please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
sorry to see this shut when i was down in bath. and now a gastropub to be apparently....sighs....
|
Currently being gutted and turned into a gastro pub. guessing the comedy nights have long gone. RIP the porter!
|
A decent sized pub just a few yards away from the top of Bath�s premier shopping street, it�s nonetheless sufficiently away from the main tourist drag that it doesn�t get quite as rammed on a Saturday afternoon as many of it�s city centre compatriots. It�s a little tricky to get in two with the two most prominent doors being closed off � instead you have to walk around the corner and up and alleyway before you manage to find the entrance.
The main part of the pub is split in to three area � two rooms down a few steps and facing out on to the high pavement, whilst a smaller room at the other end houses the bar counter. Decor is predominantly wood, with rough bare boards and several partitions to break up the front rooms in to booths. Paintwork is a very pale shade of green, and there were a plethora of small wooden stools around � far more than would have fitted at the available tables I would have thought. There was also some wooden bench seating around the perimeter as well as a few metal tables and chairs outside, although on a recent January afternoon it was to mind a few degrees to cold inside the pub, never mind sitting outside.
Downstairs is apparently a cellar bar, although we did not investigate this. Numerous posters on the walls advertised up and coming bands, and it would seem that this is something of a music venue, as well as having an open mic night on Tuesdays. There was a projector and screen in one corner, but this was retracted out of sight on a recent visit. This is apparently Bath�s only vegetarian pub, although we didn�t check the menu to see what it consisted of. There were a few tapas dishes chalked up on a board above the bar.
Beers on tap were Doom Bar and Spa. There was a third pump at the bar, but this appeared to have recently run out. The solitary cider was Stowford Press.
|
Popped in for two of their meal deals, what a bargain. �5 for a plate of food and a half (Doombar for me). Food as tremendously tasty, nice to eat somewhere veggie, staff and customers were all very pleasant as well. Couple of other ales on tap and lots of music/social things happening which my boy was quite interested in.
|
I was very disappointed with this pub. It seems they do not really have to make an effort either with customer service as they are guaranteed a good turnover of tourists who will never be back.
Don't be fooled by the sign outside advertising lunch for �5 - once we enquired at the bar we discovered that this only applies Mon-Fri. But they didn't bother to take the advert down on the weekend. They didn't have many of the meals on the menu available (even 'Specials' which seems strange). When we were informed that mash wasn't available for the �Pie and mash�, they grudgingly accepted our request for chips instead. When the meals arrived, there were no tortilla chips with the chilli. When asked about the tortilla chips, the barmaid simply stated that none were available and walked away. There was no offer of any alternative.
To add insult, the one of the barmaids proceeded to smoke on one of the outside tables close to where we were sitting and eating.
Overall, a thoroughly unpleasant experience. Best avoided.
|
After heading out in Bath for the first time on my sisters hen do we were very dissapointed with the blue rooms and other club choices. I spoke to the manager of The Porter and he welcomed our hen party into his pub. We had a great evening were able to request what songs wanted. The drinks were reasonable, great atmosphere and staff were lively and helped make it a really enjoyable night. I would really recommend this pub for a great night out. Many Thanks Natalie
|
L shaped pub up on a walkway. It looks like it was two separate shops once that have been broken through. It�s fairly basic with wooden settles and stools but it�s also a pleasant place. It�s a bit bohemian, but then again isn�t a lot of Bath. There are 3 handpumps on the bar but only two beers on. I tried a pint of Abbey Bellringer and was served a pint of foul smelling sludge instead. It was changed with no fuss for a pint of Skinners Betty Stoggs which was good enough for me to have a second pint. Maybe I�m being pedantic here but, if a pub claims to be Baths first vegetarian pub then how come they were selling two beers whose breweries use finings (fish swim bladders) to clear the beer. That�s not vegetarian is it?
|
Interesting concept, a vegetarian pub, food was excellent and well priced, and the pub itself its quite quirky and traditional. Only thing that marred the experience was a somewhat disinterested young barmaid. - thankfully was only served by her once, and the other barman was a bit more pleasant.
|
Side room with wooden floor appears to have been spriced up since my last visit 8 months ago. Bar staff still friendly but sadly - like most pubs in Bath - they have wacked on about 20p for the cost of a pint. Gone are the days when you can go out with a tenner and have a good time!
|
good basic pub, more of a students haunt but the beer and the blues are good!
|
Good pub, good beer, friendly. Well worth a visit.
|
Nice vegetarian food (i'm not a vegetarian but have frequently visited with a veggie friend). Comedy nights downstairs are legendary and they also own Moles Club next door. Very friendly staff, nice beer and great food.
|
Nice pub. Famous for its vegetarian food. Good beer on tap. Been a few times now (had food each time). Also ideal for going on to moles Club next door.
|
I've been going here for the past 7 years. Best time to go is monday to friday between 5.30 and 6.30. It's happy hour and a pint of Bellringer can be had for �2.00. The place gets busy in the evenings and the local chavs know to stay away! Bar staff friendly too.
|
The place has a general air of chaos to it in a good sort of way. Bellringer and Sharps beers were both fine on our visit. Still had that student bar feel to it outside of term time (probably influenced by the bar staff). Good range of entertainment downstairs. Not to everyone's taste but still recommended for a try.
|
It's so full of students i was led to think i had wandered into a lecture on loud braying and rizla poncing, lost two lighters in one session there. Veggie " food " is not recognised as sustaining you on a drinking session.
|
Affected and slightly pseudo it may be, but the management have recognised that like it or not there is a large market in Bath for this kind of liberal, folky atmos, particularly amongst the well-heeled youngsters who want to try and pretend they're not from privileged homes. Fair enough - it isn't a bad place for all that. Reasonable beer and the veggies seemed happy wity their grub. Not one of Bath's essentials in my view, but it has its purpose.
|
Reminds me of the sort of pubs I went to as a lad: scruffs, indie and rock music, gigs in the evening and a general, lazy vibe to it. It also has veggie food and a proper music venue next door which makes it more of a 'youth pub of my dreams' than anything like where I did drink in the early nineties.
Didn't try the food, despite being a veggie, as the ale had run out on Saturday night (at 7.30pm, minus a couple of marks for that!) and it was waaaay too smokey to eat (which is probably me showing my age) but the next time I'm Bath I'd come back here for beer.
|
Attached to moles Club next door, with open-mike nights on monday and music or comedy most others. Bellringer on tap, but as with moles avoid the mcEwans and kronenbourg lager, either they never clean those pipes or their supplier sells them five year out of date stuff. Also pool tables downstairs and good veggie food abounds which is always a nice change!
|
Groundswell on Monday night is fantastic!
(my band "shay&co" are headlining there on Monday March 6th!)
|
i liked this pub - caters for veggies granted, but every other pub in town will probably serve you a burger, so i don't mind if one caters just for the tofu eaters.
a bit "bohemian" this pub - men wearing berets and i heard the Levellers being played in the background. it's a good pub though.
TheGP - 20 Sep 2005 21:04 |
An OK pub, but what on earth is the point of the rabbit food?
|
Superb Veggie pub, serves top food and more importantly Bellringer!
|
Good pub, youngish student crowd. Free bands and DJ's great veggie food, nice bar staff.....
TH 14 - 22 Oct 2004 18:57 |
A cool pub right in the middle of town, sit outside and watch the mentalists go by..
|
