please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I haven't been to the Nag's Head for some time. Yesterday I went back and found only 4 ales on. I'm sure there used to be more. The selection was Timothy Taylor Landlord, Three Sods Mon Cheri & BoHo Bitter & Wadworth Epic Brew. I'm now wondering if there were some more elsewhere I missed. No sign of any cats this time. But there was live music on and they had presumably been driven out. We too elected to sit outdoors in the large paved garden at the rear.
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A nice atmosphere with a good range of ales. Decent beer garden and above-average food. Only disappointment is the place is constantly short-staffed - I never go in without facing an interminable queue. This takes the edge off.
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With Oscar Wilde Mild on tap, I was always going to be happy and while we did not try the food, it looked to provide a more than reliable Italian take on things. paper images of the Colosseum and Leaning Tower dangle from the ceiling while the beer garden is lit by fair lights. Enjoyable overall.
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Gotta agree with you Gann..pubs should not be places for children, beer gardens, certainly. There's enough spots that cater for kids to eat in. Personally, well behaved or not I do feel that boozers are not the place for them.
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Gann seems to agree with the miserable, offensive and repugnant landlady of this establishment. Adults should not be treated as lepers simply because they choose to have kids. My children were sitting down very politely, not running around the garden, and they still came in for criticism from the witch of an owner. The sign Gann refers to about families being 'welcome' in the garden is lies. Families are not 'welcome' at all, ever. I am proud to say I am banned from this pub as I would not tolerate my family being verbally abused by the disgrace to humanity that is the landlady. Parents deserve to be able to go for a drink in the afternoon as much as anyone else. As for using the pub as a 'creche' well, that comment says it all, Gann. You can have the Nags Head, you deserve it !!!!!!
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When in the Walthamstow area I would definitely recommend a detour to the old Walthamstow village section with its decent restaurants and pubs, especially as the new Wild Card Brewery now complements these.
Of the three pubs in the Village, the slightly quirky Nags Head remains my favourite and every time I visit I feel more at home here. This time it was just for a quick one early afternoon before visiting the aforementioned new Microbrewery and it did not disappoint.
A congenial chilled Saturday afternoon crowd were in and a couple of good halves of Redemption Trinity and Colchester Brewery Double Brown Ale were enjoyed.
I know this pub isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it is mine and gets an extra mark for being consistently good on my visits.
And no offence to the "Yummy Mummys" of the village but to have rules such as “Children are not permitted inside the pub, but are welcome in our heated garden to the rear as long as they are long gone by 7:30pm" means the Nags Head remains a place to be enjoyed by adults. There are plenty of other places you can utilise as a creche in Walthamstow.
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I really don't understand some of the negative reviews below, I came in here last night for the 1st time and found this pub to be a good quality friendly pub.
It's charming and being in the village is a million miles away from regular Walthamstow pubs!
A group of friendly locals greeted me at the bar as I decided which one of the 6 available beers I would try first.
There were 8 pumps, with 2 turned round, but the 6 offerings were Tim Taylor Landlord, Otter Bitter & Amber, Mighty Oak Oscar Wilde & English Oak, St Austall's Tribute. I had both of the Mighty Oak beers and they were excellent being very well kept.
The interior is large and open plan will out the front are wooden benches and large umbrellas, perfect to sit at and watch the locals pass by.
All in all a great pub & defiantly worth a visit.
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What a dreadful pub! My husband and I have been here once before to try the pizzas, which taste like you've fallen, open mouthed, into a cheap cheese-covered doormat. Then last night I arranged to meet some friend there. It was fairly busy, not heaving, but the barstaff were huffing and puffing about how overworked they were and serving the first person their eye rested on. After some time of being ignored in favour of people who'd just come in, I asked whether I was invisible. A surly barmaid told me not to be rude. Lol. Then she tried to serve me a bottle of warm wine and informed me, in a tone of voice that implied it was somehow my fault, that there was no ice for an ice bucket. No matter, I had a cider instead, which was virtually thrown at me. She then tried to charge me for the wine and glowered balefully at me when politely informed that I had the cider instead, not as well. Needless to say, we didn't stay longer than one drink and won't be setting foot in there again.
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I woruld say the land lady here hates everyone equally but this just isn't true. She hates families the most.
I came with my three year old son yesterday into the lovely rear beer garden and was told that they didn't allow children in the back garden and that he needed to be quiet. I'm not saying he shouldn't have been quiet, lord knows I was trying, but to suffer such rudeness in tone and making me feel like I wasn't welcome was the final straw. In the past she's served drinks close to the 7.30pm curfew and then hurried us away at 7.31, drinks unfinished.
After she'd finished making me feel like a total outcast she then turned on 2 ladies with babies in pushchairs and told them to exit to the front garden as she'd already "told" them "prams weren't allowed". Disgusting attitude, it was early in the afternoon and there was ample space. This is nothing less than discrimination.
I used to come here before I had kids and she was rude then also, so rude in fact that my friends and I stopped coming here for our annual Christmas eve meet ups.
Why work in hospitality if you hate everyone?
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This could be such a nice pub, but is ruined by the land lady's attitude to her customers. She continually shuffles around the pub looking for things to complain about or just to be rude. She especially seems to hate children.
The food isn't that great either, burger that crumble away like cat food and burnt chips!
I will vote with my feet on this pub until a time that someone with more social skills is in charge.
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A very special pub. We have been going since they opened. There is always something fun going on & now they serve Italian food which is fab.
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I used to live in Walthamstow and this was my most frequented pub during this time due it being a friend's local. The Maldon Gold was usually good, but not always. The missus used to like the fruit beers. The garden is decent. But it doesn't look or feel like a pub . The cat obsession is beyond weird, even the Christmas decorations all seemed to be cat themed. And yes the signs. There are signs everywhere, I have never been in a pub with so many rules.
I was very sad when in my last week in the Stow we discovered The Castle, which was much more to my liking.
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Ive been to the Nags many times over the years, for a while it was my local, and for a while a good friend of mine worked behind the bar, so I have some had some good times there, I really like the garden it is probably the one of the best places to spend a summer evening in the Stow.
But aside from that, I really dont feel the pub deserves the success it gets, the decor leaves a lot to be desired, and all too often Ive had a duff pint (which is always expensive when compared to other local pubs), and I have to say the overall atmosphere lacks something mainly because the landlady sucks the enjoyment out of the place, I often think that the clients are an annoyance to her, she is usually grumpy and you have never seen so many signs telling what you cant do.
I would urge anyone wanting a pint in Walthamstow to try elsewhere......unless its a sunny afternoon.
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I was sitting today outside the Nags with friends and was told about the awful review posted by 'village person' in Jan this year. The overwhelming response is, we hope you are not in the village very long. I am a huge Stow convert and the Nags is the heart of all that goes on.. Be it locals or young trendies, everyone gravitates there for, dare I say it, a warm welcome and good times. Since the addition of the Italian kitchen we have enjoyed great pizzas as well. It's not perfect by any means but it's certainly not a 'London' corporate pub experience. It's a great pub and well worth a visit especially in the summer when the garden comes into its own. If you enjoy life and a genuine welcome I very much recommend it.
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I'd have to agree with many of the previous comments. Service was unbelievably slow and unfriendly, hostile even. Also clueless: on being told the Hoegaarden was off, I asked if there were any other wheat beers. After a long whispered conversation with Harpo Marx, I was told 'Fosters'. Nice. Still, no piss-stink in the gents, and I don't mind a shrine to a dead cat, I've got one at home.
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What we love about the Nags is its quirkiness & uniqueness. We use this place on a regular bases, along with a lot of other regulars. To say it smells of urine is just ridiculous & I might add not very nice. Okay, maybe the toilets might need redecorating, fair point, but how can somebody who has only been there once comment:
"Why is the floor ALWAYS soaked in the gents??"
If you have only been there once I don�t see how you could possibly be able to say that!
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Having recently moved to lovely Walthamstow Village i thought i would take some friends to what appeared to be a lovely looking pub...from the outside.
Step inside and the smell of urine hits you before you've been able to take in the horrible decor. Velour tablecloths and nasty leather sofas and armchairs that appear to have come from the DFS sale circa 1990 are arranged badly throughout. The rest of the place is just plain shabby - the toilets especially are some of the most disgusting i've seen. Why is the floor always soaked in the gents??
The cat theme is VERY wierd and creepy. Shrines to dead cats litter the place. Why?
Finally the staff are slow and rude. It took them 10 minutes to serve me when there was only one other person at the bar.
All in all this is a shockingly bad pub. It's hugely annoying as, in the right hands, this place could be something really special.
In its current state and under the curent ownership avoid it at all costs. If you are looking for a nice pub in Walthamstow Village it has to be the Castle really.
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Nag's is a great pub, warm & friendly, clean & does not smell of cats, I can assure you!
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Gets worse and worse in this place, which stinks alternately of cats and piss.
Only idiots go here to be ignored or condescended to by the staff and proprietors.
Plenty of other, better pubs within 200 yards.
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The staff and owners are family-unfriendly to a point I find depressing and plain weird. Case in point: my partner and I and two month old son in a pram were instructed to leave the front garden immediately (�I'd like you to leave now�) for staying slightly longer than their 7.30pm cut-off. Strange thing is, this evening was a special celebration for a local cat that had just passed away, beloved of our family, and we'd popped down specially to have a pint. Surely a wake would be one occasion you'd think they'd let relax the rules by a minute or two just to let us finish out pints? Damn, you'd be wrong. It seems strange that the owners are more concerned about hustling kids in prams off the premises than nurturing good relations with the locals. We wouldn't have gone down if it wasn't for the special occasion, so as a point of principle, and to play along with what seemed to me a ridiculous rule, I wandered back on my tod and asked for the quid I'd put in the collection box back. The landlady calmly gave it to me and explained that she had to keep the ground rules so strict to stop people taking liberties. Understood, but if strict enforcement of the ground rules is more important than cutting local families an inch of slack, you have to wonder about their priorities. No wonder there's such a weird atmosphere in there. Beer OK, constant acid jazz/trip hop muzak, watch out for the rules on signs everywhere, and they put furry table clothes on the tables for some reason.
I recommend The Castle in the Village for family-friendly service, each time we've been there, they couldn't have done more to accommodate us. Better music also.
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Cat's Wedding - gimmick
Renamed real ales - gimmick
Having said that I also had a good time here on Friday having first been to the Brodie's pub for their Bunny Bashing.
Sat out front in the late afternoon sun with good beer and great conversations with people I'd never met before.
As Planner 21 says, couldn't ask for anything more from a two pub crawl.
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Arguably, one could describe anything a pub does as a gimmick. Pool table? gimmick. Food? gimmick. Quiz night? gimmick.
Had a thoroughly good time here on the weekend, plenty of ales which I sat and supped in the sunny garden. Landlord was friendly and chatty. Moved on to the William IV afterwards. Couldn't ask for anything more from a two pub crawl.
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Feels more like an ain't so quaint tea room. They had a few ales on and either they don't do them well or I went for the dud in trying Nethergate's RedPoll - a brew barely drinkable on this visit. Some may see the Cat Wedding as quirky but it's just a gimmick to try and enhance the image of a mediocre drinking establishment.
anonymous - 3 Apr 2011 04:18 |
It is having a twenty-ale beer festival on the 26th. of April to 28th. of April, to mark the wedding of the pub's cat...I'm not kidding.
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I've been here twice now over the last few months. I didn't meet the landlady, just a few rather attractive smily young ladies. Great big space. Great big garden, and outdoor covered space. Some good ales. The inside looks like a sort of youth club/public building. We are definitely talking low budget here. I actually like this, as it is unpretentious, and the clientele seem friendly.
I think its frequented by the middle-class Walthamstow people, as there really isn't much choice for them round there.
I plan to go back when I'm in the area, simply because of the good ale selection, unpretentious space, and lack of anything else.
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On my visits this year I've been treated to service with a smile by all the bar staff here though none of them were the landlady. There's always at least 4 ales on and I generally find something very nice to sup at for the evening. Yes prices are high but I'm not in there every night so I I view it as a treat and fork out. There's a good range of biltong too. The yard is by far the best outside drinking space in Walthamstow with plenty of shelter in the winter and shade in the summer. I do wish they'd do something about that odd boxed in area above the bar though. It's only about 6' above the floor and I'm taller than that.
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the nags is west end prices and the general vibe is pretty grumpy. the first time i went there 7 years ago, the landlady was unwelcoming and that was way before i had children. she reminds me of my headmistress! thank goodness for the castle around the corner being very cool to people with kids and actually a nice place to hang out in. I've not been to the nags for months and it feels good not to pay nearly a fiver for a pint of hoegaarden and be given devil eyes for having the audacity to bring my kids to the pub.
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I absolutely love this pub. Flossie is very eccentric, sometimes seeming rude but she's just observing what is happening so any 'issues' will never happen. I love how she helps out on busy nights collecting glasses to help out the girls.
As for the issue with children I couldn't agree more with Flossie's outlook on it. On observation the parents only seem to care about drinking and not paying attention to their children. Last night, for example, I was in there having a quiet drink in the garden and there were 2 small children aged about 4 and 6 running around the garden and the parents weren't paying any attention to them. All people want is a quiet drink without kids running around and screaming.
In my opinion kids and pubs don't mix. It's a haven for adults to go and have a drink, smoke and forget about all the days worries and not have yelling kids in their ears. On the flip side, if the kids were sitting down and well behaved there wouldn't be an issue.
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Dont be too harsh on the landlady, her husband Roger has the big C and aint at all well, maybe this is why she is a bit up tight at the moment?
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The landlady is a bitter hag of a woman and I wish her the best of luck with the lobotomy.
The staff act as though they are doing you a favour by serving you, and behave like a covern of witches. Their best years are well behind them too!
The punters are a bit Stoke Newington, but you're not going to get stabbed at least, but the owners need to work out whether they are running a business or a vendetta against the general public.
New staff, a major makeover and evidence that the landlady has been burned at the stake and I would go back. Until then, no chance!!
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nice pub, shame about the rude landlady
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Dear BWW, Very funny. You can buy me a pint next time you see me in there.
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I was in here again recently Harpo Marx was behind the bar! Honest!
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Beer (Ale) very overpriced and poured short, nice selection of fruit beers, beware of the Landlord "The Guvnor" who despises anyone who is not an "East Londoner born and breed" and feels they are there to be ripped off. It can be quite amusing hearing him moan about the "middle classes".
Nice beer garden and location. Just stay clear of "The Guvnor" and you should be fine.
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We stopped by here early last Saturday afternoon and found the pub to be fairly friendly. The interior is kind of modern looking, with some strange furry stuff lining the tables. Pictures of cats were very much in evidence on the walls. In fact one of the beers was in aid of a local cats protection organisation - Nethergate The Itinerant. In addition, there was also Nethergate Suffolk County, St Austell Tribute, Skinners Ginger Tosser and Mighty Oak Oscar Wilde. Ciders were Aspalls, Stowford Press and Gaymers Pear 'Cider'. Despite the previous comments, we didn't find this place too inhospitable and I would most likely return if in the area.
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On recent visits I have found the staff (not the landlady though) friendly and ale selection really rather good. Had excellent 'Suffolk County' from the Nethergate Brewery in Suffolk on Sunday. Still not terribly cosy in the main bar but with the live jazz and heated patio area to the rear this really is worth walking past the Village for.
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I've been to worse in Walthamstow but this could do with some friendly staff. They're not rude but very aloof. is it a pub policy to keep chat to a minimum?
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They're in the art business now - �250 for a print of a Cat! I used to enjoy drinking in "The Villarge" area during the early 90's, now it's full of pretentious people who read Nick Hornby books but unfortunately couldn't afford to live on Upper Street so they descended on this area. They spend their time in this crazy pub moaning about negative equity and how much homework they have to mark wearing their "Viva Walthamstow" t-shirts.......
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Dear David. Thank you for your very useful suggestions. You might want to try a a girlfriend or I hear there are places you can pay for certain services. That may alleviate some of that frustration and anger that's building. I don't speak Italian by the way so am unsure what 'Mwah, mwah' means. On second thoughts does it translate as 'meow, meow'?
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BBW: Read more carefully, you insulting cretin. I didn't say Walthamstow is middle class, but that the whingeing parents are.
Hope you (and your kids?) will stay away from this pub in future. Your kind is not welcome, and should perhaps try a child-friendly restaurant instead. "Ciao, darling! Mwah, mwah!"
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davidb: if he doesn't want kids in the pub then he should stop them coming in fullstop. As for the parents being 'middle class' - have you been to any other parts of Walthamstow, or did you only turn up for the cat-themed beer festival? If Walthamstow is middle class then Haringey is surely only a step away from achieving Royal Borough status.
Maybe families want to spend an hour in the pub with other families, what's wrong with that? Maybe they interrupt your enjoyment of the Daily Mail.
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Always liked the ambiance and the beer. Great pub for adults.
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Never met the landlord here, but I thought the beer festival last week was excellent, so credit where it's due.
And all the (middle class?) parents commenting on this thread about the pub's attitude to kids should, perhaps, take the hint.
Pubs are no place for children and a branch of Giraffe or another friendly venue would be a far better place for your brunches and lunches.
Who cares if there are signs all over the place? It's the landlord's gaff, not yours! He can tell you to behave exactly as he likes - get over it!
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I would also like to add that they are in the good BEER guide.
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The Nags Head is a great pub. We have been going there since they opened. Fact: Their beer is very well kept, so much so that they are in The Good Pub Guide. In fact they have just hosted a beer festival, which went very well indeed.
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In the last couple of years or so this village �local� has been romanticised by young professional aspiring arty-literary types who have discovered the quaint charm of this part of London, and written their occasional pieces for Time Out or the Mail on Sunday or Torygraph. Don�t be deceived. It�s not your community pub. As others have commented, there are authoritarian signs - telling you how to behave - all over the pub and back yard (the �beer garden�), and parents with children are simply not welcome. The charming owner is Roger. He can be pleasant in a rather gruff way, and he can be very rude - such is life. I once heard (I won�t say �overheard� as it was quite a performance) a rant given by his missus, spouting on about how she hated children and if she had her way they would never be allowed in the pub. Now, personally, I have reservations about whether kids and pubs is a good mixture, and I�m willing to listen to any reasonable arguments about if, when and where children should be allowed in a particular pub. But there are two issues here that really bug me. First, this is Walthamstow Village: it�s a small, middle class, clean and tidy, aspiring, calm enclave; a tiny bubble within the greater grit of Waltham Forest. I�ve visited this pub quite a few times over recent years and I�ve never seen a parent being anything other than responsible with their children and considerate of other drinkers (while they add to the takings of the pub). Second, this neurotic child-phobia springs from owners who quite obviously prefer cats to children, and (judging from their attitude to many of their customers) they probably prefer cats to people. Now this is not that unusual, I find it a recurrent trait of the alleged English love of animals. So, if mangy moggies are your thing then maybe this is the drinking establishment for you. If you find yourself stuck in this part of town, there are plenty of other reasons for not visiting this pub (and going, instead, to the Flower Pot or Village): The music (as pointed out elsewhere) can only be appreciated after considerable intake of alcohol and the cloying d�cor is an irritant. Let�s be kind though, it�s a vast improvement on what this pub was like before the current owner took over, and it�s a handy place to meet before a night out. But, it�s not a place to linger. As for the beer: I�ve tried the ales in here quite a few times. Whatever brew has been indicated on the handpumb, my pint has usually come out tasting like an average, slightly watery, generic brown beer. I was once served a light beer that clearly had not come from a barrel of the brew indicated at the pump (I started to think that maybe all pipes led to just one big bucket under the bar or down in the cellar). To be fair, the ales are never off. But then again, neither are they ever really good. In fact, the ale stands for everything that this pub seems to aspire to � mediocrity.
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what a horrible pub. the decor is horrible, the staff are horrible and most horrible of all is the horrible little psychopath who appears to run it. one of the reviews above suggested he should just put a "no children" sign up, instead of 20 signs about how they should behave. I agree. we had ordered before they told us no kids are allowed inside - we had to sit outside on wet chairs in the freezing cold. the charmless owner than yelled at my 2 year old today for not being sat down in one of the wet chairs. he then felt entitled to yell at me too, telling me the pub is no place for a child, and telling the 2 other punters in the place that all children should be tied down. he was so aggressive that i completely failed to retaliate, and left close to tears with my poor boy trying to apologise to "the cross man" thinking he had done something wrong. boycott this horrible - and utterly tawdy - pub.
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An odd place. Books, real ales, fruit beers, the decor of the Wheel-Tappers & Shunters Social Club, a weekly jazz band (4 musicians playing different songs at the same time) and no food. It also has the worlds largest (known) collection of notices. There are notices for everything - no food, unless bought there (they don't sell any), no kids after 19:30, keep the noise down, no pushchairs beyond this point, bicycles go here. There are at least 3 of each plus the ones inside the pub!
Oh, and the pub cat died 3 years ago but they are too upset to discuss the matter at this time. In case you forget, there's a notice to remind you.
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Good beer, not too expensive and nice atmosphere. Nice place to go for a few pints and a chat. The beer garden is great in summer.
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for all fans of Nighty night....if Kath was shorter and a tad more robust....she is behind the bar.....I'm sorry.....
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Went here as part of a Village pub crawl. The best selection of well kept beers in the Village: Tribute, Timothy Taylor among them. The decor is a bit 'all over the place'. Can't decide whether to be an honest London boozer or a gastropub. According to my Head Teacher mate it is popular with teacher types.
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Great beer garden in the summer and good jazz on Sundays (or there used to be!) Decor inside is a bit all over the place- only visit in summer when you can sit out the back. One of the nicer pubs in Walthamstow but as most of them are awful that's not saying all that much...
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This is an excellent pub - though it has an inexplicable anti-children policy and a bizarre sign fetish!
Still, it's one of the nicest places in the whole of North East London for a quiet pint. Strongly recommended.
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This pub tries to be different and succeeds. Great beer and the gaffer is a friendly bloke who cares about his business. Some people (below) are impossible to please, but ay least there are numerous reviews and opinions.
Go with an open mind and enjoy the diverse cask ales.
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Visited last week for the first time and enjoyed several excellent pints of mild. Not too sure about the decor - the mixture of large leather sofas and tables with hard chairs. Would ceryainly go in again if in the area.
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First time in here on Friday and must admit I enjoyed my pint. Yes, as previous comments say, it was more expensive than what I experienced in the area but it tasted good and I felt like I was in a welcoming pub. Would go back.
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REmotely better than the castle - bit pricey though
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Best pub for miles and I should know as I love my real ale!
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I think this is one of the best local pubs although the a pint of real ale is a bit pricy. Adnams Broadside, and London Pride are usually on along with a guest beer and Mild! Some people don't like the decor but I think it's great. Also has space to park your bike although the could do with better "locks"
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An absolute gem! A very professional staff. A great selection of drinks, including Belgian fruit beers. Flossie and her husband have turned a complete dive into something that would not look out of place in Clapham or Hampstead. Very, very busy on weekend evenings and Sunday afternoons - but also with a large-ish garden.
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We'll start with the bad points:
�3.30 for a Becks Vier for example. �3.30!!!
Incredibly large number of anti-children signs despite large amount of outside space at this pub.
I say again it's bizarrely expensive.
Good points:
Good range of ales though I can't vouch for quality of all of them.
Lots of outside space including very sunny forecourt.
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Ignore the tablecloths! This place is a great pub. I'm maybe biased as I helped write the beer and wine list.. Thankfully they've kept then Broadside on tap if not the other beers I recommended. Flossie and co have done a great job and the place is usually packed to the rafters.
Coppermill pub is great too, if only for the lovely beer.
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This is certainly a divisive pub. Love it or hate it, it seems.
Based on the vitriol thrown at the clientele on this board one has to be grateful they don�t come here, as I can�t imagine them being at all pleasant people. If I understand correctly, middle class people aren�t allowed to drink in pubs. BITE isn�t the right place for scarcely disguised inverse snobbery, even if its caused by an inferiority complex. There�s a few bad pubs in Walthamstow where the problems go far beyond the tablecloth choice and who are far more worthy of criticism.
I don�t live near enough for this to be a regular haunt but have been around 10 times. On each visit I�ve personally never had a problem. Judging objectively, staff have been fine, beer very good and clientele pleasant � even had a chat with the landlord and had no problems there either. Then again, I like the Village, Plough, Queen�s Arms Coppermill and the Victoria � something to do with live and let live, I suppose.
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Sorry, I'm sticking with the fat plumbers. If I wanted a 'trendy' pub I would've moved to Clapham.
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Well said HRM.
I can't understand all the flack this place gets from people who disagree with the choice of tablecloths or people who drink here.
Fact is, the Nag's Head is at least attempting to up the ante of pubs in Walthamstow. The Sunday band are brilliant free entertainment and given that most alternatives involve being in a sleazy flea-pit surrounded by fat plumbers I know where I'd rather be.
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The Nags Head is without doubt the nicest and friendliest pub in Walthamstow. More atmosphere than anywhere else in the area. Regular live music makes it a great place to hang out. It's location in Walthamstow village is great, very safe and attractive surroundings.
I like the bar snacks, but maybe I'm a posh wannabie hippy. Also, Ive seen blokes working in the Castle (not sure why this would be an issue anyway???)
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Completely up its own a'se in my opinion. Full of posters advertising tai chi and yoga, posh bar snacks nobody wants and a clientele of middle-class wannabe hippies.
The bar staff are all women (apart from the landlord, I have NEVER seen a bloke work there or the 'sister' pub the Castle) who like arty scarves in their hair and wearing post modern ironic clothes.
If you've ever seen the Private Eye cartoon 'It's grim up North London', this so-called pub epitomises it!
I'll give it one point for having a cat.
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A latish Saturday evening visit and both the London Pride and the Timothy Taylor Landlord were in excellent condition, plus three more handpumps being busily employed by the friendly bar staff! The partially canopied garden with its heaters and several tables provides a welcoming spot for smokers and non smokers alike. The interior was harder to assess due to its popularity, but service was swift and welcoming despite the large demand for attention from what seemed to me a cheerful and enthusiastic bunch of customers.
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Its good to have this different style of pub locally but its lucky its got zero competion in its chosen target market. If it was located, say, in Greenwich/Blackheath or across in North London it would be out of business.
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Every one told me that this was the best place around the area. I dont think you can call it a proper 'pub', stupid tablecloths and the like. All very tacky. Didnt like the general feel to the place. Tarty barmaids, that get your drink wrong. Beer wasnt up to much either. Busy place but uncomfortable, not like the Kings Head Chingford. A couple of people told me that there has been a spate of armed robberies outside in full view of everybody. There seemed to be groups of hoodie types lurking when I left.
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This so called pub is a beacon of dull mediocrity for its semi professional punters. They are like olive eating chav's really mostly in debt sipping Belgian beer on tatty table-cloths,"mange tout Rodney". Children are allowed in but made to feel most unwelcome along with their parents.
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Having just moved in round the corner from this pub, I was told by my neighbour that this was the best place to go to this side of London. Now i'm either living next door to a lunatic or my neighbour has never been to another pub. I went in and the place was quite empty. There were three Staff chatting amongst themselves and when I asked to be served one girl said 'Wait a minute!' the carried on talking about a bloke who had chatted her up the previous evening! I was about to go when I was served a too warm cloudy pint of bitter. It was awful and I left three quaters of it. The place began to fill up with mainly lager and wine drinking teacher types. In the space of ten minutes 3 people complained to staff about drinks and no loo roll in the toilet. A small stocky man appeared and pinched the backside of one of the staff who let out a loud shrill (he may be the owner). The place is a poor mans version of a yuppie Camden Town Pub. Weird to say the least. I won't be attending too often and will tell my neighbour.
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I agree it is a shame this pub doesn't stay open longer, the demand is there. I was sad to hear that the cat recently passed away, but as a place to drink a great pint the Nag's is alive and well, at least until 11pm.
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Re the early closing, just wander down to the Queens Arms, they're open till at least 1am, sometimes 2 !
anonymous - 22 Aug 2007 08:04 |
Annoying smug and self-satisfied little place when it really has no right to be.
Sadly could be a really nice little pub with a potentially nice bar area and attractive garden. Ruined by decor (aimed for quirky but got cheap and tawdry instead), officious rules about so many things (be it drinking up or kids) and 'Little Britain' landlord/landlady. Personally, I don't really care whether kids are banned or not but the amount of rules about it and how I've seen them enforced on friends pretty much sums up this place.
That being said, I still go there sometimes because it doesn't have much competition and it has a decent beer garden. Anywhere else it would have a far shorter shelf-life.
anonymous - 16 Aug 2007 16:41 |
Might I suggest shutting the bar at 11:30pm and allowing people 30 minutes to finish their drinks. Surely we have left the bad old days of 20 minutes drinking up time if you're lucky behind us?
Unless this aspect improves I think me and my group will be doing most of our drinking in The Plough on Wood Street where they seem to have a more relaxed attitude to drinking up.
anonymous - 8 Aug 2007 14:21 |
I absolutely love this pub. The ales are great, and I love the huge cat. Its rare to find somewhere to go where there isnt screaming kids running around (The Village pub beer Garden is a nightmare), so full credit to them re-the rules on children. They may lose families but they will gain lots of young professionals. Wish there was more pubs in walthamstow like this
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There seems to be a conspiracy to rubbish this pub by local parents and the reviews posted below are one sided and deeply unfair. It is a fact of life that pubs and children do not mix. Pubs are an adult domain for people who want to relax with their friends and enjoy drinking alcohol. Whilst the Nags is by no means a brilliant pub, it is, in my view, the best Walthamstow currently has to offer. As a real ale fancier, I can think of nowhere local that comes anywhere near it. The range of beers on offer is acceptable and they are reasonably well kept.
My one real issue with the place is the way the staff start shouting at you to leave on the stroke of 11 o'clock. Have we not liberalised the licensing laws in this country. By all means close the bar at 11, but at least have the decency to allow people to finish their drinks in peace. If that means paying your bar staff to work until 12 then do it, it's not as if you can't afford it, given the pay rates for bar staff off set against the amount of hard cash being raked across the bar. Anyway, people will not stay more than about 30 minutes in a pub once the bar is closed and they can't buy anymore drinks.
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The garden is quite nice. The staff look vacant. The wine list is a bit like Wetherspoons attempting to get with it. Cheap and crap. The Jazz is nice. The table cloths are annoying and should go. It is ok purely because it is in Walthamstow. If they get any decent pubs around this place will die a death. Don't have children but they didn't seem to be a problem when I was there. I can't understand why they are trying to fight their fate. Parents and kids are your future. Embrace it !
anonymous - 4 Aug 2007 14:01 |
We came to have a drink in this pub on a sunny sunday afternoon with our son (18 months) hoping to sit in the beer garden but were faced with signs saying 'leave buggies outside' (what, even if your child is asleep?!) and 'children must be seated at all times'. So the only option really is to sit at the front of the pub by a road in order to experience rude service and expensive beer. We turned around and went home and sat in the garden. How disappointing.
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Its like a solicitors waiting room dull and expensive!!
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I have no issue if the Nags Head wants to be an Adults only pub but what really bugs me is that they aren't honest about this,if they were they should just say NO CHILDREN ALLOWED instead of trying to hedge their bets by letting families in but putting up numerous rude signs re:how children should behave etc ...strange as it may seem most of us do in fact know how to control our children,keep them safe & ensure they don't annoy other punters....surprising really I remember when the owners first took over the premises & wanted to attract local customers...can't remember any signs then.....in fact quite the opposite...
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This pub is deeply mediocre at best. What really spoils it is their attitude to children in an area where young families make up a growing proportion of the local population. There are signs everywhere about children must do this, must do that etc No buggies etc so mums have to sit at the roadside( safety at its best ) As a parent would never use this miserable middle class wannabe tatty place nor its equally dull sister pub the Castle. POOR SHOW !!All of our friends echo my thoughts too.
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Strictly imposed rules on children? (re: comment 23rd May) Its things like this which make me like this place. A pubs for grown-ups.
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Visited with a friend last night (24/6/07) and had 3 fine pints of Oscar Wilde Mild. This beer is on permanently, and is one of up to five real ales available at the Nag's Head. Hoped to try Timothy Taylor's Landlord but this went off during the session. Only one other beer was on tonight - Adnams Broadside. The remaining two pumps (off) were Black Sheep Bitter and Fuller's London Pride.
Food is now served at the pub lunchtimes and some evenings - check with pub for details. A comprehensive range of bar snacks is available including biltong, prawn crackers, poppadoms and some exotic crisp flavours.
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We used to like the nags head. Lovely selection of beer, great atmosphere, live music on a sunday afternoon whilst sitting in the beer garden.
We now a child and find the draconian rules the landlord/lady are imposing on customers with children completely absurd.
First up was the 7.30pm rule. All children must be out by 7.30pm. OK, not a massive problem, could possibly be a touch later, but we'll deal with it. However, having just been served by Flossy the landlady, who knew we were there with kids in the garden, at around 7.25pm, she then kicked us out 5 minutes later at 7.30 on the dot. No arguments, get out, says so on the sign, tough luck about your drinks.
We continued to visit, remembering to have finished our last drinks by 7.30.
Last weekend we wandered down for a quick pint as the weather was nice. The first sign I read is one that states "All children must be kept seated at ALL times". Thats fair enough, the dont want kids cutting themselves on broken glass. Anyway, our daughter is only 10 months old and is strapped into her buggy. We walked through into the garden only to be stopped in our tracks by flossy who told us "NO BUGGIES IN THE GARDEN!". What? So you want kids seated, but wont allow their seats in the garden? I asked for reason behind this and was told "It says so on the sign". Yes, well done Flossy, thats a very intelligent answer.
We'll be going elsewhere from now on. Its a shame as we do like the pub. Just a shame about the owners and their refusal to listen to anyone's comments.
Oh, the John Smith's extra smooth is always flat and nasty. Dont try it.
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My Nan and Grandad used to sing in this place when it was a pub. I don't know how to describe it really except it reminded me of the Castle Round the corner and a customer told me they are the same owners! It seems that the kitted both pubs out of a charity shop and ripped up some old bedspreads to cover the tables. Says it all really? Covered tables in a pub? They don't even serve food!. The drink selection was fair enough except that the wine that was served up was undrinkable, and I had to wait while the three girls finished their conversation about a bloke they fancy. I ended up with a pint of bitter that was'nt bad but expensive. They have jazz of sorts on a Sunday so may pop back then as it was dead when I went in. Smoke was unbearable and I smoke but they have a tent out the back where you can get fresh air.
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I had a great afternoon in here last Sunday. Cornish ale went down a treat, the ladies had four bottles of a fine Pinot and the bass player in the jazz band managed to play whilst laying on his back. Pretentious my arse.
anonymous - 11 Apr 2007 18:35 |
Nice pub, friendly staff, and great beer garden with heaters. Jazz nites too. small selection of ales on offer.
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This pub is full of pretentious knobs, it serves fruit beer for Gods sake! The shag pile on the tablecloths is so deep I could stand my beer up.
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The Oscar Wilde mild went down a treat last night, Black Sheep bitter is also on at the moment.
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True, this is pricey, but pretty chav free, and has a lovely beer garden, and quite a nice atmosphere...
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It is a strange place for walthamstow and true the service borderlines on sloppy, but if you want something different to chav heaven, old mans heaven, and pissheads, give it a go
Eccentric is the word for the landlady, but once chatting she is a very nice person
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Very pleasing modernised pub in a beautiful little bit of East London (really). Excellent mild, and very cosy.
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This is a great pub during the week but really comes into it's own on a Sunday afternoon with the live band. They turn up every single Sunday come rain or shine and have a right proper jazzy wig-out. Got to agree with the bloke about the bar-staff, though. Some of em just dont look all the ticket.
On the whole, Walthamstow could do with a few more pubs with the Nag's attitude. Perhaps someone can re-furb the Rose & Crown on Hoe St. Its been vacant for about 8 weeks now.
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Really nice pub in summer, lovely garden. Highly recommended.
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Like those in its sister pub 'The Castle', the staff in this place really do need to get their heads around the concept of customer service. The last time I was here - a few weekends ago on a Saturday afternoon - the barmaid who served me twice looked like she'd seen a a ghost each time I asked for a drink, as if to say 'You want WHAT?! Oh my GOD... What am I going to do NOW?!' She looked utterly terrified just to be there.
Good point: they now serve draft Leffe.
Bad point: they mess about with it by A) refusing to serve it in a pint glass and B) serving it in a glass branded for another Belgian beer claiming to be a half pint. Look, here's a tip: if you're going to serve Belgian beer, do it properly. You're just making yourselves look like rank amteurs. I'm a big lad. I'd like anice pint of Leffe pof an afternoon. I'm not going to burn your pub down after a few.
Like I said in my comments about the Castle; give the customers what they want and they'll keep coming back; treat them like idiots and your pub will go down the swanee.
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The best pub in Walthamstow by pints. One of the few places regularly serving mild (Mighty Oak's Oscar Wilde), as well as cornish ales (e.g. the excellent Sharpes Eden), Belgian bottled beers and an extensive wine list. The sophistcated background music and great atmosphere make this a must visit venue.
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I agree with Darren27, as a resident of Walthamstow its refreshing to go to a place that's not awash with hoodies, rudeboys and chavs. My greatest fear is that the proles will discover this place and ruin it like the rest of the "stow" Long Live the Nags Head.
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'Banner' was clearly in a different pub, or he would've seen FOUR real ales:
Two Sharp Brewary ales, London Pride and also an excellent Mild (Oscar Wilde)
Live Blues band good but too loud. We were outside so it was OK. Unlike nearby Queens Head no-one turns to stare at you as you enter.
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Nice pub - in a bit of a pub desert. Good beer and service, and a huge garden. There IS decent ale - Adnams in particular. And the staff are friendly. Its not actually a poncey place, in my opinion, as that suggests snootiness, and you don't get that here at all. Just a place you will feel relaxed and welcomed in.
anonymous - 14 Aug 2006 16:03 |
been going to this pub for years now and I think all the comments made are really quite harsh. it may be expensive but that keeps out the local riff raff of walthamstow central. there has never been any trouble in this pub. so it's a little pretentious, what does that matter? i admit some of the bar staff are useless but mostly they are all really friendly girls and not ditzy. the landlord and landlady are a bit wacky and eccentric but I'd much rather have that then some assistant manager who never once smiles. if you actually get talking them both they are very welcoming. they are happy to support local business and trade, they are helpful if you ask. middle class is needed in walthamstow as most of it is full of pikey scum. i suggest most of you are grumpy old farts and can't seem to deal with a little bit of fun dis-organisation.
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A good selection of fancy Belgium beer, but no really decent ale. Very pretentious and extremely expensive, especially given its location in one of the most affordable spots in London to live. Nice enough design inside, but not very welcoming and opens very late on a Sunday - often not to time
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Decent beer, comfortable pub which suffers only from poor service behind the bar.
Before current landlord took it over when it used to attract local pondlife Yes there are some poncy types nowadays but at least they're non-threatening.
anonymous - 9 Jul 2006 15:49 |
Felt obliged to pop along here more than once, since weather is getting better and I just moved into the area. Was told its the 'best pub in the village'. If this is as good as it gets then its a sad state of affairs.
Beer is fine, havent tried much else to comment. Staff are absolutely useless. It makes you wonder about the management when they employ these ones. The Manageress is downright scary. Worth a visit just to see her mad head. The Sunday Jazz band is good as long as you are sitting in the back garden where their sounds just form background noise, otherwise it can be more painful than the wait to get served.
There isnt much atmosphere in the place, so either go with a good newspaper or lively friends.
The only good thing I can say about it is that the customer are a fairly well turned out crowd. And the garden out the back is good, especially if you or friends need to drag the kids/prams along. But if you want good service, good beer, decent atmosphere, then prepare to be dissappointed.
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I was in the Nags Head last night and to say that the bar staff were utterly dizzy and useless would be an understatement. It was busy at certain times which is fine but I dont expect to wait 5-10 mins for a drink when there are 4 staff on duty. They have no bar skills in observing which customer is next (an absolute fundamental trait of any decent bar staff), several people were overlooked by the staff last night much to their annoyance. It doenst bode well for The Nags Head if it gets a rep for sloppy and incompetent bar staff. In the end I buzzed off as I was not getting served. Some people might say, why didnt I speak up, well I did, and I did sound like a complete arse. I agree with one of the opinions posted, it's a hateful place, an atmosphere vacuum with crap bar staff, over priced drink and shi*e jazz on Sundays. Pah.
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This little pub is brilliant! Went there last weekend the atmosphere is really nice, chill out music & loads of different people. Want to see the sexiest bar staff in East London, get down the nag's.
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I don't normally like pubs with pretensions, but the Nag's is friendly and has a fairly good atmosphere. It's nice to see a landlord and landlady, rather than a "bar manager". Having said that, the beer is often flat, and sometimes warm. If nothing else, however, it has made the nearby Village up its game.
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Hateful place. No atmosphere and full of lefty lecturer types speaking too loudly about what they read in the Guardian. I hope Roger and his strawberry beer are very happy together.
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Different type of pub for Walthamstow. Good place to kick back in and relax. Really fit bar staff. Drinks are over priced but that might be to keep out the regulars from the Village. Good range of beers for a little pub.
anonymous - 27 Nov 2005 16:18 |
The Nags Head was definetely the best pub in Walthamstow Village but now it has a rival. The Castle which the owners of the Nags have just took over I went in there for the first time this weekend and was amazed by the transformation (you can still smell the paint). The barstaff in both pubs are lovely and friendly and some of my female friends have said its the only pub they would ever feel comfortable going in on there own. And as for the comment from bibs in July I can only think they must of deserved it. They 2 nice pubs with nice customers and the friendliest pub owners of I have ever come across, who are always ready for a chat with the customers unlike some I could mention in the village.
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Well im 20 and me and a few mates go to the nags head on a saturday nite and we really like it there, a nice friendly atmosphere a good range of drinks and a really nice beer garden! The staff are friendly and i would reconmend goin in for a drink if u r in the area.
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Well all I can say about the negative comments below is that they must have deserved it!! Having spent the past three years regularly drinking at this pub, I consider it to be the best pub in the area, very friendly and Roger is a very placid kind of guy. Admittedly it does attract a few idiots who think they can push other customers and the staff around, but at least I haven't seen any bricks being thrown across the bar, unlike in The Village.
An excellent range of beers, well kept and supplemented by a good range of bottled beers.
If you don't like the place then bugger off and let the rest of us enjoy it - I for one will be happily enjoying my pint whilst reading a newspaper in one of the few places locally that doesn't land you in a fight for doing so!!
Now if only I can finally convince Roger to to start serving food......
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Have to agree about the landlord, a bit up himself considering this is the east end of london. I heard this week he's also bought the Castle round the corner, god help the regulars in there !
anonymous - 1 Jul 2005 13:03 |
Interesting pub in an interesting location. Don't go for Belgian fruit beers myself(!) but they serve a lot of other decent pints. Comments have been made about the landlord and no, he's not going to win the diplomat-of-the-year award. But he takes a very no-nonsense approach to people he thinks are putting his pub in a bad light, and personally I'm all for it! Keep up the good work, Roger.
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If you are young, black, a woman, middle class or are not "local" don't bother trying to get a drink in this pub. They let you buy a drink at over-inflated prices and then they ban you and escort you from the premises before you have had time to drink it. Of the instances I kow of here are a couple; my son's friends were banned because the landlord thought they were not speaking English (!?) which I was unaware of as being a crime! My son was banned for not being local and "we don't need your type here" - the comment was aimed at my son's black friends who the landlord said looked similar to "someone" who smashed a glass a year previously. Another friend's 16 year old son was banned from standing on the public footpath in front of the pub (even though he father had bought him a coke from the pub) - when his father intervened he too was banned with all his family. They too were accused of not being local! Echoes of Royston Vasey here I think? As if it actually mattered all of those mentioned are in fact are local apart from one and that one is the landlord!!! When the pub re-opened we supported it's renewal but look at it now! Avoid this one at all costs unless you enjoy being abused.
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On a quiet evening out to this pub last night, we were subjected to easily the rudest, most aggressive treatment by the landlord that any of us have ever encountered anywhere.
Excuse my French, but we were literally told to "f*ck off" by the landlord, who described himself as "the governor" because we had the temerity to politely ask for our warm cherry beers (�3 a half) to be replaced. Granted, it was a very hot day. It's perfectly understandable for the beers to be a bit warm. But we weren't expecting the tirade from the landlord.
We were told that "middle class" people like us were not welcome - a bizarre statement from a man who has transformed this nice little boozer with arty photos, pistachios behind the bar and �3-a-half cherry beers. Oh, and afternoons of jazz entertainment.
None of us has ever been barred form a pub before, but we'll gladly never go there again.
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reasonable selection of ale well kept. the rest is formulaic wine bar stuff, hoegaarden, chardonnay, shiraz, stripped pine... walthamstow trying to be highgate, especially the price.
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The landlord, Roger, keeps a spectacularly good cellar. The London Pride is the best I've ever tried. If you value good beer, make a pilgrimage and touch the hem of his garment. Superb.
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This is one of only a handful of decent pubs in Walthamstow, and probably the nicest - the beer is great, the outdoor seating area is very pleasant in the summer and the atmosphere is really friendly. Top notch!
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Best thing about the Nags Head is the facade. Inside it looks a bit like a student bar with funny cafe tables and an attempt to create an arty atmosphere with black and white poster prints. Not sure what all the fuss is about with this one. I agree its less smokey than The Village but not half as much fun or atmosphere.
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Out went the dart board, pool table & dodgy jukebox replaced by transvestites, sofas, strawberry beer. U decide.
John Craven - 22 Oct 2004 17:54 |
Terrible - Overpriced and full of teachers with beards, the blokes are just as bad.
John Freedman - 20 Oct 2004 16:18 |
Real Ales,
Garden,
Jazz on a Sunday !
No kids in the evening.
Nice.
Sunday Boozer - 1 May 2004 15:26 |
Fabulous pub situated in the heart of Walthamstow village - one of London's hidden gems! Unfailingly well kept beers - Adnams, Fullers and several guest ales as well as an extraordinary range of Belgian brews. Unusual (but not entirely tasteless) decor in old brewery/inn. Summer pints a treat in large beer garden or out the front; cosy by the fire in winter. No food to talk about, spare a few bagels and sandwiches. Good for exploring historic Walthamstow! Beats the stinky, sticky Village Pub hands down!
Matt - 8 Apr 2004 10:59 |
Completely refurbished. Spacious, light, quality fittings. Good range of beers etc, including some quite fanyc ones. Quiet area.
Ben - 27 Oct 2003 22:33 |
