please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Horrendous, ultra modern & trendy. Beer was OK, but very short measures & had to ask for it to be topped up twice
|
An Ember Inn pub located at a crossroads just out of Ewell high street. It has a very odd shaped and small car park. The bar is more or less in the centre of the pub with the lounges wrapped around it. It is comfortable and well laid out in the typical Ember Inn's style but has a rather boring food menu. The real ale choice varies but is reasonable but it is quite expensive for an Ember Inn. There is a small patio outside, if you don't mind all the traffic going past.
|
Visited this for the first time on a sunny Friday evening and found the whole experience pleasant. There was plenty of people inside and out drink, plus the seating area for the food was well occupied too. The pub has an air of middle glass gastro pub about it, we found the bar service polite and attentive. Although we never tried the food, of what we saw served, looked wholesome and well presented. Cosmopolitan cocktails were well made and strong - so the misses says anyway.
Overall we were well impressed with, what is now our 'local' and will certainly going back for more and to try the food.
|
This oft-used line: 'What happened to the customer is always right', or similar always amuses me. It isn't the case that the customer is always right simply because an expression exists 'The customer is always right'.
I'm about to invent an expression: 'Ten-year-old black cats are apples'; an expression now exists 'Ten-year-old black cats are apples' so it is an inherent, universal, unequivocable fact that ten-year-old black cats are apples.
The person who is right is right. If a business wishes to operate an arbitrary, no-matter-what the-customer-is-always-right policy, that is its choice, but not its obligation.
|
Having started so well after the relaunch, this "gastro" type pub has gone rapidly downhill both in terms of quality and consistency of the food and the service provided. 4 times have we sent cloudy beers back only to have an embarrassing 5min conversation with a waitress that "that's what it's supposed to look like" or worse "we've been serving it all day".what happened to the customer always being right, especially as inevitably we are spending upwards of �50 on food in the same sitting. The food is at times nice and other times lukewarm, a shame as this was the best thing about the new place & the only reason we kept returning. Not anymore....this establishment has made the mistake of taking its local clientele for granted and other disgruntled customers, of which there are a few, will soon follow.
Rsw01 - 23 Mar 2011 00:02 |
Pub has now re-opened and is fantastic! New landlord and pub company. Is now run by the same company as the Derby Arms by Epsom Racecourse.
Good beer - always a couple of proper beers on, including seasonal ones, food is extremely good. Service can be a bit slow, but thats the only downside if you are being really picky!
Massive difference from the Spring which was totally dire!
|
The Spring Tavern has just re-opened, I was lucky enough to be invited to their opening night and was delighted to see such a wonderful pub.
The interior was stylish yet comfortable, the food absolutley delicious and service perfect. The manager Vincent seems to really care, and showed interest in everyones evening, his team are a credit to him, especially his chefs who prepared a fantastic meal. Thank you all.
|
Closed for renovation for about 6 weeks.
|
Being a chain pub it does have rather a clinical feel to the place. However the beer I had was a guest and very reasonably priced and was in decent nick. Certainly not bad but slightly bland in character given the location.
|
i would like to comment fully about this pub but after getting there by bus with my 16yr old son for lunch we were told it was only 18's only and told we could sit outside (in october!). no wonder the place was empty. we then went back to our old faithful lord nelson in cheam
|
plastic pub..
|
Boring , not really a pub
|
Very large pub, with plenty of atmosphere and a well kept feel about it. Food and beer here are at rock bottom prices (Fosters was �2.45 a pint in June 09, and you get 2 meals for �7 at certain days and times).
It does feel a little naf though, and although it is a wine bar meet pub, it lacks the interior decor sophistication to pull it off. A bit of a joke inside really, when compared to its Epsom cousins! Ewell village has got a far superior wine bar type pub callled the King William, which is just round the corner.
|
I visited this establishment Thursday lunchtime,I ordered a pint of Natterjack.a Davenport beer it was awful,cloudy.warm,lifless was served by a rather sill;y young lady ,she seemed preoccupied,I asked for a re placment,this was a little better not much,I ordered a glassof lemonade for my wife I asked for a glass with a stem,these hold half a pint,not able to supply only high ball glasses.ok the drink was warm and had very little fizz.When I mentioned this was told I could have asked for ice.I finally settled for a pindt of Adnams Broadside.this was ok but on the warm side.The Manageress.was quite cheerful and said she would check out the coolers.Food was ok two for sevenpounds.Unfourtunately this is one of the not so goog Ember Inns
|
Typical Ember Inns pub. Various handpumps showed about 5 ales but not all were on or drinkable. Had a Wadworths Lily The Pink which was ok.
|
Nice pub in general, beer is kept well and the staff see polite enough. This place will be great to sit outside in the summer.
|
Been going to this pub for years, but has got so much worse over last 6 months. Took parents the other night and it was AWFUL - ordered, then WHEN IT ARRIVED was told that there were no potatoes left !!!!! So most meals were only half meals!! this was after ordering previously and most of the food being out of stock. Then when our food did arrive (1hour 10mins after ordering) we ended up returning every meal as it was apauling. Even the staff member put the bowl of chips down (which were obviously their last potatoes), looked at them and took them away again as unedible! They did redeem themselves though - as they took everything away and cooked our whole order again and it was good, (must have sent someone to the shops for potatoes) but 2 hours after arriving i would have eaten anything. The quiz helped pass the time, but quite honestly they should get someone who can actually read and pronouce words, the amount of mistakes was laughable. The average age in there... Ohhh.... 14? Over all - not a nice experience!
|
Had a great night in there, nice to find a pub with great beer and great prices to match, the bar staff are on the ball which seems to be a rare
thing these days.
|
I have been a regular customer at the Spring for many years now and always enjoyed going there. This week the atmosphere has changed and seems like a whole other place. This is due to the new management not being very freindly or inviting to any of the guests. The same staff are still there and are as friendly as always and make the experience better but on more then one occassion i have seen the assistant speaking in a very rude manner to them. I think something should be done????
|
Visited last Saturday for a spot of lunch with the family....first impressions is that its a good pub....how wrong first impressions can be.
The bint behind the bar had to be retold my order of drinks 5 times...which is some feat considering it only consisted of 4 drinks....
Then the food took an absolute age to arrive, and when it did it was poor.
Wont bother with this one again for a long while.
Venom - 23 Jul 2008 22:44 |
If you want to go to a pub and wait for upto 10 mins to be served then the Spring isn't your place, if however you want to wait 20 mins, this is your place.
full of kids as well.
avoid
|
had lunch there yesterday with my wife.i wasn't impressed with the size of my meal.had scampi and chips. the scampi was ok but the chips (i counted 9 of them on my plate) looked and tasted as though they had been bought from the local chippy the night before and reheated. also lots of litter strewn around the outside eating area. however,staff were very friendly and helpful
|
I have been to the spring many times and have always found it to be a very inviting pub.
It has a lot to offer, the food is always good, it is kept clean and tidy and the staff are always happy to help and smile even when they are under a lot of pressure on the busy nights.
It seems to be very under rated and i would recommend it to anyone.
anonymous - 26 Apr 2007 22:13 |
I am a little confused by some of the comments I�ve seen. The Spring is an exceptional UK pub in that they are welcoming to 20yr olds and 50yr olds alike. We regularly visit as a married couple and as a family when our youngsters are home from university. Even their quiz nights feature questions suited to both old and young.
I suppose if you like a smokey old duffer�s environment with no music, or one with loud music that is dedicated to threatening looking young patrons then you probably wouldn�t enjoy the Spring.
We find the Spring refreshing. Their music is kept to a relatively low volume and it's taken mainly from the current pop charts. The patrons all seem to be friendly, which is probably due to the manager of the pub maintaining a healthy exclusion zone of problem folk. Furthermore his, young staff are incredibly welcoming and always smile, even when they are rushed off their feet - which frequently happens because the pub is so popular.
My only complaint is that the pub is becoming a victim of its own success as sometimes there isn�t enough room for us to sit down to eat in their increasingly popular, non smoking area. Generally though, we can eat out at the Spring in comfort, as a family, and return home at the end of the evening without smelling like ashtrays.
|
This pub could be so much better if they sorted the slow bar service out. It does not matter how busy it is or what time or day you go in there it still takes an age to get served. The food is pretty good and not expensive. I like the place I just wish I could spend a bit more money!
jack0 - 16 Jan 2007 19:15 |
We went there last week to meet friends. As one of your reviews said, it was good earlier on, but it got very busy and noisy and service wasn't good after around 8.30pm. Not bad, but as someone else said, I wasn't under 30 and not wearing designer(?) - they have to be designed by someone -clothes
anonymous - 29 Oct 2006 22:12 |
A pub to pop into for a late afternoon drink, before it gets too busy. The food is good in general and pretty good value. BUT service is very slow at times, the manager never seems to be behind the bar helping out even when there is one person trying to serve two bar areas. So do pop in for a meal and/or drink. But be warned you may have to wait to be served.
anonymous - 29 May 2006 11:22 |
plastic trash pub.no authentic feel whatsoever,CRAP service-hello whos the customer?expensive.
anonymous - 29 May 2006 00:41 |
Ember Inn now. Looks like it was great once. Pity.
|
Very much a chain-pub - the service is awful. You'll feel at home if you're under 30 and wearing designer gear. Have to say the beer (when it came) was good, but didn't stay for another.
|
I went in there once and the food looked great. I tried it on my next visit and it was p*ss poor. Dodgy service but fair decor and beer.
|
Lovely spot, standard decor, for christ sake would someone please sort the service out!!
anonymous - 24 Jul 2005 17:05 |
Unthreatening, standard Ember Inn. One of Ewell's better pubs, although these days it isn't up against much competition.
Safe and unspectacular, a good bet if you want to catch up with old mates.
|
Anytime i have been to this pub i have always been served by the same plump, ginger haired, grumpy barmaid, she needs to learn manners and quick. I find its always full of pretty boys looking the nearest mirror to check there latest mullet hair style. If you are going to drink here get there early, as trying to find a place to sit is a nightmare. But having said all this its a well kept clean pub with nice beer. p.s. clean the toilet roll holders in the gents as there is always a white powder residue on them.
|
I went in here with four of my mates after the pub had been "modernised" and I must say I was came away with a smile on my face. I betted one of them a tenner that it would be terrible and not a shadow of it's former self and of course..., I won! Also, when it was my round, and after waiting the obligatory ten minutes to get served, I pulled the tenner from my pocket but unfortunately ripped it almost in half as I did so. The young lad saw what had happened but said he couldn't accept the note because the Post Office where they bank, wouldn't change it! he manager confirmed. So, we quietly left and went to the pub next door. I wonder what happened to the 5 pints left sitting on the bar?
Kevin - 8 May 2004 13:09 |
This is the kind of pub I will have a drink in either during the week or on a sunday. The Staff and young and ask allot of questions when getting you a drink " Ice" Lemon" "Dry" "Medium" Etc Would not say this was one of my favorite pubs but somewhere I would be happy to take my family for dinner.
Tam - 19 Mar 2004 12:11 |
Not a bad boozer, my mate Radius usually hangs out at the bar getting them in, while I skulk in the corner with a half on the go, nice half of the black stuff, good pub quiz also, more thinking, less drinking!
Arthur Guinness - 19 Mar 2004 11:03 |
I can't believe some of the poor reports I have seen on this pub. On the several occasions I have visited the staff have all been exceptionly friendly and very keen to serve. Yes they are young but what they lack in skill by being young they gain in enthusiasm. We recently had food on a Sunday afternoon there and while I admit that it took 30 mins to arrive, it was well worth the wait and very good value.
If anything the Spring is becoming a victim of its own success.
The decor and even the loos are spotless.
The pub quizes are great but you do need to get before 9:00pm to participate and even earlier if you want to sit down.
Weeknight sessions are great, (they play modern chillout, club and pop music in the background) but Saturday Night is a bit too chilled for my taste.
New Years Eve was only �5 for a superb evening that included FREE trips in their stretched limos hired especially for the night.
Paul W - 18 Feb 2004 00:22 |
Quiz night + Arthur Guiness fantastic
Dermot - 30 Jan 2004 22:19 |
Top night on New Year's eve this year, staff were brilliant and very polite considering the pressure they must have been under, thank goodness I didn't have to work it!!!!
Rob - 4 Jan 2004 14:41 |
The service is really appalling!! I had to wait ten to fifteen minutes to be served on a fairly quiet Wednesday afternoon, ordered a pint of London Pride and a coffee. The Pride was like dish water and the coffee took half an hour to arrive, after numerous complaints. The guy who served me was in forties, had no customer service skills, stank of cigarettes, disappeared time and again when I kept on his case about the coffee. He is the most obnoxious person I have ever come across in a pub -- GET RID OF HIM!! I will not go back until he is gone. The food looks very, very average and as you might have guessed, it takes ages to arrive at the table by that time it is stone cold! One of the worst pubs in the area.
Andy - 10 Nov 2003 13:45 |
Expensive pub, slow service - but it sells beer
Dan - 24 Sep 2003 10:17 |
Had a dodgy pint of Guiness, which is fairly unusual, but the staff were happy to change it without question. Even so there seemed to be not enough staff and they all seemed rather stressed. Pub chains really should think about how giving your staff good working conditions will bring the best out of them, rather than justing looking at their P/L. This is probably why I tend to prefer a local pub run by a landlord, rather than a chain pub run by a manager.
Also but not having enough staff the cahins lose the ability to quickly serve theri customers. I have never understood why pubs do not understand that on Friday and Saturday nights having to queue for 20 mins to get served is going to make people come back.
Mike - 17 Jul 2003 11:51 |
Nice enough place always clean but what a nightmare to get served. Saturday evening I waited 15 minutes before I got served. There were 2 barstaff on and ONLY 15 people at the bar. Talking as an ex bar person I could have served this lot in 5 minutes. Tables are always full of ashtrays and dirty glasses on our table outside there was even an empty PAMPERS PACKET, horrid.
Daisy - 14 Jul 2003 13:08 |
Tame pub, an ember inn that follows the theme to the letter. No real Character, the beer is ok.
Mike - 23 May 2003 10:58 |
Real friendly warm pub, always busy, many beer promotions, good selection of wines, modern. Serves excellent food till 8pm. Sometimes live bands
|
