visited and stayed on a Friday night.
Beers were Ringwood - tried the Best and Cocky Blonde. Both were quaffable and prices quite reasonable - 3.30 ish a pint.
Loads of character even if it is a chain pub. Lots of nooks and crannies so you hide away for either a quiet conversation or a nice drinking session.
Would definitely visit again and the best overall pub for me in Exeter city centre.
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Well described by previous reviewers, notably JohnBonser. The Ringwood Best was decent enough but not exceptional, Pedigree, Ringwood's Old Wallop (house beer) and Banks's Bitter were also available. Worth visiting for the historical charm but not perhaps the beer.
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I have lived in Exeter for most of my life but never bothered with this place until last night.
What a hidden gem!
Endless nooks and crannies in a oldy woldy fashion with huge fire places and pots and pans all over the place a very cosy place indeed.
Drinks were an average price i actually expected them to be more expensive but with a spoons over the road it has to compete a little.
Our food was excellent i had the plaice and chips my partner had gammon and chips and at two meals for �10 very good value.
This is one of the best pubs in Exeter and will be going back soon.
10/10
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The White Hart is a roomy old coaching inn in the heart of Exeter. Badging itself externally as a 14th century "Old Ale and Port House", it's much larger than it looks with a number of different drinking and dining areas either side of a central cobbled passageway, through which the horse drawn coaches presumably used to pass all those years ago. It is believed to have been originally a resting place for monks.
A sign in the passageway directs us to the "Tap Bar and Secret Garden" on the left which is a cosy and comfortable split level interior which, despite evident signs of alteration, still retains a characterful, if slightly chainy, ambience. Pots and pans hang from the beams and there's a flagstoned floor. The "Secret Garden" is a smallish walled garden, most notable for a pub in the heart of the city. The other side of the passageway contains the hotel accommodation, but the restaurant there is still comfortable and traditionally furnished.
There's 55 rooms available for overnight accommodation, of which 14 are in the original part of the building and the remainder in an extension. Room rates appear on the face of it to be reasonable, although the tariff sheet rather intriguingly says - "NB, bedrooms have not yet been refurbished".
The White Hart Hotel is part of the Marstons Inns portfolio and, on my recent visit, was serving Ringwood Best, Hobgoblin, plus Old Wallop ( the provenance of which escapes me ). The Ringwood Best, perhaps cheaper than might be expected at � 2.70p, was in reasonable form.
There's the rather impersonal, slightly chainy feel that is inevitable in a place like this, but you could do much worse than call in when you're in town.
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probaly the best pub I visited in Exeter beers x3 white heart jennings old jem , old wallop , and ringwood bb , old wallop vg . tuther 2 not bad , a much classier joint , than most Exeter pubs , which overall struck me as being a bit down at heel.
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Marstons Pedigree & a Ringwood available. The pedigree acceptable quality. The baguette we had a bit disappointing as appeared not quite as advertised. Interesting building worth a look. Opposite the 'Spoons on South St so cheaper beer only on the other side of the road!
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I agree with fat_beer_badger. The White Hart has gone downhill since Marstons took over. There is a measly choice of ale.
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Sadly taken over by Marstons so beer choice will go down but they did have pedigree,otter and cumberland ale when visited, and the beer was still spot on, 8/10
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Excellent multi-roomed, multi-level pub. Yes, it's quite dear but not the most expensive place we went to on a recent tour of the city centre.
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Good old-fashioned pub. Doesn't seem to have changed at all since I first went there at the end of the 80s, which in this case is a good thing!
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Nice old pub. Good chioce of beers
paulb - 18 Dec 2006 19:55 |
VERY expensive beer when I visited. Full of students, who are probably the only people in Exeter who can afford to drink there. Fortunately, I was there for a function upstairs and didn't have to pay for anything after the first pint.
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Just so happens that when I visted they were selling the entire range of Ringwood Brewery beers. Something I know and am passionate about.
Quite simply the best kept pint of Ringwood beer outside of erm. Ringwood.
Recommended a vist!
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Bring a very large wallet-pub looks nice but boy do you pay for it.Understandably almost empty(on Fri night)given George`s Meeting House(JDW`s 1st non smoking pub) is almost opposite.
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