BITE user comments - Dave_the_Bee
Comments by Dave_the_Bee
Complete transformation into really comfortable pub with a stunning range of ales and cider and helpful, friendly staff. I didn't try the food but it seemed to be popular and tempting. An absolute must for anyone in the area who enjoys a pint of decent beer.
21 Aug 2011 19:48
I only tend to have gone on occasional weekend lunchtimes. Usually some reasonable real ale (particularly if they have a Twickenham Ales brew) but dear me, both the outside and the whole of the inside of the place are like children's playgrounds. Well that's fine if that's what the landlord wants but it's not for me so won't be going back in a hurry.
22 Jul 2011 00:58
This site is all about beer ( sometimes in the evening) and this is definitely the place to have it. Just go there if you want a little oasis in a bit of a bleak area. It's worth it.
21 Jul 2011 01:33
The number one priority, decent beer, well served, is definitely met here. As good a pint of Summer Lighting as you're likely to come across. But the place is very much a locals' gaff and not overly comfortable because of the limited space and poor table arrangement. I saw two unused shove ha'penny tables stood on the floor, leaning against a wall. What a crininal waste - I loved that game and I haven't seen it in a pub in SW London for many years now.
21 Jul 2011 01:27
Great place if you're after some decent and varied ales in the area. On a site entitled 'Beer In The Evening' this has got to be the sort of place to which punters are encouraged to go.
21 Jul 2011 01:15
Well, it's a Spoons and an average one at that. Go there with appropriate expectations and you won't be too disappointed. The usual diverse range of ales, but all too warm and a bit tired. Having said, it's not the worst place in Twickenham to go to. Tempted.... no, neither am I.
21 Jul 2011 01:03
This place is a beer drinker's paradise - the best in Clapham. Down sides are the sometime sluggish service and for some daft reason they've tried to turn the back of the place into purely a restaurant, thus effectively losing half the place as pub. When I was there, the front, pub half, was full and the back, new resraurant bit, was empty. Exactly what sort of progress is that? Despite this ridiculous change this is still the place to go if you're in the CJ area.
21 Jul 2011 00:53
The Famous Cock Tavern, Islington
Ok, some real ale - I had a rather tired pint of Doom Bar but overall, Grim.
21 Jul 2011 00:46
The Hemingford Arms, Barnsbury
To be fair, I've only been here once. The stupidly attractive exterior drew me in and I was pleased to find a decent range of draught beer. What I had (Ubo) was fine. An interesting and attractive interior with good bar staff (although, to be fair, it was quiet at the time). Crappy old Sky Sport on big screen but look away now (and permanently if possible) if you don't want to see who won the the 5:20 at Haydock Park. I'd definitely go back there if I'm in that part of N1 again.
21 Jul 2011 00:36
OK, so it doesn't really feel like a pub but it does excellent ale, well kept and well served and good food, based onwhat I had (pork chop with chorizo risotto). A comfy atmosphere without intrusive TV and music and by the way, a truely beautiful girl behind the bar. So what's to knock.....?
21 Jul 2011 00:24
An excellent, straightforward, if slightly spartan place. They've got a very good range of draft ale and a banging' choice of bottled beers. The handpumped stuff is interestingly presented on an old church's hymn board. The juke box is good, but watch out for the disappointingly large number of selections that just don't want to play. If I was almost anywhere in Greater Manchester with a Freedom Pass, I'd make the effort to get to this place.
9 Sep 2008 00:51
A glorious pub; check out the ceilings. Inside it's honest, simple and how a good pub should be. An excellent range of well kept beers. Well worth making a detour to.
9 Sep 2008 00:43
An excellent back street boozer with a stupidly attractive exterior. Inside it's noisy, fun and has old arcade games you seem to have to book in order to be able to play on them. Lots of intersting litle rooms and no disappointment when it comes to the ales that are available.
9 Sep 2008 00:39
Before it gets full of people, this place is a bit like a hall of mirrors (go there when it's quiet and you'll see what mean). It's got a bangin' range of beers and a great atmosphere - a pint of Holts Pioneer went down very well with some thrash metal. Is that really Hendrix's guitar on the wall over the bar?
9 Sep 2008 00:33
The Briton's Protection Hotel, Castlefield
This place just glows with warmth and is stuffed full of interesting features (see earlier comments). A glorious pub with excellent ales; when you leave it, admire what remains of the architecture of the old Central Station opposite.
9 Sep 2008 00:28
This place is a very cosy pub with some stupidly comfortable chairs and loads of interesting stuff on the walls. It's just far enough away from the market to be Camden without being touristy. Next time I'm in the area, I'm coming here; you should too.
23 Aug 2008 00:55
The Bald Faced Stag, East Finchley
This place is fine pub to stop off at. Good beer (Cockahoop a great choice to have available) and very tasty and reasonably priced food at lunchtime. The garden is dominated by a fine example of the London plane (the tree that every Londoner should hold a special affection for) and also gives a great view of the Number 102 lumbering up the hill. A visit to North London is made better by coming here.
23 Aug 2008 00:46
Ye Olde Swiss Cottage, Swiss Cottage
A dingy and cheerless place with a series of dull, plum coloured rooms. At lunchtime it feels like the run-down clubhouse of a golf club, that even if you played the game, you would never, ever want to be a member of. Why's it called 'Ye Olde'; it has two of ye olde fruit machines, a ye olde Gaggia coffee machine and it proudly advertises (ye olde) 'organic over ice' behind the bar. I hate this place; please turn it into a traffic calming measure.
23 Aug 2008 00:31
The Vat and Fiddle, Nottingham
Near the station, in a bit of a wilderness, is a pub to make your eyes water. 12 handpumps, all of which offer a superb range of ales, and a rainbow of whiskys. It's like a mini beer festival, only permanent - brilliant. Don't even think about a visit to the hugely inferior Trip to Jerusalem - stay here,
25 Jul 2008 02:45
The Salutation Inn, Nottingham
A bangin' boozer - SO much better than the nearby Trip to Jerusalem. Loud rock music and a great choice of well-kept ales. Any place which has a bearded barman in a Ramones t-shirt and a beer as good as Kiplings IPA is good enough for me.
25 Jul 2008 00:37
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, Nottingham
Too touristy for its own good. I don't like pubs which get their own city-centre signposts, along with the castle, railway station and a shopping centre. The uniqueness and history of the place is lost in its pumped-up profile which it seems that the beer provider is trying to tap for all its worth. Why come here when there is a genuinely good pup like the Salutation Inn so near by.
25 Jul 2008 00:30
The Prince of Wales, Twickenham
One of the premier pubs in the area. The ale is very well kept and a good range always seems to be on offer (especially during the mini beer festivals held there occasionally). The food's of a very high standard and is definitely worth trying. It's got a comfy feel and it doesn't particularly come over as a local's pub, which I suspect it actually is. The sports screens are OK and not overly intrusive. I find the dictionary under one of the tables in the bar very useful when I'm doing the crossword in there, and the garden's really attractive as well. All in all the place scores highly in every important category. The previous postings suggest that the landlord has recently left. Here's hoping the whoever takes over carries on running it in the same way and takes care to preserve a real gem of a place in an area, which it should be said, already has a pretty good choice of decent boozers.
1 Jul 2008 01:01
The Prince Blucher, Twickenham
A quality place to get the full range of regular Fullers draft ales. Good bar staff and a manager who clearly knows how to run a pub well. The food's pretty good too and is reasonable value. Watch out for the deceptive slope on the outdoor table football, depending upon which bit of the well appointed beer garden it's sited.
1 Jul 2008 00:49
The Charles Lamb, Angel, Islington
This place just doesn't feel like a pub. The beer was pretty good with some interesting choices, but that's as far as the 'pubness' goes. Overcrowded, uncomfortable and little tables hosting silly-sized plates. Worst of all was the clientele, most of whom were just like the characters who turn up in the 'It's Grim Up North London' cartoon strip in private Eye.
1 Jul 2008 00:38
A great pub if you're after good ale. I won't add to the many words already written about the carpet, however, if you think that's bad, take a look at the state of the bottles over the bar. And I don't care one bit, 'cos it's still a great pub. Lots of little nooks and corners to sit in; it's one of those places that once you're sat in it, you're almost like part of the fixtures and fittings.
1 Jul 2008 00:28
A thoroughly good Twickenham gaf. An excellent range of H&W beers, well kept and served. It's a place which always seems to have a crafty little corner seat you can sit in (though I haven't been there on Quiz Night). It's often tough to leave this place and not be tempted by the aromas wafting down Church Street. Maybe not the best boozer in Central Twickenham, but it's in the Top Five.
3 May 2008 02:13
A perfectly good suburban High Street pub. Good sports presentation and the draft beer seems well looked after. If you're after a pub with charm, interest and choice, for heaven's sake go to the Roebuck up the road in Hampton Hill. If you want a decent back-street boozer, you must head to the Masons Arms just 3 minutes away. If you're thinking that you can't be bothered to move, then the Hogarth is a perfectly good place to remain stationary in.
3 May 2008 02:00
The Metropolitan, Westbourne Park
Thoroughly good place to go to of a lunchtime. I like the idea of the advertised buskers, though I didn't hear them so I can't comment on what they're like. The draft beer was in bangin' condition and the little garden out the back was a real suntrap on a pleasant spring day. This place is pleasingly harmonious with the Hammersmith and City line station next door.
11 Apr 2008 00:24
When talking about pubs, the term 'dump' was surely invented for this place. It's easily pushed itself into the 'worst five pubs I've ever been to' league.
11 Apr 2008 00:10
The Prince Albert, Notting Hill
I have to be a bit dubious about this place's real ale credentials since, of the three beer handpumps, only one was on, and that was serving Abbot which was VERY definitely passed its best. So, not a good mark in terms of the ale.
The bar was comfy enough, with an impressive stained glass window at one end and some good window seats to watch the West London world go by. It was a fairly quiet, mid-week lunchtime, so it's impossible to say what sort of ambiance this place may have in the evening. By the way, the place boasts the most triangular gents I've ever come across.
11 Apr 2008 00:05
A really handsome Young's pub packed with very interesting and attractive decor and artefacts. It was good to be able to sit down during an afternoon and hear an even and contented background of chat, interrupted only by slightly squeaky handpumps.
There's a little partitioned-off area which looks a bit like a miniature Western saloon without the piano player and a bar brawl.
Very much worth a visit.
5 Apr 2008 19:19
Great to see several gravity ales to complement the handpumped beer, all serving up an impressive choice, including stouts. The pies looked very good on the menu, though I didn't try any. Hard to spot a healthier option amongst them as each, apparently, comes 'with double cream buttered mash potato', and that's just the accompaniment.
The ambiance and service are fine, though the interior suffers from that dazzling, recently painted post-smoking ban, curse. I know the insides certainly smelt worse pre-ban, but I think they often looked better with fag stained walls and ceilings.
Go here, rather than anywhere else nearby (with the possible exception of the little bar at the end of the new Eurostar platforms at St Pancras, which did a mean pint of gravity Doom Bar - there, that'll unsettle our French friends as they arrive in the UK), if you are traveling through Euston and fancy a very good pint.
3 Apr 2008 20:48
The William Web Ellis, Twickenham
Previous comments are on the button with respect to the service, which is painful. I'd hate to go to the place if it ever gets busy. One huge plus, however, is them selling Twickenham Brewery's Naked Ladies at under �2 a pint. Drink this and think of grapefruits; it helps take your mind off where you are.
29 Mar 2008 18:46
A place which is clearly run by people who care about the beer they're selling, of which there's a very good choice. It's the sort of pub which stands out a mile from a back street road, the only interesting other feature of which is that it includes a gentle hill. On a mid-week afternoon the bar is unnervingly quiet but very comfortable. The gents include a slightly unusual feature of offering for sale copies of black and white pictures of scantily clad women. Makes a change from the usual Sky football fixture listing.
29 Mar 2008 18:40
An excellent pub which thankfully hasn't gone the way of so many others in Richmond. A well kept and full range of Youngs' beers. Every time I go in there during the day it seems mainly to contain slightly anxious looking husbands who appear to have slipped the 'shopping noose' somewhere on the first floor of Dickens and Jones.
24 Mar 2008 01:18
Very pleasantly surprised - good range of good quality ales and good atmosphere. Excellent choice of pub for pre-match drinks for visiting supporters. At least the walk to the ground is downhill from here.
24 Mar 2008 01:05
OK sort of place, with reasonably kept and priced ale and food which was alright. I guess the problem is that it just can't loose the feel of being a station bar. It has little charm or feel of making you want to stay rather than get on the next District line train, though the conservatory bit is quite a handsome building.
24 Mar 2008 00:53
The Dartmouth Arms, Dartmouth Park
Lovely feel to the place. Well kept beer (though a slightly disappointing choice of real ale available). I particularly liked the two real fires in the one bar and the mini-library in the corner. definitely worth future visits.
24 Mar 2008 00:41
Definitely the best option in the area for a pre-gig pint. Good range of beer, which was fine on the couple of times I've been there. The star of the options was definitely the draught Bass. Food looks a bit iffy however and there was some very strange US 'sports' being shown on the screens. Watch out for drunken QPR fans grumbling about another home defeat on match days.
24 Mar 2008 00:34
The Central Bar, Shepherds Bush
Much as I don't like being critical of Wetherspoons, who do a good job in promoting decent beer, this place is hideous, with as much charm as a motorway service station which hasn't been cleaned for three days. If you're after a pre-gig pint you'd be MUCH better advised to head for The Green on the northern corner of Shepherds Bush Green.
24 Mar 2008 00:28
Simply one of the best pubs in the area - excellent range and quality of beer, friendly atmosphere and interesting decor.
24 Mar 2008 00:15
The King Edward VII, Stratford
Have only visited this place at lunchtime but it's always been an oasis in an area devoid of even quarter decent pubs. Good range of very well kept ales, very good food and a very attractive environment. I'm happy to pay the rather steep prices since it offers something which isn't available for miles around.
7 Feb 2008 21:11
The Ashburnham Arms, Greenwich
Visited during a mid-week afternoon and it was off the bottom of the quietness scale. But the beer was very good and the large painted map of the area is a real feature. This is the sort of back-street pub of which far too many have disappeared over the last few years. I hope it's a lot better frequented at more popular times.
7 Feb 2008 21:00
The Cutty Sark Tavern, Greenwich
Well worth making a short detour to if visiting the tourist spots in Greenwich. The good range of ale was very well kept but overpriced. The location is brilliant. I agree with the comment in an earlier posting that the decor seems artificial, even though it isn't.
7 Feb 2008 20:53
The best pub within a short walking distance of waterloo station. Welcoming interior, helpful staff and well kept ale.
7 Feb 2008 20:45
Good to see the full range of Fullers on draft - the Chiswick is always very drinkable. Warm feel to the place - shame about the stink from the vicinity of the toilets.
10 Nov 2007 01:20
The Willesden Junction Hotel, Harlesden
This is one of the worst five pubs I've ever been to in my life.
10 Nov 2007 01:13
This is the place to go to try the excellent beers from the Twickenham Brewery at their best. And it's a good pub on top of that.
10 Nov 2007 01:09
A bit of a haven amongst so much pretentious clap-trap around the Kings Road. Endearing and an excellent pint of Pride, even though the barman looked like the lead singer from Right Said Fred.
10 Nov 2007 01:03
Now you're talking - this is about as close as you'll get to a piece of Middlesex pub history. Public, saloon and snugs still there, and I not had a better pint of Pride anywhere.
10 Nov 2007 00:56
Busy, friendly, well kept beer - just what a back(ish)street local should be.
10 Nov 2007 00:49
Back to Dave_the_Bee's profile
The Rifleman, Twickenham
Very pleasing to see this place open up again. Backstreet locals are a dying breed and this place meets that bill very well. Good to see that Twickenham Ales are still on. Here's hoping that it's the success it deserves to be.
21 Aug 2011 19:57