The Crown Reviews Summary

Atmosphere & Setting

Pros:

• "A classic pub shaped gem set in the crown of rural England."
• "Great pub on the edge of the New Forest."
• "Really nice environment, both in and outdoor seating available, plenty of separate spaces inside to have a more private area."
• "With festive season arriving the decorations were cosy and gave off a really nice atmosphere."
• "Love this pub, set in the middle of nowhere (unless you know where it is) is this lively friendly comfy pub!"
• "Very large public house. Alot of tables for eating. Lovely spacious garden."
• "Overall it felt like a warm and hearty English pub."

Cons:

• "The building looks very neglected outside and inside. It’s dirty, Toilets we’re discussing."
• "The outside tables were very smeery, looked like they were wiped with a dirty dish cloth and the residue came off on my arms."
• "The restaurant was decorated almost exclusively with Fox hunting memorabilia - it's 2017... have we not left all that nonsense behind us?"
• "The pub, as do others in the chain, sell themselves as being dog friendly...The table that was offered was completely unsuitable for what was intended to be a three course sit down meal."

Service

Pros:

• "The service was really good. Very natural, really easy. No long waits."
• "Fabulous Service."
• "The service was excellent coz of the little extras they do for you."
• "Fantastic service by Nat and great food and drink."
• "The staff were friendly, welcoming and efficient."
• "The waitress was very attentive, fast and very friendly."
• "The service was impeccable."

Cons:

• "On both occasions the staff have started putting coats on and turning lights off etc around 9:30 ish! It becomes really uncomfortable as despite the posted closing time, it is abundantly clear that once the place thins out a bit, all they want to do is shut up early and go home."
• "Staff brilliant but not sure if they were short staffed or badly managed. Food took nearly 40 minutes for starters and same again with a lengthy wait for mains."
• "Service was quite slow at the start of the evening."
• "The waitress was quite miserable and when asked about the absence of a side dish seemed to be rather put out."
• "Food was great, service was poor, waiting staff need re-training on their products."
• "The service was awful- basics not provided, things were forgotton, and no one even checking in if you did need anything."
• "We ordered our food at the bar from a very 'officious' unfriendly young lady."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Good value for what you get on your plate."
• "The meals were excellent food cooked well, my wife had the scallop starter and really enjoyed every mouthful."
• "Had a steak pie with puff pastry, excellent and piping hot, just like a good pot pie should be."
• "The Fish and chips, Trio roast and kids meals were all delicious and all plates were left empty!"
• "The cheesecake and chocolate brownie for dessert were wonderful."
• "Good quality meat for Sunday roasts."
• "The food was delicious, meat was soft and potatoes nice and crunchy, not to mention the tremendous yorkshire pudding, one of the best roasts we have had!"

Cons:

• "Variable food quality."
• "Would have given 5 stars all round if only my veg was served hot and the carrots were not so hard to eat (not quite cooked through)."
• "A very expensive trip out and all left hungry."
• "A couple of our party had fish which was overdone."
• "Worst meal we ever had, it was over cooked, I had Gammon with 2 rubber eggs."
• "The beef in the pie was chewy and gristley and the vegetables were cold and uncooked so the broccoli couldn't be cut."
• "The roast beef was tough and the potatoes black and some hard."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Good value for what you get on your plate."
• "Very reasonably priced."
• "Can honestly say this is amazing value."

Cons:

• "Very pricey and portion sizes are poor."
• "Just wasn't the best food and very expensive for what we had."
• "A very expensive trip out and all left hungry."
• "The most annoying part was having to pay £1.65 for a glass of blackcurrant squash!!! Cordial and water (which is free) not sure how that price is justified more annoying as it was just for out 2 year old."
• "When you've paid just over a fiver for a pint, the glass should not include 4cm of fresh air!"
• "Nothing changes at the Crown: slow service, poor choices, undercooked food, overcooked food, inflexible options and awful portion sizes."

Management & Staff

Pros:

• "The Pub has gained a new manager since our last visit and the positive atmosphere and great service showed off his excellent work."
• "New manager called Lyn has taken over & what a difference she has made. This place is now becoming a gem & a lovely friendly welcoming place to visit."
• "There is a young man called JOSH who goes over and above with fantastic customer service & is totally unflappable when the pub is crazy busy & he is running a full bar."
• "The staff make you feel welcome and are alternative without being overbearing."
• "The staff are all very polite well mannered friendly and helpful like nothing was too much bother."
• "The staff are brilliant. Customer service is paramount."
• "Great staff friendly and helpful."

Cons:

• "Why, oh why can't Vintage Inns either upgrade this pretty-looking, yet poor quality and service pub, or sell it off so that it can finally improve?"
• "The new manager has really let it down."
• "Best sort this manager otherwise you are going to loose the reputation that took us there in the first place."
• "The manager's attitude helps matters in any way, nor does his appearance, dressed very casually and in slippers, not entirely befitting his managerial position."
• "I will not use this Restaurant again until there has been a top to bottom change in Management."
• "The Waitress came out with many well rehearsed excuses but when challenged on any of them ran off in tears!"
• "Again the service was first class but let down by the food."

Accessibility & Amenities

Pros:

• "Dogs are welcome and offered water bowls and Treats on arrival (lovely touch)."
• "The pub is really dog friendly."
• "Has its own car park at the front of the building."
• "They have 4 nice big steel racks to secure your bike too."
• "Plenty of easy access parking leads into a nice reception area."
• "Found this pub on a drive out. Lovely pub welcomes dogs inside and out they have bowls of water for dogs and jar off treats."
• "Lovely pub, with a great beer garden."

Cons:

• "Reserved a table for wheelchair access and ease. When we arrived we had to re arrange the seating ourselves."
• "Good service but as locals and frequent visitors to new forest pubs why in my local pub are we treated as second class citizens re table service because we have dogs."
• "Everyone who wasn't eating had to leave the pub."
• "According to the website food orders stop at 21:30. I got there just before 8:50 and I was told food orders stop at 21:00 and I was too late to order."