Watercress Harry's, Hereford

I don't visit Hereford very often and I can't consider myself to have any great knowledge of the pub scene here, but having read the reviews so far I now feel inclined to venture my opinion.

I tried Zombies purely on the recommendation of some friends who were informed that it was a newly-opened 'sophisticated' bar that catered for a more mature client�le. I can say with hand on heart that I have never come across a more inaccurate description of a public house! The d�cor was tacky, it looked as though the owner had painted it on the cheap whilst arguing with his wife over the colour, and the furniture is certainly not up to the standard of a 'sophisticated' bar. The Halloween themed prints on the walls coupled with a mannequin and some assorted market-stall nick-knacks were tacky in the extreme. What's more the place was empty compared to the other pubs in the town that evening. The handful of people who had braved the journey passed the bouncers at the door all seemed to be in their early twenties - not the chic professional set that seemed to be their target client�le. I have to take lawrencedave to task over his statement that Zombies has an 'identity' and doesn't need a 'target audience'. I have worked for a major design and marketing company for a good many years and I cannot emphasise enough that this bar is confused in every aspect of it's business identity. I walked away totally unclear as to what this pub is trying to achieve. Judging by the lack of any real enthusiasm from the Hereford public I would say that this is proving extremely detrimental to it's profits.

I would hazard a guess and say this bar is the offspring of a well-to-do horror fan and his mid-life crisis. It does not have the appearance of being conceived and managed by somebody with a huge amount of experience in the bar trade. I could be wrong, and if so, I would be greatly interested to know just what sort of person came up with this idea for a business!

I won't be back in Hereford for another three months but I will be dropping by Zombies again, but only out of curiosity to see if it has managed to weather the credit crunch and whether the local populace have turned up in enough numbers to keep it afloat. I wonder?

2 Feb 2009 21:23

The Knife and Cleaver, Houghton Conquest

Good selection of wines here!

1 Feb 2009 13:50

The Prince Of Wales, Ampthill

The pub looks much better now and is back on my list to go to whenever I am in the area.

1 Feb 2009 13:48