please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Sadly the Shere Drop had sold out leaving rather boring samey beers to sample. The food this time was a big let down. We both wanted a turkey sandwich but this was also sold out and I was recommended a beef steak sandwich whilst my wife chose a salmon sandwich. Mine was stringy and difficult (impossible) to chew whilst my wife bit into a 1" piece of plastic. On complaint the meal was 'replaced' and then later the manager(?) asked if all was ok so we appraised her of the situation. My wife's meal cost was reimbursed, sadly not mine. They were very lucky as if any damage had occurred to my wife's teeth then we would have involved the appropriate authorities and sought damages for any costs. We were doing a 'recci' for a group meal but we are now unlikely to choose this place.
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Mrs Smudge treated me to lunch today and we'd never tried this place before. Awesome outdoor location on a lovely day. Well pricey food led us to the (still pricey!) sandwich menu, although they were very nice indeed. I guess you pay for the location. More restaurant than pub inside which is a bit of a shame, but Hog's Back TEA, Surrey Hills Shere Drop and Stag's own brand Spring Ale (Marston's brewed apparently) on tap. I tried the Spring Ale and the Shere Drop and they were both very good. A very pleasant couple of hours spent outside by the river. Just the lumpy prices lets it down.
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A nicely located pub, which is its major strength and perhaps why it can get away with charging �3 or so a meal more than what might be considered good value, but as is a bit expensive for what you get. Beer was Surrey Hills Shere Drop and Hogs Back TEA, plus one badged as a Stag in-house one (not sure whether it was proper own brew, didn't ask, but suspect may not be). Great area outside next to the river including a base from which the catering staff do their stuff, ideal in the sun if the weather is good as others have said and as it was today. Disappointingly, we had the same experience as pold in October with respect to the soft drinks (lemonade in this case) being a bit flat... unfortunate coincidence or endemic problem? Pub is easily accessible off the A3, rail access is via a nice 25-30 minute walk from Godalming (or alternatively Witley). The clientele seemed quiet happy with what they were getting and whilst the committed experienced pubgoer may pick fault, this one does a job.
PhilR - 25 Mar 2012 23:58 |
Popped in with a small group near the end of a long walk. Nice enough pub. Decent selection of local beers is always nice to see, such as Shere Drop and TEA. Agree with most posters, food is overpriced IMHO. Staff were friendly enough, and the landlord(?) did change my friends Shere Drop for him after commenting on being cloudy. A3 noise is a bit of a pain if outside, otherwise lovely setting. Interior nice in a distessed modern type of way. Oh, and dog friendly, if any space inside, or water bowls outside.
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Went here last weekend, a small group for beers and a bit of food. Food was nice and the evening went well until a few of us switched to JD & coke (pepsi) the first few were just fine but the second/ third round tasted awful. Coming from 15 years inside the pub trade I know when the post mix is running out! I was given various samples of coke to taste but could not convince them it was weak, it may be brown but it tastes of soda water. I left, even after a fresh JD & coke had been delivered still tasting no better. I doubt I'll bother to go back which is a shame as I've only lived locally for 33 years.
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Tasty food well cooked and appropriately priced, and staff friendly and helpful. Small but professional selection of real ales on tap. Shame the weather was off as beer in the riverside garden would have been nice, but that's hardly the pub's fault! Situated in a quaint old spot, exceeds expectations based on past reviews.
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Nice pub - Staff were very friendly and couldn't do enough to help - Let down by the fact that there is only one table inside for drinking, all the rest are laid for eating - And while the staff were very happy to let us use one to have a drink when not eating, its not a nice place to do so - Just very much lacking in atmosphere - However outside is a great beer garden and it has a great selection of ales. In short a great pub to be outside in in the summer, but on a cold/rainy day I would give it a miss
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thought I'd pop in after seeing previous reviews, what a refurb?, no what a cock up is what I'd say, somebody who reads the sunday mags but doesn't go to pubs must have done it, warm flat ale, so decided not to eat
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Is it a pub? is it a restaurant? Well its neither, it fails in both respects. The food is fine if you want a slab of fried meat and chips, but at restaurant prices I'd expect more in the way of service and refinements. I had the risotto which was more like rice pudding with peas and frankly very disappointing. Only one waitress and one bar person for a nearly full dining room meant the service was slow and unsatisfactory. So the food is adequate for a pub, but not nearly what I'd expect from a restaurant, but as a pub its lacking in atmosphere and space for those not dining. Plus a poor selection of beer.
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We were recommended the Stag after a friend in Godalming started to frequent the place. We went on a Saturday night, it was pretty busy but we were so overly impressed. It has clearly been 'done up' with great thought and attention to detail. The quality of food and service was first class and the young waitress who served us even showed us around their letting rooms (quite new I think) after we enquired about them. The rooms are also very tastefully decorated. They had TEA, Sheer Drop and Doom Bar on the pumps, the latter was fab.
Two fires going, very warm and cosy and a big thumbs up from us!
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I first heard about this pub when I was visiting a friend in Dubai - even though I live close by in Guildford! On coming back home I followed up his recommendation and have to say I really like the Stag.
It's a great place to sit outside by the river having a leisurely lunch, and the Shere Drop is a delight.
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What a refurb! I was very surprised how fantastic the place looked. My hubby and I dropped in on the way to Godalming as we heard it had been revamped. The place was immaculate and the food to die for! I hear they do accommodation now which is a great idea especially if you have a party there. We will go back there for sure.
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Visited last night and had a tasty pint of Shere Drop (�3.30) with a rib eye steak (�16) that was the best I've ever had. Staff are polite and attentive. Restaurant decor so possibly not a great "drinking" pub, but definitely worth a visit.
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Beer was as clear as the Wey on our visit !!!!
anonymous - 15 Sep 2010 19:33 |
Taking back what I last said, revisited again today and can confidently say the lines haven't been cleaned since the refurb. Vile cloudy EPA and Boondoggle. More to running a pub than a lick of paint and some fancy garden furniture.
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Everything pretty good but the menu is a bit confused. Excellent TEA.
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Visited today in a small party. The food was good, the beer quite acceptable, and the service polite and friendly. Funnily enough, we discussed how many people from overseas work in this kind of business and why as we sat in the lovely garden in the sunshine, then when we asked the English waitress for some more beer, she told us we had to go to the bar for drinks and walked away. We carried on talking for a few minutes whereupon the Kiwi waitress showed up because she'd spotted our empty glasses and asked us if we'd like some more beers. Not that the English girl was unfriendly, she was quite cheerful, it's just that she didn't 'get' her job. But it was a very pleasant all the same and we shall go back again.
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2 visits in the last month , great lunch on both occasions. will be returning.Look forward to the referbishment.
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I'm going to go against the grain here and say that I thoroughly enjoyed my evening at The Stag! Our waiter, Ed I think, was great. I've only been living in Surrey for about 2 months now having moved down from London but I used to visit a lot. I had somehow managed to miss this little gem! HOP was nice (when is it not) and there was a fairly decent wine selection. I had the fish cakes, which were brilliant, and the whole group enjoyed it.
Shame about the dog friendly thing, I for one have no issue having a dog near me when i'm eating, as long as it's well behaved!
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Visited mid week in mid August.
Adequate but uninspiring, and expensive menu. Reasonable service, but quite a delay on food. Good pint of TEA, struggled to get a clear pint of HOP. Needs to be better to get my hard earnt cash.
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Have to agree with brett.wimpory, things have changed for the better. Visited at 7pm tonight and got a very friendly welcome. Barman offered me a sample of Hogs Back HOP before buying. (�3 a pint) Food was excellent and reasonably priced. Perhaps not a drinkers pub inside, but it does have a good beer garden.
I will be going back.
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There must have been some staff training going on as I went here for Friday lunch the other week and the staff were the friendliest I've met in a long time.
Food was good, quite expensive but not extortionate. Reasonable choice of beers.
I liked it.
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Ver, very unfriendly staff. Being one of 3 customers in there at the time from 1300 until 1530 you think that they would have appreciated the custom. Apparently not. Food was ok, no better than the other pubs in the area. They should seriously overhaul their front of house staff. Barmaid had a stare that could light a candle from 40 yards.
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Very unfriendly pub from the moment we set foot in the bar. In spite of phoning in advance to check their dog policy, we were told we could only sit in one area of the pub because they were serving food; this despite the WHOLE pub having salt and pepper on the tables including the end we were directed to. We didn't see any food served to the two other people in the bar that night.
At the end of the evening they called time at twenty-five minutes to eleven and then shut the bar ten minutes later and made it clear they wanted everyone to leave !
Its rare that I will never go to a pub again, but I'll step a foot in this one again. Avoid!
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Surprised about the mixed reviews here. I have been here regularly for over a year and I have always found it to be a pleasant, relaxed and friendly pub with a great location. The food is very good and they have clearly taken care to emply a decent chef who knows what he is doing. Service is efficient and friendly and we appreciated the extra care taken to ove us to a better table even though thet were busy.
Top marks to our waiter who took my girlfriends comments about her food being excellent but beans not being trimmed in his stride! Bless her - she's from London and isn't used to Surrey's rustic charms yet.
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This is another pub that just can`t get it right ,don`t know why but they just don`t seem to be able to cope .
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A lovely location, but this pub has some serious problems. We suffered an hour's wait for food on a Sunday lunchtime without explanation. When I politely asked the seriously surly barman about the delay and if he could prioritise the kids' meals I was greeted by the response "What do you want me to do about it?". Well, if he didn't know, how was I going to?
A real shame as the food, when it finally arrived, was actually pretty good. The beer (Hogs Back TEA) was also very well kept.
An unpleasant staff member spoiled our experience, and I doubt we'll hurry back. Sort it out...
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Have been down here a few times for a drink but probably won't bother going back.... Always really quiet and has a funny awkward atmosphere. Shame as it is in a lovely location. May try it once more in the summer.
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Dont normaly agree with an Anonymous comment but the one dated 1st Nov. looks spot on.We can totally disregard the comments by hungryqueen and pubster as they have only comented on this place which strongly points the finger at ths staff or managment doing a very cheap advertising stunt.
We have had beer and food here and its quite average for the price just the same as the other pubs in this chain (Tilford and Clandon).
Dont slate the other pubs close by inprove your own.
Its still a great location just not when its been raining coz its floods alot.
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Four of us went there a couple of weeks ago and had a superb meal. The beer was very good too, the best they had was Spitfire, not normally one of my favourites but on that particular day at least, it was perfect and most enjoyable I had in few months.
We also met the landlord who was welcomming, friendly and had good senses of humour. Wish we lived closer so we could use the pub more often.
I was surprised at the low rating the pub was given for food because that was not our experience at all.
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is it not amazing how a pubs rating goes up in minutes pubtester, i wonder if you also rated the duke of cambridge of late, funny how the stags three sister sites have been rated at allmost the same time maybe the same person, but thats nothing new, just scroll down to janep and her comments, surely this site is for the public to rate a pub not for a landlord to increase there own rating or indeed to slate nearby competion ref another pub near tilford, and no i didnt rate your pub i think others have allready done that for you
anonymous - 1 Nov 2007 23:35 |
This is one of the best in the area for food and drink. Well worth a visit!!
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This pub in a lovely location, and is perfectly fine for a drink. The food however is not good at all. I went on a Sunday recently and ordered the carvery...a plate was served to me at my table with overcooked chewy roast beef that seemed like it had been in the microwave, and tasteless Yorkshire puds, and watery flavorless potatoes...not very impressive considering I had brought a visiting guest with me. It used to be owned by another landlord, and the food was excellent, but the service was not great and the people were rude. I had such a bad experience in this pub I decided to avoid it altogether until I heard it had changed hands. Now I'd say it's a nice place to have a drink, but plan your suppertime meal somewhere else.
anonymous - 3 Aug 2007 20:35 |
Have now been to this place a couple of times since it changed hands. It is quite stunning how the new owners have taken a pub with amazing potential and completely ruined it! They have tried to go "up market" but have completely forgotten the customer in the process. They will not allow you to order food at the bar at lunchtimes but then take 10 minutes to be bothered to serve you! The attitude of the staff isn't great either. At an average lunch time last year (before it changed hands) the place was packed. Now it gets nothing like amount of people. Yet the service is still poor and the prices extortionate! If you want an "up market" pub, you're better off at the Inn on the Lake or Elstead Mill.
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Totally agree with thommoi not for the drinkers,We found the food not great and the wait was a pain.Lager was alright did not try the ales.
I think this pub is part of a chain now.(Its owned by The Punch rip off co. well the building is anyway)
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Four of us ate in the restaurant last Saturday evening, the service was very good with extremely polite waiter and waitress, the down side was having to wait 45 mins after our starter for the main course to arrive. Drinks are incredibly expensive, the food offering average for the price charged. Good luck! I think you may need it!
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Superb, I'm so pleased this pub has now changed hands!! The new management team seem to have recognised this pubs true potential.
We enjoyed Very Good Food and a Top Quality Choice of Beer and Wines.
Here's to a new era in fine dining at the Stag!
anonymous - 17 Feb 2007 20:44 |
Currently closed as Landlord alledgedly wouldn't renew the lease. Lots of builders in there at the moment so imagine will be open again pretty soon!
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ooops 17th Jan
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Called in yesterday (18th Jan.) and it was closed lunch time what is going on ,has it changed hands again??Lovely setting and good food and beer normally.
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It truly is a wonderful site. On the river, a very tranquil setting, with tons of outdoor seating.
Indoors, it's a classical country pub, with cosy decor and daily newspapers. Well kept London Pride and a good wine list, with a food menu printed on the day. In fact when I was ordering the first drink the landlord said "I'll see if the menus are ready" and his good lady called out that they were and handed me one hot off the presses.
We'd arrived at noon to make sure of a table - which one usually has to do to be sure of a table in a popular Surrey pub! but needn't have worried: lunch was a bustling time, but it felt less pressured than pubs like say The Prince of Wales in Esher. Courteous efficient service from what is clearly a very professional team.
We had a Sunday roast, which was just fantastic: the homemade Yorkshire puddings which accompanied the beef and the crackling which came with the pork were sublime. The menu is small enough to let you feel confident that dishes are made to order from fresh ingredients, while extensive enough that there should be something for everyone -- they also will do a children's roast with price adjusted accordingly.
This pub also had a nice "local" feel: in fact perhaps nicer for the locals than for the brand new customer trying to get a pint of Pride at noon and having to wait 10 minutes. Other than that, 10 out of 10.
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nice to sit by the river now summers here
good beer and a nice wlcome
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I Drive over 700 miles from the Isle of Lewis, 50 miles off the west coast of scotland, and my first stop is the stag. I visit 2 or 3 times a year and I am always remembered. Best pub I have EVER been to.
If I can drive for over 12 hours for 1 pint it must be worth it-pay a visit or you wont know what you`re missing
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Absolutely stunning! The setting accentuates the excellent service and range of drinks. Plenty of parking, lovely terracing along the river and a warm & cosy feeling inside without being too smokey.
Definately one to visit - only 5 minutes from the A3 at Eashing, pull off for food - you won't be disappointed!
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