City Arms, Wells

Having been to this pub before (being fairly local) we were not sure about returning as the last experience was not good. On this visit, the taking of a food order at the table has ceased and you now order at the bar. There was one, slow, member of staff behind the bar and a non English speaking person attending tables. In pigeon English he asked us to move from our table for four to another, identical, table for four and moved some other diners from a table with higher 'pew' type seats to the table had just vacated rather than to the nearer table we had been ushered to! Food was ordered at the bar and took a while to arrive. I re-attended the bar to order further drinks while we waited for the food to arrive and stood there for fifteen minutes whilst the slow bar person went about serving others. There were only three beers on hand pumps all from Cottage Brewing. I tried two but, although the Gold Rush was palatable, it was not as good as beers available from the more local Cheddar Ales Brewery (all of which are great!) Fearing my food would be cold by the time I was served, I returned to my most recent table empty handed, and my food had just arrived. Both my wife and I had really great meals that were plentiful in quantity and flavour. Having eaten, I returned to the bar for the drinks I had abortively tried to obtain earlier and was served relatively quickly. It would have been good to have had a drink to compliment the food rather than to just wash it down. I would return for a meal again but would not go on a Saturday in "high season" if the two staff can't cope with the volume of customers, I'll probably stick to week days!

27 Jul 2013 21:42

The Sovereigns, Portsmouth

Good potential to get a reasonable real ale as it is a free house, Doom Bar when I visited on 17th May '13. Staff slow, can't identify who has been waiting and who has just arrived and were rude when this was pointed, refusing to serve me again! Carried out "bottling up" despite saying they were too busy to serve efficiently. Whilst the person who claimed to be the manager was telling me she would not be serving me again a third person came to the bar to complain about slow service. Barman became very animated towards one complainant who identified that he, too, had not being served and used borderline racist language in his reply! Waited nearly 40 mins for surf and turf, steak very tough and chewy when it did arrive. Would not go back.

18 May 2013 17:47

Riverside Inn and Restaurant, Cheddar

Use this pub regularly and found they have stopped Potholer. It may be back at Easter but, until then, Cornish or Devon beers are available on draft, it seems that they are serving stuff you can find in most big towns!

18 Feb 2012 18:15