The Thatch Inn, Gloucester

Official site of The Thatch Inn - thethatchinn.co.uk

Official site of The Thatch Inn - thethatchinn.co.uk

An attractive looking, Tudor style pub with a good sized, gravelled car park to the side and pleasant gardens at the front, there is a large accommodation block at the rear and it would seem that this, together with the restaurant side of things, is very much more of a focus than the pub. The front door leads in to an elegant entrance hall, with a restaurant off to the right and a sign on the door warning that this was only for diners. The bar to the left had an attractive “olde worlde” ambience, but even here all but one of the tables was laid up for food and it really had more of the feel of a restaurant to it rather than a pub. There was pale red carpet on the floor, plenty of old beams on the low ceiling as well as some very chunky supporting timbers, and further woodwork inlaid in to the pale yellow walls. A large stone fireplace was at the rear, and this did at least give the impression that it was still used in the colder weather. Seating was a mixture of wooden pew style benches and conventional chairs. There was also a further room to the rear, although I did not investigate this. It was very quiet on my recent lunchtime visit, with nobody else in there at all, until two more punters turned up just as I was leaving. Despite five pumps on the bar, only one appeared to be in use dispensing a rather unimaginative Greene King IPA. Ciders meanwhile were Thatcher’s Haze and Aspall’s Harry Sparrow. Prices seemed expensive with a small orange juice and lemonade initially coming in at £3.15, although after some discussion and deciding that they could charge me for a splash rather than a full measure, this was reduced to £1.85. Overall, whilst this is a lovely old building and the barmaid was friendly, the lack of much in the way of drinks selection and the apparent emphasis on food means that it is unlikely that I will be rushing back.

Fantastic local pub, quiet setting. Very olde worlde. No jukeboxes or gaming machines. Local real ale and fantastic homecooked food