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Disappointment of the week with Mobyduck
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The Lawrence Arms, Southsea
Southsea
PO5 1NU
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Lawrence Arms
The Lawrence was busy with a friendly local crowd during a recent Friday afternoon visit. The L shaped bar supports a standard and premium keg range and six hand pumps. The only ale I had heard of was the Harveys Best which is my local beer. Lots of old pump clips on the walls suggests an ever-changing selection of cask ales. I didn’t see any sign of hot food being advertised.
To the left of the bar is a dartboard and at the rear is a pool table which is free to play on Mondays. I counted three plasma screens for showing live sport in the bar area and a jukebox. Out the back is a concreted beer garden with picnic tables. This is a proper local pub which I will revisit when next in Southsea.
On 30th May 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5233 recommendations about 5201 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Lawrence Arms
Mopping up the local ale crowd since the sad demise of the old Leopold and it’s now in a seeming state of perma-business most evenings. A decent Bank Top Port o’ Call (NBSS 3) for me this time, served up by friendly staff. A Pompey must-do alongside the Hole in the Wall.
February 2016
A lot more choice this visit, with a super Twickenham Naked Ladies on offer, alongside five other ales. Rammed, much like the nearby Leopold and deservedly popular - a nice atmosphere. Rated 8.5
March 2014
Backstreet local (though only a minute or so from the main road). Only two of the four pumps on (Doom Bar and a cracking Irving Pale Ale in superb nick) though given how busy it was with people watching the climax of the Six Nations decider, I think they can be forgiven for running a little low. Apparently there are also some proper ciders but I didn’t spot these (though my levels of concentration and enquiry were beginning to waver somewhat at this point). L-shaped, with a collection of old pump clips behind the bar. Warm, bright and cosy inside, the atmosphere was friendly. Gas effect fire, carpeted, daily papers. Darts and pool to rear. I rather liked this one and with it being so close to the Leopold, a revisit will be on the cards when I can get a better look round. Rated 8
On 10th April 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Lawrence Arms
After a stint visiting some of the newer bar and kitchen establishments Southsea now offers on the recent Pubs Galore crawl it was good to get back to a traditional corner Free house of some standing and the Lawrence Arms delivered in spades.
Now one connected internal space around the L shaped bar, it still retains a public and lounge bar feel with a posher carpeted section with traditional banquette and table seating and then a slightly divided wooden floored section housing a pool table and dart board.
The bar top supports a row of six hand pumps each with a small jam jar in front showing the colour of the beer. Harvey's Sussex Best is the permanent house ale and then for our visit Frome RA American Pale Ale, Bank Top Brewery Port of Call, Irving Iron Duke, Gadds Black Pearl Oyster Stout and Mad Squirrel Big Sea IPA were on the others. I went for the stout and it was in top condition.
On 4th April 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Lawrence Arms
This is a former Whitbread house, as evinced by the metal ellipse above the pub sign.
To be honest I can’t really remember this pub, not due to amount of research carried out but perhaps because it wasn’t that memorable but judging by the high marks bestowed, perhaps I was more researched than I thought.
I do recall having a half of the R A American Pale Ale for which I paid the sum of just £1.80 and noted that it was ‘good’.
It seems that I would have no objection to coming here again.
On 2nd April 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1983 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Lawrence Arms
An excellent beer and cider led pub, with a choice of six ciders and six hand pulled ales. The pub also hosted a pool room, darts board and screens. This pub also had a good community feel to it and the staff were welcoming and upbeat, I liked their T shirts with 'I Luv the Lawrence' printed on the front. I had an extremely well kept Frome APA, whilst Mrs A went for the Bank Top Put & Call, also a good beer.
On 2nd April 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Lawrence Arms
Larger than I was expecting ,the interior is now open plan,although given the number of doors I expect that originally this would have had multiple rooms.It's neat and tidy ,and popular with a mixed crowd.Sky Sports and BT Sports will be aired but thankfully the screens were either off or on mute on my visit.
There were 6 handpumps and being a free house the choice looks to rotate quickly with ,on my trip, Frome APA,Bank Top Put & Call, Gadds Black Pearl,Harvey's Sussex Best and a very decent Mad Squirrel Big Sea.
It's a GBG regular and current CAMRA branch POTY and I can see why.I would most certainly return for the excellent and varied ale line up ,although the interior doesn't have the charm of some other leading ale houses nearby.However not one to be missed on any beer tourism in Southsea.
On 31st March 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Lawrence Arms
A large corner pub with a couple of opened out internal areas, there was a good community feel to the pub immediately I walked in backed up by friendly service. Carpeted throughout there was gentle background music playing. Obviously a pub that is keen on its beer as evidenced by the beer clips mounted on the wall. The selection on the bar was reasonable as well with the six pumps providing a couple from Irving brewery, Langhams and one from Rudgate along with my choice of a rather excellent Thornbridge Sampo. I left very impressed with this pub.
On 3rd November 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1871 recommendations about 1844 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Lawrence Arms
Lively community pub with a good selection of ales and ciders.
On 18th August 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Lawrence Arms
A Edwardian back-street corner pub, and a GBG regular which serves as a good community pub and is LBGT-friendly. The public rooms are conjoined but remain distinct, and there is a games area with pool, darts and TV screens. There are TV screens in other areas, all showing live sports matches. WiFI is available, but dogs are not allowed in. There were 4 ales on draft plus 3 regular ciders and 2 novelty ciders in boxes. The ales were 1 from Harveys, 2 from 360¤ and 1 from Adnams, all in perfect condition and available to be sampled before buying. An essential part of a Southsea crawl.
On 2nd June 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3281 recommendations about 3246 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Lawrence Arms
I'd never heard of this place prior to my recent visit to Southsea and owe the discovery entirely to Quinno, who I bumped into in the nearby Leopold on his way to this fine backstreet boozer. You enter into a carpeted main bar area with a sizeable servery to one side. The bar has a nice, light panelled front to its angular counter and there is a tongue and groove bar back with some mirrors inset centrally. A good selection of seating options, mainly in the form of well worn padded banquettes and sturdy chairs run around the perimeter and a sensible amount of space has been left between the seats and bar to accommodate vertical drinkers on busy evenings such as our Saturday night visit. To one side of the room there is a dedicated darts area which was in full use and a small second room beyond the bar was mainly occupied by a pool table. This was a rather basic space with half panelled walls and a few interesting bits of décor included a signed Pompey shirt. Several TV screens throughout were showing live football to an appreciative crowd and I also spotted a juke box. Out the back is a basic garden area, partly covered, with some decent wooden garden furniture and a large mural on the end wall.
On the bar, I noted Harvey's Sussex Best, Langham Arapaho, Dorset Jurassic, Irving Wee Malc's 80/- and Oakleaf Piston Porter from which I sampled the Arapaho, which I thought was a great drop of beer from a local brewery. There was a good atmosphere in here thanks to the decent crowd and I could have very happily spent much longer in here had circumstances permitted.
This is a great little pub which I enjoyed all the more for having absolutely no expectations prior to visiting. The place seems to have a good, vibrant community feel to it and is exactly the sort of place I'd be delighted to have as my local. Another very good Southsea pub and one well worth adding to any crawl of the area.
On 16th March 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]