please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The Hollist Arms was our last stop of the day in Sussex. It was also probably the third best pub. The village is the home of Langham's Brewery and 2 of their ales were on - Jester & Best Bitter. I believe it may have been the brewer who was giving us the taster notes. Other ales were Hophead, Doom Bar & Landlord. Another nice village pub with a small bar area and a separate dining room. The garden is also a lovely spot and toilets are outside. A little off the beaten track. But worth locating.
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Gave what had been my favourite local another go. The beer is still well kept - Langham's Hip Hop amongst others, but the overall experience was disappointing. Even though the the pub was virtually empty we waited a long time for decidely average food (new waitress who mixed up our starters with the main course; but the manager was just chatting to a group of noisy customers, so wasn't really her fault). Will not be rushing back.
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Six of us booked in for lunch at the Hollist after a walk last Thursday. Four of us ordered the salad main course with hummus, guacamole, sun blush tomatoes, falafel on a bed of leaves. Sounded fantastic but when it came it was actually smaller than the side salad that came with the shepherd's pie, with a teaspoon of each of hummus and guacamole, falafal smaller than an egg and half a tomato!
We mentioned to two different staff that we were disappointed and still hungry but had absolutely no response at all. Lovely pub but we won't be going there again.
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I visited the Hollist after it changed hands and the new owners have made a massive improvement. The food was delicious - all freshly hand cooked using seasonal ingredients, the new decor was comfortable and inviting, the staff were friendly and the local beer (Langhams Hip Hop) was very good. Overall, a fantastic pub!
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Changed hands in March 2011. The menu is now much smaller and service yesterday was a little chaotic!! I think the new owners might need some time to settle in!!
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I'm with the last 4 comments. The food and service are always a bit below par and the bar isn't really a bar, it's more like a corridor to the restaurant. New village shop is a lovely building but did someone get the scale wrong ? Looks like someone gave the builder a drawing in mm and he thought it was in inches. Good point - great Langham's Hip Hop.
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What a disappointment - went in Saturday night and food (and service), quite frankly, was poor - is virtually uncooked garlic cloves in an otherwise fine sea bass normal? Unfortunately the landlord, George, was not there and the assistant manager seemed to be distracted (and kept on referring to me as 'sweetheart' - which I found strangely irritating.) Service was slow considering it wasn't very full and the large number of staff (who seemed hopelessly inexperienced). However there was a bright spot (for me) in that the Hip-Hop and the Horsham Bitters were very good.
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Visited with the Western Sussex Camra Group a few weeks ago and was rather let down, 3 real ales understaffed and unpleasent unhelpful staff at that.
The pub looks a picture from the outside but inside its a massive let down with the layout and over priced beer and food
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1pm on a Saturday and two of my meal choices were already unavailable. Finally settled for Smoked Salmon on Ciatbatta which was very tasty. (stayed clear of dishes with gravy, just in case) Timothy Taylor Landlord was good.
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This one of those pubs that holds so much promise on the outside and then when you walk in the door there is something not right. I'm fussy about my traditional pubs and this has too much of a modern bar to satisfy my idealist expectations. However, if you are a foodie I would approach the menu here with great caution, unless you like gravy....lots of it ....and thick. If you like your duck breast well cooked and swimming in the stuff then book your table now!
There are a lot of things that people will enjoy about this pub, but for fussy folk like me you can not help thinking what could have been (could be?).
Sorry.
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popped along for post valentines lunch on a sunday lunchtime, with 8 month old child. Were looked after fantastically, and made very welcome. food was some of the nicest i've had in a long while. The best roast potatoes in Sussex! cannot recommend highly enough.
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Has taken over from where the Noah's Ark should be - a good friendly village pub (with dart board), excellent beer and pretty good food. They hold a happy hour (from 4.30 to 6.30pm?) and as we had walked there we were able to try the three beers on offer several times - I seem to recall that the Horsham was favourite although the Timothy Taylors and Langhams were very acceptable.
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Visited this pub last week for the first time, what a gem. Landlord and the lady behind the bar were fantastic ( I don't think it was his partner) beer great - Kings from Horsham, I did't eat but my friends did and although the prices were high to me ( I'm from Cumbria ) they seemed average for area and food looked very good. Try the Duke of Cumberland at Henley if in the area.
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I love the Hollist - the staff are always so friendly and welcoming, the beer is top notch and the food is as good as you can get in these parts. A good old English village pub. What's wrong with it? It's too far away for anything other than an occasional visit.
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Wonderful location, right in the centre of the very picturesque village of Lodsworth. It should be a goldmine, but has suffered under various lacklustre landlords over the last 20 years.
Going in there now, it's been dolled up nicely. So have the food prices, however, and frankly the quality doesn't match the expenditure. Last weekend Roast Beef and Roast Chicken were distinctly average 7-quid-with-brown-gravy affairs. Which would have been fine if I hadn't been stiffed 14 quid for a main course.
Bar staff vary from the busineslike to the friendly: however they were very busy for Sunday lunch when I was in.
Beer is the high point. Langham's Halfway to Heaven (a reference to the Halfway Inn down on the A272?) is brewed 300 yeard down the road in a microbrewery. WJ King's is brewed by the King family, of the legendary, and now lost, King and Barnes brewery Family of Horsham. Timmy Taylor's Landlord creditably rounds out the beer for those who don't know that Sussex beer is far superior product to the Yorkshire variety ;-)
I'm going back to the area next week: but I'll be revisiting one of the Lickfold Inn, King's Arms at Fernhurst, Duke of Cumberland at Henley, Three Moles at Selham or Noah's Ark at Lurgashall before Igo back to the Hollist if I want anything more than beer. Location, decor and beer: 8 Welcome and food 4. Overall a 6 I think, cos I care more about BEER
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Great pub, very good food, but a little expensive!
A pint of "Halfway to Heaven" was perfectly presented and tasted fine. However I had to ask what was on that beer pump as the clip was missing!! They had had a fire in the bar that destroyed it, among other things. Some beams had been boxed in to hide the blackened parts from view. Our party in the snug was served very competently.
anonymous - 27 Nov 2006 14:34 |
A great pub, one of the best in the South of England! Brilliant service and the food seems to get better each time I visit! Staff are friendly and are very helpful.
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Food has gone downhill. Beer is OK but surely they could make chips properly. Shame.
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