BITE user comments - foodman
Comments by foodman
Appears to open and close when it feels like it. Friday 3rd May 2013, Bank Holiday Weekend, in darkness, sign on door "Closed Until Further Notice"
6 May 2013 18:06
This place has sadly gone downhill again. The seems like the general manager has lost interest and she is rarely seen. The place appears to be run by young duty managers who, quite frankly, haven't got a clue - although they are very keen on cashing up so they can clock off and go home!
Recently the place wasn't even able to serve any draught beers because they had run out of gas! Despite there being another outlet from the same group in town I doubt that it occured to anyone to contact then to see if they could help them out with some gas. Result: the customers had to drink bottled beer.
The whole bar is looking very run-down and there is a large damp patch on the wall in one of the seating areas that smells of mould. Very few of the outside coachlamps are working and the pub signs and impressive illuminated tree are very seldom switched on so the place very often looks closed.
There appears to be a fast turnover of staff which doesn't help.
It's a shame to see a pub/restaurant deteriorate just when you thought that it had turned a corner and become a decent place to go.
Time for some changes I think Whitbread! Surely they must have area managers that visit large outlets like this and notice all these things and take action?
8 Jun 2012 17:59
Went past this run down pub last night (Friday @ 9pm) and it was shut!
Has the place been closed down does anyone know?
29 Oct 2011 16:50
OK pub but not as good as it was. The Fullers ales are well kept and are always on form.
(This pub always smells though and the gents toilets are regularly flooded. I hope these two things aren't related!)
5 Jun 2011 19:22
This has got to be one of the worst Wetherspoon outlets in the area. Needs smartening up. The staff are very young and don't seem to really care about the customer service side of things. I've regularly had to ask for my pint to be topped up after the massive head settled (surely that's basic training - how to pull a pint of real ale?!).
Had the worst pint of Ferryman's Gold I've ever tasted there.
Come on Wetherspoon's - sort this place out!
5 Jun 2011 19:14
The Golden Farmer has had an extensive refurbishment and now looks great! The staff are friendly and efficient and the food menu is extensive and very reasonably priced. They serve a well kept pint of Abbot and Green King IPA and the beer prices in general must be the cheapest in the area. A very pleasant surprise! I think this has helped attract a very wide age group which creates a pleasant atmosphere.
Definately worth a try!
5 Jun 2011 19:04
This pub used to be great until just before Christmas 2010. There used to have a well-liked husband and wife team running it who actually knew how to run a pub! They went during the autumn of 2010 to be replaced by another couple who were very good but didn't stay long. Since their departure I'm afraid that The Bridge has really gone downhill again.
It's never very busy. We went in there on a Friday evening to eat and despite posters outside advertising that food is served until 9pm everyday we were told that the kitchen had closed at 8pm due to the landlady running an Ann Summers party in the pub! We struggled to find anywhere to sit because the pub had been set up like a tacky street market with clothes rails and racks everywhere displaying bras etc. Ridiculous!
I've tried this place a couple of times since but there's been no improvement. I think a lot of people have given up on it. Shame really, it used to be very good.
5 Jun 2011 18:58
I don't know if Mitchell & Butlers still own this pub but whoever does should hang their head in shame. This place could be a goldmine! With hundreds of new houses being built and occupied right on it's doorstep, a local pub like this should be offering a lot more than The Blue Lion is. It's tired, dirty and neglected by whoever owns it.
Although there are hand pumps on the bar I haven't seen them in use for at least 5 years.
Basically this place just needs a proper clean-up and lick of paint and enthusiastic management and it could be a lovely little pub. Everything is there;- a nice outside seating area, car park at the rear. Minimal investment would sort this place out and I'm sure it could make money.
So frustrating to see it in it's current state.
31 May 2011 21:22
This place seems to have improved over the past couple of years. There now appears to be 2 real ales on most of the time, Spitfire appears to be a regular one. The majority of the staff are now friendly, efficient and helpful.
Like all Beefeater outlets the prices of the food appears to have increased considerably recently compared with other nearby pub restaurant outlets, which could explain why The Downshire Arms is often very quiet on nights when their nearby competition is extremely busy.
I think this establishment now suffers from it's lack of garden during the summer months. (The lovely big garden they used to have at the back now has a Premier Inn built on it) All that is offered now as far as outside seating for familes and smokers goes is a small decking area at the front, just a few metres next to the busy A322 with fire engines and ambulances regularly roaring past. Surely the planners could have thought up something better than this when they designed the hotel addition to this pub/restaurant?
Nevertheless, The Downshire Arms is now a lot better than it was a couple of years ago and all credit must go to the management team and staff who have turned this place around.
31 May 2011 21:08
Recently reopened after an extensive refurb. They appear to have made vast improvements to this place (it certainly needed it!)
Still part of the Hungry Horse chain serving good quality food at very reasonable prices. The pub is now nicely laid out with a few nice smaller, quieter areas.
The pint of Greene King IPA I had was fine as was the food.
For decent pint and good value food I'll certainly be back.
31 May 2011 20:47
Lovely pub! Friendly landlord and staff serving a nice range of well-kept fine real ales. Nice seating area outside the pub too. It's so nice to go into a pub without a TV!
I'd love to have a place like this as my local, still, it's only a short taxi ride away.
31 May 2011 20:41
This pub has always been good with an excellent, well-kept range of Fullers ales. However, last Sunday we went there for Sunday lunch and although the beers and service were as good as always, the meal itself was very disappointing.
It was much smaller than the Sunday roasts we've been used to during previous visits (only 2 roast potatoes and a Yorkshire Pudding half the size of what they used to serve up!). All of our party commented on how the portions had got a lot smaller and for �8.95 each we felt that this represented pretty bad value for money.
Whilst we were eating we had Formula One racing coming from one side of the pub and Rugby commentary coming from the other. ( I'm afraid that this pub has not escaped the general obsession with TV everywhere nowadays).
All in all a very disappointing Sunday pub lunch - completely different to what we've been used to. Hopefully this was just an "off" day and we'll find out next visit more satisfying.
31 May 2011 20:33
The Edinburgh House Of Sounds, Weymouth
Very disappointed with this pub now. It used to be a great place. We took 5 friends in there and all the real ales were off (the lady behind the bar said that they had Courage Best real ale - but that turned out to be on keg!!).
18 Apr 2010 10:40
Friendly pub serving Hopback real ales. Unfortunately both my pint of GFB and my mate's pint of Summer Lightning were very disappointing (had that smell about them).
18 Apr 2010 10:38
Great locals' pub, they make you very welcome here. (Just wish they offered more real ale).
18 Apr 2010 10:35
Cosy pub with a friendly atmosphere. Nice pint of Ringwoods.
18 Apr 2010 10:32
Lovely pub serving a beautiful pint of Ringwood Best. Very friendly landlord. The food smelt delicious too!
18 Apr 2010 10:31
Love this place. Lovely pint of 6X.
Usually some sort of entertainment going on - good atmosphere
18 Apr 2010 10:30
Great pub serving great food. Service was efficient and friendly, the Steak & Ale pie was superb - lovely pint of Ringwood Best too! Give this place a try, you won't be disappointed!
18 Apr 2010 10:28
Nice pubs serving decent real ales. Could do with a bit of a refurb - toilets are pretty bad!
18 Apr 2010 10:24
We were going to give this pub a try (April 2010) but it was still closed.
18 Apr 2010 10:23
Enjoyed our visit here, unfortunately there wasn't a band on the night we tried it, but there was a very heavy metal jukebox playing.
18 Apr 2010 10:21
Gave it a try, it was OK but we were disappointed. It's obviously seen better days.
18 Apr 2010 10:20
The Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth
Nice friendly pub serving well-kept real ales. Good atmosphere.
18 Apr 2010 10:18
The Chapelhay Tavern, Weymouth
We discovered this lovely pub on the last night of our week's holiday in Weymouth - typical!!!
Two very small bars decorated with interesting nautical memorabilia. Had one of the best pints of the week here - Ringwood's Best. The friendly bar manager came over and sat and chatted with us for a while which I thought was a nice touch.
We'll definately use this pub a lot more on our next visit.
18 Apr 2010 10:16
Lovely old pub serving a good range of real ales. No juke box, TV - just a great atmosphere!
18 Apr 2010 10:12
I've seen the Real Ale pump in use about twice in the past year!! This establishment is regularly out of stock of something or other. We've also experienced "sorry - we haven't got any lemonade" and last week they didn't have any lime cordial! It's quite amusing to go there just to find out what they're out of stock of this week!
Badly run, tired Beefeater establishment that's in dire need of some TLC.
9 Nov 2008 14:45
The Green Man, Bracknell
The Green Man had a major refurb in June 2015 and was really quite good for a few months under the new management. Sadly they moved on and there has been a steady decline over recent months. You can never rely on any particular beer being on, there was even a few evening when they didn't have any bitters on tap, only bottled. There are several hand pumps but rarely more than a couple that are actually on. As for the craft beers they advertise, well! The Shipyard Ale disappeared months ago and has been replaced by East Coast IPA which is NEVER on - they just don't seem to be able to pour it without it being ridiculously frothy so they just don't bother! The furniture is constantly being moved around since they re-introduced a pool table which is now taking up a large spacein the previously pleasant quieter lounge-type area.
All-in-all very disappointed with how this pub has turned out.
20 Jun 2016 22:13