Princess of Wales in Lewisham

I live locally and have been drinking here for 12 years. It's on a lovely position on the heath, and although it's expensive (even by London standards), the location and interior is good enough that I always saw it as a 'you get what you pay for' situation. However, after many years of visiting, I no longer drink here. The management seem to be under the impression that they're a cocktail bar. They pester you at your table every 10 mins trying to upsell food and drinks. Anything you order gets a 12.5% service charge added (even a pint). This new tactic of upselling / pressure selling has ruined the cosy pub atmosphere; you start to dread the staff circling and your stomach turns as they approach your table for the third time asking if 'you want any food'. There are other pubs in the area owned by the same brewery who do not employ this tactic. So it makes me think it's more a landlord / management issue than a corporate one. Honestly though, I'm not sure. Either way, after many happy years, I won't be setting foot in here again. If you're in Blackheath and looking for a pint, consider going to one of the other pubs in the village instead. The Crown has just had a refurb and is very nice. Equally the Hare and Billet is lovely. The Railways is ok, not bad, but not as nice as the other two.

Love this pub. Shockingly good wine list, great food, beautiful garden and , most importantly , great staff. Sunday lunch is highly recommended. Emily...thank you so much for looking after us so well today! X

We walked in to a friendly welcome from Mathilda who got a high chair for our baby straight away and took our drinks order at our table. Throughout the meal she was friendly and quick and lovely with our daughter. We had the deluxe fish pie (a special) and the shredded duck salad, both of which were delious and it was great to have a range of delicious lighter options and pub classics. It was a spur of the moment decision to come out for lunch and we were really pleased we chose the Princess of Wales- thanks to Mathilda and the chefs!

The food was delicious and the staff friendly especially our waitress Emily! We will be coming again. If you want a lovely Sunday lunch, don’t hesitate to book (which is advisable)

Lovely venue , roast was ok , think roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding could probably be cooked for longer as wasn’t overly crispy - Anastasia our waitress was excellent though - worth a visit as it’s a lovely pub

Excellent Sunday roast. Very good service from Harry and Katie. Great location. Good value. Thoroughly recommend. They like dogs and kids!

Best roast I’ve had in years! Came here with my family and we all left feeling bloated and happy. The food came quick and was steaming hot, The service was great! We are defiantly coming back next week for another round.

The food is nice and I have had a nice time here for mother’s day . Especially the waiter Harry is excellent and provided an excellent service to us and we did enjoy the day .

Unfortunately felt we have to write this Went for Mother’s Day lunch 10 th March 2024 Ordered starters and drinks all fine We ordered 5 roast dinners and after a long wait and seeing the table next to us receiving their orders even though they had arrived after we had already placed our order and received our starters our mains finally arrived . To put it mildly they looked like they had been in the oven since Mother’s Day 2023 All 5 of us struggled to get a fork in to the potatoes and Yorkshires were so far gone they disintegrated as soon as you touched them We wanted to make it a nice occasion for the family and tried to eat what had been put in front of us but after risking a large dental bill we called the very nice member of staff and sent back all 5 of the roasts. We were not charged for the mains but I have now had to order a takeaway for the family as we are all still hungry Would not recommend eating here in busy periods

Took my mum here for early Mother’s Day! Great food, great service, in particular by Harry. He was very knowledgeable and very nice

Great location on the edge of Blackheath. Some free parking available. Friendly staff and comfortable surroundings. Varoed menu and very nice food.

Georgia was really nice and helpfull she has great personality, great waitress :) :) :) :) :) Nice to see a friendly face 😁 Grate food advice from Georgia

Rob served us and couldn’t do enough. Great bloke great service. Food was good, atmosphere was friendly. Will be returning next time we are near.

Good food and ale, served by Katie , table service makes for a more relaxing experience. Easy parking both in their car park and on the road outside

Swift and friendly service from staff, especially Leonardo, good food and a welcoming cosy atmosphere to relax in after a Sunday walk in the woods!

Comfortable, clean and welcoming pub. Wide selection of drinks. Very pleasant and friendly staff. In particular, Harry and Rob.

Harry was very attentive and sweet. He made sure we had drinks through hint the night. A very valuable employee. Thanks Harry!!

Went here for an evening meal with my friend. Nathans cooking and James’ service was top draw. Will definitely be coming back!

A lovely spot which friends recommended but food was super slow and very expensive, sausage and mash for £16 and just one spoon of mash, children’s burger about size of a 50p piece for £8.50 roast dinner much more food but dry. We arrived before midday in a group of 7 and ordered almost immediately but meals arrived 15 mins apart and the first took 40 mins. £172 not worth it. Lovely staff - but clearly a chain taking advantage of pricing in the area.

I've been meeting up here with friends for a few drinks and a light lunch for years, but since lockdown there's been several changes that have detracted from the overall experience. It is now a cash-free zone and also, in my view, a value for money free zone. The first thing you're asked on being served at the bar is whether or not you'll be ordering food followed by an invite to open a tab. Avoid this offer at all costs as any drink and/or food purchase via the tab will then be subject to a hefty service charge which only becomes apparent at the point the tab is settled. But the cost off drinks has gone through the roof and even a bag of crisps will set you back £1.70. Which is all a bit of a shame as it's a great location and an atmospheric old pub, but it unfortunately fails the value for money acid test.

Came here for the pub quiz, great quiz and convivial pub - nice chips too. Would recommend for an enjoyable Monday night out.

We heard it was a great place for a lovely Sunday roast. I agree it’s a lovely place. Great staff but the roast , actually not great. No one asked us about our food. We paid the full bill but I won’t go back and...

Leo was a great waiter and got us all a load of shots and drinks whenever we needed them, top man bosh

I booked a slot for drinks on Friday for a party of six between 16:00 and 18:00; that was the latest slot that was on offer. We have been coming back to Blackheath every year or so for the past 20 odd years and The...

Came here for dinner very over priced for mediocre food and to top it off a massive service charge won't be returning

We had a two course meal with olive nibbles and cocktails. The mains were fine but that was it really. Desserts were decent enough. Choc brownie good, cheesecake not the best. Signature cocktails were very decent. Service ok. The £50 a head price was just...

Beautiful traditional cozy pub, unfortunately let down by the food. Wonderful friendly helpful staff and a fantastic place to let a few hours slide by drinking mulled wine or tea. We tried quite a few dishes on the menu, all of them quite average, the...

Went with friends and the food was both poor and overpriced. Ordered cod fillet which was inedible as it had obviously been left under a hot lamp or reheated and was therefore very dry. We spoke to the waitress who was advised by the kitchen...

Had a beautiful Christmas dinner for 4 people at our favourite local pub. Wonderful friendly staff who were very attentive and made our night very special. Lovely fresh prawn cocktail with crispy leaves, delicious warm goats cheese tart follow by beautiful turkey dinner with all...

Lovely pub with a good atmosphere-had a fantastic Mojito made by Alma service was excellent will definitely be back.

Lovely friendly staff wide selection of drinks. Good location. We had a tab yesterday. 19 september. Eaten here before and food was delicious

Great spot for food, had the rack of lamb, which was amazing. Was served by James who made a great recommendation on wine, would definitely come back again!!!

I had a fantastic experience at The Princess of Wales. The food was incredible, but the service, in particular, stood out, thanks to James, who served me exceptionally well; he was not only attentive and friendly, but also extremely knowledgeable about the menu helping me...

Harry served our table. Immediately knew we were teachers and had finished our first week back. Was super chatty and quick service.

I had the chicken and ham pie, which comprised an over cooked crust and a largely hollow interior with utterly tasteless savoy cabbage and leak. Worse still, ordering is largely on line and a tip is automatically added with no option to remove it. My...

This is a nice refurbed pub with food not as good as local rival Hare & Billet & is unpleasantry smoky & evicts children at &pm even if dining with family!

Great pub, amazing garden, beers & food! Highly recommend. Had lamb cutlets which were spot on with a couple of pints of neck oil!

First ever visit here. Went for Sunday lunch. Place was heaving. Service was very good. Food also of good quality - the usual roasts, which intrigued two Oriental friends in our party. Quite a few people ordering fish chips and peas for their Sunday lunch, which did in fact look very appealing. I can vouch for the chips, as we ordered some as a side dish and quite frankly they were the best chips I have ever eaten in my 70 plus years - they were astonishingly good. Will come back here undoubtedly..

Came here for Father’s Day. Told immediately that there was a 45 minute wait for food despite us booking- why didn’t they get more staff on? My dinner was a bit cold and for £19 the roast was very small, hardly any meat (I know it’s pork belly but there was barely any meat at all) and the Yorkshire pudding was pretty much batter. The burgers we ordered were alright but barely any chips. Just poor value for money really. With that said I can’t fault the staff who were very friendly and informative. Had my roast refunded with no quibbles. Had to order drinks over the app a few times though because they were clearly over worked. Felt really sorry for them. A really disappointing experience. Please employ more staff at times you know will be busy because in these tough times you will end up losing your business through overpricing and stressed staff.

Absolute shambles! Came here for lunch today sat in the garden. Loads of tables not cleared, random people asking where their reserved table was, not clear if it is table service or not?! Nobody came near us although there were members of staff around but focusing on one or two tables, Ordered via the app, told it was 45 min wait food arrived after nearly an hour. Fish and chips was tiny, the fish was so thin and the burger burnt. I would have complained but there was nobody around to complain to! I also find it very unprofessional that every time I visit the pub there are groups of staff sitting, smoking in the garden. Not sure what is going on with the management of this place but the staff seem to have no idea what they are doing and the standard of the food has become very poor. This used to be our go to pub last summer when the food and service was usually very good!

Been a few times over the years, but not impressed by the manager here currently. Poor customer service.

Had a lovely meal - nice atmosphere and great service! Especially thanks to the waiter called Harry - he was very welcoming and attentive, throughout our visit. Ps, the Ginger Sponge Cake was sublime! Will be back again soon.

We went to the Princess of Wales as we have eaten there several times previously. I ordered the grilled goats cheese with salad as a main, at a cost of £16. I could have had it as a small platter for £8. My husband had...

Lovely staff and nice environment. Special mention to Abbie who served us. Will be back soon - such a nice sunny spot.

Lovely food and staff, went for Sunday Roast with my husband for our 40th anniversary. Friendly waiters and our food came quickly.

Customer service was honestly terrible, my friend was insulted multiple times for his physical impairment and prices were ridiculous, never coming back 👎

Amazing pub on Blackheath Common. Lovely ambience, friendly and welcoming. Had dinner here which was delicious (scallops, calamari & burger). The experience was topped off perfectly by the service we received from Harry, a lovely polite and friendly young man. Please pass on our recognition...

We visited the Princess of Wales this evening and it was a great experience. We were welcomed in the door, and although we hadn’t found a table Abbie placed us at one quickly. The service was fast - drinks and food arrived in good time....

Stayed next door at The Clarendon Hotel and came with the family for dinner. Great atmosphere and good food. We came with our 7 year old and met up with friends. Kids are allowed until 8pm. I’d recommend for dinner and/or drinks.

Fantastic time at Princess of Wales, delicious Mother’s Day roast and wonderful service from Harry who was so attentive and polite. Thank you !

Excellent roasts and drinks. Service rapid and accurate for us and our dog on a busy Mother’s Day lunch. We would all strongly recommend this pub.

Made a reservation for a quiet area near a window. Received the total opposite but that’s not the end of the world. Sat at the table for 15 minutes waiting for someone to take our order whilst a couple of staff are basically behind the...

APPALLING!!!! 1. Lazy staff, not attentive at ALL. Stood around not helpful, didn't care! 2. Starter was NOT COOKED PROPERLY! Couldn't eat it and it isn't inexpensive! Now, we were sceptical about our main meals! 3. Waited and waited and waited and waited for main...

The sausage and mash main was disappointing. I think this dish should be comfort food - and that’s what I wanted on a cold, grey Friday. But the portion was small, supplied with runny gravy, no veg (I could have ordered a side for more...

Waitress was very good but food was expensive and well below par. Will visit pub again but will not eat there again

I have been coming here for years, but since the revamp their prices have hiked up! £12 for one pint and alcohol free cider and £5 for a tiny portion of chips - smaller than their old cheaper chips. Such a shame but for the...

Visited this evening with a friend. I wasn’t sure if we should just take a seat or whether the empty tables were already booked/reserved. I approached the lady behind the bar (blue hair) and asked if it was ok to just take a seat or...

1st time in since its reopening, food was fab. We had fish/chips; squids/potatoes and burger. All excellent! Service was really friendly. Thank you

Went on a Monday lunchtime, really good service from James - very prompt attention and a nice line in general banter. Lovely table in the rear part of the pub. Food was very enjoyable we all had a nice zero alcohol draft beer as we...

The roast was average, soft drink pricing extortionate. The staff seemed so disengaged with their work, total lack of smiles or rapport, shame, as great location and refurbished down well. There are better roasts to be had in the area.

We only just decided at the last minute to try and go for a late lunch at the POW. We hadn't been since long before covid and were looking for a bit of buzz and atmosphere away from our quiet market town. (45 minutes' drive)....

Went in at 1:30pm for a roast with 7 family members. We asked for sharing roast which they said they didn’t have (was advertised on the website) They also didn’t have any lamb, no cauliflower cheese, no Mac and cheese and no apple crumble for...

Our party of 7 arrived and were told we could wait for a short time until a table vacated. We were sat at a table right by the door (very cold every time the door opened) to wait but after 30 mins of waiting the...

Went to Princess of wales for lunch yesterday. The food was excellent and the service was efficient and v friendly. Katie who served us was charming and provided v efficient service. I will plan to return.

Well we had two pints, over £5 each but not too alarming. So my mate fancied a Rum and Coke to finish the night off. So I ordered the cheapest possible rum, and a coke, and a half of Timothy Taylors Landlord. They don't take...

Arrived. There is nobody there to greet you and take you to your table. Went to bar. Waited for a while to be served. It was not busy. Said we had a table, they pointed to Table 5 so we walked over. Again we waited...

Pretty gobsmacked and truly bewildered by the attitude of the manager of The POW this afternoon … and the undisclosed and sudden closing of the pub to the general public at 5pm today. I met a friend who had already spent over £120 on lunch...

A very recent visit to this great local pub highlighted to me that the designers listened to the locals. Why have a side bar always closed - now correctly gone. Why have images on the wall on the large bar that meant nothing to most...

Visited after the recent refurbishment - it was chaos down the far end of the pub where new seating and tables meant there was no room to move or for food servers to get near the dining table - ridiculous . Whoever designed this area...

The latest changes might appeal to some but ripping out the atmospheric front bar counter, just to add a few more seats, has removed the last vestige of this pub's former glory as a locals' drinking pub. The move to corporate pub is complete. Service...

Recently visited the recently refurbished princess of wales. It has been beautifully done to a very high standard in and out. The foot was exceptional. Will 100 percent be back. Special shoutout to Harry our server what a lovely gentleman went above and beyond for...

Such a wonderful evening at the pub tonight, Matilda was very friendly and quick with our order. The food was outstanding. I was looking for something nutritious and a decided on the Nourish bowl , it was excellent. My husband opted for the cheese burgers...

Went with the family for an early dinner. The service was polite and attentive. Orders were taken at our table. We were asked if we were happy with our meal. The drinks were cold. Our steak was cooked to perfection. The chips were hot and...

Thanks Harry for a good afternoon Really has a good afternoon Harry service was very attentive it was great

Great view of the heath. Good wholesome food - good value. Harry was really attentive and provided excellent service

On a recent visit to this local pub, which used to be really nic incidentally,, my husband and I had a meal (burgers) and a couple of drinks each with a total of £58.74. Now, that included the "service" charge of £5.34. We sat at...

Look at all your reviews can’t you see what your customers are saying The pub is being run by young girls who only want to look at their phones Ignored at the bar Overcharged food took one hour to arrive cold Meals missing meals incorrect...

What a shame! This pub used to be truly lovely. However, recently i have been disappointed - especially today. We ordered 2 Sunday roasts. The first one was bought out 15 minutes before the other.....and was only just warm. This was the beef. - which...

We've lived in the area for about 8 years and it's sad to see how things have gone downhill at the Princess of Wales in that time. On the last couple of occasions the service has been poor and many of the staff have got...

I have never been to pub before when a pint of shandy (made with soda water instead of lemonade) is the same price as a regular pint ! When I complained the staff just said “it’s always been like that”. Plenty of other good pubs...

Stopped for lunch and afternoon drinks. We were seated in the really nice beer garden for Sunday lunch. The menu is really good and quite varied. From the starters recommend the home made scotch egg, from the mains recommend the vegan burger and from the...

A pleasant welcome from Ellouise, she was friendly and gave good customer service. I later learned she was a very new starter. Unfortunately I did not find the other staff had the same good qualities. There was no explanation of the ordering process. Sorry to...

Arrived for our booking at 3pm on Good Friday. The weather was good and I think the staff had bitten off more than they could chew. They sat us down at a table and didn't tell us that we had to order from the bar...

*AVOID THIS PLACE* We used to live in the area and it is not the first time I experienced bad service and long waiting time, but this time it does need to be shared. I went with a couple of friends and 4 kids under...

Bad food shocking service Young girls behind the bad playing on their phones Forget drinks we ordered Coffee cold left on bar Food ordered from waitress food delivered missing chips steak and duck Bad management How do you allow inexperienced young rude girls to run...

Came here on a Sunday evening and at first found the pub to be aesthetically pleasing and had a nice vibe. Got a table and ordered food from the menu. Chicken and bacon pie served with leeks and carrots. A totally different pie arrived served...

I contacted the Princess of Wales, as we needed a venue following my Dad's funeral. I spoke to Laura, who was fantastic at arranging everything. She advised me on food, quantities, timings etc and gave us the whole conservatory area for privacy. Although, Laura wasn't...

Held my fathers wake here yesterday. Faultless service, attentive staff, great food and drink. Thank you so much for looking after our family and friends and for providing the venue to give my dear old dad a good send off in a pub which he...

I visit most weeks after sporting activity together with a small group of friends, food and choice of beer is consistently good. Nice cosy atmosphere and staff are always very pleasant and efficient. Highly recommended

Sadly after a couple of visits already here which was great this time it was not just a bad experience it was awful. Arriving early for a drink before sitting to eat, we were not allowed to stay in the bar to wait for our...

On arrival we were shown a high table with stools, mum has mobility problems and instantly we knew this wasn’t going to work. James went out of his way to find another table and luckily a lovely family agreed to swap. Food was great so...

Three of us today had a beautiful birthday lunch…..excellent service! I could kick myself as the lovely waitress with a Canadian accent at a guess 🤔disappeared and I wanted to give her a tip :-( ( I will catch you next time) The Rib eye...

The Princess of Wales is an absolutely outstanding pub and previous visits have been excellent, however, I’m not sure I’d recommend this site for a Sunday Lunch. Sadly, upon arrival at 13:30, they only had Beef Roasts remaining. Although the gravy was delicious, the roast...

Visited here for a Sunday Roast with friends. Really lovely, cosy pub. We found the service to be very friendly and efficient. The roast dinners were all generously-sized and very tasty. The vegetarian option (nut roast) was really delicious and one of the best nut...

Table service only at this stage is just tragic for a pub. Especially when staff shout at you for attempting to order at the bar without realising they had this futile policy in place. Beer not looked after, just like all the pubs in blackheath...

Visited on a Sunday afternoon, told no roasts when menu was eventually brought over after 20minutes waiting. We left. Not the first frustrating experience here, wont be back and wouldn't recommend.

Popped in a couple of nights ago for a quick drink and ending up staying for dinner. It’s all table service but we were seated quickly and drinks offered straight away- our waiter certainly knew about their beers and made some very good recommendations. We...

We popped in for a quick late afternoon drink and were greeted by the rudest bar tender it’s ever been my misfortune to come across - She obviously hated her job and hates the people that come in there - barking at us to wait...

Sadly this pub has gone from being the best pub in the village to the worst! It is very unwelcoming and soulless now - the service is poor and certain members of staff have a very rude and abrupt manner which from reading previous reviews...

Prior to covid this place was pretty good, but since they've introduced table service only it's gone really downhill. Been in 3+ times over the past 6 months and each time have been made to wait 15/20 minutes for a couple of pints, and much...