Crown and Horns Inn in West Berkshire

A Christmas gathering for ten. Very disappointing turkey meal, small portion and dry turkey, although starter and dessert was ok. In spite of pre-ordering one dessert was unavailable. No napkins or condiments on the table, no wine list offered and service from main server was unfriendly and unprofessional. She informed us at 10.00pm she was closing at 10.30pm. No Christmas spirit or atmosphere. Would not recommend

Four friends met at The Crown and Horns as a convenient halfway point for (non-festive) Sunday lunch. The place was very cold and one of our party as well as someone on another table, asked for the heating to be put on. The fires had not been lit. Starters were OK but otherwise, I have never experienced such appalling food and service. One person's chicken schnitzel was acceptable having been freshly cooked. The roast beef and roast chicken meals were served with strangely ice cold food on cold plates! It was as if half-cooked food had been put on a plate to be reheated, possibly microwaved? On complaining, the plates were taken away to be heated and then the beef was so tough one person could not cut it but the other persevered and bent the knife! Roast potatoes were not crisp and tasted stale. I imagine they had been defrosted but not then properly cooked. Broccoli and carrots were al dente, which I like, but remained cold. The "roasted" parsnips had colour but were floppy. Microwaved, fully plated food does not work, especially on Yorkshire puddings which were inedible. We complained and asked to see a manager but none was available. We sat and talked for half an hour without being offered a dessert or coffee. Eventually on complaining again, a lady behind the bar reduced the price of the bill, which was at least something!

We read the reviews which were good but how wrong they were..the whole place was cold had to ask for heating to be turned up….only goes on when the pub is open..open fire in lounge area. Unlit and fire in dining area unlit.starters were fine when the main course of roast beef for two of us came Luke warm plates and Luke warm food……sent them back when new plates came Yorkshire puddings still Luke warm and beef very tough and the potaties tasted heated up….we could not fancy this food at all .when waitress asked if everything was ok we told her beef was tough and all in all a not very nice meal.told her to tell the chef about our unappealing meal but don’t think she did.when the plates were cleared we sat there for a long time and was not asked if we required dessert or coffee just keep walking past our table.hen the bill came I asked to speak to the manager as I was not happy to pay for what was an unapatising meal when a another member of staff arrived I explained what had happened and that we were unhappy with the bill.Shen the reduced our bill taking off two starters and two main courses.she then said she hope we would come again..no no no

What a dreadfully, disappointing Christmas lunch! We pre-booked and pre-ordered for 5/6 of us, so we expected service to be prompt and smooth running, but sadly no. There was one waitress/bar person who was flustered and grumpy, informing us when we looked hopeful for our starters that she had a funeral to attend to also (I think she meant a wake), but she was obviously under a lot of pressure and we felt like we were more trouble than we were worth sadly. Now, the food 🤦‍♀️ Please look at the attached menus. That is not what you will be getting 🙄😆 Two turkey roasts, one mushroom pie and one lamb - all served with stale tasting roast potatoes, under-cooked carrots (NO flavour), two over-cooked (as in hard, crunchy, no flavour) pieces of parsnip, a tiny pot of leeks, thin, flavourless gravy. NO pigs in blanket, NO sausagemeat stuffing, NO tenderstems, NO sprouts, NO red cabbage, NO crushed new potatoes, NO rich gravy. Desserts. They arrived after a few more scowls and a very, long wait. The Cherry Sundae.... a tiny spot of red compote with a solitary cherry in the bottom of the glass, with a scoop of perhaps vanilla ice cream, then probably over half a glass of squirty cream. NO Belgian waffle pieces, absolute awful I'm sorry to say. The Christmas pudding was the slice a piece off a roll with what did not resemble Brandy butter ice cream...could have been vanilla again 🤔 Oh dear.... I've never quite seen a Baked Alaska looking like that! I have seen a large pink and white meringue shell looking like that, though containing two scoops of ice cream and some runny sauce a bit like honey. Another huge disappointment. Two guests order sides of Yorkshire pudding and creamed leeks. They did not receive these as we all had a little pot of leeks and a Yorkshire pudding. They did, however, get charged for them. One guest had the Christmas Burger, he really enjoyed it 😋 perhaps we all should have had it 🤦‍♀️ one guest had the seabass risotto, he said he would not have it again, his dessert never arrived before we gave up and left! Total bill with 5 soft drinks and one non-alcoholic beer - £237.30! It would have been expensive at half that price. None of us will return. Disgraceful misrepresentation of their menu, they are an absolute embarrassment to the food trade. Apparently they have another pub somewhere......I hope I don't stumble upon that one by mistake either 🤦‍♀️

Stayed at the Crown and Horns and could not fault it. Gemma and all her team 5 stars they are friendly and welcoming. Dinner was very good compliments to the chef. Room was very clean and everything you needed. Bed was very comfy. Overall I would recommend to friends and family. A very friendly and welcoming pub.

Had a beautiful roast in the crown today. In the area for a gathering of friends and visited every day we were here. New manager is amazing and very welcoming, catered to all needs. We will definitely be back if we visit the area again.

I’ve been coming here for literally decades and during that time the pub has varied between very good and poor. The previous managers worked hard to make it a great place although towards the end their prices were quite high. However the new “management” have succeeded in the pub plummeting to a new low. I had the mixed roast recently and was totally underwhelmed. The vegetables looked sad, the meat so poor in the cut and how it had been cooked and I wondered what part of a chicken it came from. The service was indifferent which didn’t help. Unless they can sort themselves out then it’s another pub that I will avoid and couldn’t recommend as I used to do. All very sad

Dropped in after a day shopping in Newbury and wish we hadn't. The service was appalling we only had two courses and a drink and it took two hours. The last 45 minutes we were the only two in the restaurant but it didn't seem to make any difference. The food was reasonable but you got hungry again waiting so long between courses, I dread to think what it's like if it gets busy.

Had lunch today at this lovely country pub. There were 10 of us and we all enjoyed a delicious meal. The food was all served hot and together. The service was excellent very friendly and professional. Would highly recommend.

It was appalling. There was 19 of us, booked for 22. Manager refused to take the 3 people off the food so we had to pay them! Roast chicken was a tiny leg, prawn cocktail was 4 prawns. Vegetarian dish came 20 minutes after everyone else’s. Manager was rude on the phone just said hello and I had to ask if I was the through to the pub yeah was the reply. I said I had the food order and got told do it online and put the phone down on me, even though I was asked to phone the order through. They have a list a regular large order, not the same inter the new management. Rude.

Stayed overnight and the room was clean but incredibly hot. No heating on and it was a cold day. Unable to open the windows more than an inch so impossible to cool the room down to sleep at night. Had a meal and drink. Food was nice but no mayo in the place! There had been a flood so no drinks on draught or non alcoholic drinks. Wish we had been told in advance as we would have cancelled! Very disappointing.

Lovely pub have not been in a while and enjoyed it previously. We popped in on chance for quick drink and we were greeted with staff member announcing ‘ if you want food we are fully booked’!! There was no welcome or basic hospitality greeting. Very bad to assume what the customer is there for and her tone was very sour. Drank our drink and left quickly, after having a look at the menu, funny enough there were bar snacks, they were not offered. We will not be back… train your staff with basic customer service.

By far the nicest pub lunch I've had the pleasure of eating. Have been here for lunch 3 times now and everytime I'm left blown away by the quality. Amazing service everytime also I know this is the first place I'll think to come for food going forward and will forever recommend to friends and family to try out also.

Excellent lunch. Food was fantastic, lovely vegan options, good value. Staff superb. They were under pressure but over performed. Can’t recommend highly enough.

A welcoming (with log fire place), family run pub that offers an extensive menu. The food was absolutely delicious and service (especially Edward) was great. I particularly loved the sour dough naan - not seen that before so a real treat! Plus they serve food all day so for someone like me who eats at funny times this was perfect! Thanks all!

We were a party of 10. The staff were great and very welcoming. We had Sunday lunch which was beautifully cooked and good value for the amount we had. Puddings lovely too. Thoroughly recommend this lovely pub

Great food with generous portions. Service was slow, but the waiter was friendly and attentive. Good value overall and great coffee. Hope to return again.

📍Crown & Horns, East Ilsley A lovely New Year’s Eve meal in a cosy English pub. Miserable weather outside called for a warming roast for me, which consisted of the pork belly, roast potatoes, parsnips, carrot, stuffing, pig in blanket, yorkshire pudding, cabbage and gravy. Initially, there wasn’t enough gravy but not to worry as some more was brought for me, and it was lovely gravy at that. The veg was all cooked nicely, and all the food was actually piping hot, which sometimes you don’t find in busy pubs! The pork was lovely and tender, and definitely got generous helpings of meat, however there wasn’t any crackling which was disappointing. @wiff96 went for a vietnamese pork curry for a main, but shortly before a prawn cocktail to start, which he said were both very good. However, for me the star of the show was the warm cookie dough dessert. A thin layer of cooked cookie on top, but once you dug in it was all melted and gooey, and best of all had melted biscoff running through it. The vanilla ice cream was very necessary as it was a very sweet pudding, and this took the edge off a bit, but nonetheless was incredibly tasty. Safe to say my stomach is very full and happy now in the ending of 2023, and would definitely visit again. Service was good., and food reasonably priced for a village pub. Overall review: Date visited- 31st December 2023 Food- 8.5/10 Service- 7.5/10 Price- ££ Recommend to a friend? YES✅ ##foodstagram #foodlover

Extremely disappointed. Annual Christmas meet up with friends from the midlands ruined. Staff members rude, dirty cutlery on table, food and drink service very slow and poor quality. Obnoxious landlady. We will not return Shame on you crown and horns

I would never stay here again ! What used to be a pub with atmosphere ,friendly owners and great service has gone downhill,a group of us stray here every year for 2 days and before could not do enough for us , the new owner /front of house a women who can’t smile tried to short change me on drinks and clearly has no idea about hospitality ,we order food at 730pm and did not come till 10pm , when it did mix grills were missing the sausages and 2 of the meals did not even come complete forgotten, ,was no sorry , when I said about it went paying she got very defensive and told me well they only had one chief on . for breakfast we were offered cereal out of a old ice cream container at the bottom of the stairs to help your self in the morning, if your wanted a nice shower there is no problem with the heat but you better hold the next room are not talking one because there is not water pressure, in all very disappointing,

Visited here before and have to say this place has drastically gone down the pan. I am since told a change in ownership has happened. Gone are the festive decor that used to be. From arriving at the gloomy exterior we were met by foul mouthed customers. Upon entering we visited the bar to find the teenage lady more bothered about talking with friend about her encounters with a male friend (not something we wished to hear). Food wasn’t the greatest and we had basic pub grub which seemed overpriced. The place lacked management presence and seems to be run by youngsters. Sadly our festive place of choice is no longer and we will not return

Booked for a Friday lunch with friends. Seemed very short staffed with no one on the bar. A long wait for menus and drink order. Our four asian fusion starters were ecellent and good value. But two of us had the 'schicken schitznel' main which was very disapointing as it was deep fried batter (as KFC) so not a finely breaded flat chicken schnitzel. Need to take this off the menu. I had to cut all the batter off and found some chicken breast. We did let the waiting staff know that this was not what we were expecting!

Sunday lunch visit. The food was exceptional. Roast beef not plentiful, but very tasty. Pork loin great, but no crackling. Chicken, halloumi, schnitzel all excellent. The desserts were excellent, especially the sticky toffee pudding. But not good for gluten free - most items were gluten based. Service was friendly but sporadic; they were short staffed.

Got to say, £26 for 2 Large Chardonays is the most I have ever paid! Not a wine buff, so just popped in for a drink whilst travelling up the A34. Had to ask to see the price on the card machine since it was tap on the top. Never expected £26! Won't be visiting again. Go to the Crown and Horns, Compton. £13.90 for the same. Shame on you

Not enough staff, long wait for food, food plates appeared greasy. Portions very large ,glasses not aways clean, lipstick on glass.Room not great had to ask for teabags, then only to find only had one cup. Pub and room excessive for heat, needs to improve from a management point of view. Banged my head on the doorway.Girls that were on duty on Saturday were brilliant, could not fault them

Really friendly pub offering a traditional Sunday lunch that just hit the spot for a break from driving down the A34. We had the roast beef that was perfectly cooked and a glass of delicious Butcombe ale. I’ll be going out of my way to go there again.

We stopped here on the off-chance on our way home from a short break. Now I think we’ll have to find reasons to stop off more often! We ordered fish and chips, the crispy chicken burger, ham, egg and chips and the kids’ chicken goujons and chips. The chips were cooked to perfection: chunky, crisp on the outside, fluffy in the inside. The chicken goujons were made of large cuts of breast meat and covered in a crispy and beautifully seasoned crumb - even our fussy and picky eater couldn’t object and he ate more heartily than he usually does when we are out. The fish was cooked just right and not a hint of grease in the batter. The chicken burger satisfied the teen, and although he was defeated by the chips he liked them so much he asked to take them home to eat later! The absolute star though was the ham with its dark glazed and flavoursome bake and according to the husband, it was the best ham he’s ever had in pub. These were all standard pub dishes but each done so well there was nothing standard about their execution.

We ate at the pub and stayed overnight. Our room was small, very small, I think smaller than the others although we paid the same price. It was directly above a large A/C unit and as it was hot we had to have the windows open. So we were not best pleased with the room. There was no breakfast on site but there was some cereals that you could help yourself to which was good. The place itself was nicely decorated and furnished. Service was good. Parking was on site. Dinner was quite good.

We enjoyed our meal there. Food was good, they obviously have a good chef. Limited non-alcoholic drinks. The only problem was that it was difficult to split the bill and pay on several cards and leaving a tip was even more difficult. My suggestion to the owners would be make it easier for customers to tip tour staff - they deserve it.

This pub is nestled in the pretty village of East Ilsley but directly accessible from the A34. The pub is community oriented and supports the village with events and fundraisers for community projects. The restuarant has a lovely ambience and they offer a good menu and an unusually large drinks selection, including a gin bar and guest ales. There is also a covered/heated outdoor dining area or a terrace for summertime dining/drinks. Can be very busy in the summer months. Regular live music - usually nothing too imposing - more an acoustic set in the background to create an atmosphere. Alround, a lovely pub, run and staffed by lovely people and well worth a visit.

Great roast lamb Sunday lunch! Absolutely delicious! Lots of lovely fresh veg, lots of delicious lamb and plenty of delicious roast potatoes and a huge Yorkshire pudding! And gravy was perfect! Pudding was delicious too! Definitely recommend!

Great ambience, good menu, good selection of ale, cider and lager plus gin wines and the usual balance. Service was quick and attentive drinks arrived fast as did the meal - would we come again- YES we would Well done to the Manager and Staff

We were walking in the area and wanted a pub lunch. We were offered a place in the dining room but opted for a quiet table in the bar area, which suited us perfectly. The service was excellent as were the beers. The food was very good, definitely better than offered over the road in the chain pub.

Very slow service, food was cold when served. Puddings we’re served to half of our party of 4 then the other half 20 mins later

I would thoroughly recommend this Inn. My sister and I had a lovely meal . The food was of good quality and well presented. The staff were efficient and friendly and we thought it very good value for money. We were also impressed with their great kindness when my sister left her coat there and they sent it via post to Portsmouth before her return to Vancouver at their own expense. Sadly we are not local, but any time we are in the vicinity we will definitely revisit.

Visited this pub for lunch a few times now, each time hoping it’s improved, but unfortunately it hasn’t. It has such potential to be really nice as the location and setting is lovely, but it is simply lacking that special something. Not helped by the front of house staff who are sullen, unhelpful teenage boys, hiding or avoiding the punters at all costs. And when you do pin them down they barely give you the time of day, talk under their breath and certainly can’t crack a smile. Every time I’ve been there’s always dishes unavailable on the menu, or ingredients have changed. And the wait is soooo long even though there’s only three tables for lunch so they’re hardly rushed off their feet. Our hunters chicken was overcooked, dry and tough, and the Mediterranean Salad didn’t contain a single tomato ie. not very Mediterranean then. The avocado pieces in it were very sparse and mainly mush, as it was probably the last overripe one available in the kitchen. The halloumi cheese was substituted with feta. See the pattern here? It’s like a “oh that’ll do” attitude towards their food. And yet the bill is still £80. This most recent visit really will be my last.

Pathetic excuse for hospitality. Stayed overnight during cycling tour and no breakfast offered. Only a box of cereal and carton of sterilized milk. Needed a full breakfast to fuel a day of cycling. Offered to cook my own breakfast in the kitchen, which was declined....

We recently met up for a Sunday lunch, but were sadly very disappointed. The various roasts were all thick slices of poorly cooked tough meat, which was totally inedible. A few under-cooked vegetables - the broccoli was impossible to cut. Three very small roast potatoes...

We are here with friends on Sunday afternoon. One of our party has a nut allergy and had forgotten to bring her epipen. The waitress asked Head Chef Gavin what our friend could eat from the menu. The chef came to our table and suggested...

Stopped for lunch on journey south. Very friendly staff. Perfect location and nice outside area. Ordered ploughman’s and Caesar chicken salad which took almost 40 mins to arrive. No apology or explanation. Great shame as food was fine (except I think you could do a...

We ate here three nights whilst staying in the area. The food was home cooked, plentiful, hot and very tasty. The menu is varied and good value for money

Although this is a quaint country pub and very nicely situated, my experience was disappointing food wise. I was shuved out of the way in the restaurant, 45 minutes later someone took my order. When it came it was burnt to a crisp with items...

We have been to the pub many times over the years but the meal we enjoyed this week was definitely the best so far. Steaks were both perfectly cooked and fairly priced. The lamb shanks were delicious and the burger was also very tasty but...

We were staying at my sister's place & decided to go to the pub for dinner, curry night was mentioned and to be honest I was dreading the usual dreadful standard pub curry, however..................It was absolutely wonderful! I was drinking Timothy Taylor's Landlord (never had...

Our family of 6 all enjoyed our visit yesterday despite initial confusion about our booking. The staff were lovely and the food delicious, between us we sampled all the meat choice and we left sated!

My friend and I decided at very short notice to stay here for 2 nights. Benefitting from fresh COVID refurb, my dog was also greeted with a very warm welcome! The room was lovely and the staff are even friendlier and very hospitable. Each evening...

Wonderful atmosphere, service and food. I would definitely recommend to others and I will be taking the time to go again.

Took a chance on this pub just off the A34 as we were travelling late and hadn't planned on anywhere for dinner. The service was second to none and the food was so good we ended up having the full 3 courses! Nothing was too...

Met a friend for lunch here. We last went 3 years ago and it has since had a revamp. It is certainly well appointed, a decent carpark (once you have negotiated the one way system in the village) and friendly welcoming staff. A shame they...

Excellent service and delicious food. Absolutely delighted and will be back. Wonderful atmosphere with the football as well.

We came here on a nostalgic whim. I used to come here Friday lunchtimes with a group of us from the nearby Rutherford Appleton Lab, back in the day when Chris was the landlord Since then I’ve stopped eating meat and today fancied lunch out...

We were travelling back from Bournemouth and fancied some lunch and by chance came across the Crown & Horns. The first thing to catch my attention was the delightful gardens. The pub is surrounded by colourful plants, hanging baskets and tubs. Whoever looks after the...

It’s about 40 years since I first strayed off the A34 and visited the Crown and Horns, by chance. It seemed an interesting venue so when I came to live close by some 16 years ago I naturally gravitated to it. But as landlords came...

Very busy evening on the first Friday after lockdown. Staff working very hard to adapt to the new rules. New additions to the Vegan selections were terrific. Great food and atmosphere with live singer. Well done everyone.

Amazing outdoor space has been created with plenty of tables imaginatively spaced with lots of covered areas with heating. We were greeted by enthusiastic staff and had some great food. Thank you for all your hard work during lockdown you have transformed what was a...

Just had excellent salt and pepper chicken takeaway and best chips in a long while. Can’t wait for reopening to go in person. Well done for keeping going

信じられない。 大好きです。 11/10を差し上げたいのですが、それは選択肢ではありません。おそらくこれ以上のものはあ...

We called in here on the off chance as we were passing, very friendly staff, good food and atmosphere. To be recommended, the locals are very lucky to have a pub such as this.

We went for a meal this evening (December, the Friday after lockdown 2 for context). The pub looked absolutely stunning.. a lot of care and detail had been put into making it look like a Christmas haven.. twinkling lights in every area of the pub...

Absolutely amazing transformation at the pub since Martyn, Liam & Karen took over. So much time and effort put into making the place so welcoming, adjusting to the ever changing Covid situation by converting into a drive thru and takeaway and even opening a village...

Chose to eat off of the tapas menu as it was the theme of the evening, very impressed. We eat tapas a lot in Spain and we saw this as on a par. All that was missing was the sun.

The best meat feast pizza ever. Fantastic customer service. Value for money. Have eaten here many times and never disappointed. Thank you to everyone at the Crown and Horns and keep up the good work. See you very soon.

Lovely lunch today. My steak was cooked to perfection. One of my friends had gammon and there was so so much she took a doggy bag home. All our food was really good and the deserts were far too lovely!!! This is the second meal...

After a long lockdown and no village pub, it has been brilliant to see what the new owners have done! The pub has never looked so good! Food is delicious and friendly staff all there to help! Highly recommended!

We were made to feel very welcome and safe on the first day of opening since lockdown. All the usual things we must now get used to - giving contact details, one-way system, sanitiser, disposable menu etc. A short menu for the soft reopening, but...

We had a great meal here on a Monday night. We sat outside in the newly colourful beer garden. There was clear space between the tables and lots of heaters to keep warm. Lovely staff who were confident and friendly. We felt very welcome and safe. We had a great tasty value for money meal. We will be returning.

The new owners have done an amazing job of refurbing the Crown during lockdown. The food and service is incredible and I feel proud as a local villager to have this place as my local. Please visit and see for yourselves!

It was a lovely room with great staff, and excellent food. would have like to have stopped a lot longer than we did but hopefully we will go back later in the year.

Absolutely delicious roast Sunday lunch! Could not fault it! Will definitely be eating there regularly!

Went to this full of high expectations. Out of the six of us, three chose Roast Beef. It was the worst meat I had ever tasted and two of us could not even chew it - it was all gristle and very thickly cut. I mentioned this to the manager after the meal and he went to have a word with the chef. The chef blamed the butcher for the meat. When I said this was not acceptable and what compensation would there be, the manager begrudgingly gave us free coffees. What an advert for a restaurant! Had I been in the same position I would have been over backwards to keep my customers - hopefully repeat customers happy. I was not happy - none of us were - but did not pursue this as to be honest, you are out with friends for a Sunday lunch and dont want it be spoiled by arguments. I wont go back though. None of us will - and that means 6 times 6 because we each have 6 friends we would also have taken.

Absolutely fabulous roast Turkey lunch today. Everything was perfect, the Turkey was moist and tasty with stuffing and a pig in blanket, amazing veg including roast potatoes and the gravy ..... hmmm. Almost better than mine. The dessert of chocolate yule log with custard was divine. I cannot recommend too highly.10 out of 10. Well done chef.

Six of us turned up with no lunchtime booking (another location had failed to record our booking!) and we received a great welcome.The menu was varied and I chose the sweet potato risotto which was lovely. And Creme Brulee Cheesecake was exquisite!We will definitely return.

We stopped off and had sunday lunch to break up our journey. Good selection of food options including vegan. Parking readily available. Food and service was fine. Slightly dark inside but decor is quite traditional. Decent option if you are on the A34 near Newbury.

Stayed for one night. Lovely room, very comfortable, extremely clean and relaxing. Had a few beers in the bar which was also as equally nice. Will stay here again without hesitation

Glad to see a sign on A34 for a pub much preferable to services. We were on a search for Sunday lunch. Although busy, they found us a spot and we got good service and a really lovely roast dinner. A winner for us and easy access back to A34.

Called in on a trip down to Portsmouth from Sheffield. Short hop from the motorway into a lovely village. Chose this pub on spec and were very pleased we did. Had sandwiches - Camembert and cranberry and fish fingers for my partner. Both lovely. The lady behind the bar (landlady?) was very helpful and friendly. Recommended.

Paid £16 for 4 small bowls of chips. Described on the menu as chunky, they looked decidely like they'd come from a bag of frozen chips. As I understand it, a bag of frozen chips costs about £2. I get that a pub has overheads and bills to pay, but please. Chips in pubs average in quality and price...but I've never had so few poor quality chips for such a high price before. The draught beer price was about normal, but the lagers and bottles, certainly what we had weren't far off a £5 each. Unlikely to return here.

We stayed at this venue for 1 night whilst walking the Ridgeway National Trail and also ate here that evening and found the food to be vexcellent and very good value for money; they also had a very extensive menu so much so we were stuck for choice. I had the platter and my wife had the Thai curry. The staff also recommended a tasty Malbec. All of the staff were really friendly and helpful (particularly Tom) and the venue is popular with the locals which is always a good sign. We would definitely stay here again if in the area.

rude management..is a village pub with great expectations...no respect for locals..yes may have rules to follow as owned by a big chain (punch) but discretion could be observed as in a a quite country village and not normally busy but charge premium prices...totally disgusted by bar staff service.we all have long days, but customers come first ..have lived here and have family connections for 60 years plus...not ideal for village pub...to much above it's station

I used to work at this establishment and was very proud of it but it’s been a few months since I left and staff changes have taken place. Tom Jane and Kiera were so friendly and welcoming even being ex staff but I was absolutely astounded by the food that came out of the kitchen! Rob the new head chef has revitalised the menu and added some great food for everyone to enjoy I enclose a picture of a burger and Chicken Kiev which came out of the kitchen and was absolutely wow’d when I tasted these dishes. Before I even cut into the food the looks was appetising but the flavour was amazing no salt needed as the kitchen clearly knows what it’s doing now. Well done lads you have certainly raised my expectations and thank you to the pub continuing to make me feel welcome!

We stopped here for lunch on our way back to Northampton. It was a very tasty lunch. I had the chicken and ham pie and it was a great pie! The whole lunch was fabulous! Definitely recommend to my friends and others!

Highly attentive and friendly staff who couldn’t do enough to make sure we were relaxed and comfortable.

We wanted somewhere to stop for a late lunch on our way to an overnight stay prior to joining a Cruise ship in Southampton.

Have used this pub for years whilst commuting to South coast from the Midlands. Now refurbished, I feel it has lost some of its character but enjoyed a good roast pork dinner. Pleasant helpful staff and enjoyed my pint. Even with extra gravy would still have preferred a little more, but all other elements of the dinner most enjoyable.

There is a good variety of choices on the menu including vegetarian. Our meals were brought to us quickly, the portions were a good size and food yummy. Friendly waitress. Would certainly stop there again for a meal break if travelling through the area.

Great place for a business lunch or initmate dinner. Lovely hotel as well if you have friends to put up in the area. The bar is dog friendly too

This place was vhosen by my wife to celebrate her birthday at lunch.

We met my sister and her husband here for lunch, as it is roughly halfway between our respective homes, and easy to get to from the A34. The pub is delightful, very olde worlde, and the staff are very friendly and helpful, and the food is very good indeed. Well worth a visit.

This is the second year we have visited the Crown and Horns Inn on our way from West Yorkshire to Poole for a ferry crossing to Cherbourg the following day, this time with friends. Each time the service has been excellent and the food delicious. The atmosphere is what a village pub should be, convivial and busy - I wish it was relocated to West Yorkshire! Our chocolate Labrador was welcomed with a bowl of water after the long journey and we all enjoyed a very pleasant evening. This will be a must on our next trip.

Where to go for lunch while travelling south on the A34.

Stopped at The Crown for a dessert and coffee. The menu was somewhat limited. Having tried affogato before I knew what to expect.

I really like this place mainly because of characterful and comfortable bar area with open fire if you’re lucky to get one of the two fire side tables which I’ve stopped at many times. The beer is always in good condition and food is good. Today I had hunters chicken which was good. The wife had roast beef which was very good, maybe slighter better than most places. The kids had bangers and mash and battered fish which was all good as well. The staff are friendly, attentive generally good. The only thing I can fault about the place is the toilets could be cleaner. I think probably the best choice for that area.

Stopped for a light lunch end of July. We've been here many times for lunch before.

Great all round hotel and restaurant experience, great team. Rooms were clean and comfortable, food was fairly standard but done well.

We were going to stop at a motorway service station for a break and somthing to eat when we saw a hand written sign for a pub with grub (we actually found out that this was the pub across the road!)

A "ye olde" British country pub / inn. Just what we wanted! Very charming, delicious food, staff very friendly and accommodating. Room had everything we needed; bed very comfy

We went for lunch again and we're thoroughly satisfied. This is a lovely pub in the village of East Ilsley. The staff are really friendly and very attentive. The food here is consistently excellent. I had the pie today, it changes often. Today's offering was steak, ale and horseradish. As a Yorkshire man I like my pie. The pie today was one of the best I have ever eaten. Came with some perfectly cooked veggies, fantastic chips, and a small jug of gravy. Top notch. There is a small selection of real ales and a well stocked back bar. The beer is well kept and also well poured.

Absolutely great pub, and guest house. Food is very good and a fair price. Room's are querky with a horse racing theme. Dog friendly with dog biscuits at the bar. Friendly staff and very helpful. Beautiful village, great for long walks and close to the m4 for Newbury or reading

Stopped on the way home off the A34 - child friendly, dog friendly. Menu was simple choices done well - the children’s selection offered a good range and when my daughters fish fingers and chips arrived we all had food envy ! Large fish bits wrapped in a delicious batter with skin on chips - yum! We also ordered off the sandwich menu - the toasted mozzarella nd ham sandwich was delicious as was the club sandwich. My Caesar salad with soft chicken fillet and fresh anchovies was the fish of the day - absolutely delicious. The toilets were clean, the patio offered a lovely sun trap to soak up the sun - missing sunbrollies for shade but one of the team assured us they would be sorted. Service was polite and helpful. Would def recommend.

Was looking forward to our lunch here. Nice warm welcome, very helpful staff, we were looked after very well. We ordered our starters which came quite quickly and all three were delicious especially the smoked salmon. The came the mains, burger special no problem, sirloin steak was like shoe leather so it went back and replaced with fish and chips, chips under cooked and covered in sea salt as was the fish so a lot of messing about getting as much salt off before eating, liver and bacon was over salted as well, please can this daft trend of over salting stop customers would prefer to salt their own food or not at all as this can be a health issue for some customers and food will just be sent back. You have lost our custom.