BITE user comments - BinBagBob
Comments by BinBagBob
Pint of London Pride last Friday had a distinct vinegary taste, I'm afraid. No one else was drinking it.
6 Sep 2010 18:51
Popped in on Friday and Saturday last weekend. Noticed the signs advertising Fosters at �2,10. That's never a good sign! Three handpumps, all turned round. Guys - if you can't be bothered to sell real ale properly, then don't bother.
6 Sep 2010 18:42
Closed for refurbishment at present.
When they reopen, I've heard that "Pressed Rat & Warthog" will be a regular guest beer.
31 Aug 2009 11:43
Was closed for a few months, but now refurbished & reopened. 4 ales on handpump & a reasonable menu. Looks like the new licensees are making a decent effort - give them your support!
17 Aug 2009 15:54
Although it is a hotel & restaurant, the bar area is perfectly OK - a reasonable selection of beer at ordinary pub prices.
17 Aug 2009 15:47
Ticked all the right boxes for me.
Brakspears Ordinary �2.95 pint. Not cheap, but not overly expensive for the area.
Food looked reasonable.
Will come again when next in the area.
13 Jul 2009 22:58
It would need an archaeologist to determine the date on which this pub was last refurbished, and it is all the better for it.
As has been mentioned before, the landlord can come across as being a tad disinterested at first blush, but if you persevere you�ll find him to be perfectly amiable.
The couple of negative posts below (which stick out like a sore thumb amongst the other glowing reviews) must have been written by people who�d got out of bed the wrong side and/or who don�t know what cider is supposed to taste like.
If more pubs were like this one, the world would be a happier place.
13 Jul 2009 10:04
The Queen Victoria Inn, Priddy
The better of the two pubs in the centre of Priddy. Good beer and the Beef & Butcombe pie was really most satisfactory.
13 Jul 2009 09:17
Nothing wrong with the pub at all and if it was the only pub in the village I certainly wouldn't pass it by. However, I prefer the Queen Victoria just round the corner.
13 Jul 2009 09:15
The Ring O Bells, Hinton Blewett
Well worth searching out. Excellent beer and well above average food
13 Jul 2009 08:44
Much imporoved since the rear garden area has been opened up. Now no need to huddle under that 'orrible giant parasol with all the smokers
8 Jul 2009 13:06
The Fishermans Cottage, Reading
Run out of London Pride last Sunday (5th July) as well. I'm not impressed.
8 Jul 2009 11:23
Ye Olde Three Horseshoes, Charlbury
I've been here before and very much enjoyed the Wizard Ales on offer. But, when visiting last Saturday lunchtime prior to going to the local beer festival I found they were closed - a sign on the door suggesting they don't open until 3pm on Saturdays. Come on guys, shake a leg - make an effort! When people travel to beer festivals, they like to visit local pubs as well. Don't you want our money??
Fortunately, the Rose and Crown made up for our disappointment.
8 Jul 2009 11:20
The Rose and Crown Inn, Henley-On-Thames
A little on the expensive side, but they have a nice garden
3 Jul 2009 13:29
The Bird In Hand, Henley-On-Thames
Came for a look on Thursday afternoon during the Regatta week. Closed. Oh well, if you can't be bothered I'll spend my money somewhere else.
3 Jul 2009 13:26
I come here every year during the Regatta week. The landlady is always miserable (perhaps a bit of proper work once a year doesn't agree with her) and the beer is always expensive (�3.50 per pint yesterday - presumably bumped up to cash in on the crowds). Apprt from those two gripes, it has all the makings of a very nice pub.
3 Jul 2009 13:24
The Fishermans Cottage, Reading
The current licensees seem to be making a decent fist of things so far. Let�s face it, they'd struggle to do as badly as the last lot. They'll be helped by the closure (hopefully temporary) of the Jolly Anglers just along the canal. However, when I visited last Sunday afternoon, they�d run out of London Pride. In my book, a Fullers pub that runs out of Pride must be doing something wrong.
1 Jul 2009 14:26
Good range of beer, but the food service was just a little bit slow, especially bearing in mind that the pub was not particularly busy (early on a Tuesday lunchtime)
9 Apr 2009 18:13
Having visited nigh on 3000 pubs over the last thirty years, it's not often these days that I walk into a pub and after five minutes start to think "this is quite possibly one of the best pubs I have ever been in". A superb range of well kept beer at sensible prices and a great atmosphere. A must for any visitor to Norwich - and well worth the 10 /15 minute walk fron the city centre.
10 Jan 2009 11:50
Pub has now reopened.
Well worth searching out - it's just a bit too far from the City centre for most tourists to bother.
Good range of beer.
1 Dec 2008 11:31
Limited beer range, but otherwise this is the best pub in Windsor.
20 Oct 2008 11:31
All the people who think this is the worst Wetherspoons in the country have clearly never been to Reading! And why do people in Windsor seem to think it acceptable to visit a pub in bare feet?
20 Oct 2008 11:28
Warm, welcoming and certainly a good deal more pleasant than the New College Arms just along the road.
20 Oct 2008 11:20
A stony-faced Polish barmaid charged me �3,15 for a pint of reasonable Brakspears, which can be had for only �2.70 in the far more comfortable Henry VI just along the road. A background noise of whining children and dodgy music added to my displeasure.
20 Oct 2008 11:18
If more pubs were like this, the world would be a happier place.
20 Oct 2008 11:11
This is a restaurant that happens to serve beer - not a pub that serves food.
20 Oct 2008 11:09
Far better (and far cheaper) than the identikit Wetherspoons just round the corner.
10 Oct 2008 08:42
The Kingfisher Inn, Shillingford
I've driven past this pub on numerous occasions at different times of the day and night, but have yet to see it open.
1 Sep 2008 10:07
Not a particularly nice pub, but I had imagined it would be worse, given its location.
21 Jun 2008 08:30
Excellent beer festival this weekend. I'll be going back for sure.
26 May 2008 10:18
The Elephant Hotel, Pangbourne
Walking through to the bar (called "BaBar" - geddit!) we had fully expected to have a choice of only lager & bottled beers (perhaps Tusker?), so it was a pleasant surprise to see three hanpumps - two west Berks ales + a guest on offer. My partner, Dipsophocles, and I left fully refreshed and happy.
If I had to find fault with the bar, it would be the tables. Maybe they're supposed to be trendy, but to me they look like a job lot from a factory canteen.
11 May 2008 08:54
After the Wykeham, this is probably one of the best pubs in Winchester. Well worth a visit.
27 Aug 2007 10:47
Nice atmosphere & good selection of well kept beer, but �3 a pint is over the top.
31 Jul 2007 11:34
Now reopened as "Dogma".
London Pride & Green King IPA served through silly northern sparklers
12 May 2007 12:21
A nice enough pint of beer, but the pub has little else to commend it. They call their toilets the "Rest Rooms". I ask you!
7 Apr 2007 10:43
The Prince Of Wales, Tilehurst
Probably the worst pub in Tilehurst, which is quite an achievement given the competition. I was served the most vinegary pint of beer I have ever had the misfortune to taste. Nil points.
7 Apr 2007 10:41
The Magpie and Parrot, Shinfield
Berkshire's best kept secret. You won't want to leave.
5 Apr 2007 00:07
Ought to be a lot better. Has all the hallmarks of a bland chain pub. Worth visiting for the view from the crossroads outside.
1 Apr 2007 13:35
Excellent real ale. No problems with the bar staff when we visited. Best pub in epping by far.
1 Apr 2007 11:53
Apart from the piped music, a most acceptable boozer with excellent beer.
11 Mar 2007 07:55
Recently refurbished / reopened as anon-smoking real ale pub. Get in there!
4 Mar 2007 10:29
The Ferryboat Inn, Whitchurch on Thames
Walk through the front door and you'll assume the building has been cleft in twain. To the right, a pleasant enough but nondescript dining area. To the left, a riotous, hallucinogenic agglomeration of chintzy paraphernalia and assorted ephemera smacks you between the eyes. Two well kept pints of Timothy Taylor Landlord slipped down a treat, to the accompaniment of the clientele regaling us with details of their recent medical histories. Excitement was briefly aroused amongst the locals with a delivery of apples from a local nonagenarian, but good order was then restored with the arrival of two plates of roast potatoes on the bar.
All in all, jaw-droppingly bizarre. Well worth another visit.
25 Sep 2006 15:01
The Rockingham Arms, Elephant and Castle
The pub has been renamed to "The Rockingham Arms". Otherwise it is unchanged. Still not very nice.
10 Sep 2006 13:48
Large thatched Fullers pub, on the road between Pangbourne/Theale. Very cosy.
31 Mar 2006 21:08
Good beer, nice food and, given its location, very unpretentious
31 Mar 2006 20:53
The Boat Inn, Catherine De Barnes
Visited here on Boxing Day. Despite being busy, the service was quick and pleasant. A nice range of beers and excellent food.
I was particularly impressed by the fact that the majority of the pub is a no smoking area - smokers are catered for in a smaller, comfortable, area next to the log fire.
I was intending to rate this pub with a score of 7, but after reading the last anonymous post dated 25/4/05, I've decided to give it an 8. The menu is extensive enough for a pub of its size and already caters sufficiently well for vegetarians. The "flexibility" which the previous poster demands would come at a cost for which the rest of us would have to pay. As for the gripe that a little precious child had to eat new potatoes rather than chips, words fail me! Might I suggest that the child in question be taught good manners and eating habits, or alternatively that in future it is fed in "Little Chef" type establishments. (And before you ask, yes, I do have children of my own.).
30 Dec 2005 10:59
Under new management. Still has fantastic Fullers ales & now has the added bonus of an interesting Polish lunchtime menu. Well worth a visit.
19 Dec 2005 10:49
Popped in here last night, for the first time in almost 25 years. The pub was no great shakes back in the early 80s and it's nothing particlarly special today. However, it is a lot better than much of the local competition. It's obviously been tarted up a few times over the years, but it still retains a traditional pub atmosphere. There was a reasonable crowd of people, the speed of service was perfectly satisfactory, the Timothy Taylor Landlord tasted fine and the price of drinks was not overly expensive (at least not by central London standards).
5 Aug 2005 08:36
A huge place - I imagine it might have been very good say 20 or 30 years ago. It certainly isn't now.
22 May 2005 13:30
Deep Purple played here in 1972.
It's been steadlily going downhill ever since.
22 May 2005 13:25
Pleasant "Country Pub" with large garden, good food and excellent Brakspears Ale (albeit a little overpriced). I visited on a gloriously sunny bank holiday Monday afternoon when they took the rather perverse decision to shut up shop at 3pm. In this day and age I think a pub of this size and reputation ought to be finding the resources to cater for all day eating & drinking, especially on weekends / holidays.
8 May 2005 10:51
The previous visitor musy have been unlucky. I went on May bank holiday Monday. No problems getting served full pints of excellent London Pride. A fantastic Fullers pub. It beats the Fish and the Butler in Reading hands down.
7 May 2005 11:54
Excellent ales - they've really made an effort here.
Decent TV screen in rear bar.
The only beer garden in town centre
Non-smoking front bar.
23 Mar 2005 23:18
Rip-off prices (like all airport bars).
Last time I visited (end of Jan 05) there was no real ale.
27 Feb 2005 10:24
Pretty much the perfect pub.
It's always a shame to have to leave.
27 Feb 2005 10:20
Enormous beer garden which, I suspect, get packed with families in summer weekends.
Good beer & food. Definitely worth hunting down.
27 Feb 2005 10:16
Just a couple of miles off the M1, but in a lovely rural village. Great ale & food and a nice tidy beer garden. If they'd take the sparklers off their beer pumps, I'd give them 10/10.
26 Feb 2005 13:29
Average Wetherspoons, with over-average prices. A rip-off, just like most UK airport bars & restaurants
26 Feb 2005 13:23
Not at all bad for a city centre Wetherspoons but, as with all Wetherspoon pubs, the low prices are the only real attraction. There are plenty of better places within easy walking distance.
26 Feb 2005 13:05
A marvellous "proper" pub - definitely the place to come drinking after you've had a quick look at the Cafe Royal round the corner.
26 Feb 2005 12:58
Greyfriars Bobby's Bar, Edinburgh
One of the "must see" pubs on the tourist trail, but probably not the place to go for a relaxing session.
26 Feb 2005 12:56
A tourist attraction which promises more than it delivers. Still, it's well worth a visit every now and again.
26 Feb 2005 12:43
In the West End, close to the city centre but far enough away from most of the summer tourists. Good beer & a real locals pub.
26 Feb 2005 12:40
Excellent pub - just what you need after a walk along the Thames from Reading. It would be even better if they'd use the car park as part of the beer garden.
22 Feb 2005 15:05
The Three Men In A Boat, Reading
This place was half decent when it first opened in the '80s but since then they seem to have gone out of their way to attract the worst kind of lager drinkers. Surprise surprise, the pub is now a shit hole.
22 Feb 2005 13:30
Fantastic Fullers pub - well worth searching out. One of the best in the area.
18 Feb 2005 13:03
The tables are crammed far too close together. When the place gets busy it's impossible to move.
18 Feb 2005 13:00
The Lamb Tavern, Leadenhall Market
Fantastic Youngs pub slap in the middle of the wonderfully atmospheric Leadenhall Market.
18 Feb 2005 12:57
The Old Tea Warehouse, Aldgate
Greene King pub - tucked away off the street with plenty of room.
18 Feb 2005 12:52
The Liberty Bounds, Tower Hill
Not bas for a Wetherspoons pub
One of the few pubs inthe area that open during the weekend.
18 Feb 2005 12:41
Cheap 'n' cheerful.
Narrowly missed being destroyed by fire in the adjoining buildings last weekend.
18 Feb 2005 12:06
It always seems to take longer to get served here than in the other Reading Wetherspoons pubs.
The gents toilets stink as well.
18 Feb 2005 12:04
Looks like it's closed for good. Haven't seen any sign of life for months
18 Feb 2005 12:00
Recently refurbished town centre pub - interesting wood panelling in the no smoking area.
18 Feb 2005 11:57
I've popped in here a few times over the years - it never seesm to be particularly busy.
18 Feb 2005 11:52
Popular Greene King pub just opposite the front of the Royal Berks Hospital
18 Feb 2005 11:47
Small, two room, canalside pub. Nice to sit outside in summer.
18 Feb 2005 11:38
Excellent Brakspears & always a good atmosphere during the Wallingford Bunkfest weekend in September.
13 Feb 2005 10:51
Plenty of room here, and usually a good selection of ales.
This pub has been selected by Wetherspoons for their "no smoking" experiment starting in May. It'll be interesting to see what sort of crwod they attract once all the smokers have been kicked out.
13 Feb 2005 10:48
The best pub in Reading without doubt.
If I had to make any criticism, it would be that there are sometimes too many barrels getting in the way in the bar area - but they are only in the way because the pub is so popular because it so good!
13 Feb 2005 10:44
Big, comfortable, friendly pub.
What's happening to the downstairs bar?
13 Feb 2005 10:32
A friendly local - I agree with all the other comments posted here.
13 Feb 2005 10:23
The Crown and Castle, Warwick
Closed and up for sale.
1 Mar 2011 21:24