please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
First of 2 GBG pubs to check out in Saffron Walden.
This was perfectly functional - four real ales on - I can remember seeing Woodforde Wherry but went for a Theakstons XB.
Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2lCLRJ1
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Decent pint of AdnAms, nice relaxed atmosphere
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I see my previous review (six years ago) is out of date, I concur with quercus's review. Now the Lizzie and White Horse and now the Cross Keys and the Sun Inn have closed, Friday night clientel has a rather negative vibe. I still go in various days of the week and various times, with various people (dates, business meetings, socials or quiet retreats). At peak times, it gets crowded, noisy and sometimes rowdy. There is no escape in the garden (read yard) because you will die of smoke inhalation. At other times, it is friendly and quiet and as another reviewer mentioned, a good place for a roast or a place to read a paper. The beer is good with a changeable selection of guest beers and the other drinking options are well chosen, food is still good too, even after their chef left. Jeff and Cindy are still friendly but some of their staff can scare you off, especially at those peak times, they can be positively cold!
fuzzy - 13 Jun 2012 14:25 |
Great beer and a wonderful pub when it is quieter but it can become completely solid during busy periods.
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Very relaxed pub with grown-up feel, certainly on a Sunday afternoon. Nice place to read the Sunday papers laid out. Adnams (only) �3.10 a pint which is a good 25p below Cambridge prices, but it was only average to good.
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The OEG, as it seems to be know by locals, is a small, friendly pub on a side street just off one of Saffron Walden's main drags. The interior feels a little more like a wine bar than a pub. But it is nevertheless quite comfortable. Adnams Southwold Bitter, Woodfordes Wherry, Timothy Taylor Landlord & Brains Reverend James were the 4 ales on. Aspalls was the cider. Artwork lines the walls. Rugby was being shown on the TV. Worth a try.
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Good sunday roast. Fair selection of ale. The waitresses could do with taking smiling lessons. Tad overpriced.
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I was shocked to hear how rough this gets in the evening and find it hard to believe. Having said that, I've only been here a few times for lunch - and thoroughly enjoy it. The beer is reasonable if a little pricey, and the food (short but delicious menu) is very good indeed. They serve some of the nicest fish and chips around! It isn't cheap, but the mix of locals and business types at lunchtimes attests for its popularity.
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The problem with a nice Market town like SW is the quality of pubs does not always reflect the same atmosphere and the OEG is a fine looking pub from the outside but there is a certain clientale who want a fight at the week-end.. day time its fine but night time forget it.
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I used to like going here, and did so regularly. Then, when the White Horse and the 'Lizzie' closed, the clientele at the OEG did as well. I once spent New Years eve in this pub and was amongst friends, warm and friendly bar staff and a good time was had by all (cliche but true).
And then it started to get a bit, um, nasty. The last time I went a large pissed up thug came in, grabbed a guy at the next table by the throat and started to throttle him. I haven't been back, neither have most of my friends, or various groups of business colleagues who once stopped off in the OEG for a pint. Shame.
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This pub looks nice, but once you get inside, you realise that the beer tastes genuinely awful - I don't know what they do to it - everything is over �3 a pint, and the staff are always completely sullen. It really should be a nice pub but the poor overprice product and miserable, nay irritable staff makes it definitely one to miss. Sadly the wetherspoons in town is infinitely more fun.
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A great pub run by a great landlord. Not a massive selection of real ale but always at leaset one guest ale on. Serves Leffe blonde on draught at �2 - good value (price ast time of writing this review). I go here quite regularly and always enjoy the beer and the atmosphere. Good food too
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Since the Lizzie shut there are more chavs going there. I tend to avoid it in the evening but that's through no fault of the pub.
anonymous - 12 Sep 2007 15:45 |
nicest pub in walden - without a doubt, although shame about the positioning of the back room - still good pub!
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My local, it is one of the few pubs in Saffron Walden where, at the present age of 33, I do not feel intimidated. Cindy, Jeff and Oscar the Golden Retriever are a warm relief from the hard nosed landlords of rival drinking holes. Dave, the present chef will serve you up a fantastic lunch, inlcuding Tapas, his speciality. There is the occasional quiz night and even Tapas evenings, but most of the time you can tuck yourself away, perhaps by the fire or in the garden and relax into a guest beer or in my case a JD with no ice.
fuzzy - 28 Jun 2006 14:57 |
Keep the OEG chav-free!
The problem with Saffron Walden, like any small town, is that gradually the pubs get over-run with chavs. Walden also suffers from the army barracks up the road, the soldiers of which are now all barred from pubs in Walden (bar one chav-pub that shall remain unnamed). The Victory used to be the place to go but this too is now over-run with chav-football idiots, so it is refreshing to see the OEG maintain its friendly and warm atmosphere.
Guest ales, friendly bar-staff and a fantastic tapas lunchtime menu make this one of the few decent 'olde' pubs left in Walden.
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agrre with all the above- always friendly and very much of a 'locals' pub
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Great pub, nice beers, guest ales, does food well apparently (not tried).
Very much a locals pub as evidenced by the usual suspects round the bar, but the staff are the best in Saffron Walden for serving you. Artwork displayed in right hand room, with a tiny garden off the back of this. Perfect on a summer weekday afternoon.
Only downside is it's too small for all those who want to go there, and it can get a bit smoky. Not full of lads and ladettes thankfully.
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A great pub! Usually one or two guest ales on and some interesting german bottled beers. Leffe served on tap. Excellent food and a friendly atmosphere. One of my fav pubs in the area.
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One of the last pubs in Saffron Walden that isn't home to Chav 16 year olds.
Great Staff
Beer Garden Out Back
Central
Full of nice people and locals.
Please don't come in here if you want a fight or if you are wearing a burberry cap.
We are happy in our chilled pub with no scum - so if you want a fight go to Wetherspoons and get your sexual frustration out there.
marcus - 24 Sep 2004 17:13 |
