BITE user comments - cheesyal
Comments by cheesyal
The Holyrood Tavern, Edinburgh
Looking at my previous review, I think I was half cut when I wrote it. So, I now pop in here on my way home form work now and again. Consistently good range of beers from real ales to interesting keg beers and bottles. Deservedly busy and great to see this classic Edinburgh boozer doing well.
18 Jun 2014 01:41
Pfft, ignore the detractors. This is a great, friendly little gay/mixed bar with a club downstairs, so don't come here expecting a cosy fire, dogs and a pint of fine ale. Anyway, they serve Caledonian Three Hop Lager in a big comedy tankard for the beer fancier. Take your foaming tankard of Caley outside after work in the summer and watch the world (and the jakeys) go by.
18 Jun 2014 01:08
First visited as a scruffy Edinburgh Uni student over 20 years back and the carpet looked old then, Hadn't been in again since until recently, and it looks like the same carpet!
The beer was amazing then and still is today. I think the bar has passed down the family with the current landlord sporting a fine moustache that befits this amazing little pub. Real fire at the back in the winter. Yup, hard to fault this one.
18 Jun 2014 00:59
Stopped in for a pint recently, tempted by the sight of Otter Bitter on the bar. Sadly this was off, but I did get a pretty good pint of Bass. The pub interior has the feel of someone's lounge, with several small rooms all interlinked. The beer garden is really quite something with potted flowers, hanging baskets and a raised grass area and rockery. I drank my pint in the evening sun while the friendly landlord watered the plants and passed the time of day with me. Nice, quirky little village local and well worth a look.
13 Aug 2013 21:11
Stopped in for a pint of Black Sheep after a day's cycling recently. It was a boiling hot day and the cool, crisp beer slipped down a treat. I have visited this pub many times over the last ten years and it has now moved its trade more towards dining and group events than drinking. This is hardly surprising though as Hebden Bridge has many cosy little boozers, so a pub of this size has to diversify in order to survive. The beer has always been well kept and sitting outside on a nice summer day hits the spot.
13 Aug 2013 19:47
I love the Pack Horse and have enjoyed every visit. You need to know your way around a bit and it helps to read the signage. That's Yorkshire; get over it.
Most recent visit on July 25th. After a day in the baking heat cycling up Holm Moss, Scapegoat Hill and that bugger of a climb that leads up through Heptonstall, all we wanted was a good pint of bitter, a big plate of hearty, home cooked grub and a decent drop of scotch. The Pack Horse provided all this, no bother.
13 Aug 2013 01:15
Probably the home of some of the best kept real ale in Britain. I have rarely had better. We had already eaten before we arrived, which was a pity as the food looked great. Still, we had some fairy cakes to soak it up. Friendly and pleasant staff and a cracking picture of Elvis as Rabbie Burns topped it off nicely.
13 Aug 2013 00:51
I rather liked the Waterman's in its old incarnation, but all things come to an end and the new Punter seems to be aiming more for the dining crowd and has been very busy over the festive season. Lunches include a very reasonable �5 special menu (�7 for dinner), with a pricier a la carte menu also available all day, including game. Everything I have had to eat on three recent visits has been spot on with my only grumble being slightly slow service during a busy lunchtime yesterday. A visit this evening saw nothing out of place at all.
The ale selection is currently Morland Original and Speckled Hen, so not the most interesting being tied to Green King, but always in good condition. If they added a guest pump then that would really make a difference.
So: well behaved dogs welcome, friendly service and excellent food to suit all budgets. The Punter seems to be settling in nicely.
21 Dec 2011 00:01
The thinking man's 'Spoon. Sit in the nice upstairs balcony space or watch the comings and goings on George St. Usual 'Spoon fayre, but for my money the Swan and Castle has a better selection of guest ales. Less jakey types than The Swan and more students, which means that it can get busy at the weekend.
7 Jun 2011 00:04
Okay beer, but only Greene King. Some half decent disco to be found on the jukebox, as you might expect in a gay pub. Just nothing to mark it out really.
7 Jun 2011 00:00
Easily the best pub in the station area. Friendly staff, decent beer (often Ringwood and usually Landlord) and very tasty pub grub, including a fixed price lunch deal. Also a happy hour from 5-7 with cheaper pints. I have had many a nice lunchtime or after work pint in here. If you fancy a pub that is modern without being pretentious then there are far worse ways to pass a summer evening than drinking in their beer garden.
6 Jun 2011 23:44
A largish 'Spoon, which is handily placed for a cheeky pint before catching the bus home after work. Usually something interesting on the hand pumps and usually in good nick too. Service is always friendly but you may have a bit of a wait as it can get busy after 5 P.M.
With ample seating and two outside areas, The Swan seems to be the 'Spoon that attracts the local characters more than the Four Candles and there is a fairly entertaining menagerie of regulars to spot as they go about their daily business of drinking while everyone else is at work.
6 Jun 2011 23:36
Recently visited The Anchor on a cycling trip and it provided a fitting end to a long sunny day on the bike. We enjoyed well kept Piddle in the Hole (I believe the head brewer dropped in for a pint, which is usually a good sign) and properly cooked rare steak in the comfort of the riverside garden, which has several levels of decking and lighting for when the sun sets. The staff were friendly and even made me up a chocolate brownie half an hour after the kitchen had shut. It looks like a new landlord has made a real difference from earlier reviews. Well worth a visit.
25 Apr 2011 13:22
Lovely, friendly village pub. Stopped in for an afternoon beer on a cycling trip when the sunshine really set the beer garden off perfectly. Beers were from the nearby Donnington Brewery, so we went for the BB, which was a light, crisply refreshing bitter and washed down the excellent pork scratchings a treat.
25 Apr 2011 12:52
Had for ages been an indistinguishable Greene King pub, so I was surprised when my friends suggested we leave the Oxford Beer Festival and go there for some food. A steaming hot plate of spicy goodness (don't remember what it was called but it sounded like a Carry On script) was in front of me in double quick time and disappeared almost as quickly, washed down with a nice crisp pint of Castle Rock. Great Thai food at very reasonable prices and they keep the beer well.
15 Oct 2010 08:48
Port Gaverne Hotel, Port Gaverne
No piped music or television; crystal clear pints of Doom Bar by the shore. Anything else required? Thought not.
4 Oct 2010 20:16
The Kings Arms Hotel, Buckfastleigh
Turned up soaked through after cycling over Dartmoor in the pissing rain. We were made to feel very welcome and the landlord let us dry our stuff by the fire as we supped our pints of Otter and ate our sandwiches. After the lunchtime crowd had passed a steady stream of locals came in for afternoon or after work pints and chatted away with the bar staff. Nice local pub.
3 Oct 2010 03:55
Stopped in here cycling from Beer to Whiteparish in Wiltshire yesterday. It had been pissing it down all day and the three of us were soaked to the skin and freezing cold. Thankfully a warm fire and pints of Ringwood sorted us out as the locals gently took the mick out of our cycling kit and advised us on our route for the afternoon. Food came in the form of crisps and pickled eggs and the Ringwood bitter was in good nick too. Top class little boozer with friendly staff and locals; an absolute gem of a pub.
2 Oct 2010 21:15
I stayed in the B&B last night and the food and beer was top notch with prices to suit a range of budgets. I don't know what the history is with the place looking at older reviews but I would definitely recommend it now. Ringwood beers were in fantastic condition. The landlord was kind enough to let three soaking wet cyclists come in a bit before opening time and let us get dried off in our rooms before dinner. Cracking good fry up in the morning too.
2 Oct 2010 21:08
After taking a wrong turn on a bike ride, we realised that it was almost time for pubs to stop serving lunch and we had better stop soon, so on passing the Peacock, we decided to give it a try. We entered to find a group of locals gathered for a Sunday lunchtime drink and were also greeted by the landlady's rather friendly westies. The landlady is obviously a Corrie fan as the walls were covered with signed pictures of most of the cast past and present. Lunch came from the Chinese takeawa next door, that has an entrance in the far side of the bar where you can order. Unusual, perhaps, but the big tasty portions certainly re-charged four hungry cyclists. Lunch was washed down with well kept pints of Black Sheep (Hooky was also available) and we set of on our way again. All in all a pleasant and friendly village pub.
6 Sep 2010 09:13
Unexciting beer in average condition. Pretty dull all round.
31 Aug 2010 22:43
Finding a decent pint in an old school boozer is no mean feat in Soho, but the Star and Garter caters for this perfectly. A fantastic little pub.
31 Aug 2010 22:23
The Hillsborough Hotel, Sheffield
Stayed here during this year's World Snooker Championship. This pub/b&b is a little out of town, but not so far that you cannot walk it and it is also right next to the tram route. We were all pleased by the beer selection, of which there was a mix of beer from their own brewery accompanied by some interesting guests; all were top notch, especially their own session bitter. Accommodation was very reasonably priced (�20 each for 3 sharing) and came with a hearty fry up that set us all up for a day at The Crucible. Well worth a visit if you're looking for a great value, unpretentious b&b, or just a few pints. The tyres next door added to it somehow.
31 Aug 2010 19:55
Great if you are a student; can grate if you are not. The beer garden is very nice on a sunny afternoon or after work. Unfortunately the real ale selection is only Greene King IPA, which may or may not be on, and drinks are expensive; but this is offset by the extensive selection of crisps. The pool tables actually have enough room all the way round, which is almost unique in Oxford. If massed students and young men with silly haircuts and ridiculously small trousers annoy you then best avoid weekend evenings as this is where they congregate.
30 Aug 2010 10:05
Very quiet on a Sunday evening visit with only one other customer. We arrived to late for food (until 8 P.M.) but the menu looked good and we got the impression that most trade on a Sunday was for lunch. Strangely, there was only Banks' bitter on keg, but well kept pints of Ringwood Bitter were very welcome as was the polite and friendly service.
30 Aug 2010 09:57
I was once served a pint in here as a scruffy undergraduate with long hair and a beard. Can anyone beat that?
26 Aug 2010 00:59
Refreshing alternative to anything else in Morningside with decent beer to boot. Nothing has changed in years; nothing wrong with that.
26 Aug 2010 00:57
Not cheap and it can get very busy, especially at weekends. But there is nothing wrong at all with starting your Saturday with a pint of thick, rich stout (Cairngorm I think) and a plate of spankingly fresh oysters. The staff were certainly friendly on my visit last weekend and the interior is one of the pub highlights of Edinburgh.
26 Aug 2010 00:52
The Holyrood Tavern, Edinburgh
I can remember drinking here when Mark was the landlord in the mid nineties and during the gays n goths era in the years before I left Edinburgh. I was sad to hear that it had closed and, at first, a little unsure on a recent visit when it seemed to have been trendied up and had no handpumps. But then I spotted the real ales behind the bar on fonts and saw that the layout was mainly unchanged apart from a lick of paint. The grub is tasty and good value from the bar snacks though to the burgers and the beer regularly features Brew Dog amongst other interesting breweries, including ales and lagers. I was in last Sunday and got into a conversation with a couple of rum characters from the hostel as well as a girl who had just arrived to start a course and her dad. So maybe nothing much has changed after all. Things move on, so if you used to like this pub then you may still do so yet.
26 Aug 2010 00:07
Open late; free entry; very cheesy disco downstairs with very cheesy punters to match. Ideal if you are gay and on the pull as it is a bit of a pick up joint; but if you are straight and broad minded then it is ideally located for staying on the sauce after The Phoenix closes and you've been to Piccante for a chippie. No real ale, but who cares by that point?
11 Aug 2010 00:57
The Marsh Harrier is not cheap, but you pay for what you get in this case. It's a busy, friendly local pub with a lovely sun trap beer garden at a the back and is the only place worth a visit for a mile or so in any direction. The current couple have really made an effort to serve the local area with good food and beer and deservedly have a loyal clientele. Getting there by bike used to be a pain until the council installed some Sheffield hoops across the road. Beer is from Fullers and always in good condition with four from the range at any one time. This always includes Pride and ESB with the rather bland Discovery usually available as well. Replacing this with cask Chiswick as a session ale would be very welcome as the beer selection is often all above 4.0% ABV. On a recent visit for Sunday lunch I ate so much food that I had to lie on the grass for an hour afterwards. Highly recommended, but do remember to mind you language!
11 Aug 2010 00:42
The Cricketers Arms, Littleworth
A favoured stop off at the end of a day's cycling, this village local has recently received the CAMRA LocAle award and is, I believe, Good Beer Guide listed. Rightly so as the beer from the nearby Shotover brewery was top notch on my last visit. Sadly, however, the landlord has seen fit to remove the enormous carved wooden spoon that used to hang on the wall beside the fireplace. Bring back the big spoon and you have a truly great pub.
3 Aug 2010 00:19
The beer can be quite good in there, but pick your time carefully. On a recent visit on a Monday, the moronic drinking club who dress up in golfing gear came in and started engaging in hilarious student pranks like standing in a line in the bogs with their trousers and pants down. The fault of the pub? Perhaps not; but they seem endlessly tolerant of massed obnoxious student tossers. Guess it's where their income comes from.
3 Aug 2010 00:13
Ghastly stand up hellhole full of braying students; no draught beer at all. I didn't even get as far as the bar before turning on my heel and leaving. I agree with thdts - go to Raouls instead.
9 Apr 2010 00:38
Curiously a former 'Irish' pub now run by an Irishman who has brought a subtle taste of Ireland to the menu. Real ales as good as I have ever tasted - something the staff seem justly proud of. Currently a comedy venue for the Oxfringe festival. A welcome improvement to a largely dire area of the town centre and highly recommended.
9 Apr 2010 00:35
One of the best pubs in East Oxford. Great for a relaxed Sunday afternoon drink or a night out on a Friday. Pool, funky tunes, nudie lady toilets and a big fluffy cat. What more could you want?
9 Apr 2010 00:28
A favourite of mine for many years when I lived in Edinburgh. The theater posters and Bertie mirror have now gone (after a flood from upstairs, I'm told) and the new decor looks like the Nag's Head from Only Fools and Horses. But the IPA is still good (no Bass on my last visit), the juke box still the best in town and, looking at other reviews, the regulars providing better entertainment that the Festival ever can. Defaced poster of Peter Bowles also now gone from the gents' loo.
9 Apr 2010 00:22
Out with the dodgy coves in tracksuits and in with fine dining and fine ales. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly on a Sunday lunchtime visit with he friendly staff happy to advise on the menu. One minor complaint was that two of us ordered the same dish, roast pigeon, and one came overdone with the other a little too rare for my friend's liking. The bar billiards table is ideal entertainment as you digest.
9 Apr 2010 00:12
Perhaps my favourite Oxford boozer. Friendly staff and the added bonus of a late bar at the weekend so middle aged degenerates can stay on the sauce without the disgrace of the disco. The beer is always well kept, but limited to the Greene King approved list, which is my only gripe. Well, apart from the prat who keeps putting the same four Springsteen songs on the jukebox over and over again every Friday and Saturday.
8 Apr 2010 23:10
Good to see that the tradition of retired sportsmen running pubs still exists. The walls near the back door are covered with newspaper clippings of the landlord's exploits just so you know what the score is! Morland Original is the best bet and has been in good condition whenever I have visited. Sundays offer great value old school roast dinners.
8 Apr 2010 23:04
Excellent selection of beer that is always in top nick. Friendly staff will also let you try a sample if you ask nicely. Good place to watch the Six Nations although it can get rather busy during the matches.
8 Apr 2010 22:59
I might be outspoken then in being someone who was underwhelmed by my visit to the Rose and Crown. Being charged well over �3 for an admittedly well kept pint of Hooky was compounded by the barmaid refusing to sell us pickled eggs without crisps - house rules apparently. If this is an example of the eccentricities of the place then fair enough; I just found it annoying.
8 Apr 2010 22:56
Expensive and utterly charmless. Looks like an airport lounge inside, but you can get cheaper pints in the airport Wetherspoon's.
8 Apr 2010 22:48
An old favourite of mine from years ago, I was pleased to see that the current owners have done a great job of creating a friendly atmosphere and maintaining a good selection of well kept beer. There was a 21st do on the evening that I went, but no-one seemed to mind a couple of gatecrashers and we were directed over to the buffet. Lovely view over the Dee on a summer's evening from the beer garden. If you are in the area be sure to visit.
8 Apr 2010 20:59
I can over look this being another GK house for two reasons: firstly, the IPA is very well kept; secondly, the place is indeed like your grandparents' house. A thoroughly charming and unpretentious little back street pub.
1 Jun 2009 23:02
The pub in the village I grew up in. Same pub, same landlord, same sunny beer garden and the same excellent quality of beer.The only changes are bar lunches and opening in the afternoon. OK, so that's not such a bad thing, is it?
1 Jun 2009 22:57
The Mill was a well known fine ales pub when I was growing up on the Wirral, so on a recent visit I decided to pop back, seeing as it was still listed in the 2007 Good Beer Guide. It has been comprehensively ruined. I was scouting out pubs for a day's cycling, so I might still include this just to lay a wreath in the beer garden. Sadly, once a pub like this has been turned into the type of bland, formulaic pub-staurant that the Mill is now it is nigh on impossible to set things right. Avoid.
1 Jun 2009 22:46
The Barony Bar, Edinburgh
Good honest local. The Barony has an excellent reputation for beer with interesting guests including Stewart's ales. Perhaps my one grumble is that the selection is sometimes all light, golden ales, but really, it's a minor one. Good value food and friendly staff.
18 Jun 2014 01:47