BITE user comments - arkaye
Comments by arkaye
The Worcester Park, Worcester Park
Someone who thinks the upholstery in this pub has been used by 'incontinent' clients, clearly has a destructive agenda and should be ignored as having an incontinent mind. I've been at the pub recently, and the landlord was most helpful in getting drinks and Wifi. I'm not sure kids should be running around, but there we go.
I also deplore the sale of this pub, but would like to report facts as I see them.
11 Jul 2012 14:46
I know it's quite possible to walk into this pub at about 1 pm on a wednesday and for there to be nobody at the bar. It's possible to go behind the bar, call out for service, even have the locals help you in getting service by banging glass on brass. I know it's possible.
I could have helped myself to a few pints. But no, dear reader, I didn't steal any beer. I don't mean to be harsh about this place. Maybe it's better on the occasions I don't visit. My visit before this latest had me depressed, and this one had me just Buddha-like, or stoic, or in some way accepting of the fact that nobody seems to run this pub.
Here's the clincher: I left this pub having taken no beer, and that's a terribly bad thing as far as I'm concerned. I could only remedy things by stealing, and... well, I could have left some money, because there was a guy fixing the pool table and I'm sure he would've fully understood if I'd poured myself a pint and left the money because it was all just ridiculous.
No beer, no marks. Sorry.
16 Feb 2011 13:33
The Flying Horse, Boughton Lees
Popped in there in passing the other day and was quite impressed - only a few guest ales but very tasty - and the folk in there were friendly indeed. It's a very pretty pub too, pleasantly located, and I'm determined to go back.
10 Jun 2010 20:30
Rumours Wine Bar, Worcester Park
Oh good grief. Now it definitely is a pub, with ENG..ER..LUND clientele but wine bar prices. I asked what continental beers they had - Peroni was it, and they looked at me as though I was dangerous. No, no, no.
10 Jun 2010 20:23
This pub is a good and friendly remnant of the old 'Warwick' culture. We were well received and staff wrre friendly.
21 Nov 2009 03:45
I don't know - some people. Dear Slerpy, I am of Eastern European origin, and like the fact that you British like your pubs. I'd treasure them deeply because it's one of the great things about the UK. As for the fact that the barmaid was of Eastern European origin? I drink there regurarly, and she's likely French. You say 'Eastern European' like it was a bad thing, you ignoramus. You are a disgrace to Woodies and Britain, Slerpy. You mention the Tiger Inn at some other place. Great pub, and now please go drink there.
31 Oct 2009 23:23
The Worcester Park, Worcester Park
I used to be so disappointed in this pub and I slagged it off royally. I have to say I'm changing my opinion, at least as an occasional ticked-off drinker and quizzer. You get served properly, and the staff do try their best for you. Worcester Park, my local, I think I am starting to love you. 9/10 on my last visit.
31 Oct 2009 22:39
Despite my previous message I must endorse Oak's more recent comment. Whereas I felt I could previously have brought professional colleagues here, the general level of drunkenness would prevent me from doing it anytime soon as a 'general British pub' in future for foreign clients. I did it because this pub offered the best of British ales and European lagers, and nobody got offensively drunk.
31 Oct 2009 17:38
Great Pub.
Attentive staff (the usual drunken clientele sidelined very professionally). My Polish lagers arrived quickly and smoothly, as did (within earshot) the ales. I like this pub. I'm worried about myself - I keep giving Wetherspoons pubs good marks because I can enjoy good beer, quietly, while in conversation or, if I need to, over work. It's a pub!
26 Apr 2009 01:59
Hogsmill Tavern, Worcester Park
Razor - I apologise if I offended you.
Best wishes -
arkaye
23 Mar 2009 10:19
A really comfortable pub in sight of the football ground with olde-world interiors and restaurant. Serves Black Sheep ale and a few oddities like mulled cider, but otherwise sells formulaic beers, and a bit on the expensive side at that. Not bad overall.
30 Dec 2008 06:23
Hogsmill Tavern, Worcester Park
This place is a little oasis for drinking after work, and recently had a very fine celebration here for 9. Can't understand why comments continually so negative, because I seem to drink so positively, esp. Flowers.
25 Oct 2008 20:47
Once again, a good supper provided with drinks at table - staff will seem to accommodate slightly weirdo orders, and they've done so for 6 people, 2 years running, and no bitching or complaining. I really like this pub! Thanks, and may He keep you and maintain you.
25 Oct 2008 20:36
As a hiker, I was glad to see some good honest boozer on our trip, and that's more than I can say for the competition, which, mostly, isn't there..
Here's the bad bit;- the beer garden is the dog toilet. The dog is charming, but no way would I let any toddler of mine use the rocky-horse there, because the dog would probably have been there before. This pub has a captive clientele.
Look under the benches before you sit down.
25 Oct 2008 20:18
I dragged a foreign visitor here, with regard to the Pilgrim's Way, and we all sat around guessing a trivial nothing.
Later, I found out that I chose the wrong pub for my foreign visitor, but, honestly, these folks said nothing about the history of the place - I'm a Midlander but I really, really, regret not being informed. Zero marks, because I asked deliberately. If only these folks would have said something.... my visitors' experience would have been so much better.
Go elsewhere!
25 Oct 2008 19:58
You, Phatfill, Yes you, Sir, write as though you might be somewhat of a simpleton. The beer garden is huge, and change your pants.
23 Apr 2008 23:26
Didn't eat there this time, but has a nice relaxing area for a drink - a bit expensive maybe but good to unwind in.
23 Apr 2008 22:53
The North End Tavern, Worcester Park
The manageress might be loudish, but we got a good lunch deal when we were there. We'd go back. What's the problem?
23 Apr 2008 22:38
This pub suffers from being an ancient building just off an ancient crossroads, meaning customers coming from the north have to find ingenious ways of even getting into the parking area, which is normally blocked off by traffic.
There my sympathy runs out. The beer (Everards when I was there) is OK, but my wife's first choice of food was off, and the near-replacement food looked and tasted like it was yesterday's normal first-choice food. Clueless staff. Not a family pub, by design, either. I wish I could be positive - it is a lovely building. Sorry.
23 Apr 2008 22:32
The Worcester Park, Worcester Park
Someone who appears to act like the gaffer gives good service and the Czech lady gives good service and the beers are mostly there. Our quiz team reckon things have improved. 9 out of 10 for my last visit. Don't get too excited, it wasn't that good the time before, ha ha. But much improved, and well enjoyed.
Come on, WP, you can do it! We actually want you to!
23 Apr 2008 22:13
Hogsmill Tavern, Worcester Park
Razor, You went there twice as a Christmas party of 30 and your steak was not to your liking, either time? Why didn't you tell the staff on the second time? MAKE SENSE.
I like the Leffe this pub serves.
5 Feb 2008 01:31
I can see how it could be a chavarama, but when I went there one weekday lunchtime I found it quite friendly. The place is a bit formulaic but - imagine this, the pub world - every beer had a price on it, in big numbers. I haven't seen that before and it made the place feel honest and good value - and some beers really were very good value. Thumbs up for that reason alone.
26 Jan 2008 12:50
One of the few traditional boozers I could see on a high street with more gastropubs (I like those too but wasn't in that sort of mood). I was there on a saturday night and found it not quite the nightmare others did - the London Pride was fairly good and nobody was rude or picked a fight. Maybe it could do with a lick of paint, but it seemed fine if you like that sort of place.
24 Jan 2008 22:04
The Kelly Arms, Kingston Upon Thames
Looks like a brawlers' paradise from without, but calm and relaxing floorboards within. I like a quiet pub, so I didn't mind paying a little extra for a choice of ales and a bit of peace and quiet. Monkey_feet has a point as, it might be a little awkward to eat there, but I didn't need to eat there and I can say I still liked it. Posh hand soap in the Gents just says to me 'come back, even thou, when all those other people don't want to eat', so even the toilet's a good place to think in. I am astonished, but I actually like it.
4 Jan 2008 18:14
The beer's fine, the jukebox a bit loud, but the locals' musical tastes seem OK. Friendly place.
2 Jan 2008 15:25
Has a reputation as being rough, but seems spacious and quiet, actually, especially early afternoon. However they do a really rotten pint of Doom Bar - which can be sourish, but not like this. I came back a week later and was daft enough to try it again. Yuk.
24 Oct 2007 11:17
Friendly staff (the foghorn-voiced barmaid included), decent food, and very nice Old Speckled Hen. Good value all round.
9 Oct 2007 14:30
Good grief - this'll be the second good-to-OK review I'll have given for a Wetherspoons pub in a week. I recently went there on two successive thursday nights to eat, and it wasn't anywhere near as bad as this rating says. OK, the clientele were a teeny bit... loud and the barstaff on one occasion seemed to think I was invisible, but the food and drink was good value both times (Pedigree not too cold) and I'd go back to this place again. Is it just me?
20 Sep 2007 21:10
Went for lunch the other day and it wasn't too bad at all. The usual loud Wetherspoons drunks were happy, polite drunks, and they stayed out of our way. Got served promptly, and the food was good, actually. I'd go again.
19 Sep 2007 13:52
Horse and Farrier Inn, Threlkeld
Still a nice pub all round, with the usual delicious Jennings ales. Recommended.
6 Aug 2007 16:56
The Worcester Park, Worcester Park
Following Rob's message below, our (local, beer-depleting, some of us) quiz team tried the pub food and made an evening of it. I'm sorry - I haven't changed my opinion. The quiz setter's got 8/10 from me, which keeps me turning up - but the pub is just slightly disappointing in every regard. 5/10 - gone up a notch. The food's just slightly expensive for what you get. It turns up an hour late. The staff are hassled, so they are just slightly oblivious to serving order, yet recognise their mates in a flash. Sigh. I've been a barman, and this was what I was told - try and remember the order of customer arrival and just admit it if you can't remember - try and be polite. It's not entirely their fault - Training? Staffing? Cellaring? The general idea of 'a Pub you'd like to go into'? On the bright side, if the WP improved only a bit in every regard, it'd be a pleasure to visit. C'mon, you can do it, WP!
29 Jun 2007 12:24
No ziggy, surely some mistake. Or there's something right with half the pub with chairs upturned, and the other half with two blokes, not talking, and the barmaid the life & soul. I walked in through the door at the upturned half (bugger!) and "Oh Dear, Here's a New One". That's OK, but I honestly wanted her to stay where she was and allow me to pull my own pint, because I totally ruined the atmosphere. I like a quiet pub, but I can think of most pubs better than this one, quiet or not. I tried this place with my wife a year or so back, and it still is as 1970's as we'd originally thought.
26 Jun 2007 19:19
I'm baffled, as a 'passing trade' drinker, as to what the problem is, with some people. One of them is considering if BITE regulations prevent 'over-description'. Oh dear... Another complains about 'regulars' being overloaded with info. As passing trade, I'd say the management sound both kinder, and cleverer, than those two complainants. Personally, I like hearing about what beers are on offer. I like Woodies for the care they take - the staff do take care to newcomers and I've been treated well there as a newbie drinker living in W Park. It makes me recommend Woodies to friends.
25 Jun 2007 23:38
This renovation seems a long time in coming. I popped back in there the other day: the staff seemed friendly enough but I came away vaguely depressed.
22 Jun 2007 10:49
The Worcester Park, Worcester Park
Hmmm. Well, I hadn't appreciated that side of things.
Yes, I do hope they all work it out etc. because, as I say, it could be a good pub. However I still consider that there's a lot that could be improved besides the lack of beer (and, if you insist, the quiz setters). Doubtless, yes, if quiz players like me weren't there drinking all the beer, there'd be more for the locals. Oddly, I live in WP, close by, and you're not bothering me a bit by being at the WP Tavern drinking all the beer, but I just... wish it was a slightly better pub, is all. Good luck to us all, then, in trying to make it the local we all deserve.
30 Apr 2007 15:31
I hit upon this place when cycling back from work, and was glad I did - good atmosphere and good beers. I took my family there and they liked it, too. I'd personally keep all the memorabilia and ditch the screen, but that's just me. But I like it even with the screen, and it keeps me cycling, doesn't it?
30 Apr 2007 12:50
The Worcester Park, Worcester Park
This pub regularly runs out of beer. No, really. I often go to the tuesday quiz, the only thing that keeps me there, and even then the sound system failed the other night, among many bitter complaints from the quiz-setter that the management had neglected it for months... It could be excellent, because the service is OK-to-fair, the decor is OK-to-smart, the food is OK, and the beer's OK with an interesting selection which changes every now and then, but regularly disappears. If it improved a little in every category it'd be great. If it slips only a little in every category it'll be bad. This cellaring policy and the only-do-barely-enough attitude is a dangerous one and it does show through - a friend wanted a cup of tea, to be told that they'd run out of milk. No problem, she takes it black. She got a cup of tea, but the staff were clearly hard pressed and a bit grudging. Pity.
13 Apr 2007 05:36
Stopped off at this pub as part of a hike and, whilst it wasn't partcularly welcoming, it does deserve better than its current abysmal rating of 3.2. Beer was OK, they let us park until evening, they let the kids eat sandwiches in the pub, it wasn't that bad at all. I'm going to have to vote here...
13 Apr 2007 04:44
The Church End Brewery Tap, Nuneaton
This place looks dire, but is actually rather good - a real taster's place. They do a good range of interesting bottled stuff of all sorts and 7 or so of the local-ish brews, so there's something for most people. Spent a pleasant few hours nattering here with friends and trying a few halves of the local-ish and came away wanting to go back soon. Thumbs up. Who said things ain't what they used to be? Sometimes, they're better.
13 Apr 2007 04:27
For some reason I didn't like this place the first time I went here for a carvery meal, but recently I've been back a couple of times and I really can't think of why it was I didn't like it immediately. Friendly staff, good service and good value all round. I'm won over.
Soon to close for renovation, I'm told....
20 Mar 2007 08:53
The Plough (Harvester), Worcester Park
Tragedy - no more Bass! I had to make do with Greene King IPA last night. Nevertheless, it was still pleasant to sit outside with the flowers and ruminate on the day. I still think it's OK.
12 Mar 2007 15:05
The Spring Grove, Kingston Upon Thames
Friendly staff and a fair pint of Winter Warmer keep me coming back at quiet times. However the pub seems to be divided into 'smoking' and 'extra smoking' sections, so I clear off when it gets busy.
31 Jan 2007 12:54
The Waggon and Horses, Surbiton
Nice, traditional, atmospheric place and the food's pretty good, too.
31 Jan 2007 12:49
The Plough (Harvester), Worcester Park
I've not eaten here yet, but I don't know why the rating's so low, since this is a nice afternoon's drink under the parasols overlooking the green. No spectacular beers, but the Bass is about as good as in the midlands; maybe Southerners aren't used to it yet. It's an old building - mind your heads - and the nooks on external walls can be cold in winter, but lovely in summer. I mainly like it, and go back regularly. Who said it was expensive? Surely Bass there is cheap? Maybe Southerners aren't used to it yet. Oh, well, never mind.
6 Jan 2007 18:15
The Stepping Stones, Westhumble
This place was a frequent visiting point on a recent North Downs Way hike and we were also well received as long as we didn't wear muddy boots inside. Once they took 8 of us for lunch (better value than the dinners), and all liked the food as far as I know. The landlord let us park outside pub hours when we asked nicely. Seems very welcoming, with a pleasant atmosphere. Good marks from me.
Also a different class of staff. I once overheard them discussing genomics. No, really.
6 Jan 2007 17:45
A lovely little oasis on the moors - well worth a detour if you like pubs and hiking - or just looking at inscriptions on old waymarker stones, or just a scenic drive.
Theakstons is good, as is the food. Can get crowded, but a pint and a seat by the fire after a hike is a real pleasure in this place.
6 Jan 2007 17:15
I also like this pub very much, but the staff were a bit tetchy last time, when I asked them if they mulled their own country wines. They don't, but, well, it's not obvious, is it?
Also, I went there with my wife and 9-year old at lunchtime and they don't let kids inside the bar. OK, fair enough, so we sat in the conservatory, which is the only place kids can go that isn't outside, and where they also serve food. Someone came in and lit up next to us. I was about to argue, but, sure enough, there were ashtrays on most of the tables! Weird.
It's good - a lovely atmosphere most of the time - but it could be even better.
6 Jan 2007 16:33
Hogsmill Tavern, Worcester Park
I quite like this place for an occasional drink after work. Wadworth 6X is good and the food was good too when I ate there, which was before the recent renovation. I'm surprised others haven't been more impressed.
7 Nov 2006 13:40
I agree too. An edgy atmosphere, edgy clientele and if you stand at the wrong bit of the bar the staff pretend you're not there because they've got to leg it over from the only pump they're allowed to use. I don't go there any more, quite simply.
7 Nov 2006 11:39
The Spring Grove, Kingston Upon Thames
Consistently good service, albeit at a slightly higher cost, from a multi-cultural staff, serving multi-cultural University types. The young Welsh lady is charmingly polite and brightens my day.
11 Jul 2012 15:16