please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
After a visit to the Butt Inn in Aldermaston (not listed on BITE), our next stop was the Rowbarge. This is a popular Brunning & Price pub in a riverside location. There are a number of rooms inside, which appear primarily for diners. In addition, there is a large number of tables to the side of the river Kennet overlooking a swing bridge. There is also an outdoor barbecue. Ales were Red Cat Mr M's, Itchen Valley Pride Of The Valley, Wild Weather False Sense Of Security, Triple fff Goldfffinger, Siren White Tips & Windsor & Eton Firefly. I happened to ask if they offered a CAMRA discount. The barman had never heard of any such thing and asked if that meant he had to have his picture taken with a camera! A local at the bar soon educated him and pointed out that the pub has won CAMRA awards. Nice location. But you can tell it is a chain pub. Not one of the best Brunning & Price pubs I have visited.
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Haha! If I'm in a pub and a fight breaks out, then I think readers here might be interested to know.
They might also welcome my mentioning that there were people apparently breaking the law in other ways too, if that was what I happened to see.
Yes, this is a pub site.
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This is a pub site, not gossip.
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I was sat in the quiet shadows of an alcove mid-afternoon, and two middle-aged suits came in, unaware of me. One was white southern African, and the other British, judging by their accents. They were nailing a business deal. It soon became clear that it related to weapons, and that it was probably illegal.
Yes, it's an interesting place.
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A great option beside the Kennet and Avon canal, the downsides are an overly modernised but faux-old interior and that it gets super busy. Still, with 6 ales on tap including Red Kite from the Vale Brewery and Timothy Taylor landlord and food that looked scrumptious, it would make for a good mid point in a round walk from Thatcham or Aldermaston and as it abuts a train line, access is straightforward from anywhere.
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Very comfortable pub, around 5 well-kept real ales (including offerings from Three Castles Brewery and West Berkshire Brewery), excellent and friendly service, and good food too. If I had any criticism it would be that the ale is on the expensive side, and the refurb and extension work has resulted in fake beams and a rather too extensive interior, I expect designed to maximise seating capacity for dining. A good pub though, and worth going to just for the ales.
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This is an excellent pub for food, with an imaginative menu that changes daily. I've been three times now and always had an excellent meal and good service even at busy times. It's right by the canal so it's a good place to go for a walk with the family before or after eating.
I don't understand why the rating is so low. OK, so the focus is on food but there are several well kept ales, the bar area is pleasant enough and the garden by the canal will be a great place for a beer in the summer. Drinks prices are about what I'd expect for a dining pub in Berkshire.
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Sounds like the place is back to a better standard, as I remember it being some time back.
It always was a bit pricey though, and this perhaps accounts in part for the rating, but I'm a bit suspicious that there's some rivalry here.
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Was in the Rowbarge and we had a great time.
I was on the Brindle which was just right in every respect, others with us were on different beers and all were in tip top condition.
Plenty of room to sit and enjoy the inside of the pub.
The food was very good and well served.
All in all a real pleasure to go in for the evening.
Staff brilliant with a really nice attitude and the young lady serving behind the bar greeted us with a huge smile as we walked up to order our drinks.
lot14 - 26 Jul 2012 17:42 |
The pub is under new management again. I must say, service is now far sharper than it was but despite what the marketing said, the interior of the pub has not changed. There is still not enough drinking area like there was pre-2007.
BUT: drink prices are still a nasty sting; the lowest priced pint is a staggering �3.20.
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Things are looking up. Have been going in this pub occasionally for years, right back to when Laurence Naismith the actor was landlord. We have eaten here twice recently and everything was fine on both occasions. It was busy both times and the staff were busy but all were friendly and doing their best. My only slight criticism is that all the draught lagers were strong ones.
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We stopped for lunch on a Friday and found everyone friendly and helpful. I had a steak sandwich but was dissapointed it was served on ciabatta (it didn't say on the menu) until i took a bite! the bread was soft and delish - unlike every other ciabatta i've ever eaten. My husband had a ploughmans and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. There was plenty for us both and a lovely selection of cheese and chutneys. We will be back - especially when the BBQ is open!!
lisaJ - 22 Apr 2011 20:44 |
Usual problem with pubs in great locations, they get lots of custom without having to try hard, so they don't.
What appeared to be the more senior staff have a slightly grating manner that gives you the impression they find you a bit irritating. The actual waiting staff are
much more pleasant.
My steak was fatty and chewy and rather unpleasant, the sauce was delicious. The pudding appeared to be "home made" and really very good. The coffee was wretched. Overall it was too expensive for the quality provided.
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As a local occasional visitor it is sad to see this once good pub deteriorate into such a poor quality place: visited this evening (a sunny June sunday evening) 'for a drink whilst walking along the canal' to be ignored by the undertrained and understaffed whilst the manager clearly favoured his friends in the queue to serve them first. If you don't know the bar manager I suggest you appear at the bar clutching a menu - if you appeared to be about to order food your were given preferential service. Left after 15 minutes still thirsty!
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Just revisited today and mostly agree with chechirecat - the only thing that wasn't cr*p was that IMO the beer was the right temperature (ale should be cool not cold). Short pints, one surly barman (probably not his fault - he was harassed because he had far too much to do), many people complaining about non-delivery of food - my friend had to leave to catch a train having waited 90 minutes without his meal arriving. I would strongly suggest making a picnic and finding somewhere else to sit by the canal - or just use one of the Rowbarge's tables - they're far too chaotic to notice.
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Visited again today arriving about 1700.
Chaos - service was atrocious. One bloke behind the bar trying to serve there and take food from the kitchen. A lady "assisting" who clearly had no idea how the till worked or where things were. More staff arrived in the next hour or so but it was still chaotic. Tables full of glasses and plates that looked as if they'd been there since lunchtime. Why can't a decent manager tell staff that, when returning from serving food, it helps to collect empties rather than walk past a cluttered table. It ain't rocket science!!
West Berks Good Old Boy and Mr Chubbs plus Pride. The GOB was far too warm and the Pride was indifferent. Had to ask for everything to be topped up - it was amazing how many punters didn't seem at all worried to get 85% of a pint. And why do they assume that you want your pint in a jug these days? Have I missed another new trend?
Certainly gets marked down from my last score.
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I would go here for its location and a drink, I would steer well clear for food!
Had a ploughmans and it was quite possibly the worst ploughmans I have ever had, very plain and small, certainly not worth the money they charged me for it!
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Perfectly acceptable pub/dining room located in a nice spot on the Kennet and Avon. Had lunch there yesterday and service was quick and friendly. London Pride was good.
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Been coming here occasionally for years because of location. Service was always slow (not enough staff).
Since becoming a Blubeckers that has improved. But it no longer has a pub atmosphere. On a recent visit beer (Good Old Boy), although not far too cold as I'd expect in this sort of place, was not in very good condition. Beer prices are acceptable for the area (�3/pint), but I was charged �1.50 for a small packet of peanuts. Only had a meal here once, some months ago - food was boring and pricey.
This place could be wonderful because of location, but at least in summer it's packed anyway so I guess they don't need to bother.
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Laurence Naismith (14 December 1908 � 5 June 1992) was an English actor.
Naismith appeared in films such as Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Richard III (1955), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), Sink the Bismarck! (1960), Carrington VC (1954) and as Captain Edward Smith of the RMS Titanic in A Night to Remember (1958). He appeared on Broadway in the musical Here's Love in 1963 and played the non-singing role of Merlin in the 1967 film version of the musical Camelot. He was Judge Fulton in the TV series The Persuaders! (1971), with Tony Curtis and Roger Moore. He also starred in a children's ghost film The Amazing Mr. Blunden (1972). He portrayed Emperor of Austria Franz Joseph in the BBC production Fall of Eagles (1974). Naismith played the Prince of Verona in the BBC Television Shakespeare version of Romeo & Juliet.
Outside of acting he was landlord of The Rowbarge pub at Woolhampton in Berkshire How sad for a pub to change from a celebrity owned to a poorly managed part of a chain
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Visited yesterday lunchtime - Pride, Bass, Good Old Boy and Mr Chubbs on offer. The GOB at �2.95 was very drinkable. Much more a foodie than a drinkers place.
Fairly busy with diners and certainly no shortage of staff. I'd have prefered it is the Manager (who was showing someone around) hadn't kept standing behind us to explain things in a rather loud voice.
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This was re-vamped in Jan 2007 and is now more of a restaurant than pub which is a shame. In 2009 at some point, they also removed some of the comfier seats at the entrance so it is clear they don't really want you to come in for a social drink and chat which is what I loved to do there.
Food is very pricey as are drinks. Drinks can also be suspect. The Coke looks more like water than a Coke. A pity it has changed too much.
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I popped in for a pint and a pie this evening and found the service quick, polite and efficient.
beer, Chubbs, excellent and food likewise.
All in all a very pleasent experience and I would have no hesitation in going back.
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We recently lunched in the garden here on a hot summer's day. When we ordered food at the bar we were told that all the courses had to be ordered together. We were directed to collect our cutlery from an empty basket. After a fairly long wait, a waitress turned up with three desserts we hadn't ordered. After a further wait, the one first course we had ordered arrived. Then nothing. We had to go into the bar to ask where the rest of the food was. We were told brusquely that it was up to us to tell them when we were ready for the main courses. By the time they had arrived, a man had started to pump out the septic tank. The stench was appalling. We moved inside, telling the barman we had done so. A waitress then appeared to tell us crossly that no-one had told her that we had moved. We complained about the pumping of sewage while we were trying to eat, and asked to speak to the manager. He never materialised. Finally, the barman with whom we had placed and paid for the original order thoughtfully reappeared at the end of the meal to give us a second bill.
The food was no more than average, the service was appalling, and customer care non-existent. Don't touch this place with the proverbial barge pole.
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My partner & I stopped off at this pub on the way back to London. It was a lovely sunny day & we thought we'd found the perfect spot: a pub with a large outside area next to the river.
We were only hoping for a sandwich each, as a brief restbite, but sandwiches were not on the menu, so we opted to order their "Gourmet Burger" to share.
My partner found a table & I went to order the food & drinks & then came back to sit with her.
Less than a minute later, a waitress started randomly wandering around outside with a burger: it turned out it was ours!!!
I said to her that I had literally just sat down & that that burger could not have been cooked to order. It then went back to the kitchen.
5 minutes later, another member of staff returned with the same sad & tired looking burger!!!
I complained & asked for my money back. We finished our drinks & left soon after, hungry!
The only good thing about this pub is that the manager came & apologised profusely & refunded my money for the food & drinks too (with our prompting!).
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Several years ago I used to use this pub frequently when out walking - it has certainly changed! Didn't really feel that drinkers (as opposed to eaters) were very welcome inside. West Berks Good Old Boy and Mr Chubbs on the bar but pretty pricey.
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was disappointed to find this once charming old pub has been taken over and is now part of a chain. The food was ok,certainly nothing to encourage me to come back and the whole place looked like it needed a good clean up. What's the point of spending a condsiderable amount of money on the place, trying to make it 'modern' when there is chipped paint and tiles falling off the walls. At least in an olde worlde style pub these things can add character. In a place that's trying hard and failing to be a Young's pub it looks terrible.
Certainly won't be coming back anytime soon
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I visited on the day before Valentine's day this year, and whilst I knew the pub was aprt of a chain, I found the overall experience disappointing.
The staff were courteous and polite, which was good considering they were very rushed due to the restaurant being packed, and we did receive a discount on our meal due to some vouchers one of my party had, but that i'm afraid this is where the praise stops!
I failed to get served at the bar despite waiting there for 10 mins to start with so i retreated to our table hoping to get a waiter to fetch me a drink. This eventually materialised approx 25 mins later, and that was after i was advised my first choice of Magners cider (hardly a rare drink) had run out.
I was a little non-plussed with the menu as whilst there were many choices there was very little imagination anywhere on it. All the dishes were either approximate staples from TGI's restaurants (burgers, ribs, steaks, etc) or were bog-standard london gastro pub grub items (fish cakes, risotto, etc, etc). I went for the Calamari followed by the Duck leg from the specials board (at least this promised some originality), The calamari was very average and came with a watery not very garlic-y aioli and for �5 seemed steep. The duck that followed was a rip-off. It cost �15 and was accompanied by a small sode of sauteed potatoes and 'root vegetables' which were just red onion and beetroot gravel. I finshed the whole thing in 5 mins and felt cheated out of �15. The duck was reasonable, if a meagre portion. I realsied quickly I should have gone for something far more basic like my friend's bangers and mash which looked both tasty and generously served. I tried a tiny piece of a cheesy chicken dish (never a good combination) and wished I hadn't as it was terribly salty and very dry.
We skipped on pud (after another drink I ordered took 30 mins to arrive thanks to the order being apparently lost). If it hadn't been for the discount I would have complained I think, but then again maybe its just me - afterall, its a chain pub and maybe my standards are too high (a bit like their prices!).
2 other small notes - the main toilets are up a truly evil staircase and posess a very low ceiling, plus beware the front door exited straight into the road with no pavement. Then again, being hit by a car may have been a welcome diversion following my meal!
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have to agree with the other reviews on here - an interestingly modernised old pub in a lovely setting that really doesn't live up to its own idea of itself. There is a decent range of beer on (including one or two real ales) but it is hideously over-priced and the food is uniformly underwhelming and shoddy - from tuna steaks that come so over-cooked and so thin that it's more like a dried out chamois leather, to meat that is gristly and greasy... whatever you choose from the menu is going to be far too expensive for the sub-standard fayre you're actually dished up with. Pity - it could be great, as it is, it's just very disappointing.
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A very pleasant mid-week lunch venue. Attentive staff, excellent food and a bargain priced, �13.95, two course menu.
If the weather is good you can enjoy eating on the terrace overlooking the canal.
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Now a blubeckers expensive naff place. �1.45 for a bowl of peanuts...i,e bowl was more like a coaster. �3 a pint for cheapest lager. Carry on into woolhampton there is better choice a few hundred yards away if you can get across the river bridge and the railway crossing without 15 minutes wait.
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I was looking forward to our meal having visited the Odiham Blubeckers some years ago, 4 out of 6 of us were disappointed but at least we got a discount unlike my work collegue who went with her family & all were not pleased with their food which she described as cold & tasteless. Won't be going back there in a hurry!
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Not having been to the Rowbarge since the summer 2006, I had forgotten that it was being renewed. When we arrived I thought 'great' it looked nicely renovated and fresh on the outside.
Oh dear! What a disaster inside - no ambiance, walls painted a mushroom colour, miserable staff and the food was very dissapoining after being so good in the past. We heard the staff moaning about the employers.
What a shame that another Pub is off our visit list. The conglomorate stikes again; another Pub ruined. I don't want an eating house - I want a Pub!
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Last time I visited this Pub - about 2 Months ago - it was looking very tired. The beer was poor and the general decor was very scruffy.
This is probably why it has now closed for major refurbishment and rumour has it that it will reopen as a 'Blubeckers' eating house. Another pub bites the dust just to make more money as an american style food outlet! So sad.
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One of the best pubs in Berkshire. Excellent location over looking the canal, with an extensive beer garden, very busy in the summer.
Good range of ale, slightly expensive but this is Berkshire. Food in general is OK, but one of my friends did have a dodgy steak there once.
A very friendly quiz machine that likes to pay out big, especially on Bullseye.
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Visited in June 2006 and had one of the worst meals for a long time. Steak seemed to have been microwaved from frozen and then shown the grill for a very short time - horrible!
Onion rings were good. Beer was good. Service was iffy.
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Large beer garden over-looking Kennet and Avon Canal, Green King pub with good range of real ale, friendly staff and good pub food.
Richard - 20 Jun 2005 18:46 |
