The Blue Ball Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Food was absolutely delicious, beautifully cooked and presented."
• "Food was unreal, meat was cooked beautifully, lovely veg, perfect roast!"
• "The food was delicious: my husband, daughter and I were very impressed!"
• "Food was delicious too, big portions."
• "The food was excellent in every way. The quality and taste was absolutely spot-on and the portions generous."
• "Great menu selection, wide range of dishes available, well cooked and presented."
• "The food was good and in a medium price bracket."

Cons:

• "Portion size of chips were poor, they barely covered the plate."
• "Very very poor meal. We went for my grandad’s birthday and not only was his gamon overcooked, all over our chips were cold, my haddock was tasteless."
• "Five out of our party of nine had roast which was inedible. The roast potatoes were old, dry, reheated."
• "We were presented with clearly frozen chips, frozen peas and very average scampi."
• "Mains were incredibly disappointing."
• "The main menu was tasteless and I was offered vinegar which didn't arrive."
• "The scampi was very bland, more like a school dinner meal."

Service

Pros:

• "The staff were smiling, chatty and attentive."
• "So glad you have opened this beautiful venue again, we look forward to many more visits."
• "A fantastic midweek lunch with friends. Reasonably priced, attentive staff and very tasty food."
• "The staff that served us were all very polite and helpful."
• "The staff were brilliant."
• "Really attentive staff with a supportive manager to help the new staff... get to grips with delivering great customer service."
• "The staff were friendly and helpful."

Cons:

• "This used to be one of the best pubs in the area many many years ago. It has gradually gone down hill over the last decade and since covid, it’s lost its quality in food and service."
• "Waited 40 minutes to get served drinks to the table."
• "Service is very poor. We waited over 2 hours from entering the pub to leaving for a starter and main course on a half empty Friday lunch time."
• "Booked a party of 24 yesterday and the service was abysmal. I don't blame the staff as they did the best under very poor management."
• "To have to wait 1 hour and a half for starters was beyond ridiculous."
• "The waitress did explain the kitchen was overwhelmed with our order (7 people, starters and mains) and they were understaffed."
• "Service was non existent."

Ambience and Decor

Pros:

• "They have nice garden too and it's in the quiet, green space."
• "This is a fine gastro-pub which was the subject of a complete refurbishment not long ago."
• "The Blue Ball pub restaurant offers a delightful space, both indoors and outdoors."
• "A welcoming, tastefully decorated, and comfortable pub with good food selection."
• "Beautiful pub and beautiful setting."
• "Lovely place and food really tasty."
• "Fantastic village pub. Great atmosphere, great food (especially Sunday lunch), great decor and a lovely outside space overlooking Walton Heath."

Cons:

• "With steaks on the menu at £45 a pop and desserts at £7, I expected a lot but was bitterly disappointed and bitterly cold too - the restaurant was freezing."
• "The restaurant was so noisy with kids and dogs running around, and adults shouting and swearing, totally ruined the ambience!"
• "The fire smoked out the whole place."
• "The restaurant was almost empty and we finally left at 5.30. For most of the time the waitresses were nowhere to be seen."
• "We were seated at the back of the pub restaurant next to an elderly couple, then a school trip was seated next to us!"
• "Service was poor. Quality of food very poor. Staff smoked outside the door."
• "Grumpy pub without much beer choice when we visited."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "A fantastic midweek lunch with friends. Reasonably priced, attentive staff and very tasty food."
• "The menu was quite refreshing and a bit different."
• "Great food and not too expensive."
• "The drinks were quick and the glasses for draught were refrigerated, which is always a bonus!"
• "Family friendly good value for money."
• "Food was delicious too, big portions."
• "Good play area for children and very nice beer garden."

Cons:

• "£265 wasted, I would never re-visited."
• "Especially as it was not cheap."
• "With steaks on the menu at £45 a pop and desserts at £7, I expected a lot but was bitterly disappointed."
• "Very disappointing as menu that is advertised online is very very different and a lot more basic when you actually visit the pub."
• "however £9.00 for 4 or 5 small bits of cheese and 7 or 8 crackers seems a bit steep."
• "Very small portions for the price."
• "Possibly one of the worst examples of service ever. Restaurant in meltdown and a 'manager' hiding away."

Accessibility and Accommodation

Pros:

• "Dogs are welcome but don't seems to get in the way."
• "Dog friendly and has a great big green area across the road for walking."
• "1st time for years since last visit - went in with 2x new puppies, made to feel welcome and not outcast because we brought the fur babies out for lunch."
• "They are very welcoming to dogs and have made us a bowl of sausages for them on more than one occasion."
• "A beautiful place with indoor and outdoor seating areas and our dog was welcomed."
• "Dog and child friendly pub located conveniently between Walton Downs and Banstead Downs."
• "The lovely waitress sat me down and got a water bowl for my dog."

Cons:

• "No wheelchair access to the garden though."
• "Only downside was dogs were allowed in the restaurant, yes have them in the bar area but not in the restaurant."
• "Roasted veg were barely cooked and the vegan option came with a Yorkshire pudding (🤦 fyi - not vegan)."
• "When we complained the manager was apathetic."
• "Had to eat with my coat on even though the waitress put on a small fan heater for us."
• "The whole pub was empty apart from us."
• "Hugely understaffed (perhaps because of covid)."