please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Roadside pub on the Horsham - Brighton route. Seems OK on a brief visit, beers available were Doom Bar and Harvey's Sussex, which was drinkable. Can't comment on the food as I didn't have any.
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10 of us went here on Sunday for lunch, oh how I wish we didn't! the food was terrible, we waited 30 mins for it and it was cold, poor quality and tasteless. I wish it were just a case of a couple of the meals being rubbish but it really was the whole lot...burnt dry burgers, half cooked oven fries, soggy pizza, dry over microwaved pasta dishes that had no sauce or seasoning, just awful.
I hate to sound like such a moaner!! anyway we complained and they took off 3 meals, to be honest I felt robbed paying for any of it.
On a lighter note the garden is fabulous and has a great play area for kids!
Oh and no roast dinners....
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Has always been a good old pub. Apparently bar billiards can now be played here (after about a 20 year absence). Hope it takes off again which will give me cause to revisit.
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What a Drama Queen!!! Iv eaten at this pub many times, the beer has always been fine! Its got a great garden for the kids and its reasonably priced! This really is a family restaurant, Im sure you did get good service at the Royal Oak, you and their other 3 cutomers!
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Popped in for a couple of beers and was served a very tangy bad pint of London Pride by whom I presume was the Landlord, I took this back and very discreetly told him it was off only to be told that it was fine and I was wrong ( he said a few other things too but not enough space here list them all). Interesting I thought as I work in the industry and have drunk London pride for many years, I couldn't believe the rudeness of this guy. my self and my family left straight away leaving unfinished drinks at the bar and still this seemed not to bother them! (maybe this is the norm?)
Waiting staff seemed lovely, it's a shame they seemed to be let down by a stubborn landlord who does not seem to grasp the term hospitality,
We were going to go back for a big family meal the next day but went to the Royal Oak in Wineham instead, cracking service there.
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Where does the previous poster drink?
Harveys and Pride at �3.15 is only slightly above average for this part of the world. admitadley I can get Harveys best at �2.60 in a Harveys pub, but that is not normal.
�4.75 is right for pint and a half if the pint i �3.15.
Lovely people, very friendly, and I bought a pint at �2.90.
Visit the pub and form your own views.
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Visited this place yesterday lunchtime. Its on the Brighton Camra Ale Trail, the reason for our visit. Very disappointed! Its a foodie pub judging by the number of tables in the place. I didn't eat there, last food orders is at 2:15 PM. This place is well out of the way and not easy to get to. It is dog friendly though. The bar staff, 1 lady, was friendly but service was very slow. At the time there was hardly anyone in the pub and it wasn't a problem but I can imagine that if the place was busy then there might be quite a wait. Of the 5 beers on hand pump only 2, Harveys and London Pride were available. The London Pride was not at its best either. At �4.75 for a pint and a half its way too expensive to tempt me back again.
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Not the same as it used to be. Not worth the drive.
Visited here with family and friends on a sunday at 4pm. Sautee pots were cold, childrens meal came last, after a 5 minute wait and was a dry portion of pasta with dry cheese on top! Manager said the childrens meal came "as stated on the menu". The large pizza also seemed small and was expensive for its size.
We were given the childrens meal for free (even though they took it away!) and a discount, but will never go back.
Waiting staff were friendly and pleasant, but manager was cold and seemed to find it amusing when we paid for our bill. Very dissapointing.
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Went here for a meal with friends on a Sat night and pub was not very busy at all. We ordered 3 pints which the bar staff said they would bring over, but completely forgot about so we waited 20 mins and then had to go to the bar again to get them.
The food is ok, pretty mediocre I would say. I had the special of beef stew which was not special at all!
Bar staff were not particularly friendly but the waitressing staff were fine.
The log fires are nice as is the garden.
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I do wish I had read these reviews before stopping at the Bull Inn..... We were slightly surprised at having to handed over our debit card the moment our ciders had been served but went ahead feeling that we were just suspicious Londoners on a day out in the countryside.
The menu looked reasonable but we were disappointed by every single dish - lasagne verde with nothing verde about it, dry and cold risotto, a sort of pan pizza with what seemed to be a tomato puree sauce and a pesto pasta which my 7 year old said tasted of nothing.
The sauce on the sticky toffee pudding was full of fatty lumps. To top it all the bill came which showed an adult sorbet when we had specifically ordered a child portion. We queried the charge and were told that it only comes in adult portions although they had willingly accepted our order without telling us. The moody looking manageress stood in the kitchen area giving us rather intimidating glances and we were made to pay full price for their mistake. Avoid at all cost! The waiting staff were friendly and doing the best despite the appalling quality of the food.
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On a sunny day this pub makes a good stop if you have kids as it has a large safe garden. Inside is also cosy if it�s windy. The beer is well kept and the pub is well cared for and clean. If you order food (which is a little overpriced) my advice would be to ask what the waiting time is. At busy times the kitchen organisation struggles and you could have at least a thirty-minute wait, that�s unless your order has been forgotten.
If the garden tables are full you could be in for a very long wait.
If you are driving remember you don't need the extra pint to pass the time !
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Over rated, beer was expensive, food was over priced and this showed as there was not a soul to be seen in the pub on a Monday lunchtime certainly wouldnt be rushing back there in a hurry.
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This is a naff sort of place. A pub that has specialised in pizzas. It wouldn't be so bad, but they serve up some right wierd mixtures. I wouldn't go there again, so can't recommend it.
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Went here for a take away pizza on my birthday last week, two small pizzas. Bought a drink and waited 45 minutes, which really wouldn't have bothered me if we had managed to get a smile out of any of the staff. Used to be really nice once... shame about the management.
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So
Why don't they have one of those credit card safes that some pubs are doing now (like the Shepherd and Flock in Farnham). You hand over your credit card and watch them put it in a little drawer which locks and they give you the key. Much safer. And a much more pleasant option for the customer. You don't feel like they think of you as a thief.
I've also been in the Bull, sat at a table, the waitress has come over to take our order and she made up pay up right there and then and extended her hand for the cash (as we weren't paying by card).
It will be a cold day in hell when I go back here again. Other pubs manage food orders without making all their customers feel like they are being treated like thieves to the comment below.
anonymous - 2 Nov 2007 10:31 |
The Bull! It's the home to the best Pizza you'll ever eat in your life! No joke!
Yes, they do take your car keys, but you have to see it from their view. And you do get them back at the end, with the same amount of petrol in your car!
The staff are friendly and will do anything they can to help you.
So I hope to see you there.
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It's either keys or cash at this pub. In some you would not be given any option. Avoid any potential problem and pay as you go as we did - what's the problem ?
This pub has a large garden with a back entrance from the car park. I expect the landlord has had a few drivaways. If he let that happen too often they would be working for nothing. In his position I might insist on payment when ordering because even with the current option some jokers are going to find a way of getting something for nothing. I didn't feel insulted when asked for my keys, I just paid up front. Sadly we do not live in a society where everyone can be trusted and we all suffer as a result. If they had lost my keys I would have been hopping mad though.
We had another pleasant stop the other day. In spite on all the menue cards being tucked away somewhere we had clean pint a good bite and spent an hour on the garden patio.
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KEYS!
My sister lunched at the bull last sat(30th june 07).
she is a solicitor. she ordered , handed over her keys, ate, paid and was given somone eles keys! her car keys had been given to a woman who had pocketed them then the womans husband had got his set of keys out and used them to drive off. my sister got her keys back 5 hours later. thekeys included her house keys. If a publican demands keys and takes them he is responsidle by law for the car and the house, he could be liable in court. If you read this landlord of bull, I would stop this practice if i were you!
Apart from all the above, you are giving out a message to your customers that says "WE DONT TRUST ANY OF YOU"
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We stopped for lunch. I had the guest beer ‘Iron Horse’ which was well passed its best; half a glass was enough for me. I should have asked for Harvey’s Sussex, which was in good condition. My choice of Calzone (an Italian style Pizza pasty) was excellent and my Son liked his Chilli Con Carne and Cobra. The staff were pleasant and attentive. I would have no hesitation in taking children to this pub. Plenty of space. Very clean. Nice garden. Decent car park. Recommended, we will go again.
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I wrote that original review about the Ritz and I completely disagree with the comment below this one. I don't expect to get the same level of service as at the Ritz when I'm going out for a pizza and I'm not being petty and resent that. What I also resent is being made to feel like a common criminal because i have the audacity to order a pizza and think it wrong to be made to leave my car keys. Supposing I walked to the pub, what would they do then eh? I went to the Friars Oak pub in Burgess Hill the other day and ordered food and had a tab and sat in the garden and then went inside to pay - huge element of trust on their part and like The Bull they are on a main road with a big car park and plenty of opportunity for people to leave without paying. But they trust their customers, as do their sister pub The Dolphin in Haywards Heath. why does this pub treat all customers as potential thieves? Not impressed....
anonymous - 14 May 2007 21:39 |
We are regugulars at the bull pub, and find it a wonderful family pub, with a huge garden, with childrens play area, and generally a great day out! The food is lovely, staff and management are more than helpfull, and anyone who disagrees with their policy of taking car keys, is obviously petty. If you want pizza at a pub, you wouldn't go to the ritz, so maybe your expectations are a little unrealistic! If you're looking for great pizza, cold beer and friendly staff, the bull is the pub!
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I used to live not a stones throw away from this Pub but very rarely went in. It was always a gloomy place complete with gloomy people. The only good thing about it was a pint out of the rain while waiting for the Fish and Chip van that turned up every Thursday in the lay-by just over the bridge, don't know whether it still does.
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I hate hate hate hate this pub. Pizza is the same that they've served for years. They never change the menu. But worst of all. They trust no-one. Apparently it seems they treat every customer as a potential thief. You have to leave your car keys behind the bar in case you run off without paying. They've only started taking keys recently. They used to take your credit card but I guess too many people complained about having to leave a credit card for security reasons. Ate there once and we were sat at the table and the waitress (it was waitress service then) came to the table to take our order. She asked for a credit card as soon as she had finished writing our order. When I refused to leave a credit card she asked for the money and held out her hand for me to pay. Have never had to do that before. If you went to the Ritz for dinner and sat at a table and a waitress took your order would she hold out her hand for you to pay as soon as you gave your order? No. Exactly. There are loads of other pubs in the area and they don't do the same thing. It really winds me up that they treat their customers as potential thieves. God knows what they'd do if you walked there and didn't have a car key to leave. The rest of the pub is very gloomy and full of people sitting about waiting for their take away pizza or a few table. Either that or they're planning their next bank robbery as clearly this place thinks it only attracts dishonest people who want to make a runner without paying. Perhaps they could have a guard dog at the door with extra sharp teeth or something....
anonymous - 4 Dec 2006 16:44 |
always makes sarahs eyes water.candles on tables both annoying and dangerous.
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Excellent pizza and good beer, what more could you want!
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A freehouse with a good selection of cask ales and lagers. Serves Pizza and Pasta. Skittle alley, function room and large garden with childrens area.
B Snell - 31 Jan 2005 23:40 |
