Southern Cross, Watford

The Snow Patrol of Watford pubs. You won't love it or hate it, you'll just find it bland enough to not get in the way of your pint.

23 Jul 2008 14:20

The Horns, Watford

Friendly down to earth music-focused boozer, protected from Watford's central Strip by four lanes of passing traffic. Nice place to visit all year round, but probably comes into it's own in the summer months when you can spill out onto the large patio outside.

Bands on 3/4 nights a week, usual a mix of local bands and decentish tribute acts. The landlord also seems to be a close personal friend of Cockernee Geniuses Chas n Dave, so they're normally on a couple of times a year. Gertcha.

22 Jul 2008 14:15

Bar Bodega, Watford

Like a breath of fresh air after the meat market Ibiza-but-with-worse-weather style vibe of the rest of the 'Cafe Quarter'.

As mentioned below, possibly a bit pricier than other nearby places, but as with all things you gets what you pays for. In this case, it means a pleasant laid-back atmosphere, a decent drinks range and attentive bar staff who can tell their olives from their elbows. Can get a bit crowded later in the evening, but you can always escape to the nice little outdoor courtyard at the back when the weather is nice (i.e. between about Jul 31st and Aug 2nd)

One final plus point is that the original frontage has been kept, which means it could still pass as a bank from the outside. The upside of this is that the more educationally challenged members of Watford's drinking community don't realise it's a bar and walk straight past. This is a good thing.

22 Jul 2008 14:08