Old Fox and Hounds, Croydonback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Greene King pub at the West Croydon end of the main shopping street/area of Croydon, so away from most of the other pubs and bars.
Usual standard Greene King drinks, IPA and Abbots. Reasonably priced. Hasn't changed much in years.
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Trivia: Electric Light Orchestra played their first ever live gig here in 1972. Worth popping in for that alone isn't it?
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This is a great pub in a rubbish area. Once inside- very pleasantly surprised. The staff and bubbly and friendly and always up for the craic. The beer is cheap and tastes good.
There is sport shown when any important matches are on (all types of sport). The locals are friendly- sort of pub that the ladies could frequent
The have karaoke every Friday- hosted alternatively by Mandy Barnett and Danny Murphy. Mandy's nights are always popular and busy- Danny's quieter and full of sexual innuendos! He has spent time in Belmarsh for sexual offences and is currently on the sex offenders list. He is sleeping with several women at the same time- Alison Williams, Janine Simmons, Lorraine Crowley and Lea Hessell to name but a few. Avoid at all costs. It's a shame the pub has to have people like him in there
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Popped in here after the Ship of Fools closed and was pleasantly surprised once inside. A cosy pub inside, with a friendly/not so friendly Irish landlord. It is a Green king pub so everything on offer is bog standard, but to be honest you'd have to be an idiot to expect anything else in a place like West Croydon. They have quiet background music and Sky sports so can get quite busy when the footy is on. It is a case of a pub (although nothing special) definitely being better than the area it is in.
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Came down here to go to The Ship of Fools to find a Sainsbury’s
Needing a leak I popped in here and was presently surprised as it looks a bit shabby from outside.
Nice wooden interior furniture and flooring.
3 hand pulls 2 for Greene King IPA and one for Abbot which I had and very nice it was too for £2.90.
Some piped music was playing and a load of TV’s were showing repeats of what looked like Spanish footy.
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Popped in on a Sunday afternoon. The place was heaving with lots of sport going on. Football, racing, gaelic and snooker.
European lager was on at £2.40 a pint and very drinkable. Not much to look at but a great traditional pub. If for whatever reason I end up in West Croydon again I will be stopping by.
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hey there people , anyway i was in this pub a couple of weeks back when i was in croydon visiting my brother so on the way i poped in and first there was a lovely friendly irish girl called tracy i think to greet me so that was nice plus it looks like a good clean well run pub so thumps up from me
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What a great shame TWG decides to spout such an enormous amount of, quite frankly, pompous claptrap, in order to actually state that this is a half decent pub, kept well, within the realms of what the landlord can/will do. Without getting into the (vast) argument about what tenant/ brewery responsibilities are ( and most landlords do a damn sight more than obligated, purely because they are sick of chasing brewery managers to fulfill their obliations, incurring more costs, to try to keep an investment alive...let alone even think about drawing a wage), I am not going to pontificate to praise.
If a pub caters to its' customers....ace. If they have to spend to attract...ace, if it works. If they have to spend to attract folks who then spend 75% of a post criticising the brewery, the building, etc then throw a tidbit to the pub, and those who actually work prolly at least 18 hrs a day.....then to be honest I really wouldnt want you in my pub.
I suggest next time you post, you research, on many fronts. Many pubs are tied to various brands, if folks wish to support then TRY new ales, that may not be tied. You may not like it, but if you stick to tried and tested, you wont sample the great range on offer, and the licensee won't risk money by trying new barrels...only to pour them away cos their customers are stick in the muds.
Things work both ways. TRY, if you dont like, make new suggestions, and try those also, rather than criticising a structure that cannot be altered. By not trying, you are part of the "general level" of customers.
Finally, next time you post, be succinct, I have purposefully not been, to illustrate a point. Apologies to all for not being, bar you: TWG.
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Vicis Dico Totus ! I think that i'll make a more considered judgement!
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finaly a real pub with a real manager, a good old fashioned irishman started there last week and he is the business, without doubt the best manager to run this place in the last ten years, good on danny dempsey for finaly bringing in a real people person to manage this place, long live the fox and hopefully the paint job on the front will match up to the new manager,,,,
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Agree with some of the comments - fairly interesting interior, friendly barman - though the GK IPA was no more then average at best, quaffed to the soundtrack of a chap at the bar whose overly loud diatribe was littered with profanities.
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I doubt that most punters of all variable colours and preferences would regard this pub as an exceptionally high-performing or memorable outlet. However, in one regard, hovering around the terminally average mark isn't so undesirable, and being unmemorable at least means nothing too dreadful was experienced when there, even if nothing was perceived to excel.
The Fox and Hounds is a fairly bog-standard Greene King hostelry, featuring up to 3 (but in my occasional experience only 2) of their steady though uninspiring cask ales, and the customary array of factory lagers and Irish stouts. Its decor is pleasant enough on the exterior, suggesting a solid comfortable Victorian local; indoors one finds very few shreds of authentic tradition, but all the same it does not incite revulsion, with its bland but safe oaken panels and comfortable-enough fittings and fixtures. Any creativity in design or ambience would only have to compete with the big screen on the left-hand side anyhow, which doesn't do for everyone.
Clearly this pub pitches realistically to the general level of its customers - many regular but equally a fair number of passers-by, who wish to eschew the JDW option further down but whose tastes are not at the high-end. It is never likely to be a mecca for fine food or diverse local beers.
Nevertheless though, for all my half-hearted comments, 2 things for me have stood out as being surprising on my last couple of appearances: first, the genuine hearty welcome one receives from the Irish chap behind the bar (licensee maybe?), who is chatty and responsive to comment, and second, the quality of the GK IPA, which is consistently good - and at only �2.25 a pint I could hardly have complained if it had been average. Yes, I realise it's hardly an earthshattering choice, but trust me, as an ale lover one really should notice when one is served up a more-than-passable pint of this most ubiquitous of beers. Well done to the management for these little extras, which alas one does not learn to expect from this neighbourhood.
As it stands, the F&H is an earthy 'proper' alternative to the swamp of chain outlets nearby, and does at least seem to avoid the most perniciously anti-social of Croydonites.
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Greene King standard pub - take it or leave it.
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Just to correct Bucking on his point about the charge at the door, this was introduced in an attempt to stop the freeloading locals of West Croydon from coming into the pub to watch the game without having any intention of buying a drink. I don't really like the pub as it has little to offer except some of the most excellent people in the area and they sell Abbot ale, IPA never really did it for me.
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I popped in over the weekend and the pub and the area quite suit one another an air of decay pervades both.I can see the attraction you have for the place Alph, I imagine that you slot in in a seamless way.The Greene King I.P.A. was drinkable.I will not be rushing to repeat the experience though as other pubs in the borough have a better range of ales that are better kept and cheaper.
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Just to correct Slerpy - Greene King IPA won the Gold award at the 2004 Campaign for Real Ale Great British Beer Festival in the Bitter category - but was merely runner-up in the Champion Beer Of Britain category!
Personally, I like GK IPA, but my point was that it is often kept poorly. Not in the Old Fox and Hounds however.
I was there again this afternoon and it was just as good. Consistency is important. Going there again tonight!
Cheers,
AR
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I have just read the previous post by Alph River and failed to understand his claims concerning Greene King I.P.A. thinking that Alzheimers had affected my ancient memory I checked to see wether this famous much sought after ale was so really unappreciated.In 2004 Greene King IPA won the CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain award.I rather like it on a hot sunny day( yeah, o.k. rare .I know!) Perhaps personal palate has something to do with it! It is good to know that it is in such good condition in the F and H and wil enjoy some soon.
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A deceptively spacious pub with a very interesting and relatively unspoilt interior, a rare thing in these theme-pub dominated days.
It was quiet when we visited and the manager greeted us pleasantly as if we were regulars tho' it was our first visit, and we felt welcome and comfortable - not always the case in this part of Croydon...
Greene King IPA and Abbot were the cask beers on offer, not very good news to one of our group who actively dislikes IPA and Abbot, but after sampling a wee half he had a couple of pints more!
The point being - GK IPA is ubiquitous in the free trade where it is often the token "real ale" in a pub dominated by lager drinkers. Very low turnover lets the beer go stale and reinforces the idea it's duff.
HOWEVER, when the manager knows what he's doing as in this pub, IPA can be a revelation as it was to us, more used to Dark Star and Thornbridge beers these days. It was fresh, well-balanced, and easy to drink, and as I've said, inviting enough to have a couple more. I enjoyed the Abbot as well, albeit a little sweet for by Hophead-blasted taste buds.
Visit this pub, and enjoy the well-kept beer in a traditional setting.
Good one.
Cheers,
AR
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A Greene King pub which has ESPN sports channel and which charges �3 to watch live Premiership footie which is screened exclusively in the left hand bar ,so if you want to go in to drink and avoid the match you will be directed to the right hand bar.The entrance fee means the bar doesnt get too crowded when a game is on and you can sit at a table and sup in comfort.Unfortunately the ale is confined to GK IPA and Abbott which although clean are unexciting brews.Lively atmosphere during the matches without turning nasty and the boozer is clean and tidy with a doorman to ensure everyone behaves,which is not always the case in West Croydon.
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Very handy for West Croydon station. I was surprised at how big the pub is inside. Despite the space I did notice as soon as I walked in the unmistakeable smell of cigarette smoke. I then realised that this was probably being caused by the smokers using the outside courtyard who were blowing their smoke back into the pub through the open door as they watched the football on the TV. Other than that little niggle this is a decent comfortable pub with a good (if smoky) atmosphere. Unlike Millay's experience the service was quick but then there were only about a dozen other customers in.
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This pub has a fantastic interior with wooden, carpeted and tiled floors in different parts of the pub. There's a lot of wooden fittings and a nice marble fireplace. The whole pub is covered in old advertising signs for Hovis, milk, cigarettes, Brasso etc. The seating is both stury and comfortable and there is a small outside courtyard plus an upstairs pool room. A mainly elderly male clientele gave the impression they wouldn't stand for kids coming in causing trouble. Just GK IPA aqnd Abbot which was a bit of a letdown and the service left a bit to be desired. Good pub though and worth a visit. Right opposite West Croydon train station.
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went in on monday night waited for a drink while the staff were talking , got a pint of stella you would not give the glass to a dog to drink out of it was rotten ,will not be going back, i will wait 20 mins for the train on the platform
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Went in here one lunch time. It's a bit of a dive. Asked for a bottle of red wine and all they had was a three-quarters full bottle which tasted like it had been opened the previous Christmas. Undrinkable. No food and a fat Staffordshire Bull Terrier with the most appalling wind. Every time he wandered past it was gagging. He was very friendly though, which is all rather sad because I can't imagine he has any friends. Hate to think what the size of the hole in the ozone layer is like over Croydon. Thank goodness there is no smoking anymore or we would have all gone up in a great ball of fire.
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