please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Absolutely outstanding. The landlord, once of Clerkenwell’s estimable The Gunmakers, has breathed new life into a pub that sounds like it was good to start with. Beers were superb, including the unlikely, but very tasty Tzatziki Berliner Weisse from Orbit, the lighting and décor are pitch perfect and the local cheese plates on offer are terrific. This is really quite something and close to being perfect – I guess the only quibble might be that it represents gentrification writ large – but Rye has always been well heeled and if it’s this good, I'm happy to join for the ride.
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Good pub at the foot of the historic Ypres Tower with an open fire and friendly atmosphere. A decent range of local ales on, good quality and sensible prices. The food was straightforward and good, but it is nice to report that this is a pub not a restaurant. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.
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A lovely quirky pub adjacent to the Gun Garden with tremendous views. We had Harveys and a newie local to me, Pig&Porter's Ashburnham Pale Ale. Great to see support for local micros.
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Lovely pub with good food. Recently had new ownership so the Casque Mark I was looking to bag is under review. I will be happy to drive the 50 miles again to another Adnams Broadside when they are re-instated.
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A friendly and well-appointed pub, with a garden with excellent views of the Ypres Tower and also the surrounding countryside. Larkins Best was excellent, and the weather helped. Another pub not to miss if you are touring Rye.
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Tempted in by an amazing latin-jazzy trio, (Tener Duende) I don't normally like music in small pubs but this lot were excellent. Lovely building, great location. Beer ok but I was driving so didn't have much.
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Very good food. Good food but manages not to stray into indentikit-gastro-land. The layout helps perhaps or the work of some unseen genius has held back on the Farrow & Ball paint. That said, I came in here because it was lunchtime and I was hungry rather than for a casual pint or two, so I can't honestly say how it works as a pub, other than to add to the praise of the local beers which were very nice indeed. Good service and a convivial if sometimes frantically busy atmosphere. Shall return at a less civilised time of day.
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Good pleasant place. Judging from some far back reviews, may have changed hands recently for the better!
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Possibly the BEST pub food I've ever eaten, the cheese board is heart stopping and the sort of chips I haven't had since we threw away the chip pan in 1999. A beautiful setting and Timothy Taylor Landlord. What more could you ask for!
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I love this place. A proper drinker's pub but good food too, and a great location, out of the throng of Rye shoppers / browsers. On this lunchtime visit I had a beautiful pint of Larkins Best and a proper Steak and Kidney Pud. A slight kitchen cockup caused a delay to the wife's dessert - but the landlord stood me a drink while we waited, so I'm not complaining. Only downside is that like pretty much everywhere in Rye it ain't exactly cheap.
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Terrific location (is this the only pub garden in Rye?) and pleasingly unspoilt inside. Cosy and unpretentious.
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Visited 23rd September 2011
Lovely location in the shadow of Ypres Tower and the walk up the cobbled streets was most pleasant. It was a lovely hot day so we sat in the garden, had lagers Becks and Kronenerg which were very nice. Barman was friendly and we have no complaints at all about this place. 7/10
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Popped in for a quick pint of Harveys and very nice it was too.
Most tables set out for food, quite a few people eating.
Nice decor, main bar with small room on side.
Landlord not grumpy tonight although definitely a
touch of Basil Fawlty about him.
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Haven't been in this pub for years and decided on a visit with a bunch of guys on a weekend away. Always enjoyed a climb up the cobbled streets to visit it. Lovely location near the church and the tower/castle.
We had a very nice fish lunch and enjoyed a few pints of Landlord, which was in very good condition.
Shame the actual landlord wasn't in such fine condition. Quite a miserable ***. (See also previous reviews). I hadn't done my homework and looked at the reviews myself before our visit. But it didn't put us off our lunchtime session, although I can well understand how some people would be detered a 2nd visit. The barmaid was fortunately pleasant.
Would I go again? Yes, with the hope of new management.
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Visited this pub a couple of times while staying the weekend in Rye. Sat in the garden the first time and really enjoyed our food, (a ploughmans with the pork pie and the crab special). went back for a sit down on the sunday and sat inside (we did buy drinks!) and was strangely entertained listening to the landlord and the barmaid arguing. the he was arguing with a customer paying his bill (which was over a hundred quid so a decent customer in most places). And then when we were eating in an italian (some hours later) we were greeted as old friends by the same chap. I got the impression that he doesn't actually love being in the pub actually doing the work (which was also the barmaids view....) lovely spot for a pub, take your pick, garden views or watch the staff inside. I would go back.
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At first I thought the Landlord was having a laugh but then realised he was just being offish because we were deliberating over the real ale on offer, it wasn't as if anyone else was waiting. Decided to go outside because it was nice weather, garden area was busy and pleasant. Then it came to the beer, mine was rank (Harvey's) my sons was just about OK (Timothy Taylor Landlord) and my wife's was served in a dirty glass, well it may have been sterilised but it still had lipstick on the rim. Landlord's attitude put us off complaining, suffered in silence and decided to leave this feedback instead.
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Visited during the Scallop Festival this last weekend, were found a last minute table on Saturday night to enjoy a great meal and excellent Timothy Taylors Landlord.
On that point the landlord seemed a tad off at first BUT warmed on our second visit Sunday lunch. Managed to grab the two armchairs in front of the log fire and stayed for four pints. Bliss.
The landlord couldn't accommodate us for Sunday lunch but had recommended a great little Italian place nearby. Couldn't ask much more from a so called grumpy bloke.
I'd recommend this pub as the beers were good.
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Great pub, great banter, great atmosphere. Avoid if a stuck-up, middle-class CAMRA wotsit, you won't like the common-folk.
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A really cosy pub on a wet cold afternoon with open fire and beer in good order. Have to say this is mainly an eating pub and the landlord seemed to be disapointed when told we had just come for a beer.
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Only thing going for this pub is the outside space. Turned up here on bank holiday Monday early evening with a group of walkers - all wanting to spend money on drinks. Made to feel as if we were an imposition on the staff (landlord said in front of us 'they'll all want to pay separately' in an annoyed tone). Then we were told the pub was closing at 7 so we had to leave. Went to the excellent Queen's Head which is clearly the best pub in town.
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We ate there last Friday,the pub food was good,with fresh fish and reasonably priced. It would be a great pity that the good cooking and friendly service from the staff was spoilt by the landlord who was not there when we visited. We will go back because we are the sort of men that will not tolerate pricks and we are keen to meet "mine host"!
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Have to say that despite the previous reviews we still gave this place a go. The women serving were fine and more than friendly. The Harveys was very nice and the grub, although standard fayre was perfectly acceptable.
No sign of the grumpy bloke ?
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How on earth does this pub survive with "Basil Fawlty" at the helm? The man is rude, ignorant & arrogant in equal amounts and to be frank even his gloated beer quality was not remotely in the same league as his personal opinion of it and by far the dearest beer I drank in the area in a week at �3.20 a pint.
I visited with an open mind but came away knowing all those poor BITE reviewers before me were yet again spot on with their views, which is sad for what is essentially a really nice pub apart from the numpty running it. Whilst there I personally viewed a most unpleasant and rude exchange from the landlord with a lady customer that even I found hard to digest. She had bought a round of drinks and immediately noticed that landlord Fawlty had short changed her by �1, she politely asked him if this was correct and his response was "Oh, so you want all your change do you?" ..... and then something along the lines of "Another customer who'd take the shirt off your back if they could!". He was playing to the gallery's of locals around the bar for cheap laughs but trying to make this lady look a fool - what a MORON!
Whilst this pub is no longer in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide I will still be penning a letter to the local branch chairman ensuring they are fully aware of the latest dealings here which they no doubt probably already are in fairness.
All I can say to anybody in the Rye area on a visit is AVOID, AVOID, AVOID !!! Far better pubs within a 2 minute walk such as the excellent Ship on the Quay or the Standard on The Mint where you will find better prices, better beer quality and a warm welcome.
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Can only confirm and amplify what has been said about this pub. I took a party of 20 potentially high-spending Londoners who had been on a walk into this (largely empty) pub last Saturday evening; but for whatever reason the landlord decided we not his desired clientele and so were not welcome in the pub, but were "allowed" to use the garden.
It's the second time in a similar situation that I have had to deal with this man's Fawltyesque combination of rudeness coupled with a misplaced sense of his establishment's worth, and there shan't be a third. The tragedy of Rye is that he probably makes enough from one-visit daytrippers to keep the place going. For everyone else, one word: avoid.
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My boyfriend and I went to Rye last weekend for the Scallop Festival and spent the first part of the day checking out what restaurant to eat in. We ended up in Ypres Castle just like last year. The food was outstanding! We both had starters and main courses from the Scallop Menu with a bottle of the locally sourced and recommended Ortega. The seafood pasta was to die for!
If you want to have fantastic food or simply have a drink or two in a lovely pub in Rye, this is definitely the place to visit!
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I have to admit that having read the reviews of this place on BITE, I entered the pub with some trepidation. The pub itself is in a fantastic position, halfway up a stepped alleyway and just below the citadel that gives it it's name. The interior is low-ceilinged and cosy and the area in front of the fireplace is very welcoming.
There are three pumps, serving Fullers Pride and ESB and the ubiquitous Harveys. I might have eaten here but the query from the barman who served me - 'Is Sir having a meal or just having a drink?' made up my mind for me. The pint of Harveys was just okay.
It did not take me long to identify the 'governor' mentioned in previous reviews. During my visit he marched up and down the pub making it clear he was the boss. Having finished my pint and putting on my jacket, he quickly scooped my glass up from the table. I did not feel comfortable in this pub and given the bad attitude of the 'governor' cannot recommend it. A shame as it could be a really good pub.
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Still the best Real Ale in and around Rye in my opinion.
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Despite having the best ale selection in Rye, from the reviews I�ve read of the place this pub seems to be suffering from a bad landlord. Whilst I didn�t see the chap myself, the place didn�t seem anywhere near as busy as you�d expect it to be on bonfire parade night. Which probably speaks volumes. I'll put the place back to 6/10 (until I'm personally insulted by the landlord)
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The current landlord is awful.
Miserable as a wet weekend, unless he's able to say 'no'.
Well worth avoiding.
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Dropped in here on Sunday for a spot of lunch with the family. - Okay, who wants to tell me what the Landlord's problem is? Fine if we've missed lunch - A simple 'Sorry you're too late for lunch, I'm afraid - we serve from X to Y. Can I get you a drink though?' is broadly what one would expect. Oh no, it seems that common courtesy is a little too much for this clearly mean spirited individual. Which in the current climate is fairly remarkable. FYI the exchange that took place was exactly as follows:
Me: Hello there, have you got any menus knocking about?
Him: (without looking up from pouring a pint) Lunch is finished.
So myself and my family are left standing in the middle of the bar with no option but to turn around and leave after receiving such a 'warm' welcome.
With the current rate of pub closures it's reasonable to imagine that every landlord would be wanting to maintain and certainly build upon their existing customer base. Maybe this 'advanced mode' of business thinking hasn't occurred to the management of this establishment. It sounds like a cliche (and remember folks, they're cliches because they're true) the landlord of this pub doesn't actually care about his customers. It was a desperately offputting experience and I for one will not step into this pub again. Interesting to note from the other reviews of this place that people have had similar experiences. I specifically registered on this site so that I could air this grievance; I do hope that the (and I hesitate to call him this) the landlord of this pub looks at this site and takes stock of the situation. Please, if you don't like working with the public then get another job. it's not hard....
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Went there with a friend two Saturdays ago.
The landlord has to rank amongst the most unfriendly and unpleasant characters that I have ever come accross. He patrolled his characterless space like an autistic darlek and shot sour glances at anyone with the temerity to have entered his dreadful inn.
The main bar area was bereft of tables leaving us to sit in limbo on the banquettes attached to the walls.... just plain odd. A gent walked in just after we had arrived - clocked the table famine and said ' what? Is it breakdancing night' . This was met with stoney silence from our jovial host.
When we tried to move to an area in which we could actually place our drinks on a surface we were informed that this was only available for those people who were eating.
There was nobody eating there and the room was empty.
What a shame that what was once such a cozy old school pub should be ruined by a socially inept arrogant guvnor.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
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My first impressions of this place were all good as the pub is in a great setting on a hillside at the foot of a castle with some nice views from the outside seating in the decked area and the large beer garden. The barmaid was extremely friendly and chatty and the Pride and Landlord were very good. Harvey�s Best and ESB were also available alongside Fosters, Kronenburg, Becks, Guinness and Bushells Kentish Cider. The only small gripes that I could have had were that the radio was playing instead of some background music and there was a really drunk girl in the pub, but she seemed to be friends with the barmaid and the lad with her was very apologetic and I�ve seen far worse.
Unfortunately at 18:00 it was all change at the Ypres as the barmaid and her friends left and the governor came in with an older barmaid. The governor�s first task of the day was to ask the wife and me if we were eating as we were sitting at the back of the pub which was classed as the dining area. We were going to eat so he said we wouldn�t have to move to the front of the pub, which we thought a little strange as we were the only people in the entire building. I could continue rambling on about the food so to cut a long story short both of our dishes were ok, but we felt extremely rushed to order and finish up.
There is a room with a plasma screen and some tables and chairs behind the bar and there is also a dartboard in the main bar, but I�m not sure that it is playable due to the bench along the side of the wall encroaching onto the oche. The barmaid also informed me that there is live music every Friday night from 21:00, but we left well before this so I cannot comment.
There is a lunch service from 12:00 until 15:00 which includes a reduced rate children�s menu. The dinner service starts at 18:00 and finishes at 22:00 every night except Fridays when it is 21:00 due to the live music I mentioned earlier. Very young children are not permitted to dine during the dinner service.
I felt that the governor was quite unwelcoming and ruined the relaxed atmosphere which was a real shame as we didn�t go back to this lovely pub during our stay in Rye.
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A pub bursting with character in a beautiful location. This place once warranted a score of 9/10 from me, and someone else mentions on this website that within the last couple of years it was in BITE's top 40 pubs.
It's somewhere I have visited intermittently since I was a child in the beer garden in the 1960s. I last visited this place eighteen months ago when I griped about the beer selection. It's improved - three "standard" ales and one obscure one (Willy Warmer). It's improved a tad in the last year or so, it's not a youth club (like so many pubs are these days) but... the service behind the bar is slow - painfully so.
But what hacked me off on last night's visit was the potman. I have never seen such an efficient glass collection in a pub.Tt be fair to them, you were actually allowed to raise the glass to your lips befoire he tried to take the glass away, but you had to be quick about it. Several times we had to tell him to shove off - the half pint still in the glass wasn't to be thrown away as we'd only got the beers minutes before.
It's the sort of pub that could do better if it tried. Which is my criterion for awarding 4/10. How the place has fallen over the years.
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Great beer garden, perfect for a summer pint but the food's a bit hit or miss.
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Was once one of Rye's best. Very odd new staff. Steep steps preclude all but the fittest from getting to it (from either direction). Pleasant setting.
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Went in late afternoon and had a lovely pint of Timothy Taylors Landlord - checked the menu & returned in the evening to dine and enjoyed the food and more beer :-) a great pub for me
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Good selection of beers on offer here in very pleasant surroundings. Sunday roasts were OK for the price.
Floyd - 10 Oct 2007 14:06 |
Glad to say the "wipers" has changed hands,pleasant guy now running the place which seems to be reverting to its former glory.The beer garden<the best one in rye has been given a make over as have the toilets which used to be vile>live bands every friday<slightly older crowd makes for a fantastic night out great friendly atmosphere loads of people dancing(mostly badly)but a great laugh dont miss it!
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Hi. We had lunch here today and the service was terribly slow. The whole place could do with a bloody good clean, particularly the toilets!! We think their time in The Good Pub Guide is numbered!! Our polite complaint was not responded to. What a wasted opportunity in this FAB spot. We say BUCK YOUR IDEAS UP!!
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Popped in for a quick pint this evening. I must say the welcome wasn't overly enthusiastic - luke warm at best. Perhaps I'm being unfair in remembering this place in it's heyday a few years ago. However, one of the good points of this place is that they have more hand pumps than any other pub in Rye. WIth that in mind it's a shame they have the same ales you get everywhere else.
Had I rated it on my last visit (admittedly some time ago) it would have got 9/10. Today it gets 6/10 - average.
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I am pleased to announce that as of St Georges Day - 23rd April - the pub has new Freehold owners. Menus will be changing giving much better value and the pub and the gardens will be getting a serious makeover in next few weeks without changing the general ethos of the pub.Please give us another try if you were one of the unlucky !!! previous visitors. Beers will still include Harveys, Timothy Taylors, Adnams Broadside and London Pride. We look forward to seeing you
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Why is this in the top 40 pubs? Seriously.
I once worked in this place when it was the heaving 'place to be' in town. Now look at it.
Ruined.
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Th decor could do with a change? The bar stools are uncomfortable? For God's sake - what the 'Wipers' needs is a proper pub landlord instead of some ponce who thinks it's OK to charge ridiculous prices for the food and to bar anyone who has the audacity to complain about anything. Hello Tom and goodbye!
anonymous - 17 Apr 2007 23:38 |
Little enthusiasm shown by the current owners due to one of them having a serious illness. As a result I believe they are moving on at the end of this month. I wholly agree that the menu should be cheaper and some of the decor could do with a change too � much as I like the Ypres, the stools at the bar are really uncomfortable and don't fit the character of the place.
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This place needs new owners and management. Little enthusiasm being shown by current pair of owners. Food overpriced and beer is poorly kept.
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After reading the reviews below, I wasn't expecting much but I have to say, the food was good (although a bit pricey), service was excellent and the beer was pretty good as well. In my relatively short stay in Rye this was the best pub I came across, but then, it doesn't seem to have much to beat!
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Tuesday evening about 8pm. The pub was closed.
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potentialy the best pub in town due to its location, view, beer garden, layout, music license et al but sadly its run by someone who cant be described without using expletives. was once the hub of rye nights, now somewhat off the radar. the sooner its bought and revived the better (just not a chain please).
anonymous - 18 Dec 2006 21:44 |
spent some lovely summer afternoons outside this pub watching some great live music but it's gone down hill. The transformation may look good but it's lost its old charm completely.
anonymous - 6 Dec 2006 18:03 |
What happened... seriously. Once the jewel of Rye, now... well, what can one say. Extremely expensive, and most definitely not worth the hard earned cash for what you get. The beer is kept 'ok' but not great, even the lager wasn't perfect and the young lad behind the bar when i went last needed help to pour a lager top for someone ahead of me.
The food was expensive and although not too bad really wasn't good value for money. It would appear that this place is reserved for those who enjoy paying excessively for a sub par product.
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This place has certainly changed a bit since I was last there. The present landlord is obviously more interested in the food trade than in the beer, and has transformed a traditional style boozer into an eatery. It's very nicely done out, if you like that sort of thing, but it's not my style. I don't like being conducted (or even guided) to a table as soon as I'm through the door. Having been 'settled', we then had to wait about half an hour for 4 very ordinary, and very expensive sandwiches. I didn't find the landlord offensive; it's just that he's basically in the wrong business. I got the impression that he'd really be much happier if noone came in at all, spilling beer and vinegar over his nice clean tables, and sitting down in the wrong places It all causes trouble!
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Any other publicans visiting this site could take a few tips from the landlord of this dump:
1. In the middle of the afternoon, on a busy Bank Holiday weekend in the most picturesque part of a town that exists entirely for day trippers to explore, when all the other pubs in town are open, close.
2. Ensure that the interior of your premises is invisible from outside due to reflections on the glass windows making it impossible to tell whether you are open or not.
3. Bolt your door at the top only so that anyone trying to get in is unsure whether the door is locked or just stuck.
4. Check that your 'opening hours' sign informs visitors that you should actually be open mid-afternoon on a Sunday...
5....But crucially, add a miniscule hand written note to the bottom reading 'except Bank Holidays'
6. Using a supercilious, patrician tone, loudly instruct anyone stupid enough to push your door to 'read the sign'
7. Get an offensive review on beerintheevening.com
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One of Rye's better pubs. Very cosy interior with decent view. Beer OK. Large area of pub dedicated to dinning.
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This was once a good pub, in Dick's day. Now it is run by an arrogant landlord whose only reaction to any criticism is to become angry. I was served an almost inedible piece of meat, but when I complained he became extremely abusive and demanded that I leave and never return, despite the fact that my wife was halfway through her meal. From earlier comments, it seems this is his way of dealing with criticism.
The food and beer are overpriced (�2.60 for Harvey's at my last visit, and it was not in very good condition either).
Not surprisingly, I would give this pub a wide berth.
anonymous - 14 Mar 2006 16:53 |
Did lunch today - well worth the 3 hour drive from hampshire. Beer was very well kept - Harveys - used the bar menu instead of the restaurant menu. Very affordable, very pleasant and the welcome was warm and friendly - first ones in!
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Certainly worth a visit. But food very expensive, albeit well thought through. 6/10.
Darren in the City - 9 Nov 2004 10:06 |
One of Ryes "Classier" establishments. Very popular pub often full as far as dining is concerned. Live music being one of it's biggest attractions, it's elite standing in Rye has certainly decreased in the last few months due to certain younger staff members being far from polite. Other than aforementioned a lovely pub set in idyllic scenery and with a lovely beer garden.
Alex M - 11 Oct 2004 18:35 |
Visited as part of Rye food festival.They had sold out of the special lamb by 8pm and also of Pork and goats cheese quiche. Had to wait45/55 minutes for food Steak chewy and strange taste, burnt stir fry vegs, Dover sole was ok. Were given one free drink for having along wait but called "a couple of ponces" by manager for refusing to pay for inedible steak.
unhappy diner - 27 Sep 2004 11:56 |
always a good mix of people when they have the music, shame they moved it from a sunday to a friday (ages ago) but still successful, great atmos, and from what i remember good beer, probably the best pub in rye.
anonymous - 21 Jun 2004 00:33 |
Recently changed hands, has reputation for quality but expensive menu. However when we called on a Friday evening a band was playing with a late bar. Good choice of ale
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A bit out of the way, but nice and quiet. Lovely log fire burning when we went in.
Clare - 28 Jan 2003 14:06 |
