The Volunteer, Baker Street

Spent a good Friday night here last week. Gets very busy but the real ale is well kept and the waitress service meant we didn't have to get up off our seats all night. Top Hole!

8 Feb 2007 17:39

The Bay View Inn, Widemouth Bay

Couldn't agree more with the previous comment.
Ate dinner here during a visit at Easter - very popular and busy at weekends but only because it's such a great pub. Food was good and they even had live classical guitar music.
Came back last weekend and couldn't get a table for dinner so had to sit in the garden and drink the beer instead. Excllent ale including Skinner's Doom Bar and their own 'Bay View Sunset' beer (very quaffable).
Garden has a little playground to keep the kids amused and a life-size tardis and K-9 (don't ask me why).
Pleasant view over the bay - nice sunsets.
Well worth a visit if you're in the area.

5 Sep 2006 14:53

The Shakespeare's Head, Soho

I visited this pub on a Thursday evening after work. We were eventually around 20 in number, in varying degrees of smartnesss from jeans to suits, but as we arrived in small groups over about an hour no comment was made by the management.
The place itself is good for large gatherings: quite good music, plenty of space (if a little dark). There did seem to be a fairly quick turnover of punters so that at times it resembled a station's waiting room.
First pint (Greene King IPA) was definitely off. Second one (London Pride) was much more drinkable and convinced me it was worth stayng for one more.
I believe you can always judge a pub by its toilets, and these toilets were fairly unpleasant: one urinal full to the brim and the hand dryer out of order.
I guess its location guarantees enough trade to stay in business so why try harder.
I wouldn't hurry back there. There are plenty of better pubs within a five minute walk.
All in all, a very average pub.

7 Aug 2006 15:29