The Hole in The Wall, Southsea

An absolute gem of a place. Every ale I've had has been excellent (and I've had a few I can tell you). A wide range of foreign bottled beers. A place where you'll meet some interesting characters of Pompey, friendly and welcoming. There's a smart lady who's quite entertaining telling punters to 'sit down'.... by the end of the evening all her airs and graces are out the window as she staggers out the pub! Have the sausage and mash, it's to die for. Competitive prices, great beer and great food with great company to boot. Oh... and a regular winner of CAMRA pub of the year.... and rightly so.

25 Jul 2012 18:27

The Dolphin, Portsmouth

We visited this pub before on the run up to Christmas 2010. Having good memories of previous visits several years back, we were looking forward to going back there again and feeling somewhat nostalgic. The pub is being marketed as a' Village Pub' and has had a bit of a makeover in recent times. What a disappointment, unfortunately it didn't feel welcoming. We felt as if we were outsiders, which is not good for a pub especially in a tourist area. We didn't get served for what felt like a lifetime, but there wasn't a queue. The bar staff seemed preoccupied with their regulars or messing about and didn't want to acknowledge a new face which I find is a strange attitude to have in these challenging times. The choice of ale not that good and over-priced. We dislike paying a premium in a pub where people are not welcome; the dogs were made more welcome with water bowls strategically placed around the venue, can be a bit of a hazard. It could have been called the �Dog and Dolphin� and if they're not careful it could be going to the fore mentioned. Perhaps the owners felt that customers should feel privileged to drink there. So hot-footed along to Monks Bar ..........

5 Feb 2011 12:31