The Black Horse, Devizes - pub details
Address: Bath Road, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 2AU [map] [gmap]
Tel: 0871 951 1000 (ref 34262) - calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras
Are you the Licensee? Click here. ** SPECIAL Royal Summer Sizzler offer! **
> Current user rating: 5.4/10 (rated by 5 users)
other pubs nearby:
Queens Head, Devizes (0.2 miles), Dolphin, Devizes (0.5 miles), Black Swan Hotel, Devizes (0.5 miles), Crown, Devizes (0.5 miles), Bear Hotel, Devizes (0.5 miles) - see more nearby pubs
user reviews of the Black Horse, Devizes
please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
| I have to say I'm slightly surprised by the last comment; perhaps his is based on far greater and less-fortunate experience, but given my visit to the Black Horse a couple of Sundays ago, I can't agree that the food was all "fried", the beer "flat", the service "indifferent" or that staff were all "ugly". The pub is a convenient stop-off for boaters on their way up or down the Kennet & Avon (which indeed me and 13 others were), and is an attractive enough Victorian red-bricked building with a patio and long canalside garden with plenty of outdoor seating for clement conditions. One would imagine it would be something of a little goldmine, though the landlady confided in me that it wasn't; perhaps people decide at that juncture to punt onwards to Devizes proper for a grog 'n' grub, or have just left it and are already adequately fed and watered (I do hope it's not because most have experienced what whelklocator suffered below). In any case, it was busy enough during our visit that most of us had to 'decamp' indoors. Well, held off extra sunburn for a bit anyway. Bar service was I am afraid to say somewhat slow, though it was a challengingly busy period - none more so than for the serving girls (who were decidedly non-ugly!) who seemed a little rushed in keepin pace with a burgeoning backlog of food orders. They got there in the end and expectations were managed sensibly by the landlady/lord who advised food would be something of a wait. In the meantime we all began choosing our weapons from the predictable but pleasant enough Waddie's armoury of ales - 4 on tap including the now weak and insipid Bishop's Tipple (not what it once was!). All were kept well enough though (suspect the "flat" reference relates to lagers and other inferior beer formats?!). When food did finally emerge from the kitchen (after a spot of minor confusion but nothing to get your knickers in a knot about), I though it was perfectly decent pub grub served to an acceptable standard. Many had the Sunday roasts (choice of beef, pork or nut) which looked far better than many I've suffered in pubs previously. The cod and chips was of course an essentially packeted affair but was tasty and filling. Portion sizes certainly weren't ungenerous - my mate's sausage baguette was a foot long, + salad and crisps! All dishes were served with good grace and courtesy by the waitresses. I can't really say this was an exceptional pub experience, but then to expect that will nearly always lead one into disappointment. Most pubs offer a reasonable average and where that's exceeded it must always be seen as a bonus rather than a God-given right. I don't think the Blak Horse was bad at all; perhaps it is variable and of course there is room for enhancement. But, I'd say give it a chance before you decide whose assessment (mine or whelklocator's) is more accurate here. TWG - 18 Sep 2012 17:58 |
| Ugly staff, indifferent service, fried food, flat expensive beer. It's sad but it's everything we've come to expect from a Wadworths pub. whelklocator - 4 May 2012 16:45 |
| Quite a decent place, with a large garden by the canal-side. The Wadworth beers are well-kept (about 100 yards from the brewery) and the food seems to be all right. HenPen - 18 Jul 2010 17:56 |
