BITE user comments - cid
Comments by cid
In a quite horrifying turn of events, I walked along Berwick Street last night with the intention of popping into the Endurance only to find the bastard's shut. And not temporarily shut - the restaurant next door is now twice the size and the Endurance is dead and buried beneath a mountain of sushi or sashimi whatever shite they sell in their nasty blue-light emporium.
RIP Endurance, you were much loved, and your jukebox will live long in our drunken memories.
16 Oct 2013 11:10
I'm surprised at some of reviews for this place, as I found it to be a lovely old pub, with real character, beautiful both inside and out. I sat by a roaring fireplace in one of the little rooms off the bar, and greatly enjoyed it on a recent Tuesday lunchtime, returning to a village I used to live in as a child for the first time in very many years.
I had a couple of pints of a pleasant ale, and a plate of scampi and chips that I found both well-cooked and substantial.
It does, however, lose one point from me because the landlord some 25 years ago (I imagine he's dead by now) had an affair with a young barmaid, who happened to be my mother, and we had to move away. Brian I think his name was, the filthy fecker.
Nice pub though.
7 Dec 2012 20:10
Lovely little local boozer. Popped in here on a Tuesday late afternoon and found a handful of regulars chatting away, and the landlady berating one of them for not getting off his arse for her when the ice cream van came by (it was a bloody hot day). All a very friendly atmosphere, and the beer was fine, and all was well with the world.
24 Sep 2012 22:11
The Prince of Wales, Kentish Town
Went past here a couple of weeks ago and...I think it's someone's house now or something. At any rate it's not a pub any more.
24 Sep 2012 22:06
A nice little find was this. Good selection of ales, nicely decorated within, light but not bright as it got dark outside, friendly staff - a happy haven from the posh of the area, certainly a good way for a normal drinker to spend a couple of Wednesday evening hours.
And I'm a scruffy bleeder and they didn't raise an eyebrow so presumably the noises about a dress code are off.
24 Sep 2012 21:41
An OK Fullers pub, but in truth it gives off the aura of a place that could be so much more. The usual array of Fullers ales are well kept, but there's no character to the place at all, wood panelling all around, bored looking staff, too brightly lit late on, and barking clowns in suits making up the target audience. The Masons Arms is a better bet, a little way to the east.
24 Sep 2012 21:37
The Ealing Park Tavern, South Ealing
No. Used to come in here when it was the Penny Flyer and you'd find Brentford fans (the non-agressive type) enjoying a pint before a match down the road. Now you get the feeling they'd be looked at with horror by staff intent on serving them something called 'focaccia' rather than beer.
A couple of unexciting ales on, but I fancied a cider. None on tap, bottles of Bulmers only, at �4.85 a pop.
The one positive is the excellent garden/yard out the back, very nice indeed. Pity it's attached to a very poor attempt at a gastropub.
22 Aug 2012 08:10
Let me be very clear - I love this pub. Been here many times, never reviewed it because others have done it better in the past.
About two hours ago I nipped in for a swift pint. Had an Aspall, cider.
�4.55.
Incredible.
Lovely pub, utterly extraordinary prices. Conflicted, I've given it a 6 - with normal prices, it's an 8, but �4.55 for a pint of regular cider is on this day in July 2012 the most expensive pint I've had in a pub in London.
20 Jul 2012 19:41
Splendid old boozer. Alcoves indoors and tables outdoors, overlooking the little harbour. Three or four ales on, of which mine was very nice. The plates of food being shipped past looked enormous though I didn't sample it. Our mate made us walk for an hour to get to this place and I can fully understand why he prefers it to anything Dawlish has to offer.
13 Jul 2012 22:15
The Mount Pleasant Inn, Dawlish Warren
Nice pub, lovely view, very nice pint of Otter Ale. For some reason the place suddenly filled up with coffin dodgers (at about 5pm on a Thursday) though I don't know whether that's a regular thing for Dawlish Warren, being a Londoner.
Don't for the love of God let anyone tell you it's "about 15 minutes' walk" from Dawlish (not Warren), because he's lying. And it's on a hill.
13 Jul 2012 22:10
Lovely pub with little alcoves all about the place, interesting London history on the walls and decent ale on tap.
Gets exceptionally busy in the evening, though they let people stand out the front, within reason. Despite that popularity, in my experience it rarely takes long to get served.
13 Jul 2012 22:02
The Smugglers Tavern, Warren Street
Half a pub and half a sort-of restaurant doing (I think) Thai food. Couple of ales on, London Pride not of the highest quality, and a confused barman who kept having to dash off to deal with a table of diners elsewhere (five minutes to be served is a bit much at 2pm on a Wednesday) and made all kinds of balls of the change (though he was a friendly bloke).
Not sure what it wants to be, and not therefore easy to recommend, but not a horror show. This place will do as a meeting point before heading on to the better pubs on Cleveland Street.
13 Jul 2012 21:55
This is quite a normal, decent boozer, but with a nice welcoming atmosphere you don't always find in little places like this. The landlord was quite keen for us to sample the various ales before picking a pint, which is always a bonus.
Though I can't quite put my finger on what I liked about this place, I will definitely be back.
13 Jul 2012 21:50
Quite unexpected - from the outside it looks a pretty grim place, but inside it's nice and tidy, airy and well-lit. Forget which ale I had but it was nice enough. Friendly (Polish?) barmaid tried to give me too much change, in what I can only assume was a test of an Englishman's honour.
Don't be put off by what it looks like from the outside, is the point.
13 Jul 2012 21:46
Very nice Fullers pub, excellently decorated, plenty of staff (it needs it), and by all accounts the food is pretty good as well. And you really can't beat a pint of London Porter.
13 Jul 2012 21:40
When there's no band on, this is a typical old Camden pub, great for a pit-stop. I tend to have cider in here so can't comment on the ale or if there is any. Nice little yard out the back with a few tables and a lot of ivy.
No idea why it's rated 5.0 at time of writing, it's a perfectly decent place and has a lot more character than some of the posher Camden pubs nearby (Dickensian, it styles itself - not a bad effort at it too). Not necessarily somewhere to spend all evening, though I can attest that their sporadic Friday night indie thing is excellent (and free).
13 Jul 2012 21:36
The Sir Robert Peel, Kentish Town
Wow, no reviews for six years? You'd think the place had shut, but it's still there.
Long bar populated by a handful of old geezers sipping away. Quite a large place, fairly tidy, not much character in truth, but nothing wrong with it. Had Guinness so can't comment on quality of ale or if there was any. Two large screens showing Wimbledon.
It did feel like the sort of place that might be worth steering clear of on a Friday night, but I may be being harsh. All I can really say is it was fine for one Wednesday afternoon pint.
13 Jul 2012 21:28
The Lord Southampton, Kentish Town
A definite local boozer. The large group of locals in there at 3pm on a Wednesday looked at me like I was Eastwood gatecrashing their saloon, but then I swore loudly about a random footballer and they resumed ignoring me.
The IPA tasted a bit ropey but the pork scratchings masked the taste. All that aside, the area really lacks for pubs and this place is fine for what it is, no frills, just a pub, friendly landlady, and perfectly ok for a pint or two.
13 Jul 2012 21:20
The Sir Richard Steele, Belsize Park
You can rarely fault a place that's playing Gang of Four when you walk through the door, even if they do then blow it by playing that Reef some straight after, place your hands on my hole and all that.
Nicely decorated with various London memorabilia. Two ales on, of which mine was pleasant, though too warm even for ale. A decent garden/yard out the back adds a point. A good find.
13 Jul 2012 21:13
The Somerstown Coffee House, Euston
Stumbled across this by accident, and happy to have done so. Six ales on, and I had a guest ale which was excellent. Bar staff pleasant, some tables for eating and some battered sofas for lying about, and a friendly atmosphere throughout I thought. Was reasonably busy at post-work time, which was nice to see. Recommended as a good place to meet in the Euston/St Pancras area as it beats a number of other pubs nearby.
18 Apr 2012 11:49
Nice review below, but he's talking about the Coach & Horses on Greek Street, a few hundred yards to the east.
This Coach & Horses is a pretty average, decent enough pub to stop in for a swift jar. It doesn't have much character and there's little to recommend it above, for example, the John Snow a little south down Poland Street. But for a quick pint it's fine, and the barmaid/landlady was very amiable.
18 Apr 2012 11:46
In here for an evening session in early December, and it did the job. A couple of unusual ales on tap plus a couple of standards, good range, excellent jukebox (free, if I remember rightly) and the place was unexpectedly not filled with pillocks in suits. A good pub in an uninspiring area.
9 Jan 2012 09:42
Dignity (Taylors of Finchley), Finchley
I'm afraid this has in the last couple of months turned into a place very much focused on serving food. Gone are the battered sofas and space to move around, replaced with rows of leather upholstery, menus everywhere and bar staff wearing aprons. I guess there's more money in food than beer and socialising, but I'll be doing no more of the latter in this now-soulless establishment, which is a damn pain since it's my local and there's now no 'normal pub' left in Finchley.
9 Jan 2012 09:31
A perfectly acceptable place to stop off for a cheeky afternoon pint, as I did, but I can't say the interior would inspire me to hurry back. The usual wood throughout and rickety furniture suggest a fairly recent renovation trying to look old, and not doing it very well. The pint of Best was horrible but I think that was more a duff choice than anything wrong with it. Not a place to avoid, not a place to recommend.
9 Jan 2012 09:25
So, the review below. You had two enjoyable nights, then one non-enjoyable night, and you give us the latter in great detail. Why not tell us all about the two enjoyable nights? Is this what the internet has become? Really?
Never been in the Vine but I was on here looking for a pub in this locale for tonight so I'll bloody well go to this one now just to stick it up 'TheInquisitor'.
22 Nov 2011 18:31
Not a bad pub, but I echo the 'nothing special' reviews below. Decent ale (the ubiquitous Black Sheep), a dark main bar with whatever sport they can find on Freeview on a large TV, the sandwiches were ok (that's all they were doing from the menu because of the dodgy weather). The old girl behind the bar was very friendly.
One thing it does have going for it is that the upper seating area does have a nice view of the bay, with the waves crashing in all around, which does improve the overall feel of the place. Just needs a bit of love as others have said.
30 Nov 2010 18:55
A pleasant refuge from the snow. Can't remember what the ale was they had on (only one) but it was nice enough. Friendly staff, a decent Sunday roast (not enough gravy mind), not the finest pub in the area but far from the worst.
Word of caution: the light in the gents' toilet wasn't working, so I would recommend avoiding the ladies' cubicle furthest from the door. Wouldn't be surprised if there's yellow police tape over the door now - dodgy pint the night before, what can I say.
30 Nov 2010 18:50
Nice friendly boozer with a good pint of Black Sheep on, but this review is more of the personal type: we went in having ventured too far from where we were staying in bad weather (it's further to walk from Embleton than would appear on the map...) and the landlord was a true Good Samaritan and gave us a lift home, saving me from being castrated by the wife. He will have my eternal thanks.
Apart from that it was very nice pub with a good menu and worth a visit.
30 Nov 2010 18:46
Decent if unexceptional pub, open all day long even during the winter which can be pretty handy in an area where you've a fair walk to another pub (apart from the one on the corner nearby that we didn't try on our recent stay).
Friendly staff, a couple of real ales on (the Farne Island was very nice), and an unexpected but entertaining poker night on the Thursday night we were in there. They do food but we didn't try it.
30 Nov 2010 18:41
The Bird In Hand, High Wycombe
Seemed a bit of a dive this, upon entering. Middle-aged male locals watching football on various screens, all three ale pubs facing the wrong way in that grim, "oh alright, Guinness it is then" fashion. But the locals, and staff,turned out to be friendly enough, and the Sunday roast was very nice and plentiful, so first impressions were incorrect in this case. If you're willing to give it a chance, it's perfectly acceptable lunchtime pub (can't speak for evenings mind).
24 Oct 2010 21:47
Nell of Old Drury, Covent Garden
Nice enough little pub in among the theatres. The one downside is that you do encounter a fair number of...now I don't want to say bellends, because that would be predjudicial, so instead I'll say "budding actors and actresses talking loudly about their most recent auditions and performances on the off-chance someone connected to a theatre might hear and offer them a massive role on Broadway".
But the pub's fine.
21 Sep 2010 15:34
"A New York Bar in London" apparently. Perhaps I wasn't trying hard enough but I have absolutely no idea what this place has to do with New York. A dull, plain, pointless sort of a place, with a warm pint of Guinness that took an age to acquire from a bored-looking barman. Don't bother with it.
3 Sep 2010 08:58
My favourite pub in Camden, though I couldn't honestly say why. Decent music, always get served very quickly, with Camden's usual array of weird and wonderful punters.
Perfect place to go before a night in the Electric Ballroom, or for a loosener if you happen to be in the area and gasping.
3 Sep 2010 08:51
An unexpected find on a Kings Cross back street, the Queen's Head is a small, surprisingly bright pub set in a row of houses. The barman was a nice bloke and seemed to very much enjoy interviewing the attractive young lady who came in looking for a job.
Meantime London Stout on tap was a very pleasant experience and I ended up staying in here for a couple more than planned. Given the variable nature of pubs in this part of town, this is a nice haven of calm away from the bustle of the station. Recommended.
3 Sep 2010 08:46
This place has been open and closed at various times over the last couple of years. Seemed to have become the centre of Finchley's budding Polish criminal element when it was open.
What's certain is that it has now been shut for at least three months, ostensibly for 'refurbishment'. I suspect it may have finally died as a pub.
3 Sep 2010 08:40
Dignity (Taylors of Finchley), Finchley
As my local, The Dignity has had the dubious pleasure of hosting many a night out of mine over the last five years. In that time the pub has definitely been on an upward curve. The staff are friendly, the ales change frequently, they serve untold different types of cider over the course of the year. The food is standard pub fare cooked very well, with an additional specials menu of good meals for a fiver.
There's a paper rack for the patrons to share the day's news. The outside area is admittedly right on the main road but that's hardly the fault of the pub, and is fine during the summer.
The quiz night on Wednesdays is a laugh, oh and the Sunday roasts are excellent.
As catfitz said, there's no reason to come to Finchley to visit this pub, but if you're in Finchley, you'll do yourself a favour if you choose this place for your patronage.
3 Sep 2010 08:36
The Allerford Inn, Allerford Crossing
Had a very nice lunch in here on the recent Bank Holiday Monday. Very friendly landlord and staff, nice decor inside the place and the food was excellent. Our group had a selection of steaks, fish and the carvery and all were exactly as we'd hoped. My old man's only complaint was that they'd allowed him to pile his own plate too high at the carvery.
Nice garden too. Only one real ale on tap, but 6X is a nice pint.
One of the better pubs I've visited in the area for sure.
3 Sep 2010 08:20
Featured briefly in the BBC TV seris 'New Tricks'.
Exciting TV fact for you there, beer fans.
27 Jul 2010 21:47
Nice little boozer, decent pint of Bombardier, friendly staff, had The Cure on when I went in and The Smiths shortly afterwards so no complaints there. Apparently has a pool room to hire downstairs. Definitely a step up from the usual pubs in the area.
14 Apr 2010 11:07
Decent if unspectacular local boozer. There were a couple of decent looking ales on though I was on the cider for the night so didn't taste them. Menu looked alright, couple of TVs on showing different football games, nice decor, friendly staff. Comfortably less of a pain to go in here than The Crescent round the corner, I'd say this would be a good starting point for a night around Mornington Crescent.
11 Mar 2010 16:33
I can't quite understand why everyone seems to have it in for this place - it's an acceptable enough pub to while away an hour in. There are far worse places nearby that have less character in their entirety than the Shakespear's Head has in one of it's creaking wooden florboards.
Not a place to spend an entire evening in by any means, but certainly not a place to avoid at all costs.
20 May 2005 12:11
Looks horrific on the inside, but the beer's cheap and the staff friendly, so I guess it depends what you want from a pub really.
The map link above points to the wrong place mind.
21 Apr 2005 11:43
Swiftly developing a soft spot for this place - nice decor, nice punters, nice staff including the remarkable quizmaster, who clearly devises his questions to confound only me as I've managed to come near enough last the past two times I've attempted it. They show the football as well though it doesn't attract the usual muppets that go along with the beautiful game. Apart from me, obviously.
From the outside it looks like a ropey Irish bar, incidentally, but it's not. Recommended.
21 Apr 2005 11:40
Unless it's gone all to hell since the last time I was there, this is as fine a pub as you'd want if you wanted a little more than cheap, crap lager and women in skirts shorter than they are. Decapitation is always a risk as the beams are very low and the floors are wonky, but it just adds to the 'ye olde' feel of the place. And in the summer? Name me a better pub to sit outside in the sun in the whole of England and I'll show you my arse.
Very highly recommended.
8 Apr 2005 17:22
I'm undeniably a bit biased since I used to live there many moons ago, but the Fitzhead Inn is far superior to how it was when my old man sold it back in the early 1990s (my folks still live in the village). The food is very well spoken of across the region, it is full of character inside, has a nice patio/garden outside (albeit a small one), kids are welcome, the staff are...alright the landlord's a bit of a miserable git, but once you get to know him he's a good lad. They also have rooms that can be booked, converted from what used to be the pub's skittle alley. A very nice country pub, all round.
8 Apr 2005 17:10
Massive. Bloody freezing. You could probably hear the pub gods wailing at this travesty of an establishment were it not for the clattering of stillettos and the squeaking noise the punters make as their ears rub together.
Don't listen to me, it's actually really nice. I failed to pull there once, a long time ago, and I'm just bitter.
8 Apr 2005 17:02
Not a fan of this place at all - used to work just up the road before it was turned into some kind of Australian-themed nightmare, and it was alright back then. Now it's full of berks and it's over three quid a pint, and I can't be doing with it at all. In mitigation, however, some of the finest bar staff in London work there, and you can take that how it's meant or you can pretend I mean they're good at their job!
8 Apr 2005 16:48
A fine old boozer, though the pictures of Catholic hierarchy on the walls can be a bit off-putting when you're trying to neck your fifth pint of a lunchtime...definitely the best of the back street Victoria hostelries though.
8 Apr 2005 16:40
The Marquess of Anglesey, Covent Garden
Remarkably soulless pub considering where it's situated - seemed more like a shed that someone's tarted up and added beer pumps to. And as the previous comments have pointed out, the prices take the Michael.
8 Apr 2005 16:35
A jukebox would be perfect, as long as the aforementioned Sugababes were banned...lovely wee pub this, found it accidentally halfway through a massive sorrow-drowning pub crawl the day John Peel popped his clogs, and it's become an excellent place to start a 'Soho Research Session'. And that Oatmeal Stout in bottles that Sam Smith's pubs do - I'm having some of that, marvellous stuff.
8 Apr 2005 16:24
The The Old Monk Exchange, Westminster
Very nice pub - didn't go there before it was done up, but it's a spacious cellar bar/pub with nice beer on tap, plenty of tables...definitely recommended for a lunchtime pint, and I imagine it's just as nice in the evening.
8 Apr 2005 15:55
Fairly bland place, this - and I can't say the Sunday lunch we had in there was the greatest. If you live nearby I'd have to say there are better pubs in the area.
15 Mar 2005 16:28
I can imagine this place can get horrific on a Friday or Saturday night, but as I've only been in there either on weeknights or before 9pm I can only say that it seems fine then - nice and comfortable seating, fairly cheap and drinkable beer, though the music is astonishingly bad Euro cheese for the most part.
A good afternoon pub I'd say, then haul off somewhere else before the kids arrive.
22 Feb 2005 17:24
It is indeed famous for its sausages, and they're not half bad. But aside from that it's not a bad place - though it does get absolutely heaving at seemingly random times, and you can't move out of the way of plates of said sausages steaming towards you for love nor money.
22 Feb 2005 17:19
The Coach and Horses, Westminster
Does the job this - if you work in the area it's a good place for sport, or a relaxed pint on a sport-free night. Not exactly one to travel to from elsewhere, but not a place to avoid.
22 Feb 2005 17:11
Splendid place this, lovely atmosphere and friendly staff, and an excellent jukebox to boot. The DJ on the one time I was in on a Saturday went a bit overboard with the volume - it's only a wee pub mate! - but then again, I am an old git.
22 Feb 2005 17:09
I've got a soft spot for this place too - if I'm ever meeting someone in London I'll always suggest this as a starting point, and it often ends up the venue for a whole evening. Nice old place, makes you appreciate the back streets of London.
22 Feb 2005 17:02
The Windmill, Lambeth
An entirely unexpected find and a real gem. Nice and open at the front, dark and characterful at the back. Pool table, space invaders table, a pint of decent ale was £3.50 which is pretty decent given I was coughing up £4.75 somewhere around Holborn the previous night.
Nicely decorated and friendly bar staff. Plenty of people sitting on the tables out the front despite a bizarre attack of tiny black flies that seemed to be only on this street and no other. Hard to fault this place in any way in truth, though it is in south London and nobody should ever have to put themselves through the terrors of south London just to go to a nice pub like this.
8 Aug 2014 15:19