Estcourt Tavern, Watford

I didn't expect much but this struck me as one of Greene King's more successful refurbs of a backstreet pub, leaving a bright modern interior but still keeping a pub feel. The open plan layout includes a games area with pool and darts and there are numerous sports screens of course. The cask ales were still just own, with IPA the main runner but with a couple of seasonal specials so at least some variation. The place did seem well run and service was cheery enough.

13 years later and I could write an identical review even down to the two available ales being Abbott and IPA. It does appear to have gone a bit more foody in the interim years and the menu did look to be decent standard pub fayre so I’ll give it an extra point for that.

The Estcourt Tavern sits on the junction of Estcourt road and Gartlet Road, just north of the Inner Watford ring road and is deceptively larger inside than its corner position would have you believe. It’s a bit of a strange set up internally, being one open plan area, but divided into several different sections around the central bar. The front ones have comfortable seating and then the back areas have a pool table and darts board and several screens for watching the sport. And there’s a decent small patio garden area on the Estcourt road side of the pub. It’s a GK pub and usually only has the standard stuff on, but I decided to pay another visit last weekend whilst leaving the Harlequin centre to the wife, to see if they might have embraced the GK guest ale policy. Sadly not and the beer choice was the usual IPA and Abbott. A solid enough locals pub, but nothing that I would recommend people to go out of their way to find.