The Star Inn, Guildford

A Shepherd Neame pub with separate seating areas that are all over the the place and at different levels. Unless you are a Sheps fan you will not find much in the way of a real ale selection. The Whitstable Bay that I tried was in pretty bad form.

Claiming to date from the 16th century, this clearly looks and feels like an old building. Although not really separate rooms in so much as they are interconnected, there are five distinctly separate areas over three levels, plus upstairs to the rear, "the back room" where regular live music and stand-up takes place. Unusually the corridor leading to this area has a single tiny separate two seater booth, certainly a good spot for a bit of privacy. Boarded floors, mixed seating including sofas in front of the wood burning fire, the bar is in a back room along one side. Shepherd Neame beers from two sets of three handpumps, doubled up at the time with Spitfire, Masterbrew and Late Red, my first sighting this year (£3.65). Food is served and helped introduce me to a new pub annoyance, the kitchen door was propped right open to the pub resulting in consequent food smells and the clanging and bashing noises associated with catering. Décor included the usual SN stuff, framed local photos plus old brewery nostalgia with black and white photos of brewery staff, dray vehicles and suchlike. Plenty of dark wood remains, board games and newspapers available. I spotted one TV in a back room down the stairs but this was off on Saturday afternoon leading me to believe that this probably isn't your routine sports pub. I liked the pub a fair bit, especially as a winter venue with the fire going, it felt warm, homely and welcoming and despite it's location in the town centre there wasn't a transient feel but please, just keep the kitchen door closed in future.

A Shepherd Neame pub. Looks the ticket from the outside - clearly an aged building (300-odd years old?) and the interior, despite modernisation, still has various walls and floors at startlingly erratic angles along with a low ceiling and a multi-level/multi-roomed layout. Six pumps but shockingly for a SN pub only two were on and my Goldings was decidedly so-so. As with its sister pub the Britannia there were board games available as well as hot food (the smell of which pervaded). Live music advertised in the back room. Overall, a real disappointment.

Popped in to complete a mini crawl of the pubs around Guildford shopping thoroughfare whist the better half was off spending my money and was also surprised to find a multilevel pub spread out over 3 levels with a variety of different seating and drinking / dining areas well described by previous reviewers. Nothing going on in the function room at the back for my mid- afternoon visit so could enjoy a quiet pint of Spitfire. Also not sure I’d make a special trip just to come to this one , but perfectly fine to include for a visit if you like the Sheps Ales.

Now just about the top pub in Surrey, currently specialising in cakes! Other than that the pub is warm and friendly with at least 3 Shepherd Neame ales on.