The Knowhere Guide

Eating and Drinking in Bedford, Bedfordshire*

Bedford, Bedfordshire Pubs, Cafes, Coffee Shops and Restaurants

Food

• Alfonso's in Lime Street does the best BLTs.
• Santaniellos good italian pizza etc. Don't ever eat anything from Tavistock pool & snooker club esp. the Onion Bahjis!
• Sanentellios in Newnham street - possibly the best pizzaria in the world - every town should have one!!
• New coffee bar on Mill Street. It's smartening up around here, despite the High Street and Boulevards going to the dogs. Why isn't there anywhere to grab a coffee in the evenings though? Best pizza kind of a bar is next to the auction - forgot its name but its not Santaniellos, I mean next to the chippie
• The Piazza is an out-door cafe. The owners are really friendly and the food is tasty, but watch out for Rob, as he's always trying to chat up the girls ;-)
• A string of good Indian restaurants along Tavistock Street.
• The Golden Dragon Chinese restaurant on Foster Hill Road does a stunning special fried rice, which is even tastier after a few bevvies at the Executive Club, on the way back to Burnaby House (which is even tastier and bigger if you get someone Chinese to buy it for you!!).
• Chowdhury's curry house on Tavistock Street, man you gotta check out this street there's about thirteen curry houses and they all rock. Plus China Palace round the back of the multi-storey on Newnham Street is the best Chinese, but it's a bit expensive.
• Don's Kebabs is open on the High Street until 2 in the morning.
• The Time Of Kings on Midland Road does Chinese lunch for £3.50 between 12:30-2:30 wicked.
• Russel's Brasserie is the classy tea and cake joint on the Embankment by the river, well worth a visit if you're 65 or over.
• Santaniellos is the cheapest pizza place in town, it's pretty cool as well, it's also on Newnham Street.
• Expresso Bar on Rothsay Place/Newnham Street rules supreme, this place is so cool, their ice cream is pretty expensive but lovely and their pastrami sandwiches are it. Well worth a visit (As is Freds Fish and Chips next door if you dig the smell of grease).

Pubs

• litten tree
• Too many to mention!! Stick to the cheap nights in the week. Weekends full of townies steer clear!
• THE BEAR, wonderfull rock childs haven!!! many younger generation drinkers but also many old school regulars, top notch if you like your rock choons.... also has small beer garden (tarmacked area with benches and lots of strange hippies!!!) A main meet up place used by the greebos to meet up for ESQUIRES....Drinks may not be to cheap but it is well worth it for the atmosphere!!!
• OK - if you are a bit 'fresh faced' best to avoid pubs with bouncers (ie anywhere down the high street). can't guarantee anything but try the Mill(Mill Street) and the Fleur de Lis (Mill Street aswell I think). Also back street places like the Ship, the Castle and the Devonshire Arms are worth trying. Athough I think they're all pretty tough these days, maybe best off havin a house party....
• we now have 2 wetherspoons pubs which offer a diverse crowd and good value pitchers is gone various pubs dotted about all over town.
• urm, not too great with pubs, sorry.
• bankers,yates,litten tree,bear ( beware onli 4 scary greb types,whetha grl or bloke i giv u advice b wearin makeup if u wana go in!) thers too many clubs, amigos (rough place but alright)
• If you want beer, just go to the high street, its full of pubs! What more could you ask?
• litten tree is shit and tacky, yates is better cos its cheap
• The dominance of Charles Wells pubs is a bit of a pain: they tend to have a really limited range of very ordinary drinks. Greene King pubs, on the other hand, sell some nice brews.
• The Bear IS a good pub and at the very least has character/characters and hasn't changed it's name to pander to a fickle public/brewery. Apart from that they are all pretty arse, particularly the Litter Tray. Leave the country...it's the same in every town.
• the best pub in bedford is the grafton!!! its an irish pub with brilliant people. so there are sometimes a few fights, where does`nt? check out weekends, especially when theres a band on!!! the best atmos ever, what a CRAIK! oh yeah, go there to watch celtic, effin brilliant!!!
• The Pilgrims Progress is a good one if you want something to eat, they have great deals on food.
• what can i say bull nose bat is the place to be fri/sat are 2-4-1 on all drinks and the music is great get there early though as the line can get very big after 9:00
• The hobgoblin is cool. it stays open til 12.00pm on thursday, friday and saturday. Thursday it plays cheesy sing along to 80's tunes. fri and sat just indie and dance. Really nice staff too.
• The Bear on the high street is a deffinate for anyone alternative! Friendly atmosphere and lovely selection of beers! good juke box too!
• Bar Soviet is quite new but cool. Specialise in extra strong vodka, you can only buy two 80% proof drinks each or you'd probably go blind!! Or end up flat on your back on the verge outside the plaza (naming no names!!) Down a side street quite near Bar Citrus. Its very noisy but the bouncers are soo sweet, and you are guarenteed to know at least three people there.
• If you want a decent pint go to The Wellington Arms in Wellington Street. THE BEST REAL ALE PUB in Bedford!
• The ANGEL. It`s now a BLOCK OF FLATS!! Used to be the best pub for Bands. PUBS? THE BLOODY PLACE IS FULL OF THEM.
• If you want top quality home made fresh food then you have to try the Bell at Odell (north Beds.) Lovely people, lovely atmosphere, very peaceful riverside setting (except for Lucy the Guard Goose). Also very handy for short local walks and the country park.
• The Bear for scarey gothic throwbacks and the most bizarre jukebox in the free world
• Exellent pubs are Yates, Tobascos, Bullnosebat, The Rose, Pitchers & The Crown & Jewels Basement (which is a secret club that only those in the know know of it's existance. called Chillerz!)
• LITTEN TREE
• the angel in Elstow Road is no longer.It is now a block of flats. The Bear is no longer the gay pub just the Clarence left now,my mother in law drinks in there.
• Cromptons has to be the Pub, yes it's filled with High School, Dame Alice, Bedford School and Modern kids, well at least you will get a shag there if nothing else. Funny how private school kids are such slags isn't it. Also Skaters got to Hobgoblin, Flower Pot is ok and Yates Wine Bar/Lodge. Last two NOT for skaters among us. Just go to Esquires you will feel a lot more at home. (not a pub a club, oh no i am wrong Pub down stairs. Wouldn't recommend it though). The Studio was the best, till it's customers did it over! Drugs, mainly Weed (i think) and dodgy goings on! I think it has reopened now so go down and have a £1.50 pint, maybe watered down we will never know! Tabasco's is quite cool if you don't like the sound of your voice or anyone else's! But like the studio, run by the same Geezers.
• The Hobgoblin in town is the best pub in Bedford by far - yes the beer may be a bit expensive but no more than anywhere else in this grotty little town of ours. At least it doesn't look like an airport departure lounge (unlike a certain new pub we could mention called the Litten Tree) and it is not filled on a regular basis with idiots in Ted Baker shirts trying to pick women up who should be babysitting for them.
• NOT PITCHERS-Overpriced Hobgoblin- full of young skaters The Bear-fraeks,grunges, druggies
• The Studio! the best place ever, best atmosphere, best people, take a right behind thhe cop station, have a wicked time!, its opposite the bus station down a little road.
• New(er) pubs in town include the Pilgrims Progress (no music and walls lined with books, good for cheap meals, 2 for £5 Midland Road; the Bull Nose Bat opposite St Pauls, Citrus Lemon next to Burger King which does Kerplunk and Jenga on quiet nights...Hobgoblins is v studenty and good if you don't really want to chat to your mates on the High Street, watch out for the DJ Dan (sorry I forgot your stage name) in Amigos of a weekend, both on the High Street. Jumping Jelly Bean is now Pitchers Sports Bar
• The Bird in Hand is a good place to meet local Fascists, and the Flower Pot is also a good spot for this activity, too. Just try walking into one of those with long hair. (I did, it's not a pleasant experience.)
• Pilgrim's Progress on River Street is a Wetherspoons pub - nice and quiet, smoke-free, cheap beer and no kids!!
• The Mill pub is shit, the owners and barstaff are loosers, and it is full of young Dame Alice and High School girls that have got nothing better to do that hang around with Bedford Modern School Scum.
• There are 67 in this town. The best are The George and Dragon on Newnham street, great folk night on Tuesday, the Bear on the High Street for the goth and grunger in all of us, nice juke box here. The Stanley Arms next to Andys Records is cool in the day time. The Ship out towards the station on Ashburnham Road is a lads pub, watch out. The Mill on Newnham Street WARNING do not go in here, this is Bedford School's sixth form pub and they will kill if you go in!! The Bell on Foster Hill Road is for the over 65's! The Barley Mow is still the gay pub that everyone in Bedford knows about but the Clarence in St. Johns Street (over the Town Bridge) is run by gays and they have discos Thursday and Saturday nights. A small stage has been built for the odd cabaret (sic) and the pub is definitely straight friendly (but you shouldn't be homophobic) If it wasn't I wouldn't be giving you the update.

Cafes and Coffee Shops

• The Piazza opposite Wilkinsons store, great coffee and bacon rolls, great service too.
• Has to be The Continental, small, friendly and nice! What can i say i love it there. Oh i also am a Poppins goer, it's ok in there give it a try. The waiter is a Karate Black Belt!
• Beales- for the I'm trying to impress someone (+ fag room)

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Last updated: 2007-12-11