please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Pub number 2 was The Grove which is one of Tunbridge Wells oldest pubs.
A short stroll down towards the Pantiles and a sharp left to old Tunbridge Wells village and The Grove is located on a corner.
It’s 1pm when we arrive here and there are 3 people in of which 1 is the barmaid. A friendly greeting was given to us as we perused the 4 pumps with 4 ales on. My choice was Truman's Lazarus @ 4.2%, a decent pint.
Lots of beer pump clips all over the walls by the dart board, I never get bored of checking all the clips and seeing what ales have been served.
In addition to the Dart board there’s a Pool table by the front door and a television on the back wall near the toilets, though on this visit none of these were in use.
Wooden flooring & panelling throughout this lovely pub, almost like a pub should be.
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Still a good little place to seek out up the hill as the beers are always well kept and very drinkable.
Harveys Sussex and Landlord were my choices and I wasn't disappointed.
There's not a lot of room what with the pool table on the right and spare seats are at a premium.
Lots of character however and the sort of place you don't want to change. Pleased to note the Jack Russell is still on the scrounge at the bar!
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Good beer and obviously popular amongst real ale enthusiasts and locals. It can be quite a battle to get into the pub as it's a small place with few seats and a pool table. No pretensions and full of character- not least the Jack Russell who never seems to stray far from the bar!
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OK but over rated I would say.
In here last Saturday after visiting the Compasses up the road.
If this place is in the GBG why not the Compasses which is far supirior.
Quite small one bar pub has 4 Hand Pulls.
Harveys BB & Olympia, Tim Taylors Landlord and Youngs Bitter.
I tried a pint of the Harveys BB which was OK @ £3.35 a pint.
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A cracking little gem of a pub off the beaten track, good selection of beers, very much a locals venue, everyone in there on first name terms with everyone else. Small and intimate only the quiz machine in the corner annoyed. Well worth a visit.
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Small and traditional back street town tavern with friendly, chatty locals. Interesting selection of three or four independent ales. The Taylor's Landlord was not quite at its zenith, but perfectly drinkable. Always worth the short detour up the hill.
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I popped into this pub the other day for a recce before gay Wednesday night. I can honestly say what a cracking little local. It must be Royal Tunbridge Wells best kept secret. The selection of real ales was excellent and kept to a high standard. The staff were very welcoming, knowledgeable and experienced (especially the guy with the gay hair cut, sorry don�t know your name). The complimentary food on the bar, supplied by the very hospitable locals was a very nice touch and showed a pub with a good sense of community and tradition. There was a wide spectrum of people from all ages and background with whom to talk. My friends and I shall definitely be returning to this pub again. Thank you, keep up the good work, it was a real pleasure.
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This really is a special place to go for a good honest ale and zesty banter. The manager looks like a football thug but is infact a gentleman and a true professional and is eternally attentive. As I said the beer is fantastic and is obviously kept well and looked after in the cellar.
What a joy to find a gem in the middle of a pretentious town where there seems to be no interest in getting arseh***d and insulting other people.
The cutest Jack Russell meets you and loves your leg. There's a lovely old dear who will sing to you (even if you don't ask her) and a rather serious gentleman who puts the most fantastic reggae on the juke box and stares out of the window muttering things about his mum.
You must experience this modern day tavern - the world needs more establishments like this. I'm going back there next Wednesday evening - it's Gay Night!
Hail to Ale!
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A really good pub, packed with character and characters, with the cutest little Jack Russell Terrier we've seen in a long time. Our main crib was that the beer was a little tired - surprisingly, considering the number of people in the pub. Would definitely go back again, though.
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Unlike the previous visit the pub was almost empty this time. The beer was still of the highest standard however and the barman was pleasant. There was a real fire on as well which was most welcome!
The three ales available were Landlord, Harvey's Sussex and Skinners. All three were sampled!
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Made a few trips here after the 4 day cricket match recently. Three real ales on- Harvey's Sussex Bitter, Landlord and Hopback Summer Lightning. Difficult to think of better choices!
The pub was full and lively. Definately a traditional English local pub.
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The pub is going from strength to strength, a few years ago it struggled to keep one hand pump operating. Now in the last month a fourth pump has been added, so in addition to the regulars there will be 2 guests.
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Small, traditional, and friendly, this is a fine example of how a back street pub should be. Without doubt the best pub in Tunbridge Wells .
anonymous - 12 Feb 2010 15:40 |
A stones throw from the Compasses. This pub is as compact as the Compasses is sprawling. A friendly pub. Each time I've visited it seems to have it's fair share of typically English extroverts hovering around the bar!
The last time I was there the beers were Landlord and Harvey's Sussex. Difficult to find two better beers especially as they were both well kept. The third pump was out of action on the day.
My one moan is that there is not a lot of seating available.
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This pub is the best pub in tunbridge wells and is the last traditional pub left. The ales are harveys, timothy taylors landlord and a guest ale and are kept to the finest quality. I met the manager Sam and his knowledge of ales and his personality make him the best barman in the country. The atmosphere is very welcoming and my dog was welcomed by biscuits and water too. The locals are extremely friendly and the banter stretches all over the pub within all ages. A fine example of an English pub, keep up the good work!
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This traditional pub seems to go from strength to strength- guaranteed a warm welcome and good beer-particularly good on friday afternoons as regulars gather to await the visit of the fishvan from Hastings and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons presided over by barman Tony. If only there were more pubs like this
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Popped in for a lovely pint of tribute the other day, lovely pub, and friendly locals. lovely little dog in there too.
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This is a great little pub serving the best pint of Harveys in town - no suprises its one of the few Tunbridge Wells entries in the Good Beer Guide. I always end up spending a fortune on the pool table....which is another good reason for going there.
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A lovely, characterful pub with good beer, staff and a friendly crowd.
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Proper pub, in a characterful but somewhat hidden part of Tunbridge Wells, selling a nice pint of Harveys and two other real ales. Recommended.
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I really like this pub, it's proper and properly English, good beer and a friendly barman with a nice little real fire, don't know about the food and don't care either - sadly this is the sort of pub that might not survive the smoking ban - what a disastrous piece of legislation that is proving to be.
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Not as good as it used to be in terms of beer quality (a few good and a few below par pints) and cleanliness (i.e. grubby/smelly toilets in last couple of visits). But having said that still a worthwhile visit on any crawl for the reason that it has a lot of character,seems fairly friendly and there sadly aren't exactly a lot of particular good other pubs in the area. In otherwords, average out the other reviewers' comments and you have it about right.
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an amazing pub. it makes you feel all is right with the world.
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A hole? The visitor in early November last year who chose to remain anonymous (at least have the courage of your convictions and post your name when passing such negative and unsupported commentary!) seems to have either been extremely unlucky, or more likely, severly misguided. Perhaps he (for I suspect it is a male commentator) simply prefers trendy modern chrome and lager-bound town centre venues and the likes of this tucked-away local ale pub don't fair well in his limited spectrum of appreciation?
In any case, I am here to tell you folks not to be swayed by such a damning indictment, for I and many others found the Grove to be a thoroughly charming local, characterised by a mix of friendly people, a jolly landlord, and a homely cosiness. Admittedly when busy it can be tight, especially with pool taking a large chunk of the floorspace. However, I did not find it significantly detrimental to my enjoyment of the conviviality, and of course the excellently-kept cask ales. 3 are available, which on my recent visit included Rother Valley Smild (superb condition!), Harvey's Old and T Taylor Landlord.
The idea of living just round the corner in one of the grand properties on the Grove Park and popping in here regularly is very appealing, and I hope you will agree when you visit.
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A nice little boozer, but a bit awkward to move around if anyone is playing pool.
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Must have walk in to this pub on a really bad night. I found it to be one worst pub I'd ever been into, a real hole.
anonymous - 3 Nov 2006 21:36 |
My children liked the pool table, friendly bar staff, welcoming, liked first visit. ps: my 12 year old beat me again. LITTLE GIT!!
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A fantastic local pub. Great beer, great pool table!
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Nice pub to have a drink in, Steve is a funny man will pop back to say hi.
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Lovely Little old fashioned backstreet local. I found it with some friends a few years ago then couldn't remember the name or where it was, up a steep narrow road just off the High Street. Ales were in perfect condition; I tried Deuchars IPA and Taylor's Landlord (they also had Harvey's Best). Very convenient for stopping off on the way back to the station after a day at the cricket.
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Great little Tavern.
anonymous - 12 Jan 2005 17:32 |
One of the few pubs with a decent pool table in T-wells. Friendly landlord (steve). good to go there for a few if your group is small. Size is actually about 5 by 15 m.
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tiny place, about the size of a shoebox.
Jack - 15 Jul 2004 12:31 |
Friendly old, traditional, locals drinking pub with pool, darts & jukebox. Good real ales - recently added to good beer guide.
Steve Baxter - 25 Feb 2004 11:45 |
