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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
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Detail Pages
Blue Bell, Emsworth
Emsworth
PO10 7EG
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Pub SignMan left this review about Blue Bell
Located in the pleasant town centre of Emsworth, the Bluebell is a cosy, single-bar pub with plenty of traditional charm. You enter into a bare-boarded front space adorned with lots of dark wood beams and attractive bench and chair seating tucked under the small front windows. The servery sits further into the room down the right-hand side, marked out by a stylish patterned tile flooring band. The bar itself has a brick and timber front, a blackboard-lined canopy overhead, and a smart backlit mirrored back bar. Boards listing cask ales, wines and food specials hang to one side. The pub extends to the rear past a left-hand seating area with formerly set tables, and another space offering a drinking ledge filled with the day’s newspapers. Old photos, shields, mirrors, paintings, maps and vintage adverts decorate the walls, and there’s a framed article explaining how Hugh Grant was a regular visitor during the 2010s when he lived locally - thankfully that no longer appears to be the case. Music played very softly in the background, and the friendly, attentive barmaid helped create a welcoming atmosphere.
On the beer front, there was a choice of Hop Back Fuggle Stone (a very reasonable £4.50 a pint), Sharps Doom Bar and Goldmark Secret Santa. The Fuggle Stone was well kept, and it felt like quite a high proportion of the locals were enjoying the ale range, which is encouraging from the throughput perspective. There were plenty of people in on an early Saturday evening, and they seemed like a friendly bunch, with one lady popping over for a chat for no apparent reason.
I liked this place and thought it was quite a characterful pub with some cosy seating areas, a nice buzzy atmosphere and excellent service. A couple of interesting, well-kept cask options would certainly make the prospect of return visits quite appealing and with the Coal Exchange just a few doors down, there's an easy and satisfying double header to be done, that made my decision to alight at Emsworth in the pouring rain seem a lot less mad than I'd started to fear it might be.
Date of visit: 4th January 2025
On 28th April 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about Blue Bell
The nearest pub to the harbour at Emsworth, the pub has one room with the bar along one side and a semi-open kitchen behind. Opposite the bar the room widens out to provide a larger seating area. Mostly boarded flooring apart from near the bar, there are some roof beams and timbers set into the walls however these may not be structural, the pub was moved and rebuilt just after WW2.
Lots of nautical bric a brac all around included scores of little wooden shields with names of boats on them. I also spotted a few framed cigarette card collections.
There is a fenced off outside seating area to the side which has harbour views.
Three hand pumps, Doom Bar, Invincible Frigate and one unclipped. Food served.
A decent spot and a proper pub.
On 4th February 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1710 recommendations about 1683 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about Blue Bell
A traditional looking, brick built pub towards the end of South Street heading down to the quay, it has a small terrace area at the front of the pub which was a pleasant enough spot to enjoy the sunshine. There is also a patio at the rear.
Inside too it is quite cosy and traditional with a few large oak supporting pillars and beams on the ceiling. Walls and ceiling were predominantly that brown nicotine shade that you get in many pubs, and there were a few plates dotted around at the front and colourful local artwork for sale in the snug to the left as well as a collection of old bottles on a shelf and a number of wooden shields. Several certificates had been awarded to boat festival teams and there were a number of other nautical artefacts including an oar and a ship’s lantern. A plasma screen was mounted up in one corner, but was not in use on our visit. Seating was fairly limited with most, if not all, tables being reserved for diners on a recent Saturday evening visit, with just a few stools at the bar being the only other options.
A number of blackboard menus above the bar displayed a good selection of “pub grub” dishes and there was also a small specials board. The “volcanic” chilli came with a warning that it was dangerously hot! Our fish & chips and smoked haddock with mash, spinach, fried egg and a cheese sauce both went down well.
Beers on tap were Irving Jutland along with Doom Bar and Atlantic from Sharps. Ciders were Sharps Orchard and Strongbow. Overall I really liked this pub and certainly thought it was the best of the many we tried in Emsworth.
On 7th June 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2060 recommendations about 1962 pubs]