Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Top 100 with ETA
on the Pub Forum
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 4 of 10) see review guidelines
E TA left this review about The Grain House
As mentioned, this cafe bar forms the entrance foyer to the YHA, so when we visited it was quite busy with guests coming and going. The long-suffering staff, once they’d dealt with a group of French school children, also had to endure an entitled mad woman who was asking for things that are not part of the deal. We stoically sat and enjoyed our drinks, though, and we sympathised with the staff. No cask ale or real cider, but they did have a non-standard range of craft – Tiny Rebel Coal Drop, Grand Central IPA, Dortmunder Vier, Budvar and Appleshed Cider. There was a selection of cheap wine in the fridge. Food was fairly standard pub grub at average prices. They have fairly limited opening hours, and there are other cafe bars nearby.
On 18th March 2026
- rating: 4
[User has posted 3717 recommendations about 3678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Grain House
This is an unusual pub in that it’s actually the reception area for the Youth Hostel, but it does nonetheless have a bar counter and is open to non residents (and non youths!). It describes itself as a cafe/bar and this is a pretty accurate reflection, although a selection of draught drinks are available. The building was a grain house in a former life as might be expected given it’s name, and still retains some of the open interior space that it would have been like originally.
The walls are all whitewashed stone and there is laminate wood flooring. At the front the bar extends up a full two stories giving a light and airy feel, although a mezzanine level balcony has been built at the rear and this apparently provides further seating. A couple of the tables had been made from old wooden cable reels that had been varnished and this was an unusual touch. Some local artwork was displayed at the front of the pub, and this was for sale. There are a couple of small tables outside which is a pleasant spot to sit and look over the water.
The bar counter is mostly given over to an array of soft drinks and sandwiches, crisps, etc., as befits it’s cafe pretensions, but there also draught drinks available at one end. The solitary beer was Breakspear’s Oxford Gold which you don’t see too often around here, and the cider was Thatcher’s Gold.
On 26th July 2013
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 2008 pubs]