please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Handy to have a lot of outdoor seating at the back if weather ok, but not for a session given the stone steps to go down to get there, a handrail is no good if you are carrying more than one drink! 4 ‘can’t go wrong’ Jennings going up in strength and in 10p increases from Bitter £3.30 to Sneck Lifter £3.60 with Cumberland and Cockerhoop being the others.
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4th pub of a Sunday afternoon in Keswick and its a visit to this Jennings pub in the middle of the High Street.
Internally it's dark & tired looking but is saved by the huge outside seating area to the rear.
The ale choice is all from Jennings as expected, these were Sneck Lifter, Best, Cockerhoop & Cumberland. The Cumberland I had was decent.
Friendly barman, a few punters inside but overall this is an alright pub that I don't think would be popular without the outside area as it's just plain dull inside.
A note about the food, it was reasonably priced and the portions looked huge.
5/10 for me.
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nice pub decent beer and good food can get busy at times have visited on two occasions now and had a good pint of jennings cocker hoop on both visits
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A really excellent pub- we went for lunch and were treated to good and inexpensive food with a Cumbrian twist (ie Cumberland sausage etc) and Jennings beers served in really good condition- the Snecklifter was so good I'm expecting to see this pub in the Good Beer Guide for 2013. Very pleasant outside eating/drinking area.
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having read some reports we were a bit apprehensive about this place. No problem- friendly staff and the beer was good (all Jennings) and not expensive (we live in the South and are used to paying a lot more). We didn't eat, bit the food look good and good value and was certainly popular
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This pub is good apart from my earlier comments, you are correct its my choice, the beer does'nt go flat it just appears so, try half with and half without the sparkler - preferably blindfolded, most who have tried this end up prefering the latter and have been surprised, would the landlord insist on giving Black Coffee to someone who requested White. There are pubs who will happily serve short measure to gain revenue - speak to trading standards, there is one national chain who are often guilty of this and I am surprised how few complain, perhaps it's the British attitude. As you may guess I was originally from Surrey and often get ribbed by my northern friends about this issue, but I dont give them grief when they take a sparkler down south in their pocket - yes I know a few who do, it's their choice. Let me know whether you have tried my experiment, let the beer rest on your tongue - it should tingle without the sparkler.
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Great pub, cheap and cheerful. Food is okay - might not be the poshest around but its good value and does the job. Beer is well kept and includes the excellent Jennings range. To the guy with the sparkler issue - as you say, its your choice if you wish to buy flat beer, but to suggest they are just serving beer with a head to get more pints from a barrel is crazy - flat beer is wrong, it should have a head and most (if not all) northern drinkers will agree with this.
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The landlord here needs a lesson in public relations - 1. when a customer requests beer served without the sparkler it is HIS choice, this guy has never heard the term " The customer is always right " 2. a lesson in hydro-physics, the sparkler actually makes the beer flat, not the other way round. I suspect the motive is getting 80 pints out of a 72 pint cask - trading standards please note.
I wonder what the Marston Beer Companies guidelines on this old chestnut are, Camra states that southern beer should always be served without the sparkler,and northern beer if requested without. many of Marstons products are southern brewed and therefore will be ruined by this insidious device. I wonder whether he drinks real ale - I suspect he is a Lager Boy.
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Remember it being busy, but friendly - quirky interior if I recall - the 1 Cumberland Ale I had was good.
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Again another rip off pub,overcharging for ale. I noticed that a bottle of cider was �3.85 which is very "Dick Turpin like"
Anyway the pint of Cumberland ale i had was ok,but overpriced at �3.10. My friend ordered Cumberland sausage in a giant Yorkshire pudding with veg,etc. Erm trading standards should have told them not to use that name,the sausage tasted like a Richmond pork sausage,nothing like the real McCoy. A fake,so look out when ordering.
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Pub is good for meals with plenty of specials. The downside is the price of a pint which at �2.90 for a pint of coke is bad and more for beer. It is however a decent pub with nice staff who are willing to help.
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Popped into this place this afternoon for a quick lunch and a drink. Good tip is too avoid the menus and go for the specials board as those seem to be three or four quid cheaper. Two haddock and chips and peas for under �8 is value in my book. Two pints of Cockerhoop beautifully kept and served was the perfect drink.
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Stopped off here on a red hot day last week in June, and feeling dehydrated decided to have a pint of lemonade before a few beers.
Well, I cannot comment on the beer because the lemonade left a very sour taste in my mouth. �2.90 for a pint of (draught) lemonade (much of which was ice !!) which came in more expensive than a pint of beer. After voicing my disgust at the price, I tried one of the many other pubs Keswick has to offer.
All very well advertising meals at lower prices than competitors, but stinging people on beverages is a devious tactic. I won't be back, but then again it's the first hostelry most tourists come across on leaving the massive public car park to the rear, so I doubt they'll be mourning the loss of my trade. All I can do is urge others to try elsewhere too.
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Hi
Had a great meal here after a long journey from the midlands, it's much better value than the chip shop and the staff are very friendly certainly would reccomend the place,also went there a few years back and had a good meal then fresh trout with chips delicious.
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Was here during the week for a pub lunch and pint while camping locally. The beer garden is along a path out the back of the pub, which leads to the pay and display ac park. Access from the beer garden is up very steep and narrow steps, not great for children or older people.
The food was very basic, frozen, reheated and nothing to write home about I'm afraid and I can't even say much about my pint of lager as it was nothing to write home about either.
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Long, narrow traditional pub with horse racing memorabilia adorning the walls - I think the landlord is a racehorse owner. Jennings real ales in good condition. This place offers the best value for money food of all the Keswick pubs & despite some of the other reviews I have never had a bad meal in here. The smoked Borrowdale trout is superb.
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Used to work here a long time agoi but it makes it money the same way - being right by the entrance to the main car park it gets hordes of people in summer -all attracted by the 50 odd dishes on the menu for a couple of quid. You do not have to be Gordon Ramsey to work out this is not going to be haute cuisine, its all pre-chpopped veg, mass produced micrwave fayre which will fill a hole. Do not expect much more. Beer is Ok. Not worth a visit if you are after anything special unfortunately but ewhat do they care - there are another 1,000 punters walking right past it the next day, and the next....
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no a bad pub but i think its very exspecive..
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Very long and narrow pub - first time I've seen a table with a sign taped on one side requesting that nobody sits there. Big beer patio out the back (it's not a beer garden as there's not a trace of grass). Beer was rather nice - I'd recommend the Sneck Lifter.
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Must admit that I have been disappointed by food here on the 2 occasions I have tried it. Drink was fine though.
clg79 - 22 Apr 2006 18:31 |
Another great pub. How lucky is Keswick? The food never disappoints and the Jennings ales are always top drawer. Despite getting chaotic during the holidays, the staff are without fail excellent.
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excellent food, excellent beer - SneckLifter is the best!!
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Better smoked trout I have ever eaten. It was swimming the day before!!!!
B Goodale - 10 Sep 2004 03:12 |
