please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Bar cum bistro cum nightclub feel. Loud music, and a mixed clientele with a slightly older crowd than you might find elsewhere on the High Street. Some of the ladies were pretty smartly dressed. The bar staff however looked about 14, but were perfectly pleasant. The beer pumps are unmarked and I was never able to work out whether any of them dispensed bitter.
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Very nice set up & very chilled out atmosphere. A lot of people in here were eating when we visited but we managed to bag a table easily enough. Drinks were on the pricey side but just about worth it if you're only staying for one or two.
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Only place in Watford that isn't overrun with chavs (possibly they haven't noticed it's a bar?) More expensive than the rest of the high street but worth it.
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They've stopped serving Lowenbrau on draught and replaced it with some inferior German Pils, WHAT A MISTAKE.....!!!!
Come on Jason, sort it out.
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best pub in town by far,with a simple recipe of good beer and no idiots.
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My work local, spent another pleasant evening in here last night. Excellent pub/bar (it does pints so in my book it's a pub) for grown ups. Yes it is a bit more pricey than the rest of the franchise theme pubs on the high street but well worth it if you value conversation and good service over loud music and dayglo shots. Small but good range of beers including Leffe on draught, friendly staff, table service if you want it.
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Nothing much more to add other than echo the other reviews. It's a bit of gold crowded by a pile of shit that is every other bar in Watford.
Friendly staff, nice atmosphere, and no trouble. I really don't mind spending an extra quid on a pint that I can enjoy, not having to look around to see whether I'm going to be bottled.
Only downside is it can be a bit cramped on friday/saturday night. Maybe re-jig the tables?
Other than that, love the place
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Like a breath of fresh air after the meat market Ibiza-but-with-worse-weather style vibe of the rest of the 'Cafe Quarter'.
As mentioned below, possibly a bit pricier than other nearby places, but as with all things you gets what you pays for. In this case, it means a pleasant laid-back atmosphere, a decent drinks range and attentive bar staff who can tell their olives from their elbows. Can get a bit crowded later in the evening, but you can always escape to the nice little outdoor courtyard at the back when the weather is nice (i.e. between about Jul 31st and Aug 2nd)
One final plus point is that the original frontage has been kept, which means it could still pass as a bank from the outside. The upside of this is that the more educationally challenged members of Watford's drinking community don't realise it's a bar and walk straight past. This is a good thing.
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Love this place - one of the only bars in Watford where chavs are outnumbered (yay).
Slightly more expensive than other places, but there is actually a decent wine list and great choice of beers / spirits. Food is decent, and the service is relaxed, friendly and always professional.
They've managed to hit on the head the kinda laid back coolness and style that many bars in central London crave for! Keep it up.
jdf73 - 31 Mar 2008 18:17 |
More cool london that chav watford (so are the prices). but worth the money to keep out undesirables (its more than 5 yards from yates) and have a guaranteed good night.
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what is there not to get about bodega. Its simple! Bodega wants to make you feel at ease after work gets a party off to a stylish start or if your on a date an intimate candlelit nibble for two. You get what you pay for in bodega A smile, bigger measure drinks and presentation and the banter. The staff are there to make sure your night is a good one. Table service so you dont have to move all night and the food is very tasty (must try bodega fat chips). I used to do the london scene bars and clubs, bodega truely hits all the notes.
anonymous - 14 Sep 2007 09:21 |
As bar's go this is the one for me. Great staff, very informed and friendly, table service no matter where you're sitting, good ambience.
Prices are high, and fair enough, nothing that will raise an eyebrow anywhere in London, it's not going to be whetherspoons is it, nor would you want it to be.
My Personal favorite, sitting in the garden, having a nice pint, and reading a book, and forgetting the world, priceless.
TTFN.
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Bar Bodega, is a fantastic venue no matter what the occasion for you and your friends, your colleagues, or even your family. If you fancy a quick pint on the way home from work and a plate of fish n' chips while you read the paper, if there is a group of you celbrating a birthday and need somewhere to party, or perhaps its friday night and you and your mates want to sit in the garden drinking from the extensive range of wines beers and spirits they have to offer feasting from their fantastic menue while enjoying the delightful tabe service, then Bodega is the place for you. It is a little more expensive than the other places in town, but people will pay �4 for a coffee in starbucks, why? Quality and experience. Bodega offers so much more than the other places in town. The staff are friendly and welcoming and take a genuine pride in what they do, and that is making sure each and every one of their customers has a great experience and a fantastic night to remember.
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Bar Bodega has a fantastic atmosphere about it, it is a perfect place to enjoy drinks with your friends!! for the people that dont get it... bodegas is a little more expensive than you 'average' bar in watford but the service the cleanliness of the bar is all worth it, who wants to stand at a bar with puddles of beer so you get your sleeves wet, surrounded by chaves! it is a classy meeting point, the food is fantasic and i have never had a bad experiance, you can see as soon as you walk in that bodega's main focus point is the customers, and they aim to make your experiance in bodega and unique one, not like your 'average' bar in watford.
if you have never had the chance of taking the experiance at bodega i suggest you do it this weekend!! ENJOY
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I've never really got Bodegas, although many of my friends, colleagues and aquintences seem to love it - although the most-cited good point is that 'chavs' have been economically cleansed from the establishment. You'll be shocked by MASSIVE prices for drinks, feel claustrophobic when it's elbow crowded on busy nights and realise it's lacking in all atmosphere. Hate getting dragged here by Bodegas fans... it's rubbish...
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Nice bar and good mix of ages - but prices are outrageous!! Remember - this is Watford not the West End !!! And are the spirits watered down?? !!
anonymous - 21 May 2007 18:06 |
Up market bar at the top of the Parade near the Town Hall. Low lighting comfortable seating and smart d�cor make for a nice atmosphere. Roving waiting staff, good menu that specialises in pizzas, various beers including one cask beer, Pedigree. Expensive but presumably so to keep out Watford�s low life. I don�t frequent it much but visit now and again for nostalgic reasons as I used to work there when it was a branch of Nat West Bank.
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This is a very nice pub, clientele and decor are great...HOWEVER it is absolutely EXTORTIONATE. We were charged �3.40 for a lemonade and lime!!! �2 for the lemonade and �1.40 for the dash of lime!! Ridiculous! Plus it was �1.20 for a tiny can of coke that would cost you about 25p in the supermarket!! RIDICULOUS!
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Excellent bar. It does get a bit crowded on a Saturday night but that's mostly die to it being the only decent place on the high street. Get there early, grab a table and enjoy!
anonymous - 15 Nov 2006 18:15 |
Absolutely excellent bar. I thought this place was perfect until I realised there's actually an outside area as well - even better! A bit pricey but I'm happy to pay that to be with like-minded drinkers who aren't sporting pastille-coloured YSL shirts and brandishing bottles as missiles. Top spot!
anonymous - 7 Oct 2006 23:00 |
Best bar in Watford by a country mile.
By and large void of the mongs you'll find in most other pubs in Watford, largely due to the high prices. It's still worth paying that little bit more and to know you'll not get a glass in your face.
Very good staff and decent clientele of all ages, shapes and sizes. Long may it continue.
A bit prententious but that never hurt anyone.
anonymous - 8 Jun 2006 13:28 |
Well to be perfectly honest with you I am glad that this is the only one in Watford. It makes it unique and there is nothing I like more than to go there and pretend that I am not in Watford!! Great bar! When I told my friend that it has a garden as well she was shocked!! Fab garden fab abiance and just a generally brilliant place to be in!! Jazz, Booze and candles!! Thanks for keeping it just the way it is!!
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Good bar, shame there aren't more of these in Watford - it's nice to have somewhere to go that's not full of drunken 18 year olds. Beer only average but it's more of a bar vibe anyway so can't really complain
dodgy - 18 Apr 2006 11:01 |
Would be ok if they didn't let 5000 people into a bar the size of a postage stamp.
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Top place in Watford, no chavs, no fights just quality staff and customers
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This pub is fantastic. Best run bar I know of. Customer is always put first. Thep Post below states that he they had trouble getting served. Really? Never takes more than 30 seconds, even in the busiest of times. Did I say this was fantastic? Beer's good too, and its reassuringly expensive. (No student-grade, low quality beer in here. Oh, Its fantastic
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I like this place. No real turds go in here apart from a couple of people i know.
Gets busy at times and it's a bit tricky getting served but other that that it's a good place to have a beer. That means it'll be closing down shortly to make way for a Mongolian gin bar.
They also sell Hoegarden which is fantastic if you want complete memory loss and lose the feeling in the left side of your head.
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The best bar in Watford town cente. No spangly blonde 18 year olds or acne faced charlie boi's. Friendly staff, gorgeous settings oak veneered tables and chairs with dribbling church candles around the walls, even has a small garden if you can find it. Many a Saturday night spent here LANGING BOAT. Tip Top.
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this is a great place for a drink once you can get a seat. It is pricey, but there is a good atmosphere. Table service is nice, but as they do a good range of shots, (including absynthe), this can be deadly.
MATTHEW - 10 Aug 2004 09:21 |
FAB place. Best pub in Watford by a mile. Friendly staff, table service (all night), some basic food options to soak up the beer, not too noisy but has a good atmosphere. Not full of kids, pikeys, numptys or chavs, just a decent, fit, friendly crowd. Highly recommended... ;-)
heimi - 9 Aug 2004 21:17 |
Having a small standing area may seem bad, but in reality it cuts down on the number of people and helps prevent the mindless violence you get in other pubs in the strip. The best because it got it right from day 1 (3/4 years ago after the demise of Scruphy Murpheys, strangely the best pub on the strip at the time) and hasn't changed. Great service, by far the best.
tim - 14 Jul 2004 12:22 |
sebs right !! no pikeys no crap chart tunes - great beer - wicked food, best bar/pub in the town - go chillout during the week, enjoy new faces @ w/e - just try it !!!!
Dominic - 26 Jun 2004 06:32 |
the best pub in watford people!!!just go there and chill out...beer taste soo sooo sooooo soooooo good
gabga - 20 Jun 2004 19:29 |
No ale, only gay boy fizz lager.
Kevin - 2 Jun 2004 15:29 |
This pub is definitelt the best pub in Watford. The higher prices keep the young louts out and the beer is worth every penny
Sarah - 20 May 2004 19:38 |
When everything else on Watford High Street has you losing the will to live , this extraordinary oasis of calm is a welcome respite from the chain pub hell of banging music and ordinary service and poor product range . Top class staff carefully marshalled by a landlord who clearly knows what's what , chilled atmosphere and a great night out guaranteed in a bar that is a trailer trash free zone . Go there before everyone else finds out !
Murray Rea - 15 May 2004 10:26 |
Fantastic atmosphere and great service, table at that.
Neil Flanagan - 28 Feb 2004 17:13 |
Bodega's has everything. Trust me!
If you are looking for a summer pint in the beer garden, a midweek 'quiet one' or a heavy weekend night, Bodega's is the place.
The atmosphere is always good. Possibly because the price is a little on the high side, which deters the standard idiots that you will find in other pubs in Watford.
Oh, and the bar staff are the best !!
easily 10/10
Parms - 27 Feb 2004 14:47 |
Simply the best pub in town. The beer is the finest around, and is served by the nicest and friendliest staff in Watford, they even bring it to your table. I can not recommend this pub enough.
Joe - 27 Feb 2004 14:28 |
great pub with good beer and some genuinly very nice bar staff esp the lady with curly hair. roving waitress service also fantastic! little bit pricy and not the most standard selection of beers but that's no bad thing. ditch some of the tables at the weekend to give more standing room near bar?
steve - 23 Feb 2004 22:42 |
This is the best pub in Watford. Sexiest bar staff and the finest imported Lowenbrau. 5.6% of mmmm
Stu - 30 Dec 2003 15:01 |
Fantastic quiet pub, table service, great atsmosphere, fantastic beer. Recommended
Martin - 30 Dec 2003 14:49 |
