Prince Regent pub, Brixton

[Ms T]

Plus it's always packed, which suggests it's not too expensive for the area....

 

[clandestino]

You clearly don't go out that often - £13 for a main course isn't unusual these days. Especially if it's meat - have you seen the price of meat recently?

I don't eat meat, so no. I guess veggie courses are usually cheaper.

 

[pboi]

the roast is 16£ and not worth it.

The sausage and mash is worth every penny tho!

 

[snowy_again]

They managed to look after me and 27 other people well last night.

Oh and Not a Vet was indeed treating it as his second home.

 

[tarannau]

Plus it's always packed, which suggests it's not too expensive for the area....

That's not exactly a mark of quality mind. There are plenty of restaurants beloved of Sloanes serving what seems to be laughably expensive versions of comfort food, cooked in the style of public school refectories.

I'm a bit indifferent to the Regent. The food's certainly decent enough and ok pricewise, albeit it's competent stuff along familiar lines rather than anything that really surprises or sings to me. Probably more put off by the atmosphere than anything else if I'm honest - as someone's else has hinted the pub can have a high wankers to punters ratio, the management tend to go a little graceless under pressure and service for us has always been patchy and shamateurish on the few times we've been down. Polite enough, but it's been pot luck whether we get served in rough order or get attended to during the meal. I suspect it might be slightly better if they know your face well, but there's a lack of consistency and 'system' there.

You can feel a little packed in, paying near restaurant prices for a much lower level of service. And it doesn't feel much like a proper pub either, the pub filled with kids and diners lined up in rows. Don't mind the food at all - certainly better than the Florence - but it's not a place that pops up first in my mind as a pleasant place to visit and hang around in.

 

[Ms T]

That's not exactly a mark of quality mind. There are plenty of restaurants beloved of Sloanes serving what seems to be laughably expensive versions of comfort food, cooked in the style of public school refectories.

I'm a bit indifferent to the Regent. The food's certainly decent enough and ok pricewise, albeit it's competent stuff along familiar lines rather than anything that really surprises or sings to me. Probably more put off by the atmosphere than anything else if I'm honest - as someone's else has hinted the pub can have a high wankers to punters ratio, the management tend to go a little graceless under pressure and service for us has always been patchy and shamateurish on the few times we've been down. Polite enough, but it's been pot luck whether we get served in rough order or get attended to during the meal. I suspect it might be slightly better if they know your face well, but there's a lack of consistency and 'system' there.

You can feel a little packed in, paying near restaurant prices for a much lower level of service. And it doesn't feel much like a proper pub either, the pub filled with kids and diners lined up in rows. Don't mind the food at all - certainly better than the Florence - but it's not a place that pops up first in my mind as a pleasant place to visit and hang around in.

I quite like it and it's my favourite pub in the area but I know what you mean about the service. Sometimes they seem a bit too busy for their own good. The food doesn't blow me away either but it's decent food for a pub.

As for it being a "proper" pub, I think it depends on your perspective. I think it's nice that people with kids feel they can hang out there at lunchtimes, even if it is a bit irritating sometimes. And to be honest I'm not keen on drinking without eating these days. I must be getting old.

 

[editor]

You can feel a little packed in, paying near restaurant prices for a much lower level of service. And it doesn't feel much like a proper pub either, the pub filled with kids and diners lined up in rows. Don't mind the food at all - certainly better than the Florence - but it's not a place that pops up first in my mind as a pleasant place to visit and hang around in.

It's not my idea of a pub either, to be honest.

 

[bluestreak]

It's OK, but too pricey for me, and tends to be full of people being loud. I'll always walk the extra five minutes to the Effra if I want a pint of an evening.

 

[editor]

Yeah, the Effra's about a thousand times better than the Regent.

 

[tarannau]

Wish I could love more of the jazz more mind. Just gets on my tits a lot of the time if I'm honest. Like the place, but long waits for a drink to a saxophone soundtrack isn't always a huge draw to me.

 

[quimcunx]

I like it well enough. I've never been in the Effra.

 

[tarannau]

Ah, you should definitely visit the Effra Quim. Despite their best blandifying efforts at interior design, it's a beautiful pub with some good people in there.

 

[Ms T]

Wish I could love more of the jazz more mind. Just gets on my tits a lot of the time if I'm honest. Like the place, but long waits for a drink to a saxophone soundtrack isn't always a huge draw to me.

Imagine what it was like living opposite.

 

[gaijingirl]

I eat at the Regent fairly often (usually if I have guests/family) and it's not even my idea of a pub. But then my idea of a pub is the Elm Park Tavern. I think that pubs come in very many guises these days.

 

[Orang Utan]

We had a great time here last night and enjoyed some very good food, BUT the owner of that pub is a liability. He was pissed out of his mind when we got there - he was sat at the bar at first being obnoxious and I thought he was a patron. I was hoping this wasn't a typical punter cos the pub looked nice. It transpired that instead of sitting a party of over 20 of us in the room upstairs, we were being squeezed into a corner of the pub downstairs. This was a tight squeeze. People had to constantly get up to let others past and it completely blocked off acesss to the disabled loo.
When we were seated, I noticed the pisshead who was sat down before was behind the bar. pouring a pint with a massive head, scooping out the head with his hand and refilling it. I thought he was going to serve it but he drank it instead and then someone pointed out that he was the owner. He then started messing with the music (we'd asked them to turn it down earlier, but he just turned it back up again and playing stuff from his iPod, with added feedback, everytime he switched from one music player to another. One of the staff kept ushering him out of the bar, but he kept coming back. The staff were clearly embarrassed by his behaviour.
He also had an altercation with a friend of ours and our friend had to leave. Again, the staff were clearly embarrassed and reluctant to ask him to go.
As I said, the food was delicious. Drinks were good too, though they were understaffed and they'd ran out of most of the wines we asked for.
We did get a discount and free round of drinks, though I felt for the poor staff who were doing well, but hamstrung by a staggering berk of a manager/owner. He was like someone out of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. I'm calling Channel 4!

 

[snowy_again]

Apparently the staff lost their tip money from the night because of him, and four people left without paying.

 

[tarannau]

He's a bit like that sober to be fair, although never seen him that bad. A bit of a sneering unsympathetic plum with the kind of supercilious attitude to customers that gets backs up.

It's fine when things are going well, but he gets stressy and arsey when things get pushed. It's like he can't understand why you wouldn't want five of you packed into a tiny table by the door.

Glad you enjoyed the food though LTC. I would recommend the two courses for £11 deal on Mondays, but service tends to be worse than usual then.

 

[Orang Utan]

Well we made sure we gave a tip to the staff cos they did brilliantly with the food and the service, but I'm not surprised people left. I was told he cost the business about £500.

 

[editor]

I eat at the Regent fairly often (usually if I have guests/family) and it's not even my idea of a pub. But then my idea of a pub is the Elm Park Tavern. I think that pubs come in very many guises these days.

Can't go wrong with the Elm Park Tavern. Good boozer.

 

[Orang Utan]

I couldn't believe we got seated downstairs - I thought they'd double booked us with another big party, but it turned out that room was empty, he just didn't arrange staff to cover two rooms.

 

[Orang Utan]

Can't go wrong with the Elm Park Tavern. Good boozer.

It's great but I wouldn't want to eat my Christmas dinner there!

 

[snowy_again]

he just didn't arrange staff to cover two rooms.

Cos he's constantly claiming the credit crunch is affecting him.

 

[tarannau]

He's actually one of the major reasons I don't visit the Regent more. I don't want to give him my money - he's an arrogant plum with all the customer service skills of a dead stoat.

I'll fully admit that there's something that rubs me the wrong way about him - after years on the other side of the fence, I suppose I really dislike people mistreating staff and bad service - but have tried to be fair to The Regent and not mentioned what I thought was a bit of a personal bugbear. But now the cat's out of the bag and other people have noticed, I'm more than happy to add my tuppence.

 

[snowy_again]

Indeed, the saving grace is that he's not exactly a hands on manager, and isn't there that often, in fact things seem to go more pear shaped when he does get involved.

And I'm not going to say anything about that silly hat.

 

[Not a Vet]

I edited a previous post because I was worried that he may read it and get all arsey, but it doesn't seem to matter now. He's not in the pub much but on the few occasions when he's pissed, its cringe worthy. He get's paranoid that people are talking about him and I'm amazed no-ones ever lamped him one.
I saw the table that LTC was sat on when I walked in last night. All us normal punters were forced to sit in the restaurant as a result.

I refer again to the wankers ratio..

 

[Ms T]

Blimey, I don't think I've ever been in when he's been there. What an arsehole!

 

[ska invita]

i miss the pool tables - possibly the best pub tables in london

 

[Orang Utan]

I refer again to the wankers ratio..

I hope you're not referring to us. We were very civilised.

 

[quimcunx]

I edited a previous post because I was worried that he may read it and get all arsey, but it doesn't seem to matter now. He's not in the pub much but on the few occasions when he's pissed, its cringe worthy. He get's paranoid that people are talking about him and I'm amazed no-ones ever lamped him one.
I saw the table that LTC was sat on when I walked in last night. All us normal punters were forced to sit in the restaurant as a result.

I refer again to the wankers ratio..

What an odd decision to make, put the big christmas group in the main pub then use the restaurant for overspill.

How did this guy come to own a business in the first place.

 

[tarannau]

I don't know, but it's rubbed off on some of the staff. The newer they are, the more polite they tend to be. But there's little sense of order or decent management - a lot of the time they're headless chickens running around with the specials board in any old order.