please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Soon to be closed for refurb.
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Indeed, what has happened to this pub?
They have moved away from the poor Greene King beers which is good but they seem to care little about the offerings they have. Saw a Pilgrim Quest on the bar, ordered and watched the barman disappear somewhere around the back and reappear with a pint of, what can only be described as, "mud". On questioned as to whether the beer should be like that he said "dunno" and disappeared again coming back with a small glass of beer. Tasting it he said "seems alright to me but I don't drink ale"!!!
The staff seemed to be rushing around like the veritable headless chickens so I have no idea what is or has happened. Doubt if I'll venture there again until a positive report suggests I am safe to do so!
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what has happened to this pub. was brilliant a few years ago but now food not good anymore . staff do not seam to care anymore . drinks oaky .
what a shame
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Good Pub, this is a find and that's no joke! I'd never heard of Outwood and then I found myself here.
They have a nice selection of real ales and all are served as they should be. I'll be coming back soon to sample the food and would recommend you give this place a go soon.
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Went here with the MISSUS. The missus. Yes, I HAVE A MISSUS. Convivial and down to earth, hence the slang - "MISSUS". Not single. Missus. Trish is the missues. I mean Trish is the landlady. Slip of the tongue. Discovered by accident, honest.
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The missus and I found this pub completely by accident after driving by the sorry looking Dog And Duck. We used to drink there but not anymore because we found The Castle! Clean and crisp inside, it is very welcoming. Trish is the Landlady and does everything she can to make you feel as welcome as possible. Food is VERY good, the chef is very creative and cooks everything from fresh. Beer is good quality and there's an excellent garden terrace area out the back too. Love it. I'm there all summer. :-)
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The Castle is a restaurant in all but name, the pub has been virtually linened and cutleryed out of existence, except that there is a pub bar which not only has pumps still on active service but with an unusually good selection of real ales. The beers on were; Harveys Sussex, Pilgrim Progress & Pilgrim Sussex from Reigate Brewery, and Brakspears Oxford. I tried the Oxford and it was very good but my brother tried one of the Pilgrims and abandoned it. Well, that's just the luck of the draw when you try beers you haven't come across before.
No doubt, by the look of the chalk board menu, you can eat rather well here for a reasonable price, but it is the beers that are the Castle's saving grace as a pub.
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And spend my "hard earned" I am. Good choice of ales: two Pilgrim..excellent, Brakspear's Oxford Gold and the ubiquitous Harvey's. The monthly moules night was still very popular despite it being a cold January evening. Warm, comfortable and welcoming.....laid back and confident...just right..like the beers!
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We visted this pub last Saturday night; it was early evening so the pub was pretty empty but we saw most of the tables had reserved signs on them, and by the time we left it was filling up. The staff were friendly and polite, and the food was very tasty and really hot (I burnt my tongue!) I had the fish pie with cheesy top mash, my only criticism was that they had not listed the shellfish in the ingredients on the menu, which may have been a nasty suprise for some! It wasn't for me however, I enjoyed it, and the greens were excellent- crisp and buttery. My partner had the burger, which was very nice- the chips were a bit soggy. The food is tasty but not five star- we would definitely go back for good honest pub grub.
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Nice place, cozy & warm inside on a bitterly cold day. Pilgrim's progress and Harveys Sussex on. Only tried the Progress which was fine. Food good with quite a varied menu available. Staff very friendly and helpful and pretty efficient with it.
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It was absolutely Brill, the food was amazing and the bar staff were so friendly. even though it was a very busy night they took great care of us. A definite ***** (5 star). i recommend to anyone who wants fabulous food and marvolous ale to drop by. It has really changed for the better!
jon26 - 18 Nov 2010 16:34 |
Covered in scaffolding yesterday but open, I think, as there were some blokes sitting outside, drinking. Will reserve judgement until work completed.
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Goodness me...what a difference a day makes or in this case another change of management...previous people were "temps" which explains a lot. As the sign outside says..."Exciting things are happening at the Castle" and it certainly seems so...a much better feel and a much better menu..overheard plans to get local beer in as well...all changes for the better...and the pub was cleaner! Carry on the good work and I'll soon choose to spend my hard earned here.
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What a curious experience...visited for the first time since new management...the locals seemed more interested in me than the the lady who served. She was chewing food whilst pulling my pint......call me old-fashioned but.....! My second pint proved hard to get as the barmaid had disappeared.....I was pretty thirsty when she finally returned presumably after finishing her meal! I shouldn't think I'll be returning for a third! Menu looked rather amateur.
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Unfortunately this once great pub is only a shell of it's former self, on my last visit the little beer that there was, was of very poor quality. The attitude of the staff was one of arrogant indifference. Nothing of the warm welcome experienced on previous visits. The menu had only two starters on it and little else to offer.
Sadly it appears the Castle has become a victim of the recession. My advice is to steer well clear of this place.
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Warwick the landlord went out of his way to make 2 people he'd never seen before extremely welcome. Top notch pint of Bombadier Gold. Worth searching out. Even for Spurs fans.
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Tucked away from the centre of Outwood this pub is really worth seeking out. Why? Well, what do you want from a pub? Friendly welcome? Attentive barstaff? Clean? Free Newspapers? Quality food at reasonable prices? A range of ales kept in top quality? At the Castle you have it all and more. Here we have licensees who, whilst they may not be around all the time (who can be?) understand what a pub should be about. The "more" for some might be the ladygraduates behind the bar but for others it might just be a pub to be guaranteed as superb a pint as I received.....the best pint in a pub I have had for a very,very long time...Harveys in absolutely top notch form......price irrelevant but reasonable nevertheless. Beer Quotient 9.8...it would have been 10 but the delightful barperson (!) held the glass at the top when presenting.....well I have to find some fault otherwise my search would be over!
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Visited mostly recently on a Wednesday lunchtime. Have been many times before always to eat, usually in a large group, and found it once again very good. Maybe the menu offered a smaller selection than the weekends but there was no problem finding something appealing and battered cod, Thai fishcakes, steak and kidney pie and faggots(!) all very tasty and served in generous helpings. Friendly landlord and staff. More than tolerant of children. Very acceptable house white, think the beer went down well too.
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I went to this pub with a friend last Saturday, having a recommendation from a friend and read the reviews on here.
A good pub in my opinion: cosy, traditional English with busy pub carpet, real fires (very warm in general), and four real ales on the bar. The friendly landlord, Warrick in attendance and behind the bar and talking to customers most of the night. He even gave my friend a taster of a beer to help her make up her mind - it was a bit of an acquired taste, but soon acquired and enjoyed!
The food menu isn't extensive - only about 7 main course dishes, I think. There were many diners in there, including us, and a few of the tables were reserved. But there seemed to be a party round the back of the pub, so perhaps that's why.
The food was good though - not an excessive wait for, very tasty, but not huge portions. My lamb shank was �13 and my friend had the �12 cod in beer batter with chips and minted mushy peas - the best she'd ever tasted, I'm pleased to report.
One to visit again, especially in summer, perhaps on a walk.
If you sit by the door, be prepared to get up to open it to let the landlords bitch, CJ, in and out when she barks. :-)
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Have visited this out of the way pub for many years and have always rated it highly. Extensive menu and the most convivial of hosts in the shape of Warren.
But recently we have noticed a marked downturn in the atmosphere mainly because of a much reduced menu and on the last three occasions, the lack of hosts "Warren & Jan". There'e still a sign outside saying that they "Welcome You" but other than a couple of photo's on the wall of them posing with their GT40 that's the most that we've seen of them.
The staff are friendly and efficient but this pub is sliding and a shadow of its former self. And with fish and chips at an outrageous �12 a portion and puddings at �5 a time this is now a pub to avoid - there is better value in nearby Bletchingley and you'd even be better off trying the Beefeater at Godstone which is really quite good!
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A great pub mainly due to landlord Warwick and it has a good atmosphere. Service is really good, as is the food, although a bit limited if you prefer more traditional fayre. Dogs welcome, worth a visit.
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Although a very nice place and Warwick is an excellent welcoming host this is no longer a pub but a restaurant. The eating area has encroached on the bar area to such an extent that the drinkers are left feeling unwelcome. This is no longer a village pub for the locals. Rumours are that its up for grabs so lets hope the new landlord will get more of a happy balance.
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Lovely country pub with a well deserved reputation for having excellent food. If you live in driving distance would highly recommend going there for a meal, you will enjoy it enormously.
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We go here as often as we can, either for lunch and more recently on a Sunday and midweek for a meal. The food is very good, the staff are very friendly the place just has a nice feel about it. Nice in the summer as there is a large outside area.
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nice pub, menu rather small but excellent quolity food. I highly reccommend this pub.
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Had a great dinner there with friends on Fridy night. Dispite the noise from a 40 yo hen party, a great night. Food was excellent, Adnams Broadside was great. Staff very friendly and chatty... Well worth a trip out to the sticks to visit this place..
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Good little pub, with variety of bitters including T.E.A from Hogs Back, Adnams Broadside, London Pride from Fullers when I was there in December.
Great food too, with friendly staff, though looked like it could haven benefited from a little bit more bar area, though admittedly it was a busy time of year.
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On the face of it, a tucked away, but ordinary Enterprise-run inn. However, look further and one will find more than the average by-numbers approach so often seen in many of Britain's largest pubco's outlets. The Castle is excellent: it successfully combines and balances the drinking and eating factions, and somehow creates a strong atmosphere that is as much a local boozer as it is classy eaterie. The clientele are civilised, and relaxed - both features being well-promoted by the extremely convivial landlord, who along with his wife and very friendly and efficient staff has worked very hard to establish a truly best-of-both-worlds hostelry, and thankfully seems to have been given sufficient autonomy to run the pub as he sees fit.
The food ranges from the bar snack through to specialities (the chef has won local awards), such as Thai curry and Duck Cassoulet (the dog's bollo I can tell you!). The ales are usually fairly obvious, but all are in perfect condition, and occasionally in interesting guest appears. Let's hope full use is made of the SIBA direct delivery list available to Enterprise licensees.
Easily the best pub in Outwood nowadays, and long may it continue. Well done.
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Quality Inn. Excellent ale including Harveys, solid food reasonably priced. Nice atmosphere with cheerful landlord. Good mix of characters and dogs allowed in to. No pikies too which isnt surprising given its isolated location.
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Best of the three pubs round here. Remarkably pubby for Surrey, plenty of space given over to drinking - the refurbishers must have been having a bad day. Pleasant staff and clientele - the pretentious 4x4 tossers and their screaming kids tend to use the Bell. Harveys top notch. Well worth seeking out.
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Known as the hidden pub in Outwood. FANTASTIC FOOD and very nice staff. Booking is a must on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Would recommend it to anybody.
Mark - 5 Aug 2005 14:52 |
