please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Geek chic rules here.
Big glassses, moustaches and scary looking lasses.
Trustafarian heaven
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An absolute pleasure. Onglet steak and dauphinoise potatoes that will live in permanent memory with an American merlot (weird) that was gobsmackingly great. Great staff. My new local.
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The incompetent, arrogant staff here are a breath of fresh air in a world of professional, friendly and attentive caterers that seem to fill all other pubs with abundance.
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Now under the new management this pub still has the same staff issues mentioned in previous posts. Not the most welcoming or helpful.
The Landlord bitter was quite good - but I did have to wait 10 minutes for it to be connected.
It is now kept so dark you can hardly see your your beer and in this cold snap the radiators where only barely on. I was still cold with coat, hat and scarf. Not cosy.
I find it annoying when pubs are too dark. And really hate when they turn down the light in stages early evening. Especially when it is so dark in the evenings now. A nice pint and the evening paper become a chore and I like to see what I am eating! It feels like I am being manipulated and I don't like it.
The Prince George and Arthur, both near by have the perfect ambient light and don't lower it as the evening goes on. Both highly recommended for your evenings pint.
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absolutely appalling arrogant staff, especially the two scruffy males.
wouldn't take my order less than 5 minutes before 5pm but kept serving food to a large party of his mates at the patio; on my comeback at 5 pm sharp was told that two of the main courses were not available. he then proceeded by joining them for a good hour - i had to come back to the bar and re-order after a 40 minutes wait!
the food was actually okay but by the time we got it we couldn't wait to leave.
avoid at all cost. ok food, nice layout but they seriously need to change attitude. plenty of good places in the area.
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had a bite to eat here but not again until the staff get replaced. Rude miserable people and music so loud that you couldn't hear conversation at 2 feet. Fine for a club but whilst eating? On the subject of food - undercooked lentils, packet beetroot, ham hock that was devoid of mositure and all delivered late with a grimace that seemed to say "you're lucky to get this!". The only reason it gets 1 out of 10 is that the steak was ok.
Sort out the attitude of the staff and get the old chef back and it will be better
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i have just moved into the area, but have been going to the spurstowe arms since last summer, i have looked through some of these reviews and may i say what a joke!!!!! honestly grow up!
the spurstowe has some of the most friendly people there i have ever met,
me and my friends always get a warm welcome when we go there, yes i agree the price are somewhat silly but no one asking you to drink there, go to weatherspoons, that sounds like most of your lots cup of tea, pay �1 for a beer and sit next to the guy who just pissed himself!
the food is decent pub/gastro food some of the dishes are a bit to expensive but they still have some nice meals on for �10/12.00
and FYI i have been imformed that the spurstowe used to be some run down little english crack pub so WHAT!!!!! is this what you whould rather it go back to???????
AND have you gone into the pub in a good mood cos it seems like most of you had an organic muffin stuck up you way before you walked into this pubs doors.
the spurstowe has changed alot these past few months and for one i would just like to say it has improved alot, i can finally book a table and get waitered on, me and my friends love the beer garden were in it most weekends,
but i will say that prices, i agree are a bit high but there still cheaper than the goerge and the same as the authur, maybe they should think about droping them a bit,
overal the pubs ok
i would advise someone whos new to the area to try it its a good little local.
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Dropped by late one evening for a chat with an old friend.
The place was almost empty but the music was belting out so loud we could barely hear one another speak. I can only assume it was turned up for the bored barstaff.
Unwelcoming, loud, empty, cold, uncomfortable, over-priced beer. What's more to dislike in a pub?
And if you fancy a burger costing nine quid, this is the place for you.
Quite what the owners think they're doing is beyond me. Maybe I don't have their vision. Doubtless the place is pouring money down the drain, so all we can do is wait until it turns back to a normal, friendly pub with decent food.
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This pub has gone severely downhill for two main reasons. Firstly, whilst it�s always served food � which is decent quality but over priced � the old owners were never so pretentious as to cordon off an area for �diners only�. (Remember: you're running a pub, not a restaurant). They maintain this stubbornly even when no one in there is eating.
Secondly, the kind of music they play, and the volume at which it�s played, seem to indicate the owners think they�re running a coke-fuelled bar in the middle of Shoreditch; not a relaxed neighbourhood boozer in a nice part of Hackney. At a guess, I�d say this pub has become a pet project for someone whose dad has far too much money to spend.
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I live 2 minutes from this pub and hardly ever go. The beers are overpriced for the area and the staff are appalling. Four of us went in today and sat down, prepared to spend the entire day with Sunday Lunch and several pints each, but just as we were ordering the manager asked us to give up one of our chairs as they were a chair short at a table that had been reserved. We pointed out that this table was empty and that more importantly it was reseved for nearly an hours time so he had plenty of time to find an extra chair, and also that we were about to spend alot of money in there between us, but he insisted that he needed my chair, right now, there were no others in the entire establishment, and none would become free in the next hour. We left and went to the Old Ship which is cheaper and generally more pleasant. This place doesn't deserve your money.
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We have been regular customers to the Spurstow since it opened back in 2005. Although never our first choice of pub (poor value for money food wise and expensive beer) it was pleasant enough when the weather was too bad to warrant the extra five minutes walk to other far better quality pubs like the Prince Arthur or the George. However, since the new manager took over, not only the quality/price of food has remained disappointingly unchanged, but customers now suffer the disrespectful and rude manners of staff, in particular, the manager. I would advise the Spurstow to stop treating their clientele as granted as given the current economic climate, many custormers will expect more value for their hard earned money in terms of food, drink and treatment, something that the Spurtstow fails to deliver, driving more customers like us away.
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I find the comment below most surprising. I eat in the Spurstowe occasionally and have always found the food to be excellent. It is obviously very high quality, and although a little on the pricey side, it is no more than you would expect to pay in a gastropub. Compare it to the Dove - which is over-priced and the food only average. And I have always found the staff to be very pleasant. This would definitely be my local if I lived closer.
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Absolutely disgusting food- will never go back! Furious!
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Poor service for food. They couldn't handle a table of 5 ordering at lunch time. We waited for over na hour. Staff looked exhausted, maybe they should spend more time on service then looking good.
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This is my nearest pub and it is a vast improvement on the old geezer's drinker it was before (although you could guarantee a lock in most nights).
The beer is well kept and they do a lovely pint of Landlord. Point taken about the trendification of the place, but that's Hackney all over, and moaning about the clientelle is a bit like complaining about how young coppers are these days - it shows your age.
The food has been very acceptable when I've been in there. It is slightly pricey, and they'll have to up their game with the Prince Arthur offering a more refined version around the corner, but it's not bad.
It also has a beer garden, decking area out the back.
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Terribly disappointing meal at this pub. My seasonal salad consisted of two unpeeled, very raw carrots with a few vegetables sparsely decorating the plate. Some strange hollandaise type mixture was then lightly drizzled over it for a mere �8 or �9. My companion suffered a steak that had been cooked to an inch of its life for �16, and I have to say that in the taste stakes, I came off the better with my vegetable medley. Thankfully, the staff were gracious enough to reimburse the cost of the steak. However, I would seriously advise against eating at a 'gastropub' when all you have in place is the gastropub prices and none of the gastropub quality.
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great pub! used to drink at the george, but switched when this place opened (nice change to have my ale not taste lemony fresh, or have to listen to the same bloody songs on the jukebox every night - marquee moon anyone?).
lovely, friendly staff (particulary the ever ebulliant stella) who alwsys have a smile and a hello for you.
food is excellent, well worth the prices.
definately my pub of choice.
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What's wrong with 9 quid for a burger? It costs 5 quid in McD's, at least this one has a substantial ammount of meat in it, is home-made, and actually has traces of red meat in it. And the chips are massive. And decent salad. And you can have a pint at the same time. All round worth the 4 quid any day. If you want rubbish food, go to Tenessee Chicken
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Been in for a few pints over the last week. Normally go to the George. Yeah the food is quite expensive. Yeah it's a bit poncy with the bare brick walls etc. However there's a good selection of beers, 3 bitters/ales and standard lagers with the addition of leffe, star and san miguel and at least this is still to all intents and purposes operating as a PUB unlike some other places round here. Cat & Mutton anyone? Also there's nothing worse than these grand old Victorian pubs being poorly converted into flats or other uses that destroy their character so I'm glad this building is still in it's original use and doing well with it. A tad on the expensive side.
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Broadway Market ventures north of London Fields minus the skinny jeans and eyeliner. The food may be gastro-priced but that doesn't stop it being good value. An impressive wine list.
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�9 quid burger and chips in a clone pub eh? Sounds brilliant. Please excuse my sarcasm.
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Definitely a new sister pub to the Birdcage, Talbot and Londesborough of N16. Certainly a surprise given the location. Highly recommended.
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Recently converted (now exposed brickwork, stripped wood, mismatching tables & chairs). San Miguel, Leffe etc. on draft. Small but tasty menu (e.g. good sized burger fat chips �8.95). Garden to rear (with decking). Busy on Friday evening with 20-30 somethings and a few bemused locals wondering what has happened to their old boozer.
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