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Admiral Benbow, Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
SY1 1NF
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Admiral Benbow
Perhaps less characterful inside than the outside might suggest - as OB surmises, it looks like a 70’s/80’s lounge-style refit that is a bit plain. As to be expected, there were various bits of seafaring ephemera dotted around. Darts room out the back, leading on to a tidy (and busy) patio. The landlady eyed us suspiciously when we entered, perhaps assuming us to be part of the stag do that was infesting the Coach & Horses but cheered up immensely when I said “you’ve not let them in here, have you?” – she took great delight in saying no, she hadn’t! Seven ales with a nice mix; Titanic’s Steerage and Cappuccino, Slaters Top Totty, Salopian Darwin’s Origin (decent nick), Ludlow Gold, Longden Golden Arrow and one from Six Bells Brewery. Good whisky selection also and also proper cider if memory serves. Convivial atmosphere inside, feels like the sort of place that you could happily spend an evening in. Note that it closes weekday afternoons much like the Three Fishes, though this is the later re-opener (5pm). Would put this near the top of the revisit list.
On 26th April 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Mark Davey left this review about The Admiral Benbow
Our last pub of an evening in Shrewsbury so my recolections are a bit blurred. I do however remember there being a great little back room with a dart board that was completly empty on our arrival at 10pm. We had a couple of pints and a totally un-interrupted game of darts, probably because we just took over the bar. A good pub with great beer, well worth a visit.
On 25th June 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 292 recommendations about 276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Admiral Benbow
This pub dates back to 1835, when it was called the Talbot Tap before changing its name in the 1860’s to honour Shrewsbury born naval commander Admiral John Benbow. The pub today presents a pleasant carpeted L-shaped main bar, with a hatch directly opposite the front door which looks like an old bottle and jug. Either side of this, in what would therefore have presumably been separate rooms in days gone by, stretches of bar counter can be found with hand pumps that are, in some cases, triple clipped in order to display the full range of ales available. The left hand side has some banquette seating next to a nice tiled fireplace and some shelves with a few old plates and bottles on show. The lighting was very subdued, with a TV screen showing golf giving out more light than anything else. The right hand side of the room has an L shaped banquette and some standard and low stool seating, also with muted lighting including candles in various beer and wine bottles on each table. As you might expect, there are a few nautically themed pictures hanging on the walls. At the rear, a bare brick part of the room leads out to a garden and a rear function room which is carpeted with four tables served by three short banquettes and a few low stools. A dartboard hangs on the far wall and a poster notes that Slater’s Top Totty is ‘banned from Parliament, but not from here’!
Top Totty was indeed available on my visit, as was Wye Valley HPA, Monty’s Midnight and Sunshine, Ironbridge Gold and Six Bells Cloud Nine. Boards listed three or four real ciders as well as a tidy selection of whiskies. I plumped for a pint of the HPA which was excellent and served to me by a cheerful barmaid. The landlord was hovering around the front door area, welcoming customers and bidding them farewell as they departed.
I thought this was an excellent pub with great beer, a homely interior and a really friendly atmosphere. My eagerness to visit a few other well regarded pubs around town meant that I left this place when I could quite easily have remained for the rest of the evening. The standout pub from a long crawl around town and top of my list for a revisit.
On 5th May 2013
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Admiral Benbow
Nothing has changed much in the last 3+ years I'm pleased to say. 6 cask ales on the bar plus a couple of real ciders and the 3 I tried during our 2 visits were in excellent condition. It was pretty quiet even for a Wednesday night though. It's a must visit pub when in Shrewsbury.
08/07/2009
Initially this looks like a one room pub but there is another room with a dartboard down a few steps at the back. The main room is nicely done with a white painted ceiling with small wooden beams. The walls are decorated with mainly maritime memorabilia as might be expected from the name. There is a large TV screen on the wall on the left which was showing the cricket when I was in but it's not obtrusive. Lot's of candles around which probably makes for a very homely feel once it gets dark. Six handpumps on the bar serving mainly local brewery beers. Ludlow Gold, Wem Shropshire Stout, Wye Valley HPA, Six Bells 1859 and Worfield Coalport Dodger Mild alongside GK IPA. I had a pint of the Stout and the HPA which were excellent. Friendly regulars and staff made for a very pleasant hour.
On 20th April 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3223 recommendations about 3134 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Anonymous User left this review about The Admiral Benbow
I had been recommended by several people in the town to visit this place. I'm glad that I did as it was my kind of pub - old fashioned, full of character and the ale was kept in good condition. I went for the Monty's Stout brewed by Ludlow Brewing Co and it was sublime.
I must admit though that where I live in Manchester, I am spoilt by the prices in and around the city. So when I was paying on average £3 a pint in Shrewsbury it did crease me.
A trip to the gents sent me on a fascinating trail though corridors and a hidden beer garden.
My only gripe about the place was that it was empty. (Maybe it was due to the time when I visited?)
Well worth a visit!
On 8th October 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 0 recommendations about 0 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Admiral Benbow
Open plan L shaped interior not as expected from the outside with its nice etched windows, a make over in the 80s or 90s has modernised it but not too badly. Four pulls on each face of the counter although on one face the clips are doubled or trebled up, giving a choice of 8 or 9 ales and a couple of ciders. Décor is middle of the road with carpeting, benches, stools and sewing machine tables, but lots of candle power . Silent as a grave when I dropped in apart from the 80s/90s music which won’t please everyone. At least the beer was fine, the pub being a long time GBG entry.
On 16th September 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3230 recommendations about 2939 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ale Monster left this review about The Admiral Benbow
This good real ale pub dates from around 1800 and is now a privately owned free house, it is named after the heroic Royal Navy officer John Benbow who was born in Shrewsbury and considered by many to be the 17th century equivalent of Admiral Nelson. The interior has two small rooms, a public bar at the front with an L shaped brick bar counter on the left opposite the entrance, a tiled fire place in the left hand wall, several paintings of Royal Navy ships on the walls and two large flat screen TVs which were not on during my visit. At the back of this room is a door which leads to an L shaped corridor where the second room can be found on the left, this is a cosy lounge area with a serving hatch from the main bar and a dart board on the back wall. Also at the back of the public bar is a door which leads out to a small patio with a couple of picnic style tables and lots of flowers.
Regular ales are the house beer, Benbow IPA, Ludlow Gold and Six Bells Cloud Nine with five changing guest beers usually from Shropshire and the neighbouring counties, Its also worth mentioning that there were three Ciders and a Perry on hand pull (GBG 2010). Forgot to ask who made the house beer but it was very good regardless, all beers seemed well kept in my opinion.
A great traditional pub for good beer, the landlord runs a tight ship (sorry, couldn’t resist) and does not allow groups of lads aged under 30, although common sense is used when younger people are accompanied by mature adults. I got a bit of a 70’s/80’s vibe from the interior which is a shame as this Georgian building must have been internally renovated at some point. Definitely a place to include on a pub crawl if you enjoy real ale, I shall return.
On 13th September 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 199 recommendations about 199 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Oggwyn Great left this review about The Admiral Benbow
This place has a great reputation for real ale and its easy to see why , 8 on during my visit , 6 Bells Old Castle Dark and Cloud 9 ,Shires Dabley Gold ,Ludlow Gold, Wye Valley HPA , Salopian Hop Twister ,Shropshire Brewery Stout and the pubs own Benbow IPA along with a choice of 6 ciders theres plenty to go at , i had a Ludlow Gold and very good it was . Where the pub falls down is the atmosphere , a lot of the locals seem content to keep themselves to themselves and there is hardly any banter , its not quite a Slaughtered Lamb but you do get some strange looks if your not known , overall well worth a visit just for the beer , just dont expect a jovial atmosphere
On 23rd May 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 797 recommendations about 683 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Admiral Benbow
One of the best options in town for Real Ales but that cannot disguise the fact that the pub itself is fairly plain and quite dull. The main bar is divided into 2 areas with a slight nautical theme. One side of the main bar has a wine bar feel with candle lit tables that seem wasted without a few romancing couples glancing into each others eyes. The other side is a bit more pubish but on the whole there isn’t really much that catches the eye. A glazed corridor leads to a small rear back room containing a dart board with its own serving hatch to the main bar. The beer garden is a pleasant bonus but the main draw is the ales, all sourced from local(ish) breweries. Shropshire Pride, HPA, Ludlow Gold, Gertie Sweet, Old Recumbant and the pubs own Benbow ale, certainly a few unusual beers worth exploring. In addition there were 2 Yarlington ciders (7.5% and 7.8%). The pub was alarmingly empty on my visit (in contrast to the Coach & Horses a few doors down that had a healthy bustle) but a visit is worthwhile for the beers alone. Just don’t expect a pub brimming with atmosphere or ambience.
On 29th December 2009
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Oggwyn Great left this review about The Admiral Benbow
Decent pub , large selection of real ales and a couple of ciders , very popular but does lack a bit of atmosphere
On 28th November 2009
- rating: 8
[User has posted 797 recommendations about 683 pubs]