Lord Louis, Plymouth

Lord Louis is a Stonehouse pizza and carvery pub that is surrounded by picnic tables on a thin strip of paving around the exterior. There’s a significant car park, obviously. Inside to the left is a large restaurant area and to the immediate left of the bar is a carvery area. The bar seating is to the right, and during my Wednesday afternoon visit it was quite separate from the restaurant area as I drank my beer and watched Sky Sports News, which is shown on two televisions. The bar supports three handpumps, but two were unused leaving Sharp’s Doom Bar as the lone ale option. There is also a standard keg range. I actually thought the bar area was quite comfortable, but whether this is still the case during busy times is doubtful. The staff were polite so maybe I’ll give it another go when back in the area.

Lord Louis page at the Crown Carveries site - www.crowncarveries.co.uk

A detached low-level modern Crown Carvery in brick and coffee coloured painted brick, with a patio. A little unimspiring. The interior is a large U-shape in general around the serving bar and the carvery serving area, which means that you have to negotiate the queue for the bar, ordering the carvery and the actual queue to collect food when looking for a table. It is open plan though there is some partioning. The decor is a familiar one for this kind of place - red, salmon, green and mustard walls for example, with white ceiling and patterned carpet where the food hasn't been trod into it. It was a little messy at my visit, but it was very busy with families and a general mixed crowd. A few naval pictures, old local photos and mirrors decorate the walls. To the right on entry would be the more 'bar' area, though it has foody tables too. There is a TV here (not on at my visit), as well as a fireplace. Ther is also a kid's grabbing machine. Service was OK. We ate here out of necessity. You can't complain at the price and the food was fine. Beer; usual tap stuff with Marston's EPA and an ok-ish Butcombe Gold on handpull. The fact that it was crowded didn't help, as the salt and pepper and some cutlery had vanished by the time we returned with our food. It does what it says on the tin.

Lord Louis page at the Crown Carveries site - www.crowncarveries.co.uk