The Travellers Friend, Woodford Green

I wouldn't have a bad word said about this pub. I am not a regular, but would like to be. On a recent visit (my first in a few months) I was made to feel welcome by the landlord who did engage in conversation. When visiting a pub, it is also the responsibility of the visitor to engage other people in conversation if that's what they want, and not sit back and wait for the busy bar staff to talk to them.

To be honest not many pubs do make a newcomer feel welcome. You can't tell me that managed chains like Wetherspoons make people feel welcome, yet I have yet to see comments such as these appear against any of their pubs.

The warm welcome and the excellent selection of cask beers made me stop for a few more than the one I intended.

12 Dec 2007 08:14

The Rose Inn, Southminster

Doesn't anyone from BITE get out this far.

Small, very friendly local pub steeped in tradition with excellent well kept beer.

19 Jul 2006 07:45

The Regent, Walton on Thames

I would agree with the last comment. Wetherspoons seem to get a bad press on BITE, probably because it's a successful national chain which has provided the public with what they want - otherwise they wouldn't be successful.

I think steaders wrote his recent comments for laughs or because he's a competing publican.

The clientele are varied. Yes you get teenagers and people with tatoos (increasing people have tatoos nowadays), but you also get workmen, office workers, middle aged people here. You get pensioners coming in with their partners to have a civilised chat over a well priced meal.

After the comment about the gum on the carpet, I scoured the carpet on my last visit on Friday and could not find a single piece.

To keep this rounded, the food here is not the highest standard of other Wetherspoon outlets (Wetherspoon standards have dropped steadily since inception) and the all the cutlery in the tray was dirty on my last visit.

19 Jul 2006 07:42