The Still & West, Portsmouth

Official site of The Still & West - www.stillandwest.co.uk

Official site of The Still & West - www.stillandwest.co.uk

Large Fuller's pub with Harbour views, much like its Greene King next door neighbour The Spice Island Inn it's another tourist centric pub, four sticks on the bar serving Seafarers,HSB,Pride and Front Row, It may be an iconic pub but it left me unimpressed, there are much more interesting back street boozers not so far away, and with more interesting beer. I wouldn't plan a revisit.

Out in the pleasant cobbled streets of old Portsmouth, hemmed in by the sea wall and commanding a view over Portsmouth Harbour’s surprisingly narrow entrance, this pub has a dramatic location that makes it both iconic and a complete nightmare to actually get to. If you do manage to get out here under your own steam, you’ll probably be grateful for a drink and if you’ve done so in the summer months, you can enjoy it from a paved garden area which overlooks the harbour. The pub itself is considerably less impressive than its location, with a rambling interior that, for the most part, lacks the charm and cosiness you would hope for in such a traditional venue. The main bar area has a quarry stone floor and the servery along the back wall. Seating options are rather limited here, but there is a semi partitioned space to the right, forming a carpeted strip behind sections of dividing wall where you will find a row of standard table and chair seating underneath a massive naval themed ceiling mural. This is a pretty good spot, as the windows on this side afford good views out to the Isle of Wight and watching the ferries drift in and out of the harbour is a relaxing way to pass some time. The room extends a long way to the rear from here, into a slightly cosier space where you can find plenty of additional seating. There are plenty of old pictures on the walls throughout the ground floor area, covering a range of subjects, but mainly focussed on local themes. Stairs next to the bar lead up to the first floor restaurant which offers elevated views out over the Solent and harbour areas, assuming you can bag a table next to the window. We couldn’t so made do with a window seat in the bar, where we tried some food from the seafood-led menu. Results were a bit of a mixed bag – my poached haddock was lovely but the seafood platter less so. One dish was served cold and had to be sent back and to their credit they sorted it out quickly and offered us free coffees when we’d finished. This is a Fullers house (formerly Gales), so no great surprises on the bar – London Pride, Seafarers, Red Fox and HSB on handpull and happily my HSB was in reasonably good condition. My Dad tried the Red Fox which he said was in good shape too. If you manage to make it out to this part of town, this seems like a pretty good option for both food and drinks and certainly appeared preferable to the neighbouring Greene King pub which was empty. Worth a visit, even if it’s just to watch the ships go sailing by.

A superb location overlooking the harbour. Another Fullers pub ( which seem to dominate this area since the take over of Gales some years go) but there is a god selection of les in this foody pub and the service is slick. All seating was taken at lunchtime o sat outside right next to the water watching the ferries Come and go.