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Disappointment of the week with Tris39
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Arden Arms, Stockport
Stockport
SK1 2LX
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Graham Coombs left this review about Arden Arms
A good little multi-roomer, fairly unspoilt except for the choice of paint colour, and feeling like a live pub, not a museum piece. As mentioned previously, getting the hang of the servery is tricky, especially with punters bar-hogging, but once you spot the handpumps at the back rather than the front all becomes clear. Just Robinsons ales of course, with a choice of Unicorn, Trooper, Dizzy Blonde and Citra on this visit.
On 20th July 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about Arden Arms
The Arden Arms has a central U-shaped bar with low glass trays on the top bar so that a person of my height has to duck down to make eye contact with the server. After smelling food and an awkward conversation with, who I assumed to be, the governor I was led to the Millgate Room at the rear of the pub. This area has wooden furniture throughout and can be split into two with a central sliding door when necessary. Each side of this partition houses a coal fireplace on the rear wall. There is another smaller seating area at the front of the pub and a snug tucked away at the rear of the bar. Around the U shaped bar is a tiled corridor with standing room and low background music only. Out the back is an advertised courtyard beer garden.
There are six handpumps on the back bar that were drawing five Robinsons cask ales, the sixth handpump was unused. There is also a standard and premium keg range and food is available, in fact 80% of the people in attendance early on a recent Tuesday evening were dining. I went for the large fish and chips which was priced at £12.50. Loads of chips and the mushy peas were grand, but I thought the fish was quite small. The Dizzy Blonde was on good form, but I don’t think I’ll be returning here again and certainly not just for a pint.
On 12th June 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5233 recommendations about 5201 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about Arden Arms
lovely interior of course but it has been slightly tarted up during lockdown including a completely out-of-character paint job on the bar. at lunch time it felt like sitting in a restaurant but the snug was definitely a unique experience. Few Robbies ales on, had a swift half of Unicorn and moved on. With so much choice around here I don’t think I would bother again, I have seen it now.
On 26th September 2021
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Arden Arms
There is something unmistakably exciting about discovering a pub with some sort of feature that you've never encountered before and amazingly, this rather unassuming Robinson's pub turned up a great example of this. The pub is dominated by its large D-shaped servery which squeezes the room around it so that customers only have a relatively narrow, tile floored space to move through. The counter is divided into a number of segments, each with their own sash window under some pleasant pot shelves. The reason for such a large servery soon becomes apparent, as staff and customers alike push their way through the swing doors, into the serving area and then out into a snug beyond. With so much footfall, a large serving area is definitely required and several times I witnessed near misses as customers haplessly wandered out of the snug, nearly knocking into barmaids laden with drinks. It's a great feature though and I was a bit disappointed to find the snug already packed full with diners on my lunchtime visit. In fact, the pub is very much set up for food, with all the tables in the rooms either side of the bar occupied as well. One of these rooms has tile flooring and lovely fixed bench seating with original bell pushes and etched glass windows, whilst the other is more of a formal dining room with standard tables and chairs and a sign asking you to wait to be seated. The walls throughout the pub have been decorated with interesting old posters and a few old mirrors and there was a soundtrack of 80's pop music playing quietly in the background.
All of the handpulls are sited on the bar back, which took me a while to figure out. They had a good selection of Robinson's ales on the go, with options including Unicorn, Dizzy Blonde, Dark Vader, Wizard, Trooper and Double Hop. I gave the Wizard a try and thought it was one of their weaker brews, but it was in decent enough shape and I found I had to drink it sat at the bar as there was literally nowhere else to sit, such was the pub's popularity.
I clearly timed my visit here badly and should've heeded the warnings of my fellow Pubs Galore crawlers to avoid this place at peak dining time. It would've been great to sit in the snug, but tables are clearly at a premium here and I will have to save that experience for another day. The place is clearly worth a look for it's unusual interior layout and had one of the widest ranges of Robinson's beers I found around town, but you'll need to time your visit better than I did to get the most out of it.
On 10th January 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Arden Arms
A Robbie's CAMRA heritage pub and one of the Stockport ‘must-visits’. A Georgian building, inside it’s a multi-roomer and one of these is - get this - accessed through the central bar (apparently this is by invitation only but we just ambled straight through anyway). Service at a central part-glazed hatch a bit like the Beacon in Sedgeley. Six on, all Robbie's (keep an eye – there are two banks of three at the back of the bar!). My Double Hop was fine. Now the downsides; it’s pretty heavy on the food so at busy times you’ll struggle to find a table and standing at the bar isn’t really an option. Also, the awful piped music (for the diners, I imagine). It's well-worth a visit if you’ve not been before but whether you prioritise it the next time, when there a number of other excellent Robbies pubs in town, is perhaps a different matter. I suppose it depends if you want to eat.
On 1st December 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Arden Arms
Solid Robinson's pub that, whilst quite plain externally, somehow looks if it ought to be interesting inside (and it certainly doesn't disappoint). The first thing you see on entering is the dining room - or rather, two conjoined rooms - to the right (still doing good business late lunchtime on a Friday). To the left comes the curved bar, with part-glazed screens creating hatches serving the compact drinking lobby. Beyond that is a comfortable corner room with its own counter, but you have to go back to the bar to find the famous fourth room, a snug known as 'the Select', which has to be accessed through the servery with permission from the staff. Unusually too, the two banks of the three handpumps are located on the bar-back, all dispensing beers from the Robinson's range, including the Dark Vader (£1.70, half). All-in-all, I would rate this as a 'must visit' for anybody seeking out heritage pub interiors.
On 26th November 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about Arden Arms
Another one of the many Robinson outlets in Stockport but another that justifies a visit due to its interesting interior and especially the small snug room where you have to walk through the bar serving area to get to it. Also different is the fact that the hand pumps are not on the front of the bar but at the back and on two banks of three pumps either side of the snug entrance. Tried the Double Hop in this one and it was well kept.
There seemed to be quite a focus on food also in this pub and the main room to the right as you enter seems to primary function for diners and being a Friday lunchtime it was full to capacity.
Fortunately there wasn’t many drinkers only in so we managed to get a seat in the left hand room behind the bar with its fine Old Tom Brewery Mirror.
Now this is one you could bring a girlfriend to on a first date. Good food, good beer and a very comfortable pub of some character in which to enjoy them.
On 22nd November 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Arden Arms
A Robinsons tied house with a listed interior which makes it worth a visit.There is a corridor servery with handpumps set against a rear wall to allow customers to cross the floor of the servery and into a snug behind the bar,a very rare feature.There is a seperate front snug by the front door and around the side a further small room with bell pushes.It's all very cosy and welcoming with traditional decor and some interesting mirrors.The 6 Robbies beer on my trip were Darth Vader,Unicorn,Trooper,Wizard,Dizzy Blonde and Double Hop(fine).
Well worth calling in if crawling the town.
On 19th November 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about Arden Arms
A multi-roomed Robinsons pub and a very traditional one. At least 3 rooms with a centrally located bar. No handpumps on the bar as they are actually behind the bar. There are 6 to be found here and all beers were from Robinsons. The pub is a bit cramped around the bar area. I liked the pub but if youre not a fan of Robbies beers you're gonna be disappointed with the beer.
On 17th November 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Arden Arms
This is a famous old multi-roomed Robinson's pub that is not too unlike their Black Horse in Preston. I arrived here early Saturday afternoon to find it busy so found a seat outside.
Six Robinson's beers were available and I went for their Double Hop (£3.40) which was in decent nick. The most off putting thing here was an over loud soundtrack playing (including outside) which to me just isn't right for such an old fashioned pub.
I've visited this one on both previous occasions I've been to Stockport but somehow it didn't seem as good as I remembered it.
On 15th November 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]