Fentiman Arms in Lambeth

I’ve eaten here before and so thought I knew what to expect - but the food was nowhere near as good this time. We both had turkey ‘burger’ which in reality was slices of meat in a soft bun. We both commented that the meat was chewy and fatty. We fed this back to the person who served us when we were asked and her response was surprise because we’d eaten most of it! For dessert I had treacle tart which was the smallest sliver, served lukewarm with a teaspoon sized quenelle of cream and two segments of mandarin. My friend had the Christmas pudding which had the look of an individual portion from a plastic microwave pot. For £45 per head (including 4 drinks) I expected better and it’ll be a while before I venture back.

We had our team's Christmas lunch here, and it was fantastic. The service was 10/10—very helpful in calling out people's names from the pre-orders. We booked out the refectory room, which was a lovely space and useful to be away from the rest of the pub.

Good Guinness and the food was good a reasonable priced. Recommend for a drink and a bite to eat. Great beer garden even in the winter

Great find. Lovely staff and food good! Roast dinner fantastic, busy with good atmosphere. Theresa very helpful and welcoming.

Hannah was fab!!! Very attentive and super lovely ☺️ the roast was also great - we all had the pork and loved it. Would definitely come back.

Great pub. Had the best time as per. Have to say the experience was made all the better by lovely Thea. She was great craic, super sweet and to be honest kinda fit. Will defo be visiting again

Had a great time being served by the woman who calls herself Thea. Very good pints very good time. Every sip was magic and every pint was a dream. Thank you - Lewis (of Nottingham)

Lovely roast, and excellent service from Theresa, much appreciated! Pork belly top notch and chicken is the size of a good size dinosaur.

Beautiful roast dinner so fresh and tasty. All staff were friendly and were very attentive. Lovely welcoming pub. We will definitely be back .

What a great find! Lovely pub with exceptionally friendly staff and a first class lunch. I thoroughly recommend it and will definitely be back!

Hannah was amazing! Super friendly and nothing was too much! Thanks for sorting some extra roasties 💙 fave local and glad to see it thriving x

Hannah looked after us in spectacular fashion. It was the most memorable day of my life, the service was great - give her a fiver

My friend and I decided to come for a drink here. Although it was busy, Theresa found us a table. She was super kind and knowledgeable and we left having had a lovely time. Would definitely come again!

Our experience was awful. No one came to take our food or drink order. Food took 2 hours to come with no apology from staff or any updates given. when the food arrived it was cold and cooked poorly. The staff did not offer any complementary drinks or anything despite asking when the food was coming 4 times. No one came to see if we wanted more drinks and when I asked if I could order drinks to the table the reply was “we’re over staffed, order at the bar” despite this being a table service lunch. When the food came someone’s order was left off so they were given a different burger and told “take it or you will be waiting ages”. On top of that when the bill came the service charge was left off. We will never come back here again.

Here’s a tip Fentiman Arms, if you accept a booking for lunch for 10 people, make sure that you have food? Pathetic. There was cricket on at the Oval so being busy should not have been a surprise. To be told that you had “run out of food” before 2.30 shows a complete lack of professionalism.

Was hoping for a nice meal in a nice pub, reserved a table up front. Did not enjoy my experience and will not be going back..

Fentiman Arms is a very nice place to grab some pints and have a chat. Only recommendation is to change the sauce on the wings. Besides that a good neighbourhood pub.

Disappointed disgraceful disgusting manager service and food! Cold wrong/late inedible disgrace of food! Rude ignorant manager passive aggressive not understanding couldn’t ask for anything worse for my family on Christmas eve

Went here for a team Christmas lunch and was very pleased. Efficient booking, nice decor & good choice of food.,

I recently visited the pub that served an amazing Sunday roast. The food was cooked to perfection and the flavors were spot on. I was also impressed by the friendly and helpful staff, especially Georgie who helped organize our meal. She was attentive, accommodating, and made sure that we had everything we needed. Overall, it was a great experience and I would highly recommend this pub to anyone looking for a delicious meal and excellent service.”

It's a very hit and miss experience at the Fentiman. It's a lovely pub so it's very frustrating that they can't get the staffing right. I stopped going for a while due to poor service, but had lunch there in the summer on a cricket day and it was brilliant. Been there twice since and it's been dreadful. Once I took a group of about 15 colleagues on a quiet afternoon, we spent hundreds but the guy behind the bar seemed furious at having to serve us! Went back for lunch with a smaller group and it was similarly disappointing; service with a sneer from the same guy and my food was cold and very average. If they could only get their act together it would be the best pub in the area.

Great place with a great atmosphere Went with mates for a few drinks and enjoyed everything down to the atmosphere with the locals and even the staff Shout out to one of the managers (I believe) Georgia who provided a lovely and friendly service Would recommend you visit if you ever get the chance 10/10

Came in for a quiet drink and was served by Georgia at the bar.. made me feel right at home and welcome. Will definitely be coming back as long as she’s working there!

Great lunch with my mum here on Wednesday, I was served by georgia who was really friendly with my son & very helpful with menu choices!

I hired out a private function room here and the booking manager Georgia was great, she explained all details properly and made sure we had a good time while there. She was very caring an attentive to my parties needs and I’m highly satisfied with the service not just to Georgia but all staff. Thank you.

Had a lovely meal here a few days ago. Would highly recommend the tomato and burrata salad. Shout out to our waitress Georgia who was so thoughtful and friendly. She took great care of us.

I think we came around 2 weeks ago but I cannot forget the great service we had from a lovely lady called Georgia. She went the extra mile to ensure that we all had everything we needed and that we had a wonderful time.

Over recent years food has been consistently poor quality except for the occasional Fish & Chips. I live locally so wanted to support my local. Hoping Lock Down & recent refurbishment brought some improvement, so a week ago I went with my neighbour. Had sausage & mash. My neighbour had white bait. The sausages had a rank smell & taste as if they were undercooked & no seasoning. My neighbour, a retired chef, thought the white bait tasted like sardines dipped in batter. The taste was repellent. I won’t be eating there in a hurry. Shame!

Ate an excellent burger with fries ands grilled corn in the beer garden out back. Spent a very pleasant couple of hours there, enjoying the evening sun and drinking wine. Great service.

I came in for lunch and it was such a good time. I had fish & chips & the 2 managers on duty Georgia & Roman were so friendly. Georgia helped me when I couldn't find the bathroom & was super friendly. I will definitely be back again

We had booked a table as a family of 6 to enjoy a nice meal before continuing on to watch the cricket at the Oval, upon arrival we were shown to our table upstairs where we waited to be issued with a menu or to have our drinks order taken, however after 15mins of waiting we decided to request this service from the two waiting staff who were doing their best to ignore us! Our drinks were finally served after a 25min frustrating wait and then our food order was taken, unfortunately I am unable to comment on the food as after 1.5hrs of waiting, watching others receive their food, complaining to a waitress who rolled her eyes at me, then speaking to the manager, we decided we had to leave or we would miss the cricket! All in all a day we were all looking forward to ruined, shocking!

Very good lunch, good food and beer and a nice atmosphere in the pub. Our waitress Bee was excellent

Good food, well cooked, and an interesting selection of beers. Glad we ended up here - nice atmosphere, comfortable seating - what more could you want?

Had a lovely family lunch, all the staff were friendly and accommodating, great food. Easy to book a table on line. Would recommend.

We went with family and a baby Staff were very helpful and great service. We had a quiet table which was ideal. Food was good pub standard.

The Fentiman Arms is very close to The Oval cricket ground.We went to celebrate a big birthday.Before the Vitality Blast at 18.30 we went for a late lunch at 3pm.On match days it is best to book.The quality of the service,food and drinks were excellent.The pub is well staffed and the staff are polite and friendly.By booking for 3pm we enjoyed our meal and then other cricket fans fill up the pub from about 4.30.They have a garden bar too.The atmosphere was fantastic.

Very good bar service but that’s where it ends . . Father’s Day with my girls , chips arrived 20 mins before burgers , burgers were sooo over cooked , staff try their best but just couldn’t cope . If I’m paying £20 for burger...

One of my favourite pubs in London, always great before the cricket and Max behind the bar is fantastic

Where better to spend a sunny lunchtime than the Fentiman Arms. A real local gem - friendly, sunny atmosphere, fabulous sunny terrace and gardens, great menu and more importantly super helpful staff, building a great community pub. So lucky to have such a great team...

Went with 2 friends when a major cricket match was on nearby at the Oval but the bar was run efficiently and we got served quickly albeit beer was in thin plastic cups. We had intended to have dinner in the pub but the music...

Very disappointed. Food was poor, service was dreadful, just not a good experience. I have been going for years and last night was completely chaotic. Staff were pleasant but totally ineffective against a busy bar and outside areas. Obviously not enough experience staff working.

This pub used to make a great Sunday roast and food in general was normally much better than what it is now. Ordered the pork roast and it was bone dry, very little flavour, cauliflower cheese, was watery with very little cheese and cream. It...

Worst food I have ever had in a pub!! Hummus tasted like porridge, no seasoning in any food and steak was a crime to the cow that died.

We were looking for a pub to have Sunday lunch outdoors. Unfortunately the food (despite the high cost!) and service were not to the standard we expected, so it is very unlikely we will visit again. It is such a shame as it is a...

Excellent location for lunch when visiting The Oval to watch cricket. We had the fish & chips which was very good. However, it did take quite long to arrive. Other than that, the service was excellent, with friendly and welcoming staff.

We had a lovely Easter Sunday roast and was served by the fabulous Meg! Each of us had a different roast and they were all excellent! We will definitely be back!

This is the best pub in Vauxhall/Oval that I could find and offers consistently a great food and drink selection in addition to a variety of indoor and outdoor seating that works for casual gatherings to more organised celebrations and events (provided you book and...

The food was great - The scotch eggs are up there with the tastiest you can get in London. We did the pub quiz and the quiz master was very funny and with great questions! Also easy to get pints while you are quizzing as...

The Fentiman is my local - staff are friendly and it's a cosy spot for a drink, but I've learned not to order food there; having done so a few times it's always been overpriced and not great to eat. The last time I went...

One of the most expensive pints (almost £7) I've had in London - and not even that special a beer. The food selection was small and incredibly overpriced - for three small 'fishcakes' for starter, (more the size of a small falafel ball), I was...

We booked a table for lunch while at the test match, expected average service given how busy they were. Couldn’t be more wrong. Excellent service, good food and friendly atmosphere. Went back after the cricket had finished while the crowds dispersed. Still the same friendly...

Visiting the Oval for the 100 or any cricket event is always a fun day. The Oval is no cheap gig though, so if you want to have a choice of non-Oval prices The Fentiman Arms is only 5 minutes away tucked off the main...

We visited with a group of friends for a drinks and an early supper on a sweltering summer night. Unsurprisingly, ours was not an original thought and the place was absolutely packed. We were seated in the beer garden, which had a nice festive vibe....

I went there with my friends and we had an issue with our order but thankfully nachi was the most kind and helped us sort it out! We’ll be back for sure - staff is super friendly! So the atmosphere and food.

I went looking for a plane beer and got surprised with an amazing selection, that I could choose of, from arround the world. Thank you nachi for helping me decide, lovely hostess!

I've been to Fentimans several times, with friends and also on my own. The staff is very friendly, they made us feel at home. Las time Nachi recommended me to try the burgers on the menu...AMAZING VEGGIE BURGUERS! Thanks Nachi for being always a great...

It is an incredible place, I was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday there and it was beautiful. Nachi thanks for entertaining us pleasantly

I was visiting London by my self and this place became my home, but with a lot of extra fun haha Nachi made it happen! A piece of the best of the Argentinian warmth 🍻♥️

We visited with some friends and had a great night. We were kind of bar-hopping, but the athmosphere and the staff made us stay! thanks Nachi for taking good care of us!!

A group of six of us had a great evening at the Fentiman Arms last night. It was recommended to me by Eddy who works there and we shall definitely be returning. We sat in the big garden and had a delicious dinner. I particularly...

100% recommending this amazing place with amazing service, particularly from Nachi and Luca. They are the best at jobs and the nicest people to be around with

Inattentive bar staff, rude and dismissive. I try to avoid this pub, sadly it’s the only one near to work. Go anywhere else - The Derby or Hannover or a Weathersoon!

I had my 30th Birthday party in the private room upstairs and couldn't have asked for a better day. The staff were extremely accommodating about the timings that I needed and also allowing us to bring our own music/karaoke system and decorations. All my guests...

PRIVATE EVENT I arranged a networking event at The Fentiman Arms - about 25 people. We booked the private room - the Refectory - upstairs. From the moment I arrived, the staff could not have been more friendly and helpful. James (I think?) greeted me...

Amazing experience, great service, special thanks to Luca, James, Chris for making this visit enjoyable and full of fun. Great team behind, keep up with the good work! #Lucaisthebest #makeLucafamous #voteforLuca

We chose the Fentiman Arms to be the venue for our engagement drinks, and we couldn't have been happier with our decision. After considering around 30 venues and nearly settling for one that was in the wrong location, someone recommended this beautiful old pub, just...

Had an excellent birthday party at the Fentiman Arms yesterday. Their upstairs room is a really great venue and everyone felt very comfortable as the sun shone through the windows. Loads of comfortable chairs. The platters and chips went down very well. Great that the...

Went for lunch, good customer service, nice food and decent prices. Will be visiting again with friends and family.

I had an amazing time at this pub visting for brunch, the service was amazing and efficient, everybody was polite and i cant wait to come back, would deff book for functions in the future!! :)

Met up with some friends and was greated by friendly staff and a great service, everything we ordered was perfect from start to finish

Went here on a Saturday night with my girlfriend who had booked a table for dinner. To start with they put us on a table outside next to a large (and inevitably loud) party of about 30 people - no warning in advance or at...

Went for a roast here a few months back and it was absolutely delicious and were so excited to come back. However today we had a completely different experience despite ordering the same two dishes as last time. The roast dinners arrived absolutely swimming in...

At least, these guys were open and they have a beer garden. That said, the beer never matches their hauteur. Pricey too, as it happens. My apologies for drying off the dog.

After hearing great things about this place and their Sunday roasts, we HAD to visit, and we were not disappointed! Superb food all around. We went for the beef roast, the veggie option (a really tasty aubergine and red pepper Wellington) and a side of...

I have never tasted such a bland, tasteless plate of food in my life. The roast chicken (which I requested I only wanted the breast, easy enough to do as someone who simply can't eat any other part of a bird) came out as a...

met up with family for a catch up lunch. Seated outside but under cover . Staff friendly and helpful especially in dividing up the bill between us all . Food was good roast dinners especially and the fish and chips.

Lovely outdoor space - sunny but shaded. Perfect for a work lunch. Enjoyed sharing the starter plates, the padron peppers were amazing!

Great pub. Plenty of seating area both inside and out. Great service and a good selection of food and drink. Certainly a must visit

I had a birthday drinks booked with the Fentiman Arms outdoor garden for around 20 people. The pub team were super helpful and accommodating. We had numbers changing all week, and on the day more people came than expected, but the team were really lovely...

Characterful gastropub with lovely outdoor space. Food ok but the chap serving us was disinterested at best. We had a very unstable table, I told him and said be careful with drinks tray. He put it down anyway and walked off, leaving us to sort...

Excellent service nice ambience of the evening couldn’t have chosen a better pub for the evening. Staff we’re always around when needed, even tho they looked worked 🤣 but in saying that gray place . Only thing missing was music . I’ll be bk

Such a good spot for a pub, great beer garden and normally a brilliant burger shack outside that does great food. Fair enough, the shack is shut to fit more outdoor dining space. Unfortunately the food from the main restaurant turns a great setting into a complete horror show. So many times we've come to utter garbage - burgers dryer than a wetherspoons during lockdown 3.0, fish and chips (seriously how can you mess up fish and chips) anaemic grey on the inside and black on the outside, roast with veg boiled to infinity and beyond, nicoise salad with no dressing, no salad leaves and no discernable salmon either.You name it, they can't cook it.Unexcusable to pump out food this poor, especially at £16 a pop.Please do something about it, or ask the chefs from the shack to give a lesson on how to make a burger without the texture of a wet towel.

We were out for our daily walk and fancied a drink and discovered this fantastic place. The young man who was hosting was excellent in explaining the ordering process and was very professional and friendly. Returned again yesterday and sat in the back garden. Fabulous atmosphere and great buzz. Have booked for Bank Holiday Monday lunch. The staff are superb, definitely going to be regular visitors.

Yay - today is here!!!!! I can't wait to be back at a garden table in the Fentiman, with my friends and one of your finest burgers! I thought everything that was done last year to make it so cosy and welcoming in the garden was amazing, under such hard circumstances. You're a fabulous team and I'm looking forward to many wonderful evenings ahead this summer.

The Fentiman is a cracking local pub, with well kept ales on hand pump (Young’s, Doombar, as well as smaller breweries), excellent food and friendly service. Terrific Sunday lunchtime roasts as well as a fine weekday menu. Homemade pies are sometimes on the menu, and are well worth opting for. Good, imaginative veggie choices also offered — enough to tempt meat eaters. The pub has an attractive and homely environment with chairs, tables, banquettes and an open fire on the ground floor, relaxed seating upstairs and an extensive beer garden which is partially covered and heated in winter. We’re extremely lucky to live locally, and this is the place we visit most - both at lunchtime and for dinner. Covid restrictions have placed particular challenges in the way of all pubs. We ate there just after the lockdown lifted in December 2020, and the place was packed (so you might want to make a reservation) but the food and service was up to its usual standard.

Excellent local pub. Good service and interesting, delicious food. We are lucky to have the Fentiman in our community. Thank you Francois and your team.

We have visited this pub regularly as a couple and a family over the past several years. The location is really lovely and the pub has a great atmosphere - made even more so by the friendly staff and management. The outdoor area is the biggest and best in the area. Have never been disappointed by the hearty meals with options for all the family. Highly recommend.

I go to the Fentiman Arms regularly and always enjoy my visits there. The choice of beers is great, and the food is good too. The Sunday roast is awesome. Staff are friendly and welcoming. The garden is the best in this area: well covered and heated in cold weather and lovely in summer. The traditional interior and friendly staff make this a great place for a quick pint or a meal with friends. Definitely one to visit if you haven't already.

We were sat in a service corridor by an open door - freezing cold. Not sure who our server was, as attention was minimal - staff clearly untrained. Not their fault. Roast lunch was unimpressive - both the lamb and beef were grissly. After 30 mins of having finished our meal and been ignored by the constant stream of passing staff, I asked a disinterested waiter to clear my plate; he took it literally and cleared my only my plate - not my partner's. We won't return.

I have never written a negative review before but after my experience at the Fentiman on Saturday I felt I wanted to share our experience.Our house went out for a celebratory pub lunch and drinks after lockdown had been lifted, but our spirits were immediately dampened by the customer service. It’s a real shame as the pub itself is lovely. I’m sure that the staff are maybe stretched and I appreciate the difficulty of current circumstances. However, the rudeness from who I believe was the manager and a number of (not all but some) of the staff who served us was very disappointing. It almost felt as if the manager was angry that we were there from the moment we arrived. I’d like to say maybe this was an off day, yet I’ve visited this pub once before and I specifically remembered his attitude towards us making our group feel uncomfortable on that occasion too. Unfortunately, when our food arrived it was also cold. We left without saying anything for fear of recriminations from the staff but will not be returning.

We booked a table for 4 for the 2nd December, and when we arrived we were pleased to see that the pub had a great selection of beers on tap downstairs. We were seated upstairs, which was no issue to begin with, but we were unaware that drinks from the downstairs were not able to be served upstairs. When we asked what the options were for upstairs, there was only a handful of beer options available (possibly only 5). This was initially very disappointing and made no sense. The upstairs room was incredibly understaffed - there was only one member of staff to the whole room, and I felt a lot of sympathy for her as she had too much to handle. In line with the new restrictions, we had to be served a substantial meal along with our drinks. The menu looked lovely, but it took a very long time for the waitress upstairs to take our order. with our order finally being taken around 7pm, around half an hour after we arrived, the room started to fill up with more groups of people. I could see that each group was having their order taken for food and drink. The drink was arriving, but the food wasn't. We finally asked where our food was around one hour after we ordered. The waitress said that it was being prepared, and it finally arrived at past 8pm - bear in mind we had already been there for an hour and a half. We were the first people in the room to get our food, and when we left at past 9pm, not a single other table in the room had any food. This was poor show from the Fentiman, and I doubt this is in line with government restrictions. Our food was very sub-standard. The gnocchi was dry, and it took 20 minutes for someone to bring us some vinegar for the very dry fish and chips. However, we ordered one beef burger and one vegetarian burger, and when they arrived my friend who had wanted the vegetarian burger had been given the meat burger. We called a manager over, but she could not discern which burger was meat, and which was vegetarian. This wasn't very reassuring, so the burgers did not get eaten. These burgers were taken off of our bill, which was very nice. No allergens were visible on the menu. I understand they might have had a separate allergens menu, but it would be good to have the allergen information visible on the menu. Overall, this was a hugely disappointing experience. The government guidelines were barely being followed, the drinks were disappointing and the food was really poor show. For food to not turn up almost 2 hours after people had entered the room is awful. The upstairs room is very understaffed, and was not run well.

Booked a table outside for 6 in their wonderful new area to watch Ireland smash Italy. Great, cosy place to watch the game despite the weather. Heated and under cover! Really thoughtful seating versus Covid restrictions. Loved the food, service was friendly and consistent. We had a blast and will be be back

Let me start with the positives. The pub is a great layout with a lovely wood fire and good garden. However, that is it. We have been visiting this pub numerous times as we are local to the area. Staff are unfriendly and rude. Never helpful. You book a table and get kicked off after 2 hours and there is no NOTE anywhere to say this. We ordered food and were kicked off two minutes later to sit in the garden and cold! Don’t take our order and then do this! The main manager is quite frankly the worst thing about this place! Stay clear at all costs, unless you want to have a beer within a 2 hour time frame. Certainly don’t bother if you haven’t booked.

Sin distanciamiento social entre mesas, sin sistema unidireccional, sin ventilación, sin control de temperatura, los camareros se bajan las máscaras cuando hablan con los clientes. Este lugar simplemente no es COVID - seguro. Evítalo como la plaga.

Pésimo servicio, comida mediocre, intercambios en su ubicación. Me mudé a la calle y después de haber tenido malas experiencias en el pasado con el Fentiman, esperaba que con la nueva propiedad de Youngs fuera mejor. Esperó por 1. 5 horas para la comida, repetidamente engañado por personal desorganizado. El chef no parecía molesto en absoluto. Tuve que darles a los niños botones de chocolate para evitar el derretimiento. Comida bien, comida de hamburguesas pero muy poco y demasiado tarde. Sin salsa de carne asada. Disculpas demasiado poco y demasiado tarde.

Me senté en el jardín en un hermoso día soleado.Éramos cuatro. La camarera, Georgia, fue de gran ayuda en la versión 6, ya que no podía decidir qué comer. Ella recomendó el p t de caballa ahumada, y no me decepcionó. Venía con pan ligeramente tostado y estaba delicioso. Mis compañeros tenían el pescado y las patatas fritas, y la hamburguesa que aparentemente también estaban deliciosos. El servicio fue muy bueno, el personal eficiente y amable

Visité aquí con amigos.Servicio realmente pésimo. Esperando edades. Luego, cuando la camarera que apenas podía hablar inglés finalmente trajo nuestras bebidas, ¡nos las tiró por todas partes!Termine con un camarero adolescente que insistió en expresar sus opiniones políticas sobre los clientes que pagaban su salario.No pierdas tu tiempo. Realmente terrible

Pleasant large pub on pretty Fentiman Road with quiet outdoor seating areas. Good pub meals - we enjoyed various roasts with roast potatoes and vegetables. £97.40 for three with drinks.

Sat in the wonderful beer garden for brunch and Aperol in the sunshine. Food and service excellent. Can recommend.

Llevé a mi familia y amigos a almorzar hoy. Admito que no he estado en dos años, pero la experiencia me sorprendió. Esperamos 1 hora y 45 minutos para nuestra comida y cuando llegó quería morir de vergüenza. Después de 35 años de comer en Londres, esta fue la comida más espantosa que yo o nuestros amigos hemos servido. Frío insípido y caro.