The Hole in the Wall — Restaurant in Portsmouth

There are pubs and then there are pubs. I don't live in Portsmouth any more, but The Hole In The Wall is one of those places that makes me happy to be home when I return for a visit. In an era where the classic, homely, beer lover's pub is being rapidly replaced by soulless gastro style bar/restaurants (which charge £5 for a pint of generic branded lager and £15 for a frozen burger to be heated up), places like The Hole offer a reminder of what the pub should really be all about. You'll find an excellent selection of ales on constant rotation at very reasonable prices, a hearty atmosphere pretty much any evening you go and a warm welcome. Sure, it's small - but that adds to the appeal in my opinion. I've lost many an hour to meandering conversations over a jug of whatever guest ale we hadn't yet tried, and I couldn't think of a better way to spend an evening in Southsea. Long...

A sad experience. I used to frequent this lovely little pub around 10 years ago; it used to be a thriving little boozer. I'm back on the South Coast so thought I'd pop in: it was a busy Sunday afternoon but it was shut!? So I went back the next Saturday evening. It was again a busy evening in Southsea - I got to the Hole in the Wall around 2030 and it was shut!! The owner actually saw us trying to get in and said that it's too quiet so he's had to shut early. Funny though how the Barley Mow and the pub next door where rammed....Needless to say we spent the evening at...

You're in a conversation and a word surfaces, a vision of a place forms in your mind. A snug place of dark wood, conversational hum. Floor tiles and quiet reprieve from the world's nonsense. Ironically it is a place of talking nonsense. Talking silly stuff and big ideas. Opining and pining for when these places were all around.

A place of humans, of humanity. People have been gathering like this for thousands of years. Experiments in chatter and brews. The word is"Pub". And you're now in one, and it's great. A proper, decent pub with...