BITE user comments - westbound
Comments by westbound
the older barman thought that leaving people queing at the bar to clear tables was more customer friendly than actually serving anyone.
Toddlers running amok, even one sat on the bar.
Depressing, truly awful place.
Plastic everything, no customer care and sproggs everywhere.
This is a pub from my worst nightmares.
4 Mar 2015 11:19
you would have to go a long way to find a nicer beer garden.
Brilliant in summer.
Six of us ate here and everyones food was excellent and
not overpriced.
I agree with the previous comment though.
Two years on the beer choice of Otter Ale or Otter bitter
is really uninspiring.
Pub has obviously gone in a different direction since
winning the CAMRA award.
18 Jul 2014 09:10
this pub changed hands a few months ago but outwardly
looks exactly the same with no apparent changes to anything.
Thought we would give it ago and try the food.
I can honestly say its the worst pub food I have ever tasted.
Anemic overcooked chicken in a bowl of thinish milky stuff.
Tasteless hard chips and watery frozen veg.
The poor barmaid was really polite and obviously embarrassed by the
situation.
Nice looking pub in a nice village with well kept real ale.
Let down totally by the disgusting standard of food.
18 Jul 2014 08:47
lets start with the positives: the staff are friendly, attentive and helpful.
Lovely old interior and superb if not rather pricey food.
Real ale range is"nt overly imaginative or interesting but is very well kept.
However .... we went in the dining room which was more like a crèche.
Babies and toddlers in abundance and the staff offering use of highchairs.
We elected to sit in the bar to avoid the noise.
The only table was by the door.
Every time someone came in or out there was an icy blast of air.
Come on guys. Surely a pub is an adult environment ?
Its annoying when you have to suffer other people badly behaived kids when all
you want is a chat, a drink and something to eat.
Rant over !!
18 Jan 2014 18:46
for a real ale fanatic like me this is a real find.
Some excellent and unusual beers on offer at reasonable prices.
Friendly, bohemian and homely.
A welcome change from the anticeptic and soulless Hunters Lodge type pub
further up the road charging £8.15 for a pint and a vodka and tonic !!
Dogs are welcome here but sadly so are children.
Call me Victor but I don't find loads of sprogs
running around very pleasureable in what should be an adult environment.
Sadly this takes some of the gloss off the place.
Overall though the good points outweigh the bad.
16 Aug 2013 18:36
you almost hope you never find the perfect pub.
Thereafter everything else might well be an anti-climax.
I might as well stop looking.
This country has a wealth of truly wonderful pubs (and
some not so wonderful ) but this is quite simply
the best of the best.
My favourite pub has always been in East Devon
but has easily been relegated to 2nd after visiting this
utterly brilliant pub.
Go see for yourself, you won"t be disapointed.
29 Apr 2013 15:27
interesting previous comment which I totally agree with.
My mate from Southport loves coming down to Devon to drink sparkler
free ale served as a natural, living product should be.
The Guest House is still the best pub in Southport though.
Nice people and good banter.
You can always ask them to take the sparkler off.
30 Nov 2012 16:18
Called in on a saturday lunchtime whilst out walking.
The place was full of Ruperts and Henriettas no doubt taking advantage of
their second homes.
Not a Cornish person in sight !
The place was very cramped and drinks were very expensive.
The Tribute was well kept - in truth thats the only positive thing I
can say about the place. Would"nt return in a hurry.
17 Nov 2012 13:19
plus points would be the all day opening times and
an excellent carvery. The bar staff are very efficient
The Hobgoblin ale makes a nice change from most pubs
in this area, most of which serve Exmoor Ale and Cotleigh Tawny ,
both of which have become very, very bland beers in the last few years.
The negative points are the use of space.
Its like eating and drinking in a travel lodge bar with no
atmosphere what so ever.
On our two visits the place was plagued by badly behaived kids.
Maybe we were unlucky but it was"nt a nice experience having load unruly sprogs running around !
24 Oct 2012 16:30
this pub ticks every box. Friendly, laid back landlord.
Lovely Boxer dog roaming around. Cosy, tasteful interior with a real fire.
Fellow diners/drinkers were a really nice bunch.
Superb good value food and really well kept ales including the dark and dangerous Exmoor Beast.
If our local was half as good as this we would end up broke !
An absulute gem, one of the best pubs we"ve been in for years.
21 Sep 2012 17:35
The White Horse Inn, Stogumber
apologies to all connected with this pub ( that I have never been in )
ref: last review.
It was intended for the nearby Notley Arms at Monksilver.
I got in a bit of a pickle when slightly pickled. Sorry.
I did contact B.I.T.E and asked them to remove it but they hav"nt.
8 Aug 2012 17:00
The White Horse Inn, Stogumber
is it just me or are a lot of country pubs in Somerset and Devon
loosing their local identity ?
This pub is more suited to South Kensington or Chelsea.
I half expected to see Joanne Lumley and her ad fab pals propping up the bar.
Not a somerset accent to be heard.
The girl behind the bar was pleasant enough but the place was antisceptic
and lacked atmosphere.
I dont suppose anyone in this village was actually born in the area.
Worrying social changed that don"t bode well.
2 Aug 2012 22:17
my only previous visit was made worthwhile by a choice of ALL of the Moor Brewery beers ( probably the best brewery in the country with national and international awards to prove it ) .
This time they had all gone ( why ? ) but the Otter Pilgrim I had was excellent.
On a plus note the service was good and the beer in excellent condition.
BUT .... the place was scruffy, dirty and totally devoid of atmosphere.
Some of the characters hanging around you would"nt want to meet on a dark night either.
Amazingly this is the current CAMRA Somerset pub of the year.
This beggars belief and makes you wonder how their voting system works.
It certainly does nothing for positive CAMRA publicity.
There are worse pubs in Taunton but plenty of better ones as well.
12 Apr 2012 11:09
from the outside this pub looked great - especially after a long walk.
How wrong could I be !
I was served by a disinterested and unfriendly women behind the bar.
The cost of the round of drinks I bought was shockingly expensive.
My particular real ale was undrinkable. The Landlord reluctantly agreed
but no apology was forthcoming.
The beer I changed it for was slightly stronger and therefore more expensive.
Upon serving the new pint to me the unsmiling barmaid ( landlady ? )
proceeded to ask me for a further 20p !!
The icing on the cake was some unruly children in the beer garden running amok and throwing stones.
No wonder the place was almost empty despite being in a prime location
and on a sunday lunchtime.
Needless to say we won"t be returning !!
12 Mar 2012 09:38
I reguarly visit Southport from Devon and love this place.
The staff are always friendly and theres usually a healthy mix of clientelle.
Always a good range of beers at keen prices.
I disagree with "The Writer" though ( previous comment ).
The Westcountry beers ( 0" Hanlons, Moor, Branoc, RCH,Otter,
Teignworthy,Exe Valley etc ) are amonst the finest in the UK.
Anyway that takes nothing away from The Guesthouse.
Great pub to enjoy well kept decent beer and friendly banter.
20 Oct 2011 14:40
The Holywell Inn, Holywell Lake
having been ruined by the previous landlord and landlady
this pub has been sympathetically restored and is thriving once again.
Three good value real ales and a really nice atmospere.
Worth checking out.
17 Oct 2011 13:45
not impressed !!
My pint of Otter Head was barely threequarters full.
I asked politely for it to be topped up and was fed some rubbish about
it being designed to be drunk through a large head.
The attitute of the barman was patronising to say the least.
Although our main meals were okay, the portions were tiny and the veg
was limited and uninspiring.
One of the countys most overated pubs, wont be back in a hurry.
17 Oct 2011 13:21
having just left the dreary and unwelcoming pub in nearby Holywell Lake
this place was a true sanctuary.
My son and I enjoyed fabulous food and an excellent pint of Bays beer
from Torquay.
Nothing was too much trouble. Would definately go again.
16 Nov 2010 17:05
The Farmers Arms, Combe Florey
visited here as part of quite a large party.
the seating arrangement was dreadful. Very narrow with waitresses and customers constantly squeezing past and knocking you.
The service ( in fairness there was a lot of us ) was very slow and not over-friendly. The food was very good and my two pints of HSD were
very drinkable. Would only go back at a quiet time.
Definately a place to avoid at peak times
13 Nov 2010 10:09
cosy dining room and efficient helpful staff.
The fish I ordered was undercooked and cold.
After 20 minutes they brought another one,
again undercooked and cold !!
Our friends food was okay although everyone thought the vegstables were limited, uninspiring and low on quantity.
They did"nt charge me for my food.Disapointed that they got it wrong twice.
Also, prices were high. Not sure if I would return in a hurry
14 May 2010 08:16
The Farmers Arms, Combe Florey
very efficient staff, nice, not overpriced food and reasonable if not brilliant choice of real ales
( Exmoor Gold was reasonably kept ).
Beautiful garden and location.
My wife tells me that that the ladies loo is not fit for purpose !
That aside we would go again. The evening menu looks really tempting.
6 May 2010 16:09
The Coombe Cellars Devon, Coombe in Teignhead
a group of six adults went to this pub on sunday evening.
the food was wonderful and extremely good value.
What a great place ! Tastefully laid out and amazing waterside location.
My only gripe was that there was only one real ale on offer
and more importantly the staff could"nt get rid of us quick enough !
We ordered at 7.30pm under pressure from the waitress.
When we left at 9.20pm they had already started turning the lights off !
Shame, apart from the cold welcome everything else was excellent.
11 Nov 2009 08:26
We visited this pub in 2007 and it was great.
Well kept beers, good atmosphere and reasonably clean and tidy.
Shocked to see how far down the pan its gone on a recent visit.
The beer was average, the staff disinterested and I don"t think it had seen a toilet brush or duster since 2007.
How can a pub get so bad ??
31 Oct 2009 08:51
what a stunning village pub !
Cross section of very friendly locals of all ages,
great service and a cosy bar serving Otter Amber, Ale, Bitter and
Shepard Neame Spitfire all in stunning condition.
This was our first visit but well worth seeking out.
They even offer a hairdressing service on saturday mornings.
A true community pub and a total gem
18 Oct 2009 20:17
on a plus side we received a friendly welcome on a recent visit. Liked the layout and the Palmers beer was excellent .
The food however was strangely inconsistent.
My starter was wonderful but the pasta main course was
truly awful. Plain dry pasta, a few peas, three prawns and no sauce.I returned it and ten minutes later it re-appeared exactly the same !! Shame, okay place to drink but won"t be back to eat !!
18 Oct 2009 20:09
The Talbot Arms, Uplyme
all was well ( good carvery, real ale not bad without being brilliant)
and chatty, pleasant staff.
There were one or two families with well behaived kids, no problem.
But then in walked a group of 10 with four toddlers and a baby.
Utter chaos, screaming and the parents totally unphased by their kids awful behaivour.Desapite filthy looks from most of the other pub users the parents and pub staff did nothing.
The sooner small kids are banned from pubs the better !!!
12 Jul 2015 15:38