please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Shame as this pub is now a Thai restaurant. I suspect the Green King IPA was probably the death of decent beer being served here.
On a happier note the Thai is pretty good.
FF
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I dined at The Crown on Saturday to celebrate my birthday. The staff were friendly and efficient from the start to the end of our meal which was excellent and the food was out of this world, every course was lovely. I am planning my next very soon.
I will definitely recommend it to all my family and friends.
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Not so sure about this pub. The beer is ok, normal pub stuff with nothing on guest (or was it IPA? same thing) and not really catering for ale drinkers.
Went in there for a dinner and was not really very impressed. Steak was expensive and at just under �18.00 was disappointing. You can't really go wrong cooking a steak but they managed it somehow.
The rest of the dinner was ok but nothing special. Reading the reviews, this might have been a one off in fairness but I'm not sure I want to give dinner a second chance in this place for that amount of money.
Can't complain about the service. It seemed very good but then again it should have been, there was less than 5 people in the place.
I hope this was a one off but still, approach this place with caution.
FF
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We ate at The Crown last night and were very very impressed. After reading some of the previous reviews we were a bit dubious but we had a fantastic meal. The service was excellent, and the waiter realised the evening menu was quite a 'grown up' menu so asked our children if they wanted something from the lunchtime menu. One had a very tasty homemade burger and the other pasta, which they both enjoyed. I had soup to start followed by the chicken and my husband the chicken livers followed by the fish pie. It was delicious, and full of flavour. Pudding was Knickerbocker Gory, Burnt Cream with raspberries (my choice-gorgeous) Sticky Toffee Pudding, and Ice Cream. Having tried a bit of all of them, they were all delicious!
The meal definitely exceeded our expectations and would recommend it to anyone wanting more gourmet type food rather than just plain pub grub in a pub. Thank-you!!
EB615 - 19 Jun 2010 16:32 |
12/05/2010 We just had lunch there service good, menu great, starters good, but then main course- pizza was the worst pizza ever, no taste to ultra thin tom sauce no taste and bland cheese used, base tough as ol boot and not in a good crisp way. Luckily I had the pasta and meatball which was truly terrible. I am no cook but I could do a FAR better job, the pasta was not fresh pasta, over cooked. Ragu sauce tired, no finesse. As for the meatballs. Well I tried first with just my knife, to test how soft/fresh they were. It made no impression and had to force my knife through with the aid of my fork, twas hard a nails, the meat used was all tough/sinewy inedible. We were not charged but that is not the point. We were the only customers, you would have thought those 2 dishes would be stroll in the park. MIGHT go back to give it another try?-but there again...
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We went to the Crown on Saturday night and i have to say how delightful everything was. We went in expecting pub food and the usual pub service but we found a very two very nice waiting staff with huge smiles welcoming us all dispite not booking they were so accomadating and freindly. The food was superb infact way better than we expected. I had the dover sole with caper butter and gratin potatoes which quite frankly wouldn't have been out of place in an up-market restaurant. My boy friend had the sirloin steak and he was delighted the chef had cooked it well done without burning it to a cinder! the fries were first class as was the pepper corn sauce. the two others we were with had rack of lamb and both declared them excellant. all in all the meal was great, so good we've booked for our annerversay dinner!! oh, by the way the beers are in excellant condition and a very good selection is offered.
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I write this as soon as i have returned from the Crown.
Having read the review previous to this we decided to try out our new local. We shouldn't have bothered. A new chef meant that pizza was no longer on the menu - one of the reasons I decided the 4 kids would be happy there. We waited over an hour for the food to be served, the menu descriptions did not match the food we were given. The service (topping up on drinks) was dreadfully slow.
When the food did arrive:
1) the children's carbonnara was full of mushrooms.
2) The sole did not have wilted spinach, but a mixed salad.
3) there was no bread with the mussels
4) the ratatouille and potato was burnt with the lamb
The only meal out of 6 that was any good was seafood pasta.
On top of that we asked to see the Manager who took 20 minutes to arrive. He did however listen to our comments, knocked some off the bill, but made no apology.
All in all it was an experience that put everyone around the table in a bad mood.
We will not return.
azejo - 24 Apr 2010 21:09 |
Not sure if 'eshergirl' actualy did eat at the crown??? we have eaten at the crown sevaral times - they serve the BEST pizza and pasta for miles. the service is laid back but proffesional, indeed Oli Blanc (son of the best chef in England - Raymond Blanc - and according to my wife the sexiest chef in the world !!) is the head of front of staff - Oli is not bad looking either!) enough, already...
We live in Thames Ditton and we, and tons of our friends, are delighted and pleased with the way The Crown is now run..If we don't support our locals - food - beer or otherwise then Tesco's, etal will open up instead or worse - go back to the way it was. Well done everyone at the Crown!!
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I went here a few weeks ago and ordered a gruyere and ham panini, which was of the poorest standard I have ever seen! The bread was soggy and soft (instead of nicely baked like a panini should be!) The gruyere tasted more like cheddar, and was not melted properly, so had gone a bit 'sweaty'. The ham just looked like the wafer thin slices you can get from your local supermarket. The chips were ok, but had been ruined by a great lump of ketchup that had been put on the plate (I do not eat ketchup). When I told them this, they took it away, only to wipe it off in the kitchen so I couldn't eat 1/4 of the panini and most of the chips! Never eating there again!!!
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Pleased that the Crown has reopened and is offering a great range of pizzas/pastas - all freshly cooked and delicious. Great wine list and some excellent beer on draught. The interior is welcoming, if not quirky. Spent a very pleasant evening there in front of a roaring fire.
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The Crown has re open last Friday (12th December 09) excellant! new people who have changed it totaly with very nice furniture and pictures. more importantly, the food is very good Italian - pizza, pastas, etc. i had linguine seafood and i was very, very good, and i loved the price!! Like everyone else in the area i was fed up with the rubbish people (owners & customers) who ruined what was a very good local pub. but thankfully its back on track to offer us - the locals - an alternative bar and restaurant.
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Not many in when i visited, however has potential. Bit sparse maybe.
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The Croen has much improved, full of life now and a great social venue.
Pool & juke box are great and much need to bring a bit of life to the ditton.
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Avoid it like the plague......
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Always seems very dead to me.....if you don't count the seriously loud music. Why oh why do landlords feel the need to do this?
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Very mediocre experience here on Mothers' Day. Infact below mediocre. No flowers on tables, no extra staff - nothing to indicate anyone had given any thought to the day.
Meal was poor for a gastro style pub. Starter minimal and slow - 2 prawns. Kedgeree was stodgy and microwave heated (apparently), chicken dry and tough, vegetables tired. It really was a poor imitation of something else. The next day I went and had lunch in Portobello Road at the same price and so, so much better. A good manager needs to grab this place by the scruff of the neck and get the menu and preparation sorted out. One person waiting tables on Mothers' Day is very amateurish indeed.
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We have been going to the Crown for years and the meals/service have always been excellent. Unfortunately, there has been a change in chef and all seems to have gone to pot. The menu was lacklustre. Our meal on Saturday was below average, no bread/olive oil/dips were offered. The French onion soup was luke warm, with no cheese/bread in sight, congealed sauce on the steak and a rancid banoffee pie (the cream had turned). We won't be going back, which is very disappointing, as it has always been a favourite.
anonymous - 5 Mar 2007 10:08 |
the crown is by far the best place to eat in the area, all foods are prepared fresh & someone clearly knows their stuff, great place to relax by the fires & drink some really good wines
anonymous - 18 Nov 2006 13:57 |
A truly pleasurable experience. Three friends & I visited the Crown for Sunday lunch for my fiances birthday and I have to say we were all very impressed, the food was delicious, the wine good, atmosphere relaxing and the service was impeccable. All I can say is well done and keep it up!
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Good place. Very much at the trendy end of the range for Thames Ditton pubs, but that's not a criticism. Comfortable, nice beer garden, friendly staff. It's more set up for eaters than drinkers, so the staff can get a little over-run in the early evening meal rush, but that's a minor criticism - definitely worth a look.
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I've been to the Crown a number of times lately and have always been impressed by the imaginative menu and the excellent food.
Definitely the place to go for a special pub meal (in fact, the food is restaurant food). It's just a pity that parking can be a nightmare in Thames Ditton.
The only slight negative is that people can smoke in the food area. Perhaps smoking should be restricted to the far end of the bar area instead.
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The food looks very good I have to say, and the menu is imaginative. Cosy bar area shall we say, with a nice real fire. Actually, a very nice spot
But on the 'real ale' the chap below mentions. Yes, you can get Tim Taylors. But last time I was in, the spotty kid serving tried telling me it 'was meant to cloudy'. Well, I grew up drinking this in Keighley and I know how Tim Taylors should be served. Train your chuffing staff - Tim Taylors shouldn't be cloudy, unless it's off or not kept right.
anonymous - 3 Oct 2005 13:13 |
Now more a smart restaurant than pub with a good, imaginative , if rather expensive menu.
However one can still get good Real Ale (Timothy Taylors Landlord) so it's just up my street
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Agree with people that don't think this a pub for drinking in, but the food is top notch. Stumbled on the place while driving through Thames Ditton. The menu was great, everything looked superb, tasted great and was good value. Will definitely eat there again
Rob - 13 Sep 2004 10:41 |
This pub seems to divide opinion right down the middle - those who used to go to the crown under previous management tend not to like it and those who are discovering it for the first time tend to be positive. Personally I agree with previous comments - its a breath of fresh air and just what the area needs. Food is good but simple, not too expensive in my opinion. I have been there several times and always had a good meal.
Simon - 11 Jun 2004 08:01 |
Although it looks like a pub, there is more of a bar / bisto feel to the place. Staff where friendly and the food is very good, but a little over priced! I would however recommend this for eating out in
Tom - 22 Apr 2004 15:25 |
Do NOT come here if you have children. Went for lunch with four adults, two teenagers and two well-behaved five-year-old girls. Place was practically empty. Staff were generally grumpy and surly. When the two children went to play in the beer garden they were thrown out because, according to a woman called Jane who claimed to be 'one of the owners' the newly laid gravel has broken glass in it. When it was suggested that this was not a good idea for an establishment that claimed to welcome families, she was extremely irritable and aggressive. Have since spoken to two other people who have had experience of charmless, bad tempered service and vowed never to return. All in all a dreadful, unfriendly experience.
Joe - 13 Apr 2004 04:31 |
Sunday in Feb 04. New to the area took some friends for Sunday lunch. Armed with the ES review the expectation was good. 3 of us went for the trad sunday Chicken and Lamb dishes. Very Disapointed, �15 for not very much in terms of quanity, what was there was OK but average and not very good value. Dessert,�5.25 chocolate orange truffle cake, basically consistied of sludgey 1.5" slice with orange segments balanced on top (waitress seemd to find it amusing the oranges had collapsed the thing). Dont be sucked in by the big sales pitch on the prize wining cheese board - sounds good but lacks substance, more biscuits than cheese.
All said, Tony enjoyed the Thai currey and he picked the best and biggest pudding 'Pecan pie'
Verity - 17 Mar 2004 12:43 |
I have no idea why people wait hours for mediocre food at the neighbouring riverside pubs when they could eat here.
Not exactly the place I'd go for a drink though.
Martin - 9 Mar 2004 12:12 |
I thought it was very nice. Good decor and great food - up there in the gastro pub league almost. Very much needed in the area, somewhere decent where the young trendy people can go - instead of the the abundance of grungy old mans pubs all around! I wish a few more pubs would be revamped like The Crown.
julia jackson - 3 Feb 2004 14:44 |
Fantastic Pub! Food is divine and at affordable prices too, the staff are really friendly and it has a lovely atmosphere. Best pub I've been to in a long time. Just wish it was round the corner from me...It's a must!!
Vanessa Barrs - 21 Jan 2004 12:22 |
Prefered it in the old days, juke box and pool table. Now all trendy and poncy. If you fancy sitting on a bean bag to have tipple then go there.
Michelle - 17 Jan 2004 14:08 |
I fell upon this pub by accident and i think i might move to Thames Ditton now! The place is a real find. Even with the wooden floors and leather seats it still manages to maintain a real pub feel. Fine wines and extremely fine food that id expect to pay top notch for but didnt (result)
I want a local like this. Please Mr Crown will you considor a relocation to East London?
Donna - 15 Jan 2004 16:07 |
...that's the truth, you have to go there because of the food. It has some amazing Spanish meals - especially tapas. I like watching head chef prepering food threw the window and this really nice tall barman!!!!This staff is exeptional.Worth to visit!!!!
Ch.G. - 13 Jan 2004 19:49 |
Gutted, the Hickeys had it down to a tea, it's all gone down the pan now though. Thames Dittons best pub, RIP.
Scotty Boy - 13 Jan 2004 13:28 |
The photo needs updating. The place has been completely refurbished with the dining area taking up the majority of space. The bar area is in the trendy Hoxton style - all miss-matched retro chairs. The staff look like extras from Hollyoaks, in fact, there is a bit of a Nosh vibe about the place. I've had some excellent meals here, and there is a different menu every day. Shame they have stopped serving Staropramen on tap. The food definitely seems to take precedence, which is a shame as the bar area could be a great place to hang out if it started attracting a regular crowd.
Nick - 3 Dec 2003 12:19 |
i grew up in the crown, for 10 years i was in there every day. used to be great in the hickey days!!!!!!! will never be the same.
kay moult - 1 Aug 2003 14:47 |
amazing, it has nbow been taken over by new management an dteh food is exceptional, very rare to get pub graub that tastes... its modern european good prices lovelt people.... you HAVE to go.......
Tracey Nevin - 2 Jun 2003 11:07 |
