please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Visited this pub with a friend while doing a River Wey walk last week. Good range of real ale on hand pump including Summer Lightning. Very nice.
The food menu is pretty good and there is an extensive bottled cider menu.
Large beer garden to the rear.
Great pub in a lovely setting. Will return.
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Nice pub and great selection of real ales and ciders but we visited on a quiet Saturday afternoon and it was so cold inside. We had to keep our coats on (as did the people at the table next to us) and we only stayed for one quick drink. Shame.
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Historic-looking exterior and an unruly bricolage of furniture and decor inside. Wide mix of customers, hip and helpful bar staff, broad choice of festive ales in good nick and pukka ciders (plus a real perry). Quite relaxed and friendly overall, and a pleasant place to be.
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I went there for the first time 23/2/13 at lunchtime they have three ale pumps and the ales are fine they also tell what is coming next i did not have meal but the food look nice. The are reasonable priced and very friendly pub
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Decent beer, bar staff always offer a taster if you're unsure, decent cider selection also. Back garden a bit of a higgledy piggledy mess for smokers. Not sure what the food is like but its defo the best pub in the area.
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Full of strange characters and the place was pretty untidy, especially in the garden. Red Ale was good at least.
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This weekend they had 8 Ball Rye IPA on which was top notch. Greene King's beer (a golden one, can't remember the name) was also very well kept. Barman let us have a sample of the rye beer to make sure we liked it - of course we did but nice touch anyway. Didn't try the food and we didn't see any plates going past. The only disappointment was NO Belgian beers despite their marketing blurb saying 'we have a large selection'. Apparently (acc to barman) GK have taken them off the 'menu'...a shame.
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After a very muddy six mile walk, we pitched up for lunch at the Star.
And a good pub it is too. Five real ales available including Naylor's Black and Tan from the cask and GK Libertine, which I've never seen before. A "coming soon" board suggests that the ales are changed frequently.
The pub is narrow but goes back a long way. We were there Friday lunchtime and it was pretty busy - we managed to get the last table. Because the pub and therefore the bar is small, a queue tends to build up if a lot of people are ordering food at the same time. We had ham, egg and chips ( pretty sizeable), scampi and chips ( what I expected) and a Star burger, which my friend said was fine but overloaded with cheese. Menu was a standard one, no specials that I could see.
So, a good pub, well worth a visit.
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Once again far too many beers from Greene King but the Summer Lightning( Hop Back Brewery) was very good, early lunchtime it was on gravity and it went on the handpump later in the session. My preference was for the later handpumped ale. All the pubs in Godalming were busy yesterday due to the Food Festival. Hogs Back Brewery had a stall in the High Street near the W.H. Smiths.
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Nice historic pub and a Godalming institution for its cider as well as the beer. On this visit I met a friend for lunch and had a lovely pint of Leeds Brewery Gathering Storm stout and a (very nice) burger. Service was very friendly but verging on the disorganised. They always have some beer on handpump and some others straight from the cask. I tend to avoid the ones straight from the cask as they can be a bit flat in my experience.
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The Star for me is at its very best on a dark, cold evening when the lights seem most warming and welcoming on entering . The low hum of conversations can be heard in this most traditional of pubs. Last night no Greene King beers on the bar whatsoever, four on, a fantastic drop of Proper Job( St. Austell) and a lovely pint of Ruck'n Maul ( Harviestoun). Given the chance I could have happily stayed all night in one of the comfy armchairs but sadly had to move on.An Easter Beer Festival is being advertised on the blackboard.
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Charming mediaeval pub in a quiet back street. I share slerpy's surprise that in the second week of the New Year there were still Christmas ales on offer, I did have a pint of Miss Lapland (or some such name) which was surprisingly good.
Only criticism would be the prices which are very high - I could drink in Kensington or Chelsea for less - a lot less!
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The Star have a lot of things that a good pub should have but the beer selection and range leave an awful lot to be desired, today is the 9th January and they had seven ales available, every one was a Christmas themed ale!! Not one ale was a LocALE.There are some really great Brewers very close to Godalming why not do the right thing and showcase them instead of tired ales from a wholesaler that have been picked up and settled so many times that the beer is less than average in quality.
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Hadn't been here for a couple of years as I got tired of the high prices, warm beer and lack of choice....nearly all GK beers which I don't like. Popped in for a quickee between trains this week and was pleasantly surprised at the choice; not a GK to be seen and on was a mild, a stout and two or three others. Excellent. Beer still a trifle warm for me but I will be back sooner this time.
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Decent pub, seven real ales including three served straight from the cask. Beers included Jennings Cocky Blonde, Brakspear Hooray Henry, Evan Evans SPA (�3.33) and GK St Edmunds. Well worth a visit.
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Pleasant little Pub, staff efficient and friendly, toilets let it down badly had to hold my nose, smell overwhelming, made me feel really sick. Worse than the Elephant House at the London Zoo. Please put some disinfectant and bleach down the drains?
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Fantastic selection of real ciders and a quirky place with an interesting conservatory area at the back. Be warned, the seats do try to eat you.
Had a slightly "local" feel but not in a bad way. Staff were friendly and efficient. Will definitely go back next time in town.
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My last two visits here left me keen to return when in the area yesterday but I was disappointed at the cider selection this time. There were four 'real' ciders but all were from from one producer, Millwhites, whose products are not in the same league as Biddendens, Wilkins, Sheppys and Hecks, four who come to mind as having been served here before. I was left regreting that I had restrained myself to one pint at Churt in order to leave capacity for visiting the Star.
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Recently spent a suitably pleasant, lazy afternoon here, catching up with an old friend. Whilst a perfectly decent pub, I could imagine it would probably appeal more to those in search of a decent pint somewhere down to earth and at ease with itself, like myself, rather than those looking for something particularly flash and swanky. The ale was certainly on form and the food I had was simple, well done and of a decent size.
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I was expecting a lot from this pub, but left feeling a little underwhelmed. The barmaid proudly proclaimed that they had 50 ciders. If you counted all of the different varieties of Brothers, Magners, Bulmers, St Heliers & Kopparbergs plus the fizzy rubbish from the keg, this may just be true. Although I think 25 would be more accurate. Nevertheless they did have 1 real cider - Millwhites Blackberry Blush and 1 real perry - Butford Organics. The perry was well past its best. In terms of beers, the selection was far better - Okells Smoked Celtic Porter, Keltec Winter Ale, Northumberland Firkin Freezing, Brains Part Popper, Ringwood Porter, Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted, Hydes Jekyll's Gold & Hardy & Hansons Rocking Rudolph. The pub itself is a traditional place with an L-shaped bar and an outdoor smoking area under cover at the rear. Many pumpclips adorn the ceiling. This was certainly the best pub I visited during the day, and maybe I was unlucky on the day with the cider selection. I'll score it 8/10. But for some reason, I was expecting much more. Didn't notice any bad smells from the toilets.
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Very good old fashioned pub, with some excellent real ales (about 6) normally on offer, the cider needs to be treated with respect as can be very strong ABV.
Bar staff always helpful and pleasant, any issues with the beer are dealt with by "the customer is always right" policy.
Well worth a visit, never noticed any problems with the smell from the toilets either.
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Have always found this to be one of the better pubs in Godalming the only thing that we have smelt in here is the food (only been in lunchtimes).Good ale selection same with ciders. 7/10
It would be better if people visited a place first before commenting on it please take note baps !!!!
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hairy and rusty
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maybe also a smelly star
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smmelllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyy ppppppppiiiiiiiisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss I said
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dont go to the star the locals have smelly pissssssssssssssssssss
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SYD... Your pub sounds like a right shit hole full of bottom feeders and thats from your own description... Jesus man move pub or change career if you cant deal with the feckless!
yawn!!!
I give your pub 0, straight from the managers mouth!
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Nicandads and noname shown. A reply on the toilet situation.
There are moments when our Gents smell, despite lots of air freshners, bleach and water flushing. The sad fact is that there are moments of Customers with strong smelling urine, caused by there consumption of whatever they consume. We are unable to alter their diets, but we do, despite what you might think clean our toilets thoroughly.
With 30 odd years of running pubs I have had my fair share of toilet destruction, from stealing the whole toilet suite, to stuffing air freshners down the toilet. We don't escape this problem at The Star, namely the Female customers who break open the toilet paper dispenser with regular monotony, and then either steal the paper or throw it around the toilet. The Ladies who force open the sanitary bin! The Ladies who kick in the hot water heater. The Ladies who break the blinds. The Ladies who leave the water taps on at full force and flood the toilet! God forbid I had a trouble pub! The Gents are relatively sedate compared to the Ladies, we only get the Cistern broken on a pretty regular basis. What I find extraordinary, and always have done, is the inate inabilty of the British public to just go to the toilet without feeling the need to destroy something. The answer is CCTV in the toilet area, but that is not allowed.
I am surprised that you suggest that we do not show our Ales due attention. They get all the attention due to them, and more , that is why we sell so much Ale, that is why we are in The CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
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I haven't been on the site for some while, and obviously there is a need for some comment, on our behalf.
1st for Pat. Sorry about your dog, but due to the inconsiderate nature of many local dog owners and the near turning into the next Battersea dogs home, some years ago, I had to call a halt to Dogs coming into my pub, including my own. I appreciate that a dog could go into the garden, however as with indoors inconsiderate dog owners have precluded this availabilty.
The dog friendly pub is The Richmond Arms, however they don't always let in the owner!
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The huge advert in "The London Drinker" for this pub kept cathching my eye.
As a result and also because I'd never been to Godalming before, we travelled down from Brockley, South London to check it out.
Was hugely dissappointed on arrival, when we were told they don't allow dogs.
Fair enough, my own fault I suppose, as I normally always check in advance.
I then noticed they had a beer garden at the back and asked if it was ok to take the dog back there. The young bar man informed me that I couldn't go there either, as "we serve food there".
There was only 2 other people out there. Quite pathetic really. Would never go back.
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The Star ( seventeeth century) is in the middle of the Old part of Godalming, with Tudor shops and jettied buildings and the pub itself is in an unspoilt condition , as opposed to the new part which is an industrial estate with IKEA and HALFORDS ( neither probably have superstores there but it has that kind of crap). The Star had seven ales on today,two from the Greene King stable (there is clearly a connection) and five genuine guest ales today from the likes of Brewdog, Keltek, Batemans etc.the pub is a very tiny building outside but stretches back to an overspill bar/ function room,even further back is a very pleasant garden( it was pouring and my urge to explore was somewhat dampened ).A young barperson saw that I was in awe of the several hundred pumpclips that adorn the ceiling joists and he told me a few worthwhile tit bits about their festivals which as you are now agog take place at Easter and Hallowe'en.Look out for the Blackawton pumpclip that is a rarity!!! A superb pub in every way.
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Nice pub I went to recently but the toilets are a disgrace worst Ive seen in Godalming by far.
Had a bottle of pear cider which was warm and they had run out of ice but it was a busy Friday night so will let them off.
I may return on a quiter day to enjoy the pub and hopefully they will have cleaned the toilets.
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The Star in Godalming is best known for being a truely preserved old historical building and for it's great cider festivals. However what really lets this place down is the disgusting state and awful pong of the toilets. They are so bad I would never take the risk of eating in this pub. I have never seen a member of staff taking any interest in keeping them clean and hygenic and ninety nine percent of the time there is never any toilet paper and this is just the womens toilet I dread to think what the mens must be like. They constantly flood and because they are situated in the eating area with only a door seperating them from the main bar and kitchen it begs the question how clean is this place. Come on landlord and landlady sort this problem out. The different types of cider they serve is amazing and so is their selction of ales it's a shame the lack of attention in keeping their ales means they are not always at their best, otherwise I would recommend this pub to any one.
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Having read about this pub in the CAMRA "News and Ale" and "The London Drinker" I was looking forward to visiting the Star and made it my last stop before heading back to the station on Saturday afternoon.
I must say that I was impressed by the old character of the pub, it's lovely covered terrace at the rear a lovely helpful barmaid and an impressive selection of real ale and ciders. My pint of Thatchers Perry was very good at �3.25.
On the minus side the barman seemed pretty abrupt and full of his own importance, some of the customers seemed a little "strange" to say the least and by God the gents reeked!
I would return and wasn't a terrible pub, but I was a bit disappointed in a place I'd looked forward to visiting.
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Mostly good reviews i've spotted, some people obviously diving out of the range of their tastebuds, a fantastic pub, such a mix of spirits ales and scrumpies let alone the bottled variety. the quality of the guest ales rarely falter and as much you would have a hard time finding alot of them in surrey, if you look above your head as you go in you can see it's a right place right time sort of pub that can pull strings to bring in a variety you would usually find and expos or large festivals (of course not all at the same time) good rum too. as far as food; the menu is well prepared and put on a plate even better. regular barbq's and the eventful hog roast isn't far away from an almost quarterly beer festival, always colourful and some of the chalkboards can be great to look at. the summer promises music and more of the same. try not to get distracted from what this place really has going on.
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No-one has mentioned the live music evenings here. Went to one last year which was a great evening. Small pub in quaint old building. Cider a speciality, along with lots of varied real ales. Havent eaten here so can't comment on food.
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A group of 8 of us walkers descended on the Star for lunch last week, having phoned ahead. It is clearly a good locals pub and we enjoyed good beer and good food in a pleasant pub. Service was good too.
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visited this pub for over a year and a half now!and afraid to say bar staff let it down !when I first started using pub over a year ago,super set of staff on and very knowledgeable on range of Ales on offer!
Super location and venue but is lacking in personality which makes a great pub!!
Jukebox when asked to to be turned upto audiable level was left as background music !!Not good on a Friday night !!
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Made my second visit to the Star in 9 months recently, and each time have found it to offer a warm welcome, very generous portions of classic pub grub, and a range of well-kept cask beer - and all this notwithstanding it being in the grip of Greene King! Fortunately that grip seems not to be too tight, and the licensee presumably demonstrates that selling a broader range of ale from competitors makes the tills ring that bit louder. Keep up the good work.
Sampled the Titanic Iceberg, and Keltek Arthur Ale. Both had travelled a fair distance and yet were in good nick (the latter was off the cask and although not to my personal taste was clearly as it should be). A man sitting behind me was dutifully working his way through a vast burger, showing that one needs to undergo some star-vation (sorry!) to really get the best out of eating here.
One of the best in town - make a beeline for it.
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A bit thirsty so had some a couple of pints of some very decent proper cider (Hecks, Janets, etc.). They had Old Trip and another bitter on but I try not to mix it;-) The Red Lion had nothing interesting on tap thatv day. Mind you half the town was closed by snow. The Star is only a "local" pub in that Godalming is a small town, its customers are a pretty wide mix. It's one of the only pubs around that really cares about being a PUB ;-)
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Did not have time for a pint as I was in a rush - this was however a locals type of pub and i've heard it has some fine real ale.
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Typical? No. Plc's aren't proactive and would prefer not to give you the choice that we offer. Actually for many years we couldn't and it really was grim! Greedy King ? Well we survive, despite them and their prices.
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PubMessenger & TheSurreyPubMan - Would you care to elaborate, those aren't reviews.
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Have to agree with Pub Messenger, this is really grim.
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Typical Greedy King pub. I really don't like this place at all, Greedy King can keep it.
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Attractive old pub, handily placed on a side street between the railway station and town centre. Four handpumps, but seven clips when I visited - the extra three being guest ales served in the cellar direct from the barrel. I went at a quiet time, but it still seemed to have a good atmosphere. Pleasant welcome, and some decent beer. One of rare creatures, an unbranded Greene King house - just shows what can be achieved with a bit of effort (actually quite a lot of effort, I suspect - well done).
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Quick response. To avoid confusion, we are not a Free House. However we have an agreement with our landlords to sell a number of Ales a week of our choice. Unfortunately there are moments when these either sell out, or sell in a logistical manner ( especially at weekends ) that means our offer becomes more restricted. Our cellar is tiny and the barrels are already double stacked. Whilst we would love to be totally Free, what we have today is better than was on offer up and until 3 years ago, when for 16 years we were trapped in mediocre land, with no choice! The concept of choice is not fully understood in PLC land so to have acheived what we have is a bit of a breakthrough. So, sorry your choice was limited, but we do our utmost to keep a balance between Free and Tied products. Cheers.
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Only GK beers today, agreed an admirable range, but all GK still. The cider choice is still good.
All the guest pump clips remain on the ceiling beams but sorry, today's choice disappointed me, especially as I'd directed friends here. Less than impressed. Sorry but my rating drops from v good to average.
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Went in on Saturday and the only real ales on were Greene King related, i.e. IPA and Hardy & Hansons.
Is this not a real free house any more? What happened to the big range of real ales?
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I do try Syd, but I think you save the best ones for the weekend, when I'm not around!
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I can only say Peter, that you will have to come in more often than every day, so as not to miss out on these ales. Some cheeky customers must have drunk them!
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Just popped in for a swift one on our way to a wedding. My pint of Ridgeway was very nice. The staff were friendly and efficient, the atmosphere was friendly and I liked the decor. I would have stayed longer but duty called.
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Beer choice is getting worse, but the cider choice is getting better!
Although a regular visitor I seem to have missed nearly all the beers that have their pump clips displayed on the ceiling�
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Still the only pub in Godalming worth going to.
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Great beer! Great Cider! Great Food! Great Garden! Great Staff! Great Sunday Quiz! Why is this not rated 10/10? Best pub in Godalming!
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Can't believe that anyone could do anything other than give this place 10/10!, and i'm not even a cider fan. Such a welcoming bunch of locals, tiny bar & good bar staff.
Add in an ecclectic mix of furniture and the old guest ale pump signs on the ceiling (there are a LOT of them!) and you have, in my eyes, the perfect pub.
Makes my bi-monthly trip down to Godalming from London all the better!
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Great boozer. From perry to ale, the quality of the grog is great and the staff generally know what they are talking about. Now that the Red Lion is defunct, its the last decent pub in 'Ming. Keep it going....
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I had a very good pint of Hecks cider here this evening.
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I called in the other day to give it another try,beer was fine but again the smell of burnt food got the better of me and i left PDQ,so this place is not my cup of tea or glass of strange tasting cider.
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We have not sold Gwatkins Perry before, and I must say, prior to selling it ,I tasted it and thought My Goodness ! However following a phone call to Gwatkins I was reassured by a very helpful Lady that this Perry is like Marmite, you either love it or hate it. The flavour is very distinctive,and probably appreciated more by model plane enthusiasts. Funnily enough during my call a customer bought 2 pints in a row and thought it was fantastic. Having said that we do offer tasters, partcularly where a product is known to be very different, so I am surprised If this did not happen. It's always worth a trip to the Reading beer festival to have a go at Lots of different ciders just to see how more varied they are to Cask Ales. Actually if you go you can do both!
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Picked the wrong day to visit this famous pub - a wet day when they had a beer festival on. Nowhere to sit and it was a bit cramped inside. The beer was good but I don't like standing to drink so only had the one. Will definitely return, though.
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Rudolph - How can you be so certain that it was here that made you ill?
Did you bring your problems to the management, give them an opportunity to sort out your problem? Or just leave vowing never to go back?
You say it's a shame, why not go back then, give it another try. To judge a place on one visit isn't to give it a chance, we all have bad days, and not always our fault�
Personally, the beer quality is excellent, the burgers are the best around (come in on a Friday lunchtime and listen to the constant orders for burgers) and the staff are mostly excellent.
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I was looking forward to this pub with all the good publicity it has. Unfortunately I was disappointed, both my friend and I were later ill from the cider/perry we drank, rainlight- there was more than just acetone in the Gwatkins Oldfield Perry, it was still there Saturday and long past its best. Not to be put off we did venture to some food only to find the the burger burnt to charcoal. What a shame I will keep looking for good pubs in the area as I will not waste my hard earned money in here again.
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Great atmosphere, first class drinks. Love it
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How is this pub only a 6.3? A great range of beers and also ciders and perries. Gwatkins Oldfield perry scents distinctly of acetone, used in model aircraft cement. Brought to mind Kurt Vonnegut's 'Cat's Cradle' where the potent island rum uses the same ingredient. The pub is also friendly and has a good atmosphere; a diverse demographic which also helps. I would come to Godalming especially for this pub.
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A genuine warm welcome at this lovely 400 year old pub. The place is unusual in that it appears to be a GK house, yet has an excellent guest policy with good rotation, evidenced by the scores of pump clips hanging from the ceiling beams at the back of the main bar. The pub is also Surrey & Sussex CAMRA cider pub of the year 2008, with three real ciders plus a perry on pump yesterday plus plenty more in bottles. House beers as expected are GK IPA, Olde Trip, Abbot, supplemented by Davenports Original (Highgate), Dorset Piddle and Oakham Bishops Farewell(gorgeous).
Two of the guests were on stillage in the cellar as were further ciders, the pumps are double clipped.
The pub is entered via a small snug with a flagged floor, leading into the main bar with beamed ceilings. A real sun trap garden lies to the rear. Seating is a mixture of settles, traditional chairs and stools adjacent to a drinking shelf.
The staff offer tasters to help you decide and carry outs are available. The forthcoming Halloween beer festival will have a West Midlands theme.....make of that what you will!
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Ok, but Red Lion is just as good.
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Excellent pub, Portside was very taken with the ciders and perrys on offer, took her back to last week in the Red Lion at Swanage (another good cider venue if you are ever passing). Recommended if you find yourself in this facinating historic town
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I was here last night with my brother -in-law. We were very pleased with the range of well-kept ales and my bro-in-law tucked into some of the several ciders on draught (more are available in bottles).As it was dry we sat in the garden watching the swallows over head and I was rather taken with a vivacious woman at an adjacent table who was enjoying a LOT of drinks with her husband and friends.
The barmaids were friendly and knowledgeable about the ales, which is unusual in many pubs nowadays.
There was an element of synchronicity at play too. I polished off a pint of Everards Sunchaser and mentioned to B-I-L that I also enjoyed Everards Tiger. Well, the next time I went to the bar, Tiger had been put on (it was lovely)!
One of those "I wish it was my local" pubs.
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Just had one of their hamburgers. Only one word for them....awesome!
Beer is always good here although just sometimes the Greene King family ales take over and it is difficult to find one from a micro! Small winge over.
Been coming to this pub on and off for over 20 years and to me it is the best that it has ever been (I am sure that I just heard a few old landlords turning in their graves)!!
The staff are always good, especially the mad American girl (she told me to say that)!
Support your local before it is to late.
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I must have called on a bad day (lunch time) walked in there was a haze (not a purple one)and a burnt BBQ smell, no body behind the jump waited what seemed like ages ( to be fair a few mins)and left.Possibly the hot weather made me tetchy.Will give it another try one evening.
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Hi Leone123,I've always been Syd or Bestpubbloke, no secret there! Funnily enough I've just been to Cumbria and paid �2.65 for my pint of bitter. Have I been ripped off? Any way, my last comment about prices. Unless you are a Free House, or lease / rent from a reasonable landlord, don't know of any , then your prices will never be competitive to, uhm ! Wetherspoons Isuppose. So you set your stall out, and hope that what you offer will attract the customers. In our case the offer is a Good Selection of Real Ales, Real Ciders,Cider generally, lots of Good Wine and soft drinks, Good Food, Hog Roasts, Brewery Trips, and what we feel is a friendly environment. Our prices are pitched to show a return within the confine of our costs and to repay our investment. We do not work for free ! We remain busy are in The Good Beer Guide and have just won The CAMRA Surrey/Sussex Cider Pub of the year 2008. Their will always be people who don't like to see success but that's life, their is always somewhere else for them to go. Or perhaps a few cans of 22p Lager from a supermarket is their preference to drink at home. Finally, the next comment will be Free Advertising again! Well no I'm just saying what we do as it's worth saying
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Why does Ian call himself Syd now? Come up to Cumbria, where living costs are very high (Council Tax and water rates are higher than in Surrey), yet the local pubs sell Guiness for �1.70 a pint and wine is about �1.60 for a large one. There are rip-off merchants here too, but many small local pubs understand that small profits from lots of loyal customers is better than high individual profits from a paucity.
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Just a response to Biker. Whether you BUY it or not ,I pay the bills and I know the price differences. Gone are my Red Lion Free House days when I was able to hold my prices for over 3 YEARS! You see the sad fact is that breweries/ pub co's are and have only in the 30 odd years that I've been doing this , only been interested in lining their own pockets. You would have thought that with a vested interest in the business it would be logical/ sensible not to rip off your Partners[ that's what we are called !] Despite all this we've got Great Ales and Great Ciders and much more.
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If and it`s a bloody BIG IF this or any other Govenment knew what they were doing with the pub trade they would stop the beer tie tomorrow and bag goes 60/70p off a pint,but they haven`t a clue.Punch and Entetprise will ruin this great tradition and close thousands more pubs in the next 10 years wait and see.
Rant over
Syd i totally agree.
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Me again, meant to say 50 to 60 pence a pint MORE to the Brewery than we would have to, to a Wholesaler.
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Hi Barra, When the Sunday lunches have sold out that's it, the kitchen is tiny and the offer is limited. You can however reserve a meal, it's best to come early. Prices, well for fear of being boring, we are a tied house and have to pay through the nose for our beers and lagers a good 50 to 60 pence wholesale per pint, it is as expensive to run a business outside London as in. Some pub brewery co's are a bit keener on prices our one is not. Take a drive a further mile down the A3 and the price of IPA and or Fullers Pride becomes �3.20 and lager is �3.95
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Travelled down from London on Sunday for lunch but only had two dinners left, why? Not exactly busy and what the hell is going on with the prices. This is Surrey not central London. A round of three pints came to over �14. When I queried this I was told beer has gone up due to Government increase. Had the beer and went down to the Hall Woodhouse pub and sensible prices.
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This pub has a great atmosphere and a superb range range of ales and ciders, but I'd have to question the beer prices. �2.95 for a pint of IPA whilst Peroni is �3.60.
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Easter beer festival coming up, theme is A-Z.
How about a local beer festival? Surrey & Hants maybe, it would be good for a local pub to occasionally support local brewers like Ballards, Hogs Back, Triple F, Surrey Hills and others that you never see here.
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2 price increases in 3 weeks� Guest bitter goes from �2.75 to �2.85 to �2.95 in less than 21 days.
Someone is treating us like fools putting the prices up just before the budget, a price increase just before the budget and then the annual budget related increase, 4p (4.7p inc VAT) on a pint turns into 10p.
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Shame the bar billiards has gone, but still a good pub, with an excellent choice of beer.
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Has Syd stopped the cheap advertising on this site for his pub ?????
anonymous - 1 Nov 2007 19:56 |
The best pub in Godalming! Love the new decor and extra seating so we can sit and enjoy a pint. Wide range of clientele and great staff make this pub very welcoming. Best garden in town too.
Dicky - 12 Oct 2007 18:37 |
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anonymous - 6 Sep 2007 02:25 |
Best beer pub in Godalming.
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For those intrested in the pub and beer rather than petty point scoring The Star has Summer Lightening available, and an increasing range of Real Ale.
With the smoking ban the pub is much more user friendly and well worth a visit. Proberly the best range of beer in Godalming�
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My comments are not talking down to anyone, just a simple answering of a question! If you are concerned about the sad bloke comment, you will see from a very short trawl through beerinthe evening that there are a number of people across the country who use the site for purposes other than that for which it was set up, namely not personal defamatory comments
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Can anyone tell me is SYD and bestpubbloke one and the same person looks like it from here.
I get a little naffed off when people talk down to others and the last comment does that alright.
On our visit to the pub we found it not bad for a town pub, beer choice ok food smelt nice but we drank not here for food so wil leave the comments on that to others.
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The comments removed were offensive towards some of our customers, and should not have been posted. Any constructive comments about what we offer, or don't are taken on board. We don't even mind comments to our face but we do appreciate that there are some sad people out there ! If you read my comments again you will see clearly that we trade within various constraints that we put behind us, because we are only interested in trying to offer the Best Variety of Beers, Ciders, Belgian Beers, Food, Smoking Area and everything else. Good wholesome customers who appreciate what we do abound, there are obviously some that don't. A prat by the way is an incompetent or stupid person, I wouldn't be succesfull if I was what you suggest.Neither am I a person's buttocks! By the way if you are interested in a wide range of ever changing REAL ALES we are now able to offer a better selection than we were able to in the past
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Sorry i must be going Doolally or has another comment a landlord does not like gone missing coz i cant see a comment from thommi for you to answer "bestpubbloke"
if your going to have a go at someone leave the comment affending comment alone so the rest of us can be up with the chatter, if you have it removed it makes your reply pointless and you look a bit of a prat.
Rant over when we visited this pub we found the service good same as the beer did not eat so no comment there.
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Good range of beers for the Easter weekend, the Dark Star offering were particuarly good.
Well worth a visit when it's not too busy and smokey.
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Felt an urge to answer thommoi and petergoesrock. Beer choice has always been restricted here by the brewery, namely Greene King, Morlands,Courage, it is only recently our brewery rep the 16th in 15 years has actually agreed to let us do the Christmas selection and a beer festival.Breweries don't understand the meaning of competition either in variety or pricing,within their tied estate. I was able to hold my prices at The Red Lion for 4 years because my wholesalers actually wanted to help and grow the business. Prices; Our prices have gone up due to increases by The Chancellor, Greene King, Waverley Borough Council business rates, Our Gas and Electricity suppliers, Our Rubbish collectors [we don't even get our bins emptied for our business rates],all our other wholesalers and suppliers,Red Tape costs[smoking, health and safety, fire safety, the new licensing regime, more staff training], and probably last but not least the cost of our recent development. Smokey; Well as regulars, you are obviously aware that old building ,low ceilings, don't go with smoking that's why the builders are creating the smoker area outside! Roll on June 1. PIKEY TYPES/ SUSPECT CLIENTELE which one are you? We cater for a whole range of clientele 18 to over 80, and certainly don't get the gassings and knife threats that seem to occur in the rest of town. You may not like what we offer, that's your choice, you can drink elsewhere, or accept that we are a business that fails or succeeds on what we offer. We are not a FREEHOUSE AS WE WERE AT THE RED LION, and THE RED IS NO LONGER FREE. We happen however to be doing pretty well because the majority of our CUSTOMERS DO LIKE THE SMALL VARIETY OF CASK ALE, the EXTENSIVE VARIETY OF CIDERS DRAUGHT AND BOTTLED, AND THE BELGIAN BEER LIST,apart from all the other products drink and food that we offer. Just bear in mind that we actually care about you Guys!
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The Star is a great little pub, but�
The beer (bitter) choice isn't that great, I realise they're tied to Greene King, but's it's the same old stuff all the time, that wasn't the case a couple of years ago�
They also appear to have jumped at the Budget to increase their prices, today I paid �2.55 for a pint of IPA, that's a 10p up from Wednesday. How does '1p from Sunday' (according to the Chancellor) become 10p from Friday?
The pub can be very smokey and at times the 'clientel' can leave a lot to be desired, but what can a pub do about that?
Overall, it's a nice pub with good staff, but unlike the Red Lion it is not the best in Godalming.
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Visited at the weekend during their beer festival which was everything a local pub festival should be. Somewhat crowded with like-minded souls, we were tolerated by the locals. Definitely worth another visit on a normal day.
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Like beer festivals, try some of these 26th-28th January. from Boggart, Dark Side,Standard Pioneer,Moonlight. Marble,Port Stout. StationHouse,Splash,FebRed. Naylors,CaptainRons,BorbonStout. Geltsdale,New. Bazen,DirtyOldTown. FuzzyDuck,PheasantPlucker,Feathers. Shaws,JudgesBitter. Elland,GoldRush,6thSense,5thWheel. YorkshireDale,GunnersideGold. Phoenix,WobblyBob. Hydes,XXXX. LittleValley,TodsBlonde
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Spot the review from the new owner! Welcome, Ian, and please give your new pub, which I have been told is now wholly owned by you and yours, a damn good clean!
Best of luck!
anonymous - 11 Dec 2006 19:09 |
Much improved since taken over by the ex Red Lion management. The beer quality has gone up, although still 'tied' to Greene King there are now 5/6 real ales available, some direct from the barrel. Beer festival planned for late January, which I understand will be along the same lines as the Red Lion ones.
The Star is undergoing a substantial refurb and is currently very much a 'work in progress'.
Imporved in every aspect but one, still very smokey, but there you are. Roll on Summer 2007�
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don't panic. beer festivals will continue. watch this space and adverts for january festival. The Star is undergoing a revamp. I hope you enjoy the new look soon.
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re: baby gate.
Last time i was there, they had a big dog. Maybe it's to keep it in, or out.
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Quiet. The IPA was ok.
The staff still smoke like chimneys...
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yes i think it's very sad that the open mike night night consists of the same three musicians, even though they play some great stuff no one in the bar seems interested int he music. But bar maid Clare made it very welcoming just a shame not more folk attended
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Beer was not great, too smokey and WHY do they have a baby gate on one of the external doors?
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magic little pub, good service and interesting regulars well worth a visit
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Quirky and homely ancient inn in the quaint part of Godalming. It's a little tatty, but very welcoming. The regulars look a bit strange and/or rough, but are friendly and chatty. The juke box claims to have 2 million tracks, which must make choosing a nightmare. There is a bar billiards table and three guest ales in decent condition. A down-to-earth pub with character. I liked it.
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Now this is what a pub should be like!! Nice old english style pub complete with low roof that you hit your head on (if 6' like me) great choice of ales, just the right atmosphere to sit and chill with your mates or even on your own enjoying a beer on a quiet sunday afternoon.
anonymous - 25 Mar 2006 14:40 |
We have been there once since Sarah and her partner left. Although it was very quiet, and we tried to chat to the new encumbants, we were virtually ignored and treated very off-handedly by the couple. If I were running a pub, and certainly if I was new, I would welcome and chat to all customers, particularly when very quiet. What is Ian thinking about?
anonymous - 14 Feb 2006 15:48 |
Sadly Sarah & Alex have choosen pastures new, and snowy� Good luck to them!
The new couple seem fine, older and both smokers which will sadly curtail my visits to the Star, I used to visit at non-busy times, usually relatively smoke free, but those are also the times staff choose to smoke�
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Mine's a pint of Addlestone's cloudy cider. The only way to tell it's strength is to see how many you can drink before you are wrecked. Sometimes takes 4 or 5, occasionally just the one will do the trick.
Best Juke box in town, quality garden, Sarah and Alex have worked their cute little asses off to make this place even better than it was. I hope I can make it back there soon.
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A lot cleaner than it used to be - thank you Sarah and her team. It has improved a lot. But why does the 'music' have to be so loud everywhere when it could be contained quite easily to one area. Can't those that want music get it, whereas those who want to avoid it be able to do so, such as at the Red Lion? I remember going to this pub many years' ago, and had to endure the 'music' in the garden. Poor neighbours. It can't be that difficult for publicans to make areas music free, so that one is able to avoid the other' choice of music. That is one reason why Wetherspoons and Ian's pub are so successful.
anonymous - 16 Apr 2005 17:20 |
This place seems to have an interesting atmoshphere. Quite a few people with the moustache without the beard go here, thats not always a bad thing unless they are members of forsythism. Didnt seem easy to find a seat here, Its the regular place for Forsythists to go to.
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great pub,miss it lots,miss ingrid on the table,miss mungos laugh,miss daisy the cat,everything really! oh and i miss working there too!love you guys,see u when back from potugal,love charlie kevin and baby neo.
charlie farley - 10 Oct 2004 19:48 |
To quote the comic-book store guy from the Simpsons: "Best pub ever!" Great staff, wicked garden, fine beer and cider, mmmm, and a sweet little garden. BBQs at the weekend in the summer, friendly locals who look a lot scarier than they are! Alex and Sarah welcome all who come with the right attitude and if you've got that you'll have a great time. Smashing baguettes at lunchtime, together with fine home-cooked meals (also available evenings) all make for a great, welcoming pub which I will enjoy visiting for as long as they're in charge.
Ollie - 9 Sep 2004 14:21 |
excellent pub run by a lovely couple. Good bear, locals and atmosphere. This kind of pub is hard to find nowadays.
Mark - 9 Jul 2004 11:34 |
Great little pub run by a nice couple.
Has the best pub garden in the town. The guest beer choice is often good.
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Great local pub - run like a good old pub but filled by a younger crowd.
gus - 2 Feb 2004 15:04 |
The Star has had bar billirds since I first drank there in the early 80s.
A 'real' pub, small and intimate, on a busy day you'll be sharing your table with a local. when I went in recently they seem to have opened the back of the pub up to an outside drinking area which would be very good in the Summer.
If you're in Godalming for a few beers you should visit this historic pub, if only to try Bruce's home made pickled chillies.
Se�n - 22 Oct 2003 23:11 |
Visited about 6 months ago, no draught beer, horribly smoky and the "Lads" at the bar looked threatening and their language was about the worst I have heard in a pub. Will not be going again.
Don - 18 Jul 2003 00:06 |
An absolute gem of a pub!!
Relatively small, but a great atmosphere... and some excellent live music over the weekends!
Absolutely love it!
K - 15 Jul 2003 15:14 |
This pub rules. Its quite small though. Good Beer, Good Jukebox, Fantastic Knackered victorian Urinals, BAR BILLIARDS!!, A real treat just like boozers used to be. P.S theres a darn good underwear shop just over the road to the left as you come out worth a look ;o)
Gobber - 28 Mar 2003 13:54 |
