what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

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Crouchend_Hammer
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by Crouchend_Hammer »

WHU Independent wrote:

The Island Queen, Noel Road Islington.[/b]

This is all that is wrong with hipster pubs. Lazy staff, who didn't have a scoobie and actually hid at the end of the bar, crouched down trying to be out of sight, rubbish prices (£5+ a pint most beers), dirty, untidy, didn't understand the concept of cash payments too well (kept on handing me a cash machine while I had notes in my hand) and really appalling bogs that were awash with piss, toilet papers stuffed down the side of the bog and the wall like a white blanket and smelly.

I went there to celebrate a mates birthday. I won't be back. The place gets one point for the wine, which was Merlot, at a decent price and good.

1/10
I haven't been for ages but i used to really like the Island Queen
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by Estuary »

Good Stuff.
I really wanted to read Bert "Battles" Rossi's book.
But since he passed away,it 's become rare at a sensible price
Yes, a lot of those limited run true crime books go for silly money after a few years. Currently about £50, but it'll only get rarer.
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by The Collector »

The Brewery Tap, Leeds. Just outside the station.

Only time for one pint before my train back to the Smoke. Asked for a Leeds Best and the barman started to pull the beer and it spluttered it’s last legs. “I’ll just nip down and change the barrel” he said.

5 minutes later he’s back up the stairs and starts to pull the ullage through but still air. “Something’s wrong with the pipe, do you want something else?” So, I asked for a Rudgate Ruby Mild. He moved down the bar and pulled a pint of murky swamp water. “This one’s gone as well”. Argh!

Mindful of my train’s imminent departure I pointed at a pump and said “I’ll have that one and if this one is off I’ll have a coffee to take away!”

Pint of Midnight Bell slipped down very nicely if not a little too quickly. 6/10 because of the palaver.
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by WHU Independent »

Thanks to the Collector for reviving this thread.

A few pubs from the last month or so:

The Gold Coast Resort Bar, Dungurvan, Waterford: A nice bar on a village complex. Great locals, Under £5.00 a pint for Heineken, decent service and a nice place to drink it in. Nice clean bogs too. 7/10

The Old Ship, Limehouse E14: I went here with my sister as she wanted to see the drag act - Danny Beard - who was outrageous offensive - some people took the abuse so badly they walked out! Top beer, decent prices (Just over £8.00 for a Guinness and a Tia maria and coke), a straight friendly crowd with no hassle, lovely helpful bar staff and open till midnight too with no entry fee. My favourite boozer in East London.10/10

The Ledger Building, Canary Wharf. A bit soulless, but cheap and cheerful. A wide selection of ales, beers and wines, with ale festivals being a regular occurrence. Amazingly easy to get served, despite it being a Friday night, great staff and very decent bogs. The atmosphere was lacking but apart from that it's a decent place to have a drink. 7/10

The Good Samaritans, Whitechapel: A nice, comfy pub, if a drably painted and decorated. The Guinness was good but the bar staff were pretty inept and slow. The bogs were mediocre - stunk of piss and were not looked after - toilet paper all over the gaff. Good place to watch sports - not packed out and decent sized screens. Had a decent local feel with some friendly locals. The prices are reasonable - most beers well under £5.00 a pint. A steady, decent boozer. 6/10

The Galvanizers Union, Bromley By Bow - a shabby chic but homely and a great atmosphere. Prices of beers vary wildly - £5.10 for a pint of Roadie, £3.30 for a pint of bitter - but all the beers a good. The pub has changed hands, but the transition seems seamless. A nice bottle of Merlot for about £14 was reasonable.Bogs are small and averagely clean. Nice, engaging bar staff too. Background music was cool - some old Motown and not all the classics, some nice oddities there.

The Beehive, Bromley By Bow. - a rough ready pub with very loud locals, but loud in a nice way. Excellent bar staff and bogs, plus very decent beer. |All this plus free gigs, free comedy shows and cheap pool tables - what's not to like. I will go here more often, as it's worth supporting. 9/10

The Widow's Son, Bromley By Bow: I went here for the hanging of the bun ceremony that takes place every Easter as I feel it is worth supporting and keeping these traditions alive. It was banged out with 4 deep at the bar but the 4 staff were working their nads off to keep up with the demand - and they worked admirably and tirelessly. A pint of Estrella for less than a fiver - yes please. Clean bogs, given the amount of people using them and a great buzz throughout the place all afternoon. Another pub I'll support and visit more often.

The Phoenix, Oxford Street: I went here to go to the club below, Heavy Load, which is a classic rock club that plays Purple/Hendrix/Zeppelin/Sabbath etc. Can only talk about the club really as we didn't spend much time in the bar. The Club is great and has a real family feel about it. Top bouncers, no hint of any aggro, everyone chilled out and enjoying the classic stuff played really loud. It wasn't overly packed (bonus), the bar staff are amazing but the prices are on the steep side. £20 for a bottle of wine which I've seen in the supermarket for £7 was a bit of a liberty IMHO, especially as you've paid £6.00 to get into the gaff (which to be fair is decent price for entry.) Mostly brilliant music with the odd stinker thrown in. I had a great time - didn't use the bogs so can't comment. 8/10
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by Greatest Cockney Rip Off »

The Marquis of Lorne, Brixton.

Went there on Friday evening. Typical old school Irish boozer (and I mean old-school, think 1980s). Guinness was good, dart board and pool table, but they didn't accept cards - cash only. No music, and no real atmosphere either.

6/10
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by sendô »

The Water Poet in Shoreditch closed a few weeks ago btw. A great pub that'll be much missed.

It feels like all the decent pubs with a selection of beer are closing and being replaced by "bars" that all sell the same generic lager.
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by mushy »

WHU Independent wrote:
The Old Ship, Limehouse E14: I went here with my sister as she wanted to see the drag act - Danny Beard - who was outrageous offensive - some people took the abuse so badly they walked out! Top beer, decent prices (Just over £8.00 for a Guinness and a Tia maria and coke), a straight friendly crowd with no hassle, lovely helpful bar staff and open till midnight too with no entry fee. My favourite boozer in East London.10/10


a
I popped in here a couple of weeks ago on Indies recommendation (though I have been before), the night I was there was quiz night and as I enjoy a quiz I decided to sit in.
Beer was excellent and the barman was quite happy to change my pint when I told him I thought the barrel had turned.
The quiz was quite camp (funny camp) but I enjoy that sort of thing, and so did the regular mixed crowd who clearly are very loyal to this pub. It was a great night and would go back again.
I also visited the The Queens Head (opposite corner). Very disappointing to be honest, used to be a lovely locals pub but was just about empty the night I was there despite having the live football on.
I asked for a pint of Youngs and the barmaid said she wasnt sure if it was on or not (never a good sign if the staff cant actually tell you) , so I asked for the other ale that was on (cant remember what it was) and this also wasnt available. I settled for a reasonable pint of Guinness before leaving.
I probably wont be returning either, its a real shame.
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by WHU Independent »

mushy wrote:I also visited the The Queens Head (opposite corner). Very disappointing to be honest, used to be a lovely locals pub but was just about empty the night I was there despite having the live football on. I asked for a pint of Youngs and the barmaid said she wasnt sure if it was on or not (never a good sign if the staff cant actually tell you) , so I asked for the other ale that was on (cant remember what it was) and this also wasnt available. I settled for a reasonable pint of Guinness before leaving. I probably wont be returning either, its a real shame.
Totally agree with you Mushy re The Old Ship and the above. I was in the Queens Head a few weeks ago and I found it exactly as you said, along with soul-less and sterile.

Did you manage it across the road to The Craft Beer CO pub (used to be the Railway) - I had an absolutely shocking pint in there that cost about £5.15. In fact my mates pint and the others wine was "piss poor." I was wondering if you or anyone else here had tried it to see what they thought.
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by Monkeybubbles »

This week.....

The Hampton, Brighton
Old haunt of mine, recently refurbed. Good brews, very very nice Indian Street Food, flirty hot barmaids.
7/10

William the Fourth, Brighton
Drunk woman asked if my mate was my son. I'm 54, he's 47.
0/10

The Marlipins, Shoreham
Locals were 50/50 abondoned smackheads and beered up fat blokes lpooking to fight anyone they didn't recognise.
10/10 will be back
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by Tenbury »

Monkeybubbles wrote:This week.....

The Hampton, Brighton
C'mon, you made that one up didn't you??
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by Nesticles »

Ye Olde Cock Tavern (Fleet Street, Holborn)

Great pub. Excellent beer choices, including decent craft options. Wide selection of guns too. Food was also excellent.

8/10
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by The Collector »

The George Hotel, Stamford.

What a wonderful place this is. A rambling old coaching inn over several levels with bars, lounges and dining rooms all over the place.

We were there to celebrate a wedding and I was driving, so I only had the one drink so my rating is coloured by this.

Place 10/10.
Food 5/10 (overpriced pub food, served by a bloke wearing a pinny)
Drink 6/10 (for the size of the place an underwhelming wine list)

I would post a link to their website but they have very few pictures which do not do the place justice.
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by The Collector »

Nesticles wrote:Ye Olde Cock Tavern (Fleet Street, Holborn)

Great pub. Excellent beer choices, including decent craft options. Wide selection of guns too. Food was also excellent.

8/10
Used to love going down the Olde Cock (!) when on a Fleet St pub crawl. Nice to see that most of the pubs are still going.
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by mushy »

WHU Independent wrote:
Did you manage it across the road to The Craft Beer CO pub (used to be the Railway) - I had an absolutely shocking pint in there that cost about £5.15. In fact my mates pint and the others wine was "piss poor." I was wondering if you or anyone else here had tried it to see what they thought.
No I didnt, largely due to your previous review on here.
I will make it my business to pop in and confirm if what you say is true.
I also need to try another of your recommendations The Tommy Flowers.

Not heard you mention Bum Daddies for a while, has it gone?
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by WHU Independent »

The Collector wrote:Not heard you mention Bum Daddies for a while, has it gone?
Mushy: I'm afraid that the only mate who would go in there with me (and really enjoyed the pub) has popped his clogs, after being ill for a while, so I don't go in there any more. If you are round that way and fancy a pint, let me know :) I'd love to go back in.

Re The Tommy Flowers: Good news - now has draft Budvar on tap and it's bloody lovely, if a bit pricy at £4:50 a pop. It's also getting a range of draft and bottled beers from 5 Points and this is good news.

Bad news: I'm afraid the pub, early on in the day at least (from 5 - about 8 pm) has a group of 40 Year old +coke heads, thug life wannabies, mingling out the back part of the pub near the bogs, about once/twice a week{ usually Thursday or Friday) and they get really coked up. Being the brave souls they are, and mob handed, they get growly with some of the older punters and those less able to defend themselves. They actually get very very paranoid and thing everyone is looking at them and their behaviour is becoming increasingly erratic. The manager knows about this but is scared to do anything. If they come in, I walk out, because it's obvious something bad is going to happen. Later on Friday and all day Sat is usually a good time to go. If you ever go, gimme a shout, I'm very close by.
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by The Collector »

The Collector wrote:Not heard you mention Bum Daddies for a while, has it gone?
WHU Independent wrote:Mushy: I'm afraid...
errr?
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by WHU Independent »

The collector: The page auto quoted you in error. Should be a quote from Mushy.
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by bunk »

The Nag's Head, Reading - Despite having a rich history regarding beer, i've always felt Reading had a pretty poor selection of pubs. Thankfully The Nag's Head makes up some ground as a proper ale pub with a fair bit of character. Few signs from the old Elm Park ground, walls plastered with hundreds of coasters and a nice relaxed atmosphere. Had a few pints of the Elusive Brewing's Morrisman chocolate stout, which was one of the best stouts i've had in quite some time. Friendly staff and worth a visit if in the area. 7.5/10.
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by chelmsfordhammer91 »

Had a rare night out with two of my brothers on Friday.

Kept to the ales mostly as although I've only started drinking them the last month or so, they sit a lot better than lagers and taste a lot more refreshing.

Railway Tavern, Chelmsford.
Usual haunt for me on a working lunch if we don't go to the Plough. They keep their pipes clean and have a decent selection of ales.

I went for a couple of pints of Azacca, very moorish and around 3.80 a pint. They run out after a couple so tried an ale called Hedgehog. Again very tasty and relatively cheap.

Enough space for a small pub, we were there from 5pm ish so managed to get a nice little table/bay in the corner.
9/10.

O'Connor's, Chelmsford.
Lovely Irish pub but not much choice with ales. Went for a standard IPA then realised they had Tribute so had a couple of them. Again, enough space for a Friday night and clean. Seems a little bit run down nowadays compared to a few years ago.
8/10

Plough, Chelmsford.
Most Friday lunches consist of 3 pints down here with work mates. Decent variety of ales that change regularly.
I had a couple of Doom bars which were relatively okay. I get 10% off food and drink here so a pint was only about 3.20.
Not busy but it is in need of a revamp. Had some Christmas meals here with work and the food is about par for this sort of pub.
7.5/10.
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Re: what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

Post by Crawley Iron »

A loosely Jubilee Line based mini pub crawl for Mrs Iron and me before Saturday’s game – as it was Saturday lunchtime away from the ground it’s a bit unfair to comment on atmosphere as they were all pretty quiet.

Bunch of Grapes London Bridge
Bigger on the inside than it looks from outside, very much a no frills interior with wooden floors and limited seating – there’s also some form of garden too, but it was too cold on Saturday to venture outside! A pint of Young’s Special for me and a G & T for Mrs Iron, by far the most expensive round of the day. Clean toilets. 7/10

The George Inn Southwark

Well-known for being owned by the National Trust and for being the only remaining galleried inn in London, it’s well worth a visit for its history. There’s a large courtyard with tables and benches which catches the sun at lunchtime, so I would imagine it’s very popular on warmer days – on Saturday there appeared to be quite a high proportion of foreign tourists visiting. The pub is run by Greene King, which doesn’t normally give me a great feeling, but the Southwark Brewing London Pale Ale was very pleasant, not too hoppy for my tastes. 8/10

The Angel Bermondsey Wall SE16

A Sam Smiths pub which means that a pint of Old Brewery Bitter and a non-specific G&T were close to half the price of the round at the Bunch of Grapes. This is an old-fashioned pub right on the South Bank to the Thames, with absolutely spectacular views of Tower Bridge, The Shard and The City. One to visit on a warm day for the views. Clean toilets. Pub 5/10, View 10/10

The Ship Rotherhithe SE16
Attractive pub on the inside with a few tables and chairs outside – run by the Ram Pub Company, which is part of Young’s. We ate here (very good food, reasonably priced) and I had a pint of Special followed by a Ram & Special, a combination I haven’t had for years! We would have happily stayed here longer, but kick off was approaching so it’s about a ten minute walk to Canada Water tube station. 9/10

The Shipwrights Arms London Bridge
We missed a train by a couple of minutes, so filled the following half an hour with a visit here – reasonably lively pub with a central bar, so quickly served. All in all the pub does its job, not great but not one to avoid either. A pint of Harvey’s rounded off the day. 7/10
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