The Olde Ship

Cool little British pub. I’ve heard great things and read good things about the food and stuff here. While I walked out of the restroom passed the bar, I heard a couple of British dudes with accents talking about regular stuff over a pint at the bar. That told me this is legit.
I had the cottage pie and a cup of clam chowder. Both were good. Cottage pie is ground beef and mashed potato baked into a pie… sheppard’s pie. Clam chowder was good but not great. Not my style of chowder. Something about it… it was a little too heavy with flower and grainy stuff. Not sure exactly. Still good overall. The pie was a bit small too.
I would come back to try something else.

Better food in better times.
Had lunch over the holidays; fish and chips is a natural choice. Fish was fully cooked but batter was mushy and oily — not crisp. Fryer not hot enough? Have eaten here many times over the years but have been very disappointed of late.
Our waitress was wonderful — props to her attention and professionalism.
Restaurant needs a good deep cleaning.

I’d give it 0 stars if I could. Came here last night around 830. My 3 friends arrived 15 min before me. Since it wasn’t busy, I expected my friends to have half full beers. No beers on the table. I asked if they ordered, they said just a minute ago because they hadn’t been approached until just before I arrived… odd thing was-​the bartender is sipping on his water and lounging talking to the waitresses. I was never approached to order.
After waiting a few minutes, wondering what the bartender and waitress are doing, we call the waitress over and cancel our orders to go to a restaurant that wants our business. At this point the bartender starts to act busy, but too late, we left. Lost our business forever.

This place is so whack. How stupid of a person can you be to run this place? The manager is a complete moron. I think his name is Rusty. What a douch bag. We tell them we have 15 people on their way and coming within 10 min to come and eat and drink and ready to spend over a thousand bucks in food and drinks and they won’t seat any of us because our whole party wasn’t here yet. I bring my doctorate classmates here every year on the last day of our class to eat and drink. Never again.
Stupid people running this place with no sense of business savvy. All our group is ready to drop some serious money (we’re doctorate students all well in our careers) and being in the restaurant business myself would have taken care of us had I seen our party walk in. The old hag lady of a waitress was just as rude. Is she there to make money or just give people a hard time?
Just went to Branagans down the street.
Olde ship get your act together and learn how to treat people. Idiots.

The noon air was cold in downtown Fullerton.
I decided to visit The Olde Ship in search for British cuisine, and what better place to experience it than in the confines of a dark, cozy pub?
The amount of people were sparse, in comparison to the size of the place; however, that’s to expect from a pub – it’s mainly where the night life takes place.
I was allowed to pick my own seat. My server, attentive and well-​mannered, took my order of a pot of tea, their full English breakfast, and an order of clam chowder.
The tea was lovely, served on a platter with a spoon to mix my desired garnish of sugar into the warming brew.
The clam chowder – best I’ve had yet – was served first. The dish was hearty, creamy and filling. A slice of bread and a spread of butter was served with it, but my senses focused on the delectable soup.
By the time the fry-​up (the Full English) was served, the chowder had cooled down a touch. I actually did not fully finish my main course; it could most likely fill up the bellies of two people with the most average of appetites. The sausage – crisp on the outside and tender within. The bacon – thick and juicy, unlike our American product. The beans’ flavor was reminiscent of the tomato that was included, with a hint of something else (perhaps vinegar?).
Overall, my experience was great. However, the one sticking gripe I must address is the price. On average, the items are about $ 18 each. I spent $ 15 on the breakfast, $ 4 on the pot of tea, and $ 6 on a cup of chowder. My total came out to be $ 27, with 8% sales tax.
Although the food was good, I would say that the high prices are what prevented me from rating this establishment 5 stars.
Would I come back? Yes. When? When this poor college student has enough to cover the expenses.

Wonderful, wonderful experience every time I go.
Food is bomb and atmosphere makes me feel like I am in England… yes, I have traveled there many times, so I’m an expert.
Staff is friendly and quick to get you in and out.
Some seating is cramped but if you get there early you’ll get seating in a booth.

I had heard the Olde Ship is known for their trivia nights, but we came for dinner before a show at the Maverick. Parking is in a small lot so you may have to search for a spot far from the restaurant.
It is a small, English-​style pub. There is a Tardis on the back door entry (at least that is what I think it is, Dr. Who fans, help me out!) It is very cozy and crowded. We got a great table in the main dining room with lots of Brit tchotchkes on the walls. The menu is a nice size, and it was hard to choose what to eat. I started with a Strawberry Ale which is just so perfect. I tend to get these expensive suckers when I find them on a menu (it’s not an easy find). There is a decent beer selection and other drinks. Our very authentic server provided the right level of brassiness yet was helpful in remembering our requests and suggesting things to try.
I remember only what I got. My friend and I shared the fish and chips and they were kind enough to plate ours separately. It was a very delicious meal, complete with malt vinegar for the fries!
I like this place and would come back again. It felt very homey!