please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Went for breakfast on the 10.08.14 group of 6 when we arrived it was 5 minutes to 12 but they state they still serve breakfast till 12, however the inshallah server/owner/manager was unwelcoming and stand off ish. We ordered breakfast when it arrived the toast was cold and stale and had to be sent back for new toast when they did we also had to ask for missing items from the breakfast such as eggs and black pudding. The black pudding arrived uncooked and we sent back to the kitchen.
The breakfast it's self is poor for money you pay £9 for a full English but it not even worth £4 and the taste was unpleasant.
Following the meal we spoke to the manager/owner who felt she needed to justify things we had payed prior to the food arriving so the manager went away and came back to the table chucked money on the table and walked away. Which was unsatisfactory!
There was no apology and she suggested because 2 other people had complained that it encourages others, very plunt and rude and unwilling to accept the criticism.
I would suggest this is not a restaurant to try!
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Today taught me a valuable lesson in why people often leave detailed reviews as a place you go to eat can be fantastic but let down by such a minor detail which makes you so upset you can do nothing but vent your frustration. I hope "The Elephant & Castle" in Amersham will at least read this and utilise feedback to ensure they make the required improvements as the manageress on this day seemed to struggle to understand that sometimes people are not entirely happy.
I will admit immediately, having only moved to the area 9 months ago, we loved the initial atmosphere as we were welcomed in with our dogs by a gent who clearly played a major part in the running of this pub but on this occasion was sat the other side of the bar enjoying a Sunday pint. We even enjoyed the food though cold... when it arrived.
It's been two years since I left the Gastro-pub industry but this haunt showed potential and we fell in love with the outdoor booths and cosy cushions.
We sat and had a drink and decided to order food, at the time only 3 tables both in and outside eating and 4 staff including the manageress working front-of-house.
Overlooking the fact my husband had to write the order out himself for the lad behind the bar, we ordered 4 meals, one roast without cauliflower cheese (my father in law is lactose intolerant) and noted in the menu that as the food was cooked to order may have to wait 10 minutes longer than usual - no problem.
55 minutes later we were still without food and no one had either brought out cutlery or even bothered to apologise for the delay. We had also noticed several other tables appearing to have issues including one inside who had received another table's food. Eventually 3 out of 4 meals appeared, no cutlery, no napkins, no jugs of gravy as the menu states and were told the chef had "made a mistake" with mine and was replating. We waited expectantly another 5 minutes (still no cutlery) food getting cold before I went and approached the manageress (long brown hair dressed in green dress that day) who was clearly stressed and I was told that I was rude and it would be out and that it was our own fault for choosing to sit in the garden and that they had been flooded and just reopened- no apology. I mentioned it would have been nice to have had someone pop out to explain the circumstances - we're human, we'd understand but she turned and walked away. I stayed where I was and on her return suggested as recompense she add some kind of the discount to the bill (paid on order) of which she grunted her response.
I went back to my table completely shocked by her unprofessional attitude.
At the end of the meal my husband went to collect his refund ( my meal being taken off) and was accused by the manageress of only paying for 3 meals in the first place, hence the reason why only 3 came out. £51 for 3 meals? - well maybe you bought drinks too? - the manageress said. She checked the till system for previous transactions, refusing to listen to us offer help in giving her initial transaction times or even to add up the cost of the food manually and finally gave us the refund once she had put an end to her doubts that we were taking her for a ride, then publicly blaming the young lad by her side as he was new.
My husband gently reiterated our thoughts of the importance of communication to customers where we were told to get and and not come back. Don't worry, we won't!
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Great Building with friendly staff and relaxed atmosphere.
This pub could easily be the best in the old town BUT,three real ales on and non of the many interesting beers from the growing number of breweries within a 15 mile radius.
The Kings arms has the beer, this place has the atmosphere. a mixture of both would be ideal.
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When ordering food at the bar, a service charge of around 10% was automatically added to my bill. Although, after I queried this, it was removed from the bill without quibble, I consider this is 'sharp practice' and is something I have never experienced at any other pub in the UK..
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Took a while to get served though was more down to the clientelle than the barstaff (asin indecisive about what they wanted and paying with obscure cards). Ale slection was pretty avergae and the quality wasn't too great.
anonymous - 3 Feb 2013 00:04 |
Shame the family had to wait over an hour for food on a Bank Holiday lunchtime, without warning of such a delay, and then to be told that, as a customer, I was "aggressive" when asking for a discount. This on top of the Hooky , my chosen pint, not being on as well. Great pity as we love this charming bit of Old Amersham. Try the Crown or the Saracen's Head up the road instead. I am sure they will be more welcoming.
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Great little pub, nice mix of client�le and a good atmosphere.
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This place has reopened after a refurb. for the month or so it was shut, i was genuinly worried about it being turned into a gastropub or other eqully souless venue, but im pleased to say the refurb has not been disasterous. its still a pub. a very good pub. just not quite as rustic inside anymore.
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Beautifull building, a proper pub, that has'nt fallen into the trap of becoming a gastro pub/pretentious wine bar.
A big telly out the back provides a good space for watching the football but doesnt intrude on the main bar area. A great touch.
Highly recommended, a proper pub in a proper setting.
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Brilliant pub, worked in Amersham 6 years ago and still head back to enjoy a pint or two in this pub. Good food, and a perfect place to warm up in winter or autumn after a ramble through the Chiltern Hills.
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A good solid boozer, nice pints of Pride and Spitfire in a quaint old building.
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Great food. Open late on weekends, gets quite busy.
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Agree with the 'thebluereview' - It's a great pub during the day - very friendy and the staff are great. If you're over thirty, then not the best place at weekends.
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