BITE user comments - beerPrincess
Comments by beerPrincess
Good choice of beer and the one I had was well-kept and reasonably priced.
Delicious dinner, too, but it definitely felt like a pub. Loved it!
27 Jul 2012 15:44
The Anchor and Hope, Salisbury
Only one ale yesterday lunchtime, but very nice it was too.
Proper "locals" boozer, but I liked it!
27 Jul 2012 15:43
What a shame. Looks like the new licencees are trying to get ale drinkers back through the door, but have undone so much of Sam's hard work that it's probably too late.
I've not been back in 2012, and I'm not likely to...
11 Apr 2012 09:10
There is now a shiny new old-folks home where this pub once stood.
A pub-closure for the greater good!
22 Dec 2011 10:37
Cracking beer, friendly welcome, super food and the greatest pub fireplace in the UNIVERSE!
29 Dec 2010 17:45
Had a fabulous pint (in a handle, if you don't mind, barman) on a very chilly November afternoon. Sat in the garden because it was so busy indoors, but had an excellent pint of ale and a cracking warm bun.
I can't wait to go back!
23 Nov 2010 21:35
DON'T BE PUT OFF BY THE DOOR STAFF! (I understand that they're a condition of the licence: they're very friendly and polite, but their size means that they block the front door...)
This is now a lovely, lovely place to go, with fabulous beer. It was nicely busy last Friday, with the tables full, a few loitering around but no wait at the bar. Lots of the Real Ale folk of Reading to be seen in here, which means there is a super mix of people. Great stuff.
31 Oct 2010 21:52
Still a great pub, but it's a shame that so many people feel the same, as it can get really busy, especially at the weekend. (If Reading FC are at home on a Saturday, visiting between 2.30 and 5.30 is probably your best bet.)
Having said that, the staff are fantastically efficient and you'll never have to wait long to be served one of their interesting and well-kept pints. There's always a good selection of bitters around the 4% mark, a mild and the "silly stuff" on the left-hand side of the bar (sometimes it's really silly: 8% stout anyone?!).
I heart the Nag's. Totally.
1 Sep 2010 17:58
Steam Packet Inn, Isle of Whithorn
Super real ale in a lovely setting (even though there was horizontal rain outside!).
(The food was scrummy, too.)
4 Aug 2010 08:38
Steam Packet Inn, Isle of Whithorn
Super real ale in a lovely setting (even though there was horizontal rain outside!).
(The food was scrummy, too.)
4 Aug 2010 08:38
Creebridge House Hotel, Creebridge
What a funny place (in a good way)!
It's clearly a VERY up market hotel, but has a friendly little bar, with great beer and an amazing restaurant.
Diners are taken through to the restaurant, which leaves the pub / bar area reserved for those enjoying one of their super ales.
Really enjoyed myself!
4 Aug 2010 08:34
Really enjoyed a holiday pint in here. Great pub with super beer. I liked it!
4 Aug 2010 08:31
Visited for the first time on a Monday night. Lovely pub, great beer and friendly, efficient, knowledgeable staff.
Super stuff!
4 Aug 2010 08:29
Goat and Tricycle, Bournemouth
I went here yesterday for the first time in a couple of years and remembered it well! Super selection of Wadworths and guests (5 of each) and the two tried were top notch.
The food was reasonably priced and very yummy. Well worth the 160 mile round trip!
31 Dec 2008 17:50
Lots of the previous incumbent's tat has been removed and the pub looks much more light and welcoming (I don't like chrome fixtures and white walls, but I do like to be able to see where I'm walking). The beer is still good, but so, so expensive.
20 Nov 2008 17:07
Lovely pint in a super RESTAURANT.
I wouldn't recommend this place unless you want top-notch scran and a really super pint. It's not a pub.
30 Oct 2008 15:42
Had a smashing couple of pints of yumminess in here.
I was impressed with the small, but diverse choice of well-kept beer. Good grub, too!
12 Aug 2008 09:26
I think that I'd like this place more if I was a local. It's got a good feel, but not terribly welcoming to obvious tourists!
A decent pint, but nothing spectacular.
12 Aug 2008 09:25
Fabulous pint and amazing food.
There's quite a "pub" feel to the front area and a small seating area across the prom from the pub.
Had a magnificent meal in the restaurant, too.
12 Aug 2008 09:24
The Oakford Social Club, Reading
The Oakford is a funny place and rather difficult to review.
They have no idea how to keep and serve real ale, but those which I've sampled have been lovely!
It's a large, �ber-cool music venue by night, but is a welcoming stop off during the day, with a fine line in fish-finger sarnies.
If you're waiting for your train at Reading station, wait here, rather than in the 3Gs.
9 Aug 2008 10:30
Lovely pint of Young's Bitter in a friendly boozer. Super stuff!
28 Jul 2008 12:22
I had a decent pint of Adnams' Bitter in here recently.
It's not a fantastic pub (I was there during the day, and it was rather dark inside), but friendly and serves a reasonable pint.
8 Jul 2008 22:26
Yay! I went here in October 2007 and it had gone (drastically) downhill. Fortunatley, my visit last week pushed it back into my list of Most-Favourite-Pubs-in-the-Universe.
Cracking ales from the Keswick Brewery and some top notch scran. Just right after a hard day on the hills.
Brilliant!
7 Jun 2008 22:52
Visited a couple of weekends in a row and the beer quality has been fab. I love a bit of Sussex...
24 Mar 2008 22:07
The lemonade story is very interesting. While I would agree that excellent beer doesn't need lemonade, one of the Hobgob regulars drinks pints of Dr. Hexter's Healer top.
I thought that the Hob had improved its customer service, but this is just one of several tales of woe I have heard recently.
How disappointing.
9 Mar 2008 17:01
This pub really goes from strength to strength. It's frequented by a barmy, but lovely bunch of regulars, and this single woman always feels welcome and safe.
The food is brilliant, the beer is varied and well kept.
Usually, I wouldn't like a "pub for everyone," on the basis that it probably wouldn't do a good selection of ale, wine, lager or softies, but this place really does have it all.
I love it!
16 Jan 2008 22:41
Visited briefly before a club night at Turnmills. Seemed friendly and the beer was good, if nitrogen-fuelled (boo, hiss!).
Upstairs was exceptionally hot and I'm glad that I visited post-smoking ban.
I'd go again, especially if was closer to home.
2 Jan 2008 13:35
Lovely pint of Pride in a friendly, welcoming pub. Having said that, �2.90 seems excessive for a pint from a barrel I could have carried from the brewery!
1 Aug 2007 17:45
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!
I love this place. The beer is good, at a reasonable price and the punters and staff are welcoming and friendly.
30 Jul 2007 10:10
Good beer, good atmosphere, but dreadful, DREADFUL music. It was so intrusive, and such a bad choice, that it really took the edge of what has become (again) a fab boozer.
30 Jul 2007 10:09
Good selection of beer, with some interesting bottles, too (Hampshire Penny Black, for example).
30 Jul 2007 10:07
The Retreat is fab. Good beer at a decent price, with a mixed, friendly crowd. Can get very hot and smokey, but it's a pub, not a freezer!
30 May 2007 09:15
The RISC Global Cafe and Bar, Reading
It's a shame that Nero couldn't get past the politics and enjoy RISC for what it is: a decent, chilled out caf�-bar. It's the only one in Reading where you can genuinely enjoy a beer or a cup of tea, at any time of day or night, without anyone looking at you like you're some kind of wally!
I like it in here.
30 May 2007 09:14
Inoffensive pub, good beer.
Not much else to it really!
30 May 2007 09:10
I've actually heard the staff talking about how to be nicer to people! I had thought it was just a dream, but no, they're working hard to make sure that the atmosphere matches up to the beer.
I love the Hobgob!
9 Apr 2007 17:22
Fab place with friendly people. Magnificent choice of well-kept beers.
Hurrah!
10 Mar 2007 13:59
Wow! What a difference!
No change in personnel, but the place (which includes the furniture: those regulars too regular to be anything short of permanent fixtures) is definitely feeling more cared for now.
Not sure that the flowers and candles (so I'm told) are quite appropriate, but they're nice gimmicks!
10 Mar 2007 13:56
It's getting better in some respects, but worse in others.
Unfortunately, the Hobgob is becoming a victim of its own success. The accountants who own (run?) the place are making money, so the prices are going up in order that they can make more. I don't know if the landlord actually has any say in the matter, but if he does, he's not being heard.
The staff are trying really hard to be more polite, but there's at least one who should seek alternative employment: the huffing and puffing 5 minutes into their shift shows that they're not enjoying themselves!
28 Dec 2006 12:51
Been in here a few times and had some decent beer.
Had a fab night just before Christmas, playing songs on the juke box (what a selection) and even singing in the front bar. No one complained. :-)
28 Dec 2006 12:42
I don't know who has worse bar skills: the punters or the staff.
Shocking place, serving just-in-date beer (I could tell by the taste).
AND, having followed in some little girlies in short skirts (perhaps they were 18, but certainly not 25), I got asked for id...
The manager nearly had a heart attack when he saw how old I am!
28 Dec 2006 12:39
Hurrah! The remaining staff are getting better (although the best ones have left/are leaving) and the pub is now being cared for a little: the ancient Hallowe'en decorations have had a "wipe"; the curtains were down at the weekend - presumably for a steam clean; you can see that the bar floor is made from wood, rather than gunk.
I suspect that a change of licencee is the best way forward for this place now.
27 Sep 2006 15:06
Dreadful, dreadful, dreadful.
They didn't even notice that the first half of my pint was line-cleaner, until I asked them to try it first!
4 Aug 2006 12:08
Broad Street Tavern, Wokingham
I have heard amazing things about this place, but wasn't overly impressed.
The beer quality was ok, but not as fantastic as I had been lead to believe. It feels like a trendy wine bar.
I went for food on a Friday lunchtime, which took forever (sarnies) and the chips were stone cold.
4 Aug 2006 12:07
Actually, there is one member of staff who is rude to everyone and has absolutely no idea about how to treat people. I'm not talking "the customer's always right" nonsense (sometimes that's worse than rudeness!), but general politeness that anyone with any decency would give to another member of the human race.
The pub is actually losing custom over this...
2 Aug 2006 09:26
The Hobgob doesn't have a regular quiz night any more and is awaiting the addition of new hanging baskets (the beautiful ones shown in your pictures died sometime ago, due to neglect).
While the quality of the ale is still superb, much of the atmosphere leaves little to be desired. The staff range from bright and bubbly to down right rude, and it's just "luck" as to which you get.
Although some parts of the pub have had a superficial make over during the past few months (and I mean superficial), not enough time and energy is spent on making this a welcoming pub. The filthy 20-month-old Hallowe'en decorations in the bar are a prime example.
3 Jul 2006 10:26
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The Chough, Salisbury
Great beer range and the pint I had was well-kept and delicious! A lovely pub, with areas set aside for diners. Super duper!
27 Jul 2012 15:45