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The Florence Arms, Southsea

20 Florence Road
Southsea
PO5 2NE

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Pub Type

Punch Taverns

Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


E TA left this review about The Florence Arms

This GBG regular was highly disappointing. The splendid building currently houses a business which is highly pretentious, a back street pub trying to be an up-market bar and failing miserably. The ground floor has been knocked through into a single large bar, rambling but reduced in character through the use of tasteless, badly chosen flooring and truly awful music. There is a pool table at the less pretentious end of the bar. One male member of the bar staff need a serious attitude adjustment, while a different staff member was much easier on the [middle-aged male] eye and ear. No wifi was available. The pub is dog friendly. Food was available but priced way above its class. There were only 2 ales on, neither of which was very inspiring given the pub's reputation for good beer. The clientele consisted of a mix of CAMRA members, trendypseuds and normal humans, so it wasn't all bad. They run regular 'theme' evenings, though this was just another way of saying that they sell burgers on Mondays, sausages and Tuesdays, fish and chips on Fridays and so on. The real saving grace was an excellent selection of draft cider: I had a pint of Rosie's Pig which really was very good. The beer and cider make it well worth seeking out and including in a crawl, and I shall continue to drop in occasionally in the hope that things improve.

On 30th April 2014 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3272 recommendations about 3237 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Lindsay-Jane Goldring left this review about The Florence Arms

I am going to be biased about the Flo as I am The landlady here great atmosphere as still a local pub in 2011 we will be up to 100 cider varieties, winner of CAMRA 2010 cider award for south and channel islands 4 real ales always one local Spitfire, Adnams bitter and broadside great selection of wines and wonderful food sister pub to The Golden Lion in Southwick.
Theatre productions, spoken word, acoustic music, jazz and blues at certain times in the function/dining room

On 17th November 2010 - rating: 10
[User has posted 2 recommendations about 2 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Michael Wright left this review about The Florence Arms

Situated off the main drag so remains a local sort of pub, but not difficult to find once you know

Good choice of draught bitters, and seems to specialise in ciders instead of Strongbow. Serves food but wedding party there when I went in, so not sampled. Oh, just checked the web site, no food on Saturday any way, so just as well I never bothered asking

A rare pub which has kept it's Public & Saloon bar separate

I earwigged the landlord talking about wine to one of the staff, he seems to know his stuff on all things alcohol related, backed up the many awards on display

On 1st September 2009 - rating: 8
[User has posted 526 recommendations about 382 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


train man left this review about The Florence Arms

Another pub with a central bar serving two rooms requiring separate entrance. Vault/public has pool table and one handpump, other hps on lounge/saloon side where the room is carpetted, upholstered settles surround bar, a leather sofa still had a guitar from last night's music still in residence, has a welcoming homely feel. Wrapped around the lounge is a long narrow function room which then opens to a shorter, wider, part of an L-shape, this apparently used to be next door's garden(?), & was being set up for a wedding party. I agree entirely with other reviews mentioning the friendliness of the staff; at first I thought the list of ciders/perries were all bottled but over a dozen are on tap somewhere out back and when the subject came up the guv went into tasting mode & produced a couple of his favs for our benefit – I'm ashamed to say I failed to note the name of a lovely perry (actually tasting of… pear!) but the cider was Brown Snout from … doh!, failed again, sorry Greg, but thanks for the chat on local breweries (Bowman, ex-Cheriton, Hammerpot etc) and Alisha(?) for the input on other pubs & bus routes. Not a huge range of ales but the Oakleaf Nuptu'ale was very good, others were Spitfire & Broadside, also draught Addlestones.

On 17th February 2009 - rating: 7
[User has posted 412 recommendations about 411 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Guy Hannay-Wilson left this review about The Florence Arms

Nice quiet local offering a decent selection of 4 ales and a cracking menu of bottled and draught ciders. Had a quality half of proper perry. Landlord very social.

On 13th April 2008 - rating: 8
[User has posted 23 recommendations about 23 pubs]