remember the range of drinks, though.
9 Feb 2007 15:38
A lovely old mediaeval building in Spon Street (a street made up of mostly transplanted mediaeval buildings from other parts of bombed-out Coventry), this pub is also a delight inside - a warren of tiny bars makes it snug and characterful. Good range of beers too.
9 Feb 2007 15:34
This pub is one of Coventry's few surviving tudor buildings, housed in a lovely old timbered cottage. Inside, however, is a diferent story. Lacks character. The Lonely Planet describes it as "chummy". Maybe.
9 Feb 2007 15:29
Went to this pub whilst on holiday in St.Ives and was very pleasantly surprised. Friendly staff and an exceptional lemon sole for dinner (better than in some of the 'posh' and overpriced eateries in St.Ives). Only really stayed for dinner, but had the impression that this is a really great locals' pub - which is also very welcoming to strangers from out of town.
9 Feb 2007 15:22
Went to this pub on a pub crawl in August 2005 and remember it as a bit dingy and very average - unmemorable in fact. Been there twice since the revamp and it's very nice. A good mix of punters, good range of drinks and good food. Also, not as ponsy and self-conscious as the sister pub, The Nagg's Head.
9 Feb 2007 15:12
The Minster Inn, York
One of the loveliest pubs I've ever had the pleasure to go in. Beatiful interior, friendly locals and staff (the young barman who served us, particularly, fantastic drinks and, best of all, Ali the piano man, who came in and elevated the evening to the next level.
28 May 2010 11:44