please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Lived in the village for a few years and seen this pub decline due to bad management. When new landlord took over finally they cleaned, painted and generally took it back to how it used to look. New menu arrived recently so decided to try, big mistake. Obviously only use the cheapest frozen ingredients, I've never ever seen scampi look like that!!!!! The menu itself, (badly typed), offers nothing exciting and obviously of no quality. The bar staff seem very inexperienced and the lager I had was poor. Won't bother going back.
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Have used this pub for a few years now when travelling through Heathrow, as a proper pub it beats the hell out of an airport hotel bar. There has been a steady decline in the food, beer and material state over the last year or so. However there was never a decline in the friendliness and hospitality of the locals and the staff. A new landlord has just taken over and things are looking on the up again. The beer is definitely back up to scratch again and the place has had a good clean. They are planning to totally refit the kitchen so hopefully that will be the food on the up as well.
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Undoubtedly the best pub in the area. Service, food and beer quality can all go up and down a bit, but what sets it apart is that it is a real old-fashioned pub with a warm atmosphere, where locals will talk to strangers and everyone is made to feel at home.
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Paid a visit to after working away for a few months well what's happened
The place used to have good beer and even better food with a warm friendly clean atmosphere well it all seams to have gone with the old landlord what a shame the real ale is warm cloudy and taste like old dish water and only have one to choose from the larger lines taste dirty as I had bits of yeast floating in my carling and the place just smells of dirty dogs there seem to be more dogs then people ? And a cat running all over the place the young girl behind the jump look as if she had just walked in from a heavy night out and bought back some bloke look as if he had just escaped an asylum letching pver her at the bar so all in all everything was just a grate sham to see such a wonderful place go down hill so quick would say now try the crown a much nicer place now
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Paid the Five Bells a brief visit this afternoon. There were several customers and nearly as many dogs, plus a cat to boot. Tribute was the real ale. I opted for a cider, but should have tried the ale as it took nearly 10 minutes to sort the gas out. Definitely a locals place. Serves a purpose. But nothing more.
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What you have to remember about this pub is that it is REAL. It's an excellent pub with friendly staff who always serve excellent real ales, wines and other drinks. The food is home made, it doesn't come out of the back of a freezer lorry. Judging by the people who come back time and again to eat, they must be doing something right. This is a pub that reminds me of how pubs used to be. If you want ordinary and predictable, try the other pub in the village. From quiet lunchtime drinks in the garden to mad party nights, give me The Bells any time. The dog doesn't bite, but 'Chelle might !!!!!
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Great pub, always an excellent selection of very well kept beers, reasonable prices and some of the best bar staff around, my favourite pub in the area .
If you ever find yourself near Heathrow and appreciate great beer and good home-made food, this is the place to go.
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Disgusting meal. Both had chicken and mushroom pie. Pie crust was undercooked. Broccoli and cauliflower both uncooked. Chips seemed like they had been cooked in too cool an oil and were full of grease and a soggy mess. Pie liquor was like milk and tasteless. Waited nearly 45minutes with only a few people in the pub at lunchtime. Would not recommend you eat here.
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Excellent atmosphere - great hosts and home made food not mass produced.
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Not really sure where the people from the previous review ate , but it does not sound like the five Bells! I ate at the Five Bells tonight had homemade Chicken and Mushroom pie which was delicious , it was homemade , very fresh , The food came out to me hot !!
Since Michelle and Glenn took over the Bells has became my local , i would not drink there before, They have turned the pub around and turned it into a warm friendly village pub !
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I visited this pub when taken over by new managers, and the food was good. However, on a second visit on a Saturday what a disappointment! The owner evidently had the night off (and why not) BUT if you are going to not be present you should really leave someone in charge of the kitchen etc.,
On ordering a bottle of wine, I was advised they had run out but would get one from the store, which they did - obviously not a cold store, so lots of ice in a bucket!
The food - terrible! I ordered "home made beef lasange" - which was completely tasteless and dried up - been totally over cooked. My friend ordered scampi and "home cut chips". You cannot really go wrong with scampi but the chips were disgusting! Looked like something left by a dog!
I did mention to a member of the public who was helping out with serving how horrible the foods was, and she said she would inform the kitchen. We waited whilst finishing the tepid wine, but no one bothered to put their head over the parapet!
It would appear that the barman was doing double duty - cook and bar server.
I am a local resident and certainly would not recoomend this pub. Obviously they are not interested in local business.
Better food and friendly service can be found at The Crown - a much better bet!
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Went to this pub for the first time today. The beer appears well cared for - the London Pride was great. Lunch was hot, freshly cooked and delicious! The new owners are very friendly - do try this place. Going back soon for a pint of Reverend James ......arriving this week!
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Been to this pub a few times since new licencees took over. They have done really well and the food is now delicious. The atmosphere is very friendly and the pub is beginning to look good again. Well done to the new licencees and keep up the good work. Lovely lunch had today, there was 3 of us and we all enjoyed the food not a complaint bewtween us.
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Had dinner here (staying at a nearby B&B) and it was one of the better ones we've had in UK. Up there near the best on quality (we had a vege curry & a targine) and very good value. Read some of the older reviews - new owners have obviously lifted the game. Nice people too.
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This great old pub has recently seen new licensees, 'Chelle and Glenn. The food is great and the staff friendly. I'm sure this pub is now going to go from strength to strength, it's certainly my new local. Nice to see proper home cooking from a real chef.
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Went to this (fairly local) pub for supper this evening after watching Wimbledon, thought we could get something quick and substantial to eat and grab a pint on a particularly hot and sunny evening, what a sad affair!
No Sauvignon Blanc available - until delivery - tomorrow, had some Blossom Hill (probably from local shop at �5.99 a bottle), that was warm and in a dirty glass. Bulmers Pear was also served in a dirty glass.
Chose to sit outside amidst the empty bottles, cans, dog ends, dirty ashtray, paving slabs, dirty used drinking straws and litter; you may wonder why...... we certainly did.
Ordered a cheeseburger - guess what? no burger buns, but was offered a bageutte or sliced white; and scampi + chips. Deep fat fryer probably on overtime as chips a bit anaemic looking. Tables were grubby and uneven, hard to balance a warm glass safely - beware of wood splinters in your arms.
Ladies loo, functional with added cobwebs - is this part of the "olde worlde" charm?
Staff: - ask yourself, having been unable to get a cold glass of white wine served by Sam who wore a rather fetching Tshirt emblazoned with the insignia "pornstar instructor", could our experience get any better..... answers on a postcard to anyone who may be interested.
Managers name is Heather (I add this for anyone who may, just possibly be interested) - frankly am running out of words to describe this adventure, but hey, must be mindful that another couple who were also in the "garden" received one meal 15 minutes before the next, bit sad really if there's only two of you. To be fair, following yesterday's football results, have to ask the question, was "the German" half of the couple penalised because we lost??
Am now losing the will to live, shame really 'cos I w ork for MacMillan - the well known end of life care team, and on this ocassion, am very grateful for my diligent team members, I shall probably need their support tomorrow to revive me.
Word of warning - unless absolutely desperate or end of the world approaching - fast, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EAT AT THIS PUB, you have been warned
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Presumably this pub is part of Heathrow's 3rd runway, now confirmed? I painfully imagine what my conscience would scream at me if I was a bulldozer operator who will ineviatebly raise this lovely old village pub. This relic of an old English pub must be dismantled and re-built? But it is also the people linked to the bricks and mortar over centuries, to present, that will be lost forever. Heart breaking. 15 years will pass and we'll reminisce of this place in photos, like the villages under the reservoirs.
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Harmondsworth is under threat from the Heathrow expansion and this lovely pub is likely to lose a lot of its tranquility if that happens. Friendly staff, wonderful historic setting, very good food at lunch time. Sit upstairs for view over 1000 yr old church next door. Well worth a visit.
anonymous - 26 Nov 2007 14:16 |
visited this pub with some work colleagues and had a great lunch, the staff were very friendly and entertaining, ales in great order, i was impressed so i took the wife and two friend back on an evening and they enjoyed it as well.
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Gorgeous old pub, dinners and drink are absolutely superb and they seem very friendly. Went in there on my own at quite a young age once and I got served.
I really hope Harmondsworth doesnt disappear for the third runway, the quaint old English village is part of my history!
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You should probably visit this pub before BAA turn it into a runway. Parking around the village green is fairly limited so go in as few cars as possible. It's quite a small pub with a seperate saloon bar, but there is more seating upstairs and a beer garden for fair weather. The food is pretty good but this pub is very popular with local Airline employees (even though not normally welcome due to the runway thing) so it normally gets very busy at lunchtime, especially in the summer.
Bob - 15 Oct 2004 15:19 |
