BITE user comments - Monkfish2
Comments by Monkfish2
I have totally fallen in love with this pub. I have only visited on 4 occasions so far, but I liked it immediately from my first visit and have found my opinion being reinforced and strengthened on every subsequent visit.
This is an unassuming and yet delightful little neighbourhood pub on the edge of the town centre. It's a McMullen's house and serves their usual range of beers. Here they are kept well and served with a friendly welcome. It's the ambience of the place that makes it so appealing to me though. I first tried the left hand bar, which on the day I first entered had the air of a little local private members club, but in a good way. As in it was full of what I presume to be regulars just sitting there utterly relaxed and chatting away in a very cosy room, rather than there being any "you ain't from around here now are you stranger" hostility towards new customers. Like the staff the customers were relaxed, cheerful and friendly. There was football on the telly but nobody was screaming or being overly exuberant, they were just watching the game. That doesn't sound like much but sadly these days, it is hard to find a pub where people aren't taking it all waaaaay too seriously and making it a horrible place to just try and have a drink. There are a couple of booths with a long table and bench seating that also have their own smaller TV at the the end for people to still watch sports. There is also a dart board. On my second visit to the pub with my other half we were sat near the board and the darts was also on the telly, not particularly our thing, but again everyone was managing to watch and play without shouting or losing their temper and the vibe is totally relaxed and friendly.
The right hand bar, still has a TV but is much more the place people go to for a quiet chat over a few drinks and has a pleasant, convivial atmosphere again and is also very cosy and a great place to hide away from unpleasant weather outside and literally just relax and take a breather. It is the larger bar and is more spacious with a decent number of tables. Haven't eaten here yet, but the food looks and smells lovely. This pub isn't where you would head for a "big night out" but for a nice catch-up with mates, a weeknight drink with your other half or maybe even a cheeky pint on your own while you read the paper, it is a little slice of heaven.
My only two criticisms have been: 1) that at times they have on member of bar staff working both sides of the pub which can lead to a more relaxed pace of service, which didn't bother me personally as I was not in any kind of hurry, but might try the patience of some who crave instant gratification at all times. 2) Not a criticism of the pub, but of McMullen's who brew many wonderful beers but not all are available at every pub at any given time and so sometimes they don't have some of their best offerings here and worse still they did give them "Rival" which is apparently McMullen's attempt to produce an alternative cask based Stout to compete with Guinness. Not a rivalry, not even the same league. It was wretched.
Enough of that brief negativity - let's end on a positive note for a wonderful pub. If you are anywhere near here and fancy a pint - make this your first port of call!
9 Apr 2026 15:09
"Fun" Fact - I lived in Enfield for over 40 years and never set foot in this place until the very day that I was moving out of the area and had some time to kill while various bits and pieces were being sorted out. I now regret not trying it earlier. I was here in a Friday more or less as they opened the doors, and found it to be a very nice place in which to have a couple of afternoon beers on a warm day to pass an hour or so. The place was of course virtually empty, so depending on your viewpoint I was either getting it at its best or worst - but bar staff were friendly, as were the two other customers. Service was naturally quick, the beer was cold and very drinkable and well priced. The building itself is nice and airy and has a lot of natural light through the front windows, through which you can watch Enfield Wash go about its business, or not if that is what you are trying to forget about. They have multiple TVs for sport, a pool table, they do food but I didn't eat and seem to have DJs and Karaoke on fairly often according the the posters in the place. Not quite as "spit & sawdust" as I was expecting and slightly reminiscent of the sadly departed Sporting Green, which I used to love.
For a quiet daytime drink I would say this place will do you nicely.
9 Apr 2026 14:27
Now yet again re-opened under another set of new management - this venerable old watering hole is once more an option for the thirsty appreciators of charming older buildings in the local area. The positives are that it still has a wonderful "hideaway" atmosphere, where you can lose yourself in a cosy nook the building and forget the world outside, some decent beer, good service and a nice choice of background music that is more obscure and eclectic than in many places (albeit with a distinct bias towards the 60's & 70's). The one permanent negative is that for anyone over about 5'10" in height, you have to keep your wits about you to avoid braining yourself on the low beams and ceiling - particularly as you approach the bar which is suboptimal for your chance of avoiding a nasty headache. The other factor which could be either a positive or a negative depending on your viewpoint is that it does seem to skew very heavily towards being a food based venue. That's not to say that you can't just have a drink, or that there is anything wrong with the drinks that they serve, but it does mean lots of the available seats and tables are reserved for dining customers. This might be a false impression and the Sunday that my Fiancée and I decided to pop in for a couple of drinks did happen to coincide with Mother's Day. We were allowed to take a table for an hour before the people that had reserved it attended though. Looking around at their Sunday Roast it was so impressive that as we reached the time we had to give up our original table, and as the early diners started to leave, I chanced my arm and asked if we could get a table for 2 for dinner and they found us one. We both had the Roast Beef and for around £18 each it is easily the best Pub Roast Dinner I have had in years - highly recommended. Generous portions of lovely tasty food.
I was drinking Neck Oil which was reasonably priced and dependably good.
Would like to come again perhaps on a quieter midweek evening to just have a few beers and relax in the lovely environment. All in all very good and if you are within easy travelling distance, worth adding to your "To Do" list.
9 Apr 2026 14:16
Popped in recently for the first time in a many years to watch the eternally excellent Scam 69 play a gig and was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere, service and pricing. It's a classic two bar lay out. The left hand side (where the bands play) is an area that will appeal to those who grew up drinking in down to earth local pubs. It has a proper pub carpet, old well worn-in tables and a mixture of comfortable seating designed for function rather than aesthetic appeal. The best seats in the house to my mind are those located left of the door by the window, where there is a raised semi-circular bench style seat that is slightly raised a step above the floor level. There were a couple of TVs showing football, but this is more of an "old man's" pub room, designed for drinking, laughing and telling tall tales. The room extends a fair way back and live music is performed at the very far end from the entrance, is audible and visible to almost everyone on that side of the pub without being deafening.
Service was quick and friendly. This is a Wells & Co. pub which is the current iteration of the former Charles Wells brewery, which upon being split-up no longer produces Eagle IPA which I used to be quite fond of and now uses their own "Brewpoint" brewery to try new and different beers. I tried the only one they had on tap "Foghorn" which is an Amercian Style IPA. Several days later, I'm still not entirely sure of what I made of it. Initially it seemed to be very odd with a slightly florar, almost soapy taste and very little citrus and I didn't immediately take to it. As I worked my way through the pint, either it improved or my tastebuds adjusted and by the end I thought it was fairly decent. I didn't rush to order another though, but wouldn't rule out another go at it in future. The rest of their beers are very standard fare (Guinness, Madri, Fosters, Carling & Pravha) and the one draft cider is Strongbow. I had both Guinness and Madri, which were fine and fairly priced.
The other bar to the right of the pub is very much aimed at the younger, predominantly male clientele and is a light wood, plain white walls and spot lit affair that hosts pool tables and a dart board and at least as many TV screens as the larger more traditional side of the pub in a smaller space. It seems to be fine if that's your bag, but it isn't mine particularly, so should you bump into me in this boozer expect to see me in the left hand bar casting an envious eye on that seat by the window.
Will definitely call again. Not a pub you would go out of your way to visit, but if there's a band on you want to see, you happen to be passing through or visiting nearby or better yet if you live within a short walk of it - this is a nice enough place to while away an evening.
9 Apr 2026 14:02
Pleasant neighbourhood pub with a nice welcoming atmosphere. Not the widest range of drinks but they do have real ales and everything that they serve is of good quality and fairly reasonably priced. If you like animals, this pub has added value in the two pub cats who wander freely around the place and may come over for a fuss if you are lucky, a fair sized fish tank and (I kid you not) a real live Iguana called Blue who has a window that overlooks the urinals in the gents toilets.
Service is always attentive and relatively quick. I've not eaten here yet, but from what I have seen and smelled other people enjoying, the food seems very decent.
They have a music quiz on the second Monday of every month which is tremendous fun as well.
All in all, if you are passing this way, it is worth a visit.
2 Apr 2025 09:44
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
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
Jolly Butchers, Enfield
Returned here recently after somehow failing to pop in for a couple of years. Still lovely. Looks great outside and in. Very polite and attentive service, well kept beers, reasonable priced. Good either for just a quite drink or for watching sport or a live band. Lost of nice comfy seats. My choice for best seats in the house is the recess just to the left of the front door, where there is a high table that allows you to see everything in the pub but also has windows on 3 sides for watching the world go by.
All in all a really good local pub doing well at a time when so many other pubs in the area are disappearing. It makes you appreciate it all the more.
9 Apr 2026 15:15