please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Went in there on Friday,virtually every draught beer was off,then the remaining one went.
Had to wait ten minutes to be served, and what beer they had was dreadful.
Two women came in for a bottle of wine and were told the pub had run out of wine glasses, haven't they got the brains to send staff over to the nearby tesco to buy some?
Bottled cider was served warm as no working fridges either.
Used to be a great pub and still has great potential, but needs a major overhaul,if it was a racehorse it would have been shot by now!!!
|
Oh my god, how this pub has gone down hill. Went in the other day hardly had any beer on, the bar staff are rude and half asleep, very very young clients obviously with fake ID, door staff more interested in chating up the female clients, or trying to. I'm sorry it needs to close.
|
Must be about the best bar in Purley, and that's not saying much as the competition is pretty dire. It's part of a chain, but it benefits from a decent range of draft lagers (including Grolsch) and draft bitters (Bombardier). Typical chain type bar staff, the premises are a decent size with plenty of comfy places to sit. The food is standard pub fair which is fine. If I had to drink in Purley this is where I would go.
|
The Real Ale Festival has statred today, with a great selection of Ales, I have already have a couple and they taste great. Its on from the 19th April-24th April, 2012.
A great choice ranging from British Bulldog, London Glory, Grass Hopper, Westerham's Jubllation Ale, Olde Trip and Old Gloden Hen. Come and find out the rest for your self.
I know I am going on a bit, But the staff and great.
|
I love this pub, the staff are really freindly, and the Pub Manager Irene Gorriti is lovely aswell. I am looking forward to the Ale Festival From the 19th April - 24 April, 2012, a great selection of Ales at �2.50 a Pint, can't be missed.
Eveytime I leave this pub I always feel good. Come and support the Ale Festival
|
An enjoyable afternoon spent in this establishment - Good selection of ale (A Westerham brew was my tipple), well kept and served by friendly staff.
|
Didnt go in for a couple of years but thought id brave it as jollys bands (normally good) were not to my liking. Pleasantly surprised, 3 ales on which seemed looked after from dark star and marstons, service was quick and the bar girl friendly and polite. She didnt have a clue about ales but then most bar staff dont. Was loud but not to loud (friday nite). Saw doorstaff taking a couple of people out late in the evening but thats standard for most places now.
All in all i had a good experience with decent beer and atmosphere, food looks ok to but i didnt try any.
|
Not a half-bad pub actually. Not my normal type of pub but it's airy and bright with a good choice at the bar and, when I was there, staff couldn't be more helpful. Chainy but they deliver pretty well
|
Decent pub but chain style offering
Good atmosphere, though will attract the Friday/Sat night drinking crowds
Nice interior though
|
nice atmosphere in pub, good layour and stylish. drinks can be pricey but all in all ok!
|
Smith & Jones Pub Co = Good reasonable food + good ales , 8/10
|
Livelier than any other pub in the area which is a real disaster for the bar staff as they are incapable of serving at any pace or keeping any sort of order of who gets to the bar.
Really bad service but once you have ordered 2 drinks each round you may find a good night
|
Full of coke heads!
|
Had a look around, but couldn't find any atmosphere. To be fair, I'm probably 25 years older than the average punter there, so not my scene.
|
At the time of writing, this place is at an average of 7 out of 10 - I'm not sure how. It's big, it's clean they've got a decent set of tv screens so good for watching sport, and the prices aren't bad.
However some of the clientele are a bit on the scary side - I've been in there when a nutter bought the entire pub sambuca shots (OK it was Monday so it wasn't a big round!); during the World Cup 2 guys were chucking water over each other in the Gents using traffic cones (!). On the plus side last time I was there we struck up a conversation with a visiting Frenchman who was very nice and who endearingly wanted know about local "discos". Ahhhh, quaint..
Looking back at what I've just written, I'm not sure why I have negative feelings towards this place - it is probably the best night out in Purley... although it's only 2 mins from Purley station and I'd rather hop on the train to town given the choice.
6 out of 10 would be closer to the mark in my mind.
|
I love this pub. It's a really smart place to have as your local - the staff are really friendly, the food is great and well priced, they have a great selction of wines. There's never any trouble and no one has the attitude that you get so much in places around Purley/Croydon. My friends and I always have a fun, relaxed evening whenever we come in here, which is quite often!
|
More enjoyable during the week as not so busy - food is good, nice decor and toilets very clean. Staff always friendly and attracts lots of eye candy.
|
Pawel and Charlie rock !!!!!!!!!
xxx
bruno - 16 Feb 2006 18:24 |
Yes, I agree with comments on the Rectory. Following a slow start this place seems to have got on top of earlier problems and is restored to sanity.
anonymous - 11 Nov 2005 06:39 |
Having not been in Purley for over 3 years, and having seen Ryans first ...anything afterwards was going to look good. Maybe thats why I thought The Rectory was in fact OK-ish. A young Polish girl kept coming to our table to take our drink orders which I thought was good but as I wanted to walk around and check out the talent.....I had no excuse to go to the bar and didnt want to be rude to my fellow guests. I take it this is yet another chain Pub....but in did feel loose on heavy branding....which is great.Toilets v clean. Real Ale was v v good....Table service v v v good but cramped my style!! Well done
jojo
anonymous - 21 Oct 2005 00:05 |
Very good but sort out grumpy doormen!
Bob S
anonymous - 3 Oct 2005 08:26 |
I recently watched the England v N Ireland match here with my girlfriend who is soooo not into football. I was a bit worried that it would be a typical English Pub football night and that she would want away half way through it......I love football and would have let her.
HOWEVER....what a breath of fresh air this was. A doorman or the manager was at the door letting in who he wanted and telling others it was "regulars only" (smart). Although it was an important England match, my girlfriend (who's Swiss) was able to sip a few glasses of wine and have a sandwich and enjoy the atmosphere...which was good apart from the result!!!
With or without my girlfriend....I'll be back for other games here as it was such a laid back yet lively atmosphere.
Chris M and Mirko
anonymous - 3 Oct 2005 08:02 |
Nice, clean Pub, attractive staff and nice atmosphere on last Wednesday night even though England got stuffed 1-0. Steve S and Tesco(Wimbledon) gang
anonymous - 14 Sep 2005 17:12 |
Recently closed for a "lick of paint" that took ten days.....Why? However give it credit, the staff are very efficient and toilets super clean....why don't Pubs nowadays do likewise...it makes a difference. The only problem with this Pub is no one knows where Purley is !
anonymous - 14 Sep 2005 17:09 |
Nice Pub, Good Staff, Decent Music, Nice Toilets, Good Food. WE rate it. Jane and Sal
anonymous - 4 Sep 2005 14:55 |
The Rectory is a damn good Pub/Bar or whatever you call them nowadays. It is a very good mix of people who are comfortable wearing a good quality fleece, T Shirt or those young ladies who dress to kill!! I wasnt a big fan when it opened as it seemed to attract a fairly undesirable crowd but it seems that it has been tough on rabble and is now a very comfortable place to drink and indeed to eat....I had a Chicken wrap thingy which was very nice. I think the Rectory is as good a Pub as there is in South London and the staff are quick and friendly....and lets be honest thats rare nowadays.
|
A good pub to go to to start of a night lots of down to earth characters frequent this place but is good the beer is a lot better in there now than when it opened.
Had food in there the other day and it was good also on a weekend the place is full of good lookin women which also a bonus when you are havin a beer for the weekend!!!
|
Typical Croydon monolithic bar really. Bouncers, vast un-intimate space, lots of drunk people, conspicuous gold-laden thugs at the end of the bar.... Need I go on?
Me and my friend were nodded in by the bouncers as we arrived (bouncers are never a good sign, but we persisted out of curiosity). Walking in you notice how bloody big the place is. I'm not a fan of pubs that are TOO spacious, but this was just one big long room with a fairly dull layout. However, we persisted. We got to the bar and promptly ordered two G&Ts. The barman looked blankly at us, so, assuming he hadn't heard the order over the music, we repeated it 2cm from his ear. No joy. It turned out he'd "never heard that term used for a gin and tonic before".
We weren't sure if he was taking the mick, but we let it lie and waited for the drinks. he promptly presented us with what can only be described as thimbles, with an ice cube and a suspiciously small-looking measure of gin. We asked if we could perhaps have it in slightly larger glasses, which we duly received. It was at this point that we realised why they'd initially come served in thimbles - the tonic water bottles didn't even half-fill the glasses.
Still not completely perturbed, we made our way to a table. Now, I don't know if places like the Rectory/Walkabout/<insert generic Croydon pub name> all buy their tables from a factory staffed entirely by giants, but the table we sat at was comparable in size to an olympic swimming pool. It's a strange experience to have to half-shout at someone sitting opposite you in a pub, but I'm used to it now.
The ash tray must've come from the same factory, because it was larger than your average dinner plate and was so full that me and my friend physically couldn't stub out our own fags without plunging our hands into a sea of ash. It wasn't emptied in the 45 minutes we were there, which was inexcusable seeing as the joint wasn't that busy, and we had a waitress passing by to collect glasses on three ocassions. I can only assume she was so disgusted by the state of the ash tray that she couldn't bring herself to touch it.
If you enjoy bland identical bars/clubs (is there a word for these places?) with 75% of the clientele off their rockers, and the other 25% asking you if you're "eyeing up me bird", then you'll love this place. Personally, I won't be heading back any time soon.
|
I have just returned from travelling for three years. When I left Purley it was a dying place socially and now Thank God we at last have a Pub and a damn good Pub at that. I met friends here on the May Bank holiday weekend and we kept coming back over the weekend to meet more.
The Food we ate was quite good but then most Pub food is today but the drink and table service was superb. Plenty of staff, lots of atmosphere and hunky guys....Wow what a change in Purley. This is a good Pub.
|
Doormen a bit gruffy when I visited it but maybe they have to be so near to Croydon. Once inside it was great to see people enjoying themselves in a well run Pub. Music was middle of the road, cheesy but hey, it works here.
Was most impressed by staff who walked around the whole bar looking to take drinks to your table.
Why do places like this only open until 11pm because I would happiliy stay here with friends than have to go either home or to Croydon. We are so behind the World in our stupid licensing!
anonymous - 1 Mar 2005 16:39 |
Thankfully there is now a Pub/Bar out of Croydon which has standards. The Rectory is an enjoyable spot. I discovered it over Xmas and New Year and been a regular since. The Food is decent, slightly slow, but tasty.
The staff, who are a mix of good looking Polish and Slovakian waitresses who carry drinks to your table, Local and friendly college students and Irish barmen who give an aura of knowing what they are doing...and they do....make it as good a Pub as is in the London area.
Prices are a deal higher than locally but I happily pay the extra for very good service and the feeling of being in a good Pub.
|
A well run clean pub with great talent, male and female, at the weekend. I was slow to catch on but I am a keen fan of the Rectory now.
Sheryl - 18 Oct 2004 18:45 |
I was very impressed with this Pub only a couple of miles from Croydon. I met a friend there, intending to go into Croydon at 7pm and stayed the night. Nice ladies on view, table service for drinks and we had a steak as well..yummie. Nice mix of candles, sofas and a bit of sport on TV but not "in your face"...well done to whoever.
Frank and Ronnie - 18 Oct 2004 18:30 |
Nice mix really....at the front of the Pub is a carpeted, candle-lit, wine drinking, "to be seen" type area....at the back is more of a Pub with Sports TV's and OK music....I spent two nights there at the August bank Holyers and found staff very good and no "messers" in the customers. A good place.
Stephen S. (Jessica call me!!) - 6 Sep 2004 20:29 |
turned into a bit of a 'beautiful people' pub - more of a wine bar with football than a local boozer... Drinks orders taken from you which is known. Also knowns locally as "The Rectum" which is unfair really. Nice enough place, but i can only afford to go there on payday....
Anthony - 26 Aug 2004 11:56 |
I enjoyed it when it first opened but then the typical Croydon pub culture took over and the place became full of football shirt wearing, gold hoop earings and I quick stopped going. However, the atmosphere seems to have changed a little and there is less fake Burberry covering the seats. For a pub in Purley this is a great start but it could be so much nicer. Overall a pleasantish place but I don't think its worth making the effort to go to (and I live 3 mins walk from it!).
Dave - 24 Aug 2004 17:17 |
I thought this was a very decent well run pub on my first visit last week. Nice Music mix, nice customers and staff who looked like they were enjoying themselves. Food could have been slightly quicker coming out but it was very good for Pub menu late at night. Manager (Scottish or Irish), was making sure staff and customers were having an alright night by walking around.there seemed to be a few pretty looking staff taking orders for drinks on the floor..great.
John - 19 Aug 2004 21:30 |
Was dragged in by my workmates a few Friday nights ago.....and had to be dragged out as well. The female talent was super and the atmosphere was "city meets west-end" ...and this was Purley! A Slovakian girl was running the Floor taking our drinks to us (She must have seen that in Dublin), Staff behind the bar were quick and smiled. I don't know who owns it, I hope its not a chain pub....but it worked for me and 7 others....will be back
Malcolm ChrChrishris - 19 Aug 2004 20:34 |
Thank God. Finally a Pub in Purley thats good!! After a very poor start after it opened and a change of Management to an Irish Guy who knows how to run a Pub(What is it with the Irish and Pubs..can someone tell me??), The Rectory has done it big time. I am a regular here and am proud to take work colleagues, friends and family here. All the thugs who were holding the place to ransom have either been kicked out or don't like it anymore(I wonder why??)and now the locals and those from further afield...I'm from Caterham, have a good well run Pub. Clean toilets, good staff, friendly service, Music ok and nice decor make this the best Pub in the area, including Crydon because its busy but not jammed and there is no charge in...yippie.
Sheryl S (Brown eyes, non-smoking section every Saturday night) - 19 Aug 2004 18:31 |
yea i agree there i s a new manager - and has changed things around greatly - its relaxing and the foods cheap and good - beers always cold and the totty in there is 2nd to the Milan bar / tiger tiger on a friday night - a must see
Simon - 28 Jun 2004 16:00 |
thank god for small mercys !!! A new manager in place and has managed to get rid of the crap staff and atmosphere giving it a new lease of life!! fri nights are fab and totty has improved greatly
andrew - 3 Jun 2004 15:49 |
Very poor, staff seem to have been recruited from passers by, not interested in working. Possibly the rudest pub I have ever been in. Give it a miss
|
i thought the place was a shambles i walked to the bar to order the drink and the barman looked at me and walked off. Staff were very unfriendly and rude if you want a good pint try the Jolly Farmers round the corner!!
J Hathaway - 27 Feb 2004 15:05 |
The service is amongst the worst I have ever experienced. The bar staff cannot work out who arrived at the bar first, always lacking any enthusiasm or manners, and spend about 20 serving each pint! Add to that the two occassions that they have not been bothered to give me my change from a tenner (for buying two pints!!!) I knew the beer was a ripp-off but that is just a joke! Shame because it is nicely decked out, the staff of The Rectory can however go rot in the cellar! Save yourself the bother and go to the Hatch instead for drinks that cost half the price and courteous service.
Purley Rocket - 25 Feb 2004 23:22 |
I go there at least once a week, and find the service to be slow, the food never hot enough, and the staff not enthusisatic. Overall, i'ts not worth going there.
Karolina - 21 Aug 2003 09:03 |
Not that long opened, but very nice inside with a good atmosphere. Plenty of seats and it is possible to get served within a reasonable time on a busy Saturday night.
Bean - 14 Jul 2003 23:14 |
