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Image posted by Will Larter
Submitted on Saturday, 12th October 2019
With picture contributions to 11567 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (15 more images)
Detail Pages
The Painters Arms, Luton
Luton
LU2 0BW
Served areas
Reviews of The Painters Arms (Average Rating: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Painters Arms
I called in before a recent Luton Town home game and found four hand pumps on the bar but only one beer available: Tring Side Pocket for a Toad, my favourite from that brewery. The young landlord, who gives the impression of being fairly new to the pub and possibly to the licensed trade too, had difficulty getting the frothy beer into the glass, but it tasted ok. The room to the front had been locked shut - the kerfuffle with the beer meant that I forgot to ask why - and I stayed in the main room to drink my beer. There were two TV screens showing lunchtime kick-offs from both Sky and BT Sport, though the sound was kept down on one of the games; there was no music on at the time of my visit. I hope they persevere with real ale here, but they're up against it with the excellent Bricklayers Arms just down the road. That pub is so popular that it is bursting at the seams on match days, so I for one would be happy to call in here if I knew there were going to be two or three decent beers on.
Date of visit: 21st September 2019
On 11th October 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3745 recommendations about 3482 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Komakino . left this review about The Painters Arms
Closed for a brief period at the start of 2018 for refurbishment (I made a couple of visits in vain, including before the Luton-Wycombe match in January, where I stumbled across the excellent Bricklayers Arms) this has now re-opened, maintaining its lauded interior but with the reintroduction of real ale, albeit in the form of St Austell Tribute and Adnam's Ghost Ship (the latter was very good and £3.60 for a pint). I entered through the door on the right and there was a semi-boisterous clutch of locals who appeared to have been a few in. A couple of screens showed horse racing and there were a few stares in my direction. I moved around the back as this allows you to traverse the three rooms but the loud music from the main bar could still be heard, and a large screen TV with the sound on played to nobody in particular. A Heritage pub and rightly so, but on this showing, it's not really a destination venue, when, with a couple of tweaks, it could easily become so. Also, the doors to the Gents and Ladies are the thinnest I've ever seen, so be prepared to breath in if you're of a challenging build.
On 29th April 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1075 recommendations about 1075 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Painters Arms
The magnificent tiled exterior of this old Benskins pub is just a prelude to the equally magnificent and historically important interior. (See http://www.heritagepubs.org.uk/pubs/pubguide.asp.) The wrap-around central bar serves several different rooms, each identified in frosted glass on their doors. There is a newer-looking archway between the private bar and the lounge, but otherwise the layout is much as it would have appeared when the pub was built 100 years ago, and much of the decorative tiling and the wood and glass screens remain intact, or have been well preserved.
Unfortunately there is no real ale, though rumours are often heard that this may change. At present there is a solitary hand pump in the public bar, but no one I have spoken to has ever seen it in use. The only non-lagers are Stowford Press Cider, Guinness and Caffreys. I had the Guinness, my first for over 20 years, and while it was perfectly drinkable it was very cold and almost devoid of taste. This lovely pub really deserves a sensitively applied bit of love and affection, and a few hand pumps with some decent local ales, to make it the best pub in Luton by miles.
On 28th November 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3745 recommendations about 3482 pubs]
View more reviews of The Painters Arms (6)
No known official website for this pub.
- Facebook - The Painter's Arms
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Painters Arms - whatpub.com
- Historic Pub Interiors - pubheritage.camra.org.uk
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 29 April 2018 by Komakino .
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 27 November 2013 by Will Larter
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 29 April 2018 by Komakino .
- Beer Garden : No last updated 29 April 2018 by Komakino .
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 29 April 2018 by Komakino .
- Car Park : No last updated 29 January 2018 by Komakino .
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 29 January 2018 by Komakino .
- Darts : Yes last updated 27 November 2013 by Will Larter
- Dog Friendly : No last updated 29 April 2018 by Komakino .
- Function Room : No last updated 29 April 2018 by Komakino .
- Hot Food : No last updated 29 April 2018 by Komakino .
- Jukebox : Yes last updated 29 April 2018 by Komakino .
- Karaoke : Yes last updated 27 November 2013 by Will Larter
- Live Music : Yes last updated 29 April 2018 by Komakino .
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 27 November 2013 by Will Larter
- Micropub : No last updated 29 April 2018 by Komakino .
- Pinball : No last updated 29 April 2018 by Komakino .
- Pool Table : No last updated 29 April 2018 by Komakino .
- Quiz Night : Yes last updated 29 January 2018 by Komakino .
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 29 April 2018 by Komakino .
- Real Cider : No last updated 27 November 2013 by Will Larter
- Wheelchair Access : No last updated 29 April 2018 by Komakino .
- WiFi : No last updated 29 April 2018 by Komakino .
