Pelham’s Pub

My dad had an Angus burger grilled to perfection with a mountain of onion rings, and I do mean a mountain! The portions of both our entrees were magnificent. I had a turkey/​bacon club and brought half home for lunch tomorrow. The restaurant was almost all ours except for a couple talking to the bartender who made a roaring, welcomed fire in the stone fireplace. Sunday evenings are much quieter at the Inn, so it gave us a nice environment to catch up.

Not much I can say besides this being our first disappointment at Inn at Kelly’s Ford. Our past main-​dining-​room dinner as well as our canoe trip (both reviews under «Inn at Kelly’s Ford» here at Unilocal) were wonderful. Our post-​canoe-​trip lunch here at the pub, not so wonderful.
We arrived at the pub post-​canoeing this past Wednesday just as they were opening (11:30 a.m.). It was such an absolutely gorgeous day that we decided to dine out on the patio to best enjoy the fabulous picture-​postcard pastoral views.
Waitress promptly arrived with menus & to take our drink orders. We both decided on «Kelly’s Ford Red Ale», which ended up being the highlight of the meal (apart from the lovely view). Decided to share an order of Fried Clam Strips w/​Cocktail Sauce as an appetizer. It arrived promptly. Huge batter-​dipped strips of clam that had been fried to a dark brown. We felt lucky we didn’t chip any teeth. Cocktail sauce was chock full of horseradish — as a fan, could’ve eaten that stuff with a spoon — lol!
For entrees, husband ordered a fried fish sandwich with side salad; I went for the Angus burger with side salad. This is where things went really pear-​shaped. There were a few guys sitting inside at the bar (no tables taken), & no other party except us outside, yet we sat there for a full 30+ minutes before our sandwiches came out. Really?
Fish sandwich & burger were just «meh», with side salad a thrown-​together mish-​mash of large lettuce leaves & some token tomatoes + lots of raw onions (???). Husband can’t eat raw onions, so that was a washout for him. Bonus though for the terrific blue-​cheese dressing, which was full of large chunks of blue cheese.
And right before our meals finally arrived, a party of four (who were obviously staying at the Inn) showed up & monopolized the one waitress (who was a bit on the surly side to begin with) with inane banter (we were close enough to hear). Now I do understand how the staff is most likely instructed to keep the guests happy, but when the SOLE waitress LEFT the restaurant to get a golf cart to ferry these guests to Lord knows where (they left their drinks on the table & hadn’t even ordered yet, but apparently just HAD to see something immediately), that was approaching the last straw for us. We did sit there like idiots until the group returned, but when the waitress continued to stand at their table talking & talking & talking — that was IT. We picked up our check & went into the bar to pay — the situation was just RIDICULOUS & RUDE!!! (Funny how waitress suddenly ran into the bar as we were leaving; we’re guessing she finally woke up & was afraid we were trying to beat the check — lol!)
Bottom line for this travesty? $ 47.43 (which included a $ 9 tip — don’t know why we bothered with the tip) for one appetizer, two sandwiches, two beers, & neglectful service.
While we’ll be happy to dine again in the main dining room restaurant or repeat our lovely canoeing experience, we won’t be returning to the pub. (Frankly, the local «Glory Days» chain blows this place out of the water food-​wise.)

Have been more than 10 times over the last 3 years and I just got a Unilocal account to review another place I ate at today and HAD to say something about this place. I’ve been there late at night, right when they’ve opened on weekends and week nights during special events and karaōke. They always have outstanding service and food. It’s view is incredible and comforting. You have a range of customers from blue collars to major yuppies. There’s really nothing bad to say about this pub.

We stopped in recently near the end of a great motorcycle ride through the area.
It was a beautiful day so we sat out on the patio and enjoyed the scenery. It’s worth a visit just to soak in the vistas, but hey, you’re there, you may as well grab a bite to eat, right?
We’ve stopped in before and this visit, like the last, was worth it. Yes, they are a little pricey — my $ 10 burger was one of the cheaper things on the menu — but great service, good food and the idyllic setting made it money well spent.

Great food and reasonable prices. Outside dining is a delight! Only negative is the volume of the live music. It is so loud that it is impossible to talk to someone right next to you. Good musicians just turn it down a little.

Friendly bartenders, good pub food, and small but fun beer selection. It’s always been a little sleepy there when I’ve visited, but that just means the pool table is free.

Good food, great atmosphere, and affordable. In the summer this place really gets fun! I wish it was a littler closer to Warrenton but maybe then the secret would get out…

After eating dinner at the Inn upstairs, we were excited about trying the pub downstairs for lunch. «Meh» pretty much summed up our experience there, except for the awesome view from the patio. The service was less than attentive during a Sunday afternoon when there were only 2 – 3 other tables occupied. The food was average at best — everything was very bland and had little taste. The chicken salad was basically just chicken, mayo, and celery; the coleslaw was basically just cabbage and mayo. We were extremely disappointed at how mediocre the food was and are not in any hurry to go back. We were hoping it would be a great place to go to grab a nice lunch when we are out that way, but for the prices it totally wasn’t worth it. Very disappointing!

Since I reviewed the full Inn separately, this review is solely based on the pub itself. We were staying at the Inn and decided to eat here both nights, as we enjoyed it well enough the first night (and there isn’t much else nearby). They have a well-​rounded menu for a pub and really nice daily/​happy hour specials. It has a nice pub feel, with TVs for those who want them, a pool table, and even a karaōke night, but still the classy look and service.
Everything about the place was friendly and welcoming. We were happy sitting there for a few hours, watching the Olympics and having a few drinks. Their long list of specialty cocktails is quite impressive, and we found that the bartenders we had were all quite excellent. The prices are also extremely reasonable considering how much alcohol you get in just one of those drinks.
As for the food, it was definitely tasty and hit the spot, but I wouldn’t say it was too much above average. The first night, we just ordered a bunch of appetizers because they were having a half price special. The onion rings were nice and crispy, but the jalapeño poppers were… well, not jalapeño poppers. It was basically just fried cream cheese with a TINY little slice of jalapeño in it… with all the kick removed. The spinach and artichoke dip was solid. The second night, we ordered some cheese fries off the specials menu only to discover that they had surprise bacon on them, so I couldn’t eat them. I also got a salad, which was almost $ 7 but looked like it came in a side salad portion. I was a bit disappointed by that. My boyfriend, however, had a sandwich that he seemed to enjoy.
All in all, a really nice place to go hang out and enjoy some casual food and drinks. Nothing out of this world, nothing horrible. Just good, solid food and really nice drinks with friendly service. All in all, it was an enjoyable experience.

Great place to get away, and spend time in the country. The restaurant serves very good food, with exceptional service. We’ll be going back.

The peace and the views from the outdoor dining at Pelham’s Pub is enough to warrant a visit. My wife and I visited on a Monday afternoon and were one of only two parties at the Pub. The service was attentive and extremely kind — my wife only wanted a hot chocolate and although it’s not on the menu or even really available, the bartender/​server whipped up something especially for her.
I had the soup of the day which was a broccoli and cheese soup. There were florets a plenty in the soup and I really enjoyed it. I wish that we were both hungrier so we could have actually tried some other food, but this was just a quick stop to enjoy the last bit of scenery from The Inn at Kelly’s Ford as the sun set.
The pub itself also looks quite grand. From the fireplace to the barstools, it really makes for a cozy atmosphere. And then there’s a separate billiards room to the side of the bar that houses a nice free pool table.
I could see this as being a great place to hang out. Maybe on Tuesdays only though, when the drinks are $ 1.75/domestic bottle. I know it’s a nice wedding venue and all, but $ 3.75/domestic bottle is just way too much money for being out in the country.