BITE user comments - BatterseaBomber
Comments by BatterseaBomber
Friendly welcome, good ale, and some very hearty pub grub - a proper Dales boozer, and well worth incorporating into a walk.
5 Mar 2012 15:12
Lovely building, great location, and the beer was pretty good - just a bloody miserable welcome from a landlord who obviously revels in his dour demeanour.
Popped in on a Friday in March 2012 for a quick pint at 6pm, as we were staying nearby. Asked the landlord what time he closed, as we were planning to come back after supper - he told us that he 'shut when the place was quiet, or when the last person left', so couldn't confirm whether it'd be open when we returned 9pm, or not. This was shortly before turning away a party of 8 potential customers because they had a dog with them. Quite how you run a business on that basis, I struggle to understand.
Do yourself a favour and head to the White Lion at Cray - a really friendly welcome (from bar staff who actually appear to enjoy having customers), and great pub grub.
5 Mar 2012 15:07
Popped in for a pint as part of a long walk on a Saturday evening in March 2012.
Looks picture-postcard-perfect on the outside, overlooking a small green - but it turned out to be thoroughly depressing on the inside. Fake wood-panneling from the 1970's, artex-ed walls, TV in the middle of the bar blaring out the Weakest Link, no fire lit despite it blowing a gale outside. Gents toilet out-of-order because the bulb was bust. No food being served.
Had an alright pint of Timothy Taylor, to be fair. But the whole place had a feeling that it was on its arse and no one could be bothered to try and resucitate it.
5 Mar 2012 14:55
A good 'locals' boozer - good beer, attentive staff, friendly crowd.
7 Mar 2011 13:06
A fantastic boozer! As another reviewer has said, this pub came under new ownership at the beginning of the year and has been transformed.
We hired the upstairs private dining room on a Friday night for a pre-xmas drink-up and meal, and it was superb - pretty much had our own waiter all evening, who permanently kept us topped up with booze all evening.
And the nosh was excellent - this is a very 'foody' pub, priding itself on sourcing local produce with an ever-changing menu - they smoke their own salmon on a smokery on the upstairs terrace, for gods sake!
The Doombar was off when we got there, but apart from that (and that's the only criticism i can think of!) this is as good as it gets.
21 Dec 2010 12:19
Lovely pub, great location, nice posh crowd, and one of the best bloody marys I have ever tasted.
It's just a real shame that the bar staff are rude, arrogant wankers - was planning to eat here on Sunday, but the dismissive and off-hand manner of all the bar staff made me begrudge handing over any more wedge to their coffers. Supped up, and we mooched around the corner to the Cross Keys for a full Sunday Roast there instead. If it was a one-off, then it'd be easier to accept - but I've been here 2 - 3 times before, and it's always been a similar atmosphere. Shame, as it ticks all the other boxes.
22 Nov 2010 10:27
The infamous landlady referred to in a couple of posts has now been sacked. Apart from that though, not much has changed - mediocre ale, sticky carpet, quite dingy.
And it's not going to get any better in the forseeable future - they're currently extended the tracks into London Bridge, and the new viaduct goes within 6 feet of the pub. It's incredible that they've managed to keep it open while the work goes on really. Anyway, I doubt that it'll have a re-vamp or any money spent on it until the railway work is completed.
Shame - as someone else noted, it's an old boozer with a lot of potential. But it does retain some charm, despite all of that.
28 Oct 2010 16:25
I live about 100 yards down the road from this pub, but pretty much stopped going here about 2 years ago (preferring the nearby Duke of Cambridge and Prince of Wales instead) as it seemed to have become a bit uncared for.
But as other reviewers have mentioned, it's been under new ownership for the past 18 months or so, and it's a completely different pub - always busy with a good atmosphere, full of locals, ale in top nick, live entertainment on Fridays, and a roaring coal fire in the middle. The new owners are great fun too, and know all the regulars well.
If I was being really picky, then the food is pretty standard pub fare (ie, but still good if you just want fish & chips), but it's great to have my local being my first choice pub again.
11 Jan 2010 19:50
I've been here a few times, and I agree with mps77 and rpadam about some of the other reviews - yes, it's a tad pricey, and yes the bar staff can be slightly abrupt (but they are usually very busy) - but the 2.9/10 average rating is ridiculously low.
Personally, i generally prefer the older boozers in the area (Market Porter, The Grapes, The George), but then this isn't an old boozer, and therefore can't really be compared directly with them. It's a micro-brewery / wine bar place, with a strong enphasis on food (which, actually, is quite good and reasonable), and i sometimes go there with people who don't necessarily enjoy the older boozers.
I've given it a 6/10, which i think is pretty fair
3 Feb 2009 16:02
Yes, do watch out for the local 'geezers' calling your girlfriend 'darling'!! (see StuartW review, March 2008) Ha ha, ridiculous - surely this adds to the atmosphere of the pub, and not detracts from it as your review replies. Stick to the wine bars - i hear the Guardian is doing a 2-for-1 special at All Bar One this weekend which you'll probably enjoy.
For me, this was my pub find of 2008 - went to the Beer Festival there in October, and was blown away. Cracking nosh, superb ale, and a great couple of lads (brothers) who run it. Couldn't believe i hadn't been there before - all that wasted time!
13 Dec 2008 11:12
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The Queens Arms, Litton
A fantastic little Dales boozer, which we incorporated into our long circular walk - meant to stop for a quick pint, but ended up having a couple plus lunch.
A real 'dogs-and-logs' pub, with locals rubbing shoulders with walkers and mountain bikers.
Check out the photo of 'JLS' enjoying a pint there during a visit to the pub in April 2011 - it cracked us up!
5 Mar 2012 15:16