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Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 5th May 2024) with aleandhearty
on the Pub Forum
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about Hideout
As mentioned by ETA below, this is indeed fairly well hidden, and I have peered in the street level window on previous occasions and presumed them to be shut. Having ventured down the steps to the sunken courtyard, the first thing I came across was a “Please wait here to be seated” sign. So no venturing in the pub unaccompanied, never mind approaching the bar. In actual fact the outside seating area is larger than inside, and was mostly under cover in case of inclement weather, but we felt it was a little too chilly to be sitting outside. Fortunately, they managed to squeeze us inside.
Internally it’s quite compact, and quite atmospheric having been built in to the brick vaulted cellars beneath the street level buildings. Besides the exposed stonework, there is wood panelling elsewhere on the walls, as well as further wood panelling on the ceiling and wood strip on the floor. A few random pictures were dotted around the walls, as well as the end of a barrel which had a wine bottle shape cut-out in the end, and a few other drinks related bits and pieces around.
It seems to be very much a table service only type of establishment and focuses on cocktails and whiskeys for which we were presented with a menu to choose from. I enquired about the beer, but came away none the wiser to be honest. Clearly there were no real ales on, although one or two keg options, neither of which I recognised. I think one of them was described as hoppy and local, but it certainly wasn’t one of the usual suspects. I was disappointed to find no cider available, as there was certainly something on tap when I had passed by previously. The waitress explained that as they’re a cocktail bar, they change the selection frequently. Well, fine, change the selection, don’t remove it all together. Overall, I was a bit disappointed with this as I was after a pint, but if it’s a cocktail you want, it was a quite a pleasant and cosy spot and the staff seemed friendly enough. Prices were a bit steep though, with my beer coming in at over a fiver after the service charge had been slapped on, and I'm not sure what the measure was, but it certainly wasn't a pint.
On 4th April 2023
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1953 recommendations about 1866 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about Hideout
A small historic bar in a vaulted cellar beneath one of the Georgian town centre shops, there is an alleged association with ancient rogues and scoundrels, hence the name and the fact we seemed to fit in well there. It is indeed well hidden, even knowing it was there. The trick is to ignore the obvious sign on the shop front and walk to the side, down narrow stone steps to what immediately becomes obvious as a basement-level courtyard with tables and benches, to find the proper door. Inside, the single vault is exposed stone at one end and wooden panelling the other. It feels quite cosy, though this was slightly jolted when they started up the jukebox, which played 1980s discotheque dance music, making it feel more like a rave albeit in miniature. The staff were really very friendly and cheerful, making us feel welcome. No real ale on, but there was Harry’s Cider alongside Grolsch and a peach beer on draft. Their main drink offerings, though, are whiskies and whiskeys, of which there is a large variety on offer. It’s dog friendly, comfortable and in some ways rather fun. It’s not somewhere I’d include on a crawl but it makes a nice bolt hole.
On 1st October 2022
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3292 recommendations about 3257 pubs]