Westbourne Hotel, Swanseaback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The beer wall and the table pumps are off because Swansea Council are dragging their feet terribly on granting a licence for them. Its a pity because its a nice, innovative idea which I imagine has cost them a LOT of money. It could work really well if implemented properly, and I think the implementation will be the key in the months after they finally get the licence.
Otherwise, the pub has improved massively in recent years. Whacking up the prices has cleared out the local scummers and the clientele is really quite nice these days. There's a very good choice of ales (and other beers/ciders) all kept well.
The only problem I and others I know have with the Westbourne is the music. The landlord, Mark, whacks the volume up the busier it gets as he says it 'adds atmosphere'. Maybe that's true in a party pub for twentysomethings but in a mostly mature people's pub like this, it just grates on people. The music is fine, its just FAR TOO LOUD far too often.
Good pub overall. Would be an 8, but the horrible music thing unfortunately drops it down to a 7.
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2 minutes walk from The Brunswick down Duke Street and I'm at The Westbourne, which is a very clever, trendy, foody, family, welcoming pub!
I really didn't expect any pubs today in Swansea to be like this one. The first thing that strikes you as you enter is the food on offer, nearly everyone was eating. Then I notice that a few tables have pumps on them and then on the far wall are 6 pumps where you can insert a tab card and pour a pint. Great idea but it was not being used much on my visit.
6 pumps on the bar offering a decent range. I opted for a pint of Kite Brewery - Cwrw Gorslas - 4.0%.
A good pint, a lovely pub, great forward thinking, the food smelt and looked good, quick service.....all adds up to a cracking pub.
I hope the self service catches on and infiltrates London.
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They pride themsleves on their independence then make the place as much like a bog standard chain pub as they can. Another bland average affair with a food emphasis. Ale was once again okay but nothing special.
anonymous - 25 Sep 2013 22:10 |
I echo the previous review. We were a little disappointed by this pub. Beers were fairly bog standard - Abbot, Pride & Gem. The interior was bright and airy. It was busy and many were enjoying food. Ok, but not worth a special journey out of the city centre.
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For some reason, this is in the Good Beer Guide, but heaven knows why. We trailed all the way to it from the town centre, only to find it was packed, and all the beers were off except something I can't recall which was dull and national (Doombar, Greene King IPA, Pride or something like that). We made our excuses and left.
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Drove past here this Morning about 11:45am ish, and noticed a large queue of people waiting for the Pub to open, which has to be a good sign nowdays. Obviously the owners of this Pub are doing a lot of the right things to attract customers waiting for it to open on a cold and chilly Sunday Morning. Well Done indeed........
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A good place to get a decent pint whilst deciding on which of the many curry houses on St Helens rooad to dine in.
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A really nice pub and very neat and tidy. Got a few guest ales going on, along with other beers such as Peroni, Staropramen and the more common ones to be found.
The location is easy to get to, though a bit more difficult to park a car if you don't know the area (or how to get on the other side of the bollards).
There is also food done at the pub, but I haven't eaten there yet!
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Well, having not been in here since my previous comment, we decided to call in here recently, and have a meal at lunchtime. There were 6 of us, and in all fairness, the service was superb, the food arrived quickly for our party, and was very nice indeed. We over heard a couple of regular diners behind us mentioning that there is a new Chef there nowdays, and the standard of food has improved drastically. Good news all round then..........
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Called in here today about 2:15pm ( Monday ) on the way home, and was amazed to see how quiet it was, just the two of us in there in fact, perhaps they have over priced themselves out of the market. Just under �6 for 2 pints of lager......No wonder it was dead in there !!!!.......
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Very interesting to see they have a MASSIVE advert in the local press recently, saying a big " Thank You " to all their old / new customers ( who all now drink elsewhere ) from Chris, Alan and Mark.....most people were told it was the Sons business ( Mark ) who obviously hasn't got a clue how to run this Pub, and is offending customers left right and centre. So now I know who the names are in the comment below, and WHY it was so relevant.........
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Yes, I totally agree with the comment below, although I don't know the names of the people mentioned in it. I ( and a lot of others ) have stopped going here, simply because of the contempt/ attitude shown towards us as customers......
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Come on Christine, Alan and Mark, you've got a fantastic pub there - don't let it go down the tubes because of your complacency about the clientele you've got. You may still be raking it in, but a lot of your customers aren't happy.
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Well,since my previous comment,I think the Landlord / Staff have taken their feet off the pedal, we have eaten here on 2 occasions lately, and the food has been very bland and quite poor really, and looking around on other times, when we have called in for a Drink here, there were certainly a lot of other unhappy customers, as plenty of plates had a lot of food left on them. Its still a nice place to have a Drink though, but the food seems to have become a bit " Hit or Miss ".....Shame really......
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Another completely refurbished Pub in the area, and it is very well done indeed, with a nice clientelle visiting the Pub all through the Daytime, can get very busy at Night times though, and was VERY busy when we called in on a Sunday lunchtime recently. Good Luck to the owners, they seem to have done a very good job with this Pub, as it was a real pokey hole before,and was totally uninviting......
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Completely refurbished now, and looks smart as. The intital love with this pub will last while the weather is warm for sitting outside, and i imagine it will become quieter as time passes. Still, nice pub to go on occasion.
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Could be an excellent little pub but lacks atmosphere.
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The westbourne is completely lacking in atmosphere and the landlord has little to no interest in the pub.
Consequently the standards have dropped dramatically, this includes the food that was overcooked (or possibly over microwaved!!!) and the plates were cold.
When complaints about the pub itself being cold where offered the response was to wear more clothing or don't come here.
Will be glad when they get a new landlord
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I used to work in this pub and it is a friendly and welcoming pub. The staff are lovely and there is a brilliant menu that contains lush food. The sevice in the pub is always served with a smile. Hope people get to read this and take interest in it. Cheers...
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