BITE user comments - jfrebrycn
Comments by jfrebrycn
For its reputation, this pubs' real ale is not all that fantastic, probably no better than Wetherspoons' to be honest. The landlord was also very rude to part of the group I was in as well - he asked someone to move out of an aisle (why so many tables if people flows are such a problem to him) and while she was doing so, stopped her just to have another go at her.
Really bad attitude, and bar staff not much better, so will not be returning - even the pub on Euston station, or perhaps the Doric Arch (if you're into a bit of spit & sawdust) are better options.
Not to be recommended anyway...
16 Sep 2012 15:05
The Inn on the Green, Harpenden
Pleasant pub, good Greene King ales, freindly staff, good outdoor area. To be recommended..
29 Jul 2012 11:13
Ideal location of course, decent beer and the Bite card discount certainly makes a difference!
Very hot in the summer however, air cooling system doesn't seem to do anything!
29 Jul 2012 11:05
This is a fantastic pub - perfectly kept Harveys ales, space out at the back to enjoy it, and the main part of the pub is really old with loads of character.
Friendly and efficient staff too, well worth stopping off here before you catch your train.
1 Jul 2012 11:20
Good beers, nice old fashioned spit-and-sawdust atmosphere, can be cramped when crowded however (20 of us on a works jolly piled in on a Friday afternoon)
Worth a visit though, among the better ones in Brighton.
1 Jul 2012 11:18
Bankes Arms Hotel, Corfe Castle
Well kept Ringwoods best (that or London Pride was the choice, which seemed odd when there are so many good local brews).
They also do excellent stone-baked pizzas here for a reasonable price - when you compare it to the rubbish you get from somewhere like Dominoes or Pizza hut and what they charge, this place is excellent value.
Interesting atmosphere too, part of it is done up more like an Italian restaurant than a hotel bar.
1 Jul 2012 11:13
Bankes Arms Hotel and Country Inn, Studland
The location of this place is fantastic, overlooking the bay, and the beer seemed good enough to me after a mornings walking - albeit more expensive than some London pubs.
Unable to comment on food, except to say that the portions looked pretty generous.
Worth a visit definitely.
1 Jul 2012 11:09
This is a good pub, about the only one in Swanage where if you pick your spot you can actually get a sea view.
Pretty well kept Ringwoods Best & "Fortyniner", good service and plenty of space. A good atmosphere too.
No choice of local cider is the only down side, my partner had to make do with Crabbies ginger beer! All in all worth a visit though, lunchtime or evenings.
1 Jul 2012 11:06
Not bad, pleasant town centre location, beer adequate, and a good choice, but not the best kept ever, and service a little off-hand.
The Ship is probably marginally better.
1 Jul 2012 11:02
Historical building, good pint, well worth a visit if you're in the London Bridge area.
2 Mar 2012 18:25
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Fleet Street
Good value Sam Smiths beers on tap, wonderful atmosphere, although totally rammed with tourists unless you go at odd times.
2 Mar 2012 18:22
Food not bad for a wetherspoons, and beer reasonably well kept as well. Pretty much the only pub in Orpington town centre anyway. Seemed OK by comparison to some others from the Wetherspoons chain.
2 Mar 2012 18:06
This place is diabolical - worst wetherspoons I've been in yet.
The service in here atrocious - I had three tries at getting served on a Friday evening, and was ignored in favour of other people pushing in on each occasion.
It's woefully short of staff for the demand, and those they do have are rude and unobservant. I left having bought nothing and therefore cannot comment on the quality of the beer, and it really puts you off lining wetherspoons coffers with your hard-earned money when this is the contempt they show for their customers.
It's dark and dingy as well, and again as is normal with wetherspoons the tables are all filthy.
Definitely one to avoid like the plague, particularly as there a good alternative pubs in that area.
25 Feb 2012 10:14
Friendly welcoming atmosphere, good helpful staff - very nice for a post-work pint.
Agree with the comments on it being a little pricey however!
Convenient for the station, and well worth a visit all in all.
To be recommended
23 Feb 2012 20:48
Perfect for the station, well kept beer, and a good choice of cheap food.
That said, I asked for 2 x scampi & chips, and was charged on the "2 meals for �6.95" deal, although we later saw a poster saying Scampi & chips was �2.49, so I was overcharged there a couple of quid - cannot say whether that was deliberate or the bar staff just forgot / didn't know - beware!
Otherwise a good pleasant atmosphere.
19 Feb 2012 12:50
Richard John Blackler, Liverpool
Pretty typical 'spoons, although the beer in this one was better kept than many I've been in.
Agree with the beers that have run out still being advertised - 3 different ones that I asked for on this occasion! At least what I did get (Inveralmond Thrappledouser) was well kept and very enjoyable.
Usual complete failure to adequately staff the place (business rules dictate that I guess, shareholder profits come before punters waiting a while to be served!), but the staff that were there I found friendly on this occasion.
Convenient for Lime Street station, and cheap as you would expect - acceptable food for the prices.
19 Feb 2012 12:47
It looks like a lovely character-filled place from the outside, but inside is a bit disappointing - little atmosphere, and loud rave music being played to a handful of people in there on a Thursday night.
Seems a bit rough and ready, although to be fair the one real ale is well kept, and Guinness also fine. Staff friendly, but overall nothing to write home about.
19 Feb 2012 12:28
Lovely atmosphere, and right by the canal, well kept beers and good range of them too.
Food excellent and generous portions, but a little pricey - �12.50 for fish & chips for example.
19 Feb 2012 12:25
Lots of negative comments here, but I found it OK though it served Duechars IPA & John Smiths on draught, both perfectly OK pints, and I thought their food was good - 2 normal pub meals for �10 on a weekday can't be bad, certainly better than the microwaved stuff out of a Wetherspoons for example, it had actually been cooked.
We went early afternoon however, so not sure what it would be like later on!
5 Feb 2012 19:25
Pleasant pub with friendly staff and a good pint of Black Sheep.
Pretty quiet for a Friday night when I visited, but still a nice atmosphere.
5 Feb 2012 19:19
Fantastic old pub with beams and low ceilings - very good pints of Banks Mild too.
Plenty of character, well worth a visit if in York.
5 Feb 2012 19:15
Good Fullers house, well kept beer and a pleasant atmosphere.
5 Feb 2012 17:44
Wonderful character and excellent beer - loved all the maritime memorabilia around the pub! Friendly staff too.. Definitely to be recommended.
23 Aug 2011 17:36
Full of drug dealers, and the worst pint of Abbot Ale I have ever tasted.
A real shocker..
8 May 2011 21:23
Really pleasant pub, lovely location by the moat, decent beer, and the food looks to be good value but I haven't tried it yet.
Agree with previous comments that the staffing levels are a bit low in respect of timely service though - not the end of the world however.
To be recommended, particularly in this area where good pubs are pretty rare.
8 May 2011 21:21
Location the main plus for this place, what could be better than sitting outside a pub on a beach enjoying the sun and the sea breeze?!
Good pints of Doom Bar and Harveys Original, pity it's in plastic glasses for outside but that's just the H&S rules rather than the pub's choice I guess, and actually not having broken glass on the beach is probably a good move!
Food good, and plenty of it, if slightly overpriced, but that's to be expected when the location is like this.
I know what people mean about the staff being aloof in a way; they did seem freindly enough to me though.
All in all an excellent place, that I would visit again if I was ever visiting Whitstable again.
25 Apr 2011 11:49
Agree with the comment about it being expensive - excellent pint though, well kept, and a lovely old-world atmosphere.
1 Mar 2011 18:53
Not a bad pub, I stayed in it for a few days, beer seemed well kept, food poor however (fish pie advertised as containing prawns, but in their absence, egg was the replacement!). Agree that Turks Head or Admiral Benbow have more atmosphere, but this one is pretty convenient for the station.
1 Mar 2011 18:42
The Hoop and Grapes, City Of London
Seemed OK for an after work beer, expensive as all pubs (except wetherspoons!) are in that area, but the beer is well kept, didn't experience any unpleasantness from staff either as some of these comments suggest.
26 Dec 2010 18:08
Well kept beer, freindly staff and a pleasant atmosphere - only downside is the price of the beers, although that isn't out of place for the area.
Very conveniant for City Thameslink Rail as well!
26 Dec 2010 18:02
Excellent range of beers in a good old-fasioned atmosphere, certainly good for a couple of quick pints after work on a Friday.
To be recommended.
20 Nov 2010 12:22
Cheap as always with JDW, but staffing hopeless - empty at 4 o'clock and 3 staff standing around chatting, full by 5 o'clock and 2 of the 3 staff gone home. Alot of people must walk out and go elsewhere because they get fed up of waiting. Surely the rosters could be reviewed to actually provide something approaching the correct staffing levels in relation to the demand.
Agree with other reviewers that the place is very dark and dingy - although if you go in the upstairs bit it's better.
To be honest, Harpenden and Flitwick are better places than Luton to go for pubs!
30 Oct 2010 15:22
Not too bad, reasonably priced and drinkable Eagle IPA, and as all the review say ideal for the station! (It actually backs onto the platform)
30 Oct 2010 15:11
The Inn on the Green, Harpenden
Very pleasant atmosphere, and well kept beers, although slightly on the pricey side. Excellent outdoor area too. To be recommended.
30 Oct 2010 15:06
I liked it 2-4 Saturday afternoon - mostly quiet, and amiable staff - I went there to study - that said, I can well believe what it's like later on Fridays and Saturdays, once the pondlife emerge from under their rocks and come to drink their lager by the gallon...
But - if the alternative is central Luton, go for it, it's top quality!
24 Feb 2010 01:14
Looked nice at first, and a good pint, but frequented by thieves who made off with two customers handbags during the quiz evening, one belonging to someone from the party I went with. The landlords response - "it hasn't happened for months", and "well we never had CCTV, but perhaps we'd better now" - no doubt there are reasons good or otherwise why they may not want it, but they offer no indication that this is common (as most London pubs do where scumbags making off with peoples stuff is a problem) through notices etc on the tables. The bag in question was stuffed behind a bench - not exactly on show, in case you are wondering..
Not somewhere I will go again, or recommend to anyone else.
24 Feb 2010 01:07
Wonderful eccentric little place in the most unlikely location in the middle of a shopping street! Excellent selection of beers, only problem is there is no seating for any groups larger than three!
22 Dec 2009 22:58
Good old world atmosphere, excellent beers, well worth a visit.
22 Dec 2009 22:55
The Grand Union, Westbourne Park
Excellent location, get there early on a Saturday to get a table outside on a sunny day though! Really good at table service, food is overpriced to my mind but each to their own I suppose - but �4 for a bowl of chips seems steep to me!
Not to detract from very well kept London Pride, and a very long and lazy afternoon, an excellent place.. Would definitely return..
28 Sep 2009 20:04
And still nothing.. Time to engage the hygiene inspectors I think.
14 Sep 2009 21:21
The Crystal Palace, Berkhamsted
Perfect canal-side location, excellent beer (Sharps Cornish Coaster, if you're interested) freindly bar staff and perfectly acceptable food - the pie was excellent and generous, my only gripe was the ham, egg and chips - if they have to use Tescos "Value" Ham, it would at least be nice to get more than two small pieces of it rolled up. Irrationally measly compared to the quality of the pie which was only a couple of quid more!
All told though a very good pub that I would definitely return to, and order a pie next time!
14 Sep 2009 21:05
Still no reply from the Fishery Inn (see my last post 9th Aug!) - so don't bother complaining if you have the misfortune to eat here. Guess it doesn't worry the manager that his staff serve up rotten meat..
The M&B "autoreply" says "Embracing Feedback is to Anticipate the Future!" - The future here is clearly fairly bleak I would imagine..
28 Aug 2009 22:25
Huge Wetherspoons.. Good selection of well kept beers, and the normal acceptable (although microwaved) food. Unlike most places in the area it's big enough to have a bit of space to yourself.
28 Aug 2009 22:13
Was served up a curry with bits of plastic packaging still in it - and the staff member just said it was to be expected with pre-packaged food, which I thought was pretty poor. Food generally of the low standard you expect from Wetherspoons - you get what you pay for - the beers are cheap and normally of acceptable quality, although I've had a few pints there that I've had to return as they were bad, including one that smelt of bleach - presumably the barrel cleaner not washed out of the lines!
9 Aug 2009 13:59
Cheap and pleasant food, reasonable quality beers - the place is rife with bag / purse and phone thefts however being around Kings Cross, and the police cannot be bothered to investigate these despite the presence of CCTV in the pub.
9 Aug 2009 12:13
The Lock Stock and Barrel, Newbury
Always loved this pub for it's location, and have always gone there over many years. Recently the covered area on the roof terrace has been removed however, which is mental - there is no shelter from rain or sun up there now, and smokers are also banned I believe despite this area being outside - so to be outside you now have to be down by the waterside - if you can get a table in this busy pub ithen it is still very enjoyable.
The beer cannot be faulted - in 12 or more years of going here on and off when visiting Newbury, I have never had a bad pint to my recollection.
Food is very pricey though, the only thing I would consider anywhere near value for money are the Sunday roasts, certainly nearly �10 for sausage & mash for example is crazy!
9 Aug 2009 12:05
Old Swan Cheddington, Cheddington
A wonderful old thatched building, and the beer was good, although no atmosphere as it was very quiet when I visited - I also did not stay long because of two large untethered dogs sniffing around our table continuously, which even if a place chooses to be dog-friendly, I do not agree with allowing.
9 Aug 2009 11:59
Doggetts Coat and Badge, Southwark
Good price on London Pride of �2.50 when available. Service is very slow when busy, as previously noted, this is often caused by the ineptitude of the bar staff rather than lack of actual numbers.
Riverside location is pleasant, food however I would avoid here as it is well overpriced - a mate of mine had "large" fish and chips, which consisted of one and a half pieces of battered cod and 14 chips! (All for �10.95 - hardly value for money)
9 Aug 2009 11:55
The Sir John Oldcastle, Farringdon
Regular "after work" haunt - no good on Fridays though because of ridiculous overcrowding given its proximity to Farringdon station. Service can be very slow, but normally friendly, and reasonable quality cheap beers - where else could you get a pint of bitter for under �2.00?
Food is the usual Wetherspoons pre-packaged microwave stuff, the curries in particular are spectacularly tasteless, but again you get what you pay for!
9 Aug 2009 11:50
The beer is excellent, service was freindly and the pool table at �1 a game a welcome extra - I would recommend the place, although I visited on a very quiet weekday afternoon - and I could believe that there could be a bit of chav-infestation late evenings, but have seen no evidence of it!
9 Aug 2009 11:41
I had walked over Ditchling Beacon with a mate before getting here, only just made it before afternoon closing, the staff kindly let us stay for a couple of pints in the garden, which was a freindly and much appreciated gesture. Our visit was short though, so cannot comment on food, ambience etc - can only say excellent bartender and a very good pint of Harveys Sussex.
9 Aug 2009 11:30
I've visited this pub on three occasions now after days out walking by the canal, and whilst the location is lovely and the beer is OK, the food on all three occasions was not. I was with my girlfreind on each occasion, and there was always something wrong, ranging from overcooked and dry chicken, and boiled potatoes that appeared to have been boiled dry as they were black on the outside, to (worst of all) a piece of steak that was sufficiently gone off that it smelt of cow dung when you bit into it. For this, I asked for and was given a refund, but this was prcessed incorrectly as well, leaving me out of pocket for a pepper sauce; hardly the end of the world of course, but all the more annoying when you're going away hungry anyway. As previous posts note, the staff are more interested in their mates at the bar than their customers, hence the slapdash attitude - this perhaps applies to the kitchen staff too (it would be unjust to name somebody who cannot cook, or even tell an off piece of meat a "chef"!)
I've complained to Mitchells and Butlers (Ember Inns owning group) about this, since despite not wanting to on the first 2 occasions in case it was a "bad day" or whatever, 3 bad meals is consistent substandard service), and predictably enough I have recieved no response except for a confirmation email saying that they will be in touch within 7 days (nearly a month ago now) - I find it worrying, as badly cooked potatoes etc are just bad service, and won't hurt anyone, but off meat is getting into the territory of poisening people, and M&B don't even seem to be concerned about it.
So in short, not to be recommended - there is a much better place about half a mile north along the canal if you don't mind the walk, which whilst being more expensive, has better beer, freindlier staff and actually serves up food cooked by somebody in possession of some culinary knowledge!
9 Aug 2009 11:18
The Sidings, Castletown
Really good - excellent Manx beer from Okell's, and really good value and tasty fish and chips - to be recommended..
17 Sep 2012 19:32