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Disappointment of the week with Mobyduck
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Detail Pages
The Encore, Stratford Central, Stratford-Upon-Avon
Stratford-Upon-Avon
CV37 6AB
Pub Type
Premium Country Pubs (Mitchells & Butlers)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Encore
The Encore has a central U-shaped bar with seating across the front windows and down both sides. At the door is a lectern where a staff member was greeting people to see if they had booked a table. I thought this place felt more like a restaurant than pub, but there was no problem with me sitting at a high table by the bar counter with just a beer. Premium keg is available and two of the three handpumps were in operation drawing Ubu Purity and Sharps Doom Bar. Half a Purity was top end at £2.70. There was some low background music playing. This place advertises itself as ‘waterside dining’, I suppose I could throw a stone into the river with a bit of effort. This isn’t somewhere that I’d go just for a beer again.
On 2nd November 2022
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5249 recommendations about 5217 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Peter Rydings left this review about The Encore
Called in on Saturday the 14th of June first time in Stratford for many year this pub as had a major refurb very modern and very busy for food we sat out side on the road it had a seating area and very good for people watching i had two good pints of U.B .U Purity 4.5%. Went to toilets ands where spotless lovely sophisticated upstairs area.Well worth a visit
On 19th June 2014
- rating: 10
[User has posted 948 recommendations about 917 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Encore
The Encore is a modern pub with a very generic chain-pub feel to it, set in a lovely Grade II listed building that overlooks the river. The pub used to be called the Anchor, but was given its similar sounding current name at some point in the 60’s or 70’s. The ground floor is laid out over a number of rooms which run around the large central servery. There are stone floors and comfortable seating options throughout and for some reason a recurring feature seemed to be stacks of chopped wood which are piled up along various walls. An area to the left of the pub was separate from the main room and looked to be set up more formally than that around the bar. We found a seat to the right of the bar, which seemed like the most comfortable spot and the best place for drinkers to sit. Behind the bar, there was a fairly sparse section which led you to the stairs for the toilets and upper dining room which boasts of fine river views. There is also a function room somewhere, but I didn’t bother to explore that much. An annoying feature was the lounge/jazz soundtrack which nearly drove me to distraction.
Two beers from Purity were available at the bar – Ubu and Pure Gold. I gave the latter a try and thought it was probably past its best, although my other half enjoyed a proper mug of hot chocolate. Although we weren’t eating, the reasonably priced Italian menu looked quite tempting.
I thought this place straddled the line between bland lounge bar and generic drinking barn, with little to nothing in the way of redeeming feature within. It’s probably worth a go if you fancy some food and can bag a window seat upstairs, but it didn’t really do anything for me and I can think of plenty of better places to enjoy a few drinks within a short walking distance.
On 8th December 2012
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
H Greenland left this review about The Encore
Pretentious, expensive and unfriendly. We visited in April 2011. Tea and coffee machines closed down before closing time, and staff cleaning up before diners had finished. Timothy Taylor beer not available although tap badge still showing. Other beer ok. Food not that good (eg pasta white sauce undercooked, flavourless and gritty).
On 1st May 2011
- rating: 3
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
General Staal left this review about The Encore
The description by ROB is pretty accurate. I am sure Soupy would hate the interior.
I found it perfectly acceptable. I didn't eat here, but the food looked and smelled very nice. I tried the Timothy Taylor Landlord, which was pretty good and was topped up by the barman without prompting. I didn't try the Purity purely because I am not personally keen on it. Given the evidence of the Landlord, I am sure it would be equally well kept.
All in all, a pretty ok place.
On 10th July 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 142 recommendations about 125 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Encore
I think this place must have had a recent revamp as the whole of the outside of the pub is now painted blue. It’s still got a pub like bar but the rest of the place is very gastro/wine bar style and there’s a restaurant upstairs. Horseshoe shaped bar with stone flagged floors and subdued lighting with unusual zebra striped stools. Apart from that it’s got very few distinguishing features although it is all tastefully done and it doesn’t look like a cafe in IKEA as many of them do. There are 2 handpumps on the bar which is good news, serving Purity UBU and TT Landlord. The Landlord was pretty good as was the red wine according to the other half. It’s a very girlie place now and was full of the after work crowd and tourists. It’s just about OK but it is a bit of a generic modernisation
On 23rd April 2010
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Encore
The Encore is a large pub that is on the corner of a busy road junction,there also seems to be open topped tour busses going by the pub about every 10 seconds.
This pub was a Whitbread beafeater joint when i went in it,once inside the pub was fairly comfortable with lots of different dining and drinking areas.
There were two real ales on here i had a drink of Pedigree and this was a decent drink the other beer was Boddingtons bitter.
I had the fortune to visit the pub early doors so it was very quiet and i was happy enough having a drink in here.
Pub visited 23/6/2001
On 23rd June 2001
- rating: 6
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]