The Great Western Hotel, Exeter - pub details
Address: St. Davids Station Approach, Red Cow Village, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4NU [map] [gmap]
Tel: 0871 951 1000 (ref 4942) - calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras
Exeter St. Davids (0.1 miles), Exeter Central (0.5 miles), St James' Park (0.9 miles)
Pub facilities/features:
- Food served, Real ale
- Accommodation available
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> Current user rating: 7.2/10 (rated by 55 users)
other pubs nearby:
Jolly Porter, Exeter (0.1 miles), Imperial, Exeter (0.1 miles), Village Inn, Exwick (0.3 miles), Farmers Union, Exeter (0.3 miles), Farmers Union, Exeter (0.3 miles) - see more nearby pubs
user reviews of the Great Western Hotel, Exeter
please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
5 most recent reviews of 61 shown - see all reviews
| With just time to take in a couple of pubs in Exeter, before leaving Devon and with the Thatched House Inn closed on a Sunday evening, my first stop was the Great Western Hotel, next to Exeter St David's station. There's a good range of ales here. But, they were all pale ales - Thirst Class Magnum Pale, Exeter Avocet Ale, Orkney Northern Light, Skinner's Chapel Rock, Salcombe Devon Amber, Quantock Nice Try & Dartmoor Jail Ale. Locals were crowded around the bar. Others seemed a bit uncouth. I followed one guy out of the gents who was not interested in washing his hands. He then proceeded to use some fairly flowery language whilst criticising various politicians. Seemingly an outstanding model of the community! I didn't quite take to this pub. Whilst, it has a good range of interesting beers, there was a lack of differing styles and the clientele were more like the ones you'd find in a Wetherspoon's. blue_scrumpy - 17 Mar 2020 21:24 |
| Main change is the 'back door' entrance to the lower bar is now locked. ..er… that's it. Snarling_Mallard - 23 Jun 2018 01:27 |
| A vast improvement since we visited last year. The horrible carpets have at last been got rid of (hopefully burnt), there is new flooring & furniture and the drinking area has been decorated & updated. 5 beers on when we visited on a Sunday afternoon, a good selection from Exeter Avocet at 3.9% up to Dartmoor Jail at 4.8%. There are still a few improvements to be made - the toilets are pretty much the same & my wife reported that once you go upstairs the decorations are unchanged & the ladies toilet is still pretty naff (tap still drips too) - but I do believe that we might start visiting again on a reasonably regular basis. Beer quality (as always) was good. Trequites - 16 Jul 2017 17:47 |
| It's been over 4 years since we last visited the Great Western but, encouraged by the way the outside was being improved, we made another visit. The inside is just as shabby as my last review in 2011. The carpet doesn't look like it's been cleaned since then and one of the CAMRA posters on the wall must surely be a museum piece. The faded curtains look the same. The ladies toilet (upstairs) had a dripping tap - my wife is sure that it was dripping 4 years ago too. The place smelled dirty. There were a couple of old codgers inside who were presumably unable to walk up the hill to the Imperial. One person behind the bar who also had to check people into the hotel and clear up spilled beer. I felt sorry for her. The place is disgusting. We'll wait until we can see that the decorators have been inside as well as out before venturing in again. And get rid of that horrible carpet - please? Trequites - 22 Dec 2016 17:09 |
| As one tourist said as she checked-in "What do you mean you don't have an elevator!" Tried to book a room via internet only to be told they had double-booked me and I had to go elsewhere which I think was actually a good result! Yes indeed the sad old bar does have a tremendous selection of beers and mostly in good nick, but the entire place is in desperate need of some TLC ! and juging by some comments at the bar, the bedrooms are in a pretty poor state. However, this is a beer report and if you are waiting for a train, then wait here as you'll get a good choice and a good pint! mcroyal - 22 Jul 2014 11:43 |
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