please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Visited this pub, sorry restaurant, last week. Having ordered drinks, was rudely told in no uncertain terms by what I assume to be the landlord/owner not to stand at the bar unless we were going to eat, in which case we should go and find a table.Quite the rudest and most obnoxious service I have ever encountered. What a shame, the polite efficiency of the cheerful bar staff undermined in one swift blow.
Quite clearly, unless you are eating and planning to spend at least £50, you are not welcome here.
Will not be returning.
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Ok - was out with a few friends burning around Surrey on our bikes so thought i would give this place one more go - see my previous comment - what a mistake!!!! Poor food - in fact down right disgusting - gave my scampi and chips back and asked for a refund! - also mentioned that they may want to check out this website and perhaps address all the bad press they are getting!! Sorry chaps but just spending shed loads of money to refurbish a place isnt all thats needed - get a good cook/chef and improve general customer service!!! I morn the Mucky Duck for bikers!!!! - (the Black Swan) - also now gone all gastro on us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Went in the other day for a drink for the first time since the refurbishment. I was impressed with the quick service, despite it being a sunny evening and getting quite busy. the bar staff were polite and the beer was just right. I haven't tried the food yet, but intend to revisit soon, as the menu looked good. Sitting in the garden by the canal on a sunny evening after cycling on the towpath was bliss!
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Having read the recent reviews, I'm somewhat pleased to see that I wasn't the only person dissapointed with this pub. To be fair to the staff, in my experience, I have never found them rude or have bad manners - far from it - I personally have found them to be some of the best bar staff I have ever encountered. Even the manager is very helpful under a very difficult situatation. The problem here is clearly the Landlord and Hall and Woodhouse management. When I raised my issues with the Landlord, he denied there was an issue. II raised the issue with Hall and Woodhouse and the district manager then denied there was an issue - there clearly is otherwise the spate of poor comments on this site wouldn't have appeared. The issue he is that for every customer like us there are three to replace us and the management know it.
anonymous - 22 Jul 2008 22:13 |
A pretty pub, in a beautiful location, however the food is not anything special, and isn’t particularly cheap. The service is extremely rude and poor. Hearing the management talking to the bar staff is bad enough. No wonder most of them struggle with basic manners. How these guys can display a sign offering the ‘best hospitability in England’ (so a sign boasts) is absolutely farcical! I had a similar experience to 'cheers2' and was moved tables during meal when we had more food ordered! The waiter didn’t even offer to help us move, or find us an alternative table. I am (was) a 'local' to this pub, though not anymore. I know of many local people the staff here have upset. Good luck to them when the winter arrives and the seasonal trade disappears. Ill be supporting the Black Swan in Ockham.
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An Anchor burger i`d sooner eat a cow pat mmmmm come to think of it i possibly did.How this can be rated in the top 12 pubs in Surrey heaven only knows service p.poor, beer average at best and food yuck only good feature location and just for that it should not be rated as a top 12 pub.
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A recent visit to this pub with 8 friends was very disappointing. It's a nice location and the food is ok but a bit pricey for what it is. While some of the party were still eating and others had ordered deserts we were asked rather told to move tables. We were directed to 2 smaller tables of 4 and offered no help in moving our meals. When we asked why we were told we should not of sat there, but no one pointed this out when we 1st arrived and even when we ordered and was given ours meals. With this we finished and left, not a place for customer service. A group of 3 chinese people who had visited the local gardens were also moved and soon left wondering about the british customer service. Funny enough we sat on the only table that didn't have reserved on it, and was moved to 2 that did say reserved??? We will give this a place in future.
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The Anchor, Pyrford Lock.....great location, really child friendly but dont bother ordering anything to eat. It seems that after the refurb this place did pretty well and then has gone down hill from there - ordered "Gourmet" burger - eaten and seen better in Burger King - in fact buy a burger King instead and eat it on the river!!! The food is obviously not prepared on-site as my chips that came with the burger were still frozen in the middle!!!!!!! The new batch came back in about 30 seconds flat!!! Always be wary of any pub or restaurant that - when really busy on a beautiful Sunday afternoon - brings out a full order of food for 15 people in under 20 minutes!!!!!! VERY VERY POOR FOOD but great location so eat before you leave and just go there for a relaxing afternoo by the river and a pint!!!!
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Went back and had a geat meal - shame they can't do these during "busy" days. Had a superb pint of Hopping Hare - went back for another and they'd run out of it!, together with the Badger - Mmmmmmm......
anonymous - 6 Jun 2008 23:36 |
Looking at the last 3 people to comment on this pub i have to say i would go by italiastar comments as he use`s more that one pub.
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Went in last night had a great burger , italistar in the anchor the other day you said you refused to pay £10 for a great pie but a burger is £10.25, but good value.I think as you sound an expert on burgers you should stop trying to convince your self that you are a non burger eater . Yesterday was wet the pub was full,a great atmosphere ,The fish and chip also looked great , real fish unlike most pubs . As you said to the manager you will never go back italiastar to your favorite pub in the uk . you are mad .
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Thanks mate - less of the old. You obviously missed the point - As I said this was my favorite pub in the UK - fantastic location, fantastic beers and for me a non-burger eater, fantastic burgers - I hasten to add that I don't frequent Burger King or Mcdonalds. What I was expecting is something cooked by the 12 chefs he claimed to have and claimed by the sign outside, not something thrown together by a 12 year old. I am pleased to have given you some enjoyment and even more pleased that I encouraged you to join up and post your comments on this site.
anonymous - 29 May 2008 00:29 |
Had to register for the first time as i had listen to this man throw his toys out of his pram ,acting like a spoilt child because "HE WANTED A BURGER".and threatern to slate the Anchor on this site . Manager handled it all very well, Even when this old man started to trying to complain about everything ,
Some great comments from lots of other customers when this "gent" left . can't print some but burger king and big mac where both mentioned ,
Anyway great pub , great food , will be back to try a burger .Must be really good if it is worth having a tantrum about when you cant have one .
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Have visited several times since my review of the revamped pub last June and always been very happy with the food and superb beers, I was very dissapointed during my visit today. Although i don't normally have burgers in pubs, we had one during our last visit and it was excellent - on par with my favorites from Gourmet Burger kitchen. We had been looking forward to having another one today, only to find that they were off the menu. Further enquiries found that anything that had to be cooked by someone who had an idea what they were doing was off the menu - ie. Steak, Burgers, Tuna Steak. When I questioned the manager he briskly told be that they don't do these at the weekend as it's to busy. The landlord introduced himself and was equally unsympathetic, adding that they did this to enable them to serve people with 15 minutes. When I pointed out that someone in front of me had been waiting 45 minutes for a Jacket potatoe, he denied that anyone had waited more than 20 minutes today. Unfortunately this is a victim of it's own sucess - for everyone who stops going, there will be someone to replace them, so why should they care. Even it's previous incarnation was relatively full despite being awful, as this is only due to it's excellent location. By all means go there for it's location and excellent location, but don't get too excited about it's weekend reduced menu, despite the sign outside saying real food / real chefs - The prices will probably excite you though!
anonymous - 24 May 2008 21:37 |
This place used to be awful, but was taken over and refurbished about a year ago and now excellent. Went in for lunch the other day and it was packed. Good value and a pint or two of the Hopping Hare goes down a treat with the steak and ale pie.
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gave this pub a 7. GREAT LOCATION and I love going there for a pint. The food is ok (normal) they claim it to be better than it is but at the end of the day a burger is burger and I will eat it. Potatoe skins loaded with everything.
wiated over 20 minutes for a drink which is a bit annoying but lovely place to visit on a sunday afternoon.
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Putting a sign up in the road saying "turn in here for the best hospitality in the country" is always going to be a hostage to fortune unless you've got a Michelin star or three,or you are my mum. Making out there are 'real chefs' in the kitchen is only going to compound the misery.
A BLT sandwich is a simple classic. A doddle to do well but just as easy to ruin. If there were any real chefs in this place they wouldn't microwave the bacon until the fat is barely set, slather the stale bread in industrial quantities of factory fresh mayonnaise and send it out with a plateful of undressed salad. However a sixteen year old kid who probably thinks bacon is a kind of fish, because that's what the catering pack bacon tastes of, would have no difficulty churning out this stuff. And Hall and Woodhouse have no problem rushing you a fiver for it.
Beer is usual Badger range, but no ordinary bitter yesterday lunchtime, which is a pain if you're driving. I just can't believe they had run out on a Saturday morning. I can believe, given that there was no member of staff aged over twenty around, that there was no-one who knew how to change it, or could be bothered to even if they did.
This was our first visit to the Anchor since the refurb, and I didn't want to be too hard on it considering what went before, but I'm afraid it's still relying on the gorgeous location within half an hours drive of about three million people. If you piss off a few punters, what the hell, there are plenty more where they come from.
Inside, by the way, it is standard faux gastropub, indistinguishable from thousands of others.
It is of course, because of the location, a lovely spot to while away a sunny afternoon, or a stop for a pint on a walk along the canal. Just don't expect the finest hospitality in the land.
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Went here for a friends birthday evening last weekend, I was very disappointed in the menu (obviously thought of by some suit in head office) most of the food we ordered looked like frozen pre prepared rubbish, the friers needed cleaning as all the chips etc were manky. and I'm sorry but "confit duck" on a pub grub menu?? like the chefs through the back preparing it?? I don't think. Most of us left at least half of our meals. Pub lovely & in a beautifull setting. We go here for drinks quite often as we cycle there with the kids, but would never eat here again.
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Excellent meal. Good service. Comfortable environ. Tanglefoot beer was good; the Hoffbrau (HB) was excellent! (4%.. 4.3%.. or 5%) Just upped my rating to 8/10. TJ
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Do not confuse this pub with the other 'Anchor' pub in Ripley high street, not far away...!! (I wonder who thought that up..??!!) TJ
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We open all day, every day. We serve food from 12.00 through to 9.30 and on Sundays until 9.00. The pub is a child friendly - family restaurant and one of the few pubs on the river that welcomes dogs in a small area inside.
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Country pub opening times apply! They close around 3pm and open again around 6pm, or something like that. Just be aware, if you're walking 5 miles across country and are gasping for a drink..!!
Lovely setting for a pub, right by the River Wey canal. Lots of narrow boats, and river activity. On a sunny day you can't beat it!
Large restaurant area with tables inside, and outside on terrace. Lots of kids & dogs at weekends, so not ideal for a 'quiet drink', and not much 'bar' area for chatting, hanging around, or drinking. But pleasant enough. 7/10 TJ
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This pub is a bright, clean and airy restaurant rather than a pub. The beer is good quality mediocrity at best. There were children everywhere on a Saturday lunchtime but you may read that as child-friendly. A reliable place to go for good quality pub grub and a pint. Not so good for real ales and truly hopeless for real cider. Surprisingly effective hand-driers though!
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My first trip in many years after hearing about the rennovation and I was not disappointed. I gave up going to the pub a few years ago after many poor experiences - mainly the fact that it was always so badly run and disorganised.
However, all credit to Hall & Woodhouse. They've done a superb job with the interior and exterior. The staffing levels seem appropriate for a busy pub in a superb canalside location, and everything just seems so efficient without being intrusive.
The food is reasonably priced and of a good quality, and it came fairly quickly given that the pub was so busy. Badger beers are not to everyone's taste but the Badger bitter I had was good and well kept.
There's even a small children's play area hidden along the canalside towards the disabled car park.
As has been said previously, this shows other pubs what is possible. We will be returning.
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Terrific renovation. Some nice touches too like the firepit in the patio by the river. Much better value than the Black Swan - prices okay, food good and service excellent. It was always a prime location next to the river and just down from the RHS gardens. Hope they can maintain it as it shows just how lazy most other pubs are in the area.
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Visiting this pub for the first time recently I can give opinion without bias from previous experience and I like it! I live about 30 miles away and never knew it existed. It's bright, clean and very inviting.
We ordered three meals and all were excelent, so was the beer. I had the Stinger, a Hall and W. organic beer made with nettles!
The view from our table was of the lock and the long-boats negotiating it. I'll be coming back f'sure!
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I’m pleased to be the first to review this re-vamped pub.
Please note this is NOW OPEN.
It is truly an excellent pub in possibly one of the best location for miles and miles. The selection of real ales is splendid, only surpassed by their quality. Tempted by the menu, we ordered food and had an excellent Steak and Tanglefoot (ale) pie which was served with excellent mash, carrots and red cabbage. Starters are up to £4, Main's average about £8 and up to £4 for pud - 3 courses for £16 isn't bad, especially for the area. They have also spent some serious money tastefully renovating the pub - most of it in natural oak, including the old UPVC conservatory, which has made way to a beautiful oak structure.
I can highly recommend this pub.
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This pub is now owned by Hall & Woodhouse and is undergoing a £1M restoration. It will be closed until May 2007. I'm hoping for a big improvement on the old Anchor as this pub is a short walk from home for me.
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I have to agree with the above reviews. Great outside in the summer with just a pint and the paper. Not so good for anything else. However, I drove past it yesterday (25/01/07), and it was closed and undergoing one very serious refurb. I didn't notice whether ownership had changed, but maybe we're in for something better. I certainly hope so.
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Very poor on previous visit. Shame considering its lovely location 3/10
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I can only imagine that the reason this pub makes money is the superb location by the canal, and that the many punters who come to sit outside on summer afternoons tolerate the shameful mediocrity that they are offered within. The first thing that greets you is an odour of stale fat combined with staler cigarette smoke. Then you notice the sticky tables and full ashtrays, and the scabby dog allowed to run around after its ball thrown by similarly scabby owner. Clearly eating here is out of the question if you desire a long life. Drinking is problematical too. Badger related beers, should be fine but the pint I had was tired, flat and far too cold. And they don't sell something as basic as orange juice. The guy before me at the bar was offered some luminous bottle of chemicals of the Sunny Delight persuasion, which he sensibly declined. I hate to say it but this would be better if it were a Vintage Inn. At least they do mediocre well. The management here clearly don't give a shit, relying on the ready made trade generated by the location.
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dissapointing... whilst we were there lots of food being taken back to kitchen, staff seem totally hacked off. This pub has a God given location.... come on guys, buck up!!
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It's a shame about this pub. It has a great location by the canal and a lock, very picturesque, especially on a warm sunny day, however those of you expecting decent food will be very dissapointed, very, very dissapointed. Today (21/9/06) was a warm and sunny September day, my baby son and I drove down there from London. I've been past this pub a few times and never stopped for lunch for one reason or another, now I wish I hadn't bothered. My "Gourmet" burger couldn't be further from that description. It was a dried out, over-cooked pattie between what I presume was a foccacia bread. It was filled with shredded cheddar, some salsa and a couple of sliced tomatoes. The chips were ok, but just. Thank god they couldn't f**k up the beer or else there really would be no reason to go there at all. Somebody please buy this pub and turn it into a decent one. Sorry, rant over! As I say, don't bother if you're looking to eat, but if you want to watch the odd canal boat go by from the garden then it may be worth a visit. I was being adventurous and thought I would branch out from my regular stop at The Albany in Hampton Court, now this is a pub (well it was a pub, now its gastro!), that can do food well, has a nice garden over looking the Thames and Hampton Court Palace opposite.
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Really nice place for a pub right on the water side service isn't that great nor is the atmosphere but it's nice for an evening out.
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Great setting but shame about the staff.
Friday lunch time on a hot day (30th June); despite the 'we serve food all day', no service until noon - food fine when available.
Bar staff totally uninterested, no ice but what can you expect in a G&T.
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Lovely charming old pub. Friendly and some fantastic Thai food (alongside your traditional English pub grub). Sadly bitter is never kept well and after many visits have rarely got a good pint, Guinness is a safe option bitter best avoided.
anonymous - 9 Mar 2005 17:06 |
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