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BITE user comments - elegiac_stanzas

Comments by elegiac_stanzas

Funky Munky, Camberwell

As mentioned in previous reviews, it’s been called the Stormbird for a while now, and is unrecognisable from its previous incarnation.

Very nice little pub, and extremely friendly staff. Almost a student-like atmosphere, but with no students. A large number of the taps were not in use, which was a shame. A little surprised that they seemed to serve almost nothing but different variations of IPA as well; a few other different styles of beer wouldn’t have gone amiss.

23 Feb 2014 20:44

The Rosendale, West Dulwich

Oh dear. Don’t come to this pub when it’s busy. Bar too rammed to get a seat, yet half of the building was empty because it’s set aside for diners only. You wouldn’t want to eat here anyway, because it’s restaurant prices (to eat in a pub? Yeah, right!). A few interesting local beers, but you have to go outside in the cold if you want to sit down to drink them.

The clientele are awful, seemingly consisting of those elements of the braying masses so overcome with their own sense of entitlement that they will use every muscle and reflex in their body to try to edge in front of you at the bar and jump the queue. If anybody is even serving, that is; service seems somewhat difficult to come by.

To quote the reviewer below, it’s just some poncey restaurant with a small bar attached. Avoid this place. Really.

23 Feb 2014 20:42

Inn Deep, Glasgow

Where to start? Williams Brothers have finally opened their own pub. (Well, it’s been open for a little while now, but I don’t get to visit Glasgow all that often). Just in case you’re unaware, Alloa’s Williams Brothers are in a league of their own when it comes to craft brewing.

Most breweries which produce a range of drinks in double figures are tending to churn out ranges of identical bitters (given different names for some peculiar reason). Williams Brothers are the complete antithesis of this approach; producing a wide range of their own drinks based on both and entirely original ideas. Just for starters there are heather and spruce beers, their Cesar Augustus lager/IPA hybrid, Seven Giraffes ale; and don’t even get me started on Midnight Sun, possibly my favourite tipple of all time.

It seems almost tangential to talk about the pub itself. But it’s comfy, they have guest beers as well, the staff are knowledgeable and helpful, a perfect location overlooking the River Kelvin, and they also have the arch next door as an unusual beer garden.

If you genuinely like beer, then you couldn’t invent a better pub than this. It’s as simple as that.

23 Feb 2014 20:38

Brewdog Glasgow, Glasgow

Blimey, here’s a turn-up. This pub has neither a pool table nor a quiz machine, and yet I’m raving about it. There’s not quite enough room for people to sit if it gets busy, it almost shares the same interior visual character as your local branch of Prêt a Manger, and yet I’m giving it nine out of ten.

The hook, though, is that it’s Brewdog. Despite the supposed brewing revolution going on, there are so few genuinely interesting craft breweries in the UK. For all of their good qualities, the general trend does seem to be to turn out the same repeat runs of (admittedly sometimes original) drinks, in 330ml bottles to be sold at pint prices in pubs (or in some cases even higher – as you’ll have experienced if you’ve ever purchased something from the Kernel brewery).

I can count the genuine exceptions to the rule on one had (well, Brewdog, Williams Brothers and Meantime – do as you will with the other two fingers). Brewdog make a superb and original range of drinks, and never seem to stop innovating with new ideas. On my visit to this pub I was able to drink a pint each of wheat beer, porter and lager; there aren’t many breweries in the country that make all three of these drinks, and there may possibly be even less local pubs (outside of the specialist craft beer “taps”) that serve all three drinks simultaneously.

Oh, it’s also a nice atmosphere, the staff are incredibly friendly, and you’re openly invited to sample beers before you buy them to see if you like them. What more could you possibly ask for? Ah, yes, a pool table and a quiz machine. But then that’s why they only scored nine...

23 Feb 2014 20:37

The Jerusalem Tavern, Clerkenwell

It's previously unprecedented for me to write about this particular problem. When you go for a drink, you don't expect to be randomly insulted by rude bar staff; it's completely inconceivable that a customer would be expected to be treated that way. Oh well, step forwards, the Jerusalem Tavern. But perhaps let's also discuss the basics...

The décor is old fashioned but pleasant. Very wooden, and all very close. You imagine that the pub could be very cosy in winter. In summer there is a strange overriding coldness, promoted by the fact that the bar staff clearly do not want any customers to be here, and do little to disguise how they feel. On a busy summer Friday after work, every drink is served with a scornful face, from the minority of staff who actually lower themselves to liaise with customers; most simply stand back and sneer.

This pub is the flagship outlet for the St Peters Brewery. A name which you may have heard before, but if you've never actually sampled their drinks the I'm afraid it's all downhill from here. The wheat beer, in particular, is an absolute joke; presumably it's actually just a simple flat-tasting Fosters-esque lager, but something erroneous happened at the labelling factory and we've ended up with a bottle engraved with the moniker of a completely different drink.

The food is limited (only three items on the menu), and poor in quality; a man in an apron really pushes the hard sell when he comes to our table imploring us to buy food. We each pay five pounds for what is basically a mushroom in a roll. No side-order of fries, either included or paid for on the top. There aren't even any condiments available. The food is terrible.

So, back to the grievance. A young lady with a bored expression, dangling red hair and and a tendency to yawn every few seconds displays obvious annoyance at having to serve me at the bar. She is, just about, young enough to be my daughter; although old enough to understand that she is employed here to serve customers, not paid for the benefit of her benevolent company. She interrupts me every single time I order each drink, as her memory span is not enough to cope with more than one part of the order at a time. Then, as when we finally approach the end of the order, she reprimands me, complaining that apparently she would have preferred me to have listed all of the drinks in the order right at the beginning. She does this whilst displaying neither any sense of irony nor humility. We have already been in the pub for three hours at this point, and had been their best customers of the evening.

When staff abuse and insult the customers, whilst they are ordering drinks in a polite and respectful way, then the pub scores zero out of ten. I've never previously experienced this before. And I hope I never will again. I also hope that this pub comes under new management soon. In the meantime, zero out of ten; because minus scores are not permitted here.

6 Jul 2013 00:14

The Swan, Walton on Thames

This is in many ways the definitive “five out of ten” pub. As it’s a Young’s pub, the beer is terrible, but they do make some kind of amends by adding two Meantime guest beers at the end of the bar. From the menu it’s clear that they really don’t like vegetarians (and it’s very much pub standard food at restaurant prices), but the staff are so helpful and genuinely nice that they score some points back with the service. They do their best to squeeze a riverside view out of the beer garden, although perhaps don’t do their best with the toilets. A very definite five out of ten.

24 Jun 2013 11:23

The Craft Beer Co, City of London

Poor pub, over-rated range of drinks, utterly disgraceful prices.

Having arranged to meet friends here after work on a mid-week evening, we ventured upstairs looking for respite from the crush. The pub was so crowded because every single table/seat had a notice on saying that it was reserved, and all were empty whilst the pub's clientèle all had to stand. Three hours later when we left, almost every one of these tables was still empty. And the few which were now taken I suspect were occupied by other drinkers who had run out of patience, not the people who had booked them. Staff came upstairs to collect glasses every ten minutes and knew exactly what was going on, but clearly did not care and took no action.

This pub trumpets widely about their beer selection. So I'll have a porter then? No, they don't have one on tap. How about a wheat beer? Well, you can have one, but it's £7.50 a pint. Er... Don't bother asking the staff for guidance though, because apart from one man with a beard the others seemingly know nothing at all about the drinks which they serve.

I was initially prepared to applaud this pub for actually displaying their prices at the taps (which so few pubs do), and prices between £2.75-4.50 looked like they could be stomached. Until I discovered that these are the prices for HALF pints.

I gave this pub as much of a chance as I possibly could, and really wanted to like what they're doing here. But to be charged £7.50 a pint in order to stand drinking it in a corridor is just too much of an awful way to treat people.

20 Jan 2013 09:21

The New Inn, Brentford

Wow, what a novelty. A pub with nothing drinkable whatsoever! Not even a token quality lager, jut tap after tap of Carling, Strongbow, Coors etc; plus two disgusting bitter on hand pumps. I nearly got fed up and left altogether as the bar staff repeatedly served people three back in the queue over my shoulder, and ignored me having been stood at the bar for ten minutes plus.

The fact that this is listed as an “away friendly” pub for Brentford matches simply means that their bitter fans won't actually punch you; the pub is generally unwelcoming, and as mentioned above, anybody who is not a home fan becomes a second class citizen at the bar. If you are unsure of quite what the social genre of “chav” is supposed to define, just spend ten minutes in this establishment.

I've been to some truly awful pubs in my time, but this is easily one of the worst.

20 Jan 2013 09:15

The Magpie and Crown, Brentford

Some of the reviews don't do justice to quite how small this pub is. And also seem to exaggerate the range of beers; if you come here looking for a robust porter or a Bavarian wheat beer then you're definitely in the wrong place. However, they are off-beat enough to have a few things like Kwak on tap, and the bar staff are polite even if the locals aren't that welcoming. There are allegedly a range of bottled beers, although they are kept out of sight and no beer list is displayed.

On the whole, slightly above average as pubs go.

20 Jan 2013 09:11

The Princess Louise, Holborn

Wow. I think we've all moved on from the fact that Sam Smiths pubs are no longer in the Wetherspoons price range any more, but this pub now charges £5.50 for a bottle of their own-brand porter.

20 Jan 2013 09:09

Ice Wharf, Camden

Very good range of drinks even by Wetherspoons standards. Brahma on draft the last time I was in there, amongst other things.

Pleasant atmosphere, nice and spacious, difficult to have many complaints about this pub. Remarkably unpretentious in comparison to other pubs in Camden, and hands-down the only place really to go for pre-gig drinks in the area these days.

20 Jan 2013 09:07

Sixty Million Postcards, Bournemouth

CAMRA would hate this pub; it's pretty much perfect in every way.

A superb range of drinks; wheat beer, fruit beer, good lagers, stout, IPA, etc. A bottled beer menu wide range of bottles from around the world which would even put many specialist London pubs to shame.

They've really gone overboard with the decoration as well; a spectacularly fun and welcoming place to drink, and the bar staff are very friendly as well.

I'm still prepared to gave them ten out of ten even though they don't have a pool table, which is previously unheard of from me. Obviously you only get the chance to visit a tiny fraction of all of the pubs which are out there during your lifetime, but from my personal experience I would say that this is easily one of the top ten pubs in the country.

20 Jan 2013 09:02

Goat and Tricycle, Bournemouth

This pub claims to have twelve different beers on handpump. Yes, I fell for that as well, and wasted half an hour of my life visiting this truly dire establishment.

Twelve pumps you say? What shall we have then? A porter? A wheat beer? A blonde beer? A craft lager maybe? No, you won't. Because all they serve is bitter. Several of the pumps appear to be permanently off, the others serve the same drink under different labels. I enquired at the bar about the IPA which is advertised in frames displays around the pub; the incomprehensible look which I received in response suggested that it has not in fact been served for quite some time, if indeed it ever was. Instead I opt for something described as a golden ale, which is nothing more than toilet-standard bitter and tastes disgusting.

I am prepared to be fair and award this grubby and ugly pub 2/10 because it does actually have a tatty pool table, but it has no other redeeming features whatsoever. I guess this establishment survives because Bournemouth has so few pubs.

20 Jan 2013 09:00

The Harp, Covent Garden

How can this pub possibly have won any awards?

Think about it; what are the features of a good pub? Well, let me suggest five: decent beers (including things like porter and wheat beer � every pub in the land sells bitter, that is not the mark of a good pub). Somewhere that you can sit down to drink. A decent atmosphere. A pool table or quiz machine (or ideally both) which is not completely monopolised by a few possessive individuals. And the opportunity to watch the football when it�s on, but also to avoid it in another part of the pub if you prefer.

This pub has NONE of those things. Craft lager? Nice dark beers? Nope, they just stock loads of bitters (with the occasional IPA). Badly kept as well; my IPA was foamy but completely flat. For a pub with so little space, why are there large armchairs upstairs minimising the number of people that can sit down? Atmosphere is fractious (due to spending the whole time with people pushing backwards and forwards past you), and completely forget the idea of any other form of entertainment in here. It�s not a pub for staying in for more than one single drink.

If these premises won CAMRA �Pub of the year � then that says more about CAMRA than the pub itself. Don�t waste your time; the Chandos is next door.

13 Oct 2012 23:21

The Greenwich Union, Greenwich

First of all, let me say that I am a big fan of Meantime's range and quality of spectacular (albeit overpriced) drinks.

This is a distinctly pros and cons pub though. On the one hand you have the great drinks (the wheat beer is the one single disappointment, although full credit to them for trying). And there are an impressive range on draft in this pub.

But in contrast, this is laid out more like a cafeteria; and you will almost certainly have to stand with your drinks. Largely because the cafeteria layout means that people pairs of people will occupy fixed booths which sit six people (with no wrongdoing on their part), whilst the lack of moveable seats mean that it's standing room only for most patrons. More than half of the seating is actually in the beer garden, which isn't entirely convenient during much of the year.

I wanted to stay for the evening; but instead we stayed for one drink; because I don't much enjoy going for a beer and basically standing in everybody's way in a corridor for the duration of the night. Great drinks Meantime, but now open a decent pub, and then you'll score more than 5/10 from me.

13 Oct 2012 23:17

The Trout Hotel, Cockermouth

The website (and even the room service menu if you�re staying in the hotel) claim that they serve Mitchell Krause beers from nearby Workington. Wheat beer, IPA and pilsner are all listed.

In fact, they serve none of these, as I discovered last weekend. When I asked for them, the barman looked at me like I was from another planet. Nor do they have any remotely similar alternatives. All they serve are a row of identikit Jennings bitters lined up along the bar.

Don�t waste your time with this hotel bar.

2 Oct 2012 09:33

The Dolphin, Uxbridge

Surprisingly hostile clientele and bar staff in this pub. I�m of the age where I rarely feel intimidated in pubs these days, but this place was one of the few exceptions.

I was charged �7.50 for a meal priced at �6.90 on the menu, but the landlord�s aggressive tone made clear that this was not to be challenged.

Very poor drinks selection as well, awash with the likes of Carling and Stella but nothing decent at all. It�s a shame with, the lovely canalside location and beer garden, that this is such an awful pub.

2 Oct 2012 09:29

The Bitter End, Cockermouth

Well, if you hate vegetarians and hate decent beer then this could well be the pub for you. But for everybody else...

When ordering food, there is pretty much nothing at all for vegetarians in the main courses section of the menu. The �garlic mushrooms� (starter) which I ordered as my main meal in the end was basically supermarket value range mushrooms mixed around in a pot of garlic sauce. When advised that the meal came with salad and bread, I wasn�t expecting the bread to be a single slice of toast from a Tesco value white bread loaf. At first I thought it might actually be some kind of a practical joke.

My wife, however, is not a vegetarian. She described her meal as �Sub-standard Wetherspoons, but at double the price�.

I didn�t realise before entering that �The Bitter End� is not a pun on the pub�s proximity to the neighbouring graveyard, or even the nearby Bitter Beck; it is a reference to the fact that this pub sells almost nothing else except bitter. Down the road in Workington, the Mitchell Krause brewery makes delicious wheat beers, IPAs and Pilsners. You will find nothing of the sort in this pub; in fact, nothing at all except an array of identical tasting bitters. Don�t bother craning your neck over the bar though to seek out a bottle of Hoegaarden or Leffe in the fridge, because they don�t even have alternatives in bottles.

Sadly I�ve encountered some awful pubs from time to time, but this one really stands out as being exceptionally bad.

2 Oct 2012 09:24

The Swan and Bottle, Uxbridge

I visited this pub the weekend before last, after a walk along the canal. They claimed to have four ales on, but in fact upon entering the pub I immediately discovered that two were off; the remaining taps were serving unimaginative and hackneyed brands of bitter.

When I tried to order a lager from the drinkable end of the spectrum (Kronenbourg I seem to remember � none of your quality Czech and Bavarian beers here) I was told that all other beers were off apart from Fosters. Wow. If you can actually legally describe your self as a pub when selling nothing but Fosters, then there is clearly something wrong with the Trade Descriptions Act.

Slightly more than half of the pub was decked out for diners, making it difficult to find a seat as so few tables remained available despite the pub not being full. Outside, despite the pleasant canalside location, the beer garden is bizarrely set back from the canal, and the space alongside it set aside for car parking instead. This is a quite remarkable own goal; using the lovely canalside space as a car park, and putting the beer garden at the back next to the main road. You really have to wonder which planet these people are on.

Many people will have their own feeling about geographical and spatial criteria, and consequently whether Uxbridge counts as being inside of London or not. If you decide the former, then the Swan and Bottle is a strong contender for the title of the worst pub in London.

7 Aug 2012 13:54

The William IV, Leyton

This pub claims on their website that will give tours of their microbrewery to small groups if arranged in advance, and provides an e-mail address.

I sent a polite e-mail enquiring about this; they never even had the courtesy to reply.

7 Aug 2012 13:23

The Old Fire Station, Hammersmith

When this pub opened, it boasted a superb range of drinks; with discerning Czech and Bavarian lagers, Belgian fruit and wheat beers; it was like some kind of oasis, the likes of which Hammersmith had never seen before.

And then, inexplicably, the quality drinks were taken off of the agenda and replaced with the likes of Heinekin and Carling. Why?

It�s still a very nice place to drink; enigmatic and originally laid out (I remember back when it used to be an actual working fire station!), and I liked it enough to hire it out for my Mum�s birthday party one year. Great staff, very friendly and well thought-out d�cor. But why was the drinks palate changed from the equivalent of paradise to a public toilet? If you look at the �food and drink� section of the pub�s website these days, it lists food and makes no mention of drinks whatsoever. What on earth are they doing?

7 Aug 2012 13:02

The Laurie Arms, Hammersmith

Poor drinks, generally unwelcoming and sometimes slightly intimidating atmosphere, there�s a reason why a pub in such a visible location is always mostly empty.

Bar staff care little for those who are not regulars, and regulars care little for outsiders invading their haunt. Blaring music played at ear-splitting volume, you seemingly aren�t allowed to play on the pool table unless a committee of regulars says so, and will be eyed suspiciously as you �enjoy� your drink.

Used to survive on the trade from the Hammersmith Palais; now I am unsure how this pub continues to survive. It would be no loss whatsoever to the world if it didn�t.

7 Aug 2012 12:53

Bar@1, Hammersmith

I genuinely don�t understand this conundrum. If you are actually of legal drinking age, why on earth would you want to spend time in this establishment?

Surely a bar specifically designed for underage drinkers is something of an oxymoron?

7 Aug 2012 12:46

The William Morris, Hammersmith

When this first opened, it appeared aimed at the discerning local customer. However, it seems to have suffered something of an identity crisis since then, ultimately settling for their current target of aiming for the grubby end of the market.

Something of a magnet for different genres of people that you probably wouldn�t want to share a pub with, a trip to the William Morris leaves you constantly just waiting with trepidation for something to happen which will ruin your evening. I�ve seen a fight break out outside this pub on Christmas Eve, on two different years.

It�s amazing that somewhere as gentrified as Hammersmith still attracts a clientele like this, but whilst this keeps them out of other local pubs I guess this can only be a good thing. As for Wetherspoon�s, well, they just went and opened the Plough and Harrow down the road, and any former customer with an ounce of class now just drinks there instead.

7 Aug 2012 12:41

The Hammersmith Ram, Hammersmith

Messy Young�s pub, which seems inexplicably popular. As a former local, I could never understand the appeal of this place.

Poor selection of drinks, disinterested staff, unwelcoming seating arrangements, and nothing to really make this pub stand out at all apart from a break from High Street shopping perhaps.

7 Aug 2012 12:27

The Old Ship, Hammersmith

This use to be the pub of choice for rowers in the Hammersmith area, which often slightly put me off using it back in the day. If only I�d realised at the time, that this pub never had it so good! It�s been going steadily downhill ever since, and even the posh little ones rowing on the Thames seem to give this pub a wide berth nowadays.

Being a Young�s pub, the range of drinks is very poor; although they do seem more inclined towards their fizzy alcopops than ales here these days. Previous comments about this turning into a caf� are actually not that wide of the mark, and their summer barbecue days can be close to hell on earth. The first sign of sunshine and it�s drinks in plastic cups; although (as mentioned) you�ll struggle to find something that you want to drink.

To round it all off, a horrible noisy wooden layout and exceptionally poor staff. What a waste of time.

7 Aug 2012 12:22

The Black Lion, Hammersmith

This pub seems to trade in shooting themselves in the foot. My most distinct memory was being asked to pay �15 admission during a local pub crawl on one new year�s eve, which perhaps explained why this characterless pub was empty at the time.

Unwelcoming staff and atmosphere, seemingly sometimes closed during advertised opening hours, and although it�s something of a clich� to complain about pub prices in London, this pub does still seem to be noticeable in that respect.

I can think of absolutely no reason whatsoever to ever visit this pub again.

7 Aug 2012 12:11

The Dove Inn, Hammersmith

What used to be an amazing local treasure seems now to have turned into an absolute disaster. It�s now been re-modelled as a tourist trap, and on a Sunday the entire pub is set aside for diners.

The pub seems now to be aimed at once-only visitors, although it seems to have made enough of a name for itself to survive on this. Somewhat ironically, the worst thing about the pub these days is its clientele. There are many other decent Fuller�s pubs nearby; pleased don�t feed this ugly monster.

7 Aug 2012 12:05

The Plough and Harrow, Hammersmith

A nice and spacious Wetherspoon�s, with an impressive range of beers even by their own usual standards. Far enough from Hammersmith�s commercial centre to avoid the occasionally boisterous crowd which the William Morris attracts, this pub survives on a high customer quotient drawn in from the nearby Travelodge (combined with a small spread of locals), but always seems to have plenty of space for everyone.

A safe bet for a friendly evening, with great drinks and the food you would expect from this chain, and one of only a time handful of pubs in Hammersmith to still have a quiz machine. This is definitely one of my first choices in the area these days.

7 Aug 2012 11:57

The Salutation, Hammersmith

If you want to avoid the crowds down by the river, then this is possibly the best pub in Hammersmith to head to. Benefits from not being too far from the Griffin Brewery, with a generous range of good Fuller�s beers always on tap. The food�s also decent, and the beer garden at rear very nicely secluded from the nearby busy roads.

Popular amongst local workers as a after-work haunt, and not difficult to see why. Highly recommended.

7 Aug 2012 11:40

Rutland Arms, Hammersmith

Vastly superior to the nearby Blue Anchor, although another pub which has been ruined by somebody�s (in this case the owners Scottish and Newcastle) idea of what they think the yuppies expect these days; failing to appreciate that a nice pub with decent drinks and atmosphere actually works for some people.

In its heyday the pub was cavernous and atmospheric with it�s small booths, but more groups-friendly and better lit open area at the back. However, things went downhill when the whole pub was renovated into one big open space, although at least some exceptions (such as the bar billiards table) did manage to hang on for quite a while.

The pub now seems to be renovated approximately every two years, and I really fail to see the point in this. For all that they�ve gained in the yuppie trade, they�ve now completely lost the business of those who live on the nearby moorings who used to keep the pub going during the winter, and so if you visit in December you will probably now have the pub to yourself.

Remains far better than it�s local rival though, in terms of drinks, friendliness of staff, and overall atmosphere and experience.

7 Aug 2012 11:32

The Blue Anchor, Hammersmith

I was a local for long enough to remember the old Blue Anchor, as you sat surrounded by wooden planks and semi-nautical memorabilia, sipping decent beers in often a lively but welcoming atmosphere. The staff went the extra mile on evenings such as Halloween, and it was often a real event to visit this pub on a Saturday night.

Then, sadly, a few years ago somebody killed the pub. Completely smashed out and opened up the interior, turned it into some kind of �braying yuppies by the river� theme pub and seemed to add a pound to the cost of every drink overnight. The only thing missing now is some form of sanitised branding; but I�m sure the name will be changed to �All Bar One� or something similar before too long.

To this day, it still has a terrible range of lowest common dominator drinks, is about the most expensive pub you could possibly find, and you will struggle to find a higher quota of horsey girls and nice-but-dim boys this side of Eton.

What an awful waste, of both location and potential.

7 Aug 2012 11:23

The Duke of Cornwall, Hammersmith

A pleasant pub which unfortunately suffers from a lack of local clientele, largely relying instead on the passing trade from Hammersmith Apollo just around the corner.

This is a shame, as it�s a comfortable and relaxing pub, with friendly staff and usually a fair range of drinks on. The pool table and jukebox are in good nick, and it�s always a safe and friendly place to stop off for a pint or two.

The only gripe is that I�ve had more than one dodgy pint of Deuchers IPA here, which doesn�t seem to be well kept. All else is in order though, and this pub is ideal for stopping off on the way to an evening match at Craven Cottage to avoid the more crowded hostelries nearer to the stadium. Definitely recommended.

7 Aug 2012 11:13

The Old City Arms, Hammersmith

I grew up and lived in West London for almost forty years before recently moving south of the river, and this was always my favourite local.

For much of that time, it�s been as close to perfect as it's possible for a pub to get. Always a decent range of drinks available (with things like Hoegaarden and Leffe coming on from time to time), never fail to get a seat, a pool table that you will actually be able to play on if you want to (almost unheard of in London these days), and an exceptionally friendly and uninhibiting atmosphere.

The friendly staff go some way towards helping in this respect, right back to the old days when they used to hand us the teletext controller to view the lower league football scores on the television. One really has to wonder quite how some of the other commentators below must have behaved to have come away with those experiences.

Looking at other recent reviews, if this pub is disliked by real ale snobs, sultry teenagers and people who seemingly can�t even type a sentence then some might perhaps see this as a selling point. I certainly do. Comfortably one of the nicest pubs in West London.

7 Aug 2012 11:06

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