please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Vastly improved since the name change and the new management.
Food now excellent, with well kept ale, and some interesting bottled beers. The staff and management are friendly and helpful. I arrived unanounced with a party of 12 when they were busy early one evening, and they rapidly re-arranged a whole section to seat us together.
Must return soon to try some more choices from the tempting menu, and sample a few of the bottled beers.
Entom - 27 Dec 2013 17:13 |
Much improved pub. Now very much food orientated but it is possible to get a drink. A couple of well kept ales. I had the Trumans Runner. Very friendly and efficient staff.
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Went in here on Saturday evening, as previously mentioned it is now called The Cricketers.
Very friendly staff
Had a great time, they've really brightened the place up and there is loads of outdoor seating too.
Will no doubt return at some point
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Currently being refurbished expected to reopen as "The Cricketers" mid-Sept 13.
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Very average. Food looked good. The TT Landlord was very poor. Probably get away with it because of the location.
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Reverted back to being the shithole it always was....presumably everyone eating here hasn't been before.
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Popped in for lunch a couple of Sunday's ago.
Bland, overpriced, poorly cooked food.
And yet it was still so busy, bizarre.
Avoid.
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Went there on Saturday for a quiet lunch. Nice service and a very good hamburger and chips (rump steak burger they say ;-) ) on their special lunch price. Sat outside for some time - lovely - and inside to eat. It is a little dark but that's no disgrace in a pub, surely: good selection of different types of seating, all nice and clean. all nice and comfy. Prices are as expected for a smartish pub in a smartish place.
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Hadn't been in this pub for a while and was looking forward to it as i used to love drinking in here last summer.
whats happened !?!?
The food used to be top notch but it was cold and slightly bland.
Prices have gone up a bit too and the ales and spirits were a little over priced.
The pub could do with a bit of a re-vamp. I understand the owners want to keep the original tudor look but that can be worked with as its very dark and depressing, a lick of paint could really change the interior drastically !
Cant fault the gardens tho.... in the day its a gorgeous sun-trap out the back and out the front you have a lovely view of the green. The outdoor seating is always packed and i personally think its because no one wants to sit in the dark dingy pub. Such a shame.
I do fault this pub but there is so much potential ..... c'mon guys bring this pub back to what it was !
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Went for lunch today and ordered a steak and onion relish sandwich with mustard and a pint of Adnams Broadside. My wife ordered a glass of Chenin blanc. The bread on my sandwich was stale, the steak was over cooked and 25% gristle, the onion relish was too sweet, the lettuce and raw onion on the plate were limp and the mustard had no flavour let alone bite. The beer was OK but flat. My wife's wine was warm, not just under chilled - actually warm! Dreadful.
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Surprised you haven't been there more Richard.....one post, one pub....bit obvious mate !!!!
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Excellent food and fantastic service, been here around ten times since last August even on a sunday and it fantastic everytime. Food was really really nice!!!!
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I visited this pub last week after comming here a few months ago and things have changed. The pub is under new management and there is a few new members of staff working here. The manager is very friendly (he took time to chat to us). The food is really good and the sevice from staff is very friendly. I will be going to visit the Rose and Crown on a more regualr basis.
Great pub, fantastic food and a freindly atmosphere, what more do you want.
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Just reopened and have to say I am very disappointed. Food is frozen pre cooked nonsense imo and not as nice as Greyhound or even Coach for that matter.
Odd prices on the beers.
Nice pation front and rear but new lights are a bit Blackpool if you ask me!
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Didn't love this pub, location is good but food portions are small and just didn't look that appetising. Nice area at the back you can book though. But just think there is better out there.
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After coming here a few times over the last few years we have never been overly happy with the food or the service. Bar staff who swear like troopers at the bar and would look more at home in a prison but none the less they all seem to be very helpful and happy. One of the main reasons for coming back here after so many bad experiences was that we had heard there was a new Head Chef. I must admit that we where pleasantly surprised. We have been back several times since our first return visit and every time has been excellent. The food was quick out, hot,tasty and unlike the old days they had every item on the menu. If you've been put off this pub previously then I would certainly recommend returning here as the food has improved a thousand times over!!!
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Nice little local, friendly staff too. However �8:50 for a Grolsch and G and T is too expensive. Won't be back any time soon.
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Good beer, very nice sharing platters, friendly staff and tables large enough to play Killer Bunnies on. A very welcoming place after a cold walk along the Thames. Only downer - it was a little dark.
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only worth visiting to sit out the front and look over the green in the summer. usually has a couple of real ales available. poor bar service really lets it down though; unwelcoming. poor food too. could be a lovely, cozy pub, but at the moment it's everything but that.
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The place to be on a beautiful day and according to the post below the place to be in the winter also. We started out at a nearby pub (greyhound) and after 1 went elsewhere to find a pub that wouldnt leave a foul taste in our mouth's and we found it here.
The outside looks and feels welcoming and this was confirmed when we approached the bar. Clean, tidy and cared for thoughout with a good range of guest ales and food to match.
We had to wait about halfg an hour before we managed to grab a table outside but it was well worth the wait as we spent the best part of 3 hours there watching the cricket whilst filling our bellies on great food & drink.
Only downside is the tables inside and out are in high demand and undersandibly people do not want to leave once they have got 1
P.s beautiful hanging baskets and newspapers are the little things that count & make this place stand out from the rest
WELL DONE ALL THAT WORK HERE
Turma - 22 Jun 2009 13:17 |
I booked a table for 15 people over the Christmas period, and have to say i was very very impressed by the service i recieved, from the emails i got confirming the booking, to the warm welcome off the managers and staff. Upon arriving we seated by Richie, a smart, friendly, funny guy. The atmostphere was great, the food/drink were out of this world and the surroundings were lovely. We had pre ordered our meals and have to say on many occasions in other places, this has still managed to cause confussion, however here it all went very smoothly. I would like to thank all the staff and especially richie and jay for a very enjoyable evening. I will definatly return and tell all my friends and family. Superb A+++
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After reading the previous Nov 14th comment I thought we were in for a lovely evening...not the case.
Nice looking pub and I must say that the waiter was good and very polite; unfortunately the positive comments stop here.
It was a very quiet evening so getting drinks should have been quick, however often people would be standing at the bar waiting ages for someone to appear. We made a booking, as we were a large group. When we arrived no table had been reserved and we received no explanation. If you don't do reservation then don't take one. Chips that accompanied the meals were, very obviously, old and had been refried. The crumble was the worst I've ever had; it wasn't cooked! Confusion over a drinks order lead to the barman blatantly lying and blaming us. Definitely won�t try the place again, neither should you.
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Cracking little pub. Came here last year a few times to get out of the cold and was not overly impressed however things seem to have taken a dramatic turn. Walked through the door to see a selection of newspapers ready for me, roaring log fires, smiling staff and a cracking selection of guest ales and although I only tried the one (several times) it was spot on. I had the Venison of the specials board and my wife had the homemade fish pie and they were mmm mmm mmm. I did ask the barman if the pub was bought by a different company with the change but he told me no its just a new manager. Well all I can say is well done to the new guy/girl in charge Ill be back and only because of a few comments below about depending on what time you visit I visited about 2pm on Sunday and it was heaving and still the service was FAB
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Calling the place mediocre would be doing it a favour - relies on passing trade visiting Kew Gardens and has consequently stopped making any effort at customer relations - ignorant and downright bloody rude staff (directed at someone in the queue in front of me) was enough to put me off completely!
BobOs - 17 Sep 2008 18:08 |
It's a Chef & Brewer, so you probably won't be expecting too much. However, I probably visited it at the best time - mid-afternoon on a weekday with the sun out, and enough time to watch the world go by on Kew Green from one of the benches at the front. Nice pint of Everards 'Hazy Daze' wheat beer too.
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Average; I expected more from the outside. Guess you can never judge a book by it's cover, eh?
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Do not eat in this pub!
I did not believe the poor reviews about the food since we had eaten here about two years ago and it was reasonable. But clearly there is a chronic problem with this pub - we were told our food would be 45 minutes, which we were willing to put up with but it was actually almost twice that long coming! When it arrived the gravy was congealed, the carrots dry and the mashed potatoes almost solid. This meal had clearly been lying around for a long time. My companions had the same trouble. Other customers walked out complaining they had been waiting an hour an a half. Adnams beer was ok though if a little expensive.
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I have been going to pubs for 23 years & have to say that this is one of the worst. Whilst the Staropramen may be perfectly chilled, the staff are not! In particular the elderly woman who served us our food could not have been more rude even if she tried. Most of the staff seem to have had no training whatsoever in how to deal with customers or even pull pints. Each question is met with a sigh or scoff. No one would take responsibilty for errors in food orders or preperation. Avoid at all costs.
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This is a dark and dingy Chef & Brewer pub with the emphasise on chef. There is a patio garden at the rear, but I think that the seating at the front of the pub would be much nicer, especially if there was a cricket match on.
Once I had been redirected to the side door to gain entry I was confronted visually and nasally by an eccentric old albino grandmother�s house (potpourri, no light, crinklies everywhere). I searched out the lone barman who was doubling as a waiter and stood for a while at the bar. I then drank my drink and left before all of the life was sucked out of me.
Butcombe Blonde, Abbot Ale and Outlaw Wildmule were the beers on offer alongside Fosters etc.
I think that I�ll stick to the Greyhound in future.
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This feels more like a restaurant with a bar than a pub that does food so, as a drinker, it's not really my scene. Worth popping into if you are doing a tour of the Green (like I did) but if you are just going out for a drink there are better options nearby.
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2 hey?
Well thats the majority of the Kew locals accounted for then.
*rolls eyes*
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I'll hold my hands up to a bit of sweeping generalisation there then slacker but seeing two seperate incidents in the course of a Sunday evening where barbour-coated "gents" went out of their way to visibly upset teenage bar staff for minor service infractions got my goat. I'm all for expecting a level of quality when paying to eat out but these cases were unnecessary for what is at the end of the day, pub food.
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Haha not at all, I never go there. I live in the area hence I was little peeved by the swipe at the locals.
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Oh my god is this place for real all i can say is lucky they get tourists.came to watch the cricket and get a bite to a eat.It is great cricket gos on for 6 hours,food order took well over 1 hour and then when asked about dessert got told had to look inside at blackboard.Cricket was good but do not think i will be coming back to run of the mill chain pub.Looks like slacker will keep them going though.
anonymous - 19 Aug 2007 18:50 |
Fantastic pub, great location overlooking the cricket pitch. 1 hour wait for a roast meal and a salad was unacceptable, the food looked great and sadly tasted disgusting. The beef was tough as old boots and very very fatty, the vegetables tasted of fish, it came with roast potatoes... and mashed potato that tasted like instant "smash" A great pub for beer and crisps!!
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I like the place. Fantastic comment Random ranger!
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I have been to this pub on numerous occasions and I think it has the potential to be a great pub. The service has been a bit slow when I have been there but on the whole the atmosphere is ok,the locals are friendly and the food can be great.
I do think the staff could do with a bit more training and more staff could be used on busy days instead of having one poor soul manning a bar with 15 Customers around him/her. The Manager is friendly but can be a little too forthcoming with personal information.
Not a bad little pub and the location is fantastic.
Gerro - 29 Mar 2007 14:35 |
Must agree with previous comments. Took my mother and father in law for late sunday lunch (6.30). Food is reasonable if over priced but service is a problem. Waited almost an hour for meals. Nice in summer when garden is open.
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Absolute gem of a place. Fantastic food, friendly service and a great atmosphere.
Slightly manic over weekends, though through that testifying to it's charm. Will definately be going again, and definately recommending it to people.
anonymous - 13 Dec 2006 13:06 |
Have had some good evenings here - food is good and service generally reasonable. it might be mock Tudor, but i like the layout with its hidden corners. can get a bit overwhelmed at weekends
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Went here for lunch on saturday. Food was ok, nothing to write home about, but I must also mirror what other people have said about the amount of time it took for the food to arrive. 45 minutes for two steaks and a salad is bordering on unacceptable in my book...
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More a restaurant than a pub really, i.e. you wouldn't just pop in here for a pint. But a good place for a meal out - the menu has some unusual dishes reasonably priced, food quality was good and service was quick and pleasant. One yuppie-type woman was shouting her business into her mobile phone throughout the meal, but the pub can't be blamed for that. Cask ales available including a monthly guest. The good thing is the pub's open and serving food all day every day (unlike the nearby Express Tavern who shut most afternoons and only serve food when it suits them).
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Not impressed by this pub. Dingy and dark inside, filled with bankers and their spoilt families, service was poor. Nice location but that is about it. Guinness was pants in here as well.
TheGP - 26 Mar 2006 20:35 |
So-so beer and the sandwich-y lunch was OK when it eventually arrived. But it took blooming ages and only fabulous food is worth the wait. The most praise I can offer is that that the ladies loos were spotless and smelt nice.
Won't come back here when there are far better pubs a short walk in all directions.
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Personally I far preferred it before they put in the extra low ceilings and the whole 'mock tudor' effect. It just ends up making it feel all rather claustrophobic. Plus they used to have a darts board. I like darts.
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I thought the menu was pretty extensive and the food good. Nice wine list. A few benches overlooking the green for the summer. Very cosy in the winter. A fairly traditional pub. Good place to take your folks for Sunday lunch.
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Abysmal service, polite enough but abysmal. Waitresses and bar staff that don�t speak enough English to get the food order right (elusive chips that were steak chips anyway despite my being assured they were French fries), zero communication between the kitchen and the bar � we were told at about the time we should�ve been served our dinner (25 mins after ordering) that the dish my friend had ordered had sold out and, to top it all off, flat, short beer. We had to ask for a top up (which to be fair was readily given) and by the time the second round had made its short journey from the bar to the table, both pints were easily half an inch short as the heads had ostensibly got lost somewhere en route. The food took a whopping 45 minutes to arrive (it wasn�t even busy) and I have to say was delicious but, sadly, incomplete.
A neighbouring couple complained to the (new) manager about the service and the food so I grabbed the poor bloke on his way back and shared our experience. He did refund two drinks and the elusive chips and was very apologetic, he�s only been here a couple of months and is trying with the place.
The location is excellent and the pub itself is lovely so if they were to invest a little bit more money on employing staff that actually understand the customers� requests and on kitchen staff that know how to run a kitchen, the extra expenditure would pay for itself. I�m all for a cosmopolitan society and there are plenty of foreign people living here with an excellent command of the English language � you see it in pubs everywhere � so why this place can�t find them is beyond me.
I don�t want to write this place off as it's great to stop for a drink and watch the cricket and the manager is very new so I�d like to go back in a couple of months in the hope that the service had improved dramatically. In the meantime, unless you speak Polish/Czech and have plenty of time to wait for your meal and don�t mind a flat pint, avoid for a while.
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Excellent location, stopped off here last summer on a bike ride and watched the cricket on the green with a pint.
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Average food really. Shame, location is superb.
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Its happened before at pubs in the area......
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Someone will nick them?
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I really like this pub, as the poster below says - in the summer you can't beat a day sitting outside quaffing ale and watching the cricket. I haven't eaten there but the food looks great, and it is always completely rammed on weekend lunchtimes so that has to say something. One negative is that the wooden chairs/benches outside are screwed down - this is Kew Green not Peckham, what's the worst that could happen?!
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Since the refurb this in now more of a restaurant than a pub.Nevertheless for the summer months there may not be a better place for spending a Sat/Sun afternoon than sitting outside watching the cricket.Beer is good and the food is excellent(restaurant prices though).Not very children friendly which is always a bonus.
squatter - 14 Apr 2004 11:04 |
