please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Went in with friends as the excellent Coach & Horses was jam packed . The Tap & Spile is a "last resort" kind of pub- as even on busy weekend nights its empty, so you can always get a seat . The choice of real ales is OK but the service is miserable & slow and as the night goes on the barman gets grumpier & more offensive. I have experienced the Tap & Spile (infrequently) for over 20 years- I remember it was the only real ale pub in Harrogate .There are excellent pubs in the immediate area and the Tap & Spile needs to change its attitude to customers if it does not want to remain a pub of "last resort" . We all agreed we wouldn't be going there again.
Probably OK for dog owners - but the lounge does have a doggy smell to it.
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I have been going to this pub for the last 7 years or so on and off and for the last
two of those years very regularly indeed taking in various different friends to show
them a decent little Yorkshire pub with a friendly atmosphere and a good beer
especially on a Tuesday evening when the folk jam session is on. Everyone i have
taken into this pub is always pleasantly surprised in many cases with the exception
of the landlord Roger i think hes called. Hes been noted on many occasions as damn
right miserable for someone working in hospitality however although i always
partially agreed i would always stick up for him seeing as though he was ok with me
and i even managed to get a few words out of him an have a quick natter on a few
occasions, not much really after all my custom but ok fair enough. I went in there
with two friends a couple of weeks back now and we ordered three drinks. He told us
the price at about ten pounds something not a cheap pub but were used to that now,
and i explained to him that i was paying for my beer separately to which he replied
raising his voice considerably in an extremely rude manner why "why didn't you tell
me this before i added it up" I was astounded and so shocked and just politely responded
"excuse me" and he carried on moaning again extremely rudely to me saying that i have
done this before to which i replied that i thought he was missing the point of this
argument and the fact he had to deduct about three pounds twenty from the total in his
head and charge it separately was irrelevant the point is you must never talk to a
customer like that especially not a loyal one! By this point i was extremely angry
and offended and shocked and didn't really feel welcome and felt as though i wanted
to leave as did my friends! When we explained this to him he very strongly told me
that after talking to me like i have never experienced anywhere as a customer he
would then go on to bar me from the pub saying that if i didn't pay for these drinks
i would never be allowed back in! Without having time to think about what to do we
stupidly made the mistake of paying for them an left feeling uncomfortable and angry
within ten minutes! In this situation all you expect is a big apology and drinks on
the house! As he knows i work in a bar as a deputy manager myself a considerably
busier one than his most of the time and i do understand and actually struggle myself
with difficult customers who make your job harder but i have never spoken to a
customer the way he did that night and feel i could possibly loose my job if i
did so! Its a great shame that i wont be returning to my favorite pub but i just
don't feel welcome there at all and quite frankly don't want to be putting my money
into a persons pockets who talks to me like that! I think for a start he should
stop drinking quite so many beers behind that bar that we have always seen him
putting away as on this night it clearly affected his attitude as you could see
he was a little drunk and he has lost in my opinion a couple of good customers!
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Always a good selection of real ales. Would be nice if they were a bit cheaper. Molly the spaniel is daft and cute. 3rd Wednesday of the month there is a spoken word night: Poems, Prose & Pints. I have to recommend that, I'm one of the organisers ;)
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Mixed experience here. Tend to agree that there were too many beers on . The Old Peculier that i had was on the turn, but the other two that i sampled were well kept. A bit of a shame as the Landlord clearly loves his ale. Would try again as everyone can have an off day.
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Used to drink here weekly for years despite the prices. But have only gone there rarely for the last year. I think there may be too many different beers on for the management to look after/turn over properly. A number of pints have had to be returned undrunk having sadly gone west, which, at these prices is a shame. A tally is kept on the blackboard of the number of different brews served over the years, which is commendable. But variety is no substitute for quality, and it would be preferable to settle down to a few regular gooduns, with maybe just the one new one each week. I hope things improve in this regard because decent real ale in Harrogate town is uncommon.
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Visited this pub recently. We were expecting high prices (being in Harrogate), but honestly �2.95 for Copper Dragon Golden Pippin in a back street pub is madness, especially as, 50 yards away, you can get the same stuff for �2.70. Even that is a bit pricey (it's �1.80 in our local club). An amusing pub dog, mind you, and no problems with beer quality. Just greedy pricing.
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Expensive beer. Odd clientele. Try the Coach and Horses, Old Bell or Hales Bar for good beer and a friendlier atmosphere.
torra - 16 Jan 2010 16:57 |
This used to be a Cameron's pub, The Belford, a rare Good Beer Guide entry in the '70s, which went into the Tap and Spile chain, and retained that name and its aims, when that company went up in smoke. I think the quality of the landlord and his beers have deservedly kept the pub in the GBG ever since. Folk sessions on Tuesdays - good boozer!
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Suprisingly nice inside as the exterior didn't look particularly inviting. Traditional stone walls and a courtyard which is a good spot for the evening sun, although the multitude of dogs running round spoiled it a bit.
Pool table in the bar and a good choice of beer on tap. Also Blackthorn cider which was an unexpected bonus in this part of the country, along with Weston's Scrumpy.
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Dedicated beer drinkers pub with eight constantly changing ales from micro, small and regional brewers all in excellent condition. Floorboards and exposed brickwork in the Lounge, stone flags, TV and gaming machine in the Public, and a pool table in the back room. Knowledgeable and efficient Guv'nor, friendly locals, one of the top three or four traditional pubs in Harrogate.
anonymous - 16 Feb 2009 11:15 |
Called in for a couple of pints on Friday 2nd January. The number on the board was 1810. I made sure I looked this time.
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Multi roomed pub with good selection of real ales. Has a blackboard up stating how many different reals ales they have had on since opening with an asterix next to any ales currently on tap that have added to the total. I can't remember how many it is, but it's certainly in 4 figures. I've never had a bad pint in here and it's a nice place for a quiet chat. Just up the road from the Coach and Horses. Try both.
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To me this is what all pubs should aim to be. Good real ales, no hassle and a varied 'menu' of ales.
Even though we live out of the area, a visit is looked on like finding the holy grail....
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3-roomed boozer. Good range of expensive ales and standard lagers. Darts and pool, strong rugby following amongst customers. TV (no Sky).
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Real mixed crowd here. The landlord ws kind enough to let me see his well-stocked cellar. Loads of beers, but often some very poor real ales. One of the few pubs left in the centre of Harrogate.
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We popped in here one Saturday night and it's relaxing, clean, has very polite and helpful bar staff and has very comfortable banquette seats with a few tables, a no-smoking area and is made up of three connected rooms around a central bar. The decor is traditional pub with dark wood-panelled walls, B&W pictures and an old bread oven in one corner next to two brick alcoves. The beer choice was excellent with several guest beers and local ones too to choose from. The clients age ranged from late twenties upwards.
We're going to try the weekly folk jam session tonight (Tuesdays). Can't play any instruments myself, but will enjoy listening.
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Best real ale pub in Harrogate. The landlord looks after his beers well and is attentive to his customers' individual preferences (e.g. size of head on pint). After I left untouched the coleslaw garnish on a toastie a couple of times, he omitted the offending concoction, astute in his observation that he "did not think [I] liked coleslaw".
Michael - 30 Aug 2004 11:16 |
A Mecca of a pub for Real ale enthusists, within 10 minute walking distance of Harrogate Rail / bus stations, can be a little pricey!
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