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Detail Pages
Rapscallions, Southsea
Southsea
PO5 3LT
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Wave Maiden
The Wave Maiden is a thin dimly lit bar with open plan seating at the front and a bar in the left rear corner. I counted approximately five craft keg products which compliment the six real ales on stillage at the rear. Four of these ales were off during a recent Friday afternoon visit. I found the barman to be very friendly, but the lack of light, mood music and the pints I had necked were not a good combination. I was glad to move on.
On 30th May 2019
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5251 recommendations about 5219 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Wave Maiden
Dark, narrow bar that you could mistake for a tattoo parlour when passing, but it turns out to be a bit more interesting inside than one might expect. The chalkboards are dominated by a long list of bottled beers in a wide range of styles (with prices reaching £16 for a 750 ml bottle of Hiver from the Unity Brew Co!). Seven craft keg beers are listed, and we found two cask ales (including a decent Urban Island Mosaic) available direct from the stillage at the rear of the bar.
On 24th April 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Wave Maiden
Opened late in 2014 in the premises of a former Greek restaurant the Wave Maiden is an interesting addition to the Southsea drinking scene and provides a good contrasting option to the many traditional pubs in the area, positioning itself firmly towards the Craft beer and vegan food end of the spectrum.
The décor is suitably dark and gloomy for a bar named after characters from Norse mythology however will not be to the taste of those that like to see what they are doing. But when you do finally get your eye in enough to read the enormous chalk board by the bar at the back of the room you realise there are some interesting options to be had here.
There were nine beers on draft with two cask beers (Vibrant Forest Chinook and Urban Island Mosaic ) and then Arundel Tarrant St, Big Hug Brew Blonde , Vibrant Forest Symbiosis, Otter Brewery Tarka Lager, and No Biggie and Praline Hazelnut Stout from Sirencraft on the Craft Keg pumps. And these were complemented by an extensive list of cans and bottles covering most beer styles.
I initially thought being in a dark bar I would go for something from the dark side until I noticed that the Praline Hazelnut Stout was 7.4% and probably not the best option at half way through the Pubs Galore Crawl. I then spotted Sirencraft Mavka Coffee & Coconut Imperial Stout but gave this a swerve when I read the small print ( 11.4% and £9.30 a bottle ) so reverted to type and went for the Urban Island Mosaic, which was very good.
As it happened, the following day we picked out a very good Portuguese restaurant to eat in a few doors further up the Osbourne Road and managed to pop in here again beforehand when I did get to try a couple of the more sensible ABV options from the Stout and Porters list.
So not really a bar to visit for a session but more the type of place where you take your time over a beer and a plate of cheese. There is also an upstairs room that I believe is used for Quiz and Music nights which we completely missed first time around.
On 4th April 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Wave Maiden
Very dark interior! There was a young couple opposite us ordering food on our visit, they either had excellent night vision, a torch or just went by taste, as we could just about see our beers. Joking aside, this bar did have a good pint of Urban Island Mosiac and a decent Vibrant Forest Chinook on stillage. The beer was on the pricey side, but was in excellent condition. Worth popping in for well sourced beers. The owner and barman were welcoming and chatty, just about made them out from behind the bar.
On 1st April 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Wave Maiden
A retail conversion leaving nothing for the pub traditionalist, specialising in artisanal cheese along with the beer.
Had a half of something from a keg called Big Hug Brewing's Blond at a throbbing £2.60 a half; cold and not great.
On 1st April 2019
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Wave Maiden
Small and somewhat gloomy ,the dark wall decoration gives it a gothic feel and the candles on the table may need to be lit in the evening to see what's going on.There is dark wooden furniture to the front and a rear bar with two real ales on stillage , on my trip Urban Island Mosaic,and Vibrant Forest Chinook,an unfined vegan friendly beer in the London murky style.There are also 5 craft keg options from the likes of Arundel,Big Hug,Bath and Siren with additional bottle choices.
My visit was a swift crawl tick,but it was a worth while pub to sample unusual beers and vegan food options.
On 31st March 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Wave Maiden
A narrow retail conversion with rather dark décor giving something of a cave-like effect. Tucked away at the back is a stillage with a few casks on, with a wider range of keg craft stuff and some boxed ciders in a chiller. Seemed quite a cosy place for eating and not too shabby for drinking either.
On 30th March 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Wave Maiden
The British summer officially ended the moment I set foot on Clarence Esplanade, as the heavens opened, forcing me to race across Southsea Common and take shelter in this unusual little bar. The simple, single room set up put me in mind of a continental bar, thanks in part to the dark interior fitted out in dark wood throughout and with very little natural light, but also because of the series of vintage French and Belgian advertisements on display throughout. The room has a good mix of seating options through the narrow but deep interior, including comfortable chairs and benches and a very low-slung sofa to the right. The decor throughout was very tasteful and included various old-fashioned items such as old radios and bits of taxidermy which managed to fit in nicely with the pub's overall aesthetic. The servery is tucked away in the far corner of the room with stools along a drinking ledge on the wall opposite. I noticed some stairs midway into the room, which appear to lead up to a first floor seating area, but given that I was dripping water all over the place, I thought better of exploring.
Unusually, the pub has its ales racked on on stilage to one side of the bar, with around six to eight barrels visible, but only two on when I arrived. The very friendly barmaid explained which beers were on and what style they were, leading me to plump for something from Vibrant Forest, which was incredibly flavoursome and in good shape.
I thought this was an interesting little venue that seemed like a subtle departure from Southsea's multitude of traditional alehouses, offering something a little different when crawling around this part of town. It struck my as an enterprising family business that offers well kept beer in intriguing but comfortable surrounds and I was a little loathe to leave after just the one, especially as it was still hammering down outside.
On 25th August 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Wave Maiden
A very pleasant contemporary pub, part gastro, part micro, occupying a former restaurant premises, a great improvement on the previous business and a valuable addition to the area. The interior is well described by Malden Man, below. Electric sockets were conveniently placed for laptops and phones, and there was WiFi. The staff were pleasant, welcoming and knowledgeable. There were 4 craft beers on draught and 6 barrels on gravity feed including Salopian Vertigo and Franklin's Pudding Stout which were in beautiful condition and served in a choice of straight glass or jug. A must when visiting Southsea and well worth seeking out for beer and food.
On 16th March 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3285 recommendations about 3250 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Wave Maiden
A new place, very much plonking itself on the ‘craft’ end of the spectrum. Going for a passing Hammer Horror look inside with a Gothic/Victoriana feel - tiled floor, dark green walls and a message on one of the beams; ‘welcome to the dark side of the street’. Bar is at the far end and there is a large, almost wall-length, chalked list with cask, craft keg and bottles (no wine or spirits here). This list reveals that this place is certainly at the more expensive end of the spectrum, though there were two ales under four quid (the Ilkley at 6% was £4.80pp whilst a 4.2% Franklins was faintly ludicrous £4.30). Ales and ciders are stillaged (which always makes me concerned) though the three we tried - Goldmark Old Git, Urban Island Amarillo and Franklin's Stout - were in decent-to-good nick. Staff were friendly but somewhat scatty. It’s a fair stop but not one I’d be personally enthusing about the same way I would the Leopold or Lawrence. Perhaps those who have money to burn might have a different opinion.
On 20th February 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]