please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Albie, sugar lumps.
Yes, he's quite resolutely anti-Tory it seems.
He just got a bit grumpy with Sir Keir for not being anti-lockdown enough.
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A magnificent landlord who despite being assaulted by Marxist thugs kicked Starmer out of his pub
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Don’t quite know what to say here after all of the accolades that have been poured upon it. I didn’t particularly like it. Strange, as places like this are ones that I normally enjoy - ie emphasis on beer and cider and conversation. Can’t quite put my finger on what it was. You can’t like everywhere I suppose.
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The Raven is an excellent small pub with good selection of fine ales and - most importantly - scrumptious pies at a good price!
It was Sunday evening in Bath. A girl in a cafe had recommended a pub that served food. When we arrived at said pub, a man approached us on the street and asked us if we where looking to eat good pub food. We said we where looking for pies and gravy and he highly recommended The Raven - for this, I thank him deeply.
The Raven serves a selection of fantastic crusty pies with a choice of rich gravies, with either mash or chips for only £8.80 each. We both had a steak pie, with mash, one with Guiness and onion gravy and the other with thyme and red wine gravy.
Both pies where exceptionally good; densely packed with meat and vegetables. The gravies where distinctly different but both excellent and the mash was perfect - lumpy and bumpy, with a real earthy taste - yet still smooth and light.
The Raven had a wide selection of real ales, largers and ciders. They carry local beverages as well.
In terms of the atmosphere, the Raven hit the nail on the head. Dark, warm and friendly - with lots of places to sit and chat. The staff where friendly and helpful too.
If I'm ever in Bath again - I'll be sure to visit The Raven. Recommended.
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Popped in here for a pint during a visit to Bath, on the recommendation of a local. He wasn’t far wrong. Pleasant pint of Raven’s Gold, graciously served. I suggest you go upstairs where it’s lighter. Worth a revisit.
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visited the raven just recently what a great little pub,made welcome by the
young barman who was polite and seemed well versed on the beers on offer.
think there was 6 pumps on the go,what I tried was good.allround good beers
that are well kept.
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2nd pub of the 8 and this just might be my favorite but otherwise it runs a very close 2nd to the Star.
Small bar with a great range of 7 ales, I had a light and a dark beer and both were exceptional.
Maybe the bar would be able to hold more people if there wasn't so many seats but at least it's nice to be able to sit and enjoy the pies they serve. I was in a party of 4 and was the only one that didn't eat, the other 3 all commented how good the food was.
Lovely wooden floors throughout and a special mention to the very friendly and also very tall barman.
There is an upstairs bar / dining room that also had 6 pumps of ale on, the same ones as downstairs but great for being separate.
A really good pub that is worth of it's place in the Good Beer Guide 2013.
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Excellent choice on 6 (I think) handpumps, from golden to dark. Cosy homely feel only spoilt a bit by the pub bore who thought everyone wanted to hear what he had to say. Would return though. Didn't eat but watch for no food period in the afternoon.
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A pleasant, quiet pub to relax for an extended stay for enjoyment of the beers on hand pump.
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Called in here after a bad experience at the Saracens along the road. Saturday night and it was busy but the barman acknowledged our arrival and served us as soon as he could. A wide choice of real ales served at just the right temperature. Its a bit cosy but that makes for a warm and friendly atmosphere. I have been here before and no doubt I will be back again.
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Great little pub, a hidden gem. The beer was excellent, good quality and well served by a pleasant barman who was more than happy to let me try a beer rather than buy a whole pint. Also, the extensive list of pies/snacks on offer looked very tempting! Recommend it.
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Best pub of the day yesterday on our mini crawl round bath. Exceptionally polite fella behind the bar. Had couple of pints of the honey cider which was cracking. Locals were friendly and caused me and my mate to chuckle on more than a couple of occasions with the banter between em. Good mix of young and old. Warm and welcoming, defiantly worth the effort to seek out.
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Agree absolutely with the last review. Nice pub and fairly busy, but barmaid sitting reading a book when she should have been standing and welcoming new customers. Beers were fine and there was no music (a big plus) but I just didn't feel welcome. Could be a great pub, but is not!
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The pub itself is excellent. Good range of ales and the pies are fantastic. The service ranges from surly to downright miserable. The bar staff need to be reminded that they're employed to serve and not to try and look like extras in a sultry arthouse movie. Shame really, as they're not particularly good at that, let alone bartending.....
8 for the pub, 1 for the service.
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Absolutely rammed on Saturday night so had to visit Sunday luchtime (shame as we had to drive we could only have a pint :(. Excellent pints were had of Raven, Peregrine Porter and Milk Stout. Would have liked to try more..............maybe on our next visit
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They must be doing something right here, it was packed when I popped in at 1730 one evening this week, great selection of beer at reasonable prices, most people seemed to be eating, well worth a visit. I still miss the Hatchetts jukebox though.
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Modern, made over interior but tastefully done with quite a nice rustic feel and "real pub" atmosphere to it. Also, that most cherished of features for the solo drinker:-bar stools!!.6 real ales on offer. A large range of pies on the chalkboard menu which I will have to revisit to try one day. An unpretentious honest to goodness pub.
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The pub is decor, interior and bar in general is nothing to shout about, but it is my favourite pub in Bath, mainly because the bar staff are excellent, the range of beers very good and the atmosphere very welcoming. There are other more interesting and quaint pubs, but The Raven is the best real ale drinkers pub.
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Yet another reason to visit Bath for a crawl. Always a descent selection of beers, centrally located and fat-boy pies if one feels a bit peckish.
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In many ways an excellent pub, and certainly one of Bath's best boozers. In terms of the eclectic range of ever-changing ales it is only surpassed by the mighty Royal Oak. There are some flaws though. Whilst the beer is always fantastically well conditioned, on a few occasions my beer has been too warm. Perhaps they struggle with their cellar? The biggest problem though is the consistently surly and disinterested service. Whilst I do not demand service with a smile, something that went beyond a grunt, sarcasm and occasional downright rudeness would be welcome. Alas, the service has got worse over time.
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What a gem of a pub! Was looking for somewhere to enjoy a pint or two and have a bite, and eventually plumped for The Raven. In the downstairs bar, there was a wonderful relaxed atmosphere without any pretense, six ales and good honest food to choose from. On the ale front there were dark and golden 'Raven' brews (brewed for the pub by the Blindman's Brewery), as well as others like Sunbeam Tiger from the Cottage Brewery, or Black Cat. I tried four and all were on form.
The food was a choice of some excellent pies like Raven Ale pie (west country beef, onion, carrots, Raven Ale, green peppercorns & thyme), Mr Porky, Matador, Mushroom & Asparagus, Chicken of Aragon, Thai Pie, and more! I opted for the Raven Ale pie (with chips and Guinness & red onion gravy... superb! If you're not into pies (what's wrong with you!?), then there's also locally made sausages, ploughmans, farmhouse pate, smoked trout terrine, side orders and puddings to keep you carb'ed up!
If you're in Bath and in need of refreshment, then The Raven should be on your list. I spent a very enjoyable sunny Saturday lunchtime there and would love to return.
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Excellent pub in the city centre. Good selection of well kept beers (tried them all!) and a good mix of customers. Seems the job description for the bar staff is to have a 'distinctive' hairstyle too... Recommended, well worth a visit!
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Lodged nearby a few weeks ago and this became our temporary local for the weekend. Their own brews Raven & Raven Gold, Box Steam Funnel Blower porter, RCH Steam and a now-forgotten beer from the DBC stable were all delicious, with decent platters and Pieminister pies to eat and a lively mix of punters. Barman burned his arm on a hot plate, so I offered him a half to help numb the pain, such was my contentment with the surroundings. The kind of place you could sit in all day.
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A decent tucked away little pub just off the main shopping street. It�s on two levels, although we didn�t venture upstairs on this occasion. Downstairs it�s one fairly smallish room with reclaimed wooden floorboards and bench seating around the perimeter, with some high backed wood panelling. The bar is also wood panelled above and below, and a similar colour orange / brown paintwork elsewhere gives the pub a rather monotone, but relaxing, feel.
There was a large chalkboard menu at one end, which seemed to feature predominantly PieMinister pies. Barman seemed friendly enough, and there was a good crowd of locals enjoying some respite from the cold December afternoon. A couple of notices proclaimed that this was Bath Camra�s Pub of the Year in 2006 and 2010.
Beers on tap were their own Raven, Raven Gold and Stark Raven (apparently brewed exclusively for them by Blindman�s Brewery), plus Hopback Winter Lightning, Cotswold Winter Solstice and Keystone�s Large One. Ciders were Stowford Press and Orchard Pig. There was also a rather high-tech mulled wine dispenser that seemed popular with the Christmas shoppers.
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Good Pub feels like your in a proper boozer with a good mix of people. Recommend the Stark Raven. Good staff.
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Very good food. Downstairs is a mix of tourists and locals with excellent real ales. Larger room upstairs for eating. A nice pub.
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I found this pub last year (when staying in the hotel opposite) and loved it. I was in Bath for a couple of hours the other evening and had to pop in, and it's as I remember it. The beer is exemplary, the service good, and the generally ambience of the place is relaxed and cool - I love this place, and wish there was something like it nearer to home. Long way to go for a beer though, unfortunately.
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A fine Pub with no faults apart from the fact that it was rammed!! Beer quality was spotles, as good a pint as any that I've had all year and the pies are excellent value and delicious. Fully deserves to be Bath's Pub of the year
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Great pub, great beer, nice pies. What more do you need?
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Pub No.4 on our crawl of Bath. This pub was our stop for lunch as it had been highly recommended. The Pie menu looked great but sadly we were only looking for a snack and there didn't seem to be any. Still, the selection of beers was good including Raven and Raven Gold both brewed by Blindmans for the pub plus another 3 beers including some from RCH & Saltaire.
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Visited the Raven on a busy Friday night recently but found the place still very amenable with good beer, bot downstairs and upstairs bars manned by pleasant lads who seem to know their beers and a good range of beers on. The Raven has been a bit up and down in years gone by, but it does seem now to be happy with itself and hence creating a good spread of clientelle. I haven't tried the sausages in a while, but the beer is still some of the best in the area. Well done Raven crew!!
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A pleasant little street side bar with an upstairs part to it. Went in practically on opening time and tried the Raven's Gold which was a nice, if a tad too light (what do I expect if I ask for a pint of gold I suppose) for me. An oasis of calm from the busy shopping crowd (and traffic).
anonymous - 14 Mar 2010 09:06 |
The most amazing of places. The range of beers is fantastic with their own brew and the pies on offer are deserving of their legendary status. If downstairs is busy then then head upstairs where it can be quicker to be served. Unmissable.
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Popped in for a quick pint of Raven Gold which was excellent. Being a Saturday night it was very busy, just relieved not to have pumping music. Worth a look
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What a lovely pub The Raven is. I always try and drop in if I can because their selection of beer for a small city centre pub is second to none and if you are there for long enough you will witness it change and evolve as the afternoon/evening progresses!
There is always a welcoming atmosphere and the attentive bar staff certainly know about their beer. The food looks magnificent although I must confess I didn't try anything but the smell and the empty plates were good enough for me to know it must be very good. All in all The Raven is a pub not to miss for me.
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A pub that ok I visited at a funny time Mid- late aternoon. As said by mikey 64 raven and ravens gold both brewed by blindmans . further choice w/worth strong in the arm , old sodbury porter , keystone cheer up (5).not a bad choice of beer.Bar staff polite , but not over friendly , would suit some might not suit others . As said before called at a funny time , so could not get upstairs. Would like to come , and visit at a different time of the day. On this visit did not quite live up to expectations 7/10.
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NIce pub, busy on both occasions that I popped in. The Ravens Gold (brewed by Blindmans) was excellent and the Raven itself was very good too, a dark one but without the usual porter/stout characteristics. Was a bit unlucky as not all the beers were on during my second visit so had to abort to the OGT but otherwise a pleasant popular pub and the bar service was friendly too
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Visited twice in a week about 2 weeks ago.
First visit found a book club meeting upstairs so downstairs where we ended up was packed,the beer from Butts was only "OK" and was served by a sour barman. Left after one.
Second trip found very good Yeovil beer but again service from another gruff barman who was only interested in watching the clock (We arrived after egg chasing at 1745). HOWEVER the whole atmosphere changed on the arrival of a friendly and industrious dark haired South African barwoman,I wonder is it her who is referred to in the review below(probably). Make this woman the manager Fr Jack says and let her kick the arses of the lazy ones!!! Had several pints!!! Well done lass.
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If your first impressions are of a cramped/busy bar then please try upstairs which has a different atmosphere.
I popped in after work on a Tuesday and (surprisingly) had a rather watery pint. Thankfully the barmaid (landlady?) overheard my remark to a colleague (at an impressive distance from us, too) and immediately changed it for a perfectly decent Raven's Gold.
This is the first time I've had a dodgy pint in this pub, and I was pleased by the service. It's not often you get a drink changed (for free) without even making a complaint. To be fair, she showed concern at the time of pouring and did ask if the beer was OK. I reckon it had just been changed.
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Popped in on Saturday lunchtime. Raven was excellent and the pies looked great.
Only downer was the price (�1 more than over-the-road for a pint of ale and a pint of lime and soda) and the rockabilly barman who was not overly pleased to be disturbed.
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Lovely pub tucked away in the centre of Bath. 5 ales on on our visit but 2 had gone leaving a poorer selection. Raven Gold was in good condition and very nice pint. Comfortable, good-ish service and very busy for mid-afternoon which indicates it's popularity.
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Really impressed with the quality of the ale and the service. The Butts Traditional was sublime and atmosphere good. What more can you say?
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Popped in on Sunday Lunchtime. Much busier than the Old Green Tree, had to wait about 10 mins to be served as the single numpty behind the downstairs bar seemed to be on a go-slow. Settled for a pint of Raven, an excellent, strong, dark Ale specally brewed for the pub. Others available included Raven Gold, a fruit porter and a mystery Ale which the barman didn't know. Food was flying out of the kitchen, the Pieminister pies appearing to be very popular. One of the better pubs in Bath.
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Two floor pub with a bar on each floor, very busy and buzzy on both of the occasions we called in. There are wood panelled walls, high backed settles and lots of stools around the place. Upstairs has mainly tables and chairs. We sat at the bar downstairs the first time we called, very friendly and chatty staff, efficient as well. 6 handpumps on the downstairs bar, Raven and Raven Gold are brewed for them by Blindmans Brewery, plus 3 guest beers and a real cider. Had four pints here over 2 days including the two house brews and all were excellent. It�s a great little place.
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Long downstairs room with a cosy area by the bar and friendly staff. Upstairs not visited. Extensive range of real ales, including the namesake brewed for the pub which was in very good condition. A pint of Raven was �2.70.
Pie and mash for lunch was very tasty. �8+ is perhaps not surprising for Bath in general or a pub in the historic centre in particular.
Ten minutes' walk from Bath Spa railway station. Well worth a visit.
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Went there yesterday during their beer festival, Wessex Brewery Russian stout 9.0% abv was fantastic. Friendly service and good quality ales, one of the best pubs in central Bath.
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One of my favourite Bath pubs mainly due to it�s range of interesting beers, and I wasn�t aware that there was an upstairs bar with more. I like the sparse d�cor and no-nonsense approach, you�re not here to have a coke and milk the fruit machine, you�re not here to sit with a coffee watching daytime TV, you�re here to drink beer. CAMRA and local attraction leaflets available in a bookcase for browsing. Didn�t try the food but the menu looked a bit pricey.
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Simply fantastic. Great choice of ales, magnificent pies with choice of gravy.
It does get very hot, particularly downstairs. And you can get the odd loony.
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Had the best pint of Vanilla Porter I have ever had before. The landlord remembered me (all the way from Texas) and was willing to discuss his real ale selection. Of course, there are at least 5-10 on at any one time and all are well kept (trust me I know). Ambiance is good..no blaring music..no tv's..just right for a proper real ale pub. Well worth a stop over for a few....
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The Raven, we visit everytime we are in Bath, love the food pies are great now 3 veggie varieties very hard to find in most pubs.
The staff are usually friendly, with maybe one or two exceptions.
But beer is always good and varied,one of the better pubs in our opinion.
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The best pub in Bath for me, maybe doesn�t have the range of The Royal Oak, 5 different beers repeated in both bars, but it has the atmosphere and ambiance of a city centre pub. Always seems to be busy, the pies are fantastic, the upstairs is cosy and the beer is in good nick. The one downside would be its tie to Blindmans Brewery reducing its range, otherwise great stuff.
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A proper pub. When it was Hatchetts it was really good. It's almost as good now.
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It always seems to be extremely hot in the raven, uncomfortably so I think, staff a bit moody sometimes but they have good variety of wellkept beers
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Just to put the record straight there are 10 real ales on at all times in the Raven. There are 5 on the downstairs bar and another 5 on the upstairs bar. All kept in tip top condition by the very friendly and helpful staff. Definitely one of the must visit pubs in Bath!
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This place is a right little gem, excellent selection of real ales, and whilst very small inside still has room for two bars (one up one down) - tasteful decor, and freindly cosy atmosphere. Treated myself to a "moo pie" which was very good indeed - apparently a speciality. Definatley recommended!
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Looked like 5 ales on, not 9-10 as mentioned by mrdruse. Only tried the Yeovil Glory which was in excellent condition. Somewhat haughty bar staff and full of people who probably like rugby. We would go back though purely on good ale quality.
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This is a dated post as I visited last year, but the Raven had 9-10 real ales on tap at any one time. These tended to rotate quickly so you were always able to sample a new beer. Landlord was spot on--doesn't put up with loud talkers, chavs, troublemakers, etc. so I felt good about being in there.
The Raven hosts real ale festivals on occassion and the last time we visited had no less than 30 ales that were represented. I tried to sample then all, but gave up after 8 or 9......but it was worth the effort!
I will return!
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Visited last month and sampled the Blindmans Raven beers on offer, as well as the first class pie dinner. It was packed downstairs but 6 of us managed to get a table together upstairs.
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Possibly the best Sunday pint and pie I have ever had. It does'nt get much better than this. Raven Gold was off, so sampled the remaining local ales which were excellent. I can comment on the the female toilets, though compact, were clean and suggested a recent refurb. Go here, its cracking.
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Great pub, go in there. Nothing really bad to say about the place, prices are fine and food is great as well. Personally the Raven Gold is the best pint I have drunk in Bath. As a previous post said, this and the Salamader are very close but this pub just wins. But there so close just go in both!
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Now our favourite pub in Bath, Salamander comes a close second. Friendly /knowledgeable landlord. The house beers both raven and stark raven on top form. Excellent pies. You may even witness a killer Jenga fest!
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Gents have been successfully hosed as previously reported. Yeovil and Stonehenge ales on Thursday night were tip top,barman was pleasant. �2.70 for ale which can be described at ample these days.A good place to go.
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This is an excellent and very well run pub. The smoking ban has assisted in making it a pleasant place to drink, and it has been tidied up considerably since it was Hatchetts. The only bad point about it has been the horrible toilets (male - I don't know about the female) but the male toilets are in the middle of a very nice refurbishment which will leave nothing to criticise. On my last visit on a cold day the pub was pleasantly warm with a good selection of beers - I had Journey's End from the Downton Brewery in Salisbury - very good. And the big bonus for this pub is that dogs are not permitted inside - quite rightly where food and drink is being served.
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Excellent pub with some rare beers, too many for the short time I had available! Will have to return sometime soon. The food menu looked interesting and I have heard good reports about the quality. Possibly my second favourite Bath pub after the Star.
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Well worth a visit - gets very busy in the evenings though. Good range of well kept ales.
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Good beer. Good pies. Good atmosphere.
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Excellent beer selection, a nice friendly pub. Well recommended.
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Excellent range of ales and friendly service. Good mix of clientele. Will linger for longer another time.
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Don�t remember a great deal about this pub as we were coming towards the end of a Bath crawl in the New Year. I do however recall friendly service, a good range of beers being on offer and having an excellent pint of the 6% Stark Raven Xmas from the Blindmans Brewery (I think).
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I enjoyed my trip to this pub. Popped in when passing by for a quick pint and ended up trying two of the Raven beers. Would have had more if the girlfriends had not dragged us to the Pump Rooms for afternoon tea!
Didn't have one of the pies but they looked greeeaaaat (as Tony T once said).
Camra Bath and Borders pub of the year 2006 according to a certificate on the wall.
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Very good selection of beer, always in good condition. Food very good too - the Mr Porky pie was lovely. One of bath's best.
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Impressive range of drink and food which accounted for the pub being packed on a very wet saturday. Raven beers rather nice and the food looked good especially the pies. Recommended.
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Loved this pub - Great Beer & food well worth trying - we ate there twice over the weekend - it even serves meals up to 4pm on a Sunday!
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A good selection of well kept ales. Busy but in a friendly sort of way. I was only in bath for two days but this was one of the few pubs I went to twice (there was a lot to get around but I tried!)
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a very fine, rejuvinated pub. An interesting selection of well-kept ales offered at reasonable prices. Good atmosphere despite the familiar Bath problem of being badly laid out.Can get very busy, most notably on match days, but don't let that put you off. One of the best pubs in the centre of Bath and certainly now offering a more consistent pint than the once unbeatable Old Green Tree.
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An excellent pub. Great food (specialises in pies - you have to go twice to try both the chips and mash!)
Good beer well served, adn regular turn around of guest ales. Upstairs is non smoking. Have always found the staff friendly and polite, and the service is quick. An excellent pub - have been there a number of times and its been great each time.
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Good selection of real ales still at �2.50 a pint. Gets very busy at times. It was better when it was Hatchetts, but the Hobgoblin is only down the road if the pie-eaters and rugby fans start to annoy you!
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I wasn't in Bath long enough to check out all the pubs (defeatist I know) but I have to say that Raven Ale is one of the best pints I've had in a long long time! Sadly I only had time to quaff two pints before the train home.
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Good pub for this part of Bath
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Pleased to say the Mulled Wine thing was a joke ( I'm such a gullible fool ) Hopback Red Ember was nice as was the Kenysham Pixash. Barman was a bit moody though but you can't have everything.
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Looks as if everyone who's visited the Raven lately has found the same as me. Excellently-kept, interesting range of ales, always with a local brew or two represented. I haven't tried the food (yet), but in a hostelry where quality is high in every other aspect then it wouldn't surprise me to find it is equally worthwhile.
It is cosy, unpretentious and characterised by a mixed clientele, rendering it neither studenty nor posh.
Nice off-beat location for a few wind-down beers and a good chinwag, the people behind the Raven really have realised the potential that its biker-orientated predecessor Hatchetts never did. It seems that Bath is one of the few towns in which changes to older pubs can sometimes constitute an actual improvement! Keep up the good work folks.
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Fantastic- best food in town- try a cold-cut pie salad- excellent location, really nicely decorated and fine ales and cider on tap. Staff have always been very friendly to us, the chef comes out upstairs and chats to the customers etc...by the way there IS an upstairs and its non-smoking so a plus there, the staircase is hidden away at the right end of the building.
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Lovely little pub just off the main drag in Bath. The beer, wine and food are excellent but the staff could be a bit more enthusiastic. They give the impression that they are doing you a favour. That said, this is my favourite pub in Bath by far.
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This pub is excellent. I always go here whenever I am in Bath. The beer is lovely, with 5 or six well kept ales which seem to be changed fairly frequently and with 9 different types of pie and 3 different types of gravy to be had, you are unlikely to go hungry.
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This is a fantastic pub. It has an extensive none smoking area. The beer is great and is well kept by people who care about the product that they aer selling. Pubs like this are such a breath of fresh air! I would make an extensive detour to visit this pub. Excellent. Simply excellent!
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The beer is excellently looked after and changes regularly. It is also all priced at �2.50 which makes life easier when you've lost the ability to count. Which does happen after a few pints of their own Raven ale - which I think is a Blindman's.
It does get packed though, especially if the rugby is in town so watch out for a high percentage of braying fools with overbites.
Imagine The Green Tree but designed by committee.
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Good beer and great pies.
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really good pub, especially the live music
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A comfortable, drinkers' pub, with bars on two floors. Used to be a bit rough around the edges in its previous incarnation, although it has perhaps lost a bit of character in the transition. Still, there are some unusual ales available, and its always worth a visit when in Bath.
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Once a great biker pub, with the best juke box in town, the Raven, in its former incarnation as Hatchetts, was a real old fashioned boozer of the highest order, but is now just another ten a penny city centre bar. Nice idea to do pie and mash, but at least make your pastry crispy. Too much microwave, me thinks. However, good beer is still there and reasonable wines.
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