January 21, 2012
A proper pub, and a very well kept secret. Great Triple FFF beer, and not dominated by Ringwood like a lot of other pubs in the city.

December 30, 2011 [ Updated March 31, 2012 ]
The best pub in the city, and a relatively well kept secret....would sometines rather it stayed this way. The beer selection is invariably well kept, and the service from all the bar staff, let alone mein hosts, is second to none. The seem to care about what they serve, and how it’s served. The beer selection is always good...usually a few standards (ESB, a Bowman brew, and other commercial ’beers’ for the less discerning palette), but the rotation of the guests is what gives this place its edge in the city. There may only be 5 or 6, but its a place the size of your living room. Add to that, the fact that this is a a proper free house, not an Enterprise place, and a pint costs you alomost a quid less than anywhere else in town. Warm, friendly, inviting. If I have a few issues they are minor; sometimes their guest ales are a bit samey, and PROPER scratchings would top this place off for me. No food, bar the odd ham roll, and Margaret’s pickled eggs are stuff of legend (especially the chilli variety). Gets very full just before k.o. on match days, and on Friday nights. However, no hurley-burley here, just good conversation, lovely beer, and a warm welcome. Utterly recommended.

December 29, 2011
Best kept beer in the city. 7 hand pumps with a selection of bottles. Very reasonable prices, with a Friday deal whereby one beer is £2.40 a pint (others ~£2.80 per pint). Meat draw every Friday & occasional quizzes. Voted best pub in the Wessex region in 2010 by an independent CAMRA panel and nearly advanced to the final 4 of the national competition. Small, always busy and always very good. A range of rolls & snacks are available, with proceeds going to charity.

May 8, 2011
The best selection of real ales anywhere in Southampton. Up to eight ales on handpull. Small pub that feels like the front room of someone’s house. Proper community pub where you can strike up a conversation with anyone. Fair prices with a "pint of the week" often available. Supporter of the guide dog charity and runs a number of events including a weekly meat draw and darts competitions. Hosts events such as an annual "beer and bangers" night in conjunction with the local South Hampshire CAMRA branch. Paul and Margaret and their staff are very helpful and happy to take recommendations and offer tasters. This pub is also very popular with supporters of Southampton FC and can get very busy (standing room only!) on match days. If you only have time to visit one pub in Southampton make it this one.

June 23, 2008
The best pub in Southampton. Constantly rotating beer, shame I only get down here every other week during the football season otherwise I would have picked up a lot more. Tends to favour golden ales but with stuff like Bowman Swift One, Hophead, Skew Sunshine etc that’s no bad thing. Away fans more than welcome so long as you don’t drink all the beer. Landlord and lady make this everything a local pub should be.

October 12, 2007
An excellent back street pub which is a genuine free house. There are 7 real ales on with Fuller’s ESB on permanently and the other 6 being constantly rotating guest beers from breweries around the country although local breweries such as Oakleaf, Bowman Ales and Triple FFF tend to appear frequently which is no bad thing. The service is very friendly and there is a strong emphasis on the quality of the beer which is constantly and thoroughly monitored. If I could make one criticism, it would be that they could do with some more foreign bottled beer to add to the existing Belgian selection but overall, this is a classic pub. If only more pubs were like this.

July 2, 2005 [ Updated March 3, 2008 ]
Consistently best kept beer in Southampton. Mostly local breweries rotating with seasonals. Always has one of the excellent Bowman beers on. A genuine back street local.