please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
A very good Wetherspoons. Interesting selection of beers and very efficient service. Spacious interior, with a decent space outside for the smokers. A mixed clientele and no one bothers anyone.
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Decent large Wetherspoons in South Croydon.
Upstairs and Downstairs, so plenty of space and can always get a seat.
Prices are standard London prices
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My first visit to this large spoon’s that sits in the middle of Croydon’s restaurant quarter! I didn’t even know Croydon had a dedicated restaurant quarter until I visited here recently.
Apparently before it became a ‘spoons the this used to be the Green Shield’s Stamps building. It’s been tastefully renovated and decorated still retaining the original entrance, tiled floor and stair cases.
There are 12 hand pumps which were dispensing 10 ales & 2 real ciders. My pints of Sambrook’s Wandle & Westerham Brewery Finchcocks Original @ 3.5% were both good, though I’m not a lover of Wandle.
A nice pub but yet another one I probably need to return to as this was a late night 2 pint visit.
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Consistent Good Beer Guide-listed pub that isn't the only JDW in town for decent ales, but perhaps is arguably a preferable option for atmosphere to its counterpart The George.
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a very good selection of IPA's, APA's, Bitters and lagers, all between £2.65 and £2.85, the same drinks would be £3.80 in other real ale pubs, the beer was well kept. I am not sure about the pricing of the lagers because I rarely drink the stuff. The pub itself is frequented by a mix of workers, oldies, seasoned drinkers, young people, groups, couples, and it works well by ensuring that the place isn't the domain of hard core drinkers.
Curry night on the Thursday night is worth a visit, definitely one of the better Weatherspoons and living in London its refreshing to leave a place knowing you have been well fed, had a good drink and your bank account hasn't been crucified.
scarr - 29 Aug 2015 10:23 |
Decent enough Wetherspoons, which on my visit had a selection on ales from independent brewers as well as the usual JDW staples. Enjoyed a tasty pint of the local CronX Standard Bitter. Helpful staff. Worth a visit. 7/10.
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Massively over-rated in my opinion. The whole place suffers from a sterile feel with virtually no atmos, (the bar staff don't help). Probably alright if your a professional pi**head but otherwise very boring. The only time I may return is in the summer,they have a nice beer garden out the back.
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Quieter than the usual town centre 'spoons and a bit dark up the top end. We had a very welcome pint of Brewsters Aromatic Porter and Cotleigh Lemon ale. Choice of about 5 excluding the GK range which we don't like.
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The pub goes from strength to strength. The clientele are not the usual Spoons wierdos and the staff are all very pleasant. Clearly very well managed.
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On Thursday the Skylark had four Dark Star beers and a few others Including Cronx ( the local Brewery in Croydon ) Kotchin an exceptional wheat ale at 3.7%. The condition of the ales was also good, one small gripe is that the beers are more expensive than the George.
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A Meet the Brewer -Cronx Brewery is planned for the 28th October the Sunday of festivities along the retaurant quarter of Croydon,the time will be 2-4p.m.Cronx are proving to be successful appearing on pub barsthroughout Croydon and the surrounding area. The Standard was recently compared to Doom Bar, on colour that is correct but on viscosity and taste Standard is thicker and has a clean fruit edge. The Skylark tends to stock about three beers from Dark Star and the same from Adnams plus a beer from Cronx.
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Superb Dark Star Milk Chocolate Stout on tap - and 4 other Dark Star brews were available.
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Not many pubs opened in and around Croydon on Christmas Day ,the Skylark did( Christmas Day lunchwas available), on my visit I noticed the great job that they have made of the refurbished toilets they look much nicer. The ale selection was excellent including two Dark Star ales( A.P.A. and Hophead) both were very good indeed, I took some of the A.P.A. away with me. Over the last few days I received their newsletter and they have wisely made Hophead a regular ale, it is the main seller in other local pubs such as the Green Dragon, it should sell very well indeed.
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Alerted to this by Slerpy I duly met the brewer....from Pilgrim...a fascinating if rambling presentation with samples of the many different malts and hops they use down in leafy Reigate. Apparently it is the brewery's 30th birthday in January. Judging by the quality and variety of beers available for sampling including a delicious stout it's not surprising they are ageing well! Congrats to the management for this inspired choice of brewer.
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The Skylark are hosting a "Meet the Brewer" at the end of November with an ale sampling, whenever I venture in the ale has been excellent of late.The Everard's Whakatu was surprising good during the recent festival. 8/10.
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Very quiet yesterday inj here, Dark Munro (Highland)and Audit Ale( Westerham) were in perfect condition.
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I was in here for the first time for many a year. I found it gloomy and in need of refurbishment. It was like going back in time to the original Wetherspoons, all dark stained wood and even darker furniture. There was a preponderance of high tables and chairs. The beer selection was good with 5 guest ales on. The food service was quite quick. The staff were pleasant. The beer garden was popular especially for the smokers!
Upstairs in the other bar a private party was being held. The fine original stairway that existed years ago has been replaced
by a poorly made and poorly looking wood contraption with crude posts. The floor in the gents' by the urinals was very wet and could have been something of a hazard.
Unless I am in the area I don't think I would go out of my way to visit.
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The Skylark has a nice bright airy feel about it and benefits from having a pub garden ( Croydon pubs rarely have a garden).The ales here are as good as you will find,a gentle walk downhill from Sanderstead for me. Prior to the Beer Festival the range of different locales was quite astonishing,with the likes of Ascot, Dark Star plus three others and Jaipur from Derbyshire( Thornbridge have two breweries in that county).
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Klingon, you must have been on the Oakwoods Perry to be thanking The Slerp!!
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Far too much of the Imperial Stout, Ouch ! Two Brewers and a cidermaker are at the Ship of Fools on the 31st March,sadly clashing with the local CAMRA A.G.M.
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Well what a nice evening. Even though the beers were in short measures. Mark the head brewer gave a nice talk about the brewery. And the beer. Hop head Chestnut, Partidge and Over the moon were all available. Also bottles of Imperial stout ( in thirds) But I was given a mix of the Chestnut and the Hop good mix. I can only assume this was given to me by Slerpy. Thank you. Coming back to the stout some very Lucy people managed to buy s bottle or two at a very reduced rate. 8/10 for the evening.
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Darkstar evening Thus 24th from 6.30 tickets 7.50 Inc buffet
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We went into the Skylark
My brother Greg and me
we found a lass with great big tits
whos absolutely free
she let us take her bra off
her knickers and her jeans
then we took her back to our house
to have some Heinz Baked Beans
They were fraddledaddledoodly.
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A boozer is 'a drinking place' slerpy; look it up!
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It is obvious that you have never been anywhere near the Half and Half ,it is NOT a boozer,it is a bar.
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As a neutral, I must side with beerlover. Slerpy's ramblings are now biased and inaccurate; witness his constant (and all too regular) praise of the mediocre Half and Half boozer. A bit sad really, slerpy was a good reviewer in the past.
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Beerlover sick sick sick, hardly a review ,somewhat demented in tone.
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Slerpy, crawl back in your hole. We are all sick of your pathetic ramblings. A good reason to visit the Skylark now that you will not be going there any more.
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Oh Dear God!
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I went to the Skylark on Monday evening prior to a meeting, I was happy to see Jaipur(Thornbridge ) on the bar,unhappily this pub seems to lack the required turnover needed to support the number of ales they have on.To add insult to injury ,as part of the payment I offered a CAMRA discount voucher which was declined as the tills could not cope with a 50pence voucher on a �2.60 beer.The Jaipur was not of the quality that I and my fellow drinker expected.Whilst events and outings are very welcome a pub should at least get the basics right. As we left I thought of the old joke concerning the sandwich shop that does any filling but on request had ran out of bread ! 4/10.
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Trip to the Dorking brewery soon �15 inl. travel (I think) and a Dark Star event upstairs for �7.50.
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Some unusual beers on. Leeds new moon @ 4.3 a dark beer but not a stout. Newmams red castle cream @4.7 and burton bridge GD @3.8 plus Hop head oh I missed jolly decent wallop from Brentwood @5.2.
I have to say all in good condition. But I have had better hop head
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Rather packed with customers either coming or going to Croydon's restaurant area. A nice pint of Caledonian 80 shilling for �2.05, several other interesting alesfrom Pilgrim, Kings and the Lomond Gold,. My next visit will be at a quieter time.
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Nice pub 2 Tring beers on. And both in fair condition. Although I'm having the DB No One which is good
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At the moment SOME of the 'spoons outlets have a Locale Beer Festival, the Skylark being one. A quick visit just to note the range available but the Ascot Alligator caught my eye, a rather wonderful 4.8 % golden ale which was in very good condition. The pub was fairly busy as it was Steak Night.
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My first visit in about six weeks and I was dissapointed there were no ales under 4.2% and three all 4.9% or over.I took a pint back which was hazy and tasted A little vinegary.I had two pints of Zulu that was very good.
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Arrived here last Saturday on a scheduled visit with a party of real ale enthusiasts.The service was quick but at 11 A.M. in a deserted pub that is not a particularly noteworthy event.Ale quality wise it was typical of Wetherspoons good to very good, the range was five from their Festival list plus the usual suspects G.K. IPA and Ruddles.Sadly there was no sparkle about anything the cleanliness,service etc.Hard to put a finger on it but it had that" only going through the motions" attitude that SOME chain pubs have, I encounterd this in a Yates and an Ember Inns recently.You must have encountered it yourself ,the delight at meeting a customer being extremely well hidden,so much so as to be totally imperceptible.Customers go to pubs in order to enjoy themselves a truism that would come as a big surprise to the Manageress and staff here.On leaving I felt the overwhelming depression that pervades this pub.
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Huge Wetherspoons in South Croydon which never seems to have anywhere near enough customers to justify the size of the ground floor area, never mind the upstairs bar.
Beer quality is variable - I had some excellent pints during their last festival, but some dross in the summer months. Staff are normally nice in here though - much better than the surley service at the George in the town centre.
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I haven�t been in this pub for a while so I popped in on firework night.
The Skylark is a typical spacious spoons pub. The waist high tables lead to a wide staircase and an upper level. A beer garden towards the back which has heaters for those chilly evenings. Not too many curry enthusiasts for a Thursday but glad they got rid of the chap in the Gents loo encouraging you to use his knocked- off aftershave.
I tried the DAVENPORTS LAST MINUTE by Highgate brewery west midlands 4.5% billed as a golden cask larger. Had a smooth taste but seemed like flat larger. I had another pint, this time BOSS Hog a bronze coloured ale with a distinctive taste of malt. Didn�t get the refreshing zest or underlying spices ...certainly wouldn�t Hogg my attention too long.
I tried a of Pint of DARK ISLAND 4.6% brewed by Orkney brewery. A dark colour, like Guinness with a frothy head and the taste was acceptable with a hint, i thought, of chocolate.
Hudge - 14 Nov 2009 09:38 |
same old wetherspoons, but does the job!
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Reasonable 'spoons, with enough space to avoid one or two dodgy-looking customers hanging about at the bar and near the doors. Plenty of real ales to choose from, including a nice pint of Scourers Brew from the White Horse Brewery.
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Decent enough Wetherspoons in the lower part of the High St getting towards South Croydon station. The main bar has a couple of raised seating areas for families and there's more seating upstairs where they have another bar (keg only) that I imagine they only open during busy times.
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I know of the promotion a month in advance as all local CAMRA members have been notified, the Festival starts on Thursday to Sunday this week.I will try to resist the temptation to work for 'spoons however enticing ! The wages would not pay for the upkeep of my car or the school fees!
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best pub I've ever been in! bar staff were sexy and quick. food was brilliant. cant wait to go back again. (see below)
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Regarding the comment below; how would "a customer" be aware of promotion specifics a month in advance? Assuming it is an employee, why not just say so and this website can keep credibility.....
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At the end of February a beer Fest. Will be held �1.49 a pint, 99p for CAMRA card holders.The pub has improved of late.
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I tried three third pints all seemed to be in good order, the supervisor who served me made an extra special effort, a rather wonderful experience .Perhaps I should polish up my Polish !
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Fluctuation continues. Ystdy offered Springhead Ruperts Ruin, Brewster's Hop a Doodle Doo, Westerham Grasshopper & Kriek (cherry). Hanby Scorpio Porter was one of the 'available soons' (haha!). Decent beer selection, and the upstairs is the most appealing bit of any 'spoons I've visited, but why did the manageress(?) have to bully the young novice barman, and even a customer trying to order food?
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The T.V. seems to be turned off permanently,Sky Sports is no more.My visits to the Skylark will be few and far between in future.
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Hmmm. They had Sky in August but now, seemingly, do not. The 3 guest beers in service had no variety of style, all being dark or stout. On the slide from a good first impression a couple of months ago.
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GOOD CHOICE OF ALES BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY HAD A GOOD DAY WELL DONE TO THE NEW MANAGER
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Only one ale available from the 'guest' bank today; Westerham BB was in good shape, but four other pumps clipped as 'available soon'? come on! Disappointing.
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SLERPY WHAT ARE U TALKING ABOUT I STOPPED USING THE SKYLARK BECAUSE THE ALES WERE BAD AND STARTED GOING TO THE GEORGE NOW THE MANAGERS HAVE MOVED AROUND I AM BACK AT THE SKYLARK AND THE ALES ARE GREAT ALES AT THE MOMENT 10/10 DID YOU GET A FREE PINT FOR YOUR COMMENTS
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On my last THREE visits the beer has been very disapointing, 3/10 for the moment.
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The beer was far to cold this weekend ,not normally a problem but this was ultra cold.
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Probably equal with the Claret as the best Croydon pub. These two leave the rest miles behind for price and quality.The cooling system that Wetherspoon's introduced is fantastic. Perhaps we vote for the local CAMRA pub of the year at the wrong time of year.10/10.
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It seems I was wrong about skytv � they do show prem games upstairs but it apparently gets rammed for �big� fixtures; still, I shouldn�t have difficulty for City games except, of course, when we�re trashing u-know-who, again, haha. Oakham Helter Skelter was wonderful yesterday.
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One of Wetherspoon's better offerings. Everything clean and tidy in this interesting conversion.
Very nice drop of Westerham Grasshopper when we finally got served by harassed bloke coping by himself on a slow midweek evening.
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Westerham BB, Otter Bright & Silver King, Burton XL, also badged as �coming soon� were Snecklifter & Bishops Farewell, these were all on what appeared to be the guest bank of pumps & a separate bank offered the usual spoons suspects, Pedi, Abbot, courage. Quite civilised for a �spoons, clientele seemed ok, nice layout with open plan around the bar and some booth seating in a �library� section to the right. Nice upstairs bar (bar itself obviously not serving ystdy 15:00, and noticed no handpumps up there), old pictures of Croydon & aviation themes, 3 plasmas but, while euro08 was advertised, I don�t think they have Sky for prem matches. Staff were apparently �on loan� from another �spoons but were good, the mgr seemed somewhat disinterested but was polite when serving.
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Oakham Bishop's Farewell, Atlas Three sisters, and Brewster's Rutterkin on. This pub goes from strength to strength. Forget that it is a 'spoons, it is way above that. The beer is always superb.
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Oakham Bishop,s Farewell was on yesterday ,also available was caledonian XBA 4.3 %. The Oakham was exceptional. In a couple of weeks time Steve (the guvnor ) has ordered Brewsters's Rutterkin 4.6 % which is easily one of the best beers available ( in my honest opinion).
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Westerhams Black Eagle 3.8 % was the pick of the real ales today.
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In this hot spell it is hard to get the temperature just right, no problem here though. Oakham's Bishops Farewell was a delight.
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The skylark has erected eight barrels on stillage giving a choice of 18 beers ( until the festival ends 14/4/08 ) some last about an hour ! Well �1.49 is cheap ! Wetherspoons posted vouchers out which gave a 30 p reduction ! Last night beers such as Titanic, Elgoods and Springhead were available.
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The recently introduced brewster's Hophead is a real treat, comparison with the Dark Star version is inevitable and a source of hot debate.
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The best 'spoons I have been to, great real ale and FAST service.
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I would echo the comments posted by weakbeermonster, and it's good to see an interesting selection of ales at such low prices. The Skylark also shows live sport in the first floor bar, though one very minor quibble from my recent visit is the usual Wetherspoon irritation of not turning the pump clips around when a beer isn't available.
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One of JDW's better pubs. Good selection of cask-conditioned ales - with a good choice of sub-4% ales. All served in good condition at a decent temperature. Good to see Westerham Brewery ales regularly available. Service is efficient. Varied clientele - mostly decent types.
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I found this pub friendly, clean and comfortable. Although there was football on the TV it was not obtrusive. The Pedigree was on good form and not too cold, and the food was very good value. What more can you ask for?
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Above average Spoons - very good beer range and quality, the rest as you'd expect, but take them for granted at your peril.
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As everyone else says, a typical JD pub in terms of decor, food, and regular custom. The pub is packed onm Friday and Saturday night with groups of young people going out for the night in croydon. The cheap prices makes it the perfect place to get well oiled, and the 5 min walk into Croydon makes it quieter than the cenrtal based JD next to Allders. Range of beer is fantastic. I have a soft spot for this place.
anonymous - 4 Oct 2007 11:05 |
When JD Weatherspoon pubs first came on the scene what a breath of fresh air it was. You could sit in peace and quiet and enjoy wonderful beer and enjoy a conversation. It is true you can still enjoy the taste of great beer and friendly service at the Skylark in Croydon but they have now taken on the view that young people's custom is worth more. This was in fact the vervbatim comment by the duty manager when my friend and I complained of the loud and unseemly music emanating from the upstairs bar. Come on JD you have now lost 2 faithful customers. Such a shame. It's an otherwise decent enough pub.
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Been here loads of times and finally feel that I should be posting a comment about this pub! Fantstic range of beers and all (currently) for �1.69 which is brill! The food is what you should expect from a Wetherspoons pub - not bad value for money - if the food is not any good then send it back because my eperience is that they will sort it! There is currently a smoking ban on the ground floor which is right! I really like this pub despite its short comings, although these are mainly around the sometimes poor staff ability, and the fact that ultimately they made absolutely no effort to celebrate St George's day! Can't believ that the reallt didn;t care!
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typical weatherspoons pub, good selection of ales, beers, lagers etc but as with every weatherspoon staff just see themselves as there to pour the drink, very rude when asking for I.D as if it is an offence to look young. plenty of space both up and down stairs, but is pakcedo n the weekends. worth a try if your in the area
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Prob the best Spoons in Croydon, although make of that what you wish...
In my opinion, the Ship of Fools is the pits, the George is middle of the road (used to be good starting fodder for a Fri/Sat night but cramped now). This place is spacious, modern feel. It is always fairly pleasant on my visits.
I enjoy the curry nights, I don't moan too much because I know what to expect. Unless the nan bread is rock hard or the curry doesnt move when prodded, Ill give it a decent attempt. Want a 'proper' curry, there's plenty of nice curry houses in South Croydon anyway...
Not brill, but I think it has increased over the years myself.
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The most disgusting "Curry" I have ever tasted
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Agree with previous comment. Only visited once. Dingy. Went on a Sunday, only a couple of ales available, although there were two real ciders. Beers were fair to good, but glasses could of been cleaner. Even for a spoons, too few staff.
Food- hmm. After looking at the place, decided only to spend the meager 399p for a beer burger. Oil that dripped form the chips looked like vinegar- not changed in ages! A table near to us tried to order in vain several times, only to be told they had sold out of their chosen fare. They had even sold out of burger buns. People the other side ordered a pasta dish which arrived stone cold.
Good points- decent pint of Spitfire for 135p!!
Bad points- turd food.
Pub with potential if they sort out the food and get some decent beers in.
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I've been coming in here for years, and it has definitely shown a gradual decline over the years, accelerated by the installation of the quasi-religious footie screens upstairs. On Sunday the usual imbibers of cheap ale were in attendence, and the service was slower than usual (which is slow because they never have sufficient staff); many a time I've seen someone looking like a manager doing nothing while one or two overworked youngsters have been toiling away like galley slaves, and I have almost been overwhelmed by the urge to scream at the manager to get his finger out and serve some people before he has to go off for skull reconstruction (not as though I could even get over the bar without dislocating every limb going, but you get my drift). I no longer order food there, fearing it would take years to arrrive, by which time the cleanliness of the place would be even more compromised by the slipping standards. At least the books look more interesting after a few pints. Overall it is a pity about this place. It's large and spacious, light and airy, yet somehow feels increasingly small and grubby. I'll still give it seven though, as it can still be a half-decent refuge from the wider world.
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Bad apple, rude so called manager on the 15th /01/05 evening, too rude, shouting and cursing at a decent family having a decent drink not professional l don't think. Why does he have to frequent the ladies toilets, l wonder!, is it appropriate or is it good practice, anyone correct me if lam over reacting but where l come from men in women's toilets do not mix. lf this is weatherspoon's policy, then l beg to differ
anonymous - 18 Jan 2005 17:24 |
Very nice pub with a good selection of drinks and at reasonable prices. They get different ales each month so it's good for proper beer drinkers. Recently they've got very strict on IDing young looking people so it's not full of 15 year olds - but if you look young make sure you take ID! Seems to be a popular pub with people of all ages - lots of 20 year old and lots of retired chaps alike.
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It depends when you go. Saturday nights upstairs are very noisy with teenagers, but being older, I like to go for a Sunday lunch, when it's quieter. So pick which category you fall into and go, because it's good value, especially the food.
Linda - 18 Aug 2004 14:28 |
With bottles of stella for �1 u cant go worong. The kavos boys r in there evry week b4 movin on to the clubs.Av it lrg!!
Jim Branin - 4 Mar 2004 13:08 |
A drinker's pub this, has a great cask ale policy. New ones all the time, some exceptional brews, a real gem for drinkers of proper beer.
If you prefer your tipple fizzy and bland or fizzy and sweet then worth noting that such swill is very cheap here so you can get tanked up before going off to fight,gurn and puke with the rest of Croydon elsewhere.
ck - 23 Dec 2003 13:16 |
i think that the skylark has an abundance of character. Service was very good. Friendly relaxing non hostile enviroment. ale is cheap. i encourage many to visit the pub.
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full of of teeny boppers drinking cheap drink and yaking up in the bog - nuff said!
flyerbitch - 11 Sep 2003 18:17 |
Very busy chain pub, popular with all ages. Varied and reasonably priced selection of real ales, but usually served too cold. Huge pub, quite nicely converted.
Nicholas - 11 Sep 2003 05:38 |
