please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I passed the pub last weekend and can confirm that it is closed.
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The Clarendon has now closed down, according to an article in the local press, dated 17th October.
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10 out of 10 for location, knowledgeable staff and food.
you pay for what you get in my opinion and for special occasions the Clarendon wins every single time.
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Went with the wife to celebrate our anniversary on a Saturday evening. Ate in the upstairs restaurant which is very plush. Arrived slightly early and it was empty but filled up very quickly from 7pm onwards.
Service was attentive without being fussy. Food was very good, wine also. Prices are pretty hefty, definitely restaurant level rather than pub (total bill was around 120 quid for 3 courses, wine and pre-dinner drink).
Had a drink at the downstairs bar afterwards waiting for taxi, pleased to see they serve Tring Brewery beer on draft so not quite lost contact with pub roots.
In summary pricey but good quality, worth it for a special occasion.
Dan65 - 13 Jun 2011 11:40 |
Jaw dropping prices, trying to be something it's never going to be !
Drop the Michelin ambitions and try doing simple things well and you may succeed ?
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We went here for to celebrate my birthday and were sorely disappointed.
Service - nil points - waited 1 hour 20 mins for main course
Food - very poor quality
Price - wine expensive, food over-priced
Atmosphere - some what spoilt by large party of drunk people
Nice outside smoker's shelter!
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Had Sunday lunch on Mothers day and after table sorted out(which was done very quickly) had a delicious lunch and fine wine. Definitely a cut above the usual Sunday lunch served around around the area and service better than the Grove.
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I went here last Friday lunchtime for the first time with my business partner and the food was excellent (the steak was the best I have had in the UK) and the wine was great. It is not cheap but then cheap is not to be expected from such an establishment with such a high quality fit-out. For 2 of us we spent �123.00, which included a few Peronis, wine and lunch for 2. The service was very good and the Antipodean girl who dispensed our wine, looked after us and had a chat and a laugh was excellent!
The Post box in the loos was a nice touch!
We will be returning this Friday lunchtime with important Clients and we are looking forward to another good experience!
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Fantastic building nicely decorated downstairs in the bar area/casual dinning area, upstairs in the fine dinning/bar snack are (keep changing there minds about what they are trying to be!) is very over the top obiously has had no expense spared but actually looks like a young interior designer has been given an open cheque book and very little taste!
I have only eaten in the casual dinning area downstairs but found the menu to be small and over priced myself and wife actually laughed at one point when we notice gammon and eggs priced a �16 and the cheapest thing on the menu, we both had rump steak with fat chips priced at �19 a bit expensive for location but we thought we would try it, we had to pay extra for a tiny bowl of green beens the only veg available on the day and the bowl of fat chips is actually a copper pan with 5 chips!
Steak was very good but definately over priced and i would not of expected to have to pay extra for veg that should have been included in the meal.
with 2 or 3 drinks each cam to just under �90, personally i left feeling still hungry and ripped off and to be honest i have not eaten a meal since i know many other local people who have been and had a same feelings afterwards. some in the fine dinning and some in the bar.
We now drink there on very few occassions with groups of friends but to be honest having been there this week even that i think will now be given a miss due to the staff upstairs being very arrogant and rude.
If i want fine dinning i go to the grove not a small cramped pub with an over indulgent owner with a bad attitude. when there is such a vast choice of great pubs selling great food around the area i really can't see this place lasting very long with the current owners who clearly have no idea or no interest in what the local actually want or are willing to pay for!
BY THE WAY
if the owners read this your recent changeover to the bar snack was a great idea and many people have told be they had been going more ofter and 3 weeks later you no longer do them.
personally i believe you need to start treating your customers equally rather than being nice to the ones who like to posse and drink champagne and run up �150 bills each they will be gone in a few months once bored where as the regulars who maybe dont like champage but does not mean they have less money just maybe dont like to feel used will be the ones that come back in the long term and stop you going out of business.
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It was my Birthday recently and we decided to try the Clarendon for Sunday lunch. I had been really looking forward to trying it out since the refurbishment. My son booked a table in advance, for 3 people. When we arrived we were shown to a table in the main dining area which was really a table for two with an additional chair. Rather than have one of our party facing the wall we ended up sitting in the lounge area.
The ordered drinks arrived promptly. The Sunday roast was okay and tasted okay but was not what I would expect for �14 +. The average price for a Sunday roast in the surrounding area is about �8.95. This meal, in my opinion, didn't justify a further �6.00 and the portions are small!
My son ordered a pudding and when it arrived it wasn't what we ordered. The girl that served us (who was very pleasant) unfortunately didn't really know how to deal with it and had to consult another member of staff.
Just for the record, Barry the chef didn't come and see us!
I read the owner's comments and disagree with him I'm afraid. This is a forum where your customers can give honest, unbiased opinions of their experiences. Perhaps it would be more benficial if you dealt with the issues that have already been raised by the previous comments and addressed the issues. If my experience had been altogether different I would have left a review reflecting that!
I have to agree with a previous comment, the toilets are great!
To summarise
It was disappointing because:-
Even though we booked in advance the table wasn't good.
The food is okay, but not great
The service is adequate but not outstanding
the staff are young & pretty .........but don't have enough experience.
It is overpriced. 5 star prices, 3 star experience.
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I have to say that I had a wonderful experience at the Clarendon. The atmosphere was great and I would hate to think how much they have spent on the decor and set-up but I really think it works.
Barry the Chef even came to our table to say hello and recommended I change my starter to the pork which was one of the best dishes I have ever had.
So in summary it was not cheap but rare that you get this quality in a more rural location.
I could eat there every week and have recommended this to a number of people who I hope will enjoy the experience as much as I did.
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I am one of the owners of The Clarendon. I fully understand that some people have negative comments to make, or indeed it simply may not be their style, or 'cup of tea'. However, I wanted it known that I would prefer people to also email me with their comments, positive or negative, then I have the opportunity to respond personally - surely that is what people prefer? If you wish to simply complain to others, or grumble among yourselves, then so be it, yet if you wish to hear our side of the story and to explain our dining, drinking and all round experience offering, as well as what we are trying to achieve at The Clarendon, then please email me, David Cowham - [email protected]
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I visited this pub for the first time this weekend and can say without doubt that I will not be returning. The food was mediocre and the price extortionate! We paid �80.50 for two roast beef, two puddings, a bottle of sparkling water and three glasses of wine.
For that we got fatty meat, reasonable puddings and no atmosphere whatsoever. When we complained about the food we were told that most people don't complain and that they don't need to worry about being competetively priced, unlike well established London restaurants, as they have a huge investment.
Certainly not somewhere I would recommend.
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I went to visit this place for the first time last weekend as had driven past a few times and it looked lovely from outside. Booked a table for 2 in the "casual dining canteen area" for sunday lunch. Initially was shown to a table crammed between 2 large tables and asked to move to a nicer area. The waiting staff were very pleasant but that is the only nice thing i can say about this place (apart from toilets)
The food was below average - roast beef was fatty and came with a tiny amount of veg and gravy - and when we asked for more we were given a tiny jug with some extra in. The horse raddish sauce didn't actually appear to have any horse raddish in it!
Then the big shock. I must admit i didn't scan the prices and don't remember the price of a roast being on the menu as it was the "special"- turns out the reason is it was �20 for a roast lunch! We had 2 courses each, 2 glasses of wine and the bill was �87 once service was added on. I feel for the location this is completely unreasonable. When i complained i was told that we were paying "for the experience and passion of the staff"! Would definitely not recommend this and find their attitude arrogant and presumptious. Given it a 2 rating - 1 for staff and 1 for toilets!
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We ate there a couple of weeks ago. My food was excellent but my companions found that for the high price it was very average. The drinks were good value. The dining area was just wrong. It is quite dark as the blinds are always down. The spacing of the tables were very close together. Overall quite claustrophobic
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Sadly, this is no longer a pub. It's a restaurant (and an expensive one at that). It does serve beer, though they obviously don't encourage it's consumption, the pumps being well hidden below the bar! Just Greene King (Yuk!) and London Pride (the only saving grace - very nice pint indeed). Unfortunately, this is no longer the sort of casual 'drop in for a relaxing pint and a bite to eat' place it used to be. The Clarendon has been closed now for a couple of years and for me, it still remains so. Very sad indeed.
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Just gone back since the closure of the old pub and what a difference, not my cup of tea though. Too clinical, and can't relax and have a couple of beers any more. All the old soul and feeling of the original pub has gone. As for the comment about the gents, I am not sure how dig_deep has been able to see the nose in front of his face in there, as the lighting was very low. On our visit there were 3 ales on and 2 of those were GK. Fortunately the remaining ale was London Pride and at �3 a pint wasn't as expensive as we thought it was going to be. Shame they try and succeed to hide the pumps down below the bar and we wondered if there was actually any ale on at first. You have to read a menu at the bar to know what is on tap or even speak to the staff. Sadly the dog walkers (we saw none) and cyclists look like being marginalised in favour of the Range Rover brigade. If seems this is what the owners are aiming at, then good luck to them. It does however feel like we have lost an old friend from the end of a good walk.
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Wow, there has been serious money spent on this place! The landscaping is amazing, inside is very modern and the smoking area probably the best I've seen (even being a non-smoker).
But is it still a pub? Not sure on that one. I can imagine when it's busy on a Friday night, it would feel more 'restaurant' than pub with not a great deal of area for drinkers. Bar stools all along the bar isn't my cup of tea and this lends it towards more waiter service which is definitely not pub in my book.
Gents toilets are something to behold and I love the artwork dotted about.
It is a cracking concept in it's own right and I look forward to eating there.
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Has anybody else visited it yet? I managed to get there last night, I cant believe how nice it is. Really looks special in the Snow. Food was great, there is a real British vibe in there lots of fancy artwork reminding you where your from. Summer is going to be great, Cant wait....Well Done to the new Landlord/Owner
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Also looking forward to what should be a truly excellent establishment. I hope that there will be a "real" pub bar as this is a good one to walk to from the local villages. Hope there will be an outside sitting area as it is also a good dog walk area! Good luck to the new owners.
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There was a lot more work to be done than expected! There were no foundations apparently!!! As the pub is so old! But I believe September/ October time is scheduled for opening!
It all sounds amazing! They are getting the actual kitchen used in 'Hells Kitchen' and installing it so that those eating in the restaurant can see what is going on! But the downstairs will remain a proper local pub- the way it used to be!!! We really need the Clarendon back!!! It's where I spent my summers!
Cwald - 17 Jun 2008 10:19 |
Its good to see something positive for the clarendon arms the pub is looking fantastic and i cant wait to be sitting at the bar again it appears that a lot of work has gone into the new local for the locals
mrwit - 16 Jun 2008 21:45 |
The pub is being done up by someone that has just moved in nearby. He has big plans for the place - But has been really nice to the local people (not sure why the comment further down this page states we are all inbreds) and he has been happy to keep us informed of all that is going on.
I think the general plan is to open the downstairs as a friendly, social pub for the locals - with good pub food and anything you want really. Basically keeping the old feel of the Clarendon. Then upstairs the old living quarters is going to be converted into a restaurant.
So you should be able to pick and choose what kind of atmosphere and expense you want to go for. Sounds really nice and the management couldn't be nicer. We were told it should hopefully be opening March sort of time but this might be later now-from looking at the building site today! Cant wait! Will be nice to have the Clarendon back!
Cwald - 12 Feb 2008 12:56 |
I pass this pub quite regularly and it is clearly closed for some serious renovation. Any idea when it is due to reopen?
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I've heard that this is going to be run as a Jean-Christophe Novelli pub.
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I came here last spring, and it was great. Nobody I know doesn't like it. In a really nice rural setting, too. It's a pleasant walk out of Watford - through Cassiobury Park, accross the River Gade and through Whippendell Wood - which makes it an ideal lunch stop on a stroll. Look forward to it re-opening soon. Hope it does.
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Yes it is now closed but for a major redevelopment and will reopen in the future
Maybe if the locals were not such an inbreed tight fisted bunch the business might just have stay as it was.
If you wanna blame anybody blame yourselves for moaning about everything!
You live in one of the most wealthy areas in GB but are the most tight fisted whinging bunch of buggers I ever had the displeasure of serving
I wish you all the best as you seek to destroy the next poor soles business you decide to grace with your custom.I am sure it wont be long before you feel you are all important enough to attempt to run thier business into the ground as well.
Try shutting your fat cake holes and enjoy good service and good times
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Now closed!
anonymous - 10 Feb 2007 12:05 |
Played at the Grove golf course and came across this pub on the drive home. Very old school, TV not on, friendly locals and staff, fine guest ales.
anonymous - 26 Oct 2006 23:14 |
Went to the Clarendon Arms last week with people from work. Clean interior, really friendly staff, perfectly kept ales. Food seemed expensive although work paid for it. Chicken schnitzel burger was awesome, hand cut thick chips, crisp cold salad. Black Forest chocolate pudding was stunning. Definitely coming back
anonymous - 22 Oct 2006 21:44 |
I suspect in a few years time this might be another Fat Duck in Bray (it's currently up for sale for about �1.3m). Until such time, go to Chipperfield and dine at The Two Brewers.
anonymous - 7 Oct 2006 23:12 |
found the pub just off the m25 on country roads.
flowers surrounding the garden were in full bloom and looking beautiful.
great pint of ale - there was a choice of 6!! - to compliment the ploughmans lunch i had. even that came with nectarine and a plum!!
great food, and as i left, i was given an evening menu to take away!
highly recommendable friendy place
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I have recently been back to The Clarendon (June) and must say that it is really taking off again. Good beers back on with at least two guests, and run by people who really know and care about how to look after it. When we visited they even had a dark mild on which my husband enjoyed immensely! The food was also very good, not too fancy but still special and all fresh too! Staff were friendly and most helpful as well.
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Food ok but a bit pretensious.Bar staff thought it worth arguing over overcharging �2 in bill before tip had been paid.
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I last visited this pub in December 1979 when it was run by Chris Bateman and have wonderful memories. Would love to visit again but now living in South Africa and see it is now run by South Africans. Definitely will visit next time in UK. Anyone know where Chris Bateman is ?
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During the dark days of the 60's/70's when the brewers tried to blandise the nation with keg beers and lager, this pub was a local bastion of real ale. It is a pity that it has gone down hill so much. A fondly remembered pub.
Kevin - 2 Apr 2004 16:30 |
Really in need of makeover! Now looking shabby.
Gary - 22 Mar 2004 19:15 |
brilliant food excellent entertainment
Jessica - 9 Jan 2004 16:56 |
Great Sunday lunch pub, cosy bar, great food, open fire and they sell Stella AND Kronnie!!
sara - 22 Oct 2003 12:26 |
