please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Good pub for the family and a nice relaxed atmosphere in the evening. Decent food and a reasonable price. Does a range of real ale/craft beer but would be nice if they stocked more local beer. We have two local breweries and many more around London.
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This place is one of the very few family friendly pubs serving food in this area. Good selections of both beer and cider (they have cider festivals every so often. Unfortunately there ends the good points. Exceedingly slow and disinterested service, noisy kids running around, reheated microwave food of usual chain pub type quality and zero atmosphere. It's such a shame because this could be a great place if only they stopped running it as a cafeteria with a ln incidental booze licence.
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good yesterday. pint of something citrussy which turned out to be very tasty and was only £2.85.
food- i had a curry which was a cut above the usual pub fare of this type. friend had the southern chicken flatbread, came with very moreish sweet potato chips, large, tasty and reasonably priced.
i used to come year every week years ago when i was dating a local and i liked it then. seems like it's still pretty good.
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Visited the Ferry Boat Inn recently, the current manager has been there since the Autumn and she has turned the place around. The staff are now polite and welcoming, the food is great. There is a great atmosphere. Definitely recommend a visit.
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Looking for something to eat late evening and this pub was suggested.
They could certainly make more of there riverside location.
Service, unlike previous comments, I found to be helpful and polite.
Decent pint of Black Sheep bitter which when ran out I switched to Bath Spa (not as good as the Black Sheep).
Food was Ok and value for money.
I agree the decor was a little drab and the tables needed a good wipe down (sticky from previous occupants dinner) but on the whole nowhere near as bad as the comments below suggest.
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Appalling!! UTTERLY RUDE STAFF since being recently taken over! My parent and I used to frequent the pub until new management took over. Food gross. Bad staff rude. Toilets are a mess. Ordered a cider today and because I asked (how dare I) if there was a new variety (Stella cidre) I got a death stare a three pissy pieces of ice. DO NOT GO THERE UNLESS YOU WANT TO DRINK IN A RUN DOWN, smelly, stale pub with VILE MANNERED bar staff... just a warning.
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Spent over 40 minutes waiting in a Que just to get a round of drinks, I had to actually line up in a que that was out of the front door and was in the carpark! what the hell is this pub doing? the food is awful now, and the service is terrible! Do not go there, they want your money for poor service terrible food!!! My recommendation is bring your own drinks and a pack lunch as you will really need it!! Great potential as the location and pub itself is in a great setting!! VERY DISAPPOINTING....... This is not a pub that unless you have a lot of time and like lining up for a simple drink, I would strongly recommend you avoid!!
With the new Tottenham Hale new estates being built down the road I just hope someone wises up and opens a pub in there as they will make a fortune!!!
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I have to say I'm new in the area and after reading these reviews I was a bit apprehensive about coming here. HOW WRONG COULD'VE I BEEN! This pub is fantastic. Great location overlooking the river Lee, beautiful, big country pub with a big stone fire place and great food at good prices. what more could u ask for? Tottenham Hale can be a bit uninspiring and this pub is a great respite from it all. If u r unsure, just try it for yourself. U won't be disappointed.
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What a complete disappointment ! We used to come here all the time for food and since the changeover it's gone downhill . We came after work to eat what we thought was going to be a nice meal and bottle of wine -but sadly the meals we ordered the seabass came out burnt and the fish pie which was meant to be in a creamy sauce was in what looked Like pond water the inattentive waitress/ bar staff came over we asked for the meals to be changed to scampish and chips with no mushy peas (allergy) and steak pie ,I stressed 3 times about the peas when it eventually came out guess what it had peas on it ! So disappointed 2 meals ruined by inexperienced and couldn't care less. Attitude staff
Will not be eating there again !
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Sadly I agre with lots of the other posts. It's a great location; nice ambience; the food is usually good and the setting a good one. All consistently let down by the staff - and that's over many years. I went there this week with my sister and yet again, hardly any staff on duty and of those that appeared, they were slow, disorganised and seemingly unable to bring themselves to apologies for the lengthy delays at the bar. The manager seemed to believe it was beneath her to help at the bar even though there were loads of people waiting, which made it doubly annoying. Such a shame because we try not to give up on the place ... sadly the staff keep on falling to the level of our expectations.
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This could be a great pub, its a lovely location and I love that its a "proper" pub with beams and stuff, though it could probably do with a bit of a spruce up.
I've been here twice recently and both times have been very dissappointed with the food which has been pratically inedible, obviously microwaved (even the cheesy garlic bread!?) and overpriced.
Also I have to agree with previous comments - although the staff are friendly and helpful, they seem to know nothing about their products and are very slow and unaware of people waiting to be served.
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It would be a nice pub but for the lack of competent bar staff. Mind you any bar staff would be an improvement.
The norm is that you go to the bar to order, but stand waiting 10 minutes because there are no bar staff and with no-one checking to see if anyone's waiting to be served.
I once went in when there was a special offer being advertised on the Rioja. A customer asked the barmaid for a bottle of Rioja and she looked straight through him. He had to explain it was red wine and it was on special offer.
Pride, Doombar and IPA were the beers on offer when I was in there last week.
It wouldn't take a lot to turn this into a really nice pub, just a bit of staff training ....oh yes and some staff.
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I used to go here a lot before it was taken over by a Corporate brewery. It was lovely then. About half a dozen real ales such as Sam Smiths and Marstons, plenty of 'lock ins' and full of eccentric characters like Frank the permanently pissed landlord. I had a dream that it was turned into a Berni Inn and, lo and behold, a few months later it more or less was. I drive past it now on my way to The Lane.
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Visited 31/08/10 and was disappointed. Very busy with diners enjoying the standard Brake Brothers fare, although I did notice they had lobster on the menu, I was there for beer which was poor. Three handpumps displayed London Pride, Greene King IPA and a honey beer (forgotten which one). The Pride and IPA was off - the bar staff did not seem to understand the concept of turning the clips round when a beer runs out.
The honey beer that was on was pretty indifferent - so much so that I've forgotten which one it was.
Bar service slow and ponderous - left after one pint.
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In some ways a rather dull, food-orientated chain pub; but if you arrived there blindfolded it would be almost impossible to work out that it had a N17 postcode. The extensive beer garden out the back must be a major attraction on hot summer weekends, but was a quiet, relaxing spot for a pint when I visited. Unsurprisingly, the interior has a slightly corporate feel but this is largely due to the signage, menus, promotional material and bossy signs from "The Management" (with the building itself retaining a reasonable amount of character). Three handpumps - Greene King IPA, a good pint of Doom Bar (�3.10) plus one other with what looked like a Pride clip turned round.
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We've been here a few times now, generally for a weekend lunch, and found the food excellent every time (especially the Sunday roasts!). The atmosphere is pretty chilled out, with lots of different spaces to eat and chat in. The staff are friendly and helpful - last time we went the barman spent 5 minutes hunting us down some cards to play with. A great place to go for a weekend meal - I would have given it a 10 but they've taken Crabbies Ginger Beer off the bar menu!
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Great location, fantastic out the back beer garden in the summer, but it suffers from being part of the massive Mitchell & Butlers property empire. Although they do serve cask ales, the current manager has a cask marque (and, to be fair, merits it), their selection is always poor (M&B "Vintage Inns" seem to be poor relations of their "Classic Inns"/Nicholson chain selection of beer - here it's almost always Fuller's London Pride, Greene King IPA, and one "guest" beer - frequently something from the GK empire) and runs out often.
Bar service is always very, very, very slow - symptomatic of the bias towards food that this pub has, but it can be slow even when you're at the front of the queue.
(and the food is not at all great, despite what some might think - it's simply mediocre "3663"/Brake Bros fare. Not even as good as what M&B offer in some of their other chains.)
I go here because it's very local. Just, if you're looking to eat, do yourself a favour and turn back towards Tottenham Hale station and visit the nearby 'Lock dining bar' restaurant instead!
jrguk - 29 Apr 2010 18:01 |
Was in here for lunch on mother's day - they were great in finding us a table and the food was pretty good. The only downside was a single person behind the bar, where both drinks and food have to be ordered.
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this pub was a fav of mine, but was some years ago since ive been there, i did hear it was going to close (hope not)
used to be a nice pinb friendly pub nice settings
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Interesting to see the same people writing comments constantly... Makes me wonder if its the staff or management blowing smoke up their own as***. Been there really nice atmosphere, log fire bla bla bla..... But the food is really bad and very expensive for what you get!!!!
Get over it!!! eat somewhere else then have a drink there!!
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i went to this pub for the first time a couple of weeks ago and have been back, so clearly it wasnt too bad, or was it?. Well firstly it breaks one crucial rule for me which is never go to a pub that has a cartoon for a sign, which I think is on a par with cartoon ties and claiming to be mad, no, no no.
Clearly its a chain pub, and the influence of "headquarters" is everywhere, but credit where credit is due, the beer is good, and like Danrkelly says Lee the manager is very personable and the service is friendly. The food leaves a lot to be desired, and is well pricey for what you get, I wouldnt eat here again for all the tea in China, mainly because of the mental mouse I saw running around, oh and the rats in the beer garden
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A new assistant manager by the name of Lee started here about 5 weeks ago. Highly personable and experienced in bar management, he made our stay on a Saturday evening far superior to other visits I've made to the pub. The waiting staff also considerably more motivated than usual. Enjoyed a few pints of Adnams and even saw a Kingfisher from the garden at dusk. I think it's worth returning to the Ferry soon to see for yourself. Cheers Lee.
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We set out for the third year running to the Ferry Boat Inn for our New Years Day lunch, along with a few drinks. Not being a pub crawler type it literally has been a year since we last visited.
You can probably imagine that since we've been going back for 3 consecutive years that we liked it; general atmosphere, drinks, food and of course speed of service and temperament of service.
Well, I think it's fair to say that New Years day 2010 will not be spent in the Ferry Boat Inn.
Walking in felt immediately unlike previous years, though it was not until the main course arrived at least an hour after ordering that I realised something fundamental was wrong - it dawned on me that there must have been a change of management in between last years visit and New Years Day 2009.
So what was the problem?
Well there are many; the staff are unfriendly, monosyllabic and appear not to care, nor do they equate timing with the concept of 'service'. The Chef is errant at least in mind as far as I can tell - it's simply not possible that a real chef actually cooked the food.
Starter was reasonable enough, though it was all bought in goods; cheese, chorizo, prawns, salmon, lettuce, bread, butter and chutney assembled on a plate. The assembly time for this was nearly an hour from order to arrival at the table.
After finishing our long awaited starters the waitress serving us swiped the empty plates from the table and grunted 'Got mains' (meaning did you also order main courses and by the way was your starter as enjoyable as we hope it was?)
I felt like saying 'Yeah, gas, electricity and water'.
The 'Chef' clearly hasn't stayed on during the management takeover. When I 'got main', which was supposed to be the 'Chef's Turkey Dinner Special of the Day' I found it was anything but special - I genuinely regularly cook better roast dinners myself.
Mine was billed as Roast Turkey with a selection of seasonal vegetables, roast potatoes, honey roasted parsnips and a 'pig in a jacket'.
What I got was 2 slices of Bernard Matthews turkey breast, shredded boiled cabbage (that my partner insisted was boiled lettuce - since that was what it looked like and there were no taste clues to confirm its identity either way) and baby carrots that were not trimmed (nor washed as far as I could tell), 3 very soft and greasy roasted potatoes and 3 apparently roasted parsnips that were literally so hard I was hurting my wrist trying to exert adequate pressure using the cutlery supplied to cut through them (Note to management - next time please provide power cutting tool to customer for this activity). The pig in the jacket consisted of a pig (wrinkled sausage) with a jacket (greasy rasher of bacon) both placed alongside one another - so the pig didn't even get to wear his jacket on his last day - and such a cold day at that. Poor pig.
All in all a very undignified 'Roast Turkey Special'.
Puddings OK, drinks from the tap so also OK.
This place really needs to raise its game if it seriously wants to at least uphold the standards of the previous owner(s).
If Ramsey was doing one of his visits he'd be going balistic. 2.5/10 for all round experience or lack thereof.
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The Tottenham area isn�t noted for its quaint historic waterside hostelries so finding the Ferry Boat Inn initially comes as a bit of a pleasant shock. Originally the base for a ferry that crossed the River Lea (which was presumably a bit wider than it is now) it was made into a pub in 1738. From the outside, it has the appearance of a country dining pub but it is geared as much for comfortable drinking as it is for leisurely dining. The rambling interior has undergone fairly extensive refurbishments but does at least still retain a kind of old farmhouse style with flag stoned floors and a couple of large brick wood burning fireplaces. The central main bar is quite open with a couple of narrower but good sized areas tucked down the sides of the pub, tucked away behind the remnants of the retaining walls. The d�cor is of a rustic nature without being particularly interesting, a few settles and old dressers, some old pictures of the Tottenham area (including one of an 1895 Tottenham Hotspurs (sic) match) but overall it is a bit generic. Behind the pub is a pleasant and fairly large beer garden that runs alongside the River Lea with plenty of seating.
There were 3 Ales on my visit but nothing to get excited about - Green King IPA, Adnams and Bombardier (not available). The Adnams was drinkable but so cloudy it looked like it had been scooped out of the adjoining reservoir which was disappointing for a Cask Marquee accredited pub. The IPA was much better (and I don�t often put that in a review). Since the area is largely a Real Ale desert, anything on offer becomes a plus point but you can�t help thinking that the place should be aiming at something a little more imaginative if it really wants to step up a level. It should be noted that the wine list and food menu looked very reasonable although I have not tried either to date.
Due to the lack of any realistic competition, the Ferry Boat is certainly well above average for the area and does have a lot of appeal but it just lacks that bit of extra detail and effort that would make it a pub to go out of the way for.
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Went in yesterday with friends>firstly, because the computers were down they could not open.While in the car park discussing where else to go i noticed that they had opened up.they didnt tell us.I ordered chicken mushrooms brocolli with baby potatoes.i got small chicken leg with beans and carrots.The staff were in a 'I dont care mood'.Dont bother ordering dessert,you wont get it.
Then one member of staff had the nerve to ask if everything was alright.Yeah right.wont be going back
Beer not bad,had better
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Visited on a wet and windy Tuesday night. Very cosy by the log fire with an excellent pint of GK IPA (which is become rare in my huble opinion). The staff didn't seem entirely contented but the range of beer was good, both lagers and ales. Not sure whether I'd gamble on the food after reviews below but certainly appears set up to be a restaurant. Much nicer in the summer I should imagine.
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It's a pleasant, cosy pub and perfect for summer in the beergarden or cosy fireside drinks on a winter sunday. One of the few pubs in the area you can take your parents to. The food generally is 5 or 6 out of 10 which is a shame because it could easily be much better (the basics are good but spoilt by being overcooked, underheated or on cold plates, ie poor microwave technique) They could serve exactly the same food with a bit more care and it would be 7 out of 10. BUT out of everywhere I've eaten steak in London this is the only place apart from the Gaucho Grill that actually serves a rare steak rare! For that I can forgive a lot of cold plates. Now if only they sorted the chips...
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We visited this pub yesterday afternoon. We had actually planned to just have a pint here and give the food a miss, given the comments below, but by the time we got there we were hungry. We really had no trouble with the food service, the food quality, or the food prices.
I'm not sure why our experience was different from other people's; possible factors are (a) it was a very sunny bank holiday Monday and maybe they had extra staff on to cover the expected rush; (b) it was around 3pm rather than a peak time; (c) we ordered sandwiches rather than main meals; (d) we're not familiar with average prices for the area.
I had a bit more of a problem with the only beers being Marston's Pedigree and John Smith's! Pedigree was good enough for a sunny day though.
I did like this pub, and would go back if I was in the area and the weather was good. We sat outside, and I didn't do the going-to-the-bar part, so I don't really know what it's like inside. The garden was nice though � it even had an apple tree!
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Totally agree about the food. They realy have no idea what theya re doing. I am sure I remember the food used to be good a few years ago. Maybe it is the managers, they need to stop walking around with their bloody dogs and learn how to cook (minus a microwave).
anonymous - 4 Aug 2007 14:43 |
From outside it looks like a beautiful picture of a country pub on the river bank of the Lea and really it is that!! The pub inside is beautiful with its stony fireplaces and huge back gardens make it out of place for where it is.
The service is ok nothing special, but what really lets this pub down is the food!! Outside is a sign suggesting the 'best of British food' this is an insult and really should be removed as I feel embarrassed to take anyone there, who is not from the UK, on the menu they suggest seasoned chips with certain dishes what I got was not British chips but what I would pay �1 for at the chicken shop. Scrawny thin fries!!! The pie was over cooked and their presentation on the food was terrible!!! I really mean TERRIBLE!!!
How they can get away with charging the prices they charge for the quality they serve up is beyond me!! Believe me I do not mind paying high prices for quality, but when I paid the bill I felt like they owed me an apology, and that they should be paying me to eat there!!
I would go there again BUT not to EAT!! Nice gardens and being a smoker it one of the best places in the area to only drink and light up a fag!! My suggestion is eat before you go there, I mean eat anywhere but there!!
anonymous - 12 Jul 2007 20:07 |
Lovely pub....considering the area!... beautiful, well kept garden... very relaxing and hassle free...(no drunken yobs)...however, i'm inclined to agree with the previous post....something NEEDS to be done about the food service. Although the staff were pleasent enough, and we didnt actually get any attitude, we waited approx 25 mins (dare i say 30)..for our roast beef dinner to turn up, which was nearly cold, unappealing and quite bland ...if it wasnt for the fact that i could have ate a scabby horse as i was sooo starving, i doubt i would have got through half of my meal.
This service lets the pub down. A few stern words, and maybe an extra couple of kitchen staff who know how to communicate with each other, should rectify the problem i feel. I can only rate this pub as a 4, and shall return in a few weeks and hope for some kind of improvement, because if it wasnt for the food issue, i could quite easily make it my local.
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Went to this pub last night with 4 friends and had an awful evening. Ordered our food, 4 roasts beef dinners and a steak. Took approx half an hour for the staff (not a busy restaurant) to tell us that they only had 3 roast dinners left and would the 4th person like to pick an alternative. We queried with our waitress why it had taken so long and could we have some drinks whilst we waited for the alternative dinners. She called her manager over who preceded to argue with us over a 5 minute difference in the ordering times. He said we had ordered 25 minutes previously not the half hour we were insisting! But as a �gesture of goodwill� they would only charge us for 4 dinners not 5. After a further 15 minutes the 3 roast beef dinners came out without Yorkshire puddings and cold. We asked for the manager who said it has been a mistake in the kitchen and they were sent back for the missing Yorkshires and to be heated up. 5 minutes later the steak and Turkey dinner turned up. A further 10 minutes later the 3 roast beefs turned up fresh from the microwave. Now whilst I understand that mistakes in the kitchen and with meals do happen. What there is no excuse for it the appalling attitude of the staff. To argue with your customers over a 5 minute time difference is completely unnecessary when a simple apology would have been enough to pacify us at this point. Also when the dinners came out incomplete and cold, I would have expected more than �oh right, yeah the kitchen made a mistake I reckon� you don�t say. Not even a sorry at this point either.
If you want below average pub food from rude and disinterested staff � the Ferry Boat Inn is your place!
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Simply the best pub in the area. Lovely old grade II-listed building with gorgeous fireplace. Friendly and attentive service - table service in fact. Good quality and reasonably-priced food from an extensive menu. There's nowhere else like this in the Tottenham/Walthamstow area - it's an island of civilisation in a sea of run-down nastiness. Nice stop off on a stroll up the River Lea and surrounding marshes too.
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Decent pub food at reasonable prices and a fair choice of beers (usually Charles Wells or Marstons or similar) - unusual round these parts. Great in the summer, seating outside overlooking reservoirs - feels like being in the countryside. But also great in the winter with its roaring log fire. Great pub to take kids - disabled/baby-changing facilities, clean toilets, high-chairs, etc. Friendly staff also. Can get busy at lunchtimes as it is mainly a foodie pub, but this means it never gets too smoky.
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Don't go here for Christmas day lunch! Ever! Very slow service, waited 50 minutes for first course, unable to catch the staff's attention. Despite having a huge appetite, when it did arrive the food was so unappetising I only took 4 mouthfuls. Or was it my distaste for the service? Couldnt wait to leave.
On balance, I visited here in the summer, and the food was fairly ok and the garden pleasant which is why I have given this 2 out of 10 - losing the 8 for that awful memory of 2006 Christmas...
anonymous - 24 Jan 2007 22:45 |
Having just acquired this pub as my new local a couple of months ago, I have frequented this establishment on a number of occasions in this time.
The pub is fantastic, the food fab and at a good price with drinks to match. The interior too is quaint, with a working fireplace and comfortable seats. Although the lack of competition in the area may be of a hinderence to the appeal of the pub, I recommend it due to the combination of everything that it offers. There is however no TV, therefore no sport and therefore will not appeal to footy lovers when it's on.
I did not notice one foreign worker on my previous visit.
anonymous - 18 Dec 2006 13:10 |
Bit of a walk from Blackhorse Rd Tube. A country style pub in the city. Food ok when I was last there. Nice garden to write lyrics in. There was a stunning waitress there in 2002.
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definately the best in the area but most of the staff cant speak english and the ones that can seem to be too busy chatting to each other and always looking tired, like they dont want to be there.
food is a bit overpriced too seeing as its definately not homecooked
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In response to the previous reviews: The food's reasonably priced. The only cheaper pubs in the area (Tottenham Hale/west Walthamstow) serve manky food. I've been going here about once a month for the last five years & have never been let down by it. The menu changes a bit every 3 months too which is nice.
It's really cosy, especially when it's winter & the log fire's lit. The orange hue when you drive past on a dark night just calls you inside.
The staff are a bit hit & miss, there seem to be a few people whose English isn't fantastic or must have had long shifts or something. Generally it's ok though.
Main complaint - the soft drinks are rubbish. And as it's a pub where generally someone has to be a designated driver they should make more effort here.
anonymous - 31 May 2006 14:31 |
It is such a shame the food is terrible - and it�s not inexpensive either. It is a great pub in a picturesque location. The staff are friendly and polite. It is the perfect venue for families to have a meal at and relax. All it needs now is a decent chef. I live locally and would go there every week for a feed with my family if the food were better. Several other locals have said the same.
anonymous - 27 May 2006 08:33 |
I must have caught this pub on an off day. The beers were OK, but the food was a tremendous disappointment at the price
anonymous - 2 Mar 2006 14:22 |
What a marvellous pub !!!!!
there's nothing like it in the area
great food and large open wood burning fires in the winter...
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If you live in the area this is THE place to go for a classic Sunday lunch. Good selection of beers and the beer garden is essential on a barmy summers evening.
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This pub is more of a dinner spot than drinking pub and is perfect for the Sunday carving. Prices are 7-10 quid for the roast but it is worth it. Super nosh, not typical pub grub.
Robert - 8 Nov 2004 11:22 |
Not really a place for drinking as most go for the nosh and good it is too. Nice garden in summer.
anonymous - 12 Jan 2004 21:49 |
Lovely - classic pub atmosphere - good food. In summer sit outside and watch the herons.
Nancy Albrecht - 16 Dec 2003 18:22 |
