BITE user comments - AbeC
Comments by AbeC
Nice-ish food at reasonable prices, excellent beer, great location, very nice staff, BUT, considering the stunning, beautiful exterior, the interior of this pub is dull, charmless and slightly sad. A lot of the original interior will have been removed long since I think, but the open interior now is just rather depressing. The carpet is ugly, the pictures on the wall are few and tasteless. This is *such* a shame for such a beautiful, noble building.
27 Feb 2016 12:24
The Hour Glass, South Kensington
This pub has had a curious refurbishment, replacing one type of Victorian (carpet, one or two booths, bit of brass,) with another (boards, ox-blood leather window seats.) It could have been worse, and though it's according taste, I do not understand why all the trouble and expense to replace a charming, cozy, comfortable an unusual interior with this duller, though adequate one.
Some of the cost has gone on the drinks too - I paid £4.65 for a pint of bitter. In the Hour Glass's defence it was absolutely excellent.
27 Feb 2016 12:12
Elegant room upstairs slightly spoilt when I was there by a dishevelled staff member kicking off their shoes and reclining on the sofa at the best table to surf on her smartphone, and that seems to be representative.
Also those expensive Youngs peanuts shovelled into a little paper bag - avoid those.
Youngs bitter as good as ever though!
31 May 2015 22:38
Still a nice, smart modern pub, nicest when at its quietest.
Some drinks are very steep - I was amazed to receive a receipt on which a double G&T was itemised as 2 singles and a mixer, total £9.60
23 Apr 2015 22:58
This pub has had a recent refurb and is absolutely lovely now. Very comfortably and beautiful Victorian furniture.
We tried two pale ales - both absolutely excellent.
We didn't have food this time, but I'd imagine it'd be good.
Rather neat TVs fitting above the picture rail, so you can watch football or not notice it at all.
Lovely.
6 Apr 2015 17:32
The Hole In The Wall, Waterloo
Had been a good pub but has crossed a line - there are empties piling up everywhere, uncleared tables, pools of lager on the bars and tables.
It was always slow to get served but now it's very slow, and the staff, always rather under pressure, seem worse now - very uninterested and slow, and they seem to have completely abandoned the front bar - you must now always walk round to the main one.
14 Feb 2015 15:01
Very nice pub - lively, friendly, decent beer (bit steep, as people mention,) music turned down pleasantly low.
BUT- the food is a shocker. Unless we were unlucky, be afraid, and stick to the drinks in this otherwise very nice pub.
14 Dec 2014 14:27
Staff very nice, decent pint of Harveys.
This is more a restaurant than pub now.
Can't speak for the food (it looks good,) but the rooms used for dining are rather empty and plain and the furniture crude (blocky wood tables, and those leather covered curve-backed chairs whose fashion seems to be passing.) Just too empty, cool and coarse to relax and enjoy a pint in.
13 Oct 2014 22:59
The Skinners Arms, Kings Cross
Very good beer. Good, cheap chow. Friendly Aussie barman. On a Monday evening not too busy - excellent.
Victorian pub not too disfigured or scoured out. Nice carpet so not incredibly noisy.
18 Aug 2014 23:01
Very nice pub in most ways - excellent Harveys, nice landlady, nicish bar and rooms; BUT - £10 for a very modest little bagette and 3 nouvelle lettuce leaves with a little salad-stuff sculpted onto them... I was a bit shocked.
This is a much nicer place than the depressing moderno-pub the Red Lion, up the way, but be a bit afraid of the pricy food. Maybe the roasts are reasonable value? I think I saw some people tucking into a biggish plate.
18 Aug 2014 22:55
Aaargh. The beautiful and charming old City Barge has been transformed into a standard issue modern departure lounge-style gastro-pub operation.
It's still okay because of the beauty of its location. The beer is good.
The owners must be right because it was busy.
But to those who loved the wonderful old place - the pub-snatchers have been again.
14 Jun 2014 12:25
The other reviews mentioning the beer and food are correct, both are good.
The thing that I find flat about the Priory (which doesn't seem to bother others,) is that although the refurb is neat it's very plain and simple, more like a waiting room. I don't ask for luxury but I find this - just uninteresting.
But go and try it - the beer and food are good and staff friendly, and you might not agree with me about the room.
11 Jun 2013 23:31
This pub seems to have had a refurb, and a really excellent one.
The interior is really lovely, with original wood panelling, nice furniture, nice lighting, and the Black Prince's coat of arms over the picture rail.
The clientele seem to be calm, ordinary locals. There are plasma TVs here and there but surprisingly unintrusive.
Several choices of ale - Harveys and so on.
Fantastic - my new favourite Kenningon/Lambeth pub.
9 Jun 2013 13:26
Nice old pub in all respects except that the doors to the bogs are left wedged open, from which a cloud of urinal chemicals waft.
31 Oct 2012 21:04
The Alleyns Head, West Dulwich
The staff are friendly and nice and the real ale seems to be very good.
I found the food rather indifferent. The cod was not completely cooked, but the waitress was very nice about it and rushed off and got another cooked up quickly. That's good but I find pubs like this a bit depressing; they're not quite a comfortable, nice pub, because of the eating, and yet they're not a restaurant either. Opinions differ though, and as a pub, I thought this place was very nice and welcoming, and I'll certainly have a pint there again.
15 Oct 2012 21:05
The Goldsmith Pub and Dining Room, Borough
All recent reviews are with the exception of the excellent Pat Bateman are from people who've only reviewed one pub, and read like adverts.
29 Jun 2012 18:15
The Crown and Sugarloaf, Bride's Lane
Beautiful Victorian pub.
Absolutely delightful on a quiet Saturday afternoon.
Yes the beer is all Sam Smiths, but that's mostly fine.
2 Apr 2012 21:58
Absolutely lovely pub early on a Saturday evening.
Excellent, cool pint of Early Bird.
Quiet, no music, and quiet clientele. Very pleasant woody room with nice old oak tables.
Friendly, nice landlord.
11 Mar 2012 20:17
This is a lively local pub. We arrived there early Saturday evening after a walk. There were lots of locals and we thought the landlord seemed even a little scared of the throng. Anyway he was friendly enough and poured us pints of really excellent cask beer (whose identity I forget.)
I think the last reviewer is much too tough - this is a basic, locals' pub, but okay, and the beer is excellent.
24 Sep 2011 14:58
The Shears, Collingbourne Ducis
Nice old pub. Good, well kept beer (forget which but several on,) absolutely excellent food.
Staff very nice and friendly.
Stay too - good value, but be careful with the booking as they confused ours, but were VERY nice about sorting it out.
24 Sep 2011 14:52
The General Havelock, Wycombe Marsh
Absolutely lovely local pub.
Decent beer, friendly staff, quite lively but not too busy.
Comfortable. Quite a lot of interesting things on the walls and shelves - General Havelock's biog, a George V jubilee thing, and a strange 1944 German war bond.
24 May 2011 23:11
The overriding thing about this pub is the load music. If you don't like loud music and particularly loud Ibiza music, you'll loath this place.
It did seem a shame to me in that the building is beautiful so the surroundings are pleasant - but your temples will be pounding with the row.
30 Oct 2010 13:07
Very nice old pub.
Just IPA on, but good.
Long, thin bar with booths down the side.
Marvellous jukebox with lots of Irish music on.
Big tvs, but quiet; probably a good place to watch Wolves/Villa and suchlike.
29 Sep 2010 22:41
Delightful on a quiet, sunny May afternoon, with the fire burning gently - finish your walk early!
12 May 2010 23:22
Decent food served in vast quantity quite cheaply.
I liked this pub the most of the Hawes four. The landlady is friendly and nice and adresses you as "gents". The pub is friendly - we got talking to locals and that didn't seem on offer elsewhere.
Decent bottle of "Bianca Veneta" grappa too, which we polished off.
Beer pretty good, not all of them always on as others remark, but mostly there, and also a bit cheaper than the Crown and Fountain.
12 May 2010 23:20
Since its change of ownership and re-opening, one very important thing has changed. The cask beer is now properly kept and is excellent.
13 Dec 2009 12:49
The Canton Arms, South Lambeth
The Canton appears to have CLOSED - shut for about a month now.
1 Nov 2009 10:18
The last reviewer says the landlord is "friendly if somewhat subdued". He's not. He's a polecat.
The kitchen is slow - your food will arrive sometime between 5 minutes and an hour. If you're unlucky, keep quiet because this man will turn into Basil Fawlty if you breath a word.
I imagine the reason is that this pub is far from anywhere and he has a captive audience.
Don't take the risk; still less stay there.
13 Sep 2009 22:29
The Castle Hotel, Bishop's Castle
dableywolf is bang on. Excellent beers, nicely decorated. The prints on the walls areparticularly nice (and a beautiful ceramic bust in the middle bar.)
The garden is quite delightful.
Also a good hotel to stay at - quiet and comfortable.
19 Jul 2009 20:51
The single real ale, London Pride, turned out not to be real - they have a keg form, no handpumps or casks involved.
2 Jul 2009 14:25
I notice that all the gushing, marketing-speak positive reviews are from accounts that have commented on the Gun only.
Funny that.
19 Aug 2008 22:53
Nice little back streets pub. Quite woody with golfing paraphernalia on the walls and shelves. Very pleasant barmaid serving excellently kept Pedigree. And a pool table costing 20p.
26 Jul 2008 12:24
The Prince Regent, South Kensington
I can't speak for the yuppie evenings or gastro side, but I found this pub absolutely lovely on a sunny late afternoon. At this time of day it wasn't too busy and it is a pleasant room with oak furniture and sofas. The windows were all open and it was very pleasant.
There is a fantastic painting of the Regent one one wall.
Excellent pint of Timothy Taylor Landlord at a not too yuppy �2.90.
5 Jun 2008 10:39
I think people are a little hard on this place. Yes it is modern, but tastefully so. Big and comfy and perfect Youngs bitter (pretty steep, as others mention.) V nice on a late Sunday afternoon.
23 Apr 2008 23:00
The Canton Arms, South Lambeth
Very nice local. A bit quiet whenever I've been there. Very friendly staff and a pleasant feel generally. VERY well kept Landlord and Harveys, and sometimes Deuchars IPA. Haven't eaten here properly but did munch on nice nachos and pizzas.
23 Apr 2008 22:54
The criticisms are correct - expensive, inept barstaff and the running out of all four cask ales.
However there really is something about this place - the drinkers are an interesting crowd, and the building is nice and also unusual - original Victorian elements with later woody changes (amongst which the charming Double Diamond lights high up behind the bar.)
10 Feb 2008 14:53
Very trim, modern interior (floorboards, some high tables, red walls if I remember - that sort of thing) and middle-class compared with the Rose and Crown.
Pleasant seating cosily arranged.
Decent, cool ale.
22 Jan 2008 22:25
The beer here is excellent, as others point out.
Yes, the decor is humdrum, but it's a small place with very friendly landlord and drinkers to compensate.
There used to be a bar billiards table, and I mourn its departure - where will we ever play again?
On the upside there's a good juke box with lots of music that doesn't play too loud.
22 Jan 2008 22:18
Elegant old premises as others describe, with a young and smart clientele.
Charming enough though rather noisy.
The night I was there the London Pride had run out and there was only ESB, which then ran out - so I have the feeling this is one of those pubs with dwindling demand for real ale, leading to not ordering it, leading to....no real ale.
Also it is a little steep - �3.70 a go for the bottled ale after the run-out.
20 Dec 2007 23:29
Pleasant place with lots of different sofas, benches and tables and chairs. You can walk round the back of the Victorian bar and play pool. There's a big boat hanging from the ceiling and it's all very amusing and pleasant to pass time in. The theatre is fantastic, particularly its musicals.
I know it's according to taste, but the comments about the warm beer are true, and I'm not keen. Even the last time I was there there was no real ale at all - this must be a one-off.
11 Dec 2007 23:24
Pretty old oak panelled room with nice carpet.
6X and Spitfire were fine.
There are 2 biggish tvs and it gets quite busy with sports watchers, but you can easily sit comfily and talk as well.
Joint first with the Jugged Hare in my Pimlico.
3 Nov 2007 13:26
Good Sussex beer, nice staff. Lots of interesting photos and one or two newspaper headlines of things like the Bismark on the walls. Lovely carpet that makes the room very warm. The original interior that'd have gone with the beautiful exterior is long gone, but this is nevertheless a very pleasant and friendly pub, with good beer.
3 Nov 2007 13:00
Nice little pub. Rather quiet on a Saturday afternoon. Goodish IPA. Friendly staff.
Some equestrian paraphernalia strewn around, such as an old saddle by the fire, which I found very charming.
21 Oct 2007 22:19
Nice pub with lots of decent ales that change regularly, with Harveys a constant (and very nicely kept.)
You can stand around with a drink in the road outside, but the indoors gets very crowded weekday nights.
Nice on a Sunday evening - you can get a table, it's quiet, then there's a quiz machine.
16 Sep 2007 18:51
Another recent Youngs refurb, but I am delighted to say (and in contrast with some,) a really good one.
This is a big pub with 3 rooms - what's nice is each has been decorated differently - a nice big light front bar with oak tables and only some destruction of the Victoriana, then a cosy club-like room with red seats and dark look, and then a big woody back room.
The beer is good and the burgers too - but I think others are right in saying it's a little expensive.
16 Sep 2007 18:45
This is a charming little pub.
I had a little Sunday lunch here while walking the Ridgeway.
The landlord is very friendly and amusing. There is well kept Ruddles Best.
The bar is almost like a Thames steamer - red benches around the sides and then another level lower down with a sofa - very pleasant.
When I was there there were lots of locals playing crib and chatting - all very friendly and nice.
3 Sep 2007 21:31
I can't speak for the food, but we found the Crown very pleasant to soak our Sunday evening away recently. Usual Islington prices so take some plastic.
Above all this is a beautiful Victorian pub, much less scoured out than almost anywhere. For example it has those little swivelly acid glass windows over the bar - so it's high on my list.
Beer fine, as others point out.
1 Sep 2007 00:07
This is a lovely pub - I wanted to put it in my pocket and take it back to London.
It is Victorian with acid glass saying "Sitting Room" and "Public Bar" and suchlike.
The beer is co0l and excellent - Deuchars, Landlord, Black Sheep when I was there.
There is no music, and the locals are rather quiet - really a very calm pub.
1 Sep 2007 00:03
I strongly disagree with M.O.G. - this is not a dump but a charming backstreets Victorian pub.
The juke box has decent music on & is not too loud.
There is a nice room out the back which is dark and cozy; you sit on a turn of the century railway bench, and a pretty Art Nouveau lamp lights the curve of the bar that extends into the room.
The beer is fine, but I'm ashamed to say I escaped buying a round and cannot speak for the prices - if they're high then that's bad (London Fields & around seems to have skyrocketed.)
9 Jul 2007 13:47
Good Fullers beers, including Discovery.
Never very busy, so pleasant for Sunday lunch or to start the evening, but a little quiet later on.
Rather beautiful conversion from a turn of the century bank.
With the destruction at the Morpeth Arms, I'll come here now.
24 Jun 2007 23:32
A catastrophe has occurred - I thought this pub was too lovely for Youngs to alter. Wrong - and the wreckage is a miserable sight.
Youngs' pub conversions have been getting brasher (e.g. White Cross and the Old Ship in Richmond,) but this is much, much worse.
Goodbye Morpeth, Rest in Peace - I'll trudge up to the Jugged Hare hereafter.
24 Jun 2007 23:21
The Hare and Hounds, East Sheen
Beer always perfectly kept and cool.
Very nice and efficient staff, especially the Transylvanian girl.
Not quite as busy as it used to be, which I attribute to football occasionally taking over, and the gaudy carpet that someone at Youngs likes these days.
1 Jun 2007 14:04
This pub depresses me a bit. The beer is still fine, the staff nice and efficient.
The problem is that Youngs has refurbed it, as they have many of their places in the last years, and in this case they've made a slight hash of it.
It was a lovely, cosy, Victorian pub with Axminster carpets, oak panelling, benches with copper arm rests you could put your pint on, and lots of amusing maritime paraphernalia (bells, full-speed ahead brass thing, and so on.)
The copper armrests are gone, the Axminster gone, most of the funny seagoing stuff gone. A strange entrance lobby now separates the two halves of the pub � it�s all rather claustrophobic and dark.
Sob.
18 May 2007 11:58
Nice pub, very good, well kept beer and friendly efficient staff, HOWEVER, we paid �8.50 for main course size servings of mussels, and got very meagre and rather cool portions. We saw a lot of decent sized burgers going past, so perhaps that's a one-off.
14 May 2007 16:46
Lovely place on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon - not too busy - v close to the Tate Gallery.
Decent pint of (new) Youngs, also Brakespear. Adequate pub chow.
Nice old Victorian pub, little changed.
14 Jan 2007 19:10
Very nice old pub - comfy old seating along one side under old "Bass" acid glass windows. All very Victorian and pleasant. Not too busy. Quiet music, slightly of the magic FM variety.
Ale - only Bass, but well kept & nice.
12 Jan 2007 09:16
I complained a year ago that there were few ales and they were tepid. They've sorted both problems - lots of good beers at pretty much the right temperature and the usual Wetherspoon prices.
Smokers are crowded down one end of the room, which gets a little raucous - a nice lively pub.
11 Jan 2007 11:11
The Boot and Flogger, Southwark
Lovely wine bar with comfy chairs.
Had a nice bottle of white with my long lost Clare.
You should go.
9 Jan 2007 23:12
This is a nice pub - some of the Victorian bits remain. All carpet gone, so a little noisy. Not too busy, nice jazz music not too loud.
What the ale commentators below say is, unfortunately, pretty much true.
It's Pride or Courage, and although they're not off, they are, well, tepid. Some prefer that, but I'm in the "cellar temparature" gang, and I think the beer survives better kept like that too.
9 Jan 2007 23:07
The Bay Horse, York
Lovely old pub with friendly staff and good beer. Very comfortable.
27 Feb 2016 12:26