BITE user comments - Monkfish2
Comments by Monkfish2
Extensively refitted about 4 years ago and whilst the interior looks much nicer and more is being made of the outside space, it has definitely turned into something more akin to a restaurant that happens to have a small pub inside it with the majority of floorspace given over to tables for eating and those just here for a drink confined to a small strip of the pub to the left of the bar. The food is in fairness good, but in an area not overstocked with decent pubs to begin with, it feels almost like we've lost 60% of another one. That said, service is quick and polite, the McMullen's beers are still well kept and they have an extensive range of Gins , the odd cocktail and various other drinks available. Price is on the steep side. Occasional quiz nights can be good fun here too and it is a nice place for a meal on birthdays, Christmas, leaving dos and so on. Just not a place you would pop in for a night of regular drinking with your mates.
16 Dec 2021 11:38
A proper local pub in an area now sadly bereft of much of that sort of thing. It has outlived (in no particular order) The Plough, The Rose & Crown, The White Horse, The Black Horse, The Golden Hive and The Isaak Walton to be the last man standing in this particular corner of the Enfield Highway/Brimsdown area and deservedly so as it continues to be excellent year on year. I'm afraid real ale is still not available here, but there is a fair range of drinks at a very reasonable price. Atmosphere is friendly and tends towards the loud without being too boisterous. Probably the best place in the whole of Enfield for watching sport ( as the name might suggest) with multiple screens throughout often showing a mixture of football, GAA, darts, horse racing, rugby and pretty much anything else that's on. DJs and live music are pretty much regular features most weekends and it can be good for a lively night out, but it's just as good for a quiet beer or two after work on a midweek day. Jukebox with a zillion tunes available. Pizzas available now (special deal on Sunday means you can have one with roast potatoes as a side for a good price - I kid you not). Bar staff and landlord all very friendly and keep the drinks coming at a decent speed even when packed. Lucky to have it as my local, long may it stay the same! Still known to many locals by the nickname The Top House (a nickname that predates its current name and was used to refer to The King's Arms which used to be here due to its location at the top of Green Street) so if you can't find it or nobody seems to know where you are talking about, try that name and see the penny drop on them.
16 Dec 2021 11:27
This old warhorse of a pub is in good form at present. It has as ever that beautiful exterior which makes it a local landmark, and inside whilst it doesn't have quite the old world charm of its facade, it is a very nice comfortable and clean environment to enjoy a few beers. Standard lagers and Guinness for the most part but of good quality, served politely and at a reasonable price. All kinds of silly shots available as well. A fair few TVs for watching the sport if you so choose. At its best as a bastion of live music in the area with bands every Friday and Saturday night as standard with occasional additional performances on other days (such as the acoustic band last Sunday).Gets some very good standard cover bands in and a healthy crowd with no aggro, which is a welcome thing in an area where such things seem to be rarer than before.
16 Dec 2021 11:10
Still a beautifully unspoiled example of an old-fashioned corner pub. They've put a marquee in the garden (a legacy of the reopening rules after lockdown) and have a pizza van outside for food making better use of the previously under-utilised car park area. Inside has been given a touch up, but without in any way detracting from its cosy, welcoming vibe. Service and beers are excellent and prices reasonable. It's a McMullen's pub, so no guest ales unless you count McMullen's own Rivertown brand of slightly more contemporary beer styles. There's a nice small fire, it's dog friendly and they still put on live music including the pianist and spoon player duo. Timeless and should appeal to any civilised drinkers particularly those of a slightly nostalgic bent who can remember when all pubs were like this (spoiler alert - they never really were but this is how your idealised imagination has chosen to remember them).
16 Dec 2021 11:03
Nice place for a quiet pint or two on a weeknight. Not the widest selection of beers, but what they have is very drinkable. Staff are friendly and attentive. Probably best avoided on late nights at weekends as it gets uncomfortably crowded at times and seems to be an "end of the night" last port of call for many Enfield drinkers. Prices are slightly above average for the area, but for good quality drinks and nice service in a relaxed environment, they are worth paying. The Quiz Night on Tuesdays is always good fun here.
16 Dec 2021 10:56
The Wheatsheaf is now run by The Big Smoke Brewing Co. and has had a nice lick of paint applied. Far greater range of real ales than previously and bottles and cans are available to supplement the range. They also have brought back food! The beer garden has been covered in fake grass and has lots of little booths installed round the edge with outdoor heaters and plenty of nice lighting in a successful bid to overcome the main flaw the pub always had which is very limited internal capacity due to its two separate unconnected (except for those behind the bar) rooms. Beer quality is very decent in general, although due to the range of rotating guest beers and so on you will come across the odd misfire. Food looks and smells lovely but I haven't eaten in here yet. Atmosphere and service are very pleasant. Price wise this is very much at the higher end for the area, but given that it has no real competition in terms of a brew pub type model, it's hard to gripe about it as you do get value for the money you spend.
16 Dec 2021 10:50
The Victory, Walton on the Naze
Lovely cosy and friendly pub with an agreeable background of amiable chatter. Well served and delicious pints of Beavertown's ever enjoyable Neck Oil poured by attentive and hospitable bar staff for a very reasonable price. Looks like a traditional corner pub from outside and then doubles down on being a timeless mind's eye vision of a relaxed convivial neighborhood pub inside. Might be a bit tranquil for younger drinkers, but for those of us slightly more *ahem* experienced patrons this is ideal. One word of warning, when they say mind the step by the centre door leading down to the bar, pay attention! My fiancee made quite the dramatic entrance stumbling in spectacularly and narrowly avoiding braining herself on the fireplace. That safety note aside, very heartily recommended!
15 Sep 2022 13:31