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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
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Submitted on Sunday, 20th October 2019
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Detail Pages
The John Hewitt, Belfast
Belfast
BT1 2FH
Served areas
The John Hewitt
Open for the week from midday - some v tasty beers on and the beer garden is open out back
12:01 PM Jun 13th 2023 from LaterMedia
Reviews of The John Hewitt (Average Rating: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The John Hewitt
The John Hewitt is a pub I was last in just over 15 years ago. I have to say that I don't remember my visit here. Reading my review, it was my favourite pub, the best of a bad bunch.
Whilst my Friday evening visit back in summer 2009 found the place packed, my Friday afternoon visit in 2024 found it very quiet. The barmaid looked distinctively bored and started drawing on the glass at the back of the bar whilst she waited for some business.
WhatPub says that there is normally a KeyKeg beer on, but there is no clue as to which one that may have been. I could have asked the barmaid, but I suspect her artistic merits probably surpassed her beer knowledge. Who knows - perhaps I do her a mis-service.
Craft beers were mostly from Boundary - Imbongo, Camper, Pillows, I Know Pablo, No Blasters, You Don't Think I'm Funny, Raise A Glass To Freedom, I Know The Difference, Suitably Ashamed, Sun Goes Down & Artie. Other options were Guinness, Kinnegar Low Tide & Mac Ivor's Medium Cider.
3 or 4 other customers were in, including one in the small snug off to the right of the entrance. Despite having the choice of most of the seating, I somehow decided to sit at the bar to watch proceedings. My I Know Pablo was quite a decent drop, very lemony.
There's no doubt that this is one of the best pubs in the city. Although, it would be difficult to pinpoint which is the best.
On 14th July 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3040 recommendations about 3038 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about The John Hewitt
After visiting a string of tourist traps before here I was pleased to find that the John Hewitt is a proper pub aimed at drinkers. To the right of the entrance are a couple of high tables and beyond is a snug. To the left is a small stage area with seating and seating runs up the left wall faced by the bar counter up the right. The décor is traditional and understated. No televisions, but some background music was playing. The bar supports 16 fonts for premium and craft keg, eight of which were from Boundary Brewing, a local micro. I went for a Guinness. I found the service to be polite, and whilst this place isn’t remarkable I was able to get comfortable enough to stay for a second beer.
On 23rd September 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5965 recommendations about 5931 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The John Hewitt
Came with good reviews but I was pretty underwhelmed by this one. Inside is a blandly opened-up room with a small snug to the right. Dimly-lit interior sporting quarter length dark wood panelling and claret red paint decor with a feel that has surpassed lived-in’ and is now firmly at the start of ‘battered and tired’ – maybe the Unemployed Resource Centre can funnel a bit of that resource into a spruce-up. There are call buttons which apparently work but I decided I didn’t require a second pint so they remained unpressed. Live music-led, though in this case it was a couple of lads practising standards with an acoustic guitar and a tin whistle to the appreciation of half a dozen other punters. GBG listed though the one ale pump wasn’t dispensing. Plenty of interesting local keg though including a sour from Wicklow Wolf. Maybe this is best sampled on a Friday or weekend but I left feeling like I’d need good reason to prioritise it next time given the nearby Deer’s Head. From reading older reviews this place feels like it has lost ground and been overtaken by other bars nearby.
On 19th February 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5552 recommendations about 5533 pubs]
View more reviews of The John Hewitt (9)
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- Official site of the John Hewitt, contains menu, wine list, beer details and forthcoming events - www.thejohnhewitt.com
- Facebook - The John Hewitt Bar
- Twitter - The John Hewitt
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The John Hewitt - whatpub.com
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 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Beer Garden : No last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Car Park : No last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Darts : No last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Hot Food : Yes - Lunch only - last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Jukebox : No last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Karaoke : No last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Live Music : Yes last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Micropub : No last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Pinball : No last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : No last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Quiz Night : Yes last updated 25 January 2019 by Pub SignMan
- Real Ale : Yes - intermittent - last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : No last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 25 January 2019 by Pub SignMan
- WiFi : No last updated 19 February 2022 by Quinno _
