Red Bar and Lounge, Dorkingback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Located conveniently closed to the centre of the town, it has a bar which is dead ahead as you enter with the lounge circling around it. A reasonable choice of real ales, featuring, when I was there 2 from Dark Star and Wychwood Hobgoblin. Seating is comfortable and there is a conservatory and patio at the rear. I was initially put off by the name but it is worth a visit.
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Not sure if this is a pub or bar, but very clean and tidy 3 pumps of ales all good, just off the beaten track.
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Friendly, welcoming, pleasant inside and out on a warm day, good choice of Dark Star and other beers and ciders, good range of hot food too. Great pub.
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What a delightful find this is. We met some friends there on Saturday 7th Feb for a meal and what we found was very different form what I expected. This is to say that it works on all levels. It is clearly a trendy place but this did not make us (slightly) older folks feel uncomfortable or out of place.
The bar is very busy in the way that pubs use to be like a number of years ago. Plenty of friendly banter going on and people drinking and enjoying themselves in a very social environment. There was a band playing in the corner who appeared to be good with an eclectic playlist for all types.
We ate in the lounge area which is divided from the bar and therefore a little quieter and more intimate if that is what you are looking for. The food was excellent and there was a good range of meals to suit all tastes. The prices were ok, for the quality and amount you get.
The beers are provided by Dark Star of Horsham and Surrey Hills Brewery, just round the corner at Denbies wine estate where they are now based. As always with these breweries, they were excellent.
I would also like to compliment the staff here for their attention to detail and for looking after us like we really mattered to them. This was shown when I made a big mistake early on. I had thought I had seen on a web site, earlier in the day, that one of their regular beers was Harvey's best. When asked by the waiter what I wanted to drink I just said a "Harveys". Imagine my surise when he came back with a "nice" glass of Sherry! After much mickey taking from my friends and a joke or 2 with the waiter, he very happily changed this for a pint of Shere Drop. Such dedication is sometimes hard to find but here, the customer is "always right".
I can't recommend this place enough! Enjoy
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Dorking has a variety of pubs, some old-school, some tarted up and some that don't seem to fit anywhere - this is one of them. Clean lines, modern interior, decking - this normally means a foodie pub. It is but it also does beer very well indeed. The Hophead was spot on. Again. The Wainwrights not far off either. Tucked away down a side-street near a ropey looking place a few yards away, The Red is an unlikely place to enjoy beer. Nice staff too.
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A very fine addition to my Dorking pub crawl, with the choice of 3 excellent local(ish) ales from the like of Surrey Hills (very local, brewed at Denbies) and Dark Star (just over the border in West Sussex) which change often though the excellent DS Hophead is always welcome. Not tried the food yet, but given the reviews it wont be long before I do.
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Chanced upon this place yesterday while meeting a mate in Dorking.
Only ate as I was driving, but was impressed by them having 3 ales on, although I can't say how they tasted.
Ate there instead and it was pretty decent I'd say. Odd location, but worth coming off the high street for in my opinion.
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Bit of a strange mix is this place between a wine bar/bistro style yet doing 2 trad beers and a cider. The modernist interior though, is of a here today gone tomorrow look and left us cold. We only stayed for one beer which was delicious Dark Star Hophead. The other was I think Surrey Hills Shere Drop. There was also another unused pump which was having the line cleaned. As I say bit of a strange mix topped off by a visit to the loo which is painted in a colour more suited to tarts boudois. But the beer was excellent; just the rest of the place didn't urge us to stay.
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Don't be deterred by the odd-looking exterior or slightly less than chocolate box location. It was formerly a 'Stan and Hilda' type pub which changed hands a number of times in the last few years. You know the kind of thing: at 10 o'clock they've the lights on and the Hoover out, since all punters have long since departed at the cheerlessness of the place.
Fast forward to 2012 and it's a lovely, chilled, and welcoming space, without being up it's own a**e as so many of Surrey's gastro establishments seem to have become.
It has recently(ish) been refurbished and has a lovely courtyard with modern furniture, and the inside is airy, yet cosy. The coffee looks good, and it seems popular as a squashy-sofa kind of meeting place for local business people. A space for friends.
Local ales (Shere Drop etc) are on tap, plus it has Aspall's Cyder on draught as well - my benchmark of a classy establishment. Interesting (and reasonably priced) cocktail list, too.
A substantial lunch can be had for less than �10: The club sandwich may seem expensive at �7-odd, but it's the size of your head, and there's no scrimping on the quality of ingredients. My burger weighed in at �9.50, and was all meat, well-grilled, in a sourdough bun with lots of salad and chips.
Staff are friendly and polite, plus it's dog-friendly as well, with a water bowl thoughtfully provided in the courtyard area. Doggie snacks are available too.
This place is a real find and easily my favourite in Dorking.
Highly reccommended.
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Hidden up a side road off Dorking high street. Quite a roomy place with a decent sized outdoor bit (but not really a garden). Doesn't have the feel of a traditional pub, it's closer to a wine bar. TT Landlord, Darkstar hophead & Shere drop on pump. Tried Landlord & Hophead, both good. Food was very good, the "Club red" sarnies are somewhat overwhelming!
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Nice pub and well kept, unfortunately there is a plastic hard man behind the bar. A little bit of power can go to your head!
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FuzzyDuck says five but I think it's at least double that if you include the punctuation. I reckon slerpy's 12 March post could be set as part of the GCSE English Language exam this year - candydates, rerite this text, corecting the speling and punchewashon.
Here's my best shot ...
"Dementer, you have the right username. Breweries issue a price list; tenancies may be different as the beers are purchased through a Pubco. If you know nothing at all about beer and the pub industry then shut up and ask an appropriate adult sensible questions (and improve your sadly neglected education). I do not live in Croydon so, as usual, you have got everything totally wrong. Well done!"
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A welcome smile from the bar staff and Dark Star beers - a good start. The beer itself however, didn't taste as good as Dark Star normally does, merely passable rather than hoppy and fresh. Maybe the turnover of real ales isn't too high in here but either way, a quality beverage should be kept well (a la The Evening Star in Brighton which sells THE best Dark Star in Britain). The food menu was pleasingly varied without being fussy or stupidly priced. The place looks better than the old photo on this site, by the way, and is worth a short diversion off the High Street (past the White Hart, which looked and sounded 'interesting' on the day we passed by).
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You can't count, six now.
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I counted 5 Slerpers.
Which one of the five is your favourite ?
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One tiny typo is fine, Dementers posts are totally unreadable from start to finish.
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Well done the `slerp` shot yourself in both feet Der.
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Sprouting again like a demented turd slerpy,you show that you indeed know sweet FA about the way breweries price to different pubs,if you don`t know (which you don`t) button it pal.
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That's a bit rich Slerpers me old son.
Re-read your 14:39 post very slowly and carefully and then apologise to Dementers.
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Dementer, I have had your post translated into English, EVERYBODY is one word.I suppose IGNORANCE is BLISS ! Keep up the unintelligible posts. Put a monkey in front of a typewriter and eventually you will have every one of your posts.
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Dementer, you have the right username , Breweries issue a price list, tenancies may be different as the bers are purchased thru' a Pubco , if you no nothing at all about beer and the pub industry then shut up and ask an appropriate adult sebsible questions and inprove your sadly negleted education, I do not live in Croydon so as per usual you have got everything totally wrong well done!
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Here we go again slerpy going off on one,how does he know how much a pub is charged for beer (all breweries charge different pubs different prices and to think other wise is barking) and how does he know a pubs overheads ? Answer he doesn`t.
So slerpy go back to Croydon and stay there.
We have always found this place fine not every bodies cup of tea granted but it is ours.
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I agree with thepubvisitor, the service here is appalling. Although not too busy, I waited at the bar to find groups arriving after me were served before seeing who was waiting. When I was served, my beer was not served from the handpump, but given to me by the barmaid who "found" the beer from somewhere. She gave the impression of using the handpump by waiting some time there, and then miraculously appeared with a full pint. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
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This is a toughie to review, an old style 1930's pub exterior but a clean and modern bar inside a rather incongruous start! Three hanpumps were on, Harvey's BB,Dark Star Hophead and Brain's SA, no one was behind the bar but after awhile a barperson appeared who started to serve me, only one other set of drinkers were waiting and they were offered my change.The ale was of a decent standard but the Hophead was �3.15, rather expensive as it is about �55.00 for a firkin ( under 80 pence a pint) to buy. The adornment above the bar was six twigs from a tree attatched with staples ( Answers on a postcard, i'm clueless). Overall the place is weird but not wonderful, i'd probably venture in if I was stuck in Dorking but it certainly would NOT be a destination pub.
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Terrible service, pub full of braying office parties, and expensive flat lager.
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Tucked away up a side road, but although unassuming in appearance, it is delightful, with a modern feel inside, cool background music, a really nice decked area outside, all complimented by friendly staff and well kept beers. The food looks good in passing and the menu offers a mixture of traditional meals as well as some unusual twists, but to be fair I haven't actually eaten there myself yet, so is only my visual assumption, worth a visit as it's great to relax in, as long as your not after an olde worlde country inn, which, of course, it isn't. Nice place.
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The best bar in Dorking for my money, lovely building, very friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere, comfortable furnishings throughout, large walled garden, excellent food and 2 to 3 really well kept beers. They had 2 dark star beers and apparently sometimes have one from surrey hills brewery. After visiting several others that were recommended by BITE and being really disappointed this was a breath of fresh air.
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Ended up here last night after disappointments at the Lincoln Arms and Surrey Yeoman. Ok, so it's not a pub, more of a bar, but actually it's not bad at all. It was the first pub i'd been in that evening that had some atmosphere, was reasonably busy, was friendly and comfortable. Didn't have food but the beer was fine. A perfectly nice place to spend an evening. They've put effort into the decor too. Would go back, especially when i can't be bothered to walk all the way from my end of town to the Cricketers! Menu looks interesting too.
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Tucked away down a side street off the main drag. Quiet at first, but filled up over lunchtime. Helpful, friendly staff, and a laid back atmosphere. Tried the Dark Star Hophead, which I'm sure was fine, but just not to my taste. Food was very good, with big portions and reasonable prices. Couldn't stay too long unfortunately, but it felt like a good place to while away a few hours.
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wow what a pleasure this bar is no longer arty p's it is now red bar and lounge and what a change. Visited week day evening with my wife and was very impressed. The food was incredible with a wide selection on offer, the service was faultless and they really know how to look after the ales. I would certainly recomend a visit be it just for a drink or a meal out. FIVE STAR
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The Red Bar has a lot of appeal - good food, good beer, good customers. It doesn't get everything right (staff are a bit hit or miss), but a good place to chill out.
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what a nice refreshing change to go into a pub, that is modern, clean and bright, serving ice cold rose wine, and a wonderful menu, having been twice (by the way have been there when it was Arty P's, which also served good food) the best calamari I've had in ages, great sandwiches, served in good bread, fresh salad, homemade coleslaw all very tasty. Am looking forward to going for dinner one evening and really trying out the menu!!! Don't think it matters whether its a pub or a wine bar, keep it up RED!!!!!!!!
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