please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Visited the Hatch during the Abinger Fayre. Was shocked that the bar was almost empty when in previous years you had to wait ages to get a drink. Toilets still don't flush and the bar is dirty. How the mighty have fallen
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Pricey but pretty - all you can say really!!!
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Can't believe how expensive this pub is now for both food and drink. Used to love the Hatch but it's too expensive.
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A lovely pub for a Sunday drink or lunch. Beautiful inside - proper beams and the ever traditional fairy lights! A good choice of good quality Sunday menu, worth the price. (Also interesting ales and wines.)
The summers and winters are equally catered for with a large beer garden or a roaring fire. It's over looking the village green, church and village hall. Perfectly english!
The only problem is that someone has to drive to get there. It's worth finding a virtuous non-drinker person to go with.
AShep - 23 Jan 2008 21:00 |
Decent pub with ok food abit on the pricy side and the lack of staff can mean you end up waiting to be served. That said lots of atmosphere and a nice large garden which comes into its own on a sunny Sunday. Been a number of times and will make the effort to go again.
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So was a good pub when Chloe ran it. Gone downhill on the food side but the cellar is still really well kept so highly recommend it for a drink. Really lovely staff, just can not fault the service.
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Beer and food both good, but service poor. They need more staff. We've had three visits there in the last few months and each time the lack of staff has been the only problem. Can't give it more than 7 until the staff head count goes up.
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Excellent pint of Ringwood Best, great garden - food did look pricey.
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Popped in here last weekend for lunch after a long arduous walk with the dog. Was welcomed by an iced cold cider and rapid food service. Unfortunately I felt that the food was very average and quite small for the price (£11 for roast lamb). Don't think I will eat there again but the garden was very nice for boozing.
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Nice old pub with well kept Ringwood best & forty-niner on. Plenty of room for big groups. Decent food and quick service. Fairly impressive range of puddings too.
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Came here after the refurb a couple of years ago and hated it, finding it expensive and pretentious. Went back last week and either I've mellowed (not likely)or it's much improved. They got all the basics right - it was warm, comfortable friendly and efficient. Ringwoods beer well kept, white wine chilled and food was superb. Highly recommended.
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The Hatch is one of my favorite pubs and I would recommend it every day. We only got there every couple of months as we live too far away for it to be our local. The staff are lovely and attentive without being intrusive. The beer is well kept and the food is excellent. Always worth a visit
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Visited on 15 Feb for a soup lunch, very good, lovely surroundings and a professional approach to service. It was also noticeable that the four real ales on the bar were being give some professional treatment (cellar and bar pump) - nice to see as many pubs keep but in fact have absolutely no idea what they're doing with the stuff. The main menu looked good as well, only criticism, a very good home made soup deserves a hot bowl!! PS what on earth do they do with that big red double decker London bus in those narrow back lanes of the Surrey Hills ? 6/10
Biker - 15 Feb 2007 14:46 |
We have just been back after 6 months and had a very good meal,service & food was far better than on our last visit.Thank you guys for a lovley evening.
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Mixed reviews for this place I see.
I've been in twice in the past 6 months or so, once for an evenings drinking, once for a meal with a large family party.
Impressed on both occassions. Yes its a little on the pricey side but the atmosphere is good, food is tasty and beer very nice.
Lovely location - I would recommend it for a spot of lunch and couple of pints
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Again, too much emphasis on food, and the refurb is best left to the imagination. The food we ate here was poorly presented...I ordered a medium-well steak, and received a steak that was pink and bloody and luke warm..the chips were soggy and the salad was limp and unappetising. Hoping for better luck at the bar, I was disappointed to receive a pint of cloudy ale, overly warm (I understand it was summer, but surely all cellars are best kept chilled?). All in all a very disappointing experience....I for one won't be returning.
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Aww "anonymous" my friend didn`t mean to upset anyone only said on this visit the food & sevice was not up to the standard of our other visits to this pub.We are not knocking this place out of hand.But only saying what we felt.
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Had a drink in this pub by accident. We had read the reviews and wasn't sure but how right the majority are. We were served by a lovely girl called Verity who served everybody in turn. We loved the atmosphere so much that we decided to eat there as well. The food was well presented and excellently cooked. We met the female chef who was delighted we enjoyed our meal. We finished with the largest cheeseboard we have ever had with a great choice of cheeses. Wish this pub was in our village as it's one of the best we have been to. Would recommend this pub to everyone.
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Another great visit to the Hatch. Good beer, great food and lovely, hardworking, efficient staff. A good menu is supplemented by great daily specials. This is a very busy pub with a good customer retention so they must be doing a good job. The review by Beersupper is not a good reflection of this pub. When you visit this pub mention that you saw good reviews on Beerintheevening and don't forget to give them the feedback they deserve
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Ahhh, Beersupper, giving your usual accurate reviews?! This is a good pub, in a nice location serving consistently good beer and food. I prefered the interior of the 'old' pub, however the refurbishment isn't the worst I've seen by a long chalk.
anonymous - 14 Jun 2006 14:54 |
I too was in the pub on the 11th. The pub was very busy with queues three deep all round the bar, however the staff were working very hard (and good humoured) and there was only a few minutes wait for a drink.
anonymous - 14 Jun 2006 14:47 |
Visited the Abinger Hatch yesterday whilst visiting the Abinger Fayre. Great atmosphere for young and old alike! Very busy but staff worked very hard to serve quickly. There was a BBQ in the garden serving great burgers for £2.75, well worth every penny. Will definately be back again soon.
anonymous - 12 Jun 2006 11:26 |
I was also in the Hatch on 1st June. Our meal was superb as usual, the service was good and the atmosphere was warm & friendly. Our chips and salad were absolutely fine. My steak was cooked to perfection. I found the pub to be totally different from the previous review from Beersupper, were we in the same place on the same night???
anonymous - 5 Jun 2006 16:17 |
Not that friendly in this pub. Found menu ok not a great choice,i had a steak which was ok sauce was good chips under cooked, salad was passed its best before date.Will not hurry back im afraid.
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The Hatch is now a brilliant pub so it's sad to see the previous review was nearly a year ago. The London Pride is especially well kept and they have regular guest beers. Weekends are busy but the staff are polite and hard working. The pub is well managed by Chloe. Plently of people use the Hatch for drinking only. The food is superb especially the mixed grill which is the best I have ever had. The Sunday roasts are also brilliant and they have a barbeque in the garden if the weather is good. Highly recommended.
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This once good pub is now a metaphor for just about everything that is wrong with this country as far as pubs are concerned. The latest refurbishment has trashed the atmosphere and turned it into a well nigh 100% restaurant where the concept of a casual pint is an alien one. Most of the clientele are too rich to realise they are being ripped off- we arrived there by bike last week and one of my friends paid £4.75 fora watery bowl of soup, and...wait for it...£1.55 for an 'extra bread portion' which amounted to three thin slices cut from a cheap baguette. Unbelieveable!
Add to this the 'service' already mentioned, and the fact that at weekefdns you have the uncontrolled kids of the aforementioned customers running around screeching, and you have all the ingredients of a crap pub wher emaking money is the only concern of the management. I now loathe the place and shan't be going back in a hurry.
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Having visited here during the week I thought that it would be an ideal venue for me and my family at the weekend. After arriving and placing our order we indicated where we were sitting and settled down to await our food, after ten minutes an extremely rude female ordered us out of our seats as the table had been reserved,when we pointed out that there was no reservation sign we were told that because there was cutlery on the table this meant that it was reserved.We were then told that we would have to sit elsewhere and as it was late we decided to stay, however sitting in a bar with dogs eating food from plates rather put us off and we haven't been back since.
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Disappointing visit, beer choice restricted but well kept. Food was slow to arrive and universallyy (10 individuals) poor, oven chips and mass catering!
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Nice quiet location. Ringwood beer is normally good. Food normally tastes good although it is not cheap. Portions can sometimes be a bit small. Have found bits of foil or platic labels twice when I have had a curry - does the sauce come out of jar and the wrapping gets caught up with it? Menu is getting more fish oriented everytime we go. Would say that the food was not as good as when we first started going there in early 2003 and sometimes it can takes AGES to get served.
Andy & Nat - 11 Jun 2004 10:10 |
ate here lots last summer and was very very impressed. Went back last week and was vrey very disappointed. Food has dropped from high quality restaurant to average pub fare. What a shame.
fay - 1 Jun 2004 11:37 |
I have visited this establishment several times [its not really a pub - focus is certainly on revenue from eaters]; plus points = usually good Ringwood beer and Pride [though the Bombardier was foul when I tried it once].Clientele mainly well heeled cliquey Range Rover/Porche crowd and some public school types + SAfricans and Antipodeans. Pleasant surroundings outside, though have experienced screaming children charging around and swinging from the tree outside in the garden / inside a bit spartan and cold, the unattractive brick bar is a pity. Parking can be difficult and some drivers inconsiderately box others in or block the exit.Staff generally very pleasant and good service, except for the unendearing South African [bar manager?]who usually has an aloof manner and is not as welcoming as one would expect. Have tried food twice -good, but irritatingly small portions for the money.A portion management policy is clearly in operation here! Also, the kitchen closes very early at 21.30hrs Can get crowded [nearly all tables reserved for eaters] and noisy.
Rod - 27 Apr 2004 11:36 |
I totally agree with Graham Walker's comments when he says the pub is now cold and clinical. We too used to be regular users before it changed for the worse. What a pity - the atmosphere just isn't there anymore. I'd give it 2 out of 10.
Silvia Anwar - 13 Mar 2004 00:12 |
Unfortunately, this once genuine free house has been taken over by the 'Ringwood' brewery. The bar has been stripped off all the wonderful memorabilia collected over 20 years or so and is now cold and clinical with rows of pine tables. Like an 'all bar one' in the country. Instead of 5 or 6 real ales it now sells Ringwood beers (served too cold). A eal shame - another name crossed off the list.
Graham Walters - 4 Mar 2004 10:30 |
I'm surprised at the comment about the service. I have been a regular customer over the last few months and have found the staff to be extremely friendly and helpful. The food is always excellent and beautifully presented.
anon - 21 Aug 2003 17:13 |
Yes, good walkers pub.
Vindaloo - 13 Aug 2003 15:01 |
A wonderful pub. I've always (in around 30 years...) found the service friendly, the food good and the atmosphere great. Went back after about 10-15 years and the bar seemed much smaller than it used to be - that must be what growing old does to you.
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Having visited the Abinger Hatch several times i have found the food to be of an excellent standard,we met the Kiwi chef who has travelled extensivley around the World,and his menu was a good indication of this.However we have since learnt he has left for India and hope his replacement will be of the same high standard(Im sure he will).One must also note that on certian nights a group of local thespians can often be found drinking and singing merely to old classics such as "My old mans a dustman" and "Pack up youre troubles in youre in youre old kit bag" ..but be warned,dont upset the old fella with the beard,(youll recognise him,he usually has a glass of red in his hand).....ill just leave it at that.
Asthom aindi - 16 Jul 2003 09:32 |
Nice pub, shame about the service. For an expensive eatery the food was good but the bar staff are slow/lazy ... made a complaint but it was ignored > now thats what I call bad service. I'll think twice about recommending in future & be voting with my feet down to the Volunteer.
Anon - 27 Jun 2003 12:10 |
delightfull pub in a lovely spot of the country. the food was fantastic with an excellent service. we will definatly go back, especialy to see the cute manager!
Julie harms - 12 May 2003 21:20 |
This is the ideal country pub and it's just a short drive out of London. We visited twice over the Bank Holiday weekend and we'll be going back again SOON! The stuffed chicken is delicious and the steaks are huge. The pub looks amazing inside and out and I highly reccommend it.
Marina Hierro - 7 May 2003 15:38 |
A really welcoming pub situated on a real village green. The bar is well stocked and the food is the best in the area. Check out the ducks in one of the 3 pub gardens.
Peter Baker - 1 May 2003 10:05 |
This is a great country pub with a fantastic menu and a great range of beers to choose from. The gardens are near a pond and the pub has 6 plucky ducks that love being chased by the kids. Well worth a visit!
Stephen Day - 30 Apr 2003 16:44 |
A delightful country pub with friendly service and excellent food.
Paul Beardshaw - 29 Apr 2003 15:30 |
