BITE user comments - wilson_the_dude
Comments by wilson_the_dude
Probably the best real ale pub I found in glasgow. This may not be saying much, but rest assured this pub is excellent. Always seemed to be 8 real ales available, most of them from scottish brewers. I saw Brewdog's Riptide stout, which is extremely rare even in bottles. Also Brewdog's Hardcore IPA, which is possibly the best pint I've ever had. Great atmosphere too, top place all round.
Slightly strange pricing policy though. The two beers above were 3 quid a pint, great value for beers around the 8-9% range. However, all the other beers were the same price. Either you're being massively undercharged on the premium beers, or overcharged on the normal ones. Weirdly, i think it's actually the former.
Awesome range of whiskies too, have to admit i didnt try any of these though.
Solid 9 any day of the week.
14 Dec 2010 14:33
Great place this. Popped in because of reviews on this site and wasnt diappointed. 4 different real ales on and a great selection of bottled beers from the likes of Sierra Nevada, Brewdog, Flying Dog.
Tried three different ales, all of which were in top condition. If I lived in Glasgow I'd be in here every day!
26 Jul 2010 10:25
The crown and kettle is almost a great put, but falls short and ends up haveing to settle for being merely very good.
the beer is always great and its a strking building, so why the reservations? i think it boils down to atmosphere, that certain 'je ne sais quoi' that truly great pubs has and this place just...doesnt.
that may sounds a bit harsh, but try coming here on a saturday night, when the place should be heaving. instead, its half-empty and deathly quiet. and must they insist on having big-screen tvs just showing match of the day?
having said all this, i do go here whenever im out round the northern quarter and, unlike bar fringe, the service is very good. but still, i never seem to stay for more than one pint.
so near and yet so far... a disappointing (for me) 6.
11 Jun 2010 18:13
Truly, this is God's own pub. Views of urban Britain at its most evocative, unheard-of levels of real ale excellence, classic rock on the jukebox...what more could a man want?
the last time i went here they'd added a second bar to the total number of handpumps to what, 20? I had always felt limited by a trifling 14...
ive never had a bad or even mediocre pint here. seriously, i may be getting carried away here but i honestly consider the crown to be my favourite pub of all time. i know, i know, but it really is that good, even the pork scratching are top-notch (though admittedly it's hard to go wrong with pig fat and salt).
easily a 10, even on its worst day.
11 Jun 2010 18:08
Second review here from me. is this place going downhill? the woman who works here at night (the err...more mature one) looks and behaves like a crackhead. on saturday night she ended up drinking the place out of vodka, she was permanently sipping it from a china cup...nice.
great beer selection as always but this place needs to act its act together re customer service, its simply terrible most of the time. people really will stop coming here, i suspect the owners think these bizarre characters add, well, 'character', but they dont. believe me, there's loads of great pubs nearby where you DONT get shouted at/insulted/denied vodka.
seriously, ive loved bar fringe for years but they need to sort out their recruitment policy. still a solid 7 though, for the real ale and belgian beers alone.
11 Jun 2010 17:55
Not a bad place at all. Decent selection of real ales served at fair prices. When I was there they had deuchars (of course), dark island and another one whose name escapes me. Good lively atmosphere, i preferred this place to the grog and gruel opposite(ish).
11 Jun 2010 17:49
Bit of a strange one , this. Great friendly atmosphere and good selection of ales at a reasonable price. However, all the real ales I tried were far too cold, like super-chilled lager.
More of problem though was the fact that I have my suspicions as to which beer I was actually being served. I know this sounds odd but the first beer I had was trade winds, which i've had many times before. except...this didnt taste anything like trade winds (and didnt look much like it either). I assumed it must be my dodgy memory/tastebuds and enjoyed the pint anyway. the next beer i tried was a wheat beer (i forget the name) which came out lloking like john smiths! and tasting like it too. this was definitively NOT a wheat beer. if i was a more suspicious man i'd say they had every hand pump connected to the same barrel.
shame, as id been really looking forward to this place and it had everything alse right. we ended up in the place across the street which was by no means as nice as the grog and gruel, but the beer at least appeared to be what it said it was.
reluctantly, i have to give this place a poor mark based on the beer i was served 2 nights running.
11 Jun 2010 17:46
I was only in this pub briefly but its clearly a top-notch place. loads of hand pumps and a great range of ales. i tried the 'railway sleeper' which was excellent and under 2 quid! wetherspoons prices. very helpful bar staff, everything you could want in a pub i reckon.
10 Nov 2009 12:14
this is almost a great pub - excellent beers at reasonable prices. however, as other reviewers have pointed out, the staff are unfriendly to the point of out and out rudeness. in fact, one of the reasons i still go there is to see just how rude the staff can be! strange i know. despite all that, i would (grudgingly) recommend it. great for a beer crawl of: Marble Arch, Angel, Smithfield Hotel, Bar Fringe, Crown and Kettle and the recently reopened Castle Hotel.
19 Apr 2009 21:11
this is an absolutely ideal pub. i used to live just down smithdown road but would always pass kellys dispensary to get to the willow bank. even sitting in the beer 'garden' by the main road is good. theres always plenty of excellent beer and the jukebox is sporadic so you can talk with your mates. theres always a good mix of students and locals and the bar staff (including the absolutely stunning gemma)are very friendly. what more could you want?
30 Mar 2007 12:14
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The Blackfriars, Glasgow
Went to this place when in glasgow for the Merchant City festival, after recommendations on this site.
Great selection of real ales from local(ish) breweries. I had ones from Kelburn and Inveralmond. Looks like they change beers regularly, always a good sign. All the beers i've tried in there have been in top condition, but one from the Kelham ISland brewery in Sheffield was underwhelming (not the pubs fault obviously).
Special mention to the bottled beers. Good range of Belgians but the best bit is the Americans. Seriously good beers here, like Yeti stout and Hercules IPA from Great Divide brewery. Also some Flying Dog ones. Off there soon to try the Hop Devil, hope they havent sold out! Up there with thhe Bon Accord for best pub in Glasgow.
14 Dec 2010 14:39