BITE user comments - stymaster
Comments by stymaster
The Commercial (the Comm), Lochgilphead
Great pub. There's ale at times, but not when we visited. Freindly locals.
2 Jun 2013 22:16
Reopened after an 18 month closure, now owned by The Backyard Brewhouse, and serving their great ales. Great staff too.
10 Feb 2013 21:31
Goat and Tricycle, Bournemouth
It's a fine pub. Not glamourous or slick, but a nice, traditional pub with a good ale selection. Both beers i had were in good condition. Freindly staff
23 Jan 2013 20:39
The Crown Liquor Saloon, Belfast
A great pub. Stunning building, good staff, and real ale (a rarity in Belfast). Only problem? It's too damned popular. Went in once, on a Weds evening, nowhere to sit. Looked in each night afterwards, same again :-(
25 Aug 2012 22:20
I'm not a massive fan of 'spoons, but we visited twice for 2 very good reasons: Breakfast at about half the price of our hotel (and very good too), and also, it's about the only place to get real ale and a seat in Belfast. Service was fine, beer good. A bit atmosphereless, but, well, it's a 'spoons.
25 Aug 2012 22:16
yes, a very 'spoons-like atmosphere. Beer was OK, TV sound was (thankfully) muted on a Wednesday evening. Nothing to complain about, but not fantastic either.
1 Mar 2012 13:15
Good pub. Nice beer, good staff, good welcome. Food could be a little better, but otherwise great.
22 Oct 2011 22:20
Friendly, beer fine. Nelson the parrot amusingly tells everyone to "f**k off" :-)
22 Oct 2011 22:14
Despite other reviews I found this place fine. Landlord was friendly, beer was OK. We didn't eat though.
22 Oct 2011 22:10
Decent beer, staff, and food. Great location next to the bridge and locks. Very slightly pricey, but reflected by location.
19 Sep 2011 20:33
Nice pub. Only one hand pull, but good (if not cheap) food and staff. Great location.
19 Sep 2011 20:30
The Vine (Bull & Bladder), Brierley Hill
Why is this not nearer to home? Excellent beer, friendly people, a cracker.
13 Aug 2011 23:23
Spoiled by no ale and over-loud music. Could be fantastic, but isn't.
7 Aug 2011 11:09
Believe it's changed hands again- landlord seems to be a brewery temp. No real ale or food, but landlord was friendly enough and the Stella drinkable.
7 Aug 2011 11:08
Now trading as St Matthews Hall- it's a 'spoons, so you know what to expect. My beer was OK, outside space quite nice on a warm day.
1 Aug 2011 13:18
Have to agree with covman45. It *could* be a fine pub- there's good beer, beautiful tiles and glass- but there's also far too much of 'look how cool we are', which dissapointed. Whoever chose the wallpaper and tree branch should be beaten until they see sense, frankly. The beer was great, and everywhere clean, but it's not a proper traditional pub any more.
1 Aug 2011 13:14
Just happened accross this. Very nice- interior is a bit sparse, but clean and fresh, execellent choice of beer and food, friendly staff. Beer was in very good condition, and 10% discount for CAMRA members.
1 Aug 2011 13:05
More a restaurant than pub, but OK for a pint ot two and seems all the better since the change of ownership. Not eaten in there for years, but beer was pretty good.
4 Jun 2011 16:44
Not bad, but not brilliant. Best point is the outdoor space. Beer is OK though.
29 May 2011 22:08
It is a hotel bar, but not too bad at all- fairly pub-like.
29 May 2011 22:03
Cracking pub. Gets very crowded at weekends, great beer, good atmosphere.
29 May 2011 21:59
Update: new landlord is doing well. Always at least a couple of well-kept ales, plus all the usual.
29 May 2011 21:58
Walked to here from Deal on a glorious sunny day. Great beer, and a decent sandwich, sat outside looking out to sea.
29 May 2011 21:56
Not really a pub, prices OK for beer, high for food, staff have an attitude.
27 May 2011 23:12
It is a local's pub, but we were made welcome. No cask ale, but the lager was OK.
27 May 2011 23:10
Not my sort of place- too many loud posers, and a bit 'trying too hard to be cool', but the beer was fine.
27 May 2011 23:07
It's OK. Really not my thing, but prices are OK, beer OK too.
29 Apr 2011 18:51
Another new landlord: seems to be finding his feet now. Food OK, beer pretty good.
27 Mar 2011 22:38
The Drunken Duck, Walsall Wood
My new local. It's not plush: just a good local pub with at least one guest beer plus the usual suspects. Nice staff, only disadvantage it the jukebox which can be noisy at times.
27 Mar 2011 22:37
New landlord in place, and some refurbishment going on. Great beer and a good welcome.
27 Mar 2011 18:58
The Pen and Parchment, Stratford Upon Avon
Not bad at all: OK food, good beer, pleasant staff.
20 Mar 2011 20:37
I'd not been in here for years. It's rather nice: A genuine pub as well as the hotel. Cosy and traditional inside, great beer, good staff.
29 Jan 2011 17:08
This has re-opened as a Crown Carvery, and they're not even calling it The Elms any more.
As it is, it's OK, for a Crown Carvery: the food's perfectly OK and very cheap, and the beer tolerable and very cheap. There's still a bar area, but it's not really a proper pub any more, more like a canteen.
29 Jan 2011 17:00
It's open again, but has lost some atmosphere and has only the usual suspects on sale: It's not actually bad, and still the best pub near the town centre, but nothing special.
9 Jan 2011 22:11
Bog standard town pub with much better competition all around: not much atmosphere, no cask ale. Not awful, but not great, and given the pub density in Whitby, you'd be better elsewhere.
27 Nov 2010 21:24
Great pub- choice of ales, real fires, great staff, choice of other drinks, music audible but not loud.
27 Nov 2010 21:06
The Black Horse Vaults, Whitby
Marvellous pub: great atmosphere, good choice of beer/wine/snacks, great staff.
27 Nov 2010 21:03
This was one of my favourites out of many good pubs in Whitby- very friendly staff, Tetley's cask was excellent, nice atmosphere.
27 Nov 2010 20:58
Decent beer, excellent food, and friendly staff on a freezing November day. Prices OK too.
27 Nov 2010 20:57
Less grotty than most spoons, nice staff, beer and food OK. Not half bad overall.
10 Oct 2010 21:22
It's a Miller & Carter chain pub, plus it's in Sutton, so it's a bit souless, up-itself food pub, but having said that, the beer was OK and the food good. Not exceptional, but not bad either.
2 Oct 2010 23:55
Pleasant enough pub. Interesting 30s building. Friendly locals and landlord. No real ale, but the Stella was OK.
27 Sep 2010 09:28
Nice pub with a good choice of beer. Sadly the restaurant was full, they don't serve food in the bar, and we needed to eat, so we didn't stay long.
27 Sep 2010 09:26
We had an overnight stop in Arrochar and had a few drinks and food here. There was a 70s disco night starting at 9pm, but they were serving food up to then. We had no problems with service (a bit slow, maybe, but otherwise fine) , the staff were friendly, and the food very good. The outdoor area over the lock is very pleasant.
Beer choice a bit limited- no real ale- but it was OK.
27 Sep 2010 09:23
called in here today (Sunday Lunchtime). It's OK. It's a bit characterless, but the beer was OK, the staff friendly, and the food good value, if unexceptional. I'd call in again.
12 Sep 2010 18:51
Goose At The Fighting Cocks, Moseley
Nice listed building spoiled slightly by the decoration that looks like a 13 year old girl has been allowed to go mad. Decent beer though. Not keen on the electronic oh-so-trendy jazz-type music, but it's OK. Food was pricey, so we went elsewhere.
12 Sep 2010 18:36
Called in here today, and very impressed. Good choice of real ale, TV on but not too loud, very pleasant landlord.
12 Sep 2010 18:33
The Railway Tavern, Norton Canes
This is a pretty decent pub: decent food, from just a cob to a meal, and good beer and cider too. Pleasant staff, nice enough beer garden.
3 Sep 2010 20:22
I've now tried the food: It's very good and reasonably priced.
The beer is *excellent*- Speckled Hen is a regular and is well kept. The pub is a nice quiet place for a few drinks and the current landlord looks after his beer and customers.
29 Aug 2010 18:11
The Master Builders House Hotel, Bucklers Hard
I'd agree with the above pretty much. Poor choice of beer (at least at the outside bar). Food OK, but everything a bit pricey.
29 Aug 2010 17:57
Nice pub/hotel. It's typical Fuller's once you get into the bar area. As you'd expect, a good choice of beer, and the food was very good- we were served very quickly even on a very busy Bank Holiday Sunday.
29 Aug 2010 17:51
A lovely village pub with nice atmosphere, good food, and, as we visited during a beer festival, an excellent choice of ale.
29 Aug 2010 17:47
Not a bad place at all. We stopped for a slightly late lunch (14:40) having been turned away up the road. This handily serves food until 3pm, and the welcome and food were both good. There was al least one real ale on (but I was driving, sadly), and prices were good.
25 Jul 2010 18:33
A pretty decent pub in the centre of town. Real ale (Jennings Cumberland Ale when we visited) plus the usual. Pleasant staff, good location.
22 Jul 2010 18:49
There's a strong focus on the hotel/restaurant business but the bar still feels like a pub, which is nice. Pleasant, spotlessly clean, very friendly staff, decent beer, TV on but not too loud, excellent food.
22 Jul 2010 18:45
Lousy choice of beer (no ale). Faced with Carlsberg, Strongbow, or some bitter I'd never heard of, we chose Strongbow, which was just drinkable. The place was *filthy*, even by my low standards, and cluttered with kids toys- the kid concerned was running about the place. The worst pub I've been in for some time. There seems to be some work going on, so we can only hope it improves.
22 Jul 2010 18:42
A nice traditional pub in the centre. 3 ales (Flowers IPA was very good), plus the usual suspects. Very friendly staff, TV on but not intrusive, food looked good too, though we didn't eat there.
22 Jul 2010 18:38
Not terrible, but not fantastic. Staff a little unfriendly, food only OK, beer quite good.
22 Jul 2010 18:35
Popped in here Sat 26/6/2010. Didn't have high expectations given comments, but it was OK. Building fantastic, standard pubco food (didin't try it), staff OK, and my Landlord was good too.
28 Jun 2010 21:49
It has just re-opened. There's a strong bias to food, which is towards the upper end of pub food. Prices not cheap, but not horrific, food good, good choice of ale and friendly staff.
20 Jun 2010 20:45
Decent beer, friendly staff, live band that could play. Nice pub.
25 Apr 2010 20:34
Not really a pub- more a restaurant. It's a good restautrant, though.
25 Apr 2010 20:31
Time to update my review.
Archivist was right, it looked like a 60s pub, but it is actually quite old. It had the standard Ansells makeover in the 60s or 70s which made it look of that era
It's just been refurbed, but sadly the refurb has actually made it worse inside, though the outside now looks smart: The bar used to have a few booths around the edge, and some carpet, but now is hard flooring and upright chairs and tables- all the hard surfaces make it noisy- very noisy.
The lounge was previously not used much, and now is open but it could be nicer- it tends to get a bit creche-like and the sofas aren't comfortable.
Shame really, as otherwise my previous comments stand. The staff are pleasant the beer OK provided you're OK with the stuff Archivist mentions.
23 Mar 2010 20:07
Not tried the food but the new landlord is friendly, as are the other staff, and the beer was good too: 3 real ales and Banks mild on handpull, a choice of the ordinary stuff too. I'll be visiting more often.
23 Mar 2010 20:00
Nice backstreet pub, decent beer, off the beaten track so not packed (but still busy).
21 Feb 2010 23:11
Not bad at all- very good for a spoons, with good atmosphere. Beer & food pretty good.
21 Feb 2010 23:11
Not a bad pub, but not cheap, and the barman that served me was a miserable sod. Beer was very good, and the snugs were nice.
21 Feb 2010 23:10
Brigantes Bar and Brasserie, York
Excellent food and beer, good atmosphere, reasonable prices. Feels more like a pub than a restaurant, staff very friendly.
21 Feb 2010 23:08
Been meaning to come here for a long time, and wasn't dissapointed: great beer, lovely atmosphere.
14 Feb 2010 12:47
Time for a mod of my review. I still use this npub regularly, but my comments about it being creche-like are more true than ever in the early evening in the lounge, and some parents don't see why they shouldn't allow their offspring to run about (including over the seats). Later on there's usually a singer or band, and the bar is sometimes a bit noisy, so if you're looking for a quiet pint it's a bit frustrating. Beer & food both still very good though.
14 Feb 2010 12:16
Big, typical town pub. Not a great choice of beer, but staff and customers were pleasant. It was late afternoon/early evening when we visited, so no karaoke.
29 Oct 2009 17:27
This really was very nice for a 'spoons, when we visited on a Monday eveniing. Good choice of beer, and what we had was good. Cleaner than the average 'spoons, staff friendly. Lots of CAMRA promotional stuff about.
29 Oct 2009 17:24
No food when we visited, but good choice of well kept beer and friendly service. A very nice pub.
29 Oct 2009 17:21
The Buccleuch and Queensberry Hotel, Thornhill
Not a bad pub at all. Decent food (but not the cheapest), good ales, and a warm welcome.
29 Oct 2009 17:19
The Barnt Green Inn, Barnt Green
As others have said, a bit souless and up itself. Food is pretty good, beer OK too IME. Prices are a bit steep though.
11 Oct 2009 12:19
The Old Hare and Hounds, Rednal
Beer was Ok, pub busy, but no terribly chav lot present. Beer was pretty good, food distinctly a bit poor.
11 Oct 2009 12:17
Fantastic James & Lister Lea building, nice beer, friendly staff.
2 Oct 2009 21:35
Lovely beer, good food policy!
A bit crowded at lunchtimes, but a great pub.
2 Oct 2009 21:33
It's a standard Birmingham Victorian pub, which is good.
It's a bit rough and ready, but the beer was Ok, the barman friendly, and I'll go again.
2 Oct 2009 21:27
An update: visited during a beer festival. Lots of good beer and cider, friendly staff. No students either :-)
20 Sep 2009 19:19
Food here is pretty good, beer OK, location excellent, staff friendly. The decking area is very nice on a hot day.
5 Sep 2009 23:13
I've drunk in here for 20 years.....
It's not plush, but friendly enough. Beer choice limited, but my Guiness was good.
5 Sep 2009 22:45
This is my favourite pub in Rushall. The oldest pub stories are completely untrue, but this is a lovely local pub with a good choice of nice beer, decent food, and a great proper pub atmosphere. The locals are extremely friendly, and the beer garden is excellent.
23 Aug 2009 18:46
Service was friendly, as was the only other customer. The pub is a little bland perhaps- nothing very special, but it is at least clean and not tired looking.
Beer choice was a little poor (no ale, and no decent lager either), but the Banks's bitter was fine.
15 Aug 2009 19:38
The Borough Hotel, Southend on Sea
Better than expected for a seafront pub, but the Summer Lightning we had was *terrible*. Building and location good, and the Kronenbourg & bottled beer tolerable.
1 Aug 2009 22:00
The Cornucopia, Southend on Sea
Tiny victorian pub with a few real ales. Staff were friendly, and the building is lovely.
1 Aug 2009 21:59
The Last Post, Southend on Sea
Walked in, walked out. Typical Wetherspoons- dark noisy, grimy.
1 Aug 2009 21:55
A little grim, but been in worse. A bit starey if you're not local, and a little bit grotty. Not *awful*, but not that good.
1 Aug 2009 21:54
Excellent pub with great beer & good food too. Staff friendly too.
1 Aug 2009 21:52
We found this place very friendly- staff & customers alike, and we're very obviously not local.. Beer was excellent (and tons of choice), and a nice atmosphere.
1 Aug 2009 21:50
We stayed here for a couple of nights.
It's a pretty nice pub- slightly upmarket food, some decent ale, and a nice atmosphere. Our room was very good for the price too.
The nice thing is despite the food bias it's still a pub, not just a restaurant.
1 Aug 2009 21:48
I was only in the front room, so didn't see any of the things mentioned by Archivist. This was my first visit here- I've been meaning to visit for several years.
It truly is a time warp- a proper, traditional pub with conversation and friendly people. Only tried one beer- Bumblehole- as we didn't have time for another. Bloxwich is rapidly becoming a good place to drink, with this and The Bell.
26 Jul 2009 09:54
This is a lovely pub. Traditonal, with several small rooms. As Archivist says, the beer garden is nice, and in some ways the pub is a step back in time. Beer choice seemed a bit limited unless I missed some, but the Banks's bitter was a nice pint. My favourite pub in Bloxwich.
26 Jul 2009 09:50
This is my local. The lounge does get used in the week, but sometimes closes if the pub is very quiet. Food is excellent, and I've never had a duff pint either. Can get a bit creche-like in the early evening.
19 Jul 2009 19:07
This is fairly local for me, so I sometimes pop in for Sunday lunch, which is always good, and the fine selection of ale, which always seems well kept.
19 Jul 2009 19:04
Have to agree with Archivist's comments. Sadly, I visited by car, so shandy was the order of the day. It's a pleasant pub with really nice outside space, friendly staff, and decent food.
19 Jul 2009 18:54
The Actress and Bishop, Birmingham
I've only visited on a lunchtime, but the beer was OK, the curry not bad, and while it's a bit grubby, it's not awful.
5 Jul 2009 19:42
The Gunmakers Arms, Birmingham
A nice backstreet Birmingham pub with friendly staff & customers.
5 Jul 2009 19:41
Sadly, I've been past today and it's closed and boarded up. I'll update if and when it reopens.
27 Jun 2009 19:53
The only decent pub in Aldridge- it's a little way from the town and is a nice quiet local- nothing very out of the ordinary but pleasant, and given the other choice, that's a good thing.
22 Jun 2009 22:18
We were staying nearby and visited for a few drinks and food.
The food was excellent (not cheap but worth every penny), as was the beer and the welcome.
31 May 2009 21:43
It is a /bit/rough and ready, but a nice location and the staff were friendly. Not a bad pub at all.
3 May 2009 23:20
Superb Victorian traditional pub. Excellent beer, nice atmosphere.
3 May 2009 23:11
Not a bad pub- good selection of excellent beer. A bit studenty ay times, but still good.
19 Apr 2009 22:24
The Black Country Arms, Walsall
A marvellous pub. The refit looks just like the Green Dragon it used to be, the beer is excellent, and the music loud enough to hear but quiet enough to hear over.
19 Apr 2009 22:22
An Ember in, but a not bad Ember Inn. Nothing special, but OK.
19 Apr 2009 22:14
Not a terrible pub, but an average chain pub with the usual average food and beer.
19 Apr 2009 22:13
The best pub in Pelsall. As Andyven says, it's changed little in 20 years, but has good beer, good food, and a friendly landlord.
19 Apr 2009 22:06
The Moon on the Square, Feltham
This really isn't at all bad for a Wetherspoons: not as grotty as most, and the staff seemed friendly to me. All the beer i tried was fine.
19 Apr 2009 19:33
About the only pub in Pelsall I will never revisit: It's that rough.
31 Jan 2009 21:53
A nice enough local pub: dominated by the local football club, but friendly.
31 Jan 2009 21:52
Lovely traditional pub. Good choice of beer and nice atmosphere.
31 Jan 2009 21:37
The Old Contemptibles, Birmingham
Not a bad pub, though packed with suits weekday lunchtimes. Fortunately, they bugger off soon enough.
Beer is pretty good, but I'd rather not have the 1970s style tankards.
20 Dec 2008 19:19
Typical Wetherspoons- so cheap food and drink. Beer variable, but not too bad overall.
On a busy night the bar gets very busy, and yes, the bar staff often serve their mates first.
The building is lovely and it can be an OK pub at the right time.
20 Dec 2008 19:04
A nice pub that represents an oasis of calm from the hell that is Walsall's main shopping street. Beer is usually pretty good, the food good and reasonably priced.
It's quite a small pub, so can get crowded.
20 Dec 2008 19:01
Fantastic pub: a lovely building, good choice of real ale, decent, reasonably priced food and friendly staff.
9 Nov 2008 18:10
The Great Western, Wolverhampton
Visited on a match day: Very busy, food looked as good as every, beer was excellent. One of my favourites in Wolves.
9 Nov 2008 18:08
Lovely backstreet Brimingham pub with great beer & food and a good atmosphere.
1 Nov 2008 20:51
A nice enough pub. Gay scene connections are evident, but no attitude problems for us. Beer OK, music good and loud enough but not too loud, bar staff friendly, building nice.
5 Sep 2008 22:18
A nice traditonal pub. Food seemed good enough- we had a decent baguette that was very reasonably priced. Didn't try any beer beyond Stella, but that was OK too.
4 Sep 2008 22:37
A fairly grim pub with sticky carpet, dirty tables, and no really decent beer. I wish it was better, as Aldridge has no decent pubs in the centre: the only reasonable one nearby is the Red Lion in Station St.
28 Aug 2008 22:07
The Stag and Pheasant, Coventry
Called in here on the way to Ricoh Arena. A decent pint of IPA and a friendly landlady. Not bad at all.
25 Jun 2008 22:24
Wonderful Victorian pub with good beer, friendly staff, good atmosphere.
26 May 2008 19:18
One of the best pubs in Walsall: a proper, traditional pub with good beer.
26 May 2008 18:55
The Duke Of Cumberlands Head, Clifton
I stayed here in late Feb, early March 2008.
The food and beer was very good, and the room comfortable- better than average TV, comfortable bed, decent shower. The staff were all helpful- we asked to move room after noise from a rattly fan kept us awake, and they sorted it out easily, and promised to attend to the fan.
The "No Riff-Raff" sign? That came up in conversation: It's a joke, but if you need me to tell you.... The owner may well be removing it.
4 Mar 2008 17:35
The Turf Tavern, Bloxwich
This pub is most definitely not closed: it did go through a patch of sporadic opening, but seems to have settled back down. It's evenings only during the week- 7 to 11, but I believe it opens at lunchtime 12-3 at weekends.
We visited on Dec 30, and literally nothing has changed since our last visit a year or two ago: friendly welcome, great beer, and a great atmosphere to chat and drink in. Beer was the usual Otter Bright, with Holden's Golden Glow and Hobson's Town Crier.
31 Dec 2015 10:39