Bear & Ragged Staff Pub Farnham in Waverley

Another one to get a parking fine. I picked up a take-away and had a pint while waiting. To be fair the food was ok for what it was, and I would consider going back but having just received the £100 fine…….: I didn’t see any signs and certainly wasn’t warned when I went into the pub. Shocking behaviour!!! Is the pub on a share of profit scheme???

Such a lovely evening with friendly chatty staff and great atmosphere

Stayed overnight, fabulous room, great hosts. Breakfast was lovely too, good portion sizes and variety.

Similar story to other recent ones. I parked in the pub car park for 35 mins to have one drink with friends on a Sunday after our football match. I didn’t spot any sign in the car park and was told anything inside when we ordered drinks. I’ve appealed the fine, but not overly hopeful based on the other responses. However, will be very tempted to escalate the appeal should it be declined. If the car park is for patrons and you can prove you were a patron, then the fine seems redundant…especially if the signage isn’t obvious in the car park and the pub doesn’t tell you to do it when you order at the bar. Tried to call the pub to discuss the matter, but the number advertised online has been disconnected.

Parking fine for using customer carpark, which won't be retracted despite showing evidence of being paying customers. Apparently you have to enter your reg number at the pub in order to park there, but it is never mentioned and not clear at all. Very sneaky way of making money from people who are giving the pub their custom. Don't get conned by them like I did!!

Quick pint at opening time. Barmaid friendly and helpful

The Bear is a local for me and I like many others have experienced and witnessed many changes during the various changes of ownership. With the new kitchen focus on Pan-Asian food provided by Shinsen II I wholeheartedly recommend a visit. The menu offers a variety of dishes and those that I have tasted have been superb, full of flavour, and with enticing presentation that excites the taste buds. Prices are decent, portions fulfilling, and all presented with a smile and enthusiasm from the Shinsen team. The architecture of the bar is a gem with low ceilings, oak beams, and with little snug side rooms etc. There are spaces for pool and darts for those with sporting interests. A good West-facing decked patio bar at the rear provides a lovely spot particularly during a summer evening. There is also a garden which offers a nice space to equally enjoy a summer evening. The bar offers a limited but decent range of wine, real ales (this needs developing), a range of on tap lagers and bottled beers. With regards to the parking issues mentioned in previous reviews …. Well, the introduction of parking fees has provided controversial debate among the regulars but now there are certainly ample signs both outside and inside notifying you to enter your car registration at the screen provided at the bar (and the staff as far as I have witnessed have always brought this requirement to the attention of visitors). Whether you reside locally or tend to focus just on Farnham for food I would thoroughly recommend a visit. There are good places around if you are prepared to make the effort and add your support to local ventures which truly deserve recognition. The Bear and Shinsen both truly deserve this.

Avoid! RIP off parking fine just like others on this thread. Disgraceful and now pub has changed hands again so no chance not having to pay £60

A real chill out pub in olde world gorgeous architecture (low ceilings, timber beams etc). Good decent stock of beers, lagers, wines etc. Pizza parlour has long gone but now replaced with pan-Asian food and really good, tasty food and simply but nicely presented. Give it a go, you’ll enjoy it.

Nice pub. Friendly staff. Good pint of Timothy Taylor.

Went with a friend as was near where we were staying. Few days later A PARKING FINE!!! after 40 minutes in their own car park. Utterly bonkers. If there were signs they were totally unclear. Was literally in the rear of the pub and designated as for customers.

Worst worst worst burgers I have ever had. They didn't even had menus, just some writing on a board by the front door. Choice of maybe 5-6 items. The burger consisted of a cold bun with a burnt piece of meat (I hope it was meat). No salad, no pickle, no tomato which sat on top of fries. Can't remember what we paid but let's just say not worth a penny! AND THEN... I got a parking fine for parking on their premises!!!!! WTF!!! I went back to complain about this and the poor waitress said a lot of customers got fines for parking on the premises. At no point whilst we were in there were we told to enter our vehicle reg. I honestly cannot remember seeing any signs anywhere! What a total joke! I have never been to a pub where I have to register my car for parking on their parking area! I appealed and it was unsuccessful. I WILL NEVER SET FOOT IN THIS PLACE AGAIN.

A dog friendly and welcoming spot for a drink 🍻 Nice selection of bar snacks too 😋

The lady serving was very pleasant.

A lovely little pub, open on a Tuesday night, when we visited

Great atmosphere locals very polite, friendly and welcoming. Food great for the price, really enjoyed this place would highly recommend, Alina and Kayla were great staff and very friendly.

Have a lovely Sunday lunch here today, great potatoes and tasty vegetables. With generous portions.

Went for a birthday party lovely pub great time except the woman from the kitchen who was rude and made it very clear she did not like the woman who was throwing the party for her daughter, no need for it completely uncalled

VERY disappointed & did not go in the end ! I had booked a lunch table, over 1 week ago, for a double birthday celebration; only to be phoned the afternoon before & asked if I could pre-order our lunch now ?! It transpired that this was because they didn't have a chef for that Saturday. However, I could not pre-order lunch as I had no idea what either of my 2 children would like to eat (one is a vegan, the other a vegetarian)? All in all not very satisfactory & disappointed as really looking forward to it.

The management has changed... big fall in quality, service and overall .. no more good pizza or food .. it's a shame .....just a pub for local drunk people...In a while I find again the pizza chef Diego in a mobile restaurant (pizza van) available the weekends in the parking space at the pub Albinion at the end of the west street in Farnham

Great staff, lovely beer, lovely atmosphere for a drink! The coffee is amazing too!

EDIT 8/Nov/2022: The brewery Heineken have got rid of the owners who did this great food. New owners have moved in, they are yet to find kitchen staff. Reduced from 5 stars to 3. The food here is amazing, I can never make a decision about what to eat - it's all delicious. The pizzas are made with the best ingredients, the dough is delicious. The burgers are very tasty too, and the chips always crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle with a rosemary salt seasoning.

Lovely staff and a friendly, warm atmosphere! Great place for a private party in the side room which has been recently decorated. Drinks are a great price! We would highly recommend.

Bear and Ragged staff in Wrecclesham: Lovely staff! Friendly and warm atmosphere! Side room has recently been decorated and had a brilliant surprise party! Bob and his wife were so accommodating! Thank you! We highly recommend!

The Bear hosted my surprise 30th party. They were fantastic hosts and made it easy for my wife, family and friends to organise the event. The new landlord and landlady were incredibly welcoming and created a lovely atmosphere. Would happily recommend.

Lovely pub with friendly and helpful service. Served by Ellie Symonds. Very competent and made the meal all the more enjoyable.

We booked out a room for a Christmas meal with 30 people last year (bit delayed writing a review I know but I just realised I hadn't done a tripadvisor one!) Nelita, the manager, and staff were amazing, super helpful in the organisation such as pre-ordering food (both christmas meals and pizzas!) as well as last minute changes due to covid. Everyone thought the food was amazing. They managed the big group really well and communicated timings of courses with us so we could do our secret santa presents etc. at the right times without being disrupted by food coming out. have gone back with family for other meals and same friendly staff and great food. Will 100% be returning this Christmas with our ig group again! Will definitely be going Definitely recommend.

Has some lovely chickens out back. Staff was super friendly and service was quick Unfortunately the garden area was full of cigarette butt's and the pub was a bit worn down.

Great food. Stopped after a stag do and the food sorted us all out. Home made pizzas. Highly recommended

Friendly staff, but very microwave food, so you have sent me a message to update the review, and then you deleted the reply from FB so you will only have positive reviews? Well then, I have updated it to 1 star only for the staff; I will say again how it is possible you serve Marguerita, Calzone pizza, last a, and garlic bread in 5 minutes? And you say it is fresh? Is it microwave? Yes You said that you have cameras; well-pleasing to know, you are welcome to see them, You said the food was not returned; No was not; I have paid, and with respect for the staff, I decided not to say anything. also, I never said the food didn't have any taste, just was not fresh, it is simple as this, Your attitude toward deleting the post shows the answer to my question, I will be back for a drink unless you invite me not to, what you have done, Thank you

Pictures are far better then words. Amazing

Had a very nice cold Guinness, sharing nachos and a meat feast pizza. Not good for the waistline, but off the scale for comfort food. Very tasty and some left over to take home in the box provided. A 5 star experience 👍

Driven by leads of times but never stopped. Glad we did, well looked after and the pizza and burger were great

I ate the chickpea and broccoli vegan burger that is proudly hamdmade by the head chef Diego - it was that good I didn't go for one of hsi pizzas this time! A very tasty burger with chips, portion size was good and price was even better as this was on their weekly special deal day. Service was good too, I'd say under 20 minutes. The pub was clean and tidy, the staff are very friendly - the conversation and laughs are a draw in their own right to this establishment. All round very good and nothing comes to mind on the negative side! There is free road parking but they have their own car park down the side. Cheers Bear and Ragged!

After wanting to visit this restaurant for ages, it wasn't as nice as I expected. Although the staff were friendly.

One of my top 5 places to go - Food is amazing and I highly recommend Deigo's Dough Bites! Staff and owners make you feel at home - no faults, love it every time.

Great food and friendly staff! Pizza was amazing

Gancied a pint of the black stuff. They sold it so i had it. Boozer seems ok. First time in there for 15yrs. Clean and food good. Sweet

Came in with my fiancée my sister and her partner as I’ve had good roasts here before.. prices around normal for a premium roast… £15.50 for the trio which I have had before and enjoyed! Ordered two trio roasts and two burgers… when the roast came it looked like school dinner and smelt like the back of a bin shed…. The burgers were edible to a extent but the roasts were really a problem.. we quietly asked the server to get the manager who came over rather hostile and argumentative telling us we haven’t tried the food properly… to which I explained we just aren’t happy with the food and weren’t willing to pretend and pay for disappointing Meals. She continued to argue her case that we haven’t tried the food and then refused to allow us to pay for the drinks we had had so we were uncomfortably exited from the pub… shame because we enjoyed our last experience here but won’t be returning or recommending it to anybody else!

Fresh Italian Pizza cooked to order in a pizza oven. Thin crispy and very tasty highly recomended.Take away pizza available.

A real find. Great place with a lovely pub feel about it. Owned and run by Italian family. Friendly service and excellent food. Good value too. Highly recommended 👌

Really nice stonebake pizzas. Lovely home atmospere .

Went for the music night and it was good music.

Feel so lucky to have this as our local pub! Friendly atmosphere, great service. Food is fantastic - clearly freshly made. Will definitely be back - a lot!!!

Wow what a cool pub. Ha an old school rave up there with DJs playing Vinyl. Great bar staff and good beer. Heard it’s a bi monthly thing as well. Cool place

Nice pub, with good beer and friendly staff. Not sure if I’d call it an Italian restaurant though.

What a lovely restaurant. The pizza and service was amazing. The dough bites are the best. What made this amazing was our waiter Ash. Thank you so much. Love to return.

Nice pub went to a music evening had a great time

The food is excellent. Everything freshly cooked to order. Nice location and very friendly atmosphere would recommend and will be going back again soon.

Popped in and had an amazing lunch at the Bear & Ragged Staff. There was a large pizza menu with a variety of different options as well as classics and a specials board. The food was cooked to perfection and we were all satisfied. I most definitely recommend for those wanting to try somewhere a bit different but most definitely just as good if not better than what you get elsewhere in the area. Friendly service and a pleasant atmosphere so I will visit again!

Lovely little pub with the best pizza

First and last time, my daughters asked the young waitress a question about the wine,waitress didn't seem to have much idea and she said she would get someone else next minute the manager turned up and accused us of making the waitress cry,I being dad told her I didn't like your attitude to witch she shrugged her shoulders upon which I stood up and said, Where leaving! she answered,Fine

Staff were helpful and polite. Food was lovely. Plenty of parking. Children friendly. Dog friendly. Accessible entries for all. Toilets very clean and regularly checked. Unsure of baby changing facilities as I hadn't needed to use them, or the disabled toilets. Cutlery, glassware, crockery, and seating very clean too. Outdoor seating to the front and rear of the establishment. Also, they had gorgeous chickens in the rear garden!

Excellent meal, had Scampi and Chips, asked if they had mushy peas to go with it but on menu it said peas. The lovely young waiter said he would ask the chef, all I can say is the chef went above and beyond and made mushy peas and these were a joy to eat, whatever recipe he made they were absolutely perfect very tasty, I think he should add them to the menu to be honest, I hope he will cook them for me when I call in again. A big thankyou. All three of us had different meals, so enjoyable. Lovely atmosphere, clean and so polite. Lovely people would highly recommend.

Food was excellent. Garlic bread fresh and cheesy and Mexican Burger out of this world. Spaghetti bolognese lacked flavour and perhaps fresh herbs. Rest was excellent

I regularly bring my family down to the bear. All the staff here are so welcoming & the food is amazing! I highly recommend visiting the Bear whether it be for a quick drink or for a family meal/date night! Please try the chef’s wood fired pizza - Diego’s pizza’s have been voted the best pizza in Farnham!

Amazing staff especially Nalita, Diego and Kat gave fantastic service and incredible food ! I haven’t found a better pizza in England yet ! I would recommend this pub for family’s, football and most importantly the food and service, I will be returning !!!!

Lovely food and staff are very friendly good parking space

We came to Farnham for a 1 night break and my partner decided he wanted pizza which he never wants! After searching online for pizza restaurants I found this little treasure of a place. We ordered 2 starters (peri peri wings and calamari), 2 pizzas and dirty chips… The starters were really nice and the calamari tasted fresh. My partner wanted a pepperoni pizza however was told that the pepperoni wasn’t delivered and the chef would not use substandard pepperoni- very commendable. He has a reputation to uphold and would not be satisfied serving his customers below par ingredients. So much choice on the menu that we struggled to decide what we wanted but everything we had was amazing. Pizzas are probably the best we’ve ever tasted. Would definitely come here again if we’re in the area and would highly recommend it.

Lovely, great service, and friendly people.

Lovely food & staff are amazing

Booked for after Go Ape as a group of 6 plus a dog. From the moment we arrived we felt welcome. We forgot our puppies supper, and sure enough the pub obliged and provided a delicious supper for our dog. The food was delicious catering for all needs and tastes a lovely family pub, definitely worth a visit nothing was too much effort. A fabulous atmosphere.... We will be back. Thank you to the team.

We had a nice bar meal here after a walk in nearby Alice Holt woods. Staff were very friendly and food tastes good. Outdoor dining and parking is available.

The food at the Bear is amazing quality, The only issue is choosing what to have! And I always recommend the dough bites or the dirty dough bites if you are off the diet for the day!😂 Friendly staff and great service make this one of our very favourite stops!

Went for lunch with a friend, greeted very warmly by cute puppy n humans alike! Had a superb steak n ale pie with truly incredible gravy, my friend loved her homemade spaghetti made by the Italian chef, big thank you for the friendly atmosphere n superb food, will b returning soon

Visited there last night will happy to go again.

They serve fantastic food,we had wonderfully tasting Roast Beef and Lambshank. Desserts are really delicious. Very nice staff too.

Always excellent food.. Now there is also a bar straight in the garden with a nice covered space... I reason in more to go there..

Great selection of beers and a beer garden with some shelter.

Ordered the whitebait, plus two pizzas, Funghi and Pescatore for collection. It was ready for our scheduled pick up time, piping hot and extremely tasty with plenty of toppings. Pizzas were so filling that we should not have had the whitebait. Strongly recommend.

Just got takeaway pizza's for the family. the food was super tasty, really nice and hot. really good portion sizes and loads of choice on the menu. also the staff were really friendly

Pulled in for lunch with the kids and we all had pizza... absolutely delicious authentic base fired in wood fire!! Clean plates all round!

Visited the restaurant during lunchtime. Plenty of options for EVERYONE'S taste. Burger are just awsome, huge portion, but too good to leave anything on a plate. The only positively negative thing is the Pizza menue, as it is neverending and it is too hard to...

Best place for Italian Pizza not to mention Seafood, English Meals and Everything Else prepared by Diego and served in a very Friendly Atmosphere.

Not enough superlatives for this place! The Chef Deigo is a humble man but one can see that it is through sheer hard work and passion for cooking that he has turned this place around. I noted on a recent visit that it is popular...

Top quality pizza. Perfect base and fillings. Farnham’s new pizza choice. 10/10 great staff as well. Go there 👍

Really friendly and great pizza and beer!

Our second visit. The pizza was as good as any I've had. Lovely food, great service, and a very friendly pub. We will definitely be back for more.

We had two pizzas, both presented very fresh and hot. Crisp thin crust good fresh toppings. I had linguine bolognese, pasta just aldente and well balanced sauce,good service defo will be a regular. Thanks Tony.

Excellent pub, fab food and warm atmosphere - great pizza takeaway too and lovely beer garden 😁

Finally made it down to this pub, we were a big fan of their pizzas when they were in their last place. I am pleased to say the food is still amazing, pub clean and has been done up nicely, it also has a nice little garden. Prices very reasonable too, we will be back again, loved it!

Such a great pub with amazing friendly staff and the food especially burgers and pizzas is phenomenal! The landlady is lovely and great with kids - would leave 6 stars if I could!!

Such a great pub with amazing friendly staff and the food especially burgers and pizzas is phenomenal! The landlady is lovely and great with kids - would leave 6 stars if I could!!

Thanks for a wonderful take-away and managing to fit us in - our new favourite pizza in Farnham!!

Amazing authentic italian stonebaked pizza whether you eat in or take out. And it's not just the food, the team at Diego's are simply fantastic too!! We all know it's a really challenging time for everyone at the moment but Diegos are running a really slick, thorough, non contact collection service and I'd definitely recommend trying out this local restaurant if you haven't yet. Plus Diego's are donating to the NHS for each take away ordered, so get on board and support local!! No request seems to be too much trouble and the gluten free pizza is awesome....thanks Diego's, we'll be back soon!

Sunday roast are very nice good amount given

The best pizza in Surrey, without a doubt. Staff are absolutely brilliant also and incredibly friendly! Even if you're not hungry, pop in for a pint, great atmosphere. Thanks Nelita and Diego 😁

Speedy service, great food, fabulous cheesy garlic pizza!!

Oh, my !! The best pizza I have had forever and a Day!! Had a drink whilst I waited and got a takeaway, got home and pizza was slightly warm and I like my food hot! Popped it in a warm oven for just a few minutes and the base of the pizza was perfect, the dough was divine! I went for the tuna pizza with anchovies, capers and olives, I added a side of mayonnaise and it was perfect! The last time I had a pizza like it was in Wimbledon Village in about 1983 in a place called Pizza, Pizza, Pizza! Honestly, go and eat pizza in “The Bear and Ragged Staff” Wrecclesham. You won’t regret it, plus it was so inexpensive!!

We had a lovely sunday lunch. Warm, cozy, friendly and welcoming. Spotlessly clean. Good, honest food, quality at an affordable price. The new landlady has turned the pub around into a homely and comfortable place to spend a few hours.Nelita and Diego deserve success for...

A group of 8 of us (4 adults, 2 toddlers and 2 babies) visited this pub on the way back from Alice Holt forest. We booked on the phone with less than 30 minutes' notice and they were super accommodating, reserving an entire area suitable for the children and the 2 dogs we had with us. The food was fantastic with a welcome to match. They were able to handle complex food allergies of one of the people in our party. Really recommend the chicken wings and 'dirty' dough balls! We shall be visiting here again I'm sure!!!

Excellent staff, good price and the best pizza in the UK!!

Dropped by on a Sunday on our way home from the park. Sunday Roast for a tenner was amazing. Didnt disappoint with servings! Brilliant service and food was great. Would definitely be back. Also saw some board games available on the way out. Love the...

Just took the family here after reading other reviews of the wood fired pizzas and wasn't disappointed. Definitely go back again.

Lovely place, friendly owners and gorgeous puppy!

Friendly staff and serve excellent pizza.

Had a lovely lunch here today. Was welcomed by a smile as soon as I came in and the service was very attentive and speedy. Had the spicy wings for starters and oh boy were they amazing! They were crunchy on the outside but still moist on the inside and the spicy sauce was just to die for. We had to ask for more. My mum had the Portuguese picado which tasted so authentically Portuguese, it was a really nice reminder of our heritage. I personally had to try one of Diego's pizzas and was not disappointed. Will definitely come back soon!

Fantastic every single time, the chef is excellent, every single meal we've had is perfect, I cannot recommend this place enough, bar staff are always polite and friendly, and the front of house lady is so welcoming. 100% every time.

Great pizza and the fajita weren’t bad too. Dog and teenager friendly!

They were able to accommodate our group of 16 with short notice including small children, excellent service and delicious food; their pizzas are so good, my American fiancée said it was the best pizza she’s had whilst living here!