please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
A pleasant country pub with an unusual verandah in Winnie the Pooh country. The pub seemed a little geared to tourists with a table full of promotional leaflets for various attractions being the centre of attention. Ales were Larkins Traditional, Sambrooks Junction & Harveys Sussex Best Bitter. I was expecting real cider. But alas there was none. A few people were eating and there were locals drinking at the bar too. A slight improvement on the nearby Dorset Arms.
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as soon as I walked into this pub - the revolting smell of very old cooking oil hit me - I should have turned around and walked out ..my group had 6 pints from 4 of the various handpumps - each one of these pints was discarded into the bushes in the garden after one mouthful . I would have gone back in and complained but the smell inside was so rancid inside that I didn't want to go back in.
The most disgusting beer I have ever been served.in fact if the old cooking oil is anything to go by, it would have probably been better to drink a pint of that.
Appalling at best would describe this place.
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Terrible, terrible beer and awful service. A prime example of why British pubs are closing. An absolute disgrace. The stench of ancient cooking oil only slightly masked by the smell of uncleaned beer lines. they deserve to go bust. Hopefully soon.
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We celebrated our son's birthday in this pub. Everyone thought the food was amazing. I found the staff very friendly, they did all they could to accomodate us. We will most definitely go back. We're thinking of trying their b and b next.
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This has always been a fantastic pub but since new management has taken over it's even better - food is delicious and very reasonably priced. It's very friendly and has regular special nights such as quiz night, live music and food-themed evenings. I've also stayed at the B&B here, which is spacious, very clean and really comfortable.
If you eat here, I recommend the fish lasangne - comes with a generous sized salad and is absolutely delicious.
Well worth a visit if your in Hartfield or close by.
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I�m glad I didn�t read these early reviews before trying this pub. I often pass through Hartfield, either walking or by car, and decided to stop for lunch one Saturday in summer. The food was good, the environment friendly and have been back regularly ever since. The �Friday night is steak night� is fantastic, and go their most Sundays for lunch as well. Not sure what people�s problems are with this pub but I have no problem. It is the village pub, open for most of the time, and suits me. Clearly not for posers who wear beach clothes and sit drinking colourful cocktails. The forest area is full of pubs who do very good food, this one gives better value so I eat there more often and without thought. The only thing you have to be weary of is that they serve seasonable vegetables, which will be locally grown and could be turnips, parsnips or carrots, depending on the time of year. Not my favourites, so I select from the menu accordingly.
I gather from the reviews that it is in new ownership. Possibly the adverse reviews relate to different times. They do get good reviews in �trip advisor� for B&B, and my wife and I are considering using it as a weekend base cycling in the forest next summer.
Not sure how the rating system works, so I rate as clean, friendly, picturesque, rustic, good value and enjoyable. A nice country pub.
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BEWARE!!!!!!
The last 6 glowing reviews of this pub are all from people who only have 1 comment in their comments section.
Not even very well disguised.
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Please add Amanda1 to that ever growing list.
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We recently stayed in Hartfield and read the reviews to choose where to eat.The reviews for this pub where mixed with some really terrible feedback so we went to the haywagon on our first evening.This was great and food was fab.The follwing day we saw an advert for a band appearing at the Anchor and decided to try it out regardless.Well, what a treat.We were expecting the worst due to the reviews but what we found was friendly and attentive staff, great food that was well cooked and promptly delivered and the pub was quite busy.We went there twice to eat and had the two courses for set price which was good value.The menu was varied and included fresh game, very tasty.The pub was clean and everyone was welcomingand polite.Dont be put off by the bad press as we found the place to be great.Highly recommended.
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Busy pub which seems to be the locals choice. Good choice of ales and a Friday night steak offer which was reasonably priced. One barman in such a busy place meant service was rather slow. Would visit again if in the area but not worth travelling miles just to come here in my opinion.
foamy - 22 Sep 2011 19:34 |
BEWARE!!!!!!
The last 6 glowing reviews of this pub are all from people who only have 1 comment in their comments section.
Not even very well disguised.
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In a first for this pub, we asked them to arrange a big party for my daughter's birthday last weekend. All aspects were organised superbly by the helpful team: food, garden marquee, B+B for some family guests, exclusive use of lower bar, flexibility to meet our requirements, etc etc etc. They couldn't have done more for us and were happy to provide excellent service. Oh, the ales were good too especially the locally brewed Black Cat Original from a new micro brewery in nearby Groombridge which was on as a guest ale.
Party aside, it's an excellent traditional village local free house with a good food menu, up to four well kept ales from a variety of brewers, and nicely refurbished B+B accommodation.
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I spent yesterday evening in the Anchor Inn for their steak night and had a great time. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was buzzing - fab night!
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A lovely old traditional pub where you can enjoy a drink or a great meal in a friendly atmosphere where children are welcome and not banished to the garden. Always find the food to be of a high standard and friendly/helpful staff with a good range of largers and bitters. Would highly recommend a visit to "pooh country"
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Lovely old pub, with a good sized beer garden. Was really impressed with the food which was by far the best pub grub around. Would really recommend the beer battered cod and chips washed down with a perfect pint of Harveys! Great to know there are still great old pubs out there.
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Stayed at this Inn back in May, I was very impressed, it was clean and comfortable and very the surroundings are very picturesque. The food was very nice and I would recommend this to any friends who wanted to escape the city and see the Kent countryside.
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This pub has a nice quaint building with a beer garden to the rear, which was particularly pleasent with the nice weather we had over easter and seemed to be popular with families and people taking back rides through the country.
We (my girlfriend and I) had a couple of drinks and some lunch and sat in the Sun in the beer garden.
We ordered a couple of sandwiches which were nice and fresh, arriving in a reasonable about of time.
We'll certainly be back next time we're visting friends in the area.
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Been here couple of times. Previously the food and service had been good. Yesterday, however, although prefectly good when it did arrive, the food took ages for no obviously discernablereason. Seems it would be best to order lunch at breakfast....
Redeeming feature, other than the spring weather, was the presence of Larkins bitter: a good pint and at only 3.4% ABV it goes down well for a lunchtime brew.
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Agree with previous comments - bar staff not particularly interested in the punters as we found out when arriving at the bar and bot being acknowledged at all by the surly looking bald bloke behind the bar.
In fact he finished serving the bloke he was dealing with, completely ignored us and walked off towards the kitchen. He was replaced by a young girl who looked about thirteen who served us but absolutely crap in the customer service stakes.
Larkins was good but that was it - nothing else to recommend this place. Will try the Hay Waggon if we are in Hartfield again.
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Nice old building, a bit tatty and in need of some TLC. Pleasant front bar and very large back bar / restaurant both with real fires going. If you sit at the very far end of the back bar, you're a long way from the heat! I had a couple of pints of Larkins with was fine. The food was a bit disappointing, some people had a long wait just for soup and my cheese burger was somewhat bazaar: a nice burger, as you'd expect, but with a 1/2" slab of cheese (not cooked, melted or anything) slapped on it. Odd.
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I regularly eat out in many different types of pubs and restaurants. This one though is quite possibly one of the least thrilling dining experiences of my life. on arrival to the pub, my wife and i, were (not) greeted by the lady behind the bar. Few people were eating (although it was a saturday evening and we would have expected a food serving pub to be busier), the people who were eating seemed to be enjoying there food.
my wife ordered the steak, was extremely tough but surprisingly cooked perfectly, and the chips were dehydrated, possibly old or recooked. after seeing, and tasting my chilli con carne, i honestly wish i had gone for the steak.
URGENT. if you are planning a trip to hartfield, AVOID THIS PLACE, try the pub across the way, as we did this week (the hay wagon), which believe me is a completely different experience. theyre chicken fahitas are a spectical on what i could see was a really exciting menu. be advised to book though, (very, very busy)
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Would go along with the previous reviewers' comments. Tatty decor and the barmaid seemed more interested in banter with her mates than serving customers. The real ale was also in poor condition and one of the benches on the balcony collapsed when I sat on it (no I'm not forty stone!). The only redeeming feature was the nice view of the village from the front terrace!
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Have to agree with previous comments about the poor customer service at this place. Checked their website, said food served until 2pm, but turned up at 1.50, after a very long walk, to be told they had stopped serving. Place is looking a bit tired and unloved - used to like it here but has gone downhill a lot in last few years. The Hay Wagon round the corner serves food until 2.30 and does a great fish and chips!
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Occasionally I find myself in Hartfield in need of a pint. Sorry Mr Officer, a half. The Anchor usually does the trick, with a range of ales on in a very traditional, charming building. The exterior is just as alluring, and on such a sunny Spring-like day the outside terrace provided a perfect spot to sit and look forward to the months ahead. In Summer, the seating in the rear garden has obvious draws.
However the interior does have a somewhat tatty and tired feel to it. It doesn't need a re-fit, simply a fresh lick of paint and perhaps a bit more effort generally.
I can't speak for the food although I heard rave reviews about one of the desserts from a couple behind me. Meals were certainly popular. I also found the service to be pleasant. I was slightly let down by the beer selection - nothing out of the ordinary and out of 6 pumps, only 3 were occupied. I had a Larkin's, but it wasn't in the best of conditions. Shall we say passable.
I do hope they aren't taking their fingers off the pulse and allowing complacency to creep in; some previous comments do make me wonder. It has all the right ingredients but all efforts should be made to ensure these come together to make what should be a very pleasant experience for any visitor.
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I had very high hopes for this pub and was bitterly dissappointed.
On entering the buidling, a waitress bumped into my girlfriend. My girlfriend apologised (even though it wasn't her fault). The sulky waitress simply shrugged gave us a dirty look and slouched off.
I then ordered drinks and asked for a food menu. The barmaid informed me that they were no longer serving food, even though it was only 1:51pm and several different people in the bar had platefuls of food which they had obviously just received.
Hated the stinking place.
Do yourself a favour and go to the Hay Waggon, which is a much nicer pub about 50 yards away and serves Doombar.
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Visited this one last week for the third time. Always a nice pint and a good atmosphere. Well worth a visit if you are in this very beautiful part of Sussex.
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Went in for a 'credit brunch' breakfast. As we had two vegetarians in our group we asked if we could have egg on toast as an alternative. We were told they only did a 'bog standard' breakfast, that they had no menu and that it was a full fry up or nothing. When we were also insulted by two locals at the bar we decided it was time to leave - We won't be back!
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Visited on a lovely sunny Friday lunchtime and enjoyed my brief visit. Lots of old brewery adverts on the outside walls ... Fremlins, King & Barnes, etc and a nice pint of Larkins on the inside. Note the unusual stumpy handpump handles.
The entrance has the feel of being in the French Quarter of New Orleans!!!
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Nice village pub serving a variety of local ales - 3 on when I visited. I thought the food rather expensive and average.
Floyd - 13 Aug 2008 13:01 |
I visited this pub for the first time inb many years last Sunday evening. It seems to have changed relartively little and is still a nice old fashioned pub. Beers were from Harveys and Larkins and were well kept, prices were average. The service was good and very friendly. OIt was bvery quiet when we went in but it was latish on a Sunday evening. I suspect it gets much busier at other times. Overall a nice pub.
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A nice old pub with a good beer garden. Hops on the walls and some good beers on tap. Check you get what you ordered as we had a rogue garlic bread go missing which we still were charged for even though I complained about it being missing! I'll still go back because it was so nice :-)
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Very disappointing sandwiches - definitely not worth �5.90
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Good place for Sunday lunch but you have to get there early or book. Fine beer, friendly staff and locals.
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stopped here whilst out on our bikes in the summer. Excellent beer and tasty food served . Couldn't fault it!
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Very nice place. I drink here and eat here regularly. Nice beer garden, and the restaurant is very good. We took my elderly parents, and the waiting staff were excellent, and treated my infirm father with great kindness. Food was very good, and beer was spot on.
Well done! A definited 10/10
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Came here after finding the Dorset Arms allegedy shut and well worth the slight detour it was too. Absolutely delicious Harvey's and friendly service. Well worth a look.
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Nice food. Went there in Feb but thought it rather cold in dineing room, salt so damp it wouldn't come out of pot. However very friendly staff and have been back again now it is warmer, great family pub and would take the grandchildren there for a sunday lunch
anonymous - 25 Jun 2006 18:39 |
Went to this pub for Sunday lunch with my wife and son in Jan 06. Lovely looking little country pub from outside appearing to be frequented by walkers. Small but cosy inside a dozen people in the saloon bar and it feels full. Nice home cooked food but seemed slightly expensive but still value for money. Would probably go back in the summer or stop off on my way down to the Sussex coast.
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What a good old English Pub should be. Great place to go for lunch after having taken the Kids to nearby "Pooh Corner" to see the original "Poohstick Bridge.
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Great, old style pub with a good choice of beers and excellent food. Prices generally reasonable and the happy atmosphere gives the lie to the townie view that we're all inbred in Sussex
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