Castle Tavern Gosport - sinking fast?

BlueChip

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Had dinner there on Saturday after it has been closed for some weeks and just reopened, here are my impressions

IMHO they have spoiled the interior, all the boating memorabilia and nautical photos have gone and the bar has been remodelled. It looks like they are aiming at a very young market and destroyed all the character

Just one cask ale available on tap - Greene King IPA, but loads of lagers. The IPA was acceptable but not in top condition

The toilets have been done up but superfically, whatever new floor covering they put down is already lifting and the new tiles are extensively cracked. In a month or so they will be as bad as before.

As far as the food goes, SWMBO who had a sirloin steak and new potatoes, when asked how her steak was, the only words she could find to say was the food was warm.

I had the jumbo cod (almost £10) it was the most disgusting piece of reconstituted frozen 'fish' I have ever had the misfortune to be served, even the chips were greasy and tastleless. What a rip off!

On the next table a lady complained about her 'roast of the day' and left most of it, while on the table the other side a couple eating steaks left most of theirs.

This is not a place I could ever recomend to eat, in spite of at least three tables being very dissapointed on their poor meals, there was no sign of a manager or chef. Thats at least 9 people who will never return. '

Its a shame really because although the food here was never very good, it wasnt all bad either and the beer was consistently reliable. They seem to have totally lost the plot.
 

xcw

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Has the place changed ownership/management?

I hope that during the refurb they have taken down the framed Yachting Monthly (I think) article recommending it as the place to eat in Gosport - always used to amuse me!
 

Solitaire

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I've been instructing out of Gosport marina the last few days. I had lunch in there 2 days running! Never a 3rd!! Food realy is very poor. My host had a "cottage pie" that was drenched in a very odd looking gravy and "school dinner" greens. I had ham egg and chips - ham was Ok, but egg was hard. No - certainly not worth a visit weekday lunchtimes, that's for sure! Had lunch today at the Anchor in Cowes. Very good!
 

traceyevans

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8 Sep 2005
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This is our local - but we don't use it as much, as we now live locally too.....

I used to look forward to dinner on Saturday nights in the Castle, but after the refurb - well, all I can say is that they haven't changed the chip fat since the refurb was done....

It had that old pub feeling, where you had to dust off the seats before sitting down, but that was what was good about it..

Everyone we've spoken to, has been there once since the refurb, and not been back..

We recently had some friends over from OZ, we'ed been raving about the Castle Tavern, so took them there (our first time after refurb) - embarressed - that's all I can say...

Let's hope they read some of this stuff, and do something about it
 

xcw

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We went there on Saturday for a quick pint, really just to see how it was. There were less than a dozen people in there at 8.30pm, only one couple were eating. I remember a couple of years ago you struggled to find a seat in there. The message must be getting out just how bad it is. Shame really as it could be a goldmine.
 
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