Baileys, Rye

Baileys was empty as I walked through the door late on Tuesday evening, but the friendly woman on duty quickly jumped up from her computer to serve me at the bar. The drinks selection consisted of Becks Vier, Stella, Strongbow, Tetleys Smooth Flow and San Miguel alongside a cocktail menu. Two large chalkboards up on the wall list the food options which range from brie with something or other for £7.50 to Black Angus topped with prawns and a side of salad and chips for £16.50. I didn’t spot a television, but there was some low background music playing that I found a little depressing. The décor is modern with lots of light wood and the toilets consist of a cubicle for each sex which gives an indication to the small size of this place. In my opinion this would be a lovely place for a bite to eat on a sunny afternoon, but I wouldn’t choose this place as an evening venue as there are better proper pubs in the area.

This timber-clad building looks pretty ropey from the outside but is much better in. A modern bar, without real ale, but with a wide selection of other drinks, and a cocktail menu at under a fiver delighted my lady. The bar itself is along the rear at the left, to the right looks like it’s trying to be more of a restaurant area, but it seemed pretty relaxed so you could sit at the bar or wherever to drink and/or eat as you wished. It was a pretty dead evening in town when we came here, but this place seemed to be doing better than most, with quite a few customers drinking mainly at the bar, with a good atmosphere and two barmaids who seemed very helpful. In summary, you can’t get an ale here, but overall it’s a lot better than you might expect.