BITE user comments - gravedigga
Comments by gravedigga
Smashing old world (or should that be unspoilt?) pub. Quiet but friendly atmosphere and a very warm welcome from the landlord. Nice little beer garden too. Didn't check the ales but would strongly reccomend as worth a vist.
7 May 2012 14:40
The Old Customs House, Portsmouth
Only place in Gunwharf where you can get an ale but tremendously expensive. Pint and a glass of rose came to near 9 quid the other day - that hurts. 'Beer garden' has heaters but is surrounded by the high brick walls of the shopping centre. As another poster mentioned, best used for the occassional pint whilst shopping rather than a place worth visiting for itself.
7 May 2012 14:22
Bit disapointed with this place to be honest. Nice though it is inside, there were only two ales on when we popped in (one of which was Youngs aka Thames muddy water), neither of which were particularly inspiring. In fact, I ended up with a bottle of Newcastle Brown and my brother had to drink guiness which was a bit of a last resort, especially in fine ale territory like Northampton. Might have caught it on a bad day so will certainly try it again some day just to see.
24 Jul 2011 14:11
Now this is a great pub. The open room plan makes it welcoming, the staff and patrons are friendly and there's a decent little smoking area/garden out the back. There was a good range of ales available but didn't try those as there is also Krombacher on draught which, in my opinion (for what it's worth) is a great german beer. Only visited Northampton for a couple of days but spent two evenings here which says a lot. It's a real gem of a local pub.
24 Jul 2011 14:06
Popped in for a swift pint because the Malt Shovel closes at four for some reason. Can certainly see that under certain circumstances that this pub would be a popular place,but there's a certain faded greatness to it and it comes over a bit rough and ready - the smoking ban has not been kind to this boozer. That said, the ale was fine. Just a bit of a sticky table sort of place.
24 Jul 2011 13:58
Light, airy and clean pub. Very friendly welcome from the girl behind the bar. Good selection of cask ales on rotation, and well looked after. Food was good but a little dear for a pub lunch. Having said that, the prawn sandwich was special. Not sure if it was just a seasonal thing but the pub was operating on old style opening times and stopped serving food at 2pm. All in all, well worth a visit and a good competitor for drop in customer, considering the hallowed Borringdon Arms is just up the road.
1 May 2011 11:34
Has now become a bar/restaurant/gallery called 'Heaven'. Beer is in bottled form only so no longer is this establishment a boozer. Food is quality but expensive.
15 Jun 2009 20:34
Has a certain old school charm about it. Speckled Hen on draught is in reasonable nick, comprehensive menu (food I've had there has always been decent) at a good prcie. It's going to sound bad but tends to attract pensioners and families after a cheap lunch as a consequence. Best thing about this place though is the beer garden - perfect on a summer evening.
4 May 2009 09:40
Classic Wetherspoons. The ale is awful and it's impossible to get served at any time. Went in early on a Sunday afternoon - it wasn't particularly busy, there were four staff on the go and it still took 12 minutes before I could get a drink.
5 Feb 2007 12:38
Decor is ok and it's a nice location. The atmosphere is neither intimidating, nor particularly friendly. Only one ale was available (there were three 'pumps') and this was Spitfire that appeared to come through a smooth flow system: it was chilled, tasteless and without character. Bit like the pub really.
5 Feb 2007 12:26
Recently re-furbished to appeal to students, but retains a certain old school charm. Standard choice of drinks, but no ales. Starting to become a bit of an alternative (ie gothy types) hang out. Staff and patrons are friendly, and this is the only pub where I've heard Slayers 'Angel of Death' being played - at excriciating volume.
15 Apr 2006 10:55
Basic, but unpretentiously honest with it. Rivaling the mighty Thistle and Minerva, this is the benchmnark by which all Plymouth's pubs should be judged. Even my mum's been here and liked it, and she's quite fussy about pubs!
15 Apr 2006 10:47
The Significant Half, Plymouth
It's called Georges now and seems to be some sort of wine bar. Went in there once by mistake and it was empty and extremely cold.
17 Mar 2006 12:54
Interesting pub with split level floors, which can be a bit disconcerting. Usually quiet, but has a very good range of well kept ales and continental lagers. An excellent place to hide away and have a pint while reading the paper of a weekend. In a word - unique.
2 Mar 2006 10:05
Hawkins Meeting House, Plymouth
Came in here by accident on a Friday night. There were no women around at all (which is always worrying), no atmosphere, and no evidence of any cleaning having been done in the past ten years. Who knows what the beer was like - didn't hang around to find out.
21 Feb 2006 13:31
Very old school pub, bordering on the ancient - but that's the charm of this place. Rumour has it Sir Francis Drake used to drink here, who knows if it's true, but it can't have changed much in the last 500 years! Decent range of ale, and the regulars are always half cut in a friendly, matey sort way. Not one to take a date, but if you want to do some serious drinking away from the chavvy Barbican with its simmering undercurrent of violence, this is a cool place to be.
31 Jan 2006 21:02
As a young drinker in Plymouth, this was the place to be, but the landlord moved to the Clifton and it got turned into a Firkin student chain pub. Now it's a proper pub again, it still has a lot of charm. It even has Broadside on draught. It's ok, but not what it was - happy to drink there but possibly a little too quiet. Sometimes that's good, sometimes it isn't. Worth a look though, depending on mood.
31 Jan 2006 20:52
The other comments are all true. This is a really quality gaff. Whether you're a student or a pub geezer, this place has something to offer everyone. Service is superb, the atmosphere is pleasant and welcoming and everyone is friendly. It's everything a pub should be.
31 Jan 2006 20:48
First couple of times I came here, I ended up in the front bar, which was a bit drab and dreary. Couldn't understand whay it was considered a music venue. On discovering the back bar, a large spacious area with a pleasant atmosphere, I realised why this is such a good venue for music. The patrons are friendly, the bar staff are efficient. The gigs are cracking and it's difficult not to have a good time.
5 Jun 2005 16:29
It's all true - this is one of the best pubs in Hove - in fact anywhere. Pubs are all about decent beer, a bit of atmosphere and friendly patrons. This place has it in abundance. It's darn close to the perfect boozer.
30 May 2005 21:17
A large atmospheric former bank with some interesting achitectural details (check out the ceiling!). Beers are cheap (happy hours up to 20:00, and they are happy prices!), well managed and staff are attentive to the point of sycophantic. Tends to be a stopping off point for most punters, but rapidly becoming my favourite city centre pub. Have it on firm authority that the steaks are very tasty too!
30 May 2005 21:11
For years this place has been synonymous with the old 'pint and a fight' theory of classic nights out in Plymouth. In my mispent youth, I remember being unceremoniously turfed out just for standing near one of the various brawls kicking off. And that was on a weekday night!
Went back for the first time in about seven years the other Saturday, and had a really good time. Yeah, the floors are a little sticky but all staff were pleasant and professional, drinks were served swiftly, music was OK and the place was rammed with potentially available women. Better than Heores? Yeah, I reckon.
30 May 2005 20:58
A small but really nice pub. An excellent range of beer, and the table service was an unexpected bonus. Didn't check out the food, but other customers seemed to enjoy it and it looked good too. Everyone is so friendly it makes it a really nice place to hang out if you're new to the area. A quality gaff!
11 May 2005 20:39
A pleasant, clean, well kept pub and one of the few in the area to offer San Miguel on draught for less than �3 a pint! Plenty of screens dotted around made it a good place to watch football, though the place seemed to be full of Chelsea fans when I was there. An interesting point of note though is that the urinals in the gents seemed to be placed very high on the wall!
11 May 2005 20:35
This could be a really nice pub. An interesting location, tucked away down the back alleys of Oxford, it serves an excellent selection of well maintained ales. The building is of tradional character and has some dangerously low beams in the bar area. The problem with this place is that it gets rammed with punters. The bar areas are small, and subsequently getting a pint of hoppy nectar can be a real test of patience. In this case however, the quality of the beer and the ambience of the place probably make it worthwhile.
2 May 2005 14:01
The location is idyllic. On a summers day, a cold beer watching the ducks on the sun dappled river is about as close to perfection as you can get. However, such a Utopia is not without flaws. This pub gets very busy. As a result, you have to queue for a drink, patrol the seated area to get a table, and then queue to order the food. It took about 25 minutes to get served at the bar. Not much fun.
2 May 2005 13:52
Pleasant country style pub. Nice location, decent range of ales and wine. The menu was extensive and the food well presented. Tasted good too! As the other postings suggest, the service is of a high standard.
27 Apr 2005 20:00
Small, friendly and cosy. If you turned your front room into a pub, this is how you would want it to turn out. Just a really pleasant place to go for a quiet drink.
27 Apr 2005 19:55
Cheap, cheerful and a great deal less pretentious than the Slug and Lettuce across the road. A typical Weatherspoons joint with a good range of well priced drinks. The other postings make a good point though - it is a bit of a lottery getting served.
24 Apr 2005 13:18
A classic chain pub, and a little on the pricey side as a result. Food looked alright and there's street side seating facilities for that continental touch. Difficult to feel sophisticated when you've paid over �3 for a pint of San Miguel though.
24 Apr 2005 13:14
A decent, unpretentious boozer with a deceptively spacious interior. Serves a good pint of Harvey's, and you can't ask for more than that.
24 Apr 2005 13:08
Part of the 'Holy Trinity' of decent boozers around Coxside. Although some of the locals can be a little rowdy at times, the landlord and his wife go out of their way to be charm and hospitality personified. The beers are fairly standard, but the pub food is particularly good, and the roasts on Sunday are superb.
24 Apr 2005 12:59
A classic chrome choked mega bar, and nothing more than a souless meat market of a weekend or filler for the nightclub next door. Quite simply hell on earth.
24 Apr 2005 12:55
The Thistle Park Tavern, Plymouth
This is without doubt the best pub in Plymouth. The range of draught ales is excellent, as are the obscure (and often unpronounceable) bottled beers. The ambience is very laid back during the week. Saturday nights usually boast a live band of some sort, and the place can be rammed as a result. However, since this pub attracts the more mature drinker, the atmosphere is friendly and sociable. That's the great thing about this place - you can have a chat with anyone. This pub is a haven in a world of chromed up mega chain bars.
24 Apr 2005 12:53
The Hole in The Wall, Southsea
An absolute gem of a pub. Astonishing array of ever changing ales kept in perfect condition. Can be a bit tricky getting a seat during busy times but in this gaff it's all about the beer. Amen to that!
7 May 2012 14:44