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ONE PUB ONLY?
Sir Loin of Beef
CRAWLING FROM RAILWAY STATION TO THE GROUND?
Portsmouth is pretty spread out so my crawl would be from The Artillery to Sir Loin of Beef and then to the Eastfield Tavern
SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT?
Sir Loin of Beef
|  |  Artillery Arms
Hester Rd, Eastney, PO4 8HB T 023 9273 3610
G Mike and Annette Bradshaw
F Simple pub food from 12 to 2.30
SP SK BM P
O 12 to 3, 6 to 11 Mon - Thu, 12 to 11 Fri - Sun
This is a large back-street boozer with a difference. Home of the Pompey “anoraks” on matchdays, it is geared up to for sports lovers of all types. The Ringwood and Gale’s options, plus guests from local breweries, were the main reasons why the pub was recommended to me. The pub has a good mix of regulars and boasts an excellent atmosphere on matchdays. Some away fans, notably Baggies, have been made welcome for many years, the good hearted banter and real ale drawing them back again. I chose the small bar on the street entrance side, smaller and chattier than the larger rooms that held space for events and pub games. The Artillery has a welcome all would cherish; I certainly did on my, more than usual, visits in the last year.
UPDATE: Gale’s has now gone. London Pride and Summer Lightning are typical ales on sale. A beer festival is held on the last bank holiday in May.
BWV 9.2.05: Archers Springboard, Gale’s Bitter, HSB, Cheriton Pots Ale Itchen Valley Gold Ale, Ringwood Old Thumper, Fortyniner.
BWV 5.1.06: Archers Blizzard, Cheriton Pots Ale, Gale’s Best, Winter Brew, Ringwood Fortyniner | |  Florence Arms
18 - 20 Florence Rd, Southsea, PO5 2NE T 023 9287 5700 W www.theflorencearms.com
G Jane Goldring and Greg Clark
F All freshly-sourced real food to go with the real beer 12 to 2, 6 to 8.30. Sunday lunch 12 to 3. No food on matchdays
SP TV
O 11 to 11.30, 12 to 11 Sun
This pub is perfect for the family, couples and real ale strollers who enjoy a walk on the seafront as part of their matchday routine. Come inland a couple of minutes and you will find the Florence. It has a certain confident air, having been refurbished in what appears to be an interesting mix of styles. The bars offer the option of modernity, all pine floors, and pub games etc in one bar; or traditional décor with dark wooden timber furniture in another. Alas my midweek visit missed the locals’ choice of guest ales which is available at the weekend. On Saturday food is not available because the separate rear room restaurant is transformed into the favoured meeting place for Pompey fans from afar. It gets very busy because Pompey fans meet here after quite distant journeys back home. Greg is a top landlord who makes you feel welcome and serves top quality Young's ales. The alternatives are from a range of guest ales, usually regional or local speciality beers.
UPDATE: Sky Sports is no longer available, one innovation is the use of radio broadcasts when Pompey are away. Skew Ale was one of the regular brews from the local Suthwyk Brewery
BWV 9.2.05: Adnams Broadside, Young's Bitter, Special. Addlestsone’s Cider
BWV 5.1.06: Adnams Broadside, Southwick Skew Ale, Young’s Christmas Ale, Special, Addlestone’s Cider | |  Sally Port Inn
High St, Old Portsmouth, PO1 2ZU T 023 9282 1860
G Arthur Sadler
F Buffet food supplemented by a-la-carte menu from12 to 2.30, 6 to 9.30 Mon - Sat, 12 to 8 Sun
SP BM D
O 11 to 11, 12 to 11 Sun
Old Portsmouth is the destination point for many a tourist and trendy Pompeyite looking for a bit of history beneath the new Spinnaker Tower. The Sally Port has a great location, being opposite the cathedral, but also has needed to reinvent itself as the High Street loses passing trade to the Gunwharf redevelopments.
This is the place to base your weekend stay. The pub does exceptional breakfasts and has character to die for. My visit found the early lunch trade starting up, very much retired captains rather than ratings, squaddies, or matelots, coming in for a quiet pint over a meal. The pub proclaims an age of over 500 years and has some fantastic features for those who love pubs to be living buildings. The central staircase is apparently built from a ship’s spar; the walls are clad in what is convincingly-aged timber. As for the ales, it has some real pedigree. Neil owns this and other Pompey pubs, all specialising in real ales. The one is very relaxing and is a place that might well impress your girlfriend if she likes sitting in leather armchairs and gazing out of the window. I did plenty of mind - wandering before braving a rather cold sea breeze and setting off to see the Sally Ports at the end of the road.
BWV 5.1.06: Fuller’s London Pride, Gale’s HSB, Shepherd Neame, Porter, Spitfire, Young’s Special | |  Sir Loin of Beef
152 Highland Rd, PO4 9NH T 07766 646972 / 023 928 20115
G Paul Jevons
SP JB D
O 11 to 12, 12 to 11.30 Sun
When seen from the outside, this pub has the appearance of a cheerful seaside street-corner café. On entry, you soon know you are in serious real ale land. It is rated by PubzOnline as “the best pub in Pompey” and has a loyal band of Pompey advocates. I particularly liked the attempts to find originality in the design and layout, though I just couldn’t sit on the Carling bench. I would be tempted by the bottled beers list and on occasions the Gale’s wines always issue a challenge. The beer range, however, is the main attraction here, along with the option to just sit and watch the locals’ obvious good fortune. Top beer, and a landlord who organises beer trips to the many Hampshire breweries for the regulars - that is what I call looking after my customers. It is a good 10 minute walk to the ground, far enough away to avoid the masses, close enough to get full value.
UPDATE: Pat told me of the popularity of the bottled beers and continental lagers that add to the great beer list.
BWV 9.2.05: Badger Slurpin’ Santa, Courage Directors, Gale’s HSB, Greene King Ruddles County, Hampshire Heaven Can Wait, Hop Back GFB, Summer Lightning, Vale Hadda’s Headbanger
BWV 5.1.06: Fuller’s Gale’s HSB, Hop Back GFB, Summer Lightning, Itchen Valley Green Jacket, Lloyd’s Fire Fox, Snow Leopard, Triple fff Gilbert White, Young’s Winter Warmer | |  Still and West
Bath Square, Old Portsmouth, PO1 2JL 023 9282 1567 W www.fullers.co.uk
G Tina Blackhall
F A-la-carte and fish specialities served on two levels, plus bar food downstairs 12 to 3 (Summer, to 9)
T MP BM D
O 10 to 11.30, 11 to 10.30 Sun
The Still was, and still is, a flagship for Gale’s ales and, given its location, would be fine place to sample their ales on a long hot summer evening. My visit was on a cold January day but was equally spectacular, being full of those who regularly take in an ale or fish supper as part of a walk from the new Tower along the Battery walls. The view is quite simply stunning. Even on a quiet day you will see cross-channel ferries passing outside the pub. To get a real idea of just how close the ships will pass by, check out the 1960 photo in the non-smoking area and marvel at the scale of the pub in comparison to the military craft in view.
The pub itself specialises in the food and ale trade, and had a wide range of ages eating and drinking during my lunchtime visit. As an indicator of the clientele, you might note that it was skirts rather than jeans on the ladies, polished shoes rather than trainers on the men. I, however, was equally comfortable in walking boots and denims - this is not a pretentious restaurant by any means. For those who become horizontally-challenged, the ceiling tells the story of local history. Becoming so would be easy, as the Gale’s ales were decidedly moreish and the prospect of visiting the Tower was pushed further from my tourist plans. Jeff, the manager, told me something of the future plans re Fuller’s ales - it will be well worth visiting to see if the heritage can be maintained now that Fuller’s have taken over Gale’s..
BWV 1.1.06: Fuller’s Gale’s Best, Butser, Festival, Mild, HSB | | Recommendations by Martyn Constable
1. The Eastfield tavern- five minutes walk from the ground serves 5 different beers two bar locals pub
2. The Rose in June usually 5 beers on again 2 bar and still only 10 minutes walk from the ground
3. The Hole in the Wall (doesn't open until 4.00pm) A small real ale mecca 7 beers always one or two from oakleaf and five other micro's real cider and a few Belgian beers | | | PORTSMOUTH CAMRA | | 
FRATTON PARK
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LOCAL BREWERY
SUTHWYK ALES
Offwell Farm,
Southwick,
Fareham,
Hampshire
PO17 6DX
Telephone:023 9232 5252
www.suthwykales.com
| | WETHERSPOONS
The John Jacques 78-82 Fratton Road Fratton Portsmouth PO1 5BZ Opening Times: Sun-Thu 9am-midnight; Fri/Sat 9am-1am
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