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Dog & Partridge, Bury St. Edmunds
Bury St. Edmunds
IP33 1QU
Pub Type
Greene KingReviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about Dog & Partridge
A large pub adjacent to the Greene King Brewery, I assume this pretty much serves as the brewery tap with the other nearby pub that carries that official designation seeming to be closed whenever we went past.
It’s quite large inside, being divided in to a number of different areas and seems to have something of a chain like feel to it. Much of the décor is contemporary with Farrow & Ball brown paintwork and a sanded wooden floor, but then there are also some areas of exposed brickwork, for example. A large brick fireplace was opposite the bar counter, although this did not look as though it were used. A snug at the front of the pub had much wood panelling on the walls, making it somewhat reminiscent of a hotel drawing room. A number of old black and white photos of the brewery were on the walls. Service seemed a bit hit and miss with some staff serving hot drinks and others seeming to scurry about without actually achieving anything.
The menu looked to be a mass produced laminated affair and consisted of a number of sections such as burgers, grills, steaks, chicken, pub classics, etc., with the latter including options such as sausage and mash, hunter’s chicken, scampi & chips, lasagne, beef & ale pie, chicken tikka masala, etc. Most of the main courses were priced somewhere around £9, although many were also available as part of a “2 for £10” deal. A plate of flapjacks was on the bar counter.
Beers on tap were all from Greene King as might be expected with their IPA, London Glory and Old Speckled Hen, whilst a fourth pump for St Edmunds appeared to have run out. Another bank of four pumps around the corner were, I assumed, duplicates, but I did not inspect them so there may have been a further selection available. Ciders meanwhile were Aspall’s Suffolk and Rekorderlig Raspberry.
On 6th July 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1949 recommendations about 1862 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about Dog & Partridge
The Dog & Partridge is surrounded by the Greene King Brewery just as the aroma of malting barley envelopes the pub inside. It's a pub that's very much at the heart of the Greene King operation and attracts staff from the brewery at lunchtimes. So you'd expect this to be a celebration of the brewers' art, I think? Sadly, it's the marketing department and the chief accountant who have the upper hand - this is an example of the Flame Grill formula. Heck, on my visit, they couldn't even rustle up an IPA: the clip was turned! That's right, despite the brewery being located on the other side of the wall, Greene King's flagship ale was off. Instead, I had a pint of the pub special 'Dog & Partridge Best' which was not a great pint. Cheap, though: £2.99 got me 9/10 of a pint.
So: what else might you expect? I entered from Crown Street and was confronted with a bar offering 3-4 handpumps (one turned - see above), the tall font for St. Edmunds Ale, as well as some standard draft offerings. There seemed to be no indication that the bar extended around the corner, where 4 more ales from the GK stable could be had (or maybe I failed to spot the clues?).
There are several rooms inside, all well-looked after. There's also a pleasant beer garden leading through to the quiet Bridewell Lane.
Unfortunately, though, the whole place just felt soullessly corporate. The pub seemed to be aiming more at the brewery's middle management and their golfing colleagues than the beer tourist hoping to tap into Greene King at the source.
On 2nd June 2014
- rating: 5
[User has posted 453 recommendations about 425 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Dog & Partridge
A Gk flagship which neighbour's the brewery. Well kept ales, staff good and friendly. Lots of timber everywhere gets quite busy at times with locals and us ale trailers. One visit will do me as there's more gems in walking distance.
On 24th June 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about Dog & Partridge
Situated virtually next door to the Greene King brewery, I found this place to be one of the better GK pubs in a town that is littered with them. A decent selection including the elusive St Edmunds Ale (IPA / Abbott / Speckled Hen make up the numbers) although on my initial visit a few months earlier they only had IPA available – inexcusable given that they could lob a few fresh barrels over the fence. It was my quest for the St Edmunds Ale that saw me directed here and it would seem that, at the time, this was the only place in town that stocked it. I tried both the Northern and Southern heads and the difference is very apparent. Apparently the Northern variety is the most popular. As for the pub, the 17th Century building was originally called the Mermaid and the house next door was originally the home of Greene Kings chief brewer. The interior has an unusual layout with a small front bar and a larger, conservatory type bar at the rear. An unusual front passage at the front of the pub leads to a couple of side rooms with pool and decent size plasma screen. There are various small nooks and crannies that are used for rather unimaginative purposes and could really be put to better use. At the rear is a large paved beer garden that backs on to the Brewery. Worth popping in even if you are not particularly a Greene King fan although my visit was before the previous posters mention of it being refurbished.
On 4th September 2008
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Dog & Partridge
Large Greene King pub with nooks, crannies and a quizzer, usually the only pub in town with any atmosphere. Regular Greene King fayre on the beer front, although I think I remember an Adnams being on offer (I'd had a few by this point).
Worth a stop - in a town stuffed beyond reasonableness with Greene King pubs, this is at least one of the better ones.
On 24th June 2008
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]