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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
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Image posted by Quinno _
Submitted on Friday, 1st November 2024
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Detail Pages
The Rochester Castle (JD Wetherspoon), Stoke Newington, N16
N16
N16 0NY
Reviews of The Rochester Castle (JD Wetherspoon) (Average Rating: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Quinno _ left this review about The Rochester Castle (JD Wetherspoon)
A very handsome exterior gives way – initially at least – to a fine tiled interior with integrated mirrors. Perhaps inevitably this old salvage gives way to a fairly simple JDW drinking barn farther on with three old rooms whacked-through, not a huge amount of note bar a small number of booths on the left hand side, the ornate mid-section lantern and a glass atrium at the rear. Apparently this is Timbo’s oldest place still on the roster, opened in 1983 – the same as year as Blue Monday came out. Rock-bottom prices, the two guest cask were £1.49 with a Timbo Token, an absolute steal round here; Hook Norton Haymaker and a good pint of Green Jack Gone Fishing (NBSS 3.5) being the options. They're clearly going for drinkers priced out of all the other local pubs and in that respect it works – so long as you don’t mind elderly drunk Irish singing incomprehensible songs then you’ll be fine. I quite enjoyed myself, though getting quality cask at rock-bottom prices tends to do that to a pubman. 6.5
On 6th November 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5552 recommendations about 5533 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Rochester Castle (JD Wetherspoon)
A 'spoons in an old pub building and so quite unusual.The entrance is attractive and on both walls inside there are some good glazed tiled decoration and inlaid mirrors before the inevitable high tables,rank of fruit machines and seating booths.Beyond the long bar on the right is a large skylight then a rear section in much lighter shades before a decent sized beer garden,popular with smokers.
It was 'spoons beer festival time but the three ELB handpumps looked like a permanent feature offering their Jamboree,Foundation Bitter and Cowcatcher (NBSS 3.5).The trio of doom are offset by around 6 guests ,a decent tally for N16.
The cheap drink and food options do attract a strange mix of older customers and a large table of over 70 men did emit an unfortunate reek,a seating booth had three very elderly folk slumped and still nursing their all day coffees at 3pm and at the front some well oiled regulars engaged in volumous islamaphobia and homophobia,while swearing loudly at any passing police vehicles .However it is better to have such customers concentrated within a 'spoons rather than let them loose on the other pubs in the area.
I downed my half and left avoiding eye contact with the foul mouthed celts,after one of them tried to engage me in drunked conversation,I suppose you just have to accept this if you visit 'spoons.
On 10th March 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Rochester Castle (JD Wetherspoon)
Date Visited: 13th August.
A pub has been here since 1702: the Green Dragon, with this Grade II-listed former replacement arriving in 1900, the original being built by Richard Payne of Rochester, whose countenance can be seen above a fireplace. It’s been under the stewardship of Wetherspoon’s since 1983, which makes it their oldest surviving branch.
I’ve passed this place countless times and it always seems to depict the tableau outlined in the previous review, some earlier ones too. Indeed, I almost entered here a couple of months before the previous reviewer and saw a customer- the same one? - slumped at a table early evening and of course, there were the staggering all-day drinkers.
Well, I think that maybe Timbo read the previous reviews because the place seems to have upped its game. It matches the earlier descriptions though now with a marble bar top, but the tables to the front are, booths aside, now high; it’s hard to slump at a high table. There are still the multiple games machines near the entrance and seemingly just the one TV and a real fire, albeit gas; something of a rarity for a 'spoons. But the real reason to visit is the fine frontage with the marvellous glazed tiles with integrated mirrors in the front section; there’s also the very ornate and impressive lantern in the middle section which was probably the billiards room. Walls and ceiling are clad in Anaglypta, painted mainly white or Eau de Nil; the fireplaces seem now to be in good condition. The only sign of tattiness that I saw was a small patch of peeling paper which looks to be the result of water ingression.
The customer base was probably the most interesting aspect of the place, as the large majority of customers were either middle-aged Afro-Caribbeans or elderly Africans, having a high old time. Another oddity here is that there were no empty glasses or plates on tables – what’s going on here?
The other item of note were the prices with all ales priced at an astonishing £1.99, apart from Abbot at £2.29. For the record, the other ales were: Portobello’s JPA, Block109 Brewing’s Wembeerly, Three Sods’ Mon Cheri or Session, East London Brewing’s Cowcatcher or Pale, which was in excellent condition; Doom Bar, Abbott and GK IPA as staples.
I don’t know how long this pricing will last, but as things stand, this is now one of the best boozers in Stoke Newington. If they continue to sell ELB’s Pale to this standard and especially this price, I’d make a return.
---------------
A promised return with an altered ale option aside from the predictable Doom/GK possey: Purity Ubu, Fire Island Buffalo, Sambrook's Pumphouse and Powerhouse, ELB's Cowcatcher and Quadrant on excellent form at just £1.99 a pint.
On 17th January 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2207 recommendations about 2164 pubs]
View more reviews of The Rochester Castle (JD Wetherspoon) (13)
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- Official site of The Rochester Castle (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Rochester Castle (JD Wetherspoon) - whatpub.com
Rectory Road, 0.39 miles, 7 min walk (show)
Clapton, 0.86 miles, 16 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Beer Festivals : Yes - April & Oct - last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : No - Just the usual 50p tokens - last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Car Park : No last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Darts : No last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Dog Friendly : No - Guide dogs only. - last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Function Room : No last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Jukebox : No last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Karaoke : No last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Live Music : No last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Micropub : No last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Pinball : No last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : No last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Quiz Night : No last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : Yes last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
- WiFi : Yes last updated 06 November 2024 by Quinno _
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