The Anglers Retreat in Spelthorne

On the positive I really like this place good staff and USUALLY good food - I have had great Sunday Roasts and Superb Pizza in the last 3 months HOWEVER I went today and was really un-impressed with my Jacket Potato with Chilli & Cheese, which for a Wednesday lunch at £9 could have been so much better . The potato was completely undercooked and there was so little Chilli & Cheese that it was almost the vegan option. Chilli & Cheese are hardly expensive so not sure why they are rationed to such an extent that both my lunch and my wifes were pretty much just rock hard potato - wont be ordering again!!!!

Sunday lunch… staff not that bothered about serving drinks , in fact they didn’t add them to the bill when I looked at home ! 2 lunches one beef one lamb(end bit of lamb) was asked if we needed anything else salt and pepper no one returned not even to check if all was ok or even with the salt & pepper. No staff approached us for the bill so we went to the bar area on our way out , where most of the staff were gathered talking. Such a shame as the pub was lovely.

Tonight had skate off specials board Absolutely delicious and Emma and Mia very helpful Should make sure specials board is more noticeable as easily missed if you don’t know where to look

I have to say that the food is very good. The skate special was particularly delicious. I have lived in Staines for many years and written several reviews for The Retreat. But the periphery stuff really let them down on my last visit: children running around the pub and restaurant was not an auspicious start. We ordered wine: Pinot Noir and Picpoul. Former was off so we ordered Rioja. When the bill came, we’d been charged for Pinot. The Picpoul had not been chilled so came in ice bucket. It took a while to be chilled. After the meal (9.40pm), we ordered coffee. Server came back to say machine had been switched off. I have never been in an establishment where this has ever occurred. As I said, great food but other things are really letting the place down.

Staff are lovely, beer is great, food is decent. Good selection of spirits, maybe needs some more premium whiskeys and Mezcals. Atmosphere is nice, decor classic. They deserve to be busier during the week.

It’s such a shame. This pub is so close to being half decent but just as you think it will deliver it lets you down. There for live music and the Ireland rugby game. No sound on the TV for the rugby, music on too early (why have music and rugby at same time?) and then when everyone is into the music it’s turned off and last orders called (10.30pm)! Who calls last orders at 1030 when you have 60-80 punters in? Sorry you just don’t deserve our custom. The ‘owner’ is taking the Mickey out of his customers

Great evening with live music and the rugby on, pub full of atmosphere then call last orders at 22:30 with a pub full of paying customers….hardly the best way to retain customers…

Served by Jack, well done, very welcoming and attentive

Warm welcome with Great food. roasts and pudding, were lovely with 3 kids. great service from Callum. Would definitely return

Really friendly welcoming staff. I popped in for a catch up with friends. They serve lovely coffee and we were never made to feel uncomfortable just sitting drinking coffees for an hour. We will go back for a meal soon. Thank you

We were served by Emma, Daisy and Bekah last Sunday. My party of 4 all opted for the Roast and we can honestly say that it was wonderful. The staff were very attentive without being intrusive and were very friendly. Thank you The Retreat for a wonderful meal and great service!

Food was nice but expensive and portion on the smaller side. Went for the chicken burger, the salad consist on one small slide of lettuce and one slide of tomato, that's it. Chicken was nice though. Limited menu too.

Emma and Jack looked after us and the food was delicious

A group of us came here for dinner on a Sunday evening before Christmas. The ambiance was very poor with only about 14 people in the whole place and we were a group of 10. For me, personally the menu was extremely basic and unexciting. The one thing I really wanted was off the menu so I ordered a burger. It was OK but they had forgotten to put the cheese in it so we had to send it back to have it put in. We had to wait for the condiments to come, I would have thought they’d be on the table already especially as they were obviously not busy. The staff were friendly and helpful though. Certainly won’t be rushing back!

Very lovely staff, very accommodating and caring. Food could do with a bit more care but was lovely.

Really nice place for lunch and dinner. We both loved it there .very clean and tidy staff were absolutely brilliant. Don't drive past

The food is amazing with a decent size menu. Plenty for kids and lovely staff. In the evening it gets nicely quiet, and if you don't want to sit inside with the sports on, there is a nice seating area outside with benches. All in all, a decent pub! Edit: They do proper pub grub, no carvery. Stars unchanged in this edit.

Had to leave a fab review for the New Years Eve party held at the Retreat. The pub was busy with an excellent atmosphere. Bar service was quick and the cocktails were yummy. Responding to another review left about the event - the bar was closed for 10 mins before & after midnight to allow the staff to also celebrate the countdown (which is pretty standard IMO). There were quite a lot of children - especially in the earlier part of the evening as there was a facepainter, balloon modelling, fancy dress etc to keep them amused - but towards the latter part of the evening the dancefloor was all adults; the DJ was great, playing excellent music until 1am

Went to the Retreat for to their New Year celebration. We are very local and have been a couple of times previously (before Covid) and stopped because the last time they ran out of beer and got really stroppy when we complained (a pub with no beer at new Year???? No excuses). This event resulted in a similar not great experience. There were loads of kids - this was made obvious before we booked the tickets - kids are great at Christmas but 6 and 7s years old at new year (at midnight) is not what you want. And again the new manager seems to be "very confident" and any observation or complaint (tickets said the event finished at 2am but the music stopped and 1am and the manager "closed" the bar for a good period of time) was treated with distain bordering on arrogance. Basically the bloke is a bit full of himself....not a customer facing individual..do not recommend this place for anything other than a quick drink. However, have been told food is better than previously but given the proximity of the 3 Horse Shoes (excellent food service and ambience) and Wheatsheaf & Pigeon - good beer and service why would you go to the Retreat if a local!

Extremely disappointed with our experience. My mother in law booked a table of 14 for a family get together. She paid a deposit and gave pre orders, she even spoke to the manager Alex in person and he went through all the details. When we arrived they had no record of our booking, so no table laid up . Emma was extremely helpful and sorted us a table and after some searching found it was their mistake. She got our table sorted. We had to get our drinks from the bar , whilst waiting to be served at the bar a young lad came round served himself and his friends and then went back and joined them. The food was extremely slow to come out and some cold but after waiting so long we just got on with it. One of our family has allergies which was stated in the pre order, this food should have been brought out separately to avoid cross contamination but it wasn’t so the poor waitress had to take it back and double check, this is not acceptable , allergies are life threatening and should be taken seriously.Some of our family had finished our food before some had even got their food. Emma really was good and seemed to be the only person working. We then waited a further 40 minutes before the desserts came out. Then to top it off 12.5% service was automatically added. If Emma had not been so accommodating and professional we would not have stayed. Not a manager in sight. We will not be returning.

Oh my goodness, where do,I start. We arranged to meet friends on Christmas Eve. I tried to order an espresso martini when I was rudely told by the landlord that he didn’t have time ! We finally got our drinks minus the espresso martini & then the landlord shouted out to a fairly busy pub that he had made an executive decision & was closing at 9pm, without a sorry or anything. The man’s arrogance was startling. He ruined our Christmas Eve & we will never return, well not until he leaves anyway, which I’m sure won’t be long given the way he treats his customers. Absolute disgrace

We’re local to the pub and due to bad experiences it was the first time we’d visited since the new General Manager had taken over. Significant difference. Beer kept well, good atmosphere and food even better. Well worth a visit

Just popped in to pass a bit of time. Seemed quiet busy but service was great.

11/12/23 I felt the need to review this again as they apparently have a new chef. The whole line up is new. Service was excellent- didn’t get his name- ponytail Northern Irish guy. He was amazing. Food- here is where it was not as good before. Huge Sunday roast but it lacks taste. We ordered 2 roast lamb, 1 roast chicken and 1 salmon fish cakes. The roasts were huge. However my fish cakes were the size of a gold ball. So 2 golf ball size fish cakes, chips and salad for £15 is a bit dear as half a roast chicken is £16. Most importantly…. The food was nothing to shout about. It’s ok - it doesn’t stand out. I would come again though because it’s convenient. So… I’d say - give it a go if you’re in the area - don’t seek it out. If you travel to this area, seek out the Three Horseshoes in Laleham instead. It’s only 2-min drive away. September/October I’ve been here many time in the last 15 years and have seen it changed hands a few times. The food has been consistently good so cannot fault it for that. I’ve taken my son there after school at least 2-3 times a month over the school years and he’s now a grown man! We’ve had meals there, drinks… always good. I hope it operates for many years to come. As long as the food, service and ambience are good - it should do well whoever the management is. So, with the latest new management and new menu- the dish I can recommend is the red snapper risotto! So so good. Looking forward to try the others soon.

Daisy and Emma were brilliant, waitresses . Really felt special.

Brilliant sunday roast dinners for meat eaters and vegetarians alike. Very large portions, well cooked and presented, served by lovely, helpful staff. Recommend the belly pork and beef, the lamb on the next table looked lovely too. Couldn't manage any desserts. This is proper, well-done sunday dinner. Very nice side dishes especially the cauliflower cheese. Had to wait 30 mins for food to arrive but we were a table of 6 and that was very acceptable given everything is freshly cooked. It was a bit cold in the back room but kept the dog cool. When one of our senior guests gave feedback on a minor issue the waitress apologised and knocked the meal off the bill, no questions. Brilliant service, we will be back.

I cannot recommend The Retreat in Staines enough. The food is always on point, service is fast, and friendly and just an excellent vibe everytime. Just a big double thumbs up to Alex and the team at the Retreat. Sterling job. Absolutely love the food.

Lovely Sunday lunch although I prefer to be in control of the gravy myself rather than having it where the chef wants it

As a local I visit this pub, my wife however now refuses. The Restuarant service is terrible. Food is awful and over priced, waiting over 40 minutes for kids nuggets and chips when there’s only one other table eating in the restaurant is unacceptable. On every occasion we’ve been here and eaten, my wife has had to complain about the food but no one seems to care. We asked to speak to the manager 4 times when our Sunday roast was inedible but he never came over to see us. Today when we stopped for lunch there were dog water bowls up in the table and on the bar - not a great advert for hygiene. The toilets are pretty disgusting and the vibe is tired and disinterested. Overall a terrible pub and I can’t recommend it for food at all. I want to love this place but as it stands I can’t and feel I have to write this in the hope that the management take notice!!

Fabulous sunday roast today at The Retreat. Haven't been for a while and the food was amazing. Very generous portions, roast potatoes were freshly cooked and tasted lovely and the cauliflower cheese was delicious. Highly recommend. Understand that this is a new chef and have to say, their doing a great job. Dog friendly and very comfortable, great atmosphere.

Teagan was very lovely, very attentive and friendly. Really good service. The food was really good :)

We went for Sunday lunch and chose roast beef. The beef was tender, there were a good selection of fresh vegetables, crunchy roast potatoes and a Yorkshire. The portions were very generous, even the children's meal were !arge. The pub is very nice inside and the staff were efficient and helpful. We will certainly return and am happy to recommend this pub.

Lovely pub. Food was amazing. Pork belly for myself and my husband had fish and chips. Our waitress Emma was really lovely. Will be back asap.

Great atmosphere and fabulous staff. The Sunday roast was the best in the area for sure 👌🏽. I recommend the trio of sides with it!

The food was very bad won't go again

Only giving 4 stars because the food wasn’t the best and really it was below average and over priced. The Service from Jack was excellent and really made up for the quality of the food. He was the only person to come to our table and ask if everything was ok , because of this we decided to stay and order more drinks! Lack of atmosphere but he was extremely attentive , made an effort with us as customers and really made a difference to our experience.

The retreat was OK the meal was not bad the table was sticky we treated our niece. dog's in the restaurant!!! Barking felt we were kept waiting wish it was still the lucan arms never mind won't rush to come back again.

Teagan the 🐐, amazing food and service :)

AWFUL. Apart from the incredible delay of our starters (more than 1h since our waiter forgot to put through our order) and an extra starter we never ordered (??), the food was terrible. Old oil used for our garlic prawns and also the duck bao buns has 2 square pieces (2!!!) of something resembling pork (we ordered duck). A restaurant full of inexperienced children who clearly don’t know what a decent dining experience is.

A horrible Christmas day experience 2021 but subsequent visits have been excellent.

This was a lovely pub which served superb food.unforunately no longer.Sunday lunch cold,frozen food.dont waste your money. So sad to see this decline

First time at the retreat and it was amazing. Food was delicious and service was really good. Good roasts and nice pizzas.

The Retreat never disappoints, whether it’s a special occasion or just a casual lunch, the staff are always super friendly, service is always great and the food is always outstanding! Today we had a server by the name of Emma who went out of her way to make my daughters birthday extra special - thank you so much!

Nice place. Decent food. Recommend coming for Sunday lunch. The highlight of the visit though was definitely our server Emma. Very friendly, polite and attentive. Thank you Emma!

Had a meal out to celebrate a new job. We sat in the restaurant section. The Retreat is walking distance for us, so we can both have a drink. We were served by Jack and he was very attentive, we gave him 5 out of 5 stars for service. We ordered 2 starters which we shared, Louisiana Chicken & Duck Bao Buns, both were very nice. For mains we ordered a Pizza & a Calzone, again delicious. After asking for a short break we both had a dessert. Warm Chocolate Brownie & 3 scoops of Ice Cream. Only criticism would be the scoop of ice cream with the Brownie could have been bigger.

Loved the atmosphere, service and food! Emma was lovely, hosting us with smiles!! One of the best place to visit with furry ones 🐶 love how they get the free treats and water services!! Highly recommended!!

First time coming to The Retreat - really impressed with the staff, particularly our waitress Emily; so attentive and made sure we were well looked after! Would definitely come back :)

Just had an amazing experience at The Retreat and the food was amazing. We had sharers/ starters and it came in good time and tasted so good. I will say a special thank you to Alex and Jack that made the experience even better! They are a brilliant duo and had us in stitches, an absolute credit to the place! Thanks guys :)

The best pub around! Love the food, atmosphere and service. Jack and Pierre are especially some of the most excellent waiters I’ve come across - friendly, efficient and caring. My weekly pub that I’ll always be a customer of! :-)

Alex was a great host. Very assertive and welcoming.

The Retreat…my new favourite! Alex the general manager was so welcoming and friendly, and Jack who served us had us giggling the whole time. Highly recommended!

Very friendly and efficient staff that just want you to enjoy yourselves. We've had Louise serving us twice now and she's lovely.

Always a friendly welcome here (very friendly to dogs too with water and treats available). New menu is great with some excellent value lunch options. For lunch today I went for the chicken club sandwich which was great quality and a huge portion. Food was served promptly which makes it a good option for grabbing lunch during a work day. Good beer selection (not many ales, but if you want colder, fizzier beer the selection is great) and they now have Sky Sports also so possibly a good place to catch a game with friends.

Was served by Emma , what a lovely helpful waitress made us feel totally welcome

Really lovely service from Emma, food was delicious.

Had a pizza, was lovely, would definitely go again

Mediocre food - soggy chips at 6 pounds a portion, peppery roast potatoes not to everyone's taste, poor presentation and meagre portion of fish and chips with dried up peas. Eton mess had 1 strawberry - sliced, sitting on top. Nachos were good - crispy and tasty. Difficult to comment on atmosphere as we sat outside. Serving staff seemed very inexperienced and lacking in customer service skills. Had a far superior experience in all respects at Thames Court in Shepperton with a similar price point and prime location.

Nice and spacious. You can choose between the bar menu or visit the restaurant. Clean and reasonably priced.

Just returned after meeting with 7 friends. Was told no salmon, no chucken, opted for fish and chips, the chips were awful, luke warm tasted terrible, fish was ok not great, dessert most had apple crumble again not great. Obviously none would go back, waiter jack was great.

Absolutely fantastic, especially the bar staff.

A trendy fusion restaurant with an innovative menu. The fusion of flavors and culinary techniques created a unique dining experience. The stylish decor and attentive service added to the overall ambiance, making it a memorable spot for food enthusiasts.

I've tried on numerous occasions to buy Brakespear Gold. It's never on. How can they never have it. The barman said he would out a new barrel on and bring all our drinks out to the garden. After 10 minutes he appeared with just 3 and nothing for me. I thought that he was getting the Gold ready. Another 10 minutes passed and my friend went in to the bar to find out where my beer was. The barman simply said there was none! I won't bother going there again.

Four of our party had salmon with seafood risotto but portion of risotto was extremely small. It was very tasty but looked like half a portion. Chicken in Caesar salad was breaded, which seemed very strange, as it's meant to be roasted. Ice cream scoops were very small for £6. Service was slow but we didn't mind as busy catching up with friends

Hidden gem. Staying in Thorpe park and wanted to come for a meal out of the park and got an Uber here for the vegan roast. Great vegan options plus nice decor and really enjoyed our time here. Thank you

Came for some food and a few drinks on bank holiday Monday. Wasnt too busy but service and food was great. Cant compliment the pizzas enough!! Will be coming back just for those.

Went for a Sunday roast very disappointed no chicken or turkey on the menu?!😞

The fresh Spit roast chicken is frozen so not fresh and deep fried so not roast - so totally not as advertised - ive eaten better road kill and roast rat.

The fresh spit roast chicken is frozen so not fresh and deep fried so not roast - so totally not as advertised - I've eaten better road kill and roast rat.

I had my birthday meal here,it was a lovely meal and enjoyed the cocktails too. Lovely place...highly recommended

Great Staff, service, food and atmosphere 👌

Popped in today after hearing about the reopening. Thoroughly enjoyed a relaxed afternoon sitting in the bar area and can recommend the Lobster & Crab ravioli, very tasty! Well done to the new owners, great feel to the place, we’ll be back!

Great Burger and a cheeky pint of @brixtonbrewery Pale Ale at the @theretreatstaines… Great Menu, atmosphere, range of beers and lovely staff.

Been here twice now. For Christmas dinner, and then a Sunday lunch. The roast is very good...lovely yorkshire puddings, meat is tender, crispy roast potatoes....the burger is excellent....juicy and thick. And the desserts are delicious....the sticky toffee pudding is genuinely excellent. Not sure why it's only 4.1 stars ...I'd say it's better than three horseshoes...which is good but more pricey and a bit overrated.

Another excellent Sunday roast From the meat to the vegetables and huge Yorkshire pudding all of it was perfect.

Pizza was decent, but as you can see from the picture, there was only 4 tiny pieces of pepperoni on my pizza, and for £15 you don't expect such small portions! Disappointed, staff are lovely and decor is nice but they need to work on the food quality or lower the price.

Food was okay but a rip off. 8 pound for a few pieces of calamari and another 18-19 pound for a very very small roast. Left feeling hungry, would not recommend or return. Burger bun for vegan burger was also granary bread... don't know why you would choose that.

Great food, great service and the best company.

Lovely food and cosy sitting by the fire. Great Sunday roast with extra gravy!

Lovely atmosphere, great food, staff friendly and welcoming, we came in a group of 5 with an elderly family member (don’t tell her I said that) and a very well behaved dog for lunch, we were accommodated with suitable seating with no fuss. Food was excellent. Booking system was easy and useful to have a note section to declare any extra requirements. Would 100% recommend, will be returning regularly.

Not much food for what you pay ,very poor ,

Having spent the last 18 years hosting Christmas Day at home for anywhere between 14-19 people, we decided to book The Retreat as a change. We were not disappointed! The food was lovely and there was plenty of it and the service impeccable, nothing was too much trouble. Thank you so much to all the staff for giving up their Christmas Day to make ours special. Wishing you all a Happy New Year. Vicky, Steve, Amie, James & Family

Loverly staff .food nice .spacious

Great food and great service. The roast is very good portions

Nice pub clean and crisp beer but not my cup off tea ... Food is too posh

Delicious meal. Comfortable surroundings. Friendly efficient, knowledgeable staff. Will definitely return.

I'm torn regarding the Retreat/Citron Brasserie. The positive points at lunch time for us, the food was magnificent! Between us, we enjoyed a lovely Mushroom soup, Coq Au Vin, Duck, Lemon Possett & Bread & Butter Pudd. All delicious, compliments to the Chef. Decor, toilets all beautiful. Waitresses of which there were two, were very pleasant and well meaning, but inexperience did show. There was an overly long time where we were left standing, waiting to be seated, for our 1.30 booking. Then followed a lengthy period before any order was taken, even for drinks. A feeling of "chaos" when the restaurant was not overly busy. Our barely used napkins were removed from the table for some reason, when our pudding arrived. There was an on & off very noisy power drill being used very near the restaurant area, which does nothing for the ambience of a nice French bistro lunch. No one asked if we enjoyed our food. Little touches that would add to the experience, were amiss. I think a bit more attention to detail outwith the food, could make Citron Brasserie a regular place to eat.

As mentioned in the shepperton matters magazine ( November)

Nice to visit this recently refurbished pub. Big improvement on food

Service was good but food a bit meh and a tad overpriced.

Beautiful pub,beautiful selection of beers snd wine.

Staff very friendly and welcoming. The food was outstanding will definitely be going back again. Best calamari we've had. The steak and confit of duck was so great too. Highly recommend this place to everyone who appreciates fine dining. Thank you for a great evening Retreat team! 😍

Excellent roast beef, thinly cut and not overcooked.

Just had a fabulous meal here! The steak was amazing, all of it was, lovely, genuine service, we will be back!

Beautiful restaurant and wonderful steak meal.

Have just enjoyed the seared seabass with ratatouille and perfectly creamy mash potato. The pesto puree was drizzled delicately and each bite was a flavour sensation. The seabass melted in my mouth, but, ended with a lush crunch. My partner thoroughly enjoyed the brioche burger which was exceptional. We will be back. It is so nice to have such amazing food round the corner. Thank you Citron and the Retreat.

Great place, hospitality and drinks

I am not a regular pub go'er or drinker, but I do like a good meal out. Me wife had a meal here recently that she very much enjoyed. Last weekend she was very ill and unable to leave the house but really craved the meal from the retreat she had recently had. Although they do not do takeaway they arranged to make it for me and the customer service I received was absolutely excellent. Thank you to the retreat staff.

Lovely pub but cash not allowed! Hopefully that's only temporary. Won't go back until that's changed.

Lovely decor, but it's such a quiet pub, I was surprised how quiet it was for a Friday night.... And food stops at 9.....

Had lunch here yesterday...have to say the place was spotlessly clean. Ordered from the two couse meal menu.. Fantastic. Highly recommended.