BITE user comments - Disley
Comments by Disley
The Swimmer at The Grafton Arms, Holloway
"A planned 3p rise in beer duty has been scrapped and replaced by a 1p cut in the price of a pint.
The chancellor said the alcohol duty escalator - which adds inflation plus 2% to the price - would be abolished for beer completely." (Source: BBC)
Unfortunately, the response from the owners of The Swimmer was to increase the price of a pint here by about 20p. The draft ale (London Pride, plus guest Butcombe at a premium) is not great, and with some of the (albeit good) lagers now pushing £5.00 a pint, this pub has now become the preserve of only the wealthy.
13 Apr 2013 21:42
This pub looks like it's been partially ripped out in the past. There is a back room with walls stripped back to the brickwork (why do they do that?), sofas and neon lighting. Thankfully the rest of the pub is more traditional with tongue and groove on some of the walls etc.
The beer is fine here...Harvey's and TT Landlord etc...some of the best I've had.
Wednesday is swing jazz night which is very enjoyable...I'd highly recommend this establishment.
24 Sep 2009 13:40
Unpretentious, traditional pub, serving good ale. Nice to sit outside - it's on a peaceful street with no through traffic. One of the best in the area, and I've been to them all.
2 Aug 2009 00:15
The Nell Gwynne, Covent Garden
First and last visit here. Very small pub, could be atmospheric, if it wasn't for the loud music and TV screens packed in here. Draught beer was warm. Caters for the lowest common denominator.
2 Aug 2009 00:00
Another great Sam Smiths pub. Cheap beer...no piped music, couldn't ask for more.
OBB was ok, but barman served short pints. I go for the Wheat Beer...similar to Hoegaarden, but about half the cost...served in a lined glass - so no issues about short measures.
1 Aug 2009 23:53
Paid another visit recently and found some improvements. Lighting is less harsh now and about right...has a village pub feel to it...until the "music" kicks in. Most of it is death metal which is difficult to listen to for ordinary folk - hardly relaxing. Not as loud as it used to be but why should everyone have to suffer for the taste of a tiny minority? Not very polite really. They have now mounted a speaker to pump it out into what was once a peaceful beer garden...there's no escape. Beer is good though....
3 May 2009 14:52
Was disappointed on my first visit by loud background music, but none today, just conversation...excellent. Bar staff very helpful re allowing punters to try ales...only �2.50 a pint with a Camra card. Lighting still a bit harsh - why not use bulbs with lower wattage to cure this, save money too? Will be back.
1 May 2009 01:03
Excellent pub. Has many original features including a most fantastic bar. Beer is Brodies, brewed on the premises, quite stunning, and only �1.99 a pint. If I lived nearby I'd be here every night. Has piped music, but not intrusive when I visited, as such a large space - better without it though. Jazz night once a month. It's a 10.
26 Mar 2009 23:32
The Rochester Castle, Stoke Newington
Not a bad 'Spoons. Nice to see some remaining original Victorian tiling. Draught beer was poor though, wrong temperature and lifeless, flat.
8 Jan 2009 00:25
Nice pub, retaining many original Victorian features. Draught beer was quite good. No music when I was in there, but speakers everywhere so maybe I was just lucky. Just the sound of conversation, good atmosphere.
One thing I didn't like were the spot lamps on the left of the pub. Very bright and in your face, literally. Could do with replacing with lower wattage bulbs.
8 Jan 2009 00:20
The Rose and Crown, Stoke Newington
Not a great pub really.....Clearly was once divided into separate bars, evident by the numerous doors leading outside. Now just one large space. A bit like a Wetherspoons but with muzak. Draught beer just about ok. A nondescript pub.
8 Jan 2009 00:13
A few negative reviews recently, and everyone's entitled to their opinion, here's mine.
Music - is only a recent phenomenon in pubs.....some landlords think it adds atmosphere, it doesn't....people create atmosphere, although I do get hacked off by yuppies shouting. One landlord I spoke to said music meant you couldn't hear other's conversation....not a good reason to have piped music.
Pubs always used to have frosted glass etc, and it's true you can't peer into this place from the street...do you want people peering in at you once you're inside? If you push the door you'll see the pub's open.
When the Pembury is empty, it's quiet, and a good place to read the paper etc (without "relaxing" muzak). When full, it's buzzing. Very friendly bar staff.
I find the lighting perfect, not bright at all. Only recent criticism was gents stank a bit, which you normally get in dives, but these toilets are like new!
Beer selection is always good and although not all ales on top form, there's normally a couple which are excellent. Always a cider on, and the draught lager Moravka is special.
There's a beer fest soon 12th - 16th November, and well worth a visit.
17 Oct 2008 00:59
The Duke of Hamilton, Hampstead
Up in Hampstead last Sunday. Lovely day. We were looking for a place to have lunch. Saw landlord's son getting a hog-roast going in the front garden, looked good....Did we go in? No chance. Why? Because the landlord here is abusive to his customers. He sits at the end of the bar surrounded by his crony mates, gradually getting sozzled, and whenever he sees fit, lets go with his big mouth. This will be a nice pub again one day...once that clown has gone.
3 Aug 2008 19:18
The old carpet had served it's purpose, and is no longer, and although that suits everyone, I do hope the owners put a carpet down and don't leave it bare. Without a carpet pubs are noisy.... The Wenlock needs a new carpet.
13 Jul 2008 18:26
Heard good reports of the beer here so gave it a try the other night.
Beer is good enough, but unimpressed by pub. Very loud music playing, and the lighting was extremely harsh.
I got the impression the music was largely for the benefit of the bar staff.
Kill the music, dim the lights...and this could be a good pub.
13 Jul 2008 17:59
No piped music here (thank goodness), and if you enjoy shouting to make yourself heard over other people's choice of music, then you won't like this pub. If you like excellent real ale then this is an oasis. As with their sister pub, the Oakdale, they are one of the only pubs I know in London where you get a lined glass - which means a full pint, so no confrontation over short measures. They're quite happy to let you sample the beer, and I normally find there's one ale on offer which is particularly good. Only problem I have with the Pembury, is that is could be closer to where I live....10/10
6 Jun 2008 22:33
Nice location - has an oldy worldy feel to the place. Probably was a gem once. Has a flag floor which gives it a country pub atmosphere. I like real ale - no real ale here, although there are three handpumps. Pool table in back, a few TVs dotted around, juke box etc.....Everything average. Could be a nice pub - just doesn't seem to be anything about this place you'd want to visit it for.....I stopped in to see what it was like, but probably wouldn't do so again. Get some real ales in here, and I for one would make this pub a regular port of call...
26 May 2008 00:29
Visited here in 2006. Really nice inn. I'm from London, but brought up in Hampshire, and I appreciate country pubs. Loved everything about this place - game hanging up round the bar, food and ale delicious. A dying breed. 10/10
1 Apr 2008 01:23
Very nicely decorated. Beer was good. Shame that they insist on piped music here, too loud, totally detracts from the surroundings. Get rid of that noise and it's a great pub, nobody will ask for music.
25 Mar 2008 01:25
The Duke of Hamilton, Hampstead
A fantastic pub in a London where great ale houses are diminishing fast. Very well kept beer....not expensive, especially for Hampstead. I really like the atmosphere here - no piped music...pubs never had musak until the last say forty years in history and it ruins most establishments, in my opinion. I find it hard to relax with canned music in the background - here the occassional jam session goes down well. A model pub don't change it for the world - 10/10.
17 Mar 2008 00:11
If you like real ale avoid this place - the beer's rotten. Decor/furnishing is really nasty. Came here to watch some football and only two screens....so forget that. A total dump.
12 Sep 2007 00:46
Winchester Pub Hotel, Highgate
Excellent pub with many original features, including an very beautiful bar, plus lots of fancy glass everywhere. Nice high ceilings - real Victorian style. Had a recent refit and thankfully hasn't been ripped/stripped. Added many new screens which is ok - they seem to be HD - + gets busy when football is on. Real ale is well kept. My only criticism would be the music - gets v. loud sometimes and now the screens behind the bar are on all the time, with little speakers either side pumping out MTV dross. Have a look at how many speakers there are in this place. They're even in the beer garden! Does not need shite music to make this place special - loads of warmth and atmosphere. 10/10 minus 2/10 for noise = 8/10
12 Sep 2007 00:41
Simply the best. Very few pubs are as good as this. Proper boozer with a great range of perfectly kept real ales. Not the place for lovers of All Bar One style bars or anything pretentious - beware. 10/10 every time.
1 Aug 2007 01:01
Can't agree with LagerLout - the beer's excellent - stick to lager....
The decor though is pretty tacky, agreed - formica tables make the place canteen-like. The usual stripped bare, All Bar One approach, with tinny speakers pumping out crap.
Worth visiting for the beer - you can always sit outside.
21 May 2007 00:46
Totally ruined....Everything that made this boozer great has been skipped....and for five years in a row we used to go there for Xmas eve for a cosy drink/piss-up. Used to have nice little alcoves, fitted red velvet sofas and drapes, loads of beautiful dark wood and a great atmosphere. Out the back to the toilets was oak panelled, now looks like McDonalds. The walls have been stripped down to bare brick, so it's like a building site. Upholstery is tacky like a Wetherspoons. Another great pub destroyed....congratulations.
10 May 2007 00:02
The Chesham Arms, Homerton
Great to see this pub saved from the developers ;-)
Nice location....Beer is good....Garden is lovely....Let down by its interior. Very dark (purple) walls making a small pub feel even smaller. Furniture/fittings - a mismash of styles. Could have been much nicer inside.
3 Jul 2015 00:36