The Antelope, Poole

Greene King pub, very much a chain pub feel with no interesting beer on, IPA , Old Speckled Hen and Abbot, not a great experience.

Still much as reported below - a fairly comfortable, slightly modernised interior leading through to the hotel part behind, with an outdoor courtyard area to one side. Still has some average beers from the GK range and still no-one obviously eating in the bar, although to be fair there is a separate restaurant behind.

Modernised Greene King outlet housed in an old coaching inn, well-described by Blackthorn below. Fairly large and still retains a bit of character in the rambling interior, with some tidy and discrete drinking areas. However the dreadful piped music killed off any atmosphere. Beer garden to rear. Four ales; GK IPA, OSH, a house beer (clearly a GK rebadge) and GK St Edmunds (not up to much). As mentioned elsewhere, accommodation is offered. A bit ‘so what’ really, could do better.

One of two pubs immediately next to each other just off the Quay, this is a single room U-shape pub although differing decor styles serve to divide up the internal space somewhat. The more traditional pub area is across the front, and this has plenty of beams on the ceiling, some exposed brick walls and a brick fireplace with a wood burning stove although the lack of any visible flue suggested that it was perhaps more decorative than functional. To the left was a raised area with dark wood panelling on the walls and a couple of church pews arranged end on. There were a couple of plasma screens on each side showing a news channel, although the volume was off and so this was not intrusive. To the rear is a slightly less attractive area with maroon paintwork on the upper part of the walls and wood panelling down below that has been painted in a rusty brown shade that looks suspiciously like the stuff that I’ve used on my garden shed. A number of lifeboat pictures were on the walls whilst the flooring was a mixture of carpet, wooden boards and tiling. Outside seating consists of a courtyard and some decking at the rear. The food menu was extensive and divided in to several different sections. Most of the mains were somewhere around the £8 mark, although there was also a fixed price menu with one course for £5.95 and a few “daily specials” although the actual date on the menu was a few days previously. My Chilli Beef Burritos with soured cream and cheese was a tasty enough dish although the few very tired leaves of lettuce that came with it were both superfluous and past their best. Beers on tap were Greene King IPA, Abbott Ale, Old Speckled Hen and something called Landlord’s Choice Smugglers Ale which I suspect is a generic brew from the GK stable. The solitary cider was Strongbow, unfortunately.