It's hard to really, truly dislike a pub. After all, they're buildings that dispense booze - and often chips as well - what's not to love?
However, there is one pub in Edinburgh that does appear to be doing something wrong, if its dozens of 'terrible' reviews on TripAdvisor are anything to go by. It's currently ranked 309 out of 309 drinking establishments in the Scottish capital.
The Beer House at Edinburgh Waverley train station doesn't exactly exude charm, sandwiched as it is between a Burger King and a branch of Paper Chase, with pigeons pecking at (and allegedly pooping on) the tables.
Perhaps people's expectations are a bit too high. After all, it's just a quick spot to pour some lager down your throat before getting the train to Glasgow. However, having said that, some of the negative reviews are pretty eye-opening.
Here are five of the most startling ones we found:
£9.70 a GLASS of prosecco! Daylight robbery!
"As lacklustre and un-atmospheric as a railway station pub ever gets but my god, £9.70 for a glass of prosecco is the most expensive fizz we had all weekend in Edinburgh! You wouldn’t pay this in the nicest bars on George St than this hole! Get into the Wetherspoons at the entrance to the station if you’re waiting on a train. AVOID!"
"There are pigeons roosting and pooping over the entrance. No anti pigeon spikes in use. Pigeons also at the entrance."
"2 Rekorderlig Ciders..11.50...wanted a drink not shares in the place. Guy that served up slumped himself over the till searching for which button to press. Sat down and had a good look around. First thing that caught my eye - toilet doors.
"OMG, you know how a cat scratches wood? Well its like a lion has scratched on these toilet doors, the gents door being the worst. Hole where the keypad should be, doesn't give a very good impression."
"Went in for a beer while waiting on my train. Lager tasted funny so never finished it. Hour later had bad diarrhoea. Had nothing else that would have given me this during the day except their dodgy beer."
Breakfast.....Eat here....No Danger!
"Horribly filthy! Ordered a tea and a Pint, Barman turned over a tray and it was minging, he then went to put our order on to it. I asked for a clean tray, but rather than cleaning a tray, he went through the pile......not one was clean! I then got the Cold Stare because I refused a manky tray.
"Tea tasted horrible and ma Eric said that his glass felt greasy and the beer was gritty."
A Beer House spokesperson told Edinburgh Live:
"We’re committed to providing a great experience for everyone who passes through Beer House, and customer feedback is extremely important to us. We regularly seek views through our own feedback survey, Eat on the Move, which has shown improving scores across the board in term of cleanliness and service.
"That said, we acknowledge some of the negative responses posted on TripAdvisor, and of course, we take these seriously. We are addressing all the issues referenced in the feedback, and we will continue to monitor and respond accordingly."
What do you think of The Beer House? Are travellers just being picky? Let us know in the comments!
