Merlins Rest Pub

I've hesitated to review this place, because I wasn't sure how to rate it. So lets just list out the pros and cons on this one:
Pros:
Awesome (comfortable) booths, free wifi, Belhaven Ale, some of the best fish and chips this side of the ocean, if you get in a loud Stargate vs Doctor Who argument the bartender will join in, and I love the music corner, even though I don't understand it all. Last night there were people there singing while holding/banging sticks. Most nights it's people with guitars and harmonicas and stuff.

Cons:
Service is slow. Like really, really slow. It's not uncommon to wait 5-10 minutes just to order my beer and another 10 minutes to get it. We've waited 40 minutes just to see our server anywhere in the bar so we can get our check, took another 10-15 to actually process the payment once we finally found our sever. So order refills when you still have about half your beer left, and know in advance when it'll be your last one so you can get your tab with your last beer. Also, can't play darts on the weekend nights, despite the existence of a dart board, because they use that space for seating. Even if no one is sitting there and there's plenty of other open space to sit. If its Friday or Saturday night, no darts.

Overall I do like place, hence the slow conclusion to give it 4 stars, despite the extremely slow service.

Authentic pub here, with the food and drink to prove it.  Try a dessert if you have a sweet tooth.  One of the servers makes them- and they are delicious and authentic!  The prices are in line with other establishments, and we've only had substandard service once.  My father, husband and I went here once.  They decided to card my husband (who looks his years, btw) and refused to serve him when he didn't have photo identification.  (At the time we were more regularly here, and I recognized several of the staff, and they us.)

The server snidely pointed at their sign reading "We Card Everyone- Regardless of Age"  or something to that direct meaning, then read the sign to us.  Well- no one at the bar at that moment had been carded, and they chimed in to tell us so.  That apparently pissed off the barkeep, and my husband was refused alcohol service.  I get it, I do.  Having run a bar, having dealt with licensing, etc, I have some experience in this.  The trick here would to have been more apologetic, and to actually have carded everyone, if you're going to read it aloud to your paying customers as if they are children to be scolded.  It is unnecessary to humiliate polite, and well behaved customers.

Four stars for authentic food, drink and decent parking options.  Minus one star for the carding debacle.

The fact that I have never been here is just wrong. I want to correct that. I was here for their first ever readings of Noir at the Bar. It was very successful. It was also funny that another event of female Morris dancers was going on outside simultaneously. I had an absolutely delicious cottage pie. I sampled the highland steak pie. It's soaked in some kind of very strong booze. The service was great. The bathroom is funny in an almost tag team type way. I love the menu and even want to try the vegetarian items too. They even have the loud broad at the bar, that reminded me a little of the Dirty Harry film Sudden Impact. Definitely a local pub vibe. Will definitely make up for lost time.