2. Angel - On the bridge - Riverside (Brakspears)

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"Popped in to the Angel on the Bridge for a pint on regatta Friday. The place was packed, but I got served quickly (for 'full' bar service you had to use the upstairs bar as the bar by the river only had a limited selection of drinks). I had one pint of Brakspears, which was OK, and then they ran out of beer! Unbelievable. A pub running out of beer during the regatta (and it wasn't a particularly busy regatta). All-in-all a lively and fun atmosphere, a bit pricey, but all spoilt by a lack of real ale!" - Nick, July 2008

"The Angel has changed hands since I was last in there. The place was very busy for a wild and wet Saturday night (well, it was March), which was good to see, and they were serving a Brakspear beer, Oxford Gold, that I hadn't seen before. I had a pint of the Oxford (4% ABV?) and it was a really nice beer." - Nick, March 2008

"My friend and I went there last Sat morning. We couldnt resist the great location and so sat down for an hour and enjoyed a hearty full english breakfast. Nice friendly staff there made us feel very welcome. We will be back." - Niall, June 2007

"What a great place now its under new management, I was in the pub sunday what a great place now its been refurbed was talking to the assistant manager Ash what a great guy, always polite and very helpfull, and he tells me the owners Mark and Eddie great job. A lot of thought and money has gone into this cracking pub. Highly recomended go there the food is fantastic." - Max, May 2007

"Ate here in December 2006, by mistake, as my friend who recommended it had, I think, meant the Little Angel. It was superb. We had fish and chips: excellent fish in fabulous light crispy batter, chunky home made chips, delicious minty fresh 'mushy' peas.Good service, friendly, efficient waitress and portions just the right size. Only gripe- people smoking in the little entrance bar area." - Kate, January 2007

"What a fantasic pub.I almost don't want to review it and keep this pub a secret as it is truely a wonderful find.It is under new mangement and is a different pub from the preevious reviews.Excellent pint and top food." - Katie, January 2007

"We went to the Angel after seeing a recommendation in a guide book. While the pub has a fantastic setting, sitting almost directly over the Thames, it is let down by the awful food. The drinks are served in plastic cups, which is a horrible way to enjoy a nice English beer. Given the number of families having lunch and lack of rowdy rowers it is hard to see why we have to suffer plastic for our drinks. Much worse was the food. The kitchen caught fire 3 times while we were there and our food arrived an hour and a half after we ordered it. We didn't order anything particularly intricate, a burger and fish and chips, but it was well beyond the culinary skills of the chef. The "burger" was a piece of burnt mince meat between two slices of white bread and nothing else. No cheese, no lettuce, no tomato, no ketchup, nothing but burnt mince and white bread. The fish was marginally better, but the peas were still frozen. It was so disappointing to travel an hour an a half from London to a beautiful village on the Thames and get served food that a waitress in petrol station cafe would be too embarrassed to dish up. Go for the view, but leave before the food arrives." - Ross, November 2006

"Went to Henley today and had Lunch at the angel ON THE BRIDGE.... what a fab position this pub is in... but Alas, the food at this place was not up to much.. Firstly trying to get one of the waitress' attention was a feat of achievement, and then getting her to understand what we wanted to order,was another!
I had Quiche , salad and chips, £6.75 and my better half had lamb shanks in tomato and butter bean sauce... £8.75
Let me advise you.. IF YOU SIT OUTSIDE YOU WILL EAT OFF PAPER PLATES, AND USE PLASTIC KNIVES AND FORKS!!
My quiche was microwaved, so the pastry was as soggy as wall paper paste, but the chips were OK.. Steve's lamb was A shank not shanks, on some tomato stuff with about 9 potatoes surrounding it... laclustre, at best!! And he has just told me, not entirely hot all the way thru!!)
In my/our opinion.. have a drink by the river, and dont bother with the less than average bill of fayre!!" - Tina and Steve, September 2006

"I have popped in a couple of time this summer. The pub must have the most expensive beer in Henley (£3 per pint) for Brakspears ordinary. On my last two visits the pub has been very quiet, almost empty. Why do they bother with a bouncer? One odd thing I noticed is that the front of the pub, around the sign and light, is absolutly covered with spiders. This is also true of most of the properties along the New Street river front. Very odd." - Nick, August 2006

"Popped in for a beer over the regatta. The pub was very busy and the beer very expensive. All beer came in plastic glasses, and was at least drinkable (there have been problems with the quality of beer in this pub in previous years). The pub does 'suffer' from a very high rate in staff turnover and they seemed confused by a 'local' asking for a pint of 'ordinary' (local term for Brakspears bitter)." - Nick, July 2006

"Have just got back after a lovely day out in Henley,I took my mum as it was a warm sunny day, and we decided to have lunch at the Angel as we could sit outside. Well apart from the drinks being very pricey, the food was almost inedible. Poor mum had ordered Boeuf bourginon, which looked and tasted disgusting.The sauce was congealed and the meat was tough. She left most of it and when she mentioned to the waitress that it wasn't very nice the girl looked totally disinterested and said 'oh dear'. My pork in a spanish style sauce was at least edible so we shared mine. Mum's not one to make a fuss so we didn't take it any further, but be warned, it may have a good position, but that is all the Angel has going for it." - Trish, October 2005

"Attended a 'ticket-only' New Years' Eve bash at the pub and I had a surprisingly good time. Certainly a fun time, and a novel way, to see in the start of 2005. The theme of the evening was 'What were you wearing when the Titanic went down'. There were some interesting costumes ranging from stokers to the captain, third class to 'first' class." - Nick, January 2005

"Popped in for a quick pint of 'Ordinary'. Beer OK, but pricey!" - Nick, January 2004

"The beer is awful and the staff no Angels. This is the Henley pub for poseurs and tourists, the latter only because they know no better. It is always busy though, outside in summer and lively on weekends. For a decent sup, walk on by." - Paul, August 2003

"Popped in for a quick beer as part of a crawl of pubs in Henley. I was also in the pub over the regatta. The pub hasn't changed over the years with the beer still overpriced! Very lively with a lot of people in the bars." - Nick, November 2002

"Our last stop of the evening before catching the train back to the lovely metropolis which is Slough.
Obviously a goldmine. The patio bar was open and had Brakspears Bitter on handpull. Not the best pint of the night but still drinkable, even with the plastic glasses (no Imperial pint measurements on them. Are these legal ?). £2.30 a pint made it the most expensive of the night (luckily it was Kevin's round). We sat on the wooden patio over the water which finished off the evening nicely.
If it wasn't for the location then we wouldn't be impressed. However the location allows you to forgive the price, the plastic glasses and the so so beer at least for 30 minutes before moving on." - Ian and Kevin, July 2001

"Well, my day in Henley on Thames had been fairly ordinary until I walked into The Angel that summers day. Sure, I had been there before and wasn't expecting an umbrella in my pint, or a red carpet under foot, but then it is a pub, and if memory serves me well to go to a pub is to engage in social interaction, not to be waited on hand and foot. This in mind I made the most of my first hour there, sipping away at my Stella and watching the river passangers go by. At around 4pm on that Sunday afternoon, the kitchen staff finished their work and came to sit outside, politely asking me if they may join me at my table. We got on well, having worked in restaurants my whole life we talked about their work and subsequent lifestyles, or lack of! And then the night began. After they brought the first round, I started supplying the fuel that began to feed the fire... By nine that night, Charles, my partner, had arrived and joined the party. We moved upstairs to the bar there, and had a riot of a time! I dont think I've ever come across such aerobicly minded peaple, with the humour to back it up! Jolly good time had by all, and at 1030 when it was over I believe the day had miraculasley turned from pale grey, to illuminous, angelic gold. Gosh it was good..." - Hugh, January 2001

"Definitely the place to be in the summer months. The bar staff could certainly do with some sort of 'customer care' course but them aside I've had countless enjoyable afternoons/evenings here supping out of my plastic glass. It's all really down to the damn near perfect, location of course. I wonder what the other brass plaques in the bar say; I only managed to read the 'Grace Kelly stood here' one." - Graham, November 1997

"Miserable bar staff who often seem more interested at looking at the decor then serving you. Gets too busy on most evenings for a comfortable drink (not just summer) and the food is dire." - Jon, April 1997

"We tried the Angel for Sunday lunch, 2nd March. The main courses were ok but a little bland. The Yorkshire puds were quite burnt. All the puddings were excellent though. The Brakspears was excellent and the red wine good value. The staff were not exactly snotty, just harassed and efficient. I think the decorators may have been as it is not blue anymore, just YELLOW! The floor still has the brass plaques bolted down, but I could not find the "Nick Morris stood here" version!" - Paul, Nicky, Andy, Chloe, John and Valerie, March 1997

"Very white walls, snotty bar staff, full of trendies and over-priced food. Pretty and worth a visit in summer to sit on the terrace (if you can stand plastic glasses)." - Luci, August 1996

"Location: Henley's only riverside pub, hence popular with tourists, crowded in summer.
Decor: Blue - does not calm you down. Lots of board games. Sometimes has a TV on. Nice building.
Clientele: Tourists, young, loud, propensity for taking clothes off and jumping in river. Swans are regulars but rarely buy a round.
Bar staff: Often rude, sometimes Australian. Landlord called Jeremy.
Food: Unknown, looks expensive.
Prices: 95p FOR A COKE. Extortionate, rip-off, to be avoided during regatta." - Mary, July 1995

"THE tourist pub of Henley (it is the one that you see in nearly all the photographs of Henley Bridge). Very crowded in the summer, impossible to get in during the regatta. Prices tend to be high, and even higher during the regatta. Beer quality variable. Watch out for the brass plaques on the bar floor which state what famous person had stood where!! Used to be a great place for getting free glasses if you were willing to swim in the Thames and retrieve them from the bottom (hence the switch to plastic!)." - Nick, July 1995