Fatling and Firkin, Hornchurchback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
£2.50 for a pint of real ale on the production of a CAMRA membership card and every sixth pint free if you get a pub card stamped. Beer is very good, but bar staff have to ask their supervisor on how to work the till for the discount.
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We went in here just before Christmas on a saturday afternoon. It was always a bit 'tacky' and threatening before but has now been refurbished and looks pleasant, done out in the popular dark wooden floors and fittings style. There was a nice selection of ales on and we watched the footie. On weekend nights, when the cokeheads get in, the atmosphere may be different, but it was gentile enough when we were in there.
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My bother and I plus a friend regularly have a sandwich and coffee for £2.50 Normally the food and service is good, but on the last visit the coffee arrived promptly but the sandwiches came up, one at a time, after a 25 minute wait!
Not only that but the bacon and sausage was overcooked,and one sandwich came on white bread instead of brown.
No apologies were forthcoming for the delay and it wasn't as if the pub was very busy.
We will be taking our patronage in future to the Sutton in Hornchurch which provides a similar package
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This is a pub that seems to do a little of everything, and does each thing very well. Monday to Saturday, fantastic food, high quality and if you read the promotions on the tables you can pick out the offers and two can eat and drink for under a tenner. The coffee seems to be better (and alot more affordable) than Costa, who seem to be trying to buy up Hornchurch and Upminster.
On the sport side of things the pub seems to be able to oblige with showing everything at once! I can have the footy on one screen, the rugby on another and sky sports on yet another TV screen all within eye shot. I tell you I would rather prop up the bar and tip the staff than pay for the extra sky packages at home.
Speaking of which the staff, for the most part are brilliant. They spend half their time tripping over each other in a good humored way to serve, help and be friendly as possible. The other half the time there a little more professional, and possibly understaffed. When its busy I have never seen a staff member not doing at least two things at the same time and still giving great service. When I said 'for the most part' I would like to clarify, I have seen these staff deal with some very nasty characters and they are well in their rights to occasionally be grumpy. Such grumpiness has never been aimed at myself as a customer, but the staff certainly have my sympathy.
However the whole atmosphere changed on the weekend evenings when a variety of live music is fired at you at around a thousand decibels. I must say the pick of bands and acts has more variety nowadays and each artist is very accomplished. But nonetheless loud, and the pub is filled with merry makers and also some less reputable characters at these times.
The outside areas have certainly been looked after and there is a welcoming environment open to the high street complete with giant parasols, heaters and an outside TV!
Its not all sunshine for the Fatling and Firkin though. These toilets are possibly the worst I have ever had the misfortune to use. There were rumours of new toilets for a while, but they seemed to have scarpered and whoever stopped this from happening should possibly be shot.
Quite the ramble from me, but I hope its helpful.
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Final Straw.
Easter weekend was Packed with Coke Heads.
I've never seen more blokes queing for the gent cubicals tonignt, than dysntery weekend in the jungle. On a very p!ssed off exit, I happend to bump into the land lady, who, expressing some discomfort, responded with an "I couldn't gice a shit" attitude. Getting the Plod, involved isn't going to help her retirement fund is it? So lets see.
Giving my trade else where. An Ex Local.
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A lovely-looking pub right in the middle of Hornchurch High Street. If you like really loud ear-bashing live bands, a hot packed-out pub where you have to stand up all night on a Friday/Saturday - then fine. Personally, not my cup of tea. I like a quieter pub, where I can sit down and have a quiet, comfortable drink, so I will only go in there Mon-Weds when there are no trashy, live bands on. Lovely outside sitting area - great in the summer. If it wasnt for the ear-deafening live bands and been too packed out on Fri/Sat nights, I might go in there a bit more often
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I was very disappointed to find that the Kronenbourg was taken off and not coming back this was their only decent lager. From a very good pub with great smoking facilities it has now become a pub i will reluctantly drink in.
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popped in a while back on a recent trip back to the "manor" , the beer garden (the bit out the back , the small bit) has been painted and looked quite nice , the smoking area (old car park) was still pretty much the same , except they have now put a telly outside (different i spose) , inside the pub it was still pretty much the same , the smell was still there , had a pint , which wasnt too bad , cheaper than where i live , the staff seemed friendly but they always were , to be honest not much has changed except for as Tackleberry mentioned the drug dealing , was asked by 3 different people if i wanted some "sniff" ? and this was during the day (around 3pm)
pub is still pretty much the same as it used to be except for being able to buy the ICI back catalog in the pub
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You need to take out a mortgage to drink in here , its dingy and looks like its been decorated by someone who is colourblind . The staff are great but the managment leave alot to be disired . great in the summer if you can afford to drink here x
anonymous - 11 Mar 2010 17:54 |
Since my first review of this establishement, some six months ago, I thought an update would be useful.
STILL FIRKIN' SHAMEFULL!!!!
Despite a recent exodus of regulars and an influx of wallet laden mug punters, things are disapointingly the same. The lesson that should be learnt is by the customers ����� in the till is all that counts. This was backed up by a local newspaper review of the "Bull". Landlady praised for increasing income and best Live Venue in the area, as voted by the customers. I never saw any voting forms in the pub, or any other local venues to be honest! Firkin management "Over the moon" with turnover during a resessional time. Not surprising that the bar prices INCREASED AGAIN after this loacl publicity stunt.
There is a resurrgent stunt where the beer pipes get cleaned during opening hours. So your desired tipple of choice goes off line untill the next day!
Where does the money go? Not on sorting out the DISGUSTING TOILETS (Gents and Ladies) thats for sure. The stench is still dreadful, even after the appearance of a "Glade-Plug-In" freshner. (Yes we saw that one coming from the 99p store over the road!!)
The bar flies have gone.Whether this was extermination or their own free will, the jury is still undecided.
There are some new umbrellas/tables/barriers to appease the smokers, but that's it. 6 months and its still as bad as before.
I still feel for the bar staff, who bear the brunt of the ignorant mannerless customers who now feel the urge to shout "Yid Army" every ten minutes.
Am I getting old for this venue? Probably, but I'm gonna be a bu99er while I drink there this Xmas, and I'm not paying a tenna for some rather poor xmas entertainment, I'm off to the post office for another grumble.
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I've been coming here for years now. I tend to come down at the weekends, (who can say no to a free live music venue?!) but recently I brought my mum down for a birthday lunch, and I was surprised what a turn around it can be.
A party pub at night and still able to have a great bit of lunch? Service was great as usual, keep it up you lot!
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Great little pub, always a friendly atmosphere and the live music is always a selling point.
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This really is a pub for all reasons with great staff and management.Good for a fish and chip lunch and pint of real ale by day , or footie on plasma TV`s at night and now legendary for FREE LIVE MUSIC every week.For what you pay you really do get great vaue at this High St Hostelry in Hornchurch.Fabulous !
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Dump. Crap service. Bar staff serve their mates first. Beer awful. I prefer JJ Moons across the road, so that's saying something eh ?
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its a freak bar and no mistake, its all good though as hornchurch is hardly a drinkers paradise. if you snoke this is your dream pub as plenty of outdoor smoking space, great bar with a good team who pull a lovely pint. not to good on the bird front, sometimes ok on a saturday night but all together a poor showing.
anonymous - 18 Oct 2007 09:10 |
male totty ? im normally in there , young virile man lol this is probably the best pub in hornchurch, i personally have never had a problem in here , apart from when a good band is on , then its just a pain in the rear trying to get served but the atmos is good the beer is generally pretty good and the staff are excellent
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This is definitely the best pub in Hornchurch although I also agree the clientelle has changed a little for the worse since the refurb. Some great live bands on from Thurs to Sat and the best disco on Sunday with DJ Howie. Could definitely do with more karaoke nights though.
Good pub to watch the footie too, always a good atmosphere and never any trouble.
Bar staff and bouncers very good but it's definitely the regulars that make this place. They're a very friendly and lively lot, especially the 20-20 club, the posties, gay boy, biker boy and the fruit man.
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Staff are generally good - esp the bouncers and my 2 fav barmen, Lewis and Danny. DJ Howie is fab and a good variety of bands play down here. Has changed a bit since lloyds closed and since the refurbishment but fights are a rarity and atmosphere is usually good. Downside - the Loos are a bit of a disgrace and would be better if there was more male totty in the place(!)
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since the refurb its not the same , the dark and dingyness that gave this pub the character that made it brilliant has gone , and so has my enthustiasm for the fatlin , i agree with the comment that all the old llyods drinkers have migrated this way , think this pub is now a cross between llyods and the hogs , but apart from the decor i have never had a bad time in this pub , the beers good the staff are excellent and the food is good value for money and spot on , ive drunk in this pub for around 6 or 7 years now and its still quite high on my list of hornchurch pubs , but its getting to the point now where everything is all the same , its getting boring
but all in all this is a great pub with great staff which serves (normally) great beer at reasonable prices a 8/10 , wouldve been a 10 but they have done away with one fruit machine and put the quiz machine right in a corner by a table which is hard to play if other people are at the table
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all the scum from llyods have found the way to this pub now , used to be the best in hornchurch , but the refurb and the new clientelle add up to shit
anonymous - 23 Jan 2007 13:15 |
Not sure about this one since the refurb. It has lost a bit of character, but the prices are reasonable.
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Steve, why didn't you call the police yourself?
Over-priced it is not, especially if you're in there on a Thursday night.
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I used to be a regular but will never set foot inside this shit-hole for the following reason: Imagine sitting at the window table with a few mates, gazing outside because the pub has gone so far down the toilet - it's depressing, and a mad, drunken tramp starts stabbing an 8 inch knife at the window inches from your face. Imagine telling the Manager to call the police because the tramp has staggered off towards another group of revellers, a group of 6 or 8 women. Now imagine the Manager refusing to act because of 'bad publicity for the pub' and 'let another pub report it....it's their problem now.'
Well, someone did call the police. It took 8 coppers with batons and cs spray to get the knife away from the nutter (what chance the un-armed women had is anyones guess)
And the place is now full of chavs and over-priced.
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Best pub in Hornchurch by quite a way. A recent refurb has affected the character only slightly but it remains essentially the same. Good beer, reasonably priced, good atmosphere and some cracking live bands at no extra cost.
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and do not ask what the sign which reads T.P.O.Y.C.I.A.D.F.T.B.S means , it means the price of your curiosity is a drink for the bar staff , and that way you get lumbered buying a bigger round than you intended
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i defy anyone to go in during the day and get bad service (except the larger girl with dark frizzy hair shes a bit weird ) the staff are friendly , the pub has a bit of charecter to it , but compared to the trendy chav infested holes this is a welcome change , no matter what your style or age (21+) you will get a good welcome , sometimes due to lousy pumps the beer goes a bit wrong and they end up with just bottles only (twice in 6 yrs so not bad) but i can honestly say now this has been added to the site this is my number 1 pub in hornchurch , 1 pool table , 3 fruit machines , 1 quiz machines and a juke box , and they also play live music on thurs fri sat and sun nights , a blinding pub also does food but i have never tried that
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