Against my better judgement i decided to give this place one last try for drinks after work on a Saturday night. We all agree the point of going out to get drinks with your friends is to have fun and relax right? Never start at this place if you want a drink in less than 30 minutes. They have the absolute worse bartenders in downtown Monterey, they purposely ignore you (hoping you'll go away?) for at least 15-20 minutes before acknowledging you. I work for two different fast paced and high volume restaurants, I understand it gets busy and you can't get to everyone right away, but after 15 minutes you should at least acknowledge someone with an "Ill be with you shortly", please don't give me dirty looks for coming to your bar to try to get a drink, that's why you're there isn't it? You came here voluntarily for the purpose of serving drinks right or wrong? Maybe you need to remind yourself of that overly plucked eyebrow bartender. I don't know if this guy has worked here so long that he thinks he can get away with anything or if the owners don't give a shit and let him but he has been downright disrespectful to my boss and myself a couple times now. Two weekends ago he made us wait 22 minutes before acknowledging us for a drink so we only tipped him 2$ on two doubles, sorry tips are for service, and he YELLED at my boss/owner, trying to embarrass him in front of other guests, about his tip. My boss calmly replied that tips are for service and that as a bartender himself he would never give such atrocious service and then expect, let alone demand, a greater tip. He continued to berate my boss in a raised voice, leaning forward towards him, trying to intimidate him I guess, telling him "I don't care if you think you're a bartender, this tip is shit". What a lunatic! My boss/owner doesn't bother telling him about the alcohols he has created and bottled, the competitions he has won, or the magazines his drinks have been featured in. We know better than to continue provoking someone with clear mental issues and just laughed at him and walked on. Sometimes I think it upsets people more when they don't get a rise out of you. Of course we were upset, but never show weakness to an enemy. Needless to say our night was ruined, we were so aggravated we finished our drinks and went home.
The next week (last weekend) our friends were already here when we got off work so we reluctantly joined them. Same night of the week, same bartender, luckily there was another girl bartender, things were looking good. After I make eye contact with him he gives me a dirty look and says "No", he then walks over to her, tells her something and she ignores us too! I'm sorry but you started this and took it someone it didn't need to go, why don't you try approaching the situation from a different perspective and perhaps prove us wrong by giving friendly and efficient service and then you would get a great tip and make a repeat customer instead of an enemy. So we stand as people around us who came after us get served before us, this is upsetting but I'm not going to make it a big deal, why waste the energy. Finally 18 minutes pass before the girl bartender acknowledges us, she's not friendly but at least she didn't go out of her way to be rude to us. I understand the pressures of wanting to please someone who is your senior, but the fact is as the senior employee the kind of example that you are setting is it is ok to be rude to guests, ignore customers who you "don't like", verbally abuse customers and who knows what else. Later in the evening I tried one more time to make peace with him but he refused. It was about 10 minutes before last call, and even thought he had just served a group in front of me, when I asked him for two crown doubles he said No. I said excuse me? He said we're done. I said excuse me you haven't done last call and you just served them. He walks away as I'm still talking AND SERVES A COUPLE NEXT TO ME. Wow. Whatever makes you feel better dude. I'll pray for you and your anger issues. This upset my boss of course but I said I didn't mind giving our business to another bar who wanted it. I waited for my friends to finish their drinks and about ten minutes later they announced last call. Seriously unprofessional and slightly psychotic.
Really upsetting that things like this go on and the owners allow it. Refusing service? I want my employees to always give the impression to guests that they are welcomed and their business is valued, I would never tolerate an employee verbally abusing a guest or refusing service based on a personal vendetta. But hey if that's how you want to run your business, that's your prerogative. I sincerely doubt we are the first people this has happened to. We did so little (be it unintentional) to provoke this. We all have problems but don't take them out on other people, be a big enough person to admit when you're wrong and just move on from it, we WERE willing to.
I like that the Brit carries my favorite cider and the last time I had food there it was decent and the servers were good (this was in spring 2012).
Recently friends and coworkers went out for a birthday and starting the day after and into the next week 10 of us were sick.
I called to let a manager know and "he was busy" I told the person on the phone and they made excuses and blew me off.
I will not be frequenting this bar/restaurant again.
You guys get a 3 because the one in capitola is much nicer! Outside has the view of the ocean, hot minx for a bartender (blonde, bobbed hair and one sleeve tatts) and a sweetie hostess. Love it! Plus, it is soooo much sexier and cleaner. Outside smelled like an old keg never cleaned, but better. Now, if only that hottie owner will come here in his infinity and hang for a minute. I have yet to piss off the bartender here and be friends w/ the bouncers ;)
Review Source:Probably my favorite bar in Monterey. I usually make a stop here when I am in town. The staff is great, the drinks are consistent, and I always run into a familiar face. On Friday's they generally have a live band of sorts, and then on Saturday a DJ. It is also a good place to watch sports. They have a good selection of beer on tap. I will say though that I have never eaten here, which seems strange to me. Maybe on my next trip home I will have to try one of these burgers I keep hearing about...
Review Source:I love the Brit! British owned and operated makes this place as authentic as it gets. Paul the owner is great, and always makes his customers feel welcome. This place is great for any time of day. On the weekends they open early for football on big beautiful screens, and the food is great. I am a HUGE fan of chicken curry, and this place does not disappoint! At night they have trivia, karoke and DJ's. So fun! The bartenders are friendly and fast, the prices are really good. All those make this one of my favorite Monterey hangouts!
Review Source:I recently moved to Monterey and have been here on 3 different occasions. All 3 visits were different so if you go on an off-night, don't write them off yet. The first time I was here, there was a DJ and he was playing music that was popular about 2-3 years ago. It was very strange. People do get on the dance floor, but it takes a while for the drunks to get up and dance. The second time was casual and there was just music playing. No DJ or band or anything. Not too much excitement that night. The third time I went I had a great time. There was a band that played a lot of awesome rock covers (Foo Fighters, The Cure..).
The best thing about this place is the amount of people watching! There are some very interesting characters that come here. Not sure if they're regulars or tourist, but the entertainment value of this place is priceless.
Drinks are pretty cheap and the people are friendly. Bathrooms are downstairs and are clean (huge plus for the ladies' room!).
Bad service. Â Bad Food. Â Okay price.
First, the waitress was really rude. Â I thought I was at a Cantonese restaurant (at least I know to expect bad service). Â My companions had a lil language barrier issue ordering their drinks. Â The waitress rolled her as they ordered and the Corona one of them ordered took about 10 minutes to reach our table. Â The restaurant was busy but not that busy. Â The table next to us received their drinks really fast. Â I don't know if the racist, had a bad day or wad busy. Â I was upset. Â I ordered my coffee and did not get a refill until the end of my meal when she rang us up. Â We ordered the combo plate appetizer and was extremely extremely greasy. Â The only thing positive was the price of the food.
Some friends and I were in town, and after dinner we were looking for a fun place to booze it up (this is not a food review). Â After navigating through the farmers' market, we were drawn to the Tuesday night Karaoke at this pub. Â We had a rather large group and needed to be split up onto two, non-adjacent tables with 2 different waitresses, but we didn't really mind.
Our waitress, Betty I think, was awesome! Â She's the older blondie with glasses. Â Extremely friendly, accommodating, and attentive. Â We were ordering drinks over 5 hours, so service was pretty important. Â Our counterparts at the other table, however, had quite a different experience. Â Their waitress, name unknown, but with the overwhelming number of piercings and tats, was quite the opposite. Â She was cold and rude. Â It was so bad that a few hours in they opted to squeeze in at our table and share our awesome waitress. Â If I was sitting at that table, this review would have quite less stars.
Service aside, the drinks were good, and decently priced. Â The large TVs scattered around the pub were adequate to watch the Giants game, and then the Olympics. Â The Karaoke was fun and well organized.
I would definitely come back for a return visit, but only if I got my choice of waitresses.
I could tell so many stories about the Brit.
Cold beer, great burgers, and the haunt for many of my Monterey friends. Many a night I ended up closing the place down, usually having at least 2-3 with Paul.
True, back in his single days, my friend and I dubbed it "Keilbasapalooza" or "The Monterey sausage festival", but regardless of the male to female ratio, we stuck around.
This is a great little local pub that my husband and I tried one night for dinner. Â The owner was there working and she is great about interacting with her customers and regulars. Â You could tell there were a lot of regulars at this place. Â We went during a weeknight so it wasn't very crowded. Â Â
It seems this is a great place to come and watch a game since they have a bunch of TVs all over the restaurant. Â
This place is definitely a pub, but the service was good and the food was better than I expected. Â I had some fried oysters and they were pretty good. Â Granted, it was no K Paul's in New Orleans, but I wasn't going to complain. Â I also had a side salad with all the fixins. Â My husband had a sandwich and it was nothing particularly special. Â
My recommendation is to come here and catch a game and have a beer. Â I recommend getting some nice fried beer food, but don't plan on coming here for a five-star dinner. Â
This place does karaoke, so we will definitely come back at some point. Â Give this place a shot and make your own call.
Britannia Arms has a lot going for it in terms of location but it just wasn't...well, fun. It's a large place but it lacks enough bar seating and the rest of the tables are so spread out and awkwardly scattered that it doesn't lend itself to socializing unless you bring your own table full of people. It's definitely not cozy or inviting.
There were a few drink specials and our waitress was friendly enough but it was just "meh" enough that we didn't even stick around for a second beer. A small bonus for a large number of beers on tap but that's not enough to make up for the other shortcomings. I wouldn't recommend this place where there are so many other fun spots on the peninsula.
Two lads far from their original home come in here with a hankering for something unhealthy to eat. We've been before, we've enjoyed their burgers and their (meat) pies - and enjoyed their beer selection.
On this occasion, we're struggling to decide what to have and I'm lamenting the lack of decent chips and curry in this part of the world. There are two curries on the menu, but they come with rice and veggies and all sorts of things I don't normally associate with chips and curry, however I decide to see how flexible the kitchen will be.
"Can I have the chicken curry, but no rice, fries instead of rice?" - the bartender (we're eating at the bar, of course) goes back to check, yep, we can do that. My buddy opts to have the same. We're excited, but also cautious!
A few minutes later, the bartender is back "so that's no rice, fries on the side?" - no, we explain, put the fries on the plate, pour the curry all over the fries. He looks a little incredulous, but says OK. A couple of minutes later, we have our chips and curry, just how we asked for it!
It was tasty too - too many pieces of veg in it to be authentic British chips and curry, but a pretty decent approximation - we both cleaned our plates.
Mine was washed down with a tasty IPA too.
I have been coming here for seven years, and while I already enjoyed this pub the new menu and upgraded bathrooms are a major plus. The staff from day one has been friendly and kind. It a has a wide selection of beers and liquor, as well as an upgraded wine selection.
It is a favorite among locals, for good reason, this is a cross between a locals place and a great stop in for travelers and tourists.
Having lived in England for almost four years, I wouldn't call this a traditional British pub.
If I had to compare it to anything British, i'd say its more like a Monty's rock cafe. However, they also show sports during the day, so in that sense it could be like a Wetherspoons during daylight hours.
If you haven't been to the UK and don't know what I'm talking about, Monty's is a crowded place that plays rock music only and has cheap booze. Wetherpoons is a cheap bar that plays no music, serve crappy food (usually with a frown) and usually puts on sports games for patrons to watch. Neither place is very classy, but they get the job done.
So this is a British pub. What we know about British pubs generally  is that the food is terrible & overpriced, the service is shite, the drinks are mixed badly with no ice and the restrooms pretty awful really. But your likely to have a right good laugh and want to go back ASAP.
Well this place actually bodyswerved that generlization a little. I went here to watch the Man U vs Barcelona UCL final. Apart from the thrashing the my team got and awful pronuonciation of the the word tw*t by this loud southern fellow, i had a pretty good time.
Great beer selection and service somewhat respectable. Had this Scottish lass serving who still had her Scottish charm i.e. actually made you laugh but had been in the States long enough to realize you can't just ignore customers, abuse them occasionally and they'll still buy beer from you (like you can in the UK)
The food was medicore but still better than shite :)
It was crowded, promising...
Unfortunately, it was almost a complete fail, but I could see how this is where you should be during a sports event people are actually watching. Â
There was a not so important game playing on the big screen when we arrived. Â Our rum and Cokes were served up fast but I doesn't take long to cheap out and pour mainly soda. Â There were maybe five females in the entire place outside of our group, a ratio I can live with! Â Although, there wasn't much socializing going on, just lots of tightly knit groups chatting it up. Â Worthy of another go...
First... I'm an out of towner, so maybe the fun a la Cheers (everybody knows your name) is lost on me. Let's cut the maybe. I ordered one drink, drank it fast, and b-lined for the door.
But I must say, it was packed in there, and when I left, there was a line out the door to get in...around 11:30. So there's something to be said for that.
Lots of dudes, like lots. Loud top 40 music, with a tiny dance floor. Just not my scene, but I'm sure if you're a local, or you're a (highly) buzzed single and in town on vacation, it might work for you. But I make no promises.
Freaking bomb! My husband and I stumbled in here on our honeymoon after reviewing the yelp reviews...and we were not let down! The hearty calamari, smothered potato skins, and fried prawns were to do die for!!! The wide array of beers on Tap were not dissapointing either. Definitely going back. Â Â
Husbands review: Â Â Best mother F#$@!*?! Calamari in town B?*#@!%, get out of the tourist trap and eat where the locals eat. Brittania Arms is the S*%#@ B@!#$!!. And there was super hot Scottish waitress with a really sexy accent! Yeeah!!!
Monterey's a small place with only so many bars, and I want to like all of them. I've certainly had my share of good nights at the Brit and love the drink specials, but as of late, I have been quite disappointed.
I am tired of bartenders refusing service or giving attitude to my friends--some sober, others not, but all male. I am tired of rude bouncers refusing entry or kicking out friends across the drunkenness spectrum. And I'm tired of the consistently dirty bathrooms with occasionally working sinks.
But this past weekend, when the Brit decided to charge me $70 for what should have been less than $15, I decided I am tired of the Brit. I will still occasionally visit given the limited options in this town, but for now, goodbye karaoke night.
I come here quite a bit. The bartenders are almost always rude, but the servers are pretty nice.
We ended up here after the Super Bowl and we were celebrating. I bought a drink, sat down, and then the bouncer came over maybe 5 minutes later and took it away (full) and told me to drink water. I wasn't being rowdy at all, and my sober friends even thought it was really odd. Then we went outside for a smoke and they wouldn't let me back in. Keep in mind, of course we were kind of drunk after the game, but I can handle myself (and was) quite well. I don't understand.
Fish and chips. Fish and chips. Fish and chips. That's all I thought when I saw a British pub located a few blocks away from Portola Hotel and Spa. I needed a few drinks to loosen me up for our holiday party. 24 beers on tap! Ordered the 2 piece fish and chips while everyone ordered Shock Top beers. A girl has to eat before she gets her drink on!
Food came and it was amazingly greasy good! Fish was more like a filet, so I insisted my friends help me finish. The beers on tap kept coming. Great laughs with co-workers and friends while football was on the television! The waitress was a doll. I would come back when I'm in town!
I recommend the Karaoke: Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Bobby Vegas makes karaoke a good time. It can also be a good spot to watch a sporting event. It would be a three star run of the mill bar, but fun events like this make it a bit more special.
Some of the staff are the nicest and friendliest people you'll ever meet. But I often was served by one staff member who was comically unfriendly. It's really hit or miss in that regard, but I never had slow or truly bad service.
I never tried the food because I never saw much in the way of vegetarian/vegan food on the menu.
Britannia Arms and I have shared a few laughs, a few tears and too many drinks to count during my brief time living in Monterey.
The Brit is the place to go in Monterey when you just want a cold beer as you watch your favorite sports team on the tely.
Sure, the Brit may be dark and smell like a cross between my grandma's house after she slathers on Ben-Gay and my socks after a hike in Big Sur, but after two or three beers, who cares? This is truly one of the few places on the Monterey Peninsula, where age, wealth and your BAC level don't matter.
The food is pretty typical of a pub -- burgers, fish and chips, sandwiches, all of which hit the spot. Just don't go in expecting gourmet meals and you should be fine.
The Brit truly shines during major sporting events. During the World Cup it was the soccer (football) center of Monterey, with patrons dawning their favorite country's flag painted on their face, player jerseys and blowing those god-awful vuvuzelas. When team USA played Ghana in the elimination round and Landon Donovan scored a penalty kick the place erupted in pure mayhem. Too bad Team USA went on to lose.
So, get your rowdiest friends together and head to the Brit for a pint and good times.
World Cup Time...this place is AMAZING! The people of Monterey came out in full force for the USA vs Ghana match. Sadly...we lost and everyone walked out looking defeated...but just as you think everyone is going to be in this somber mood all day, one that matched the gloomy weather...clapping erupted! Clapping for the team that put everything they had on the field. GO TEAM USA...better luck next year.
As for the Brit, the food isn't to die for, but who cares, it's pub food. Yes, the chef could stand to learn what salt is...to boost up the flavor profile, but yesterday I had the Charbroiled Chicken sandwich, and not bad! The BBQ was pretty weak, but the fries were definitely on point and I was satisfied.
DON'T get the fish with dill sauce, not a lot of flavor there, and the "dill" sauce was more of a congealed cheese concoction.
GO THERE for sports games, amazing projector and great flat screens from every angle. Way better than the Mucky Duck's small screens...or the Crown and Anchor's decent ONE tv.....
The Brit has that special atmosphere you want at a sporting event, go there the the crowd won't disappoint you.
We went there upon the recommendation of some people from Cibo and Lallapalooza *sp?*
Little did my group of friends and I know what fun we would have...
The beer was pretty decent and the bartender took care of us pretty well:)
There was a live band that night *Friday* and they did some covers of songs we all knew and could get down to... def. for people my age range- 21- 34 year olds *I'm 24*
Boo. There is no reason to go here, unless you heard great things about the Crown and Anchor and wandered in here by accident. Lame decor (Coors pendants and foosball don't scream "British" to me.), rude staff. My friend was just trying to get her credit card back from the bartender, and the waitress was rude about her "blocking her station"
If you're totally plastered at last call and looking to score, I'm sure this place will do you fine. If you're looking for a cool place to have a nice beer and a snack and talk to your friends, go to the Crown and Anchor!
Haven't been in a long time, but we got a $25 voucher from <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> that cost about $10, so we decided to use it.
Great food! We ordered bangers & mash, fish & chips, and beef braised in Guiness, in addition to our beer. While the mashed potatoes were nothing special and the gravy for it was fair to middling, the bangers (English pork sausages) were fantastic--some of the best sausages I've ever had. The fish was fried perfectly, with a delicate, delicious breading, and the tartar sauce was also excellent. While I don't care for plank-style fries, they were good, too, and the beef braised in Guiness was also toothsome. They also have a good selection of beers, especially English & Irish brews, on tap.
Now, for the downsides. While the name might lead you to think that this is a English pub-style establishment, it is not: it is a sports bar. I was hoping to see steak and kidney pie on the menu; they have only steak and mushroom pie (which is probably as tasty as the other things we ordered). When we were there, they had 3 or 4 different ball games playing on their numerous TVs. If you know you're going to a sports bar with English pub food and British beer on the menu (in addition to burgers & sandwiches, which we have not tried), then you're less likely to be disappointed.
The lone waitress seemed a bit low on pep, and perhaps stretched a little too thin, but she was friendly enough, and I have no complaints about the service.
Bottom line: we'll be back for the food and the beer, but when we want good British pub food and the atmosphere to go with it, we'll go to the Crown and Anchor.
I would definitely prefer if they leaned more on the side of pub than on the side of sports bar but I am sure that they have many dedicated sports loving patrons.
I appreciate their drink specials. Â They go beyond the typical bud light and PBR deals. Â Bodingtons and Arrogant Bastard for $3? Â Lovely.
The bathrooms are a staircase and a bit of a hike away.
Went to the Brit for quiz night on Thursday, Feb. 12 and was disappointed they decided to forgo quiz night because of the AT&T Pro Am. Â That's okay--there's always next week.
My girlfriend and I decided to eat there and support the Brit. Â Food in the past has been pretty good. Â I had the open faced turkey sandwich, fries, and steamed vegetables. Â It was perfectly tasty for pub food.
The service was friendly and attentive from my favorite server (young woman, rimmed glasses, lip pierced, smoker). Â She asked about dessert. Â I never knew the Brit had dessert. Â We opted for the Sticky Toffee Pudding (a caramelly, bread pudding). Â Shockingly, super yummy!. Â I wanted to walk into Bonifacio Plaza and turn people away from the neighboring restaurant and steer them towards the Sticky Toffee Pudding.
The Brit is great hangout place, inclusive of all kinds of people. Â The food is also above par, and there are gems on the menu. Â I've also had the fish & chips and chicken pot pie before. Â Both really good.
We stumbled upon this place on a Wednesday evening for a band tour in Monterey. Yes... musicians are heavy drinkers...especially on Wednesdays. The crowd was great, the staff was awesome, they got all the basic necessities of beer including Arrogant Bastard, and some good appetizers. Great dim lighting, some old memorabilia on the walls, big screen TV for sports, and good amount of beers on tap. Its your typical pub. After having several rounds of Irish car bombs and beer chugging events, one can say it was a pretty eventful night. Â I'd have to say this was the highlight of my Monterey trip.
Props to the old Irish waitress who knows her beers... plus funny to joke around with.
My boyfriend and I wandered into Britannia Arms while we were waiting for our dog to get groomed. We split a burger (cooked medium with jack cheese) and it really hit the spot.
The whole place seemed really fun; there was actually a big crowd watching the soccer game on the big flatscreen TV's. Service was a bit slow, but the place was pretty crowded. Next time I come back I'm definitely having a drink or two!
Seeing as this is a nightlife review I will keep it short. You are going to get drunk here and it isn't going to cost that much. Last nights special was Sierra Nevada Big Foot for $2. Needless to say I could barely walk by the end of the night. They also make a mean Long Island.
The only issue I have with the place is the stairs to the restrooms. It is the ultimate test of hand, eye, foot coordination at the end of the night.
Going to bars is a rarity for me, but it happens occasionally... Â So I went here one night with a friend for some drinks (what else?).
Now, honestly, I couldn't possibly remember all of the drinks we had; the idea was to get drunk! Â But, I do remember having an Irish car bomb. Â I'd never heard of that before, and it was just as interesting to see as to drink.
The place sure was packed at that late hour, too!
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