Dolphin in Mole Valley

Lovely place and people but very disappointing with basic food order with wrong ingredients and basic requests on how to be cooked simply ignored

A joy to go to a pub that's not been given the Farrow & Ball, disney pub overhaul. Really great Sunday lunch, friendly staff. A delight. If someone tries to "restore" it, please get in touch and I'll come by to drown them in gravy.

Great looking traditional English country pub which had a good buzz about it, but the landlord didn’t seem to be a happy soul and under pressure. The shared platter for £24 was an absolute rip off, with autumnal lettuce, marmite sticks that were not fresh and bizarrely no fresh tomatoes.

Pleasant venue and food was okay/good. Seemed to have a good selection of beers but I was driving. When we arrived service at the bar was very slow.

Nice pub.. stopped for lunch after a visit to Box Hill. Tasty lunch. Both had the burgers

Very poor service and the staff were extremely rude. Food was good pub grub.

Excellent roast lunch today in a cosy, more than just a pub! Welcome to our pooch too, so appreciated! 100% recommendation!

First time visitor and will be back.

A really excellent country pub! Picked it as it was a Youngs pub and on a walk route and I so glad I did. The food was delicious, contemporary pub grub and really high quality. As a vegetarian I was heartened to find a choice of tempting options. The atmosphere was lovely - relaxed and kid/dog friendly whilst still feeling special for a birthday celebration. Service was fast and knowledgeable and the selection of beers satisfied even my Camra-member father. Thoroughly recommended.

A historic beauty with the assurance of Young's happy family food.

A rare find - brilliant food, fresh, carefully made, from a dedicated team, clearly, it was a pure joy from start to finish. There is no better fish and chips anywhere else in the area! Also, excellent vanilla cheese cake - fresh, home made - a delight! We will come again, it is local to us, in the beautiful historic village of Betchworth

Always a great place to go, you know exactly what you’re getting at the Dolphin 👍🏽🫶🏼

We had a lovely separate space which was great as we had a table for the kids and next another one for the adults. Good service, nice food.

Disappointing chicken pie but all 3 others enjoyed their meals.

Over priced very poor quality food, at £24 for basically a cheese salad and glass of cola, and my friends fish pie was cold and didn't smell right, I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.

Great Roast. Very very dog friendly. Really enjoyed the service. Shall come again

Food was nice but so expensive , the ploughmans for 2 was a joke and it cost £24 it was a small ploughmans cut in half .

We had lunch as a group of 4 on Saturday, great service and staff in a beautiful pub! Thank you, we will be back

This pub is very special to us having our wedding reception here nearly 3 years ago. We haven’t been for a good few months due to work commitments. We booked for a Sunday lunch at 12.30. Got a lovely table outside but looking around it looked a little unkept and neglected, weeds poking out of the Astro turf, a wooden stump sticking out of the ground which is a big trip hazard, the simple action of putting a table over this could save you an accident claim. The food was ok, the Yorkshire puddings had a very odd aftertaste to them. I feel it just looks a little sad outside, there were only 3 tables being used on a lovely summers afternoon at 1.30pm when it should surely be heaving with customers?.

Issue was food took over an hour to be delivered. First, when ordering drinks the waiter did not allow us to order food at the same time (very bizarre) and we had to wait 10 minutes to come back for the food order. Once the food was nearing an hour late, we asked where it was - the first waitress never came back. Then we had to ask someone else to get the manager. The manager came out and said we're very busy and we were informed that food will take a while before we sat down (we were not informed). Then she said those with bookings had priority - seems pretty ridiculous to me. If you sit down somewhere you don't expect to be inferior customers. And funnily enough, we did book, we just changed tables because we wanted to be outside. The food itself was alright, but I was a bit disappointed with my chicken breast as it was smaller than a single one you'd get at Sainsbury's. They gave us a free drink at the end which was a good gesture, but there was too much wrong to be ignored. Even the menu warns that they cook good food not fast food, something I've never seen on a menu before, which suggests slow food is a known problem of theirs.

Very nice old style pub. Helpful friendly bar staff, a favourite, on this occasion, enjoyed by my three guests and myself. Thankyou. Please can you reinstate the Youngs Special Ale !?

The Dolphin has gone through many changes in the past decade - some better than others. But it survived the pandemic and it's back better than ever before. It still has an old world, village charm but whilst the interior has hardly changed it is way tidier and cleaner than ever. Service is excellent, the beer selection. Spot on (and the manager knows his brews). The new chef is in her first big head role. She's also in her element and excellent. Drawing on local produce to offer simple, beautifully presented, prepared and well thought out dishes. Nothing is fussy or fiddly. The simple tomato and mozzarella starter is amazing. For (maybe five) varieties of tomato and, ok not the very best buffala but good cheese. The rustic and rough and ready pitted salmon and smoked mackerel was a nice touch. Nothing whizzed up in a blender. Simply done and served and good value. Highly recommended but don't take my table. You should book on the weekend, Friday evenings and sunny days.

Dog friendly and relaxed pub, it has an old fashioned feel to it with flagstones, host beers (sometimes), regulars propping up the bar and a nice fire in Winter. Food has not been good here in the past couple of years but I visited today (Oct 2023) and the food was much improved albeit with a reduced menu. The beef roast (£20) we had was well cooked, tasty and plentyful. The fish and chips (£16) was also well cooked. Concentrating on a core menu works for this pub. Small bar but plenty of space outside behind the pub in the garden if the weather is nice. Friendly staff, quintisecially an old English pub. No Hazy/Craft IPA beer but probably due to the tie up with Fuller's which is a more traditional brewery. They serve Neck Oil but if you want the best choice of beer/cider then the Surrey Oaks Pub in Newdigate, HopStop in Reigate or Cobbett's in Dorking are the places to visit. The Dolphin is recommended for a traditional, friendly, warm, old style pub. Will be back soon.

The most expensive and underwhelming ploughman’s lunch I have ever had, although my friend enjoyed her plant burger. Friday lunchtime and the place was empty so zero atmosphere. Really disappointing visit unfortunately.

Such a good Sunday roast and great service

The Dolphin was everything I hoped it might be. I'd never been before as I'm not that local but arranged to walk there from Dorking with my sister. I didn't check beforehand but half feared it might be one of those pubs where they ask if you've booked and proffer a fine dining menu. It wasn't like that at all. I'm not saying the food wasn't good, it was, but uncomplicated. Will be back.

Loved the ambiance and it was located in an absolutely beautiful spot! A peaceful dinner out for two!! They were also very kind about letting us sample many of the local beers for free.

This inn was just average. Limited menu but food was ok. Dishes were slightly pricey.

Roast beef was very good, unfortunately the Yorkshire's were somewhat cremated. Diced veg would have been better as roasted, spuds, carrot and cabbage good.

Lovely country pub. Eat inside or out (nice garden). Nice menu.

A quaint little pub with a real old-world atmosphere. Lots of wood, period decor, reasonable selection of beers. Smallish seating area at the front of the pub by the road, but it's not so busy that it's a distraction.

A nice village pub in a lovely setting. Guinness is very average unfortunately with lots of bubbles in the head. Have eaten here in the past and the food is of very good quality. Nice outdoor space in the summer.

Charlie was lovely waiter & we had a lovely meal.

Brilliant fish and chips, nice local beer in one of my favourite pubs with flag stone floor.

Visited this pub for lunch on a quiet Tuesday after a walk nearby. Delicious food which was piping hot. Has a lovely peaceful garden where we ate. A tranquil hour or so in a pretty village location. Staff were very attentive too.

Charlie and Emily, great service 👍

A delicious meal and the service was excellent.

Really great evening at the Dolphin We both had Haddock and chips which were very tasty and great service . Also staff took time out to explain the history of this fabulous old traditional pub .

A beautiful traditional English country pub. Food is good and reasonably priced, service is friendly

A good old English pub . A lovely choice of food. However the drinks were expensive 😕 we spent £13 on 3 drinks . One drink was a soft drink. I only had a half pint of guiness. Overall a lovely pub . Very historic.

Only came in for a drink, but the pub seems lovely and the staff were nice.

Great location would definitely recommend and will certainly return soon👏😍

If you like a country pub in the middle of the beautiful Surrey countryside, then this is a boozer for you. Plenty of good walks nearby. Just off the Reigate, turn off on M25.

Stopped by for a spontaneous lunch and couldn’t recommend it enough. Great food, great service and lovely environment.

Popped in for some lunch on a sunny Saturday afternoon, had the best fish and chips I’ve ever had and service with a smile. Everyone was so helpful and the new manager is an absolute delight, Aaron I believe. Will definitely be visiting again, a beautiful pub and wonderful experience.

Dog friendly , warm fires, good beer . .. what more could you ask for .. .

Jacobs ladder sharer roast was delicious, really lovely service and great busy atmosphere on a Sunday

Very limited menu, slow almost standstill service

Fantastic soup and huge sandwiches, excellent 3xcooked chips! Trad pub with lots of different accomodation

My family and I had made a reservation here for a Sunday Roast last weekend, and my father had choked on some food. He was rushed to the bathroom, and my partner and I tried to help him clear his passageway. Desperately attempting to dislodge the obstruction, our distress was met with an underwhelming response from the supposed deputy manager, who, despite claiming to be a first aider, cited liability concerns to evade assistance. It's disheartening to see that during an emergency, considerations of liability override saving one's life; by the way, insurance should cover such worst-case scenarios. Shocked and gobsmacked, we resorted to Google for guidance, all while the deputy manager called the ambulance. When the paramedics arrived, instead of offering any form of support or compassion, the deputy manager nonchalantly handed me an incident form to fill in, as if paperwork were the priority over one's well-being. The audacity of such insensitivity during a crisis is beyond comprehension. Later on, my father was sent to the hospital, and thankfully, he is now on the road to recovery. Although we were lucky in this incident, I would hate for this to happen to someone else who doesn't share the same level of luck. I believe it is a legal requirement that a minimum of one first aider should be trained and present during operating hours in any workplace environment, including restaurants and pubs. My question is, was this deputy manager the said 'trained first aider'? Additionally, the restaurant should have insurance to protect their employees under similar situations, so what is this said 'liability concern' about!? Despite this dismal encounter, I must acknowledge the vigilance of one of the waitresses, who displayed commendable attentiveness throughout the ordeal. Her prompt actions in alerting the senior staff deserve recognition - thank you for that. In addition, we did receive a courtesy call from who I believe was the manager the next day, which was nice but useless if someone is dead.

The food was very average. The roast pork was over cooked and very fatty and the veg/roasts were cold by the time served. Pudding was sticky toffee pudding- it was okay- probably had been microwaved and was small with no toffee sauce. The actual pub is lovely though so no complaints about the setting or the staff

This is a tucked away little pub next door to one of the churches from “Four weddings and a funeral”. It seems very much a local pub and feels like it hasn’t changed in decades, but that is good. Food was not bad

We loved the place it was really cosy. Unfortunately the Sunday roast was not good. The beef was over cooked and I got tired of chewing. Everything seemed re-heated and not fresh. The gravy was very watery. I was disappointed. The burger was very good. As it's a Youngs pub the food can go either way. It all depends on the chef.

The three stars is purely because the food was lovely but can i suggest the tall burley man with brown hair and wearing all black on Monday 29th January and was working at lunch time, isn’t customer facing. Blunt, unfriendly and created a cold atmosphere. Was just not polite at all, zero smiles and uninterested / rude tone. To be clear, there was no complaint that we sought his help for, basic questions were just rudely answered in a dismissive way. We had such good service last time it actually put a dampener on this particular visit.

A delicious Sunday lunch with friends in cosy surroundings with charming staff. Thank you

Superb pub with excellent food and attentive staff. Perfect spot to visit post a walk! Enjoyed the bavette steak a lot!

Very busy no seating, maybe we'll try again in a year or so...

We asked The Dolohin to cater for a private family reception and it was outstanding. The selection of canapés was delicious and varied and easily accommodated the gluten free and vegetarian members of the party. Thank you so much, we were looked after beautifully.

A gorgeous and super cosy pub, with a lovely open fire. The staff are super welcoming and sorted quickly and without any fuss a slight misunderstanding with our final bill which was super appreciated. Great range of ale too!

Lovely traditional pub. Disappointed with the mushroom and feta pie which came with sautéed potatoes. Others had fish and chips which they said was delicious.

Excellent lunch for 14 people in the back room

Very nice food, good service. Would recommend.

Such a cozy place - really well preserved from the past with traditional furnishings and an open fire. Our waitress Amy was really attentive and lovely too. Thanks for a great visit!

Lovely pub, amazing fish and chips for lunch, but absolutely huge portions!!

Our first visit to The Dolphin but it certainly won’t be our last. Delicious food and excellent service. No complaints at all and very happy to give a five star review.

Nice little traditional pub. Not tried the food, but beer selection is good and appears to be kept well. Prices a little on the high side. Staff friendly and helpful. As a building, it could be more disabled friendly - there's only one disabled space in the car park, which is frequently filled with motorcycles - and no space markings, so it can fill up quickly with selfish inconsiderate parkers with sizeable gaps between vehicles, and no evidence any of this is policed. Anyone disabled then has to go round the front of the building, through the car park entrance, as the rear requires step access, and both double doors at the front need to be opened to allow a wheelchair through. The floor inside isn't level either - more room thresholds to negotiate. Toilets clean enough, although cubicles limited (plus, there's the step access again if approaching from the front bar area).

Lovely, friendly staff and really nice traditional pub inside. I had the chicken, ham and leek pie which was delicious along with maple glazed carrots which were really tasty. Would definitely recommend eating here. I went on Wednesday lunch time and the pub was really quiet

Warm and cozy perfect country pub

Fabulous pub! Delicious food, great service, lovely traditional pub atmosphere. Need more pubs like this around.

Great venue. Good for functions

Very good Sunday lunch of roast beef with a dessert

Very nice and cosy with comfy seats for dining and a pleasant atmosphere. Helpful and attentive staff. Roast beef was a little overdone but generally the food was great.

Very good experience, food and service excellent Definitely will be returning

Lovely pub with great food and well kept real ales.

Friendly staff, nice atmosphere, lovely food

First visit here . Great country pub with roaring fires . Really good menu and atmosphere - particularly considering Fahey it was a Tuesday lunchtime

A wonderful traditional pub, warm welcome, great service, exceptional food, best of all happy, smiling, attentive staff.

It was so busy the kitchen could not keep up with the orders and would not be able to take any orders for 45 mins , we were too hungry to wait so went somewhere quieter

Enjoyed the food with good friends, a pleasant atmosphere, and great service. Thanks

Sadly very disappointing. On the plus side the beer was decent and the chicken, ham and leek pie tasty (however see below!), but this doesn't make up for poor service, unreasonably expensive food and the unwelcoming atmosphere emanating from the barman. I can understand standards may slip if a pub is busy, but there were only 7 customers in the whole pub at the time. Examples include: 1) Keeping me waiting to order food at the otherwise empty bar while the barman browsed the internet on his phone. Out of interest I waited to see how long it would take for him to notice me, but eventually gave in after several minutes and had to ask to be served. 2) I'd have loved another drink after our food arrived but no-one came to check whether our food was OK or if we'd like another drink (a missed chance to generate extra sales!). You shouldn't have to go to the bar while your food goes cold, especially when a pub isn't busy. 3) £20 just for a pie and small lump of mashed potato is unreasonable, especially when it came with NO veg at all. If a pub has to do this to control costs then I'd expect staff to point out the lack of veg and ask whether you'd like to order a side dish, even if this meant paying more (another missed chance for more sales). All these are basics of customer service, AND good business. We like to support our local pubs but this is not the first disappointing time at The Dolphin so I'm afraid we aren't planning to come back.

Spent a lovely evening at The Dolphin with a group of friends, beers and drinks were good, of particular note was a Young's original. The food was overall excellent ,only two comments to make - firstly would have been nice to have some vegetables with the pie and mash which are usually included, rather than having to pay for a side dish of vegetables, and the cheese board at £9 was not value for money considering there were only two small pieces of cheese. We all agreed we would go again maybe give those dishes a miss!!

We visited for Sunday lunch.All good,Roast pork excellent

Good beer. Good food. Friendly service.

Brilliant food. Highly recommended

Went to the Quiz night last night and it was so much fun. Thanks Rod for making my brain hurt and also to Amy and Emma who looked after us all evening. A great time had by all !

Attended a quiz with our friends and had dinner, great quiz host and excellent service from Amy and Emma

Really lovely pub. Well worth the 5 hours hike to get there

Proper old fashioned, village country pub in the Surrey Hills. Great atmosphere, friendly staff. We didn't eat but the food looked good. Lovely little church nearby and a walk along the river. Perfect!

My wife, son and I were cycling past today and stopped in for lunch and I’m so glad we did. The roast beef was excellent and the chicken burger could just be one of the best I’ve had. Great selection of beers and wines. Will definitely be returning.

Server Alex very good and attentive .

Wonderful dinner and great service Jake was a great waiter and bar man Excellent service

Lovely pub, Great food and drink, lovely outside garden - dog friendly! Alex was very helpful!

Awesome pub in a lovely setting, with great food and outstanding service by Alex!

Mean portions, ham, egg, chips. Nice ham, 1 broken egg, mean chips. Served by lad who clearly didn't want to be there. Surley, no eye contact, didn't have a personality it seemed.

We have run past this place thousands of times how did we never visited before I really don't know.... Fabulous little gem, very dog friendly so that's a huge bonus. Food was amazing, service with a smile plenty of parking. We will back soon!

Our family of seven dined here the night before our wedding. Food was very good, service good also.

Lovely old pub good service food was good but could have been hotter

Lovely roast dinners enjoyed by 3 of our group and the lamb burger was good too. Great service, always a friendly welcome here. As our new local we always enjoy a visit here.

Had a lovely Sunday lunch today with family. Staff very polite, attentive and helpful. I gave 4 stars for the food instead of 5 because the chocolate mousse was very hard and 2 of us were unable to finish it, hard to get the spoon in!! Would visit again, also dog friendly.

Gorgeous country pub in quaint village