BITE user comments - Perry
Comments by Perry
Last chance to visit the Bree Louise – the Euston pub closes this weekend.
25 Jan 2018 15:23
The Cinque Port Arms, Hastings
I think that Merlinstica sums it up very well. You really can't say fairer than that.
3 Aug 2017 15:16
The Last Post, Southend on Sea
The choice of real ales is the poorest that I've seen in a Wetherspoons.....and the ones that were on were not kept well...I had to return mine as it was undrinkable. The replacent beer (a hard choice as there was not much to choose from) was just about OK, so drank that and went elsewhere.
The food choices were also the poorest that I've seen in a Wetherspoons as well.
Won't be paying a return visit....although it is handy if you need a wee before catching a train, as it's right outside Southend Central.
29 Jun 2017 11:21
Winchester Pub Hotel, Highgate
Closed, with a sign advising that it hopes to re-open in September 2015, so I'm guessing that it's closed for good....especially as "luxury" flats are being built in the area directly above the pub.
28 Apr 2017 20:17
Nice pub and good beer, but as paul_d102 mentioned, a tad expensive. Even for London, £4.70 for a pint of bitter is a bit over the top......especially as a short walk along High Holborn will take you to The Cittie of Yorke, which is both a great building and a lot cheaper at £3.10 for Sam Smiths.
4 Jan 2017 19:43
The Still and Star pub is under threat of demolition from developers. The Victorian Society is holding a 'drink in' at the pub on Tuesday 16th August. From around 6.30 there will be a talk about how to object to the demolition plans and hear about the threats to pubs all over the country dealt with by the Victorian Society.
14 Aug 2016 20:43
Spaniards Inn, Hampstead Heath
Expensive, and the beer (Hobgoblin) was like vinegar. Won't be back.
26 Feb 2016 20:32
Walked past the pub today, and it's closed, with building work being carried out inside.
It's the 5th Wetherspoons pub that I frequent that has been, or is about to be, closed in the last month. All very popuar and always busy, so don't understand how they don't meet the Wetherspoons' business model.
Feels like it's a personal vendetta against me !
24 Feb 2016 20:24
A pint of Timothy Taylor Landlord cost £4 - 40............won't be visiting here again.
3 Jul 2015 22:58
The Castle, Harrow On The Hill
The Castle has now become the pub with the invisible manager. A new manager took over at the beginning of the year, yet neither the regulars nor the staff know who he is, as he's never here.....he seems to leave the staff to run the place while he does whatever.
Fullers really needs to get a grip on The Castle, but as it makes money without any effort, I'm sure that they couldn't care less about a manager who is never around.
25 Apr 2015 16:14
Bridgewater Arms Hotel, Berkhamsted
Like previous reviewers, I'm not a great fan of Greene King pubs, as most seem to serve GK IPA (which is one of the poorest beers ever brewed), and nothing else, but The Bridgewater Arms did have Abbot and Golden Hen, which wasn't too bad.
The food was OK for me and reasonably priced.....and Ronnie Wood popped in for an afternoon tipple....which was nice.
18 Mar 2015 00:59
The Black Lion, Leighton Buzzard
Great pub with 8 or 9 ales on when I visited today. Only had time to sample 2 of them and both were excellent. Pub decor is very pleasant.
17 Mar 2015 21:06
The Castle, Harrow On The Hill
Used to be the best pub for miles around....now become a ridiculously overpriced restaurant.
Prices are outrageous.....even makes the West End look cheap. Such a shame that Fullers seem happy to make their money via beer from supermarket sales, and couldn't give a damn about their pubs, unless they're making money from food sales.
A great pub, ruined.
22 Mar 2014 02:34
The Castle, Harrow On The Hill
Castle web site advises the following for the Festive Season opening hours: Boxing Day 12:00 - 23:00
The last bell was rung at 22:00, even though the pub was full of people.
I'm getting a bit annoyed with the pubs on the Hill taking the piss out of pub goers. The Castle is meant to be a pub, not a bloody restaurant, but if it's not selling food, it just shuts, without a care for beer drinkers.
27 Dec 2013 12:27
Came here for Christmas Eve, and was very disappointed and unhappy when the last bell rang at 11:00pm. The pub was pretty packed, and everybody was confused and thought that it must have been rung in error....but it was for real. We had to go to other pubs that were open until the normal Christmas Eve closing time of midnight.
Why close a packed pub on Christmas Eve at 11:00pm ? Answers on a postcard please, as nobody that I know can arrive at any sensible conclusion.
And they were charging £4.15 for a pint of Bengal Lancer. Seems like profiteering over the Christmas period to me.
This used to be a good pub, so very disappointed.
25 Dec 2013 16:17
The Sebright Arms, Bethnal Green
Popped in last night to meet friends and had several pints of Redemption Hopspur, which was excellent.
Only grumble was the price....at £5 a pint, it is officially the most expensive beer that I have ever bought. Queried the price with the barman, and he was adamant that £5 was the correct price......but next round was 2 pints of Hopspur and a glass of Rioja, and that came in at £11.50. So either the wine is bloody cheap here, or the first barman was making up prices that made it easy for him.
6 Dec 2013 14:26
Had a look in this pub, but it seemed to be a restaurant, so I didn't actually have a beer.
A shame, as the last time that I was in here, was in 1970, enjoying a post IOW festival beer or two. I was hoping to have an ale and let my mind go on a nostalgic trip, but it wasn't to be. I guess things change over 43 years.
9 Aug 2013 18:07
Had a pint of HSB, which wasn't brilliant, but was cheap compared to my local in Harrow.
Seems to be a local's pub, and was pretty empty on a sunny August afternoon.
9 Aug 2013 17:58
Ale was good, as was the veggie sausage and mash.
Not cheap, but then they only have a limited time every year to make their money.....and it seemed to be one of the few places that actually did food in the evening.
As a result of good food and the lack of other eating establishments, this place does get very busy.
9 Aug 2013 17:47
Tried this pub on recommendations from BITE ( and as my B&B was only a 2 minute walk away)......wasn't disappointed.
As I was on the Island, I decided to try the local brews, and they had 3 of them on, in varying strengths. The White Knight was the strongest at 4.5%, and at £3:30 (or £2:80 during "Happy Hour" - 5 to 7), was certainly popular with me.
Sandown isn't blessed with an abundance of pubs, but for ale drinkers, you can't go wrong if you just keep drinking here.
9 Aug 2013 16:30
Was there yesterday, and although there were four hand-pumps, not a single ale was available ..... so I went elsewhere.
9 Aug 2013 16:10
I tended to avoid this pub, as the real ales were always undrinkable, but if halfabitterman is right, and the beers are now more hit than miss, I'll give it another go.
Watch this space.
3 Aug 2013 14:58
And being demolished as I write this.
I hope that certain people at Harrow council feel proud of themselves, as they give the go ahead for the purging of pub after pub in the borough.
16 Jul 2013 20:16
Pub has now closed down. Rumour has it that an Indian restaurant (just what we need) will appear here in future weeks, but whatever happens, it is another sad demise for the area's pubs.
16 Jul 2013 20:11
I thought that the Fuller's pubs in Harrow were expensive, but this pub is even more so.
Handy for the station, and I was wasting 30 minutes before catching a train, so had no time to find a pub that served reasonably priced beer. So this pub had to do.
6 Jun 2013 20:02
Seems closed to me. On a sunny day like today, the garden was empty and the only vehicles in the car park were builder's lorries.
4 Jun 2013 21:01
Lovely pub with a lovely garden.
There were 4 ales on today, and at £3.35 a pint, a lot cheaper than my locals on Harrow on the Hill.
I was here last August, and there were also 4 ales on then, so like BeerGutt, I think that blue scrumpy has got the wrong pub. None of the awful beers/lagers that he mentions were on sale here when I was visiting, and the pub is exactly what a country pub should be, and nothing like an Indian restaurant.
4 Jun 2013 20:54
The Castle, Harrow On The Hill
Beer prices reduced in the budget, but increased by 15p a pint at The Castle. Always loved this pub, but seriously getting annoyed by the ridiculous prices for both beer and food.
28 May 2013 01:10
The owner of The George has won planning permission to convert to offices, so expect this to be the next pub to bite the dust.
30 Jan 2013 18:18
Visited a friend in Egham and tried this pub. There were three hand-pumps on the bar, all of them out of action. The only beer (if you can actually call it beer) available, was John Smiths, so had no choice but to try another pub.
Won't be going here again.
11 Jan 2013 15:16
Popped in for the mini beer festival.......beer was fine, but saw the sign saying "Girls Girls Girls", and assumed there was some sort of marvellous attraction.....but no, it turned out to be the sign for the female sandbox. Damned disappointing !
22 Oct 2012 22:31
Lovely old Art Deco building that used to be a cinema. Even sitting at a table drinking a beer, there's a hushed cinema atmosphere, and you get the feeling that the curtains are about to go back and a film is about to start.
Although the beer was standard Wetherspoons prices (�1.99 for basic ale), the food was the most expensive that I've ever come across in a Wetherspoons. Guess they've got to pay for the usherettes somehow.
18 Aug 2012 01:44
Ship Centurion Arminius, Whitstable
The beer was very good and very reasonably priced, when I visited on a Thursday afternoon, but this is a local's pub, which is a good thing, as the beer is looked after.....but they did seem to be very cliquey.
But still worth a visit for the beer.........and the food was good value.
18 Aug 2012 01:31
Wandered into this pub by accident, as it's not in the main part of the city, and it was very pleasant. Had a couple of Harveys, which was in good form, although the barmaid seemed a bit of a novice at pulling beer through a handpump..
Seems that it's only been open for 3 weeks, under new ownership, and it was very clean and bright. Had a meal in there, which was very good.
Certainly worth a visit.
18 Aug 2012 00:38
Was here on a Wednesday afternoon, and the beer was good and the place comfortably busy. But thought I'd pop in again on a Thursday night, and it was heaving with students. No chance of getting served, so I was off.
18 Aug 2012 00:28
Guy who served me was polite, and the beer was OK, but when I left and thanked the barmaid, she just ignored me, and kept chatting to a friend. So not impressed by that.
18 Aug 2012 00:16
Found the Spitfire a little off......and very expensive, especially considering how basic the pub is.
Probably not a place I'll go back to.
18 Aug 2012 00:08
The Bell and Crown, Canterbury
Nice little pub that did 4 or 5 local Kent ales....all good and all for �3. All beers were unusual, although I do remember Green Demon and She Sells Sea Shells as being two of them.
Certainly worth a visit.
17 Aug 2012 23:54
The Canterbury Tales, Canterbury
Pleasant enough pub, although pretty empty if nothing is on across the road at the theatre. But at �3.70 for a pint of ale, it was the most expensive pub that I found in Canterbury.
17 Aug 2012 23:48
Pride and Landlord are not the best that I've tasted, but not the worst either. Pub is good for free music, but as a previous reviewer mentioned, the bar can be a struggle to get to, especially if the band are popular. Can get very hot when crowded, but there is a very good smoking area, where most people head for when the temperature rises.
26 Jul 2012 18:09
The Castle, Harrow On The Hill
Like tonyblack, I can also recommend the coffee here. It really is top notch. They also do a great selection of fizzy waters.....and the grilled barn owl is something to write home about. Great little pub.
26 Jul 2012 17:57
Had a pint of Greene King Celebration Ale, which at �3.25 a pint, wasn't bad. Garden was very pleasant, but also very packed........at 3:00 on a Thursday afternoon, this kind of makes a mockery of people claiming poverty in this day and age.
26 Jul 2012 17:44
Pride was very average to poor, and at �3.60 a pint, I would have expected a well kept beer.
Garden at the back was pleasant in this current hot spell, as it is shaded in the afternoon.
26 Jul 2012 17:28
Lovely pub.....but it is a pub not a McDonalds. I've had many a relaxing drink ruined by children in pubs, so I'm 100% behind the pub's policy.
Although not an uncouth yob, I have been known to use the odd colourful word when in a pub, and I strongly object when I'm asked to watch my language in front of somebody's precious children....who should not be there if the parents don't like the traditional pub etiquette.
17 Apr 2012 23:36
Only 2 beers on when I tried this pub, and I had a pint of Titanic. Beer was good, but at �3.80 for a mid-range draught ale, I would hope so. Bottled beers were way out of my price range.
Place felt more like a cafe than a pub, and at these prices, I probably won't be back.
15 Nov 2011 22:44
In these times of tightening one's belt, it's a bit rich to find that the basic beers have increased to �2.50 per pint.......obviously the recession hasn't hit this part of London. But this is a very good Wetherspoons, and the beers were excellent and the staff very friendly.
I did try a few of the other pubs in the area, based on recommendations from the Good Pub Guide, and the average price for a pint of mid-range ale was around �3.80, which is a joke. Obviously the people who work in this area are overpaid compared to the rest of us.
So, based on the prices in other pubs in the area, this Wetherspoons is quite reasonable. I did have 3 pints here, as I couldn't afford to carry on following the Good Beer Guide recommendations....and all 3 were damn fine ales.
15 Nov 2011 22:35
Was down for the weekend visiting friends, and this is their local, so I was taken here for a beer. When I first saw the front of the pub, I thought that it would be a trendy "lager" pub....a view reinforced when I could only see lager pumps on initially looking at the bar.
But as I walked further into the pub, I was happy to see the 3 hand-pumps. Tried all of the brews, and all were very pleasant indeed.
Also sampled the food, and can certainly recommend the veggie lasagne.....very large portions and at a very reasonable price.
All in all, a pleasant surprise after my initial reservations, and I would certainly be more than happy to drink and eat at this establishment when I'm next down in Brighton.
17 Apr 2011 23:37
Is this a pub ? I arranged to meet somebody here, and walked straight past, as I thought that it was a cafe.
Anyway, did manage to find my way inside, and it is just a pizza parlour that sells very expensive beer. The choice of beers is fantastic, if you like lager, Guinness or John Smiths.
Basically a crap choice of beers at seriously expensive prices, in a pizza parlour. Not sure how this place qualifies as a pub, or gets a listing on this site.
Safe to say I won't be popping in here again....unless I get the urge for a pizza.
5 Oct 2010 20:29
The King William IV, Hampstead
Popped in last Sunday afternoon, and the only beer on was Directors. That lasted for 2 pints, and that was the end of the beer.
Lagers didn't fare much better, with 2 of those being off as well.
Either nobody here knows how to change a barrel, or delivery day is Monday, and the manager miscalculated the previous week's expected beer consumption.
Either way, pretty poor show chaps !
5 Oct 2010 20:20
Watched Celtic v Hearts here, a while back. Celtic won, after some dodgy decisions. Haven't been back since. Clearly an unlucky pub for teams from Gorgie.
20 Feb 2010 02:02
The Castle, Harrow On The Hill
Easy mistake to make Tony. After a hard day of roaming the hill, I'm sure that the only thing on the minds of your rambling buddies, was a welcoming sausage at the pub. The thought of that will probably have confused them as to what beer they were drinking.
14 Feb 2010 22:29
The Castle, Harrow On The Hill
I've not been to The Castle for a couple of months now, but my female friends tell me that the bratwurst is well worth a look. Very interesting colour and shape, they say, but they haven't sampled it yet.
Give it a good covering of onions and slap some good old English mustard on it, and it could well be the most interesting thing in Harrow in 2010.
19 Dec 2009 01:43
The Castle, Harrow On The Hill
Prices are due to Fullers rather than being in Harrow.....try The Basketmakers in Brighton...was Gales now Fullers....prices will make your jaw hit the floor. I'm sure it was the prices rather than my being drunk that caused that !
But if the beer is good, you don't mind paying a reasonable premium, and the beer has most definitely improved at The Castle over the last 2 or 3 years. In the 6 or 7 previous years, the beer was very poor (and that's being generous), and still expensive.
I hear that the risotto is recommended...and the governor has a penchant for red and white checked trousers. What more could any sane person want ?
22 Jul 2009 21:42
The Castle, Harrow On The Hill
I agree with Stanley....why doesn't the governor allow pickled onions into the pub? I'm another person who always takes his own onions into pubs, and likes to wear lederhosen, and this is a very upsetting change.
Lovely pub, with very civilised locals and good staff....but why the pickled onion ban ?
Next thing, they'll ban people wearing lederhosen.
4 Apr 2009 19:36
Beer was OK...Pride and HSB both tasted fine. Not impressed with the menu though. No consideration for veggies.
I was there on a Saturday afternoon, and the pub was more like a creche that sold beer. As I'm not a big fan of kids in pubs....and the fact that the people with whom I was drinking were more interested in children than they were in beer.......it was not a good quaffing experience.
And for geoffandmag, phone number is 020 89777475.
4 Apr 2009 19:23
The Basketmakers Arms, Brighton
Lovely little pub, but prices have certainly increased since Fullers took over Gales.
Beer is well kept, but at these prices I should think so.
In saying that, I know many a Fuller's pub where the prices have increased drastically, yet the beer is not well kept.
19 May 2008 13:47
Had breakfast here last week, and it was an absolute disgrace. No hash browns, no mushrooms, 18 (so few it was easy to count them) baked beans. This left an egg, a sausage, half a tiny tomato, and the 18 beans. A bargain at nearly �3.
Meals at Moons used to be good value for money, but in the last year or so, they have become expensive and very poor quality.
I won't eat here again.
19 May 2008 13:37
Staff are OK, and pub is OK for watching football on a Sunday afternoon, but men's toilets are an absolute disgrace. I used to eat here (meals decent and reasonably priced)until I used the toilet for the first time. If the toilets are this dirty and disgusting (dried excrement all over one of the toilets that was still there a week later...and probably still there), then I have doubts about cleanliness in the kitchens.
I now stick to watching the football and give the food a miss.
6 Mar 2008 17:02
The Castle, Harrow On The Hill
Nice pub, good staff and management, but beer is just not up to scratch. This is a Fullers house, so I expect a decent pint. Is the brewery at fault or is it the pub.
The problem with the beer has been ongoing now for several years, so the theory about the pub being built above an old Indian (native American) graveyard, could be true.
Why couldn't they stick with Poltergeist and leave our beer alone ??? Bloody native American ghosts !!
2 Feb 2008 01:02
Typical Moons...beer very hit or miss, but cheap. Main problem is getting served. Can take 15 minutes, but no criticism of staff..when I have been there, they work hard, just so few of them. On a busy Sunday, there is usually only one person serving..everybody (the other two) else is involved with serving food.
And there's a mad guy called Brian who has a boyfriend called Fred.....sits by the fruit machines....he will start a conversation about moths, every time that I am in there. Why ?
2 Feb 2008 00:55
The ale in this pub is the poorest in any Wetherspoon's pub, and that's saying something. Toilets are a disgrace, and the table in the corner by the fruit and cigarette machines, seems to always be populated by the strangest assortment of weirdos that you will find this side of Cleethorpes.
Staff seem to be in another world a lot of the time, and it is only the handy location that forces me to use the pub.
16 Oct 2006 13:22
The Castle, Harrow On The Hill
Pub, manager and staff are all excellent, but Pride and ESB are hit or miss, although improved lately. To be honest, the beer has been hit or miss for many years here, so not a recent problem. A cursed cellar ?
16 Oct 2006 13:12
The Castle, Harrow On The Hill
I totally agree with the last comment. I was also in The Castle last night, and waited for over 20 minutes to be served, before giving up and going to another pub.
I also agree that the beer in The Castle is a disgrace, considering that this is a Fuller's pub. Don't they have any idea how to look after ale ??? Clearly not.
What puzzles me, is that Fullers do nothing about the poor beer here, as I am aware of customers complaining to them about The Castle beer, yet not a thing has improved.
As the last comment questioned....do Fullers care more about profit than their reputation for good beer ? It makes you wonder.
16 Jul 2005 19:25
The Sultan, South Wimbledon
Great little pub, less than 15 minutes from Colliers Wood station. I've recently been diagnosed with coeliac disease, so can no longer drink the majority of ales that I love, but The Sultan does a gluten free bottle...Crop Circle ...which is very pleasant, and remarkably cheap.
If I was still able to drink ordinary beer, there are several on draught, and all at sensible prices, that I would have had a go at.
Seems to be the ideal local.
26 Jul 2018 20:01