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The Eldon Arms, Southsea

17 Eldon Street
Southsea
PO5 4BS
Phone: 02392297963

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Real Ale Ray left this review about The Eldon Arms

Always good to see a pub reopen, this pub was shut for over a year and reopened this time last year. We visited this pub as a wildcard on the Pubsgalore crawl and glad we did as the pub is stunning looking on approach, with original signage and glazed tiles. Once through the doors we encountered a couple of fellow PG pals sitting near the entrance looking for pubs with dartboards, Trainman and Jonesy, which was a nice bonus. The interior of the pub was spacious, with a contemporary finish. Six handpumps on the rear bar, with four in use, Doombar, Tribute and Proper Job, and we went for the fourth pump, Wadworth Horizon, which was very decent. So we joined our pals at a table at the front of the pub, which was a good position as the sun was streaming in through the large bay windows.

On 1st April 2019 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3380 recommendations about 3380 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Michael Wright left this review about The Eldon Arms

Suddenly closed just before Christmas when landlord left Enterprise Inns boarded it up. Requested to mark as closed. Check before making a journey
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/our-region/portsmouth/fate-of-portsmouth-pub-in-doubt-after-sudden-closure-1-7753283

On 31st December 2016 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 526 recommendations about 382 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about The Eldon Arms

With time for one last pint before my train home, I decided to pop into the Eldon Arms, perhaps attracted by its fine tiled exterior or maybe, as a proud son of Dorset, drawn by the nostalgic old Eldridge Pope signage. Inside, you find a deceptively large room, carpeted through the centre where two rows of tables and chairs run all the way to the servery on the back wall. To the left there is a step down to an area filed with a table football game and some comfy seating whilst further back there is a space partly screened from the rest of the pub by some huge pillars and the end of the bar. Back here you'll find a lounge style area with leather sofas and a rather dull collection of photos plus the unexpected discovery of a bar billiards table. The right side of the pub is somewhat more appealing, with slimmer pillars covered with pump clips preventing it from becoming too dark and obscured. On this side you'll find a pool table flanked by some bookcases, a decent fireplace and an upright piano. More seating is available here in a sizeable area with its own fireplace. There is a great looking garden to the rear but it was practically empty on a warm Saturday evening, as was the pub itself, in sharp contrast to the other pubs I visited that afternoon. I noted a juke box over to one side of the room, but this was mere ornamentation whilst the dubious playlist of a local radio station filled the pub.
Four handpulls on the bar offered Fullers London Pride, Gales HSB, St Austell Tribute and Irving Spinnaker. Not the most exciting range perhaps, but I was pleased to see a local brew available, so I gave the Spinnaker a try and found it in pretty good shape, if not quite up to the excellent standards of the previous three pubs I'd visited. The staff were a little blunt and seemed bored, so I was happy to plonk myself down away from the bar and count down the minutes until my train.
This place suggested a lot of promise, but I found it was all a little bit of an anti-climax in the end. The place has lost a lot of its character (most of what remains can be seen on the façade rather than inside) and an empty pub on an otherwise busy Saturday evening crawl was a disorientating feeling and perhaps an ominous sign. It certainly still had positives, not least some decent beer and a nice garden, but I'd probably drop this one from future crawls.

On 31st August 2016 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Malden man left this review about The Eldon Arms

The attractive tiled exterior of the former Eldridge Pope Brewery is superb with various interesting features worth spending a minute to look at before venturing inside. Once in, a large single carpeted room with the bar on the back wall, the room returns slightly each end where we have a games area to the left with bar billiards, pool and darts. The opposite side has an open food servery and beyond is a decent garden. Circular iron columns, nicotine coloured or stained embossed wallpaper, barrels on a high ledge, framed colourful old flyers for holidays in Southsea and a ceiling covered in Union, St George and Military flags which spoil the ambience a bit. Brewery and Distillery mirrors.
Smooth Radio via the TV was irritating and unnecessary.
Eight handpumps, only four on, Pride, Tribute, HSB, plus Dark Star APA.
A nice pub if a bit tired. Worth a look in.

On 7th May 2016 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Moby Duck left this review about The Eldon Arms

A very good looking pub from outside and this carries through inside with lots of dark wood complemented by the impressive etched glass on the windows and mirrors. It is everything a backstreet boozer should be.There was no background music on my visit, it did smell a bit cabbagey upon entry , but I put this down to the massive amounts of Sunday dinners being served on my visit, it was doing a roaring trade. The beer availability was the only real letdown here ,of the 8 pumps on the bar only three were in use,Pride, HSB and Hobgoblin Gold, the HSB was perfectly drinkable though and in very good condition.I would come back here, its decent.

On 29th February 2016 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1868 recommendations about 1841 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Quinno _ left this review about The Eldon Arms

An old Eldridge Pope pub which has retained its traditional green tiled exterior. Probably has not seen a refurb since those days either which almost works in its favour as the banquettes and crazy carpet remain, however the nicotine-stained gold embossed wallpaper was hideous and the place smells quite badly of old cigarettes, damp and farts - it desperately needs a deep clean and creates a neglected feel. Bar billiards, pool and darts all available. Jumbo St Georges and Union flags hanging from the ceiling, so not a place for Emily Thornberry to be seen drinking in. Upright piano, dunno if it’s tuned. A pet hate was here, a dodgy local radio via a TV for background noise (for the love of god, why??). Good Beer Guide listed, there were eight pumps with four on, a not massively inspiring mix of Tribute, HSB, Pride and a (thankfully) local brew of Oakleaf Pompey Royal which was quite drinkable. There’s potential in here, if someone could throw a few quid on it. Otherwise take in if you’re nearby or fancy a game of BB but don’t trek all the way out expecting riches.

On 21st February 2016 - rating: 6
[User has posted 5050 recommendations about 5033 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


E TA left this review about The Eldon Arms

This large Victorian town pub is a rare breed – a proper English local in a very diverse town area. The single large bar, formed by knocking through the downstairs rooms, had gaming machines, TV screens, a pool table, darts and bar billiards, and a manky carpet. Some elements of the original structure are visible, including the detail on the iron columns supporting the ceiling. There were 4 ales and 2 ciders on – I had a pint of faux-HSB which was well and truly past its best. The staff were welcoming, the clientele decent, though it was very noticeable that the demography was homogenous. There was a very annoying jukebox, but we couldn’t help tapping along to it, for some reason. They run open mic nights and various other entertainments including a meat raffle. This is a great community pub, and I am sure I would return in the hope that the beer quality will improve.

On 10th September 2015 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3272 recommendations about 3237 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Alan Winfield left this review about The Eldon Arms

The Eldon Arms is a back street pub that has got a green tiled front.
Once inside there was one room that had different drinking areas,the pub had also been extended into the cottage next door.
When we visited this pub it was an Eldridge Pope tied house and there were three real ales on here we had a drink of Eldridge Pope Hardy Country and this was a decent drink the other beers were Eldridge Pope Royal Oak and Dorchester bitter.
This was a decent enough pub to have a few drinks in.

Pub visited 18/2/1999

Photo taken 20/2/1999

On 18th February 1999 - rating: 8
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]