please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Fantastic pub. If you are visiting sawbridgeworth this is the pub to visit. Fantastic range of beers, great bar staff, pool darts, sports tv, juke box...possibly a perfect pub
prose - 14 May 2012 20:06 |
Pub of the weekend,came down from Droylden to watch football at Bishops Stortford(lost 5-0),The Gate made up for the loss,Dragons Blood was the beer of the weekend and a look round the brewhouse by mine host Gary,impressed with the number of pump clips that adorn the walls,also received 2 samplers of the Sawbridgeworth Brewerys ales that were on tap that day.Altogether it was an excellent night with friends and girlfriends and a true warm welcome from a very genial host,many thanks Gary and family.VERY RECOMMENDABLE,DONT MISS THIS GEM.REAL ALE PARADISE.
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Went to the Bishop Stortford beer fest and was staying at the Jolly brewers and got talking to a bus driver in that pub who recommended this place saying it was involved with the S.P.B.W and had its own microbrewery. So hopped on the bus and made the trip down. It was well worth the visit a friendly landlord and his son who shown us both around the microbrewery and let us try a new brew which was just about ready to sample. Will pop in this place again if im ever down this way.
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A mans pub in nearly every sense. Loads of quality real ale, darts, pool and football... not sure you'd want to take the girlfriend there, but a brilliant night out for blokes...
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Sorry guys, but this place is a dive. The stench of stale urine was so overpowering we had to leave before we could order a beer. Unbelievable that people actually order food in there.
Had we placed an order, the Rebellion IPA could have been a good option.
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Good range of ales, changing frequently.
Excellent for TV sport - at least three screens with different channels.
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Excellent range of beers, always worth a visit to see what guest beers are on. This is the ideal place to spend an evening if you like decent beer and a good friendly atmosphere. The august beer festival is a must!
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Having driven past on many, many occasions today I decided to pop in and have a look. Nothing bright and brassy, but a real old fashioned ( in the nicest possible sense ) pub. I was originally going to use the word boozer, but that perhaps has connotations of being full of drunks. Original looking building, many ( I forgot to count ) real ales on tap, darts, pool table and that almost indefinable thing called ambience. I know it doesn't exactly stand out visually as you crawl past in prevailing traffic, but if you need a break, give it a try. I certainly will be back.
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I love The Gate. Had a few lovely meals in there that aren't over priced! I'm more into scrumpy but their Ruby Cider is lovely!
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Paid a first visit here on Good Friday and was delighted by the ambience. This is a real unspoiled community local serving good ale and food to match and the spirit of the place is tangible aided not a little by the affable proprietors Tom and Gary, who also brew Sawbridgeworth beers out back. A fine example of their wares in the shape of a very fine porter was available on the bar. I have never encountered such an enormous collection of pumpclips anywhere else and they cover every inch of space. The experience was enhanced by the holding of one of their beerfestivals under canvas. A return visit is clearly necessary.
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I was interested to note on this visit, the pub somewhat quieter than normal and although this was noticable, it was still the usual pleasure, the three ales I tried were clear, clean and refreshing. A friendly crown throughout and I admit I normally avoid the heavily dominated sport end of the bar in favour of the relative comforts of the lower end. I did not have food this visit but have in the past and it reflects pub grub and is worth the money effectively. My only real criticism... decor. 20 odd years of visits and it remains almost exactly the same apart from the ever growing and amazing collection of pump clips - Keep them going up guys!
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Perhaps the BEST pub in Sawbo. Never had a indifferent pint, and Toms micro brews are the highlight of each visit.
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Not all pumps are visible in the front bar but the beers are written on chalk boards above and the choice is good: Youngs Special, Rebellion IPA, Masterbrew, Nobby�s Wild West (Kettering), Woodforde Wherry, Harveys Best. The bar has a local buzzy feel throughout, some punters were eating in the front bar (to the right of which is a small snug), this curves to the left and a larger mid room with dartboard and large screen tv, beyond this a pool table and another dartboard in separate rear room. Plenty of old pumpclips around walls and ceiling indicate this to be a proper beer pub. Re-reading reviews below I�m a little disappointed I didn�t spot their own brew(s), but good Wild West & Wherry.
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An all round good pub. Very popular with locals and there are plenty of regulars here. Always get a warm welcome. Varied range of real ales - usually in good condition. A bit on the old fashioned side in respects of decor etc but thats part of its charm. If you like Leffe belgium beer they have both the dark and blonde on tap and its the cheapest Leffe available anywhere.
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Had a lot of beers available my visit, but I also found that a couple of them were well past their best - think the quality control needs to be a bit tighter here!
Was busy though, I'll give it that and good to see them brewing their juice.
Room for improvement, however.
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Visited here on Saturday 7th (whilst supporting a band further down the road!). A bit quiet as apparently 'the supporters of the pub darts team were all at an away match', but a good selection of real ales on, and after some helpful advice the one I tried went down a treat. Will definitely return.
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Dear anonymous
what tripe, a pub that always has ecellent beers, occasional younger people. You either hit it on the wrong day or there is something wrong with your taste buds
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We moved to Sawbo about 18 monthes ago & have been searching for a pub in the town that ticks all the boxes. WE THINK WE'VE FOUND IT!. The pub is on the small side but the welcome is BIG. Great selection of beers, speciallity home brew cider and great value food make this a very decent drinking hole. Special mention for the staff who all display a real affection for delivery of quality products with passion and pride. The Sunday roast is as good as any I've had outside of my familys various kitchens. All in all a real gem of a pub.
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Potentially a great combination of a family run free house together with its own micro-brewery out back. Sadly the day we visited the guest ales were all past their prime and their own brew 'Is It Yourself?' (4.2%) was decidedly lacklustre to put it mildly. I'm afraid, on the basis of this trip, I won't be breaking my neck to pay a return visit. Shame really cause the pub could easily rate as an 8 or 9 if they got their act together. Despite this it seems extremely popular with local lager driking footie fans (is that a recommendation?).
However, The Queens Head at nearby Allen's Green was excellent - see seperate write up.
anonymous - 26 May 2007 12:32 |
i live 100 miles from here and love this pub the most of all.friendly family run pub,great very cheap food,great beer with lots of choice...a beer drinkers heaven..the only negative comment i could make is the car park is smallish for such a popular pub...visit it soon
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The Gate is one of the best pubs in the country. It is probably my favourite pub and well worth the trip from London especially when there is a beer festival on. The beers from the Sawbrigeworth Brewery are always worth a try and all the beers in the pub are kept extremely well. Good real ales, good food friendly staff. It can get a bit busy at times
anonymous - 9 May 2005 20:26 |
Friendly Real Ale pub with at least 6 constantly changing real ales including real cider and beer from The Sawbridgeworth brewery at the rear of the pub.Good selection of Belgian beers.Very darts and football oriented pub. Reasonable prices, food at lunch time. Probably the best pub in the world!
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Not a good place to go if you're not into beers, especially on a weekend in the evening. The place is quite small and this makes it difficult to get to the bar. There is also no garden, just benches by the busy main road through Sawbridgeworth.
Charlotte - 2 Sep 2004 16:19 |
David mentioned the beer festival in Aug, to expand a little... the 'big one' is in Aug, last year there must have been ~80 beers on offer (with ciders real lagers too), food and entertainment round it off. A must if you're near the area. This year the Gate has had mini festivals every other bank holiday date too.
terry - 21 Jun 2004 12:47 |
This is quite a small pub, with a lounge at the front and a seperate public bar and games area to the rear. There are some benches outside at the front on the busy London Road and a couple more to the rear in the car park. Specialises in beers from regional and micro-breweries and is also the home of the Sawbridgeworth Brewery, although the latter does not seem to brew regularly. The best bet if you are in Sawbo and fancy a pint.
Stephen Harris - 31 May 2004 07:44 |
good pub quiz too
jo - 4 Dec 2003 17:35 |
great range of beer
that changes almost daily,plus a beer festival in augaust
david |
