please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
This pub is open again please update
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Attended for a function, warm welcome but unfortunately no beer due to a recent adjacent pub closeure.
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Reopened and recently had bombardier in there, average not quite undrinkable, better off going in the Ship up the road
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The Bird has now closed. One must wonder what the future holds; it was steadily going down hill.
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Although it has been on my reviewing radar for some time now, until a recent weekday visit, The Bird In Hand had failed to be graced with my presence. A rather anonymous frontage leads into a large open-planned and rather bland interior, with a pool table in one corner and a jukebox being amongst the few objects to catch my eye. Seating is limited and this only adds to the feeling of emptiness. Being the sole patron didn�t help either. A sense of lack of imagination is prominent. A standard selection of keg beers are available at the bar, supplemented by two hands pumps: Courage Best and Bombardier � though both were sadly unavailable. I opted for the Guinness, which I felt to be a little pricey at �3.00 a pint. The chap serving was friendly enough however and the resident dog (Sid, I believe) was most intrigued by my shoe. There is a garden area out the back, though with the current state of the weather, will have to be left for someone else to investigate and report on. To conclude: here is an okay enough local, though is far too lacking to warrant a return visit from this reviewer.
HTM69 - 10 Dec 2008 16:57 |
Forget what i said i went to this pub yesterday and Put it this way stay away from it
Toxic - 18 Apr 2008 10:50 |
OK im looking at buying this pub and if there are any pikeys they will be gone this pub will restored back to its days where you could go to with your family have a meal & go out in the back garden and let them go wild on the bouncy castle & climbing frames i was a local at this pub years ago and what a great pub it was
Toxic - 17 Apr 2008 13:11 |
The pub has indeed now been raised from the dead and a few slight improvements were instantly noticeable. For a start, there are now 2 Real Ales � Green King IPA & Speckled Hen (and in good nick as well). The interior is pretty much as it was but the tacky flags are no longer present, the juke box at a more sensible volume and the half dozen punters were not as intimidating as on my previous visit albeit I called at an off peak time. Pool and darts are still present and conveniently placed away from the main body of the pub. The huge beer garden is a big plus for the summer months. Not exactly a place to go out the way for and the guy behind the bar wasn�t exactly brimming with personality but credit must go for the improvements and getting the place on the map again.
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This pub will be open on the 13th Feb under new management. Opening party on the 15th - all welcome!
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The review below was written a few months ago but for reasons unknown I forgot to actually post it on the site. It hardly matters now as the pub is closed, boarded up and seemingly has little future. I just hope the cat has now found a happier and more peaceful home.
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Dating from 1869, the B.I.H. is these days a rather uninteresting, uninspiring and characterless pub on the main road between Dartford and Crayford and a total contrast to the welcoming Ship a few yards up the road. The quite spacious, almost open plan interior is extremely bland and has been refurbished without any real passion, thought or originality. Despite its size, the low ceiling makes the place feel quite claustrophobic without having any sense of intimacy - the swathes of built in seats around the edge would be far more welcoming with a few division screens. The England flags plastered on the ceiling give the pub a pikey feel and it must be said that the customers present when we were there were not exactly brimming with brain cells. The beer selection was rather standard and no Real Ales. The glowing juke box was turned up to 11 to satisfy the half dozen locals if not the neighbours. The only positives I can give are the friendly bar maid (I get the impression she hadn�t been there long), the adorable cat and the extensive beer garden. The Bird in Hand appears to be aimed at the pool and lager brigades and there is little here that would tempt me back.
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Nice beer garden out the back and the beer is good enough. Hold the occasional disco but don't chat up any girls as they are likely to be going out with the less-than-friendly locals. Used to do a fantastic pint-with-lunch which was a bargain, and the grub is good too.
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Good local trade and large screen for sport.
Not a place for the elderly to go for a quiet drink but still a good place for a pint
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