The Coach House, High Wycombe

Blue Scrumpy left this review about Gray's Inn

And so the cycle continues. This pub is now called the Coach House and is presumably under new ownership again. In fact, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. In my mind, I was anticipating a gastropub or even a full-on restaurant.

My mind was soon put to ease. Walking into the front room, it was crowded with people watching the England game on the TV screen. The bar can be found to the rear right of this room, with a passageway continuing into a much larger room at the rear (also with the match on) and an outdoor garden area also seemingly popular.

In contrast to my expectations, this pub appears to be fairly rough and ready and seemed popular with the young locals, some of whom had outstayed their welcome and were rather inebriated. We sat watching some of the antics from a sofa in the passageway, where a statue of a Buddha stared at us from a window.

At one point, I thought two women were about to come to blows, whilst some of the lads were staggering around with England football shirts on and there were also a fair few kids walking backwards and forwards. It was certainly quite lively.

With plenty of staff on, service was ok, but the main barmaid had more tattos showing than flesh and she didn't seem the most friendly of people. Two real ales from Rebellion were on - IPA & Crossbar, whilst their Hazy Pale was also available on draught.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this place. We're always taught not to judge a book by its cover and this was a case in point. My expectations took a complete about-turn and I found a rough and ready boozer instead of a quaint gastropub. With the England football match being on, I'm sure there was a much different atmosphere than usual. I'd prefer to reserve judgement and return on a quieter day. But on second thoughts, one visit was probably sufficient for this drinker!

On 1^st July 2024 - rating: 5
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