BITE user comments - barstool
Comments by barstool
Sounds like the management have twisted the arms of a few friends to write some nice comments. All I can say is that we were treated unbelieveably rudely, it was nowhere near closing time, and we were by no means the only ones. Maybe things have improved but I won't ever be going back to find out.
16 Nov 2005 17:38
This place has the rudest staff even judged by the high standards of offensiveness that maintain in Upper Street. They refused to replace a completely flat Coke because �it�s just coming out that way� and then denied entry to a smartly-dressed group who dared to enter the place at 10.40, because it was �closed� � and this while other punters were being served quite happily. If you are meeting up before or after a visit to the Academy then try the North One, the Angelic or the Agricultural � at least these places seem to want some customers
20 Oct 2005 13:24
The moronic Aussie barman refused to serve me a third pint because �I�d been nodding off in my chair out there�. What�s the point of having a bloody garden if you can�t come in after an 18-hour working day in a sweltering heatwave and doze off for a while? And the beer is rubbish, anyway.
23 Jun 2005 21:11
What a joy this pub is. It is mainly notable for what it *hasn�t* got � music, fruit machines, pool, always-on TVs, a �theme�, posers and yobs. Just a range of well-kept ales and a few decent wines, a low buzz of conversation and the kind of staff who remember what you drank last time you visited. Nothing special, you might think, except that in this part of Islington such a place is an oasis in a desert of chain bars � a country pub lost in the big city. Long may it continue.
26 May 2005 20:25
The Florence Tavern, Islington
This place has been refurbished by the same people who own the Bailey near Highbury Corner. It suffers some of the same problems, being neither pubby enough for the sort who like to lean against the bar with a pint of Guinness, nor bar-y enough for a romantic evening with your beloved. However if you want something a little quieter and more upmarket than the usual Upper Street dross then you could do worse than the Florence. The pizzas are good value and ideal to share over a few pints. A more enterprising roster of ales and a good cocktail list might make the place more of a �destination�, and so start to build up a bit of atmosphere, which is sadly lacking at present. And we don�t need the TV to be on all the time, nor the rather lame quiz night on Mondays.
26 May 2005 20:06
Landlord Stuart, who also owns some other equally quirky establishments around town, is only an occasional visitor to planet earth but drifts around feeding the retro jukebox and screening the occasional ancient movie. The well-run quiz nights and occasional gypsy jazz evenings are well worth a journey, although the same can�t be said of the open mic nights � an acquired taste IMHO. I haven�t tried the food, but it looks OK, and the drinks are acceptable, if pricey. There is a good mixture of sofas, tables and barstools. The main fault is an insufficiency of barstaff � waits of ten minutes or more are not unusual while the single representative busies himself with food orders and cask changes. Walkouts are no means uncommon, which must make poor business sense even in the world where Stuart lives.
26 May 2005 19:48
The refurbishment under new owners started promisingly but now the place seems to be trying to appeal to all markets while actually annoying everyone. The music is just at that volume where you can�t ignore it or quite hear it. The TVs are distractingly on all the time, but muted and usually showing nothing worth seeing. They have Thai food *and* a hot pie cabinet. There are romantic lights but big communal tables. However, all this is academic because the previously friendly staff have all been replaced by the kind who pointedly walk off to a distant corner when a new customer enters. Should you manage to tempt one away from their private conversations, the drinks are pretty average. And, just to show who really matters, they start piling chairs on tables at exactly 11, turning the lights full on and opening the doors to let the cold air in. Predictably, this approach has resulted in all the previous regulars drifting away without attracting anyone new.
26 May 2005 19:46
The Wig and Gown, Highbury
This dark, dank hell-hole is only worth visiting in order to admire the �up-yours pal� attitude of the two female bar-staff, who seem to think they are serving in some upmarket members-only club in the West End instead of a gloomy, empty, lager-joint on the Holloway Road. The comments of �Mr Monkfish�, who is clearly the owner, are just laughable. Yes, some American bars are great, but you have to do something a little better than sticking some pictures of the Mid West on the wall, kicking out the real ales (why, when all the best US bars pride themselves on their range of microbrews?), and upping the prices in order to reproduce that kind of atmosphere. When a place is completely empty every night of the week, with the exception of the barmaids� boyfriends, and a few overpaid footy fans when Arsenal are playing at home, there is a possibility that it is a �hidden gem�. Or there is a possibility that everyone has tried the place once, been outraged by the attitude of the staff, the dullness of the drinks (if you aspire to be a US bar then why is the range of beers the usual Eurofizz?) and the lack of any decent food (again how unlike a good US bar) that they have vowed never to return. I could add a mark for the pinball machine and the rootsy music, but really you wouldn�t want to stay here long enough to play on one or listen to the other.
20 Nov 2006 20:06