Address: 131 Oval Rd, Croydon, CR0 6BG, United Kingdom
Phone: +442086866023
Rating: 4.6
based on 158 reviews.
Live Music
Pros:
"Great live jazz provided by a wide variety of enthusiastic local musicians."
"Awesome Jazz Band this Sunday a real set of seriously good musicians' great venue."
"Very enjoyable live music."
"Everyone should visit The Oval Tavern just to top up on their much needed dose of love! The live music is a must too!!"
"Great jazz music on a Sunday. Reasonable beer selection."
"We went to one of their Live music Sundays, it was Jazz and was brilliant."
"Good live entertainment, band was good, and the young lady who was singing this time had a lovely voice."
Cons:
"I went specifically for the Sunday roast but instead they had jazz which made staying indoors unbearable."
"Our table was right in front of the band which made it difficult to talk."
"Only negative was that our table was right in front of the band which made it difficult to talk."
"Often have live music which has been a mixed bag, some I've really liked and others not so much."
Food Quality
Pros:
"Really lovely local pub with really great food and live music."
"The Oval is fantastic and one of too few independent pubs. Really friendly atmosphere, good food, and beer; whether in the beer garden or the main pub."
"Probably the best kept secret in Croydon. Great choice of ales and beer, scrumptious food."
"The food is home made and delicious too, especially the Sunday roast."
"Great choice selection and the food was delicious, restored my faith in roast dinners."
"Best roast I've ever eaten out, in my life. With the added bonus of background jazz music."
"Every dish was bursting with flavor and expertly prepared."
Cons:
"Food: was ok- had the lamb roast and the lamb was not great and very chewy."
"Sunday lunch was poor, with chewy beef, overdone veges, unimaginative sandwiches and a good wait to get the food."
"Food was a little dry for my likely almost as if the chef had given up."
"Went for Sunday lunch. Advised at 2pm they had run out of food?"
"There was a barbecue in the garden, tried the burger, bit overcooked but very tasty salads on the side."
Atmosphere & Ambiance
Pros:
"Wow. The new owner has breathed new life into the Oval."
"Epic pub, cliched I know but a ‘real hidden gem’ in the Cronx. Has a great back garden, and some of the best live (jazz and blues) music I have seen in a small venue."
"Such a great pub, a real rare gem in Croydon! It has a fantastic atmosphere."
"A delightful gem, hidden away in the back streets of East Croydon."
"An atmosphere that is slowly disappearing with small, local business can be found here every day."
"Lovely atmosphere, always service with a smile in this friendly pub."
"Peaceful and lively atmosphere."
Cons:
"I was there on a Saturday afternoon and it was very busy, so quite noisy."
"Bit of a weird one really, it's clearly a very popular pub for the locals but that's the problem, if you're not local it seems like you're the only one not invited to the party."
"Was not a fan of being surrounded by other guests smoking...feel that there should be separate areas for smokers and non-smokers."
Service
Pros:
"Had a fab evening celebrating with friends and must say that staff here were so attentive and were on tap to take orders all evening!! Great night had!!"
"The staff are friendly and the drinks reasonably priced."
"Staff: friendly and welcoming."
"Staff are very attentive and actually take an interest in making sure you are having a good time which is refreshing."
"Staff always friendly, good service."
"The staff are wonderful, really informal, friendly and relaxed."
"Staff were great, friendly but not overbearing."
Cons:
"The service was slow though it was very busy so to be expected."
"Only thing I felt could make the whole outside dining experience better, would be if they had outside heaters...was absolutely freezing when we were there."
"Whilst the staff were friendly and accommodating, generally they weren't very observant meaning that one of our meals didn't come because they forgot to put it through and we had to ask twice for things."
"Waited 15 minutes for 2 beers. When they didn't arrive I asked them to check on the order. Waited another 10 minutes and again asked them to check on the order. At 30 minutes in the waiter returned to the table to ask us what it was we ordered."
"Unfortunately the service let it down for me."
Location & Accessibility
Pros:
"Tucked away in a quiet area, east of East Croydon."
"A real find, lovely pub with friendly and helpful staff. Nice garden at the back which should be really nice in the summer."
"An oasis of a garden, hard to believe you are in Central Croydon."
"Lovely pub. Close enough to East Croydon Station that it's a short walk but far enough away that it feels local."
"Traditional pub 8 mins walk from East Croydon station."
"A lovely little pub hidden away from the hustle and bustle of Croydon."
"Good family pub. We came in for lunch and some drinks. Drinks and food reasonably priced and easy to get to from East Croydon Station."
Cons:
"Quite a few stairs to get out into the garden so not ideal for anyone with mobility issues."
"My friend went to the bar and she wasn't drunk and yet she was refused service. The only explanation is she was Indian."
"Only gripe is that it could be a little cleaner."
"Person managing booking slammed phone down on my queries (Nov 2022), unsure if my booking is still going ahead."