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The Star, Godalming
Godalming
GU7 1EL
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Star
The Star is undobtably the shining light of Godalmings pubs,It's been an alehouse since the 1830s but the building pre-dates that by a good while. Although tied to Greene king it has a free hand in the beers it sells, no less than twelve beers were available, four on hand pump the rest on stillage, four of the beers were GK derived but none of the usual suspects, twelve beers may draw criticism from some beer commentators but the two I tried were in top condition, Wild Child Hedonistic Experience, from the barrel and Salopian Oracle on handpump. There is also now a micro brewery attached to the pub,Goldaming Beerworks, a couple of those were on but untried. The pub is also renowned for its Cider and has ten or so including Mead available, the walls festooned with branch CAMERA Cider Pub Of The Year awards.I find it difficult to criticise anything about this cosy very traditional pub.
On 4th September 2022
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Star
Nice old pub close to the station. Small front area with longer lounge to side. Vary traditional and selling real ale
On 18th September 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Star
Lovely looking traditional pub that maybe overdoes it at Halloween.
Eight real ales on. I won't tell them how to run their business but maybe less is more. The bloke before me had a Betty Stoggs which was gravity fed after a trip to the cellar. It looked great but completely headless. Man in front wasnt impressed.
I went for a gulping gold - again from the cellar but with more life in it. Enjoyable pint and food was good value and really quickly served.
Decent pub. Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2zs7Vfz
On 22nd October 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1338 recommendations about 1324 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Star
The Star is a very nice looking pub that is on an equally nice looking street.
Once inside there is an oblong shaped room to the right which runs to the rear,the bar is on the front left side,the floor is carpeted and the seating is pew seats and chairs and one tall table and stools,there is a smaller separate room to the front left,this room has a tiled floor and pew seats and small stools.
There was a very good choice of real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Peerless Skylark which was poured from a barrel behind the bar,this was a decent drink,the other real ales noted were Wolf Silver Fox,Everards Old Original,Black Sheep Special,GK XX MIld and one more i failed to read my notes of.
This is a very pleasant pub to have a drink in,just a shame that there was no TVs or background music,this made the pub seem far too quiet for my liking.
Pub visited 13/5/2017
On 16th July 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Star
This old pub was originally a Courage house that got taken on by Morland's which is how it ended up in Greene King hands.
Inside there is a small public bar to the left and the main bar leads down to what looked like a conservatory and presumably the garden.
If I hadn't have known beforehand that it was a Greene King pub I would never have guessed as there were no signs of Abbot or IPA, just Rocking Rudolph and one other Greene King offering. I noted four other beers, Brain's Reverend James, St Peter's Autumn Stout, Triple fff Pressed Rat And Warthog and Black & Tan Colonel's Whiskers. I went for the Autumn Stout (£3.70) which was in fine condition. As noted below, cider is a big thing here but I didn't investigate it. If I came here on a hot sunny day rather than a dank December day I may have looked into it. It would be nice to think that pubs like this are the way forward for Greene King.
On 7th December 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Star
A pub that comes with a big regional reputation – an ale and cider destination despite being an unbranded GK pub (I thought the style of the pub sign looked familiar!). Inside is a fairly traditional, small and cosy alehouse (was originally a bakery) in a traditional building in a preserved part of town (17th century?). Original beams abound, many displaying pump clips of beers past. Two rooms, main bar to the right with a smaller snug room off to the left. Dimmed lighting but neatly positioned spotlights illuminate most tables independently. Very pleasant decked rear garden, small but perfectly formed. Also an extension/function room here, nicely done. Collection of windowsill bric-a-brac noted, as well as a selection of daily papers available. At the bar, six ales of a fairly eclectic background; GK Ghoul Gangly, Cotleigh Night Owl, Northumberland Firkin Hoppy, Hambleton Ey Up, Arundel Autumn Breeze and Blindmans Eclipse. Also a good number of ciders (current CAMRA Surrey and Sussex cider pub of the year, no less). On sampling, it was a bit of a mixed bag; the Eclipse was ok but nothing more, a bit warm and died in the glass; the Northumberland looked a bit murky which to the barman's credit he spotted and offered me a replacement (on tasting, I'm glad he did). Its replacement, the Arundel, came from the cellar and again was serviceable rather than top quality. I did like the pub but the beer was somewhat disappointing for such a well-known outlet. I’d give it another go as it’s a nice venue and there’s enough in Godalming to warrant a special stop (unlike Haslemere up the road). So I’ll try again and see…
On 17th November 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Star Inn
This is a very pleasant and welcoming traditional pub, just off of Godalming High Street and a short walk from the train station. The entrance takes you into a room dominated by dark wood and beams with a simple seating layout along one wall with a few extra tables to the rear. There is a short L shaped bar counter with room for just four hand pumps, although further ale is provided from stilage in the cellar. A large selection of pump clips line the beams and demonstrate a strong emphasis on providing a good selection of ale. We arrived during their Easter beer festival, themed on 'Island' breweries. A small marquee at the far end of the nice beer garden offered a large range of festival ales although I felt that they were no longer in the best condition by our Sunday evening visit, presumably after having been stored outside for a long hot weekend. However, the beers we tried from behind the bar were all in excellent shape, with the Orkney IPA in particular going down well. The staff were very friendly and helpful, offering some advice on which beers we might like to try and all taking a bit of time to make sure we were okay and enjoying ourselves.
We sat outside in the beer garden which has a decent amount of seating and catches the sun nicely throughout the afternoon and into the evening. There was a lounge room out here too, full of comfy sofas and with TV screens presumably used to show sport without disturbing those in the bar. It looked like there was an outdoor bar as well, but this was shuttered on our visit, so it is unclear if it ever gets used. We tried some food as well which came in decent portion sizes and was good value for money.
After a long day walking around nearby Winkworth Arboretum and along the River Wey this pub provided us with some much needed refreshment in a pleasant environment. The pub certainly seemed to be doing its best to provide the community with something a bit different and should I find myself back in town again, I wouldn't hesitate to stop off here again.
On 15th May 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
dave stray left this review about The Star Inn
Not a very good pub at all, but go if you dare.
On 1st September 2010
- rating: 2
[User has posted 265 recommendations about 183 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Star Inn
Attractive old pub, handily placed on a side street between the railway station and town centre. Four handpumps, but seven clips when I visited - the extra three being guest ales served in the cellar direct from the barrel. I went at a quiet time, but it still seemed to have a good atmosphere. Pleasant welcome, and some decent beer. One of rare creatures, an unbranded Greene King house - just shows what can be achieved with a bit of effort (actually quite a lot of effort, I suspect - well done).
On 21st November 2009
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Star Inn
Only GK beers today, agreed an admirable range, but all GK still. The cider choice is still good.
All the guest pump clips remain on the ceiling beams but sorry, today's choice disappointed me, especially as I'd directed friends here. Less than impressed. Sorry but my rating drops from v good to average.
27 September 2008
A genuine warm welcome at this lovely 400 year old pub. The place is unusual in that it appears to be a GK house, yet has an excellent guest policy with good rotation, evidenced by the scores of pump clips hanging from the ceiling beams at the back of the main bar. The pub is also Surrey & Sussex CAMRA cider pub of the year 2008, with three real ciders plus a perry on pump yesterday plus plenty more in bottles. House beers as expected are GK IPA, Olde Trip, Abbot, supplemented by Davenports Original (Highgate), Dorset Piddle and Oakham Bishops Farewell(gorgeous).
Two of the guests were on stillage in the cellar as were further ciders, the pumps are double clipped.
The pub is entered via a small snug with a flagged floor, leading into the main bar with beamed ceilings. A real sun trap garden lies to the rear. Seating is a mixture of settles, traditional chairs and stools adjacent to a drinking shelf.
The staff offer tasters to help you decide and carry outs are available. The forthcoming Halloween beer festival will have a West Midlands theme.....make of that what you will!
On 14th November 2009
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]