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Barking Cat Alehouse, Poole

Pub added by E TA
184 Ashley Road
Poole
BH14 9BY

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Blue Scrumpy left this review about Barking Cat Alehouse

We paid our first visit to the Barking Cat Alehouse yesterday and were suitably impressed. It's a good 25-30-minute bus journey from Bournemouth towards Poole, but not too far to walk from Branksome station.

The cask range here is good, with 8 real ales and 4 real ciders clipped over the bar's 12 handpulls. Ales were Lord's Weekend Driver, Oakham Relativity & Inferno, Dark Star Sunquake, Nightjar Happy Joose, Fine Tuned 303 Squadron, Gale's HSB & Ossett Voodoo. Meanwhile ciders were Sandford Orchards Devon Red, Madhatter's Farting Dog, Dorset Star First Press & Snail's Bank Blood Orange Cider. Amongst the craft beer selection were New Bristol Maple & Pecan Stout & Up Close Magic, Unity Conflux, Wilde Child Clique Fiesta & RedWillow Yet Another Eton Mess. There were also a couple of draft ciders - Snail's Bank Rhubarb Cider & Cornish Orchards Dry.

Whilst I didn't venture into the back room, the main front bar is square-shaped with the bar on the right as you enter. Bench seating with high stools is the order of the day. The ceiling is plastered with hundreds of pumpclips. With a friendly barmaid and quite a few customers, the atmosphere for our Saturday lunchtime visit was decent.

This is without doubt now one of the best pubs in the Bournemouth/Poole area, if not the best.

On 13th November 2022 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2442 recommendations about 2441 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Danny O'Revey left this review about Barking Cat Alehouse

Excellent ale house on main road, large insidewith the bar to the right and high benches to the left and a back room. Smart well presented pub, excellent choice of cask beers in top notch condition

On 24th September 2022 - rating: 8
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Bradley McAnulty left this review about Barking Cat Alehouse

Probably one of my favourite pubs that I've ever been to.

Fantastic selection of ales/craft beers along with real ciders and spirits that aren't mainstream and found in most pubs.

Have never had any trouble in the pub in the years that I have been going (back to the original smugglers run) and have found it one of the few pubs where you can have a pleasant conversation with anyone at the pub.

Backroom with darts and pool table (50p a game on the pool table!) and a jukebox.

On 11th July 2019 - rating: 10
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Mark Ambrose left this review about Barking Cat Alehouse

Please disregard any reviews of the previous pub (Smugglers Run). We are a new pub (The Barking Cat Alehouse) with 8 ales on hand pull, 6 ciders on hand pull and 10 craft keg.
Still a function room for meetings (also a pool table/dart boards)
I'm not going to rate my own pub - that's down to you guys n girls :)

On 6th November 2018 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Smuggler's Run

Too big to be called a micro-pub, this elongated shop conversion has a narrow rectangular bar with a rear games room of almost equal size. Limited amount of furniture and basic decor. As a Bournemouth Brewing house, there were two of its beers on plus four guests in a variety of styles (e.g. Moonshine Night Watch Porter, £3.60) from six of eight handpumps.

On 16th April 2017 - rating: 7
[User has posted 8066 recommendations about 8066 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


E TA left this review about Smugglers' Run

A modern pub with traditional features housed in a former Chinese restaurant. It sort of feels like a micro but is too big to be one, really. There is a large bar at the front and a smaller room behind which houses a pool table and could be used for functions. The conversion happened last year, so the décor is fairly new. The landlord and landlady are friendly and engaging, and they are both experienced and knowledgeable of the brewing trade. The customers fall into 2 categories: ale lovers who make the effort to come here and the indigenous idle who are disappointed to find there is no fosters available and make do with the real ale, cider and craft beers on sale. The pub hosts various events such as Meet the Brewer and home brew gatherings, and it is fast becoming a firm favourite with the local CAMRA branch. There were 8 ales on handpump, 7 ciders and another 5 (I think) beers on pressure pump. Breweries included were Goddards, Bournemouth Brewing Company, Palmers and a couple of smaller ones. All the beers we tried were in excellent condition, as you would expect. A superbly enjoyable pub set to become a firm favourite.

On 4th March 2016 - rating: 9
[User has posted 3272 recommendations about 3237 pubs]