BITE user comments - davidb
Comments by davidb
Wonderful start by the new licensees - a sensitive and stylish refurbishment has turned The Bell into a comfortable and welcoming pub.
A good selection of beers on offer, too.
The new licensees promise more in the future, including a food menu when the kitchen's been upgraded.
It was standing room only on opening night, with a friendly crowd who all looked delighted to have this venue opening locally. National PubCos should take note: this is what happens if you invest cash and thought into pubs in E17 (and I'm sure in other neglected parts of Zones 2-3).
9 Nov 2012 15:15
Re-opening was due for this week but the new owner has said on his Twitter feed and Facebook page that things have slipped. No new opening date yet, but fingers crossed.
He seems to be doing all the right things and ran an excellent managed house in Stoke Newington before going it alone with this place.
17 Oct 2012 13:10
We now try to avoid this place because of the kids who run riot all day and evenings up to 8pm or so.
17 Oct 2012 13:06
CLOSED for demolition. One of four pubs lost as a result of the 'Victoria Circle' redevelopment.
17 Oct 2012 12:57
CLOSED for demolition. One of four pubs lost as part of the 'Victoria Circle' redevelopment.
17 Oct 2012 10:34
CLOSED for demolition. One of four pubs lost as part of the 'Victoria Circle' redevelopment.
17 Oct 2012 10:32
Manageress is a rancid woman, and there's a tubby little Australian barmaid working here at the moment with a real attitude problem. It's her mission to make the customers feel unwelcome. If the area management knew what the staff get up to in here they'd shit themselves.
The beer is usual Sam Smith's piss, and prices have gone up massively since the refurb while custom has plummeted - whether this is due to pricing or the rudeness of the staff one cannot say.
The brewery doubtless spent a pretty penny doing this place up, but it's a horrid place to drink. One of the old boy customers who comes in is so foul smelling, the reek of stale piss creeps up on you from 2 or 3 tables away. Not nice. Try the Jugged Hare round the corner on Vauxhall Bridge Road or the Albert in Victoria Street - a couple of nice, well run high-Victorian style pubs.
9 Aug 2012 16:25
Gets worse and worse in this place, which stinks alternately of cats and piss.
Only idiots go here to be ignored or condescended to by the staff and proprietors.
Plenty of other, better pubs within 200 yards.
4 Nov 2011 16:32
Closes on a whim, as it did this week. Don't go out of your way to visit.
30 Sep 2011 10:19
Dear BWW, Very funny. You can buy me a pint next time you see me in there.
3 Feb 2010 19:03
Glad to see the place has been rejuvenated, after a few years in the doldrums.
But it has come at a price.
The Orange is now more restaurant than boozer. although the real ale on offer when I visited was decent quality.
I am glad to see it survive rather than close as so many other pubs have, but go here to eat rather than drink.
3 Feb 2010 19:02
BBW: Read more carefully, you insulting cretin. I didn't say Walthamstow is middle class, but that the whingeing parents are.
Hope you (and your kids?) will stay away from this pub in future. Your kind is not welcome, and should perhaps try a child-friendly restaurant instead. "Ciao, darling! Mwah, mwah!"
28 Nov 2009 15:05
Owners of this place persistently add positive reviews (see below, ad infinitum).
Here's an impartial one - this place is completely shite, badly run, overpriced and packed full of (a) grey suits or (b) chavs with zero taste.
My suggestion? Walk a bit further from Farringdon Tube and find a GOOD bar!
Could the owners of this site please take action against Fau-shit Inn Pub Company", who clearly have no marketing budget if they're posting reviews to BiTE?
17 Nov 2009 19:59
Much improved by the new owners - the previous landlord seemed over-stretched with this and the Nag's Head to look after.
The new regime is very friendly - one of them invited me and a friend in to look around one morning when he saw us peeking through the window at teh recent refurbishment.
The decor is nicer tham it was, but rather dull. There's too much grey gloss paint.
The furniture is comfortable and the drinks selection good (but no emphasis on real ale, sadly).
Now we have three good pubs in the Village - and who can complain about having more choice? Good luck to the new owners, they'll definitely keep my custom.
17 Nov 2009 19:44
Never met the landlord here, but I thought the beer festival last week was excellent, so credit where it's due.
And all the (middle class?) parents commenting on this thread about the pub's attitude to kids should, perhaps, take the hint.
Pubs are no place for children and a branch of Giraffe or another friendly venue would be a far better place for your brunches and lunches.
Who cares if there are signs all over the place? It's the landlord's gaff, not yours! He can tell you to behave exactly as he likes - get over it!
17 Nov 2009 19:39
The Rose and Crown, Walthamstow
Great range of beers and friendly customers and staff.
Glad to see the licensees are taking a bit of pride in the place, and particularly that they are monitoring what's said here and replying openly to criticism.
I think the decor needs warming up a bit - there are too many bare walls - and the whiteboard must go! It's not an office meeting room! Get a blackboard, for God's sake!
Support this pub - and check out their interesting range of live entertainment, quizzes, etc.
13 Jun 2009 20:08
Great place to take a bird who doesn't like pubs.
Crammed full of well-heeled Belgravia toffs, with prices to match. If you can tolerate that, the beer is well kept (Doom Bar, and other light-ish ales usually on handpump). The food's very good indeed.
I've found the bar and waiting staff to be very friendly and efficient, depsite negative comments on here, and I'm a stickler for good service.
13 Jun 2009 19:55
Inexplicably, the Grapes is still in the Good Pub Guide. The editors clearly haven't visited for about five years.
The beer is appalling, the decor (once warm and traditional), is cold, scruffy and reliant on printed promotional material stuck to every available surface.
Staff are disinterested.
I had my birthday do here a few years ago, and it's a great shame to see it in such a sorry state.
13 Jun 2009 19:50
Watch out for short measures and light-fingered staff, who'll short-change you.
29 May 2008 17:50
Currently closed for a refurb until "early July", according to a poster in the window.
Surely there can only be an improvement on the tired surroundings and piss-poor service...?
29 May 2008 17:48
The Marquis of Granby, Westminster
Avoid.
The contributor "Steven Martin", who comments below, is clearly employed by this shamefully bad pub, where customers are kept waiting by hopeless staff, given short measures and denied their lawful 20 minute drink-up time.
15 Apr 2008 17:26
Ha! Ha! Bar and Canteen, Victoria
Only go in here if you are a chav.
Chavs please note: Bar staff are criminals, and will rip you off.
15 Apr 2008 17:14
The Prince Regent Bar and Kitchen, Islington
Good to see it open again, but now more of a restaurant than a boozer. Fancy lagers are the only option, but the surroundings are pleasant.
I preferred the previous incarnation when it was still a pub, but worth a try if you're in the area.
15 Feb 2008 17:14
This pub single-handedly restored by faith in London boozers the other day.
I'd just cought a pint of bitter and was heading to my seat upstairs when the landlady spotted the ale was cloudy. I hadn't even noticed myself.
She insisted I choose another ale and had it sent up to me.
Most licensees (and certainly most cack-handed bar keepers at lesser establishments than the Harp) couldn't give a toss about the quality of the product they serve, so well done to all the staff here.
15 Feb 2008 17:00
Excellent and attentive staff here the other Saturday night, and a good range of real ales and quality lagers. The Crouch Vale Brewer's Gold was perfect.
Nice ambience in the place, and they have a good reputation for food upstairs.
15 Feb 2008 16:54
Closed down? Interior ripped out.
Oh, and a quiet word to licensees who add positive reviews of their own premises under the name "Tatjana" - please, don't bother.
29 Jan 2008 16:13
Has recently been re-named and re-fitted. Think it is now called The Queen's Arms but will check, and hopefully try out. Can't yet confirm whether the Thai restaurant is still upstairs.
10 Dec 2007 18:26
Yep, it's open again and is a welcoming place. More of a bar atmosphere with mainly high stools, a few sofas and armchair seats. (I still regret the name-change, though.)
One real ale - an Adnam's when I was there - and standard lagers. Short wine list.
Prices have rocketed to pay for the complete refurbishment. This is now a �3.30 a pint pub, as with all the other new establishments in Victoria. I guess prices were generally lower round here for so long because the area was so run down.
Not tried the food yet but looked okay, and not too pricey.
I believe it's a free house, so let's support it! Recommended.
13 Jul 2007 16:53
Renovation work has been underway for some weeks, involving the gutting of the entire interior.
Sadly, yet another cruddy, dated and ill-advised name change is on the cards. The words "Brass Monkey" have been painted on the exterior wall at second storey level...
When will they ever learn?
Will post again when it re-opens.
25 May 2007 16:09
Closed mid-April 2007. A sad loss. What will happen to the Wine Vaults' famous fake Victorian street?
26 Apr 2007 16:18
The Hedgehog and Pheasant, Pimlico
Re-named The Warwick.
Does anyone know if this was this pub's original name before it was The Hedgehog and Pheasant?
(Isn't it fantastic, by the way, that these crappy, made-up names which desecrated so many pubs in the 80s/90s are finally disappearing...?!)
15 Mar 2007 18:16
The Hedgehog and Pheasant, Pimlico
Re-opened a few days ago after a re-fit. Has tried to go a bit more upmarket with some ornate furniture, some sofas and a more stylish colour scheme.
However, it is still attracting scrotes in football tops.
A name change may be on the cards because when I passed by the other day it was name-less outside.
2 Mar 2007 16:12
Smashing pub. The beer's okay - don't remember it being either superb or poor. What is great about the Constitution is the wide-ranging clientele. Locals who've clearly been coming in for years, a few suits, a few passers-by, a few youngsters and few drop-outs. Just what a pub should be. It's cosy, too. Lovely mad old lady is always there collecting the glasses - she's fabulous. Best pub in a mile radius.
29 Jan 2007 11:07
currently closed (again). believe the licence is on the market...
29 Jan 2007 10:52
Gone down hill like a turd in a high-pressure sewer pipe.
Licensees spend all their time smoking at the far end of the bar, even when punters are waiting to be served by amateurish staff (BTW, rapid staff turnover - never seen any of them there more than once).
Expect short measures and short change.
Avoid.
11 Oct 2006 14:59
Glad to see that the power of the BITE website can see off shoddy management and lead to such improvements in a pub. Former landlord now pulling pints in Holyhead ferryport and regularly getting his teeth kicked in. Lazy licensees be warned! (I like to think the investment in this pub was all down to my last comment on this site, rather than the opening of the massive new shopping centre and offices next door.) Phoenix is now a good place to visit. Expensive, yes. They've put �1 on a pint and �2 on a large glass of wine. Ambience much better, though. Bar staff are variable but I've generally found them friendly - one or two are real characters and a bit ditzy, but not rude, and I quite like that. Food generally well cooked but portions are mean. Friends and I paid �16 for a sharing platter with dips last night and had to ask for more bread because they gave two rounds between three of us. Scale up the portions, and things will be vastly improved.
31 Aug 2006 16:51
Poor Shaun E4. A "good crack"...? I didn't think it was a gay bar? By the way, that phrase is sometimes confused with the Gaelic expression "a good craic" meaning "have a good time"...
10 Apr 2006 15:43
Taken over by the people who run the nearby Nag's Head a few months ago. The Castle has had a make-over - clearly designed to be female-friendly - and is further evidence of the gentrification of this part of town.
1 Mar 2006 12:12
The Coach and Horses, Walthamstow
Recently boarded up, and displaying "lease for sale" signs.
17 Feb 2006 14:46
The "anonymous" who said this was a "great pub" is wrong and misguided. Avoid at all costs. The only time I have ever suggested anyone should visit this place was to an old dear at the station who asked for directions to the nearest loo, because she had waterworks trouble.
17 Feb 2006 14:41
The Jerusalem Tavern, Clerkenwell
If you're a bearded, big-bellied Camra member, it's like you've died and gone to pub heaven. And if you're quite normal it's a fun place to drink on a quiet afternoon. As so many people have noted, evenings are a no-go.
10 Feb 2006 12:47
A great pub, and I'm glad it hasn't been over-run by the Upper Street masses, who are typically too lazy to stray from the main drag. It has a no smoking upstairs room if downstairs looks too busy for you. Bar service was very poor last time I was there (about a fortnight ago), so I hope the licensees can get their act together on this.
10 Feb 2006 12:40
I've spent a lot of time here because a friend lives nearby. I haven't found it packed with the types Stonch describes below. (But of course you're going to get a few dickheads in here - this is Islington, after all.) The lovely Victorian interior has been mucked around with at some point in the past but has some preserved features (an island bar with engraved glass 'snob' screens). The food is good (but over-priced) and the limited real ales are well kept. The bar staff are always efficient and friendly, which in my view is one of the most important things about any pub visit.
10 Feb 2006 12:34
I think it's an improvement on the previous, slightly grubby incarnation. The right-hand room at the back used to smell of piss, due to its proximity to the gents', and that problem seems to have gone. The spacious beer garden is still the Albion's biggest selling point, and that seems untouched. Service is still shoddy - they never have enough bar staff on and those who are around are well-meaning but slow.
10 Feb 2006 12:25
Currently closed for a re-fit and nothing in the window to indicate a re-opening date.
2 Sep 2005 13:35
Dreadful place, managed by a complete idiot. The landlord stands at the right-hand side of the bar with his mates and makes snide comments about customers who dare to enter. They refused to turn the music down last time I was there on a friday night, even though most punters had been driven out by 8pm and the place was empty and echoing to the sound of satellite TV music channels. They didn't even turn the volume down when the TV ads came on. I haven't checked whether this is a free or managed house, but I hope for the licensee's sake that he owns the place and can afford to drive away thousands of quid in revenue every week.
30 Aug 2005 12:33
The White Swan, Walton on Trent
Went here the other day and the food was okay and reasonably priced. The staff, however, were incompetent. Three of them gathered around the till for several minutes trying to work out how to work out the difference between a decaf and normal coffee, letting a queue build up. They were also playing the music tape BACKWARDS over the pub's PA system. I waited to see how long it took them to notice. they still hadn't after 45 minutes and I just had to mention it or face permanent madness... Nice beer garden and plenty of parking, though.
27 May 2005 14:55
Goat and Tricycle, Bournemouth
Used to drink at the "Goat and Trike" regularly from 1993 to 1996, when it was probably the best pub in Bournemouth. Can't vouch for it now, though, because it's years since I was last there. Do they still serve free roast potatoes to all the customers at about 10pm?
27 Apr 2005 13:56
Formerly The Royal Oak. Tarted up in a refit early 2005 but it could have been done so much better, I'm afraid. Service is friendly from the junior members of staff but the licensees themselves are a pain and will readily leave customers standing at the bar while they chat with their mates. Re-named at the recent re-fit according to its local nick-name. "The sump 'ole" refers to part of the mill workings next door, I believe. Local people object to this re-naming. It has a large open area on the bank of the River Trent overlooking a weir and a lovely historic mill building, Peel's Mill, which is currently being beautifully restored as flats and business units. Cellarmanship at this pub is only average, I'm afraid. My local when I was growing up, and I worked here 1989-1992.
27 Apr 2005 13:39
St Stephens Tavern, Westminster
Beautifully restored pub and a great location - which add up to make it a really busy place at peak times.
The beer's decent and so's the food.
At least half a dozen tourists came in to take photos of the place when I spent an evening here a few weeks ago. Recommended.
26 Apr 2005 14:21
A place you're happy to spend a few hours in - something rare in the public house desert that is Victoria. Staff are friendly and efficient and the beer decently kept. Worth a look, but don't all come at once because it's too small for all of us...
26 Apr 2005 13:58
A sad example of how a pub can badly deteriorate in just a year or two. This place used to be in all the beer books and was worth trudging that bit further away from Victoria station to visit. Now it's somewhere to avoid. I hope, as others have indicated here, that the new management can buck their ideas up.
26 Apr 2005 13:50
Recent refurb was a missed opportunity. Some of the bar staff are rudely incompetent and some have difficulty understanding English.
14 Apr 2005 12:35
Good beer. Excellent bar staff - polite, speedy and friendly. Well done to the licensee, whoever they are. Pub is pretty grotty and desperately needs a sensitive refurbishment, however.
14 Apr 2005 12:29
Tiny but great. Good beer, nice atmosphere. Only gripe is stinky bogs. But don't go here if you like to sit down.
14 Apr 2005 12:25
If you enjoy the 'airport departure lounge' atmosphere, this is the place for you. I work across the road and haven't been there for three years.
14 Apr 2005 12:23
Decent beer most of the time, with a selection of real ales. As others have said, the ales are not cared for as well as they once were. Bar staff are friendly and efficient. The mezzanine floor can be hired free of charge.
14 Apr 2005 12:17
A reliable stand-by in this desert of boozers. I'm not a big Sam Smith's fan and the bar service is below average (one of the senior staff in particular is frequently unpleasant to customers). But still worth a visit and one of the best from Victoria's limited offerings.
14 Apr 2005 12:15
The Millbank Room (City Inn), Millbank
When you pay hotel bar prices you expect a bit of decent service. The bar staff here are not just disinterested, they're rude. I'll never go back - and recommend you avoid at all costs!
14 Apr 2005 12:12
The Marquis of Granby, Westminster
Bar staff are thieves - add extras to your card if you leave it behind the bar.
10 Jan 2013 18:52