The Refectory Reviews Summary

Atmosphere & Decor

Pros:

• "Unassuming from the outside but upon entering I found myself transported back to the old times... old wooden beams, high vaulted ceilings."
• "A huge and highly attractive Elizabethan building, with lots of space inside and out."
• "Eclectic pub restaurant with fascinating old world decor very much worth a visit or two."
• "Absolutely gorgeous pub on the outskirts of Godalming, Surrey. Traditional log beams, open fire, and wonderful atmosphere."
• "The interior of the dining area is absolutely stunning, plenty of character and comfy seats."
• "Wonderful country restaurant/pub in an 'old-world' setting."
• "Beautifully restaurated historical building, with old and new combined in in-, & outdoor open spaces."

Cons:

• "Shame its on a busy road."
• "However, being so large and old, you do need a jumper inside in winter, though blankets are available for outside."
• "The default dining area, adjacent to the bar, where restaurant customers are guided, isn't as characteristic as the main part of the building."
• "Beautiful building but lacked any real ambience or atmosphere."
• "No pencils or colouring for my kids."

Service

Pros:

• "The staff were all very friendly and helpful."
• "Good service and in view of the times felt very safe and impressed with the way they are dealing with keeping things covid free."
• "The staff is super friendly and helpful, service minded in a high end way without being over bearing."
• "Staff were friendly as usual."
• "The staff were friendly and helpful, especially our waiter."
• "Service is fantastic with plenty of pleasant, attentive staff to meet the busy demand."
• "The staff were very friendly, always checking to make sure the food was satisfactory, and checking for drinks."

Cons:

• "Walking in the staff appeared to be pre occupied and made no eye contact to new arriving customers."
• "The service was very poor: we ordered our meals, including starters. The starters never arrived and just as we thought we had been forgotten completely the main courses arrived."
• "Let down by indifferent bar staff who didn't even look at me as I paid but instead began a conversation with another member of staff."
• "Service is slow at the bar and it makes me cross when waiting staff walk past you without asking if you are being served."
• "Staff need to learn to take an order, keep coming out with the wrong food."
• "Very unfriendly. Waited in line at the bar reading a menu for over 5 mins and was then told I needed a table number."
• "Staff weren’t the best and forgot a few items from our order."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The food was brilliant and the chef also custom made a Thai curry for my vegan wife."
• "The food was delicious, especially the crab - large portion too!"
• "Food is great for meals or snacking... and the beer is delicious with lots of local choices."
• "The food was delicious. Above average, which made for a really enjoyable experience, and the prices were very reasonable."
• "Food is hearty and they don't skimp on things like pie fillings."
• "The food was amazing everything we tried was very tasty and well cooked!"
• "Food was delicious. We each had something different and we were all thrilled."

Cons:

• "An overly cooked and miserly Malaysian Curry arrived at our table for £13.45 and the Fish Pie, once a hearty and delicious go to dish, is now a shadow of its former self but priced at £14.45!"
• "Some of our food was inedible."
• "The fish and chips were underwhelming with the black skin left on the fish and mushy peas that looked like they had been dolloped onto the plate some time earlier."
• "My soup was inedible as it was unbelievably salty, the beetroot houmous was horrible with nothing more than an earthy taste, no flavours at all."
• "I had braised feather which was a slab of fat accompanied by inedible kale."
• "The focaccia bread was burned and the fish portions were mashed with mayo rather than served whole."
• "The food is bland and simplistic for the price they charge."