BITE user comments - scocky
Comments by scocky
This is a pretty cool bar but to my amazement it served an excellent pint. There was only one ale on to be fair (Dark Star) but it was lovely - right temperature and served with a sparkler I think. One of my new Brighton favs
16 Feb 2012 09:22
Found another pub in Brighton that is passionate about beer (there are not many). The Spotted Dog have a great range of Dark Star and Harveys plus some interesting lagers - no Carling or Fosters here.
Bar staff were very knowledgeble about the beer. I will be there again soon.
19 Nov 2011 14:46
AT LAST! A pub in Brighton that knows how to keep and serve real ale. Thank God, I thought I was gonna have to move back to Wolverhampton!
All the other pubs that claim to offer fine ales in the area please, please come here and see how its done. You will notice that nearly every customer is drinking the ale - because its lovely and how the brewer intended it to taste and look.
I have friends abroad in places like Spain, Australia, NZ and I am always telling them about English ale being the best in the world and not to keep drinking lager type beer. They all say that they have tried it but don't like it but if you ask them where they have tried it they say London and sometimes Brighton - no wonder they think its horrible.
Thank you Evening Star. Literally the guiding light. (sunburst was particularly good).
The Basketmakers is good too.
26 Sep 2011 11:55
From the other reviews I may have just caught this place on a bad day? At the moment they are the worthy leaders of my table for worst beer in Brighton, which believe me is no mean feat.
It was awful pint of Brighton Best Bitter (a new one for me). It was head less and flat, vinegary and too cold. When I gave it back to the bar staff their reply was "yes its not one of our best sellers". When I said it was maybe because it was too cold they said there was nothing they could do about it "thats just how it comes from the cellar".
There is no hope.....
26 Sep 2011 11:12
I agree with the majority of the other reviews - this pub is poor. I can't comm.ent on the food because I generally go to a pub for beer. This is a site called beer in the evening after all!
I have recently moved to Brighton from the West Midlands and am genuinely gutted about the quality of the ale down here and the Royal Oak is no exception. I spotted they had some Theakstons on tap and thought my search for a nice pint was looking up. It wasn't. Too cold, too old, flat and lifeless (like the barmaid). Tried a Harveys which was a bit better but still not right. I have drunk many a pint of Theakstons and even been to the small town of Masham where it is brewed. They make some lovely beer, some of the best you will taste, I can't imagine what Mr Theakston would think. I had a quick look around the very busy pub and only one other person was drinking beer rather than foreign lager. What a shame.
The barmaid, the same one mentioned in other reviews I reckon, actually pushed me out of the way at one point. And it was very expensive.
Who is running these pubs down here - its all style over substance.
The Evening Star by the station in Brighton is brilliant by the way. One of only 3 pubs that are doing it right in my search so far.
26 Sep 2011 10:53
i am new to the area and was chuffed to see a nice looking local just around the corner. Trouble is its one of those pubs that appears to be style over substance. I have only had 3 pints in there and 2 of them have been off. To be fair the Harveys was good but the Bombardier and Doonbar were awful.
I have moved down from the West Mids where there are loads of pubs closing down. The only ones that are staying in business are the ones that look after their ale. The Hartington has everything else but if they ignore the quality of the ale they will be yet another pub shutting its doors for good.
23 Aug 2011 23:10
Went to the Greyhound at Lower Penn to treat my girlfriend after having a nice pay rise! Not much of a treat really. This once cosy country pub now wannabe posh restaurant has missed the point. I can live with over the top, tacky decor. I can live with fairly high prices (�17 fo a main course, �6 for a starter) but not if the all important food is not cooked well. My partner had pheasant to start with and it was so dry and tasteless we had to ask for some cranberry sauce to make it pallatable. I had the salmon tempura which sounded lovely but was the same as fish and chips from the chippy only without the chips. The medium sirloin steak should have been a safe bet, but no. It was very well done and tough as old boots to boot! When we commented on this to the waitress said she would inform the chef. When we later asked what the chef had said it turns out he had already gone home. Convenient. No offer of a free coffee or a discount. Hapless waitress, we thought but later we discovered, back at home,she was the manageress!
Having posh food prices and fancy folded napkins doesn't make a good restaurant. Go spend your hard earned money somewhere else.
24 Dec 2006 16:05
The Beacon Hotel, Dudley
One of the best pubs in the UK. Excellent beer, superbly pulled. Cosy old school, happy locals. Often too full but that isn't the pubs fault other than being too good.
16 Feb 2012 09:52