The Gardeners Arms Pub & Restaurant, Ardingly Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Wonderful VEGAN menu and food was delicious."
• "Had the double cheeseburger which was delicious and my wife polished off her pork belly salad no problem."
• "Beef was perfectly cooked, portion was just right, bottomless gravy and Yorkshire puddings were a nice touch."
• "Had some great veggie/vegan food on the menu also... Triple cooked chips were ridiculously good."
• "As for the food, beautiful! Meats nice and tender, generous portions, and full of flavour."
• "Food was quick and really worth it, DELISH!"
• "Food was delicious and the portions were big."

Cons:

• "was disappointed that on booking and on arrival was not told that the kitchen closed at 8 (on a Sunday), one hour after our arrival, only discovering this fact when we tried to order desserts and failed."
• "The steak pie was mostly fat and poor quality meat, the lamb was tasteless, burger was dry, fish was chewy and inedible and most of the food was tepid when served."
• "Roast beef sent back,"
• "Food was expensive and clearly rushed and put together with little care."
• "the whitebait was dry and overcooked and I left it half unfinished."
• "burger with stale bun, Caesar salad drowning in sauce. Veggie sharing plate - falafel not cooked."
• "Unfortunately it was full of sinew and i was unable to cut most of it let alone eat it."

Service

Pros:

• "the customer service was truly amazing!!!"
• "staff were all fantastic really credit to the business ⭐️"
• "The service by Nicole unbelievably totally outstanding"
• "staff couldn't do enough for you."
• "The team were super accommodating and helpful, with one lovely chap even going out of his way to fix our table which he noticed was slightly wonky!"
• "Waiting staff were really attentive to drink top ups and additional requests."
• "Staff were excellent and manageress oversaw a busy night with expertise."

Cons:

• "Waiting staff were very young and when I spoke with the older member of staff, he seemed as fed up with the staff as I was with the service provided."
• "Service was soooo slow too. It wasn’t busy but clearly 2 staff can’t cope."
• "Was asked for last orders before 9pm and to leave at 9.20pm! Very strange and disappointing as I was meeting a friend and hoping for a good catch up."
• "asked the waiter for a straw for our drinks after around 20 mins finally got one,"
• "our orders for main course and pudding both got ‘forgotten’ leading to a 45 minute delay and eventually no pudding."
• "The only reason I gave 4/5 stars was because of the service. It was slow.. not the order or the main food delivery, but the clear up and desert/coffee, and by this time it wasn’t that busy."
• "Food ordered was incorrect, left waiting for cutlery and condiments which meant having to remind the staff and a long delay for the correct food to arrive at our table."

Ambiance

Pros:

• "this pub is a delightful place to visit whether you sit inside or outside."
• "Such a lovely pub, you better reserve on weekends since they are usually fully booked."
• "What a lovely welcoming pub."
• "Really nice atmosphere and characterful old pub."
• "Lovely garden to sit in and inside is full of character."
• "an amazing atmosphere."
• "The location is really nice and the pub is really cozy and warm."

Cons:

• "Too bad that when we arrived it was rainy and all seats were soaked."
• "Overall the venue was nice with a roaring fire in the main bar area, however we had a 50th birthday celebration and went to a back room where the windows were milky and unclean, the plaster was falling off the walls and it was generally tired."
• "the outdoor lounge area which had looked so tempting was sadly spoiled by dirty and tired furniture."
• "Situated right next to a fairly busy road."
• "No play areas for kids but there are some small trees to clamber about on."
• "not sure about the pictures in the toilets"
• "the Lamb was fatty, tough, the potatoes were mashed with some cheese added,"

Value

Pros:

• "And all at good prices!"
• "Get what you pay for."
• "Staff were friendly & well attentive & the prices were appropriate."
• "Service charge is optional but I wanted to give a tip."
• "Always a good selection of Badger ales"
• "Friendly and great food. We both had the fish and chips and to be honest the best we have ever had!!! Highly recommend!!"
• "The charges for food/drink were acceptable for a top quality dining experience in a clean and welcoming pub but sadly this pub fell very short of this."

Cons:

• "And the bill was excessive."
• "£4.15 was a bit steep of a price though."
• "food is over priced,"
• "I think over priced for the quality of the food @ £255.00 for 6 people with 2 drinks each."
• "Food was over priced for what it was."
• "Bill came to over £130 and was not worth it."
• "The main salad portions were small for 11 pounds and the cheese burger and chips cost over 15 pounds."