BITE user comments - hitchinsampler
Comments by hitchinsampler
I visited the Strugglers Inn on a recent day trip to Lincoln. I had just one pint, but it was impeccable and they had an interesting range of ales. It was nice to be able to drink it outside, although the beer garden is nothing special. From what I glimpsed of it, I would agree that it is a friendly place with a good atmosphere.
24 May 2012 20:32
I popped in for a quick pint today and was impressed - they had a good range of (at least three) unusual ales on offer. The one I had was well kept and also only �3. There is a friendly atmosphere and my impression was that the clientele at the moment is mainly a loyal band of regulars. However, if word gets round it could soon be just as busy as other top pubs in Hitchin. If this isn't nearby to you, then add it to your list for a Hitchin pub crawl.
20 May 2012 00:19
The Mad Hatter Hotel, Southwark
I visited on a weekday evening recently with about fifteen work colleagues. There were a couple of other pubs near to the Mad Hatter which we would have preferred to have gone to (better choice of ales), but they were absolutely packed. For us it was ideal as there were enough seats and it was quite a pleasant environment. The Mad Hatter only appears to serve Fullers beers; the two I had were in good condition.
21 Dec 2011 09:55
I visited on a Friday evening after work a few weeks ago. It seemed a good pub and the beer was good. The only problem was that it was so crowded that we had to stand outside in the cold. I'd go back to try it again, but at a less busy time.
2 Dec 2011 23:28
The Charles Dickens, Southwark
I'm surprised that the comments about this pub are so positive. I visited a few weeks ago early on a Saturday evening and it was pretty mediocre. They'd run out on two pumps so there was little choice of beer. I give them credit that my third choice was a good pint, but it wasn't enough to compensate for the place not having much atmosphere. Perhaps I caught it on a bad day, or was sitting in the wrong place, so by all means give it a try, but it wasn't for me.
2 Dec 2011 23:25
This is a beer lover's paradise. I enjoyed two very well kept real ales from a couple of smaller breweries and there were lots of other beers from various parts of the globe on offer as well. I didn't try the food, but the menu looked good. Very close to Shoreditch High Street station and well worth a visit.
2 Dec 2011 23:16
The pub has some good things going for it. It has friendly staff, some character, a bustling atmosphere and a number of fairly common real ales (e.g. Youngs, London Pride, Hogsback TEA, Doombar were on when I visited). However, I tried three of the ales and, while all were drinkable, none were as good as they could have been. What this pub needs is a bit more variety in the ales and more attention to how the beer is kept. Until then it's OK, but not worth going out of your way to visit.
7 Oct 2011 23:25
I popped in here today for a quick drink, having not visited for years. I thought I didn't think much of Greene King, but the half of St Edmunds I had was surprisingly good.
There was a good (friendly) atmosphere. The choice of ales are a bit limited (I spotted only one guest ale), but the pub seems to be doing the right things generally. It has a comfortable feel to it, and although it's not that remarkable, it's the sort of place you might end up spending all evening in.
3 Sep 2011 22:46
The Kings Arms has character, is located in a quiet road and has a good atmosphere (very busy, but not overcrowded, perhaps helped because there's much more seating inside than you'd expect from looking at it from the outside). There was a good range of real ales and the three I tried were in good condition. For drinking this pub ticks "good" or "very good" in all respects.
30 Jul 2011 10:41
I've been meaning to visit the Nightingale for a while, and have finally made it. The beer was good (good choice of real ales; the landlord seems to take the beer seriously) and the atmosphere seemed friendly enough. I wasn't that keen on the music and fruit machines inside, but they may appeal to some. Outside there is a quiet patio and, not being too busy, it was quite peaceful sitting next to a small pond with a fountain. I imagine it would get quite smoky outside if busy, and there didn't appear to be much cover if it rained. As superseagulls said, a good option if you want a drink while waiting for a train. Also decent if you want to play some pool or watch some sport. I'd be happy to include it on a pub crawl especially if the plan was to visit a sequence of pubs between the station and the town centre.
24 Jul 2011 00:41
I posted a review here previously two years ago, but have been back a few times since. The quality of food and beer (usually from the Buntingford brewery) at the Radcliffe Arms has been consistently very high and the interior design makes it a pleasant place to eat. It is possible to go to the Radcliffe Arms to drink (and it holds occasional beer festivals), although the inside is mostly a dining area with a bar alongside. The food is what this place is really about. The atmosphere is good for a meal or early evening drink outside on a warm day, but it's not the sort of pub I would include on a pub crawl in winter.
24 Jul 2011 00:28
I liked this pub, which I visited on a Wednesday evening. Firstly, the beer was very good and a good range was on offer. I also really liked the atmosphere in the (small) bar. The pub has a lot of character and although I was just a visitor from out of town, was made to feel very welcome by both those behind and in front of the bar. This would be a great local if you lived in the area.
19 May 2011 10:07
In many towns in Britain this would be the best pub. The pint I tried was in very good condition. However, York has so many good pubs here the pub doesn't stand out and is just one to include on a pub crawl. Apparently this is pub is owned and run by the York Brewery which explains now why all (or most of) the beers were from that brewery. To respond to a previous post, the sausages were clearly advertised in a leaflet left on the table, though I didn't try them.
19 May 2011 10:02
The Shoulder of Mutton, Playhatch
I visited this pub for lunch today. The food was reasonably good, though a little expensive for what it was. The Loddon ale I tried was in good condition although there wasn't much choice (only a Greene King available as the alternative). Worth a try if you live in the area, but not worth making a detour if it's out of your way (unless you like mutton dishes, which it specialises in).
14 May 2011 23:24
The Sherlock Holmes, Charing Cross
It wants to be a tourist pub (Sherlock Holmes film, even a Sherlock Holmes beer [brewed by Morlands]), but doesn't seem to be making as much effort as it could. Consequently it's a bit of a half-way house and overall it felt like a fairly typical Greene King pub. As far as I could see there is nothing wrong with the pub, and it's a bit less crowded than the Ship and Shovell, so one could pass a pint there on a pub crawl, but it doesn't feel like a place you'd ever get a really special beer.
7 Jan 2011 22:43
The Ship and Shovell, Charing Cross
A reasonable pub, and I'm prepared to believe it is one of the better ones in the area. It was crowded (Friday evening) so clearly a lot of people like it. Only Badger ales were on offer and the two I tried were fine, but it would have been nice to have had some guest beers available. Not worth going out of your way to visit from far away (unless you particularly like Badger), but good enough to take time to visit if you happen to be in the Embankment / Charing Cross area.
7 Jan 2011 22:36
I went there on Friday evening. There were lots of choices of unusual beers and the two I tried were excellent and in good condition.
I'd give this pub a rating higher than 8 if it hadn't been packed and difficult to find somewhere to stand.
18 Dec 2010 22:09
Oh dear. This pub is a potential oasis in the desolate lands of the wharf. It appears it normally has three real ales on tap. However, the wharf is a quiet place at weekends and the landlord must make a living. If you visit this pub shortly after 5 pm on a Friday evening, as we did, you risk finding that all the ales have run dry and all that's left until Monday is lager and some liquid concoction produced by John Smith.
Consequently I can't give this pub a high rating at present as a visit is speculative. However, I hope people give it a try and get luckier than us. Or you could visit it earlier in the week!
3 Sep 2010 23:09
Had a nice well kept pint of Spitfire. Then had a nice well kept pint of London Pride. Then it all went wrong. I had to have another nice well kept pint of Spitfire. If you're the sort of person who doesn't mind having the same beer twice in the evening this is a good pub. However, for me the choice of only two ales limits it to no more than 7 out of 10.
19 Jun 2010 00:40
The beer was very good making Battlesteads well worth a stop: five pumps of local real ales, all well kept. As another reviewer said, only limited space inside, but if the weather's fine it has a very pleasant garden (though take some midge repellent in the Summer!).
Contrary to the comments of some posters, I found the owners and staff friendly. The food was fine, and well cooked, but there was not as much variety as I would have liked over a period of a few days.
31 Aug 2009 23:00
The pub is old and has character, though that included a leaky roof - albeit the other side of the bar. There was only one beer on offer the evening I went - Greene King IPA - but it was well kept and a decent pint. I felt it was the sort of pub I'd want to include in a pub crawl of Hatfield, but not spend all evening there (unless they normally do have more than just Greene King on tap!). Difficult to know how to rate this one - did I go on an off day?
8 Aug 2009 00:13
Don't be fooled by the rating given to this pub on this website. The pub used to be truly awful under its old ownership. Many of the user ratings will be refer to its previous life and be out of date. Since then the pub was closed down, taken over, and fully refurbished. It is now a restaurant / free house and has two pumps serving real ale. I recently popped in and enjoyed the beer on offer from the Buntingford brewery - very good to see the landlord supporting local breweries. I haven't tried the food yet, but a friend went for a meal and told me he thought it was very good.
17 Jul 2009 00:29
Go there for the beer - great range and generally well kept. However, take care with the food - the place recently received a "no stars" "Scores on the Doors" rating when the local council performed a hygiene inspection visit.
4 Jul 2009 14:20
A decent pub. The range of real ales doesn't seem to vary as much as at other pubs, but they're well kept. Worth including on a pub crawl of Hitchin.
4 Jul 2009 14:13
I posted a review 18 months ago and was dragged back recently. Still not my pub of choice, but I will give it credit - McMullens does not, in my view, produce particularly tasty beer. However, the Coopers produced a pint of it that was much better than I can remember having in any other McMullens pub. So if you want to watch some sport, the Coopers is worth consideration.
4 Jul 2009 14:07
A pleasant, clean ambience and many people seemed to be enjoying the food. A very good pub if you like McMullens. But unless you do, don't go there for the beer.
1 Apr 2009 00:51
I suppose the beer is reasonably well kept for McMullens, but it's a shame there's no guest ales. The pub's above average, but not in the same league as others within a short walking distance.
17 Oct 2007 15:59
In my view the Half Moon serves the best real ale in Hitchin. A few other places in the town can match it when they're on form, but the Half Moon is consistently good (the landlord is enthusiastic and experienced) and usually two of the choices are from smaller breweries. Recently redecorated (admittedly not to everyone's liking), and the number of pumps has been increased from four to six at weekends.
17 Oct 2007 15:51
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The Foundry, Canterbury
I visited on a Wednesday evening. This is a pub with a micro-brewery on site. I tried two of their beers, both of which were excellent. The food was very good too, although only available until 6 pm. The only disappointment were how few people had found it, tucked away down a side street. This is the only pub I have been to in Canterbury, but I would be surprised if there are many that are better than this.
23 May 2013 21:54