Charles Holden Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The food was excellent and the staff friendly, I would certainly recommend this establishment for a really relaxing meal and drink."
• "The food is superb although there could be more starter/snacky items."
• "The food is nice, average priced."
• "Food was well presented, the right temperature and delicious."
• "It serves brilliant food. Not cheap but definitely good."
• "Food is very tasty and varies frequently, not a typical pub food."
• "We had lovely tapas and then mains of fish and chips, beef burger and the mushroom burger which were all delicious and decent size portions."

Cons:

• "Just paid £5 for the 'chicken kofta starter' that was literally the size of my finger, tasted really bland and was an absolute rip off."
• "Sunday lunch was OK but not great. We may have been unlucky and got the tail end of a joint but the beef was very well done and quite tough."
• "The veggie main was really small though (only half a stuffed aubergine, no potato/ veg/ other sides came with it or were offered)."
• "The Charles Holden pub.... total rip off.... courgette fries = 6 individual fries stacked up..... £5...."
• "I ordered three chicken and it was old and disgusting the corn was at least two days old."
• "The chicken wings were dry and completely drowned in hot sauce."
• "The food was sad, luke warm, and generally pretty disappointing."

Service

Pros:

• "Polite, concise staff, speedy service and a pleasant atmosphere for a quiet drink in the early afternoon."
• "Table service is quick and the bathrooms are always clean."
• "Very Helpful as I have a walker so they opened up the other door at the front so I could go to the loo."
• "The staff was very friendly and the food was fantastic."
• "The employees were very friendly and the food was absolutely delicious."
• "The staff was friendly even if they were busy, they are an efficient team with the smile!"
• "Staff were friendly and explained delays."

Cons:

• "The live artist was talented but soooo loud and clearly only his mates were listening to him."
• "We ordered 2x burgers at 20:00 and we sat there for 1 hour waiting and the bartender told us that the food had not gone through to the ticket machine upstairs to receive order."
• "We had to wait a very long time for the food to come, and then it had a hair in."
• "A handful of lovely staff but sadly the majority didn't have a clue what was going on or how to resolve customer complaints which were pretty basic things."
• "Bar girls and cashier unprofessional and rude."
• "Watching the staff work it is clear there is no guidance from the landlord and no care for their guests."
• "Staffed by a team who generally seem confused by the concept of hospitality and lacking in interest in doing a good (or even passable) job."

Ambiance & Location

Pros:

• "Right across from our Underground station."
• "Overall airy, spacious and welcoming!"
• "Nice place with a grade-A beer garden that's wonderful in the summer."
• "They have a beautiful beer garden adjacent to the Wandle Park, which makes it feel like you're not even in the city!"
• "A great little pub - that opens up onto a larger garden with lots of seating and wait for it ... an outdoor BBQ area!"
• "Brilliant atmosphere. Cosy, spacious, airy, light, nice soft music."
• "Great pub, nice atmosphere, lovely garden."

Cons:

• "Refused to play the football, instead played the T20 cricket that no one was watching on multiple tv screens and multiple large projected screens."
• "The patio heaters outside weren't working."
• "A bit overpriced and look/decor inside the pub is very soulless."
• "I am sad that the beer garden is closed after a certain time, because if you want to then continue a conversation, you are confined to the inside which may include some live music."
• "This is about as tired as a pub get sadly, don’t show sport and smells pretty awful."
• "The only sport they do not show is football. They are a rugby pub in the main so perfect for all you rugby lovers."
• "Another Pub for the Middle Class... The Charles Holden is a Rugby only Pub."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Good food and service."
• "Great food and drink at reasonable prices."
• "Prices aren't cheap but in line with other pubs in the area for a better product in our view."
• "Good selection of drinks and the Sunday roast is FANTASTIC!"
• "It still tasted nice and only cost £3.23."
• "Food was great and nice lunch not much choice but food was lovely chicken salad was great."
• "Amazing beer selection including local breweries. Alcohol free options."

Cons:

• "Lovely Pub, sadly this place used to be really good in terms of food, they have a few options that are ok, but some things like their salad, is a plate of 4 leaves a tomatoe some fancy dressing and its just well over priced!"
• "Price have gone up. Spent a lot on a glass of wine and a very small portion salad."
• "Don’t know what’s going on with the drinks pricing either - £9.45 for a lager shandy and orange & lemonade is pretty steep to me!"
• "Only downside is the price, its expensive! Central central London prices, especially for food and soft drinks."
• "Great pub but very expensive gin! I had a double gin and lemonade and it was £9."
• "Drinks are extremely expensive - more than zone 1 prices."
• "Is a little expensive for what you get [...] which gives the impression they're milking it slightly."