please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
This has now reopened as The Provenance.
Very nice selection of beer - Landlord, Purity Pure Gold, Sharps Cornish Coaster, as well as a couple from local breweries By The Horns and Belleville. A few reasonable lagers, Meantime Pale Ale and the usual bottles.
Food was excellent. Really, really good. A reasonably priced too.
Hopefully the beer garden opens soon, because sitting outside looking at the High Road isn't that much fun.
Deserves to do well. It's nice that this pub finally has a landlord that really seems to want to do something great.
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Was running as "The Pop-up Prince" and then "The Prince" for a while but is now closed pending refurbishment.
Will be reopening as The Provenance, run by Antic London pubs.
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This place is a disaster. We've been in a dozen times over the last few months and there has been no food on offer, despite the fact that the sign still says "Restaurant". But we're not told they've stopped doing food, simply that "the kitchen is closed" or "the chef is on an errand". It's become a running joke between me and my wife - sometimes we pop in just to ask if the chef is around, to see what excuse they come up with.
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I'd love to say something good about this pub as this pub used to be famous for its violence and very rough crowd. Sadly since the present landlord has taken over its slowly become more tired and scruffy. It starting to look very close to what it tried so hard to move away from.
I live quite near by and I wandered over there tonight to spend an hour or two but its dishevelled state and battered furniture really put me off. They have a TV blaring sport right in the middle of the pub where everyone is subject to listening to Sky Sport 3. So there is no chance of going in for a quiet drink with friends.
The selection of drinks is ok if you like nothing but Larger or Cider but they have some ales in bottles.
Bring back the OLD GJ's when it was clean, tidy, not so noisy ALL the time.
I'm giving it 3 but only as it feels slightly safer than the other pubs in the area.
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Have been into GJs on about 5 different occasions, hoping to grab a bite to eat and a few drinks. Although they still have signs up saying they serve food, the chef never seems to be in. The atmosphere seems pretty dead too, although maybe it livens up when an event is on... still, disappointing stuff.
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i think paul25 should CHILL ... !!
yes its certainly improved since i've returned and doesnt try to be something it aint ! the extremely poncey "manor bah and grill" should take note
does need a bit of tlc at the front and i cant imagine 60 ltres of paint would set the owner back more than �200-00
but back to the bar - yes a great laid back vibe , proper pricea and well kept products
nice !!
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I've seen this place change a lot over the last couple of years and for the better. GJs is now my regular because the staff are always very friendly and there's usually something going on.
Certainly it's the warmest atmosphere in the area.
There is a good range of lager on offer and a wide range of spirits and shooters. The cellar is well kept and, hopefully, Mark will be able to offer real ales from pump as well as the current bottles and John Smith's from keg.
GJs is becoming a real alternative to other local bars and I would recommend giving it a try.
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right i have not put a comment down for a while. people who have either not useed gjs in the last 2 years or who have posted negative comments clearly do not realise what the bar is about or how hard the management/owner has worked to turn this bar around from its bad rep 2 yrs ago. THis bar is not part of a large chain, it operates independently with one owner who has not taken a penny out of the business for the last 2 years because he is trying to create a bar on the same level as the tup so that the nice people in colliers wood can have 2 places near their house to drink and socialise.I have drunk in gjs for the last 2 years and have seen the owner run the bar all day and then stay up all night painting, sure the toilets need a refurb but if you speak to the owner he is completely honest and saysthat as it him single handedly doing the work it is on his list and when time and money allows will happen. Ihave not found a bar before where i feel wanted rather than just welcome, where i am always cheered up and where the staff will bend over backwards to help. sure sometimes it looks too relaxed but that is its charm. People who are to scared to try gjs out because the front looks in need of paint or from bad reputation from yrs ago are seriously missing out . my recommendation give it a try, meet the staff, see the comedy, karaoke, whatever floats your boat and meet the owner mark as he will treat you how you should be treated in a bar.
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I like the bar staff and they are always friendly and smiley!
The place could do with a clean and the loos are simply awful.
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This pub always smells of rotten eggs near the toilet - need to sort the bogs out, put in some toilet paper. If the bar staff stopped doing shots and having a social they might notice that the place needs a good old clean!
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has got better within the last year. Interesting and fun bar staff and the new paint job is working well. the event nights they have on are good fun including the friday, saturday and sunday nights to the open mic night on monday and the odd live band. top bananas guys keep it up
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Best beer garden in the world, probably.
I havent been in a while because I always find the bar staff are more interested in chatting amongst themselves and to their friends than serving beers.
Used to get Cafferys in there, fair play.
It's good that they get comedians in there, pretty well known ones at that, but to be honest, i'd rather go to the tup.
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Not been in for a while had been getting bored of other pubs in the area, decided to check the karaoke out on thursdays between comedy nights. Had a really good night, people dancing on tables, shooters going round, it was great. It needs more of the old regulars to give it another try, things are changing in Colliers
Wood for the better and GJs has rapidly improved too. Will def return to see the staff
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had my birthday there last week, fab night and waaaaaay better than i thought it would be as they'd done a total refit of the room since we booked it in December. private bar in the back room and we got karaoke and a dj in one with Merv. a few hotties behind the bar too whihc never hurts! can't wait for the summer, long lazy days in the beer garden...gjs is finally back on form!
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growing on me - used to have a bit of a dodgy crowd but now more students and locals. awesome shooter menu and funny friendly staff (although the buda lookalike one is kind of creepy)
bit rough around the edges and in need of a refurb, which is taking its time...why start a refurb in the function room which none of the regulars use - start with the bar and buy some goddamn toilet paper!
those gripes aside, the atmosphere is good when its busier. student nights really make this place - good crowd and a good laugh (take a big group and they'll lay out the red carpet and free shots for you!!!)
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This pub has decent bar staff, a good jukebox and a good selection of booze. They is about the only good things I can say about it.
The pub is like being in a tomb, really gloomy with hardly any natural light. What's also worth noting is the function room facilites. The room at the back can be reserved, and it has it's own bar and set of bogs. Great. You would think that if you'd booked for a function - therefore a captive group of customers that are going to splash money there all night, possibly for a very special occasion - the venue would at least make sure the bogs had basics in there like toilet paper and soap, and the floor didn't look like every member of a Saga holiday group had passed through there without their colostromy bags attached.
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Heard people talking about the new owner and manager taking over GJs, decided to check it out. Never met such a good bunch of staff. Went to watch football and the atmosphere was really nice, great beer and burger deal at half time good value for money, will definitely return to check out the other events on. A real regulars pub nice to find a place in Colliers Wood where you can feel welcome. Needs a bit of refurbishments but after speaking to the manager found out that things are in the pipeline and sounds exciting, check this place out
anonymous - 22 Aug 2007 00:03 |
Went in for the first time in ages a couple of weekends ago. What has happened to this place? I haven't seen such an empty place in Colliers Wood before - and for good reason. Apart from the garden I can't think of anything positive to say about the pub. Dirty, dark, smelly, drinks not cold, terrible. Left after 1 drink.
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have to agree with some of the previous comments - rude punter in here.
this is my most local pub but i tend not to go in as i want a laid back ambience and tunes.
i heard its just been taken over and i will try it again in a few weeks. I hope the new managers read this and bar some of the customers who are just nobs really
i generally head up to garden house or into totoing if i can be arsed
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Went back for the first time in ages and found it a slight improvement. Still no ale on, but a handful of slightly less common keg lagers � like Star and Becks Vier � went down surprisingly well, seeing as I�ve not had a pint of lager in a pub for years. A pool table is a nice addition too.
Still not particularly remarkable and still on the pricey side, but not as disagreeable as it used to be.
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Good little place for watching a game or a few late drinks on a Saturday night. One problem though - there is a very rude Afrikaans guy who drinks here and also in the Tup. Pushes you out the way to get to the bar and makes sarcastic comments, half cut already no matter what time of the evening it is and has the ropiest blonde girlfriend. Have had the misfortune of seeing him outside Tescos at 11am getting loads of beer and spirits in. Brings the pub and area down. BAR HIM!
anonymous - 14 May 2007 16:32 |
Dire place, small bottle of magners is �3.00 - toilets are disgusting never any loo roll and always messy. The comedy night is supposed to be fun though.
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how about they try a theme of nice beers in the pumps and interested staff?
it might just work?
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Talking about odd themee nights, walked past yestereday and they're promoting a Gospel Night!
That'll bring in the masses.
anonymous - 12 Apr 2007 11:07 |
Came here on Bank Holiday Monday with my girlfriend to watch the football after the Colliers Tup had refused to show it (after changing their minds). I found their positive and laid back friendly manner most agreeable. The pub looks in serious need of a re-furb but appears to be getting one as they had work-men out the back and the food was off. About a dozen people came in asking for food so they must be doing something right. I am looking forward to going in to watch a game once the work is finished. A definite case of watch this space.
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Agree with recent posters. GJs has plummeted downhill, in much the same way as many other CW boozers. There are increasingly bizarre theme nights and offers, and an air of desperation about signs plastered outside. They're obviously not making enough to give the place a lick of paint either. Depressing.
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Took some friend here for a change from the Tup.The place looks shoddy, drunk karaoke night, queued for over 10 mins, decided to leave without a drink.Don't bother until someone sorts this place out, it used to be good.
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What has happened to this place? It used to be OK, but we ventured in there lastnight after not having been there for 6 months and found it to be completely run down. Not only was the state of the place rather off putting, my pint of lager was very warm and the two packets of crisps we ordered both had holes nibbled into the top. The barman said it was the dog, but to me it suspiciously looked like mice had been nibbling at them. Its a shame really as since the demise of Baobab and now this place, Colliers Wood is only left with the Tup now or the Garden House if you walk a bit further. I think GJ's are shooting themselves in the foot, there are a load of new flats being bulit opposite and if it was a half descent place they would have a whole new load of customers. However, I can only see the new residents avoiding it like the plague.
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Nice food, agree that there is a bit of a Saffa/Kiwi/Oz vibe there but its a GOOD vibe - not cliquey and I have never had problems getting served (maybe because my wife is a Kiwi!) and its not like the Walkabout chain or anything like that. Agree to an extent with Morrissey's comments below about the football: its the losers who work at Edd!son Wh!te that I think he's refering to. Only downside is that it could do with a bit of a clean. As a Colliers Wood resident who likes a few drinks with a good atmosphere, I either go to the Tup, the Garden House or here.
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This pub really is the pits for watching football matches, I came here to watch an England World Cup match and I nearly hung myself in the toilets. Like the mouth of a whale; the deeper you go into it the more unpleasant it becomes.
That's not to say there is anyting wrong with the majority of drinkers who are civilised and well meaning. The main problem is with this place is: England and Chelsea matches. Suddenly the Colliers Wood Wide Boy Covention swagger out of their flats/audis, freshly groomed and ready to take turns shouting at a projector screen. With the vocabulary of Danny Dyer, the unchannelled aggression of a staffordshire bullterrier and the limited wit of Jim Davidson; the football fans/ladies men hurl four lettered inapproprecies at colour projections that appear infront of them. Like a pregnant cat pawing images of butterflies on a T.V screen, the deluded 'lads' watch their their eqaully intelligent heroes battle a bunch of 'dirty foriegners' over 90 minutes.
The crop haired, 9 chinned, Rooney lookalike next to me shouted out "F*** off and get a haircut you long-haired b******" at a Paraguayan - I have long hair. Welcome to GJ's.
I suppose this is a necessary show of testosterone and a sign of true footballing knowledge, which assures the rest of the group that noone amongst them is gay or reads books. It would be unfair to suggest that this pub is the only one with this subhuman scum in it but because it is a good pub more scum gravitate towards it. The garden out the back is nice, the C.W.W.B.C like it to, gives them a chance to take off their t-shirts and laugh loudly.
anonymous - 29 Jul 2006 12:11 |
Pretty average, if expensive pub and I only tend to go there as it is the closest to my house.
Down sides include the beer selection, which is your usual bland, nitro-keg fare - priced over �3 a pint - with no decent ales whatsoever.
Plus points is that it is large, has a nice garden, the food is okay and it is good to watch the football in.
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Most of the below reviews are spot on. Although it has a brilliant comedy night, the bar itself has no atmosphere and the bar staff often don't speak english... or don't want to as it means they'd actually have to serve you.
Don't expect service with a smile unless you're a Kiwi.
Food is awful and overpriced for what it is!
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Staff frequently have no interest in serving you if you are not Sith Ifrican or a Kiwi. Beer can be very dodgy at times. Besides that, it's a great place!
gumpy - 30 Oct 2005 17:37 |
Decent pub that seems to be heading down the Wimbledon/South African path. Nice armchairs and sofas for a quite afternoon. Good beer garden.
The only problem I have with the place is that even if I'm the only person waiting for a drink it still seems to take ages to get the bar staff's attention.
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Whilst the comedy nights are great, and something new to Colliers Wood the choice of beers are awful, it seems to be a haven for more and more antipodeans to come and get pissed and act like louts.
The food isn't great and it has about as much atmosphere as the moon. The only nice area is to the left when you come in (leather sofas, fireplace in an offset room. Channel Ex (extreme sports)always seems to be on, and it does show sky sports.
Lack of any character ranks this below any All Bar One...poor pub
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Great boozer with friendly staff. The only problem with it is the beer. Very hit and miss, sometimes undrinkable. If they sort that out, it would be the best pub for miles around !!
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Fantastic pub - really really friendly staff and management make it a great atmosphere. Could not ask for a better local. Air conditioning not what it was though and can get a little smokey.
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Great place to go and watch the football. A bit dark and dingy - but thats the way i like em.
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Nice-ish pub. The comedy there is quite good, even if I did get skanked out of 15 quid on the door once.
Mr. - 9 Oct 2004 09:38 |
Good pub. Comfortable. Nice garden. Great staff.
Kitty - 30 Sep 2004 14:12 |
Whats with the prices guys, could spend a fortune in there!
anonymous - 17 Jul 2004 14:58 |
top quality pub keep it up from chris ben and joe
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Big improvement on the food side, keep up the good work. Now you can call yourselves a bar & restaurant.
alan - 23 Apr 2004 17:39 |
Excellent local, friendly staff. Good atmosphere and superb for watching sport, food's not bad either! Used to drink there a lot last year but have since moved, must pay it another visit!
Lamb - 31 Mar 2004 20:17 |
My local and the best in Colliers Wood. Great Comedy club every month. And in response to Niall, i think its a great place to read and enjoy a pint!
Ed - 31 Mar 2004 18:45 |
Been in GJ's a few times in the last few weeks, the new food menu has added a nice addition to this already decent boozer. The sunday roast is huge and tasty. keep it up!
t.hill - 19 Feb 2004 09:46 |
What a wicked pub i spent a lot of last year in there and it is still as friendly as ever! great staff and a lot of great times!
hugh williams - 9 Feb 2004 14:42 |
friendly pub , havent got in with the landlord just yet so have to spend the boys football kitty for them , not too many book readers here either ! Love it !!
Niall - 6 Feb 2004 15:24 |
I use to live close to GJ's and for a very long time it was our second home.I am in S.A. now and GJ's is one of the things I miss the most!I hope everyone there still enjoys it as much as we use to.
Leland� - 28 Jan 2004 14:15 |
Went to GJs for the first time in ages last Friday. The atmosphere was great, bar staff were friendly and the music was good. What more do you want?
Joe - 4 Jan 2004 14:57 |
generally ok boozer,shame about the private parties most saturday nights means the locals cant have a beer there.
Joe - 17 Nov 2003 15:10 |
a good pub, v.good as a local
matthew - 10 Nov 2003 14:00 |
I have been in GJs many of nights with friends and have had an excellent time. The bar staff are nice and it has a friendly fee to it. Great for private party's as it has a private section in the back. I went here last year for New Years. We had a great time. Didn't want the night to end. Keep doing what you're doing.
A Girl in the Wood - 25 Sep 2003 22:58 |
Myself and two friends will be miving into a flat two doors down from this pub. We went on a pre moving in crawl to test the local Public Houses Men Behaving Badly Style. I am pleased to say this one came up trumps. We will be spending much time here and with the World Cup starting on the 10th, it could become a second home.
Ben Parkyn - 25 Sep 2003 12:30 |
Lovely pub, good well priced food, nice staff. I would like to see a couple real ales as the other locall pubs are crap for that and its undrinkable. It would be nice if Gregor splashed out on some stronger chairs! and didnt laugh when my one colapsed! cheeky bugger. I used this pub when it was the red lion as well, its such an improvement, glad to have such a nice pub in colliers wood.
(think about the beers?)
Tom - 5 Sep 2003 13:56 |
nice pub, nice decor, good staff, good beer, good food,good for sport. Just wish Gregor spent more on the chairs, then maybe mine wouldnt have colapsed on saturday!
tom - 1 Sep 2003 15:07 |
Good pub. Superb boerwors rolls. Excellent for music and watching rugby and having cold beers
Mick - 29 Aug 2003 16:05 |
Thanks to B.Minters comments 5th Aug re. thai green curry....much appreciated. Decent pub and we're working on the food side of things! Please keep coming.
Gregor - 17 Aug 2003 18:42 |
Went there recently, ordered 2 plates of food, both with chicken, when they arrived, neither had chicken on them! Told the barmaid, she took them back, about 10 minutes later they arrived, which looked like the same dishes, with a bit of chicken slammed on the top!! Wouldnt have minded to much, but I had ordered a Thai green curry, which whenever I have cooked one up, the chicken should be marinated in the coconut milk, not grilled on the griddle!! Poor. Apart from that, decent pub, just dont eat there.
B.Minter - 5 Aug 2003 09:19 |
Great pub, nice garden, live music, comedy and international rugby, good food, better beer, even better looking barmaids.
aj - 16 Jul 2003 16:48 |
I like to go in there at the weekends, nobody there on Sundays, I can relax with my sunday times and sup a couple of Fosters tops, mmm, maybe I could also run to a packet of pork scratchings if my budget will run to it, if not I could get myself another half in!
Niall - 8 Jul 2003 12:54 |
CHEAP ! GREAT !
Niall - 8 Jul 2003 12:44 |
Top pub, the best in Colliers Wood, despite attracting too many antipodean rugby types. Can be a bit barn-like when empty but there are comfy sofas and a top garden area. Food is a big plus, too.
Frankie - 1 Jul 2003 18:15 |
This pub is very relaxed - used to be the Red Lion and runs great comedy nights. Also to our surprise found a garden out the back the other day. Generally excellen
Booma - 29 Apr 2003 15:32 |
Relaxing, friendly atmosphere, nice function room. Great Boerewors rolls - good food - real value for money.
Driaan, Nix, Robz - 25 Apr 2003 14:07 |
Nice pub with good function room for the footy. I especially liked the Kangaroo Burger washed down with a decent pint of Stella.
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Very friendly, charming pub. Used to be the Red Lion apparently.
Briony - 6 Mar 2003 09:43 |
This is a great local pub with a laid back atmosphere and a mixed clientele. It shows most major sporting events and has a nice beer garden. The food is tasty although a little too fancy for pub fayre.
Nicola - 30 Aug 2002 14:23 |
