BITE user comments - Braganca
Comments by Braganca
March 2013 -- currently closed. Some mystery about its future -- villagers want it retained as a pub.
7 Mar 2013 20:48
The Three Conies Inn, Thorpe Mandeville
Popped in for an hour late on a winter Sunday afternoon. It was our first visit The pub was doing a good trade and is clearly popular with the locals. There was a nice open fire and comfy seats. The Old Hooky was in excellent condition and there were the Sunday papers to read. Add to that the friendly service and this is a place we'll definitely come back to.
7 Mar 2013 20:37
The Killingworth Castle Inn, Wootton
Nice refurbishment of a pub that was previously going downhill. The new owners also run the Ebrington Arms, rightly regarded as one of the best in the Cotswolds. A good selection of real ales included Uley in good condition. Friendly staff. We didn't eat -- the menu prices were sky-high.
3 Jan 2013 14:22
Closed 2012 and converted to residential. Shame on PubCo.
1 Dec 2012 08:55
From the garden this pub has the best view in the Midlands. However, if the weather is not so good and you need to come inside it is a very ordinary pub. On the overcast and chilly day we visited we received an equally chilly reception from behind the bar. The beer is in reasonable order, but we feel this should be an outstanding pub inside and out -- which it isn't. So, consider coming in fine and warm weather, or not at all.
10 Oct 2012 13:11
With holiday homes attached and vast car park we wondered whether this was a good choice after a long canalside walk. But the interior maintains a nice and comfortable pubby atmosphere. The beer (Hooky) was in good condition.
18 Jul 2012 13:15
On a Friday evening this was an oasis in chav-infested "medieval" Spon Street. A delightful 16th century building with a choice of rooms, big and small. It serves the blessed Theakston's Old Peculier in good order -- not cheap though. An eclectic clientele obviously appreciated the place. One gripe is that the recorded music was much, much too loud in the main bar.
10 Mar 2012 10:51
It looked cosy inside on a wet Sunday lunchtime at the back end of winter. But unfortunately we cannot comment on the beer. Because although it advertises a 3pm closure on Sundays it stopped serving and the tills were shut down before we arrived at 2-30. I note a previous post about early closing. Most unusual.
10 Mar 2012 10:33
Since our last, uninspiring visit, big changes at The Black Boy. It has been bought by the celebrity chef Marco Pierre White. Will it still be a pub? Or basically an upmarket restaurant.
1 Feb 2012 10:17
The Cherington Arms, Cherington
We were looking for a proper country pub on a January Sunday lunchtime -- not for food but to relax after a ramble with the papers and a good pint. A couple of other nearby pubs had given over all their space to diners so it was a relief to find the Cherington Arms where there was a proper bar area separate from the restaurant. There was a warm welcome from the bar staff and well-kept Hook Norton Twelve Days (which obviously won't be around all year). Good atmosphere, including dogs and children, in an attractive village. When warmer weather comes they have a grassy outside area which slopes down to the River Stour,
30 Jan 2012 10:57
Visited mid-afternoon on a very cold but sunny January day. The snug was delightful with a log fire and sofas. A great place to read the Sunday papers. Friendly service -- we didn't eat but the beer was well-kept. Hinton-in-the-Hedges is well off the beaten track and the village is pleasant to wander round. There isn't much parking at the pub -- we parked 50 yards away opposite the village green.
17 Jan 2012 16:36
The General Elliot, South Hinksey
December 2011. Still closed, and looking rather derelict. However, was it supported by the villagers?
17 Jan 2012 16:22
We popped in for a pint on a weekday lunchtime in late autumn because the sun was shining and the outside terrace faces south. One person was on duty -- we waited for several minutes at the bar while she went to and from the kitchen. Absolutely no acknowledgment that we were there. Finally we were served with poorly-kept beer and sat outside with scruffy seats and tables. Expensive as well, and referring to the previous poster Milton is not in the Cotswolds but a couple of miles outside Banbury. Milton is a pretty little village, and deserves a much more hospitable pub.
20 Dec 2011 18:21
The Prince of Wales, Freshwater
Sorry to see no reviews for more than a year. Let's put that right. We were on holiday in the Isle of Wight, staying in Freshwater, and took BITE users' recommendations to try out this pub. We found a landlady and landlord who took an instant and genuine interest in new faces and a friendly and witty clientele. They don't do food anymore, but the local Mews beer was in superb condition. The Isle of Wight is riddled with so-called pubs which are really restaurants in all but name. So what a relief to come across a genuine drinkers' pub. They have removed Guinness because of the soaring wholesale prices. We are sure it won't be missed, and there are plenty of other good stouts on the market. Let's hope for the sake of Freshwater residents that the long-serving licensees are around for a good while yet.
24 Aug 2011 21:43
The George Inn, Barford St Michael
Not open weekday lunchtimes, which is fair enough since there is no passing trade. Doesn't do food when it is open, even rolls and sandwiches, which is OK in a pub that has outstanding beers in excellent order. Which this pub fails to provide. So there is not much to attract either locals or those from further afield.
8 Apr 2011 23:26
On a warm and sunny Spring day it was a delight to sit outside overlooking the cricket field. However, I found the service offhand and unfriendly. Living nearby, I don't think we will be visiting again.
28 Mar 2011 21:27
I remember this place from 25 years ago as The Crown -- and having left the city a long time ago a return visit was a shot in the dark. Not much seems to have changed inside, except the evening lighting is very dim. Sadly they no longer do food in the evening -- how things change over a quarter of a century!
Tried a couple of real ales which were adequately kept.
23 Feb 2011 21:42
The blessed Old Peculier was on tap in February -- shame if it disappears during the summer. This is a nicely-run pub with courteous bar staff. Not all that busy the night we were in and, as mentioned below, there was room to sit by the front window and watch the passing scene.
23 Feb 2011 21:37
Good range of beers. Courteous service. We appreciate the absence of TV and gaming machines -- just animated chat among the regulars. And it was nice and warm on a winter's day. One drawback -- many of the chairs need replacing. I'm 12.5 stones, hardly a heavyweight, but had to try out three rickety chairs before I was convinced they wouldn't collapse under me.
7 Feb 2011 18:31
The White Hart, Preston Bissett
Delightful village. The pub is an attractive building. Beer okay.
Chatty landlord. But -- on a chilly January day it was perishing inside. And there was no hot water in the loos.
30 Jan 2011 20:14
The low user rating says it all. The situation is idyllic, but this place attracts a braying crowd of undiscriminating second-homers. As a result the drink and food prices are extortionate and the atmosphere totally out of keeping with the surroundings. There are many better pubs than this in the area.
5 Jan 2011 20:28
Went here after a long ramble in the attractive local countryside. Hospitable and obliging pub. Beers in good condition -- didn't eat here but the menu looked okay.
26 Dec 2010 21:09
The Albion Tavern, Chipping Norton
Closed, and there's a planning application for demolition and houses on the site instead. It won't be missed in a town which has plenty of other pubs.
26 Dec 2010 21:04
Closed for good, and about to be turned into "apartments". It won't be missed.
26 Dec 2010 21:02
Went here after a day trip to Lundy -- it's relaxing and civilised pub which is a welcome escape in a surprisingly scruffy town centre.
26 Dec 2010 20:37
We went there on a Tuesday evening at 7.30pm. in April 2010. We were the only customers for the first 30 minutes and, because it's a bit of a barn of a place, it was rather depressing. That's not the fault of the licensees, with pleasant service and a good pint. So it's best to choose your evening, perhaps when there is music or at the weekend.
28 May 2010 22:09
The first thing to say about this pub is that it is in Little Barrington, not Great Barrington. Only a mile apart, but different villages. Just below the Windrush Valley Cricket Club ground and alongside the River Windrush. Service for food and drink was take it or leave it -- which suggests the licensees have it too easy in a site which, on a sunny day, has a pleasant outside area. It is one of those Cotswold pubs in an idyllic situation which should be much better than it is.
23 May 2010 23:38
In the pub desert that is anywhere near Victoria Station this is an oasis. Nice range of seating, some nooks and crannies, decent toilets. The staff are efficient and courteous. But, more importantly, there are five well-kept beers with the emphasis on Fuller's, which can't be bad. Food is a cut above most pubs -- not cheap but good value for what it is.
6 Mar 2010 19:40
Excellent pint of IPA, Bacardi and Coke for my wife, a plate of ham, eggs and chips for her, tuna baguette and salad for me -- and change out of ten pounds. What's going on in one of the most expensive counties in the UK? Comfortable seating ranging from bar stools to settees. Friendly service. Pool and darts available and, it appears, plenty of live music. A pub that puts others in the area to shame for value and hospitality. On a Sunday lunchtime in February there were not many customers -- for the sake of those running the place we hope they have the success they deserve during spring and summer.
14 Feb 2010 19:35
On the face of it the perfect thatched rural pub. Service has become more friendly and obliging recently after a long period when customers were treated with disdain. The beers are generally, but not always, in good condition. We have tried the restaurant food a couple of times and for the price it is very ordinary. It is about time they repaired or replaced the rickety seats and tables out front. Many visitors will be dazzled by the bucolic setting inside and outside but for us the fact remains that this pub could be a lot better.
22 Dec 2009 19:56
Sadly this excellent pub has closed down. Such a shame in a town where only two other pubs -- Reindeer in Parsons Street and Bell in Grimsbury -- have any character. The rest are generally rubbish.
10 Apr 2009 23:40
Friendly local -- especially compared to the other ostentatious pub in the village. Good food, good beer, welcoming atmosphere and a management team who are pleased to see new faces. Home of the ambitious Steeple Aston football club.
22 Jan 2009 22:27
This pub stocks the blessed Theakston's Old Peculier -- rarely seen around London. Plenty of seating inside and a few tables outside on the pavement.
Considering its position opposite the British Museum it is refreshingly untouristy and the service is speedy and civil. However, don't bother with the food -- it's mediocre.
19 Jan 2009 00:19
Opposite the hotel we were staying in --- so looked in for a beer before bed. And straight out again. Inside and outside were drunks.
30 Jun 2008 01:22
Excellent pints of Hobgoblin. Didn't sample the food -- but it looked good on other tables. Lovely pub inside, with newspapers available. Outside, frankly, ia scruffy despite the canal views.
30 Jun 2008 01:17
The Victoria and Albert, Netherhampton
It's an OK pub -- nothing more. On our visit they had, interestingly, a couple of expensive Okell beers from the Isle of Man. Not really the island's star export -- we know these beers very well. What particularly irritated us was the profusion of notices telling customers what they COULD NOT do in the garden. Please, please spare us from licensees who wants to lay down obvious rules of behaviour. Why not just tell us that we are welcome -- we didn't get that impression here.
30 Jun 2008 01:08
The Coach and Horses, Adderbury
Don't like this pub at all. Seems to be geared to chavs. No thanks.
29 Apr 2008 23:25
Closed for "refurbishment" -- maybe open in February 2008. Does this mean the favourite rural pub of David Cameron is going further upmarket?
20 Jan 2008 21:21
We live a few miles from the pub. Great place to bring visitors, especially from overseas, because the whole set-up (including the village) is like a film set. Beers are usually pretty good. Dogs welcome ---children, well-behaved or not, are unwelcome. The bar staff are not particularly sociable and never have been since the place became managed rather than owned. Referring to a previous comment about parking --- there is a free public car park only 100 yards away. Best of all is to sit outside the front of the pub on the rickety seats on a fine summer's evening and watch the sun set.
28 Dec 2007 22:56
What a shame -- the bar food menu has changed, jacket potatoes (among others) are off the menu. Now the menu is just like every other would-be gastropub in the vicinity -- meals you could heat up yourself from the local supermarket. The beer is still okay.
5 Nov 2007 23:56
The Pear Tree Inn, Hook Norton
Oh Dear, came on a Monday night in October. No food, no other customers, and the temporary bar staff wanted to watch to Soaps on the TV screen. A top-class pub keeps up standards 7 days a week. What a disappointment.
5 Nov 2007 23:50
Excellent bar and waiting staff help to make this one of York's best pubs. The beer, including immaculate Old Peculier, is always in good condition. The bar food is variable -- we had an undercooked (and potentially dangerous Chicken Kiev) but there were no arguments about refunds and free drinks. The jacket potatoes and nachos are probably the best bet. There are two flat-screen TVs which can show ITV football matches. We don't live in York --- but will be back here on our next visit.
25 Oct 2007 23:08
Only the totally undiscerning would go here. A wretched apology for a riverside pub. Very poor food.
17 Oct 2007 22:35
Pleasant unpretentious pub with good beer and good value lunchtime bar food. Friendly and willing service. The sunny garden could do with a bit of a facelift.
5 Sep 2007 21:53
The Bishop Blaize Inn, Burdrop
The owners have just written a petulant letter to the Banbury Guardian (June 2007) saying they will never open the building again as a pub. Pathetic. We used to go there regularly until the change of ownership, when everything went downhill.
8 Jun 2007 00:15
With summer (2007) approaching worth noting that the back garden/yard is a suntrap at lunchtime. The beer is always in good condition -- the food less so. Wealthy overseas students from the nearby language schools are in evidence. Tables are out the front to enjoy the hustle of "Main Street, Summertown." The licensee has been around for ever and sponsors the local rugby league team.
26 Apr 2007 23:07
Excerllent town centre pub -- best in Chipping Norton for beer. However, bar food a bit on the expensive side for what it is.
26 Apr 2007 22:00
Earlier I gave this pub an 8-ranking. But on our last visit the "braying few" (see previous review) from St John's College were, unfortunately, making their moronic presence felt. So we may think twice about going back to a pub which has the best range of beers in the city. Perhaps lunchtimes is better, when the food is good value as well. Meanwhile, I strongly recommend the licensee clamps down on the small minority who spoil it for a majority.
25 Apr 2007 22:35
Just been once, with our 15-year-old son whose prime interest in pubs is to play dominoes, darts, bar billiards or pool with his dad. However, we were soon ejected on the ground that children were not permitted. So much for being a so-called community pub.
25 Apr 2007 22:28
After a long and settled period with one excellent landlord (Geoff) this pub has seen a lot of ups and downs -- probably more downs. At one stage the formerly charming interior was renovated in a very unsympathetic and crass manner. However, despite this philistine renovation there is a marked improvement all-round under the current licensees. There is still the pub garden by the River Glyme --- and outside loos. As mentioned elsewhere, you can avoid adding to the Duke of Marlborough's bank balance by getting into the Blenheim Palace grounds for free on a public right of way over the main road. It's not immediately obvious, but walk back a few yards towards town and there is a double gate which can be opened.
25 Apr 2007 22:19
The food is good value, the beer is boring, but the place is well-run and a cut above the usual run of estate pubs.
25 Apr 2007 21:54
I'm all for so-called rural gems -- but they need to be allied to a welcoming and courteous landlord. Not the case here. Very, very cliquish.
25 Apr 2007 21:50
Just re-opened (April 2007) after having a lot of money spent on re-furbishment --- mainly a smart eating area. But the menu is pretentious and expensive. There is nothing to distinguish it from other similar so-called rural pubs which are, in effect, restaurants with a tiny public bar area. Maybe it's the meaningless phrase "pan-fried" applied to dishes that we find completely off-putting.
Milton (near Banbury) is a lovely village, but the outdoor seats at the front overlook the car park.
25 Apr 2007 21:43
We used to live nearby and went regularly for the excellent food and beer. Now, living 80 miles away, we drive to Cambridgeshire twice a year to visit the White Swan and then go onto the 5-mile round walk taking in St Ives and the Hemingfords. It's still (20 years on) a convivial pub with bar billiards and good-value lunchtime food. Long may this continue.
23 Apr 2007 23:27
Excellent news that the discerning North Oxfordshire CAMRA branch has chosen The Bell as its 2007 pub of the year. Banbury is a town which has far more than its fair share of mediocre pubs. Thus The Bell, a few hundred yards from the town centre, is a civilised and laid-back alternative to the money-grabbing pubs elsewhere (exclude the Olde Reindeer and Woolpack from that). Many congratulations.
23 Apr 2007 23:15
What a welcome retreat in a town centre which has far too many mediocre pubs. The beer is always in immaculate condition.
23 Apr 2007 23:08
There's a lot of competition in Hook Norton. So the friendliness of the licensee counts for a lot. And here he rates very low. But that's because we had the temerity to complain that the lunchtime food was mediocre.
23 Apr 2007 23:01
Cliquish pub with overpriced food. However, under relatively new licensees, shows some signs of improving.
23 Apr 2007 22:53
The Deddington Arms Hotel, Deddington
A sterile and expensive pub/restaurant. Poor and poorly-kept range of beer.
23 Apr 2007 22:50
This is an efficient and well-run pub. Good range of beers. We haven't tried the restaurant yet because the bar meals are very substantial. The garden is great in good weather -- with Aunt Sally on offer (you have to live locally to understand this recondite game). Children-friendly inside and outside, which isn't always the case in this part of the world. Very busy at weekends and even more so in summer because it is near the Oxford Canal, which has heavy tourist traffic.
9 Mar 2007 20:59
Apart from binge drinkers in their teens and twenties the vast majority of Banbury's town centre pubs have little to offer beer lovers. So all credit to the refurbished and re-named Woolpack At Banbury Cross for bucking the trend. This has been transformed into a civilised pub with well-kept regular and guest beers and an imaginative bar menu. Okay, one or two pub bores still occupy the front bar, but elsewhere there is a selection of rooms and occasional activities to suit most tastes. Up to now only the Reindeer in Parsons Street and the Bell in Middleton Road were pubs for grown-ups, but the Woolpack has joined that elite company. We hope it all works out for the licensee and staff -- they deserve it.
9 Mar 2007 20:47
The attitude at this pub has always been "like it or lump it". Overpriced food. If the beer is not in good condition don't dare complain to the licensee. You will get a very dismissive reponse.
9 Mar 2007 20:32
Worth going just for the well-kept Theakstons Old Peculier (yes that's the spelling) - in our view the best beer in the universe. Additionally it is a well managed pub, with friendly and attentive staff. At lunchtimes there is excellent bar food, including baked potatoes. The place is packed during university term-time in the evenings - so you might consider the vacations as an opportune time to visit. After all, that is more than half the year.
5 Mar 2007 22:31
The best food bet here is to have a bar meal - generally good value. The bar staff are efficient and the beer range is limited but reliable. If you arrive early there is a particularly comfy sofa in one of the bars. One observation is that the bars areas do seem rather smoky, but thankfully this will not be the case after July 2007. We don't generally go for pubs alongside busy main roads (A4260) but this is an exception.
5 Mar 2007 22:23
The Chequers Inn, Charney Bassett
We came to this pub regularly under the previous regime, who moved to France. First time back for 3 years. Still very pleasant inside with plenty of Sunday papers around for customers. The beer is good. But food not so good as before - the filled potato skins were overpriced and tough.
5 Mar 2007 22:08
This place should be among the stars of the Oxford pub scene. Perfect position alongside the Thames -- only accessible on foot. Instead it is a damp squib. The staff seem to resent the customers, the beer range is often pitiful and the food deplorable. The whole place seems unkempt and shabby. What a disappointment.
5 Mar 2007 21:56
The Duck On The Pond, South Newington
We use this pub occasionally because the bar food is imaginative and the beer is usually in pretty good condition. The obverse is that although the landlord presumably recognises us each time he makes little effort to be charming or hospitable. Or to anybody else as far as we can see.
5 Mar 2007 21:47
A relaxed and convivial pub with an attentive and sociable landlord. Good beer, generous food portions, pool and darts. An attractive restaurant -although a lot of people choose to eat in the main bar
where the action is.
5 Mar 2007 21:28
The Black Horse, Clapton in Gordano
May 2017: Looking forward to one of their good value pub lunches in the grassy rear garden with our dog --- only to find this area is now barred to dogs. Maybe some irresponsible dog owners are to blame. So here's an oddity, whereas many pubs tolerate dogs outside and not inside, the Black Horse only allows them to occupy the the cramped interior. So this place is off the visiting list for us and friends during the summer.
4 May 2017 10:17