Picture Palace, Braintreeback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The Picture Palace was my first of 3 pubs in Braintree. It's a large Wetherspoons in an old cinema building. Most tables were taken on my Friday lunchtime visit. But it is half term and there were many families present. A strange feature was an orderly queue at the bar, which I don't see too often. It seems more of a trend in pubs in the north, not something I've noticed in the south too often. I avoided the queue to peruse the ale selection - Wibblers Hop Black, Bishop Nick 1555, Morland Old Speckled Hen, Kelham Island Pale Rider, Conwy Welsh Pride, Greene King Abbot, Ruddles Best & Sharps Doom Bar. Cider was Old Rosie. I rejoined the queue, only to find a couple of girls walk straight up to the bar. All credit to the bar staff, they served the queue first. I was slightly worried that the Hop Black would be a little too hoppy for me. But it was a decent ale. I did also try the Wagon & Horses nearby. That was a Greene King pub not listed on here. But the Picture Palace was the better pub.
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Cavernous former cinema in Art Deco style located on a windy corner near the bus station. Always at least 6-8 real ales on and well kept too. Standard Wetherspoons food menu offering good value, wholesome food. Pub wise Braintree hasn't got a lot to offer so by default this is worth a try. As per normal the low drink prices attract certain members of society but if you can see past this, it's worth a go.
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Still reasonable enough and can't fault the ale.
anonymous - 12 Nov 2012 20:12 |
Kelham Island obviously..doh.
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I'm not a fan of the JDW pubs but this one passed the mustard. Staff couldn't have been more accomadating about splitting the screens for different football matches, the beer rane and quality of good, nice Kelvin Island for example and the gub was ok as well. Can see the place being cold on a midweek night given how cavernious it is but still its worth a look IMHO.
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I am not the greatest of Wetherspoon fans but in somewhere like Braintree it's about as good as you're going to get. That said this former cinema conversion is worth dropping in to for a pint just to see. They have cleverly arranged the lay out to include what you would call a real 'big screen' tv for watching sporting events. The Titanic Last Porter Call was quite drinkable and cheap (�4 for a pint and a Baileys for the missus) but although some of their premises are worth a visit to see how they have changed old churches, cinemas, carpet warehouses etc into drinking barns, I have not yet come across a Wetherspons I would like to spend an evening drinking in.
anonymous - 11 Sep 2010 22:56 |
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