Griffin Inn, Bathback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Visited here on 15th December with a large group of friends. Luckily we managed to squeeze into the small room right at the back of the pub. They had several real ales on from some microbreweries. I honestly can't remember which breweries they were but they were drinkable an cost about £3.30 a pint, which seems to be the standard rate for a pint in a Bath pub these days.
For a Saturday evening we were very surprised to hear the bell for last orders ring at 10.40pm and then bang on 11pm we were told to drink up and leave.
Another minus which we all commented on was that, although it was the middle of December it wasn't exactly freezing cold but they insisted on having the radiators on full blast and there was no ventilation apart from a sash window that only opened a couple of inches.
Seriously guys - turn the heating down ! I'm actually glad that we didn't stay any longer - I think I would have melted !
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A nice back street pub with wooden fittings. The beers were good; too bad about the punctual closing time because we were up for at least one more.
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Unlike one earlier poster here I haven't had the rich and varied experience of this pub dating back to the early '80s. I made my maiden visit on Saturday afternoon following a recommendation from a solid fellow pubgoer, who'd heard the Griffin was on the up.
One expects a damp-carpeted, faded and slightly grimy ex-Ushers kind of interior, but happily the complete opposite is the case - wooden floorboards, light and airy and yet still comfortable. Perhaps it is a little too pared-down, but nevertheless it shouldn't put anyone off at first glance.
Ale-wise, there were 3 out of 4 on I think (visited so many Bath boozers and drank so many brill beers it is a little hard to determine now 4 days hence), and those sampled were found in decent nick. Local too, if I recall. Staff served with a smile, and the old boys quaffing their fizzy cider seemed affable enough too - certainly didn't get any antipathy from locals here, although it was a quiet period.
I didn't - couldn't stay longer as I had many fish to fry, but I'd definitely come back to the Griffin. In a city with so much competition in its pub scene, it'll be interesting to see if it can hold its own now it has smartened itself up and brought in better beer. Perhaps it does lack the character of yesteryear, but not having known it previously, I can possibly appraise it more objectively for what it now is, without being shackled by what it once was.
Good work folks; keep it up.
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Pluses - good local beer, nice staff, Smiths and Blue Oyster Cult on the sound system. Minuses - some slightly dodgy geezers at the bar and a bit over-keen to turf people out at closing time. But on the whole, a good experience, worth a solid 7.
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this pub formed the formative years of my drinking. i could tell you things, things that would make you cry, things that would make you dance.
used to have the best duke box, not changed since the early 80s, free too.
land lord, solid gold diamond, his best anecdote involved Hendrix. not the gin
seemed scary as balls at 18, but once you got to know the characters you were sorted, everyone buying everyone rounds.
then running back to train station to find we still had half an hour, so ran back downed a pint of gem and blitzed straight on to the train.
came back 2 years later, dead. none of the old crew. oh. those were the days
despite not sampling the bar in 3 years, I'm giving it 10 out of 10
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Visited on a Saturday evening - about 8.30. managed to get a seat (more on them later) so not that busy. Nice enough - although the seats/stools will probably deter punters from staying too long - bit uncomfortable and difficult to relax. The 3 of us had 3 different beers, and all were fine, just the atmosphere seemed a bit too new, almost sterile.
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We went to the 'new' Griffin on the recommendation of an old friend last weekend - certainly wouldn't have gone to the old place!! - and what a transformation from the old place. Two really cosy seating areas had replaced the old Ushers pub, a smart refurb has tidied up the place immensely, and all I can say is "well done" the person who inspired it. Wonderful local beer (Abbey Kingstonian) was good as was Batemans XB, the clientelle has changed totally (not before time) and this place is now an honour to itself and its owners.... The staff were extremely pleasant and courteous (which was definitely a change from the old....) We'll be back in May for sure!!
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As other recent reviewers have commented, a tasteful refit and good beer selection make this nice little pub well worth a visit. A massive improvement on the old pub. Of course the limited lager choice will probably deter the young crowd, which may be no bad thing. The menu looks interesting, tho' I've not tried it yet.
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Agree, with ROBCamra, it's certainly worth more than 4.8. Presumably many of those scores were from before it's refurbishment when a lower score may well have been valid going on some of the earlier comments. Perhaps BITE ought to have a mechanism for resetting scores when pubs are refurbished, or maybe just discount older scores as landlords change all the time.
Anyhow, it seems like a great pub, done out in the traditional gastropub manor with green paint, pine floors and chunky farmhouse tables. There are also some natural stone walls which are a nice touch. It comparitively quiet on a recent Friday night, unlike many of the other pubs nearby which seemed to be rammed. It was nice to get a table and be able to hear yourself talk.
Beers were Cotswold Way, Potholer, Butcome and Butcome Christmas Steps. It looks as though they may also do London Pride although this was off when we visited. Cider was Ashton Press and the only lager was something called Veltins which my wife assured me was very pleasant. It's got to be better than the usual Fosters, Kronenbourg etc. that you get everywhere else.
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This is a pretty basic open plan bar with a further larger area to the rear up 4 steps. It�s very clean and tidy both inside and out and has obviously been done up quite recently. 5 handpumps serving Butcombe bitter, London Pride, Kingstone Gold and Wickwar Cotswold Way. They also had a 5th beer which I tried first, it was total sludge, so I can�t even remember what it was supposed to be. It was changed with an apology and I had a Kingstone instead which was very nice. It was very quiet when we went in mid afternoon on a Wednesday, but it was very pleasant. It's better than it's 4.8 rating on here.
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This has recently been refurbished and reopened. Now is a Guest House with a bar below, with lots of choice of Real Ales! Very friendly when I went in, looks like they do good food too. A completely different pub!
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Not much choice of beer. Very much a spot for the older set, but friendly enough. I'd probably try somewhere else.
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What a place! 2007: God's waiting room, old blokes and an air of mothballs and decay. 2008: Half price teenage night down McDonalds. Reassuringly, the waft of decay still evident.
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This place is a bit scary. OK, not as scary as the Kings Arms further down the road, but scary in the old people getting drunk at ten o'clock on a saturday night kind of way! Anyway everyone seemed pretty friendly but nothing compared to the New Inn a (long) stones throw away.
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