BITE user comments - ecksact
Comments by ecksact
Now closed. Highly unlikely to reopen as a pub, certainly in the foreseeable future!
8 Sep 2015 12:36
Another visit to Southsea necessitated another visit to the Leopold. I just love this place - friendly staff, friendly customers and so many real ales and ciders plus bottled craft beers. Surely something for everyone! Aim to be back in Southsea soon and I know where I'll be going for a pint!
18 Mar 2015 00:04
If you are in Southsea and DON'T visit this pub, then you're missing out! I'm a cider drinker so can't comment on the real ales, but the choice (of both) is incredible! I'm not local to the area, but every time I've visited this pub, I've been made to feel at home. Love it!
16 Jun 2013 03:22
I remember this pub as the Fleur De Lys MANY years ago and I loved it! Having read other reviews, it may well have gone downhill before it's refurbishment and re-emergence as The Snug. Not sure why they bothered, personally. Boring, characterless and a waste of space. That's just the staff! The pub - if it can be called a pub now - is all of that and expensive, too! Go to The Boot!
1 Aug 2012 02:36
Er....... it was OK! Honestly, that's all I can say about it! You wouldn't go out of your way to drink here (unless there was a band you wanted to see) but there's nothing especially good or bad about the place.
1 Aug 2012 02:08
I visited today as a "tourist" and can confirm this pub is open! New landlord apparently took over just two weeks ago. Only one ale on tap but the staff and locals were superb and I would have stayed all night if my mate and I didn't have a train to catch!
1 Aug 2012 02:00
Yeah, the front bar is small, but I found it friendly (maybe because it's small?) with interesting beers on tap, as well as a huge bottled selection. Wouldn't go overboard about this pub, but it's not bad and worth a visit.
1 Aug 2012 01:53
�8.80 for two pints! I honestly don't care what the quality of the beer, service, decor or anything else is - I find the prices totally unjustifiable! Luckily I don't live in the area.
Oh, and as well as the prices, the Gent's toilets were out of order!
1 Aug 2012 01:47
Went on a St Alban's pub crawl today - approx 20 years since my last visit - and I loved this pub! Ales were good, staff were attentative, locals/regulars friendly and chatty. Even a "turf" floor for the Olympics! Ace!
1 Aug 2012 01:40
The Blacksmiths Arms, St Albans
The pub itself is clean and tidy but nothing extraordinarily special, but a good range of beers on offer and excellent service makes it well worth a visit. Didn't eat here but food looked good, too!
1 Aug 2012 01:34
Excellent pub, excellent staff, excellent juke box and more than excellent cider! As a cider drinker, I was in my element!
21 Oct 2011 03:29
Yeah, it could do with a makeover. And yeah, it would be good to have real ale.
But given the logistical restrictions this bar has to deal with (it's in an amusement arcade!), the staff do a great job! Will be back in Sandown shortly and will say "Hello" again!
Then I'm off to The Castle!
21 Oct 2011 03:22
The Old Customs House, Portsmouth
Hated this place! It's clearly geared to making money from it's food trade - but at 5p short of 4 quid a pint they obviously want to maximise profit on wet sales, too! I was largely ignored by staff, presumably because I didn't want to order food (sorry, but I come from the age where food comes from shops or cafes, PUBS ARE FOR DRINKING ALCOHOL!
3 Jun 2011 07:04
The Royal Standard, Portsmouth
Great pub, great people on both sides of the bar! It's how other posters have described it - a pub! How pubs should be! Go there and lap it up!
3 Jun 2011 06:51
Very good pub! Good choice of drinks at decent enough prices served by really good bar staff - that'll do for me!
3 Jun 2011 06:45
Like reviewer "blue scrumpy", I wondered where I would ever find a decent pub in Sandown. Then I found this!
What a gem! Excellent beers, friendly locals, great decor (loads of wonderful dragons!), super service - what more do you want?
3 Jun 2011 06:19
Fair's fair - I criticised the staff in this place in my last review, but places change and this pub has improved dramatically recently. Now the staff are friendly and attentive which makes it a much more desirable place to visit.
13 Aug 2010 03:34
Slightly above average pub. Friendly service and 4 hand pumps, nothing special - Harvey's and Spitfire is all I recall but it was mid-summer and I was drinking cider so I can't comment on them! For the sad people who think pubs are for serving food, it's reasonably priced with pizza for a fiver.
13 Aug 2010 03:17
What do folk look for in a pub? Personally, I'm a people person. This place is apparently under new management and while the pub is as basic as they come, the management were super friendly, as were the customers. A complete stranger yet I was treated as an old friend - if you cant look past the decor of a pub then yeah, keep on walking and you'll find someone prepared to take between 3 1/2 and 4 of your pounds then ignore you completely while you sit alone in a sterile environment. On the other hand, you could give this place a chance and sit with a great pint of Hobgoblin and have a laugh with the locals. Sorry, Shakespiers, but people like you just get my back up!
13 Aug 2010 03:09
The Grand Victorian Hotel, Worthing
Been a while since this pub has been reviewed but nothing much has changed - and that's a good thing! Doom Bar and Pride on draught. Very good service. Odd layout, though, with a central pillar with seats around it! Who's gonna sit there? Original, though!
13 Aug 2010 02:51
A pub for grown ups - thank God they still exist! Great range of ales, very friendly and helpful staff, lots to look at on the walls! Super pub, just as a pub should be!
13 Aug 2010 02:38
This pub hasn't been reviewed for a while but I can confirm that it's still as good as previous reviewers have stated. Super range of Belgian beers served by very knowledgable, friendly and patient (!) staff. Not cheap, but if you'd pay �3.50 something for a bottle of Budweiser then you'll get better and stronger beers for a similar price here. I visited mid-week, though, and can imagine it might be a bit busy at weekends. If you're in the area this place is well worth a visit - just be careful of the ABVs!
13 Aug 2010 02:26
I loved this pub! I had no problems getting served, the bar staff were quick and frendly enough and it's certainly different from the vast majority of faceless London pubs. Everywhere you look there's something of interest and the music was different class. And I'm no Goth, rocker or any other sort of "character" but a middle-aged professional who happens to appreciate something different once in a while!
13 Jan 2010 23:20
The Old House at Home, Dormansland
Boy, do they know how to charge for beer in this pub! Friendly enough but very little else to recommend it. Shepherds Neame - you have been warned!
23 Sep 2009 15:15
I've popped in here a few times - the last time was just the other day and, though the pub was almost empty, I couldn't get served .That wasn't a one off either as the staff seem to find rearranging a cushion or serving the regulars at the end of the bar a more pressing task. When you finally do get served, prepare yourself for the prices. Garden's great, though, especially if you have kids with you.
23 Sep 2009 15:12
The Hole In The Wall, Waterloo
This is a wonderful bar - a real change to find something like this in the middle of London. A bar with original character, no pretentiousness, real people, decent prices, great choice. Haven't eaten there but again the choice and value seem good and, significantly, the kitchen seems to be an open (clean) area in which you can watch the chef cook and talk to him about your order. Yeah, the toilets are in need of serious attention but given that I'll only be in there a minute or two I can cope. Go and visit this pub and if it's not your cup of tea then fine........ there's plenty other places in London that will willingly rip you off.
12 Aug 2009 02:27
The Windsor Tavern, Eastbourne
Let's start with the negative - some of the upholstery could do with renovating. For me, however, that's not important. This is a lovely pub with fantastically friendly and enthusiastic staff, friendly locals, plenty to look at on the walls (including toilets!) and an amazing garden complete with aviary. Loads of sport on the telly, too!
12 Aug 2009 02:09
This is a really friendly, typical village-type "local" boozer. though certainly not cliquish - all welcome! Quite small but with a pool table, dart board, fruit machine and games machine. Serves good food but check times.
12 Aug 2009 02:01
The Catherine Wheel, Newbury
As a previous reviewer indicated, this used to be a very uncomfortable pub to visit (for various reasons). What a difference! Smart and clean, friendly guv'nor, and with 9 real ales (mainly from local and/or independant breweries), 5 still ciders - it's a pub "crawl" all on its own! Huge selection of pies with good choice of accompaniments but be warned, the "Spicy Slaw" IS spicy!! Having totally transformed this pub, I hope it's a great success for you, Warwick.
2 Oct 2015 15:25