BITE user comments - Hugh1971
Comments by Hugh1971
The Cinque Port Arms, Hastings
I was passing this pub and got a smile from the barmaid who was outside watering the plants, so decided to pop in. It's a friendly little pub where you can lean against the bar and chat with the locals (despite me being a London tourist), like people used to in old 1940s films, probably starring Stanley Holloway. It's deceptively large, because there's an upstairs room as well as a small yard out the back. Well worth a visit, I went a couple of times while staying in the area.
12 Apr 2015 19:32
Just when you're about to give up on British pubs, you find a hidden gem like this one which restores your faith. This is how I remember pubs used to be. A proper ale house instead of a Farrow and Ball painted restaurant pretending to be a pub. A nice old traditional building with a rough and ready but clean feel to it, a pretty beer garden with an Aunt Sally stand, good range of real ales well kept and served, friendly service and a 'local' feel. Definitely recommended, perfect for a visit if you're cycling out from Oxford.
28 Sep 2014 11:43
I visited with a couple of friends on a Sunday afternoon after walking the Taff Vale walk. I have to say it was a lovely pub - it reminded me of how pubs used to be when I first started drinking about 25 years ago. It has the feel of an old fashioned village pub but not a 'period piece'; plenty of local character and interesting pictures etc. Friendly staff and good ales, food selection was roasts only but good quality and value. Two very friendly and attractive barmaids - possibly mother and daughter - and efficient quick service. I didn't see any of the dodgy characters mentioned in one of the other reviews - clientele seemed to be well behaved older ladies and gents.
8 Sep 2014 11:37
This is a nice little pub with lots of nooks and crannies and a fireplace. There's a slight hipster ambience but not overly so. The location is central enough to be convenient but not too close to town to be a tourist magnet. The ale selection was alright but there seemed to be more summer ales than one would normally expect in January. Handle glasses/mugs were available. The food I had (full English breakfast) was one of the best pub meals I've ever had (and I've had a few!). Also it was good value at £8-.
15 Jan 2014 11:43
Not one of the best 'spoons I've visited but perfectly ok. We went for supper at about 6.30 on a Tuesday. Staff were a bit rushed and service for dinner a little slow but adequate. Food was a little below the usual Wetherspoon standard; I got the impression it had been under warming lights or something. Good selection of beers on tap. Fairly well heeled City crowd and very few 'Wethermen' (all day drinkers) in evidence, not surprising given it is not a residential area. The usual slightly cranked up prices, which is annoying but the place is still good value for the location. All in all not somewhere I would choose to go for a long session but perfectly ok for a quick cheap meal between work and going on somewhere else.
18 Sep 2013 12:29
Now closed down and looks like it will be demolished.
10 Sep 2013 14:10
Beautiful traditional London pub, but not the place for a quiet sit down drink. It was absolutely rammed at 6pm on a January Saturday. Despite several websites saying they did food, the barmaid said they didn't; no mention of an upstairs dining room though I found out later they have one. Sam Smith's bitter was nice and only £2.90 a pint. This would be a good pub for a quick stand up beer on the way somewhere or to show foreigners what a traditional pub used to look like, it wouldn't really be suitable for a quiet drink and read of the paper.
25 Jan 2013 17:15
I went back recently after a few months away. The staff were polite and didn't seem to have the 'I'm only doing this until my record deal comes through' feeling that you get with most young bar staff in middle-class areas. Beer was ok with a couple of summer ales though two others were off. Lunch (sausage and mash) was good, with polite table service. I took a deep breath and decided to risk the loos...Wow - what a change! They have been transformed from something like the Camden Town pub toilets from 'Withnail and I' into a pristine, gleaming palace of hygiene! Well done. However, I wonder how long the Victorian porcelain bog flush handle will last...
10 Jul 2012 10:38
I had a pleasant lunch here, there was a 'burger and a drink' deal which was quite good value. The food was good and there was a reasonable selection of real ales. The service was excellent - we were served by a delightful girl who resembled the actress Sophie Winkleman.
10 Jul 2012 10:25
The Lobster Smack, Canvey Island
Visited this pub for lunch while circumnavigating the sea wall of Canvey Island. It's a really pretty 18th century tavern which supposedly inspired Dickens when he wrote 'Great Expectations'. Sadly the 1950s sea wall blocks the view of the sea, and the nearby oil refinery, sewage works and caravan park don't add much to the charm, but it's still worth a stop. Clientele seemed to be mostly elderly cockney diaspora talking about the days of Ronnie and Reggie, or fishermen/merchant marine workers. Only one real ale on tap, English Pale Ale, but well kept and poured. Atmosphere was rough and ready but friendly.
A word on the food. My friend and I had been walking for seven miles and wanted a hearty lunch, and we got one, at a good price. This is not a a gastro pub, it is cheap pub grub so please don't expect more for the price. I'm perfectly happy to have microwaved scampi and chips and a sticky pudding for less than a tenner. This was normal pub fare a few years ago but nowadays people seem to expect Cordon Bleu cooking everywhere they go. If you want that go to France and leave the cheap and filling pub grub and real ale for the rest of us!
5 Apr 2012 14:56
When visiting relations in the Golders Green area I go here because this is the only pub for miles around. This is for historical reasons - Golders Green was 'temperance' with no pubs until the early 50s, so no pubs were allowed within a mile of the clock tower. Lower Golders Green is now an orthodox Jewish ghetto, so no new pubs have opened to compete. All that said, the pub isn't too bad; it has a big beer garden somewhat gone to seed (the local history books say it was once the most beautiful beer garden in London); it has a 'locals' feel and the Hungarian cuisine is quite good and reasonably priced. It seems to cater also for the large population of transient young men from eastern Europe who live in the area. There was only one real ale when I visited, Doom Bar, which was served reasonably well. Beer a bit pricey but that's normal for London. Service was polite and friendly from an eastern European girl behind the bar. The only bad things were the loud Sky Sports and the loud dog in the beer garden!
29 Mar 2012 09:13
I popped in here for a quick pint after having a walk out to see George Orwell's cottage at Wallington. The pub is done out in rather bland sub-gastropub style; service was ok; ale nice and seemed to be kept well. Canned music but a lot of it was smooth 50s jazz so not too bad. Big screen TV but turned off. Not a bad place to wait for the train back to London in; but not much character.
17 Oct 2011 21:39
I hadn't been in for a while but the other night, took a friend from Eastern Europe because she was getting increasingly fed up with the draconian British smoking ban. (Thanks Labour). The Flask has to have one of the best smoking areas of any London pub, a very nice heated shelter. We had a smoke then went inside for supper. My friend wanted something typically British so we had fish and chips which was very good, and although a bit pricey at �9, it was a lot better than some pub dishes for that price. The range of ales was better than I recall also. I was also pleased with the service. Previously it's been a bit 'too cool for school' but, whilst the staff still all look like extras from a Kaiser Chiefs video, they were polite and attentive.
30 Nov 2009 16:24
Had to post another review as this place has become one of my Highgate favourites. It's unassuming and friendly, the landlord/barman (an Australian gentleman I think) is always welcoming, the food is fine and there's always a good selection of beer. The miniature beer garden is one of Highgate's lesser known pleasures. To top it all they have a free traditional jazz band on Wednesdays led by a former member of the late Humphrey Lyttleton's band.
13 Sep 2009 11:50
Visited 17/05/09. Excellent. Pretty much my idea of the perfect country pub. Nice village location. Two bars, saloon and public. Unpretentious rustic decor, beams, low ceilings but none of the horse-brass fakery you often get in old pubs. Good selection of local beers. Food was excellent, you could have traditional pub grub or more gourmet stuff. I had steak and kidney pie which at �8.95 seemed a little pricey but the portions were huge and included extra veg so there was no need for pudding. Welcome and service were first class, well done the management.
17 May 2009 22:08
Pretty close to perfect.
Pubs of this type often go to two extremes - they have sticky carpets, lager, St Georges' flags and Billy Bleach types propping up the bar, or every conceivable surface is painted in Farrow and Ball sage paint with a bunch of ex-public school types more interested in discussing their body piercings than serving you.
This place is neither. An updated version of a classic London backstreet pub with a good mixed crowd and reasonable beer/food.
The location is good; close to major transport links but with a quiet feel that is almost like the backstreets of somewhere like Cambridge or Norwich.
20 Apr 2009 12:22
A village pub in London! Nice cosy little pub with open fire and chintzy Jacobean decor. The landlord took the trouble to pass the time of day and check everything was ok for us - a very rare occurrence in London! I will definitely be going back.
8 Sep 2008 10:41
Nice local pub with friendly staff and a good repetoire of live jazz/folk, fairly good selection of real ale and a big beer garden with smokers' marquees.
5 Jun 2008 15:23
This pub is of a type that I didn't think existed anymore - very much a spit 'n' sawdust type of place which has the atmosphere of a run-down officers' mess or a university sports club bar. If you remember the pub called 'The Crow' in 'Withnail and I', then it's a bit like that.
Now, don't get me wrong - I consider this very much a point in its favour. If you want a pub with lots of shiny blue drinks in bottles, widescreen TV and brown square leather pouffes, then you have pretty much every other pub in the UK to choose from.
But this is a pleasant change of pace in a great location by the river. They had perfectly good local brew in barrels above the bar (which is quite a rare site nowadays), a small selection of wines and spirits and some odd local lager. The building is a shabby-genteel Georgian country house with lots of interesting pictures and stuffed dead things on the wall, and the beer garden is peaceful with a nice view of the river.
I really worry however that since it's so unlike most pubs, that next time I visit Oxford this will have become some kind of generic beige-painted gastro-bland lager vendor. Let's hope not.
5 Jun 2008 15:21
I visited this pub for Sunday lunch and had a chat with the new landlord, a Scottish gentleman who used to run the Bookbinders in Jericho. He said his aim was NOT to be a gastropub, but to serve good beer and good home cooked pub food. I can safely say he succeeded on both counts and look forward to visiting again when I am next in Oxford.
5 Jun 2008 15:14
Louise
Yes, it was called the Bell until the early nineties I think, when it went through a number of name changes I think, most of them 'Oirish' themed. A shame, since there was a pub called the Bell on Bell Lane since about seventeen something or other I think. But then it was always a pretty crap pub in my experience.
23 May 2006 13:51
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Fleet Street
The upstairs restaurant (Johnson Room) is wonderful. Oak panelled booths, dark red curtains and old crockery and pictures. It really is like stepping back into the London of Dickens or earlier. The food is superb. Anybody who believes that English food is no good has not eaten here. The rack of lamb is heavenly. The prices were reasonable for central London, and the service has always been friendly and polite when I've visited.
23 May 2006 13:43
In an age when most pubs appear to have been refurbished by Argos, this is a welcome change. Architecture and atmosphere great. Food pretty good with large portions.
Clientele, ok, there is a bit of a six o' clock swill around the bar with the crowds of gentlemen of the Law, but I would prefer a crowd of suits instead of shellsuits anyday.
The slightly bizarre range of Samuel Smith's own brands annoys me slightly, but the low prices make this more than bearable!
23 May 2006 13:01
With Hampstead home to some of the finest pubs in London if not the whole of the UK, it's hard to see a reason to drink here, unless you're visiting the little rep theatre upstairs.
The only other (dis)advantage is it's a Wetherspoon's pub and therefore has cheap booze and food as opposed to the high prices charged in a lot of the other local pubs. Whilst I'm not a fan of chain pubs, Wetherspoon's do at least serve reasonably good, affordable beer and cheap 'n' cheerful pub grub.
But it's pretty short on atmosphere and the clientele are the usual Wetherspoon's mixture of elderly 'Wethermen' and gaggles of Burberry clad urchins en route to somewhere else. If you go in on Saturday night and the place is empty, you can be fairly sure the police have just done an ID card clampdown on the place...
29 Apr 2005 11:27
Spaniards Inn, Hampstead Heath
Probably the best beer garden in London, it even has its own aviary. The interior is also interesting, dark, creaky and ancient. The beer tends to be pricey though and there's not a great deal of choice.
25 Apr 2005 12:11
On weekends in summer this pub tends to be packed with Nathan Barley/Trustafarian types desperately trying to hide their upper middle class origins, and the food and drinks (and prices) are firmly aimed at this clientele.
It is a better bet in winter when there are fewer people and you can enjoy the dimly lit, seventeenth century interior and relax by the fire.
25 Apr 2005 12:05
The Bookbinders Ale House, Oxford
Excellent food and beer. Friendly Scottish landlord. Lots of interesting little nooks and crannies with a real cosy feel. Perfect for a session on a wet Sunday afternoon.
25 Apr 2005 10:53
Like most 'Spoons pubs, the clientele is a mixture of the very old and the very young.
Popular with Burberry Boys getting ripped on alcopops before they go off ram raiding, or whatever it is they do.
Also benefits from a 'character', a local nutter who is also an unofficial potman. If you make eye contact he'll claim he's known your family for generations.
Gets very crowded on Saturday nights with attendant slow service. The only real advantage is the cheap drinks.
25 Apr 2005 10:46
This used to be called Welch's and had the biggest selection of real ale I've ever seen in a pub. Sadly I believe the owner committed suicide some years ago and the pub reopened as Maddens.
It's a bit of an oddity as the front of the bar caters for the bingo brigade and the back has more of a trendy trainers and leather pouffe atmosphere.
They do live music at the back which sometimes is just an excuse for a late licence, but other times is excellent - esp 'Asian Elvis' who has to be seen to be believed.
A downside is it can get very crowded and smokey, especially if there's a match on, and getting to the bogs becomes quite a struggle.
25 Apr 2005 10:39
Although open plan, this pub manages to maintain the old class divisions of the saloon and the lounge. On the left of the bar you have the saloon with the big screen telly and snooker, catering for the Burberry Brigade. On the right you have a nice lounge area with a fireplace, leather armchairs etc, so all tastes are catered for.
Nice arts and crafts building. Two or three real ale pumps but usually just Bombadier etc. Occasionally has live jazz. Good sized beer garden but a bit close to the traffic on Archway Road. I've never had any problems with service, but the gents' toilets pretty vile.
25 Apr 2005 10:27
Oh no...it's gone trendy!
This was a really nice little traditional horse brasses and swirly carpet type pub. The carpet has now been replaced with wooden flooring, and the horse brasses by a picture of the late Jim Morrison. The obligatory leather sofas are also in evidence. Very loud canned music was also on offer.
That said, the food was pretty good, though a bit pricey, there's about five real ale pumps (a miracle for a trendy pub) and a nice little beer garden.
25 Apr 2005 10:18
Can't quite understand the snobbery about Sharons and Kevins - it's a north London pub, not a St James' gentlemens' club, what do you expect!? Definitely a loud, tacky gin palace feel to the place, probably more suited as a meeting place near the station than a cosy place for a session. Contrary to other messages, last time I went the service was impeccable - fast, efficient and friendly.
25 Apr 2005 10:04
Not your usual Wetherspoon's pub - as it has a very good little rep theatre upstairs. During the theatre intervals the G&T crowd comes down and mixes with the 'Wethermen' regulars - you know, the kind of old boy who looks like Old Man Steptoe, who seem to spend all their time and money in 'spoons pubs. The atmosphere usually seems friendly, however, there's the usual dirt cheap basic but filling food, and also a nice little beer garden/courtyard.
25 Apr 2005 10:00
The Sir Richard Steele, Belsize Park
Ten years ago this had a bohemian, shabby-genteel atmosphere - now it just seems shabby. Last time I went it was full of Hogarthian 'characters' pestering the young lady I was with, when I protested I was threatened with violence which fortunately didn't happen because the intended protagonist was too drunk to stay upright. If you want something a bit grittier than the generic trendy trainers 'n' DJ type pub, this is for you...
25 Apr 2005 09:55
The Tartar Frigate, Broadstairs
Nice old fashioned pub, good friendly service, sea view.
6 Jul 2015 18:55