Shirley Hotel, Shirley

I came here back in 2014 or 2015. It was a large single bar with no cask beer, and few other drinkers. There was a food outlet on the left which could be accessed from the pub and from the street. It was quiet, pleasant, spacious, and I recall it as being quite clean and tidy. I suspect I had some kind of  keg lager. I'll revisit this year to see what has changed.

OK. So came back on a Saturday afternoon, and it was right busy. There's a stall just by the front entrance, and some wooden tables on the pavement, which are used by the smokers. Customers were mostly male middle aged to older, though there were some women. There's a pool table in a side room to the right  as you enter.  No cask, though there is the option for keg IPA or John Smiths. I opted for a lager. There are signs saying that children and pushchairs are not allowed in, even for just five minutes.  The food outlet that I remember, doesn't seem to be operational any more. Or at least, not a busy Saturday.

We sat outside on the pavement by the cars going past, and in the drifting cigarette smoke of the men smoking nearby. It wasn't a pleasant experience.


Date: March 2017   Score: 3


 

Did a tramp around the pubs near Shirley shopping precinct looking for a pub that did food and a pint of cask beer. Shirley Hotel has never been a pub to impress me - it has a prominent position, but appears to struggle to make a decent profit. It's looking even tattier than it did on my last visit in 2017. No hanging baskets. I was going to go inside, but in order to do so I would have needed to squeeze past several smokers in the doorway. I didn't think it was worth breathing in their cigarette smoke in order to find out that the pub still doesn't serve cask beer or food. I'm not sure how long this pub is going to remain open.

Date: Nov 2021   Score: 2


88 Shirley High Street

Shirley

SO16 4FB

Open: 9am-11 Mon-Sat; 12-10.30 Sun

No food. 

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