please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Old style pub with taproom rather than a bar. Beers ok but nothing special. nice seating area outside for when the weather nice
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One of only ten or so pubs without a bar counter. Teignworthy Reel Ale seemed to be the drink of the regulars but I had a Quantock Nightjar thinking it must be more local. Tanners TA Gold was also on sale. Classic pub that must be visited.
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This pub is a permanent fixture in the top 10 pubs in the UK so we thought it would be well worth a detour of 20 miles or so on the way down to Dorset from Oxford. Very good and chiefly notable for not having a bar (locals would appear to linger all day just to derive satisfaction from pointing unwitting customers like me in the direction of the serving hatch). Lots of nooks and crannies and very friendly indeed. A gem albeit a tricky one to get to if you aren't driving.
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The Rose & Crown was my favourite pub of the day. With its taproom in the centre of the pub, it feels fairly unique. There are several cosy rooms with flagstone floors. 3 ales were being served - Teignworthy Reel Ale, Butcombe Bitter & Goffs White Knight. Cider was Burrow Hill Farmhouse. Locals congregated in the tap room were friendly. Toilets are outdoors. There is also a small garden next to a stream. Fabulous pubs with lots of character.
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How come this is rated the top pub at 7.9 when other pubs, e.g. Brocket Arms in Wigan rated at 8.0 is not featured in the top twenty list. I think the list needs reviewing,
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Another visit today. I've been using this place since 1980 and it keeps getting better. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
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Just two ales on, and not the most interesting ones, but the place is just a gem. No bar counter, no serving hatch, just some pumps mounted against the wall.
Very friendly landlady, lovely and chatty locals. Excellent pub!
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Would seem like there is a rat about the place but if so, it must be in the BITE offices rather than in the pub. Nevertheless this is a great pub and deserves to be in the top 10 pubs
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Definitely some manipulation going on here.
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How can this place get to No.1 overnight when no comments since 2012, smelling a rat here !!!!!!
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There is one Hen, The national inventory of pub interiors, and ELI's is listed very highly(as it should be)
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If there was a register of pubs that should be protected, this would definitely be on it. It is a marvellous place and a reminder of how the very best pubs used to be. At the same time, it isn't a museum of the past, but is full of friendly locals. The beers are excellent (ciders too) and the food is good. Why can't the pubcos learn from a place like this? 9/10
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Excellent and totally eccentric pub, with a beautiful exterior and wonderful tradional interior. (dont look for the bar, there isnt one!
The beers, served by gravity were all fine well worth drinking.
Forget about the stinking exterior toilets and take a trip down memory lane to enjoy this fine pub
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Small but perfectly formed country pub. Beautiful building, with thatched roof and period interior. Have been here several times and the beer has never failed to impress. DEFINATELY worth a visit.
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I found out about this pub through Ian Marchant's excellent book "The Longest Crawl" and paid a visit recently. Remarkable pub,very friendly,good quality beers.Highly recommended.A must visit
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A great little pub we were told about by the landlord of the halfway house. Full of character it really took me back in time. a great Somerset pub.
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Fantastic, pub of great character, excellent beer, excellent cider and really good food. Hard to fault really.
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We visit Eli's when we visit friends in the village. The pub is a wonderfully friendly place and clearly the hub of the village. I have never seen a pub with no bar before. A great feature! There is a good variety of ales, which taste good and are served by friendly staff. Even the locals speak to you!! A definite recommendation for anyone looking for a comfortable, friendly and quirky pub.
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Call in here fairly regularly and it's always good. 3 real ales, helpful friendl staff (& locals!). Food simple but OK.
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A pub goers dream is eli's. popped in there recently after a long absence. A good job done after it's minor disaster. But you got to admit it. it is a friendly place and does good pub grub. lots of, off the cuff entertainment etc, and very well patronised.And it's clear to see why.
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Real cider guide website reports Eli's has taken to selling "pressurised" Burrow Hill "from a keg font" instead of thje old barrel on the bar! Can this be true??.
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Because, Dr P, it needs a minimum of 35 ratings before it becomes eligible. It is many years since I have been to the Rose & Crown and is very high on my must return list! Glad to see it is still going strong.
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Eli's is such a great pub.
The beer is well kept, the owners are lovely people, the locals are friendly, (I'm one!!) The food is good and hearty, guest bands are great fun as is the other entertainment like "Eli's verses the Rest of the World" cricket match and the annual visit by the steam traction engine fraternity.
For me this is the perfect country pub; I love it!!
KP153 - 16 Oct 2009 17:38 |
So glad to read that "Eli's" doesn't appear to have changed much since my last visit. Does the flock of geese still live in the gents?
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Excellent; great to see this fantastic pub back open again, doing what it does best.
First class
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Visited on Friday lunchtime with my 85 year old father and was very pleased we did. The pub had recently re-opened after a 5 month enforced closure due to flood damage but don't worry, I'm sure it hasn't changed much. Beer choice was Teignworthy Reel Ale, Box Steam Rev Awdry Ale or Palmers 200 - the latter two were excellent. Make sure you read the poem and articles in the front room concerning the current licensees great uncles who were both killed at Ypres in 1914 - very touching! Keep up the good work.
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Great news that this wonderful will soon re open.
I just hope it wont have changed much.
Sure to be there next week.
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OFFICIAL RE-OPENING IS AS FOLLOWS
FRIDAY 8th MAY 2009
17-30HRS
entertainment by THE GENTS
WHY NOT GET YOURSELVES ALONG AND HAVE A BALL
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GREAT NEWS FOLKS...just heard from Maureen at eli's AKA the above pub..
OPENING on the Friday 7th MAY..
So get yourselves along there and, start enjoying what youv,e been missing..
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Brilliant pub, one of the very best. Completely unspoilt, great landlady, wonderfully friendly locals, etc - difficult to beat.
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Heard today from Maureen Sunday the 15th March.that all being well should be open again 3/4 weeks time..Looking forward to it.and the Big opening....
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Heard today that the pub was temp closed due too flood damage on the 13th Dec 2008..But everythings on course for a grand re-opening in the next few weeks or so,will keep the site informed/updated for the actual GRAND OPENING
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Gorgeous old traditional country village pub with excellent ales from a tap room no less! A bit like drinking in your gran's front parlour, but what character this pub has - a real gem!
BobOs - 24 Aug 2008 11:48 |
Unique little public house,having NO BAR,and being in the same familly for some 150 years or so.original features,with it,s individual rooms,skittle alley,etc Meals /sandwiches served daily,and plenty of varied live entertainment,cider and real ales are of course the thing here,and being the focal point for the community,there,s always a warm friendly welcome from licensee/locals alike.great place to chill out or chew the fat.Olde world pub of untouched character,a rarity these days
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First ever visit from the John Bonser roadshow last Monday ( 21st ) on the way to Taunton.
Its an old fashioned largely unspoilt roadhouse of great character on the A372 about 15 or so miles east Of Taunton.
There's no bar, just several handpumps in a flag stoned tap room.
I enjoyed a good pint of Mighty Tor bitter from the nearby Glastonbury Brewery, which, given that I was driving, was the lowest gravity beer.
Being a Monday lunchtime, the pub was very empty, but I received a very warm welcome indeed from the landlady's son and grandson and the one or two locals present. Sadly, I was told that Eileen, the landlady, aged 85, had passed away a week or so ago.
Several of the fields close by the pub are owned by the family and it is clear that this is a real centre-of-the-community pub.
Note the specially designed framed Ordnance Survey map on the wall showing Eli's ( as the pub is known ) as the centre of the world, not just the village !
Mr Brahmsandliszt - posting of 21/05/07 - is spot on with his short but succinct review.
Do pop in if passing by, I think you'll enjoy the experience.
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interesting place certainly, but the beers aren't up with the best in the area for sure...
quaint locals usually manage to maintain a friendly demeanour with strangers.
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Recently launched to fame as a result of Ian Marchant's book The Longest Crawl, this is one of those pubs you just have to visit. The beer and food are excellent, but what really makes this place stand out is it's unique character. One of the few pubs in the country without a bar, you order your drinks in a tap-room which has numerous rooms and crevices radiating from it, the whole being furnished and decorated in an eclectic, antique style. The landlord couldn't have been more charming or helpful, and the regulars were equally as friendly. I can't think of anywhere else in the world I would rather spend a couple of hours.
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Brilliant. Great beers. Now on the road to anywhere in the West country. Tasty rolls. Can't wait for the next excuse to visit!
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The Halfway House is just along the road at Pitney, but I prefer this place. The actual bar, which you walk into rather than up to is a real laugh - first timers at the place always seem bemused. The range of beers is always good, and simple things to eat like beans on toast and a cheese and onion sandwich are great.
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Another gem of a pub. Absolutely charming. This is a real pub for genuine people
If it's the modern chain pub with plastic food and mass produced "ambience" that you like, you won't like it here, but if you like good beer and good company, this is the place for you.
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An Olde world public house in every sense of the word.Good Ale,Good Food,Good Welcome.No frills No spills,is the watchword of these hostelries.Several of these exist up/down the land,and all have that magic ingredient,which cannot be duplicated via your pub chain,This being actual history,Familly History,and remaim a social center of activity.Always a warm welcome and sociability by the barrow load.
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Great little pub. Have been past many times when closed, but finally got there during opening time.
Huge amounts of real home cooked food, well kept real cider and good beer - both of us happy!
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A very pleasant and friendly local. A place that seems to have long heeded the advice of "Keep it Simple" and don't forget to try the local cider.
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We stumbled across this when we were driving to North Devon from Hampshire. We prefer to take the road less travelled, and were very happy to have found the Rose and Crown. On subsequent holiday travels to the West Country, we always try and time our journey so that we are here around lunchtime so can stop in, even if it isn't exactly on the route we would normally take to get to our destination.
No bar? that is part of the charm.
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Having visited this place on several occasions, I have to say that I can understand what the fuss is about. Granted, certain aspects are unremarkable, such as the pool room, the general appearance of the building, the kids' play area, and location. But this is all part of the utter lack of pretence that "Eli's" offers. Yes, the rooms are full of quaint hotch-potches of old artefacts. Yes, they are a bit tatty. Yes, there is no bar and one either has to stand and chat or hide away in one of the cubby holes. Yes, the punters are locals, and not especially well-heeled. But all these ingredients conspire to make a memorable and honest pub experience, which is nothing if not organic.
The rustic aspects of the place are enhanced further by provision of several well-kept local ales and ciders, and the food is both home-cooked and generous.
For those who prefer a bit more of a middle-class, regimented, clean and conventional pub experience, this is not for you, but if you want to see a real grass-roots yet welcoming Somerset country boozer in action, look no further.
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You know that feeling you get when you go somewhere you have always wanted to visit, go there and then wonder what the fuss was about? Well this is that place. OK, there's no bar, but the rooms to drink in could be anywhere as could the pool table.
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This is my favouite pub between Lands End and Lerwick,
Good old ales, lovely home cooked food,really friendy locals in a time warp that should be cherished. In a lovely part of the countryside popular with people that appreciate traditional values. Who needs a normal bar anyway they've managed for over 100 years without one! Make sure you read the poem Somerst Soldier in one of the rooms.
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I visited this pub on one new years eve when i was scranded in lnagport because of the weather. i talked with everyone, including a lady who worked there called Maureen, dhe was excellent, i had a really good evening. all the locals talk to you and the beer is excellent.
arabella - 2 Feb 2004 18:57 |
This is a very friendly pub bit odd not to have a bar but who cares when local's are so nice.Even let us park on carpark overnite in our camper. If you read this landlady thanks again THE TIMECREW we will be back.
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Good local, very friendly. A stranger can walk in and within an hour they will know everyone. My dad, a townie from the smoke, raved about it. Basic but quaint.
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This is a beautiful old pub with original flagstones, low ceilings & no bar! I had great homemade food tried local real ales & strong scrumpy then stuck to stella. Really friendly locals to play pool with or sit outside get drunk and listen to tall stories, thay even still get morris dancers visiting!!! I loved it.
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its one of the finest pubs you'll ever visit good beer fine (rough)cider and one major feature that will not be missed. Locally known as Eli's: current landlady's father
Stiggely Tignostwick - 5 Jul 2003 14:17 |
Also known as Eli's. Its a great country pub located in the heart of Somerset. Great local scrumpy, a nice outdoor garden and some really colorful locals.
mick - 2 Jan 2003 21:24 |
