BITE user comments - markre
Comments by markre
Well, I don't know - endless re-runs of England winning Rugby World Cup and the Ashes, ram-jammed with freshers in freshers week, enormous bar, reasonable prices, but sometimes �4 to get in! Features live bands ocassionally, doorstaff can be despicable. Pleasant enough mezzanine level if you fancy drinking outside toilets as busy as those at an open air festival, then falling 65 feet down the massive staircase to the dancefloor and bar... Friends of mine also had some things go missing (get stolen?) from the cloakroom. Does have the largest screen in Durham for Newcastle matches though (possibly because it used to be Durham's cin�ma?)
Should have stayed as Robin's and saved us all from hearing Chesney Hawkes following Men at Work every night of the week. Not to mention the mass brawls involving the police, the doormen, the dog section and the Durham Hardcore outside of here every Saturday night.
If this is the "Awesome Spirit of Oz" then you can be certain I won't be taking a 20 hour flight to experience it proper.
2 Nov 2005 23:39
Stunning pub. No fuss. No nonsense. No ponce. Great choice of beer and fine prices too. Sometimes some iffy choices on the jukebox though!
2 Nov 2005 23:31
The Swan and Three Cygnets, Durham
Another pub that I'm a bit nonplussed about...
Sometimes it's stunning; the beer is obscenely cheap (Sam Smiths), the staff are friendly, the regulars are chatty, the decor is perfect and the external seating is great and doesn't have poncy patio-heaters (which I always think add an air of crapness).
Sometimes it's awful; watch out for the work-dos on Friday nights, the terrifying staircase down to the toilets, extreme busy-ness and unexpectedly expensive spirits.
In fact, I've just convinced myself it's one of the best pubs in Durham, so ignore the bad points and settle yourself down with three pints of Sovereign.
2 Nov 2005 23:28
Disgracefully expensive (not that I'd ever drink WKD, but it's �2.95 a bottle) and 330ml bottles of Stella are 10p more than 567ml pints thereof and they still have the cheek to ask "Pint or bottle?"! The music was also absolutely shocking. I couldn't tell what they were going for... Pop? Adult contemporary? Pounding Ibiza crap? The clientelle are also a bit awful from time to time, but the pub's big enough to find somewhere else to sit. It's stupidly busy on Friday night and overly zealous doorstaff make weekends unpleasant.
On the plus side however, it's not as bad as it's low rating would suggest, the food is absolutely brilliant if you're in for a long session and it's always clean and they get the brightness just right. The decking's canny and the big screen is absolutely superb for watching Newcastle matches. The barstaff are also for the most part friendly and chatty if it's not busy.
In addition to this review, I must mention the shocking development in the lower bar - signs have been put up saying:
"IF YOU MOVE THE FURNITURE YOU WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE PUB."
Not very friendly, is that.
2 Nov 2005 23:21
The Shakespeare Tavern, Durham
I first went to the Shakespeare quite recently and I was shocked and appalled. Don't get me wrong - It's a wonderful pub, dark, grotty and fine beer... Exactly what I want. However, the attitude of the regulars at the bar was shocking, the barman was useless and made it very clear that he didn't want us students there. I resent that, as I may be a student, but I was born in Durham City and such an attitude is inexcusable. Without exaggeration it is the least friendly pub I've ever been to.
2 Nov 2005 23:12
Oh God, where to start.
This place is conceivably the worst pub I've ever been to. I absolutely HATE it. I've been to a fair few Scream pubs in my life and they're all mediocre, but this takes it to a new low. The food is abysmal, the beer is unpleasant and limited, the decor is shocking, the soafas are filthy and the toilets sometimes terrifying. There is no reason ever to come to this pub - it's too far out of Durham to be convenient or "on the way" and The Swan & Three and The Colpitts are cheaper and much closer.
And the thing that REALLY tops it off, is that The New Inn is a traditional landmark in Durham, like The Cock o' The North (God rest its soul), and I now get depressed when anyone mentions it or I see it on a bus timetable and I think of the glory days of this pub which I am sadly too young to remember...
On the plus side, the staff do their best to be cheery, but you get the impression that they hate the fact that they work in such an abominable hole and would rather be doing something else for �4.50 an hour.
2 Nov 2005 23:07
Don't really know what to make of this pub. It's one of the most historically important pub in Durham (try reading the lengthy history above the door when you're hammered), but there's an alarming proportion of pseudo-victorian crap around; think ag�d firkins and stuff... Reasonable beer, but nothing to write home about and some very worrying regulars.
2 Nov 2005 22:57
Wonderful pub, very conveniently placed too. Beer is excellent and the decor is exactly how it should be. Sometimes the regulars are shocked to see someone of my tender years, however and it can get absolutely ram-jammed on a busy night!
2 Nov 2005 22:51
Possibly the idea of my perfect pub. I love this place, the beer is reasonably priced and the staff are very friendly. The inclusion of an 'itbox' in the corner doesn't spoil the atmosphere either. The only thing I dislike is the alarming number of students who go for the kudos...
2 Nov 2005 22:46
One of the last pubs in Durham I visited and I don't know why I missed out it for so long.
Proper pub, with open coal fires and wonderfully dingy interior. Obscenely cheap beer (Sam Smith's), but no Sovereign!
2 Nov 2005 22:44
Not a bad pub really, just some of the regulars are terrifying and will do there best to let you know. The could maybe do with a bit more seating too...
2 Nov 2005 22:36
The Water House, Durham
Typical Wetherspoons: cheap, cheerful, friendly enough and reasonable food. On the downside, there are some absolutely appalling regulars (see them congregate at the tables midway down the bar) and the bar itself can get very busy. Soon to be open 9am - 2am too... God help us.
2 Nov 2005 23:44