Bell Inn, Caerleonback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
In the GBG but shouldn't be really. Looks good from the outside but faux interior and second rate beer served by staff who couldn't give a flying shite Not quite nil points but pretty close to it
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The Bell Inn is on the opposite side of the river from most pubs and the main Roman sites in Caerleon. It's tucked away up a quaint backstreet. It's probably the best pub Caerleon has to offer. But there's significant scope for improvement. Before we'd even managed to get to the bar, we were jumped upon by a lady who asked if she could help us. I replied that I'd like to purchase a drink. But she quickly decided to tell us that all of the lagers were off! I was more focused on the list of ciders on a blackboard though. I was trying to work out whether they were all draught or whether they were bottles when the barmaid decided to ignore me in favour of somebody about to place a huge food and drinks order. When the barmaid got this wrong, it took an eternity to rectify and only 5 minutes later did one of the other staff members, who were sat talking the wrong side of the bar, decide to help out. So much for being jumped upon on arrival! It soon transpired that they didn't have all of the ciders/perries on the board as our first request was off. Assuming the rest were available, the selection was Weston's Rosie's Pig, Old Rosie & Flat Tyre, Aspall's Temple Moon, Cyderkyn & Raspberry & Ginger, Abrahalls Lily The Pink, Thatcher's Stan's Big Apple, Traditional & Cheddar Valley & Garden Cider Company Vintage. The two ales were Wainwright & Boltmaker. The pub was very quiet inside. This may have had something to do with the lack of lager. But there were a few in the suntrap terrace garden at the rear. Good pub, but with service issues.
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Edit: Tommy Cooper, not Benny Hill... ;-)
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Impressive cider and perry menu, lovely interior, Benny Hill jokes in the toilet to keep you occupied.
Friendly staff, always willing to give extra information about the ciders, and very ready to help out with any questions.
Food was well priced, some original dishes, very large portions and very well cooked. High standards all round, huge cheeseboard (the landlord said he had put on some extra, seeing that we were two).
Pretty damn good place!
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Visited on BH Monday. Not much has changed since last visited in 2008!Very nice welcoming pub. Beer choice OK with Vale of Glamorgan and Wickwar available alongside Wells Bombardier. Excellent range of ciders of perry's (around 20 in total). Didn't try food but others said it was good, if a bit pricey, but then it is a gastropub so not surprising. Would visit again if in area.
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Nice old world inn,with rear garden terrace pity this was spoilt by a large koi carp water tank.Looked warm and inviting the building that is. The specials board had sausage/bubble squeak/etc on at �8.00p.On perusing the menu the prices were steep,you can get a michelin starred chef at these prices over the smoke.So did not avail of the dining experience which these prices should afford.I probably suspect that this place is one for the executive person and or other persons who are prepared to dole out the high prices,but not me alas..
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I visited The Bell last Wednesday evening with friends and what an experience. The place was packed and the atmosphere was amazing. This old coaching inn,I think dates back some 400 years and I have to say the chracter and charm of the place does shine through. Traditional Celtic folk music was being performed at the pub which made our dining experience even more memorable.
The selection of real ales and ciders was very extensive, the pint of Celt Gold I enjoyed was superb, my mate had a pint of Black Dragon cider which he said really hit the spot. I also noted a number of CAMRA awards above the fireplace.
The staff were warm and friendly, also we didn't get that 'head turning' you get sometimes when you walk into a strange pub. It felt really warm and friendly.
I could wax lyrical about the food but needless to say it was excellent, my partner had the smoked salmon and walnut salad to start which was very good indeed. It was all cooked to perfection, the fish was particularly good. Oh and to top it off they even had a great wine list, we enjoyed a lovely bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape with our dinner.
The Bell is a great pub for 'grown ups' we will certainly be calling agian soon.
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Caerleon is an attractive and historic village with lots of pubs, and you'd think it would be a great place for a pint and a bite to eat. Sadly, most of its pubs - even the good-looking ones in ancient buildings - are underachieving boozers, good for nothing more than Saturday night vertical drinking.
The Bell comes closest to being a proper pub, and is certainly a good place for a drink. It has one of the biggest ranges of cider I've ever seen, many of them from the excellent local Gwynt y Ddraig brewery. I haven't tried the ale, but any pub that takes this much care over its cider is likely to look after its beer as well.
The pub itself is a lovely old stone building with bags of character and a friendly atmosphere. There are two downsides, though - it's on the 'wrong' side of the river, so that you're separated from most of Caerleon's historic attrations, such as the amphitheatre, the Fforwm arts centre and the Roman legion museum. Secondly, it is trying hard to be a food pub, and not quite suceeding. More than half the seating area is given over to a restaurant-style arrangement, and the lunchtime menu offers a range of ambitious-sounding mains at the �10-15 price range.
The problem is, the food is very ordinary indeed. A recent Sunday lunch was bland beyond belief, and although the weekday menu seems a little better, prices are still 20-30% too high. Some of the dishes are just bad combinations - a smoked salmon salad came with mountains of sliced onion and walnuts. What's that all about? As far as I can see, there is no real cooking going on at the Bell, so to charge this much for food is pretty outrageous.
Having said that, The Bell is doing a lot better than its Caerleon rivals, many of which are dire, but it's a shame that no-one in the village has quite put together a decent pub where you can both enjoy a good pint and have a tasty and reasonably priced bite to eat. It can't be that difficult, can it? Nearby Usk and Abergavenny are full of pubs that pull it off.
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Tucked away down a backstreet, this popular pub supplies a selection of real ales and ciders, well worth a visit if you are in the area
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Fantastic small pub with fine local food, great beer garden bbqs in summer. A must for any visitor or local alike.
belin - 20 Sep 2006 15:28 |
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