# Preston - recommendations for good pubs, curry houses, clubs etc?



## Spion (Jun 20, 2008)

Does anyone know any good places for a bit of seekh kebab/tikka/curry-type thing in Preston? My preference is for the unpretentious type of place and starters grilled on a flame. 

Also, any recommendations for a pub that has a good spread of ales on?

yours salivatingly

Spion


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## cyberfairy (Jun 20, 2008)

Spion said:


> Does anyone know any good places for a bit of seekh kebab/tikka/curry-type thing in Preston? My preference is for the unpretentious type of place and starters grilled on a flame.
> 
> Also, any recommendations for a pub that has a good spread of ales on?
> 
> ...


The Fox and Grapes in preston is nice, sort of bikery and cool and with lots of random beers and ciders-can't help with curry though but know great places exis there..


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## october_lost (Jun 22, 2008)

Theres a sam smiths at the top of fisher gate towards the prison called the blue bell, cheapest beer in the city I think, and Alpine Beer takes some beating. Just round the corner is Naheebs House, which is good curry, but I think Preston isnt renowned for its curry 

Check the ale cry, if you like real ales and they will list the half dozen who carry the various choices. I also have preference for The New Britannia Inn (live music and real ale), The Guild (young crowd), The Black Horse (not pretentious), The Railway Staion (irish pub). There are some real nice pubs in the suburbs but I cant recall their names.

hope that helps


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## Fedayn (Jun 22, 2008)

october_lost said:


> The Railway Staion (irish pub).





Surprising jukebox.


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## citygirl (Jun 22, 2008)

you off to preston then?  i'm off to london in 2 weeks


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## october_lost (Jun 22, 2008)

Fedayn said:


> Surprising jukebox.



I saw the wolfe tones there


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## Big Vern (Jul 3, 2008)

Don't go to Preston after 6pm on monday's..I did and it was closed


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## Sugarmouse (Jul 3, 2008)

Big Vern said:


> Don't go to Preston after 6pm on monday's..I did and it was closed



That sounds about right


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## october_lost (Jul 4, 2008)

Big Vern said:


> Don't go to Preston after 6pm on monday's..I did and it was closed



You have completely lost me, theres no shops open for sure but it as pubs.


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## manstein (Jul 5, 2008)

You should find something to drink here..

http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/results.shtml/el/Preston;Lancashire/


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## Spion (Jul 7, 2008)

Hmmm, looks like there's decent beer, but not many clues on the curry front. What areas of Preston would be best to go looking for Asian food?


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## october_lost (Jul 7, 2008)

Top of fishergate as three or four curry houses, Id say two of them were good, not sure about the other two. Your best bet is to ask stevil if hes posting on here anymore.


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## killer b (Jul 7, 2008)

i live at the bottom of church street (where all the curry houses are) and don't rate any of the town centre curry restaurants. there's a decentish lebanese place on manchester road (no license, but their happy to let you bring your own) - it's open irregularly though.

duk (in a basement on lancaster road, opposite the miller shopping arcade) does loads of fantastic spicy meals, although they're often booked up. they've recently opened a satalite restaurant on canon street (called 'pond') - not been, but it's likely to be good.

there's a few decent kebab places, and curry takeaways. the best kebabs are from sandos on church street - they do 'em in a clay oven, and they're fucking delish. the naans are excellent too. just round the corner on grimshaw street there's a good curry takeaway (can't remember it's name, but there's only 1 takeaway on grimshaw street). you can also get a good kebab from the kebab house a few doors up from the dog & partridge (again, can't remember it's name - but their shish is killer).

best pubs (for beer anyway) are:

black horse (friargate)- period victorian pub with nice mosaic floors. 4 - 5 bitters from the robinsons stable, including the fearsome old tom
dog & partridge (friargate) - biker/metal pub. cheap & chearful lunches (£2.20 for steak & chips last time i was there), and 5 real ales - usually london pride, tim taylors landlord - the rest rotate. they also have addlestones if cider is your bag
blue bell (church street) - cheapest real ale in preston - nice but shabby ancient building (17th century i think) with beer by sam smiths. £1.32 a pint i think. the clientelle are colourful, but mainly friendly.
bitter suite (fylde road) - usually 6-8 microbrewery handpulls on, of varying quality. there's usually one worth drinking... all the beer bores in preston seem to drink here
moor brook (north road) - only 1 or 2 beers, from thwaites, but easily the best kept beer in preston. the landlord is also the soundest... they have live folk music on a friday if that's your bag.

pm if you fancy a pint btw - i'm only 5 minutes walk from town...


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## Sugarmouse (Jul 8, 2008)

I totally agree with your choice of Preston pubs, Killer b.
I am always in the dog and partridge, despite the landlord hating me..


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## Spion (Jul 8, 2008)

Yes, fantastic info Killer B  I think there'll be some testing at the weekend. I'll PM when I know when we'll be there


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## killer b (Jul 8, 2008)

are you sure ronnie hates you SM? he comes across as a bitter old grouch, but he's a sweetheart underneath all that...

look forward to hearing from you spion - my attendance may depend on babysitters, but i'll certainly try...

what's bringing you to our fair city?


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## Spion (Jul 8, 2008)

killer b said:


> look forward to hearing from you spion - my attendance may depend on babysitters, but i'll certainly try...
> 
> what's bringing you to our fair city?



My GF lives not so far away. I'll PM you when we've figured a time out on Fri or Sat

Looking forward to it


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## Sugarmouse (Jul 8, 2008)

I know lol...he is nastier to me than anyone else though! Shouts at me at every oppurtunity. I know he wants me stop going in, so I dont.


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## Spion (Jul 9, 2008)

I quite fancy the Robinsons' pub from your description, KB. 

We'll watch out for shouting/you getting thrown out as we pass the Dog & Partridge, S'mouse


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## Stevil (Jul 9, 2008)

killer b said:


> i live at the bottom of church street (where all the curry houses are) and don't rate any of the town centre curry restaurants. there's a decentish lebanese place on manchester road (no license, but their happy to let you bring your own) - it's open irregularly though.
> 
> duk (in a basement on lancaster road, opposite the miller shopping arcade) does loads of fantastic spicy meals, although they're often booked up. they've recently opened a satalite restaurant on canon street (called 'pond') - not been, but it's likely to be good.
> 
> ...



I'd second all that (even though I don't drink). 

I've lived in Preston since 2000 and never had a decent eat in curry although there is a good takeaway in Ashton called Cinnamon Spice which luckily is 5 minutes from my house.


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## killer b (Jul 9, 2008)

cinamon spice is good... the spice of bengal on friargate was pretty good last time i went, although that was a few years ago now.


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## killer b (Jul 10, 2008)

a few second division pubs you might like:

fox & grapes (fox street) - 4-6 microbrewery handpulls in a tiny periodish pub. nice atmosphere, if a little rough & ready
new britannia (hill street) - just round the corner from the dog & partridge - decent micro handpulls, and an absolutely brutal (though disgusting) cider. two smallish rooms, and the only place i know with throbbing gristle on the jukebox
stanley arms (lancaster road) - decent, if relatively soulless, real ale pub. 2 - 4 beers, and a motown disco on saturdays 
the dog (church street) - a very down at heel boozer, but opens till 4am - pointless visiting early on, but the mix of scallies & goths later in the evening makes for an interesting atmosphere. plus it's the only place in preston serving holt's bitter.
the black bull (friargate) - not the old black bull, which is best avoided unless there's bands on. 8 real ales, very little atmosphere, but there is a nice snug.
the mad ferret (fylde road) - no real ale, but they have live bands on every weekend night and a decent crowd.


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## Epico (Jul 10, 2008)

Is the Queen Vic still there Killa B? 
When I lived on Fishergate Hill we were quite fond of it in there. Handy for the station too, if thats important.


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## killer b (Jul 10, 2008)

yeah, the vic's still there - not a bad pub tbh, but i rarely get down that end of town since i moved down church street.


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## Spion (Jul 10, 2008)

killer b said:


> a few second division pubs you might like:
> 
> fox & grapes (fox street) - 4-6 microbrewery handpulls in a tiny periodish pub. nice atmosphere, if a little rough & ready
> new britannia (hill street) - just round the corner from the dog & partridge - decent micro handpulls, and an absolutely brutal (though disgusting) cider. two smallish rooms, and the only place i know with throbbing gristle on the jukebox
> ...


Preston becomes more appealing all the time!


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## killer b (Jul 10, 2008)

it's great for boozing round here. probably because there's fuck all else to do... 

my mate is in the throes of doing up a nice pub on the river, which should be open at the beginning of august - i've high hopes for that.


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## Sugarmouse (Jul 10, 2008)

The Olde Dog is brilliant , gets more entertaining as the night goes on. There's a bar in the beer garden now, and they are having bands on now, too
Oh and loads of scallies fighting, which is ace as logn as you keep outta their way.
I am probably one of those 'Goths' Killer b. Crowd that tends to appear straight after The Venue chucks out?lol


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## killer b (Jul 10, 2008)

i once saw a man glass himself in the old dog. 

happy days...

we probably have mutual friends sm.


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## killer b (Jul 17, 2008)

where did you get to in the end?


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## Spion (Jul 17, 2008)

killer b said:


> where did you get to in the end?


Nowhere near Preston as it turns out, but we will be making use of your suggestions at some point in future, so I'll pm ya. Cheers


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## editor (Mar 19, 2018)

I'm playing The Continental in Preston on Saturday (24th March) . Any recommendations for after-gig indie/alt/rock bars?


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## killer b (Mar 20, 2018)

Afraid it's a bit barren at the moment, and the conti is a taxi ride away from town. The ferret is usually  open til 1 and is your best bet. If not then there's just the warehouse, the rock club in town. Not been there for years though so I've no idea if it's any good now.

The metal and biker crowd hang out at a place called 'ships & giggles' just down from  the ferret which might be alright.


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## editor (Mar 20, 2018)

killer b said:


> Afraid it's a bit barren at the moment, and the conti is a taxi ride away from town. The ferret is usually  open til 1 and is your best bet. If not then there's just the warehouse, the rock club in town. Not been there for years though so I've no idea if it's any good now.
> 
> The metal and biker crowd hang out at a place called 'ships & giggles' just down from  the ferret which might be alright.


Just took a look at the Warehouse and it seems fairly mainstream but at least it'll be open!

Ships & Giggles is a terrible name for a pub. 

Thanks for the tips.


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## killer b (Mar 20, 2018)

editor said:


> Ships & Giggles is a terrible name for a pub.


The very worst. I can't bring myself to go there because of it. 

There's always a crowd of goths smoking outside though, which is usually a good sign in a pub IME.


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## killer b (Mar 20, 2018)

The Warehouse was a great club in it's day - Joy Division released a live album of a show from there, Henry Rollins still talks of the time he was beaten up by a skinhead outside... it's a shadow of it's former glory now though. Sad.

OT but I love this Nico show from there in 1982 (the rest of it is on youtube too. Apparently her backing band was the Blue Orchids)


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## editor (Mar 20, 2018)

killer b said:


> The very worst. I can't bring myself to go there because of it.
> 
> There's always a crowd of goths smoking outside though, which is usually a good sign in a pub IME.


That is true.


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## editor (Mar 20, 2018)

killer b said:


> The Warehouse was a great club in it's day - Joy Division released a live album of a show from there, Henry Rollins still talks of the time he was beaten up by a skinhead outside... it's a shadow of it's former glory now though. Sad.
> 
> OT but I love this Nico show from there in 1982 (the rest of it is on youtube too. Apparently her backing band was the Blue Orchids)



By coincidence, our keyboard player also plays in the Blue Orchids!


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## killer b (Mar 20, 2018)

Did he in 1982?


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## killer b (Mar 20, 2018)

ah no, looks like it was Una Baines then.


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## editor (Mar 20, 2018)

killer b said:


> Did he in 1982?


I'm not sure if he was even born then! He's in the reformed band.


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## editor (Sep 5, 2018)

Some pics from my trip to Preston. It's a pretty run down town, sadly. 
































In photos: Preston, Lancashire – the iconic bus station, closed shops and architecture


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## killer b (Sep 5, 2018)

Worth noting that much of the run-down-ness of the _City_ pre-dates Tory austerity - most of the closed down shops and bars you've photographed in your set have been closed down since well before 2010. 

If anything atm things are on the up atm - lots of public realm developments and new stuff opening, partly as a result of the (relatively) radical policies the council have instigated over recent years to try and keep money circulating in the local economy - there was a big article in the graun about it earlier in the year: In 2011 Preston hit rock bottom. Then it took back control | Aditya Chakrabortty


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## killer b (Sep 5, 2018)

The worst run-down part of town - church street - is that way because for years there was a plan for Lend Lease to totally redevelop that end of town: a huge shopping centre, leisure complex etc. So as there was an expectation their properties would be bought up and demolished, none of the shops were maintained, and when tenants left they weren't let out again... this was ongoing for a decade, and then they pulled out and built Liverpool one instead: then there was the financial crash, so the whole of that end of town has been rotting and boarded up for the best part of twenty years now. 

It's still rotting and I can't see that changing in the immediate future as it's just such a mammoth task, but the redevelopment of the bus station & markets could encourage some interesting things to happen down that way...


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## lazythursday (Sep 5, 2018)

I don't know Preston at all well but when I'm passing through I love to have a stroll around Avenham Park and the adjacent Georgian area and the much improved Winckley Square Gardens. It's a pity the shopping centre squats in the middle sort of blocking off that part of the city.


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## killer b (Nov 1, 2018)

killer b said:


> Worth noting that much of the run-down-ness of the _City_ pre-dates Tory austerity - most of the closed down shops and bars you've photographed in your set have been closed down since well before 2010.
> 
> If anything atm things are on the up atm - lots of public realm developments and new stuff opening, partly as a result of the (relatively) radical policies the council have instigated over recent years to try and keep money circulating in the local economy - there was a big article in the graun about it earlier in the year: In 2011 Preston hit rock bottom. Then it took back control | Aditya Chakrabortty


further to this, we're 'most improved' city this year in PWC's rankings, and currently 14th best city to live in the country, apparently. One position higher than London. 

Preston named as most improved city in UK


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