please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Excellent choice of beers and real quality. Either you like micropubs or you don't. If you do, this is one of the best.
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Tiny pub. Two pale beers, an ipa and a porter on and in stunning condition. Arguably some of the best beer I've had in a very long time. Was staying in the town for work and had to go back every night.
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This former newsagents on the station is an absolute gem and was the one place I wanted to visit while in Hartlepool.
7 of us arrived here just before 6.30pm and it was already busy. All drinks served by their number from the large blackboard which all the locals adhere to and then the drinks are brought directly to your seat by the owner and he's wife, cracking service but not always with a smile!
3 ales, 1 cider & 1 Perry on cask, alongside a reasonable sized range of Belgian bottled ales. My choice was Mordue Amber Ale, a cracking beer with good flavours and colour and a nice session beer @ 4.3%.
This place has won many awards since it opened and I can see why, they have served almost 1200 different ales by the time of my visit, with at least 2 new ales added during the 90 minutes we spent here.
No lager, spirits or alcopops sold, there’s plenty of signs dotted about warning people of this.
The locals are very friendly and we chatted & had decent banter with them, we were even recommended a curry house for dinner, that proved to be excellent.
Easily the best place to drink in Hartlepool, the location couldn’t be better as it’s right on the station however I would just warn you to check the opening times as they are around the train, closed on Sunday and Monday.
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Small room with limited opening hours (16:02 to 20:15 on a Wednesday evening). No bar as such your place your order with the bloke by the back door (or he comes round). Room for not much more than a dozen people. Good selection of ales on though can be a bit too cosy.You'll either get on or go elsewhere.
anonymous - 30 Mar 2014 17:59 |
This pub proves you don't need music or TV just good beer and good crac.
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What an amazing place! No reason to go anywhere else in town as far as I could see.
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Brilliant job with the beer selections a little gem.
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Unusual tiny bar in the railway station. All beers served from the cask. Four beers and two ciders on. Had the Buxton Bitter, Navigation Stout and Hawkshead USPA (6%) all in excellent condition. Watch for the unusual opening hours.
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The Buxton SPA this week was spot On. Usual good selection of different styles of beer.
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tiny bar for conversation and real ale.
4 real ales on great quality and selection, recommended for a visit.
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Quirky place attached to Hartlepool station. It's about the size of a front room with no place for a bar - the beer is served from a cupboard. Good selection of ales on and the guidance for lager drinkers about what to have is a nice touch. If you want a decent pint served by friendly staff, come here. If you want fizzy beer, pub grub and Sky Sports, go elsewhere.
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Interesting gaff, and very welcome addition to the real ale options in a town not noted for them. The beer in this tiny but convivial conversion was in very good form, and it seems to attract the more discerning drinkers to judge from the conversations we had.
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Get a life devmac. They have toilets on trains don't they?
He runs a pub, not a public lav for little girls.
How is he irresonsible and bigotted just because he reserves the use of his bog for customers?
It's people like you who put other people off from going into business.
He's right, he's not there to solve your problems and neither are we. Next time, stay in Seaham ... you deserve each other.
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My partner Kelly and I visited the Tall Ships at Hartlepool on Saturday 8th August 2010. We have two daughters, aged 4 (Elle) and 3 years (Isla). We caught the train at Seaham and alighted at Hartlepool train station. We were in a great mood and looking forward to our day out. Both of my daughters needed to go to the toilet desperately as we arrived at Seaham so my partner approached the licensee (Peter Morgan) just inside the entrance of the pub and asked if our two little girls could use the toilet. As she had seen a sign at the entrance to the pub saying that only customers are allowed to use the pub, Kelly offered to buy a drink as a compromise if our girls could use the pubs toilet. He refused.Kelly was carrying Isla and had hold of Elle's hand as she spoke to him. She asked again, stressing that both girls were very desperate and reiterating that she would buy a drink. His reply was "I'M NOT HERE TO SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS". I would not write on this review what I think of this person, as I am a better personthan that.
I cannot believe that a licensee of a pub at a railway station, as small as Hartlepool would have such a terrible attitude. I would imagine that Hartleppol Railway Station will be very interested to hear about this incident and will be writing to them this week.
Why would anyone want to support a business such as the Rat Race Ale House, lining the pockets of a person such as Peter Morgan, the licensee with such a irresponsible bigotted attitude as that. What an arrogant insolent person!!!!
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Howay Gerremin what do you expect from a micropub - luxuries ... anyway there's a key hanging by the far door for the station loo, but I'll agree with you that its not easy to leave.
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It's a proper drinking pub - no bar, no loo, no lager, no telly, no music, no frills. The sort of place which is difficult to leave - a swift pint in constant danger of turning into a session.
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I have been looking forward to visiting this pub since hearing about it, and becoming a friend on facebook, so enjoyed my visit with family on Friday. We enjoyed Barngates Tag Lag and Hop Back Fuggles, and it was very friendly as its smallness makes conversation around the few tables flow easily. Shame it has to adjust opening hours according to match fixtures, but it is well worth visiting when in the area.
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