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Image posted by paulof horsham
Submitted on Monday, 15th April 2024
With picture contributions to 4643 other pubs
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Detail Pages
Crystal Palace, Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted
HP4 2EZ
Reviews of Crystal Palace (Average Rating: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
paulof horsham left this review about Crystal Palace
This is no longer a Big Smoke pub: I could see no sign of their beers either on handpump or keg. Instead, just the regular choice of Amstel, Madri, Brixton etc on the taps, with Landlord and a warm and somewhat below par Tring offering on the pumps.
You can order food, but with napkins hard for this visitor to find, eating was an uncomfortable experience.
The canalside location is an obvious attraction but, that apart, there seems no other reason to visit, especially with two other pubs also offering seats looking out on the Grand Union just minutes away.
To be honest, this had the feel of a pub being run by someone who's never been to a pub before. I'd suggest giving it a miss if my underwhelming experience is anything to go by.
On 8th May 2024
- rating: 3
[User has posted 456 recommendations about 428 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Crystal Palace
ORIGINAL REVIEW September 2010.
Two very seperate rooms in this small pub.Front bar with pool table and TV ,definately the public bar while the rear lounge is now set up with tables for dining,although you can just drink in here if you wish.Food is always available and there is now chinese and other asian dishes available both within and to take out,in a joint venture.English pub food(the landlady's description) is available until 3pm and on Sundays only a carvery operates until 4pm.Three handpumps with GK IPA,Old Speckled Hen and Spitfire as a guest ,at £3.20 a little pricey for the ambiance on offer.Functional but not the best of the three canalside pubs in Berko.
UPDATE
My first revisit after the takeover by Big Smoke and what a difference.Gone is the two room layout ,and the front door is locked so enter at either side.The interior is now open plan,with the front below the fine windows devoted to dinking,while the section around the bar has a mix of furniture for drinkers.The outside space has been hugely increased both along the canal towpath and also at a large rear garden.The exterior has been repainted and now looks very smart.
When inside the West Coast mainline trains do thunder past quite close on the embankment,but it is a smart place to dine ,and although the pub is the closest to the station ,it doesnt suffer a transient customer base of waifs and strays.
There are six handpumps offering just house Big Smoke Solaris along with guests Oakham Citre,Harvey's Sussex Best,Tring Sidepocket and Moongazing (NBSS 2.5,a little warm) with another Tring clip reversed and finally a Lilly's real cider.The 10 wall mounted keg taps offers Flensburger lager,Guiness and 10 Big Smoke keg beers of various styles and strengths.
A decent enough real ale option,would have been better if some Big Smoke kegged beers had been offered as real ale but worth a visit when in town.Rating raised.
On 23rd September 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2745 recommendations about 2745 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Clive Thompson left this review about Crystal Palace
First time here since Big Smoke took over and I'm quite impressed with the refurb. Here for a beer festival, 12 ales on gravity (and a load of craft taps) in a marquee at the side with open views of the canal. Pleasantly surprised to find the 10% CAMRA discount being applied to festival beers.
Revisiting this pub on PuG I was reminded that it featured in my Great Inter County pub crawl 12 years ago. 1 day, 1 train ticket, 8 counties and 12 pubs (plus a he'll of a lot of planning and luck)
On 21st May 2022
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 777 recommendations about 697 pubs]
View more reviews of Crystal Palace (7)
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- Official site of Crystal Palace - www.crystalpalace-pub.co.uk
- Facebook page of Crystal Palace - www.facebook.com
- CAMRA WhatPub :: Crystal Palace - whatpub.com
Hemel Hempstead, 3.56 miles, 1 hr 8 min walk (show)
Tring, 4.79 miles, 1 hr 32 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 23 September 2022 by Tris C
- Beer Festivals : Yes - Oktober. - last updated 23 September 2022 by Tris C
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 13 May 2022 by Blue Scrumpy
- CAMRA Discount : Yes - 10% - last updated 23 May 2022 by ROB Camra
- Car Park : Yes last updated 13 May 2022 by Blue Scrumpy
- Function Room : Yes last updated 15 April 2024 by paulof horsham
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 13 May 2022 by Blue Scrumpy
- Live TV Sports : Yes - Selective rugby. - last updated 23 September 2022 by Tris C
- Micropub : No last updated 23 May 2022 by ROB Camra
- Pool Table : Yes last updated 03 September 2010 by hondo .
- Quiz Night : Yes last updated 15 April 2024 by paulof horsham
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 15 April 2024 by paulof horsham
- Real Cider : No last updated 23 September 2022 by Tris C
