The Crown Inn in South Oxfordshire

We have just returned from an amazing carvery experience, frankly, I can't wait to return. Fabulous food, great choices and epic staff.

I had a meal with you as part of a large group. The pizza I ordered was cold with very little topping on it, and so solid it was extremely difficult to cut even with a very sharp knife. Due to how busy you were, there were no staff to complain to at the time; and I didn’t say anything on leaving as I was already late getting home due to slow service. I gave you the opportunity subsequently to respond to my dissatifaction, by contacting you via email; but you haven't even had the courtesy to reply. As a result of this experience, I won't be returning or suggesting others have a meal or stay with you in the future.

Always have amazing food at The Crown. Highly recommend. Great service and special offer in January and February gave us the perfect excuse to enjoy a visit. Lovely atmosphere too

We ate Sunday lunch at the Crown as a family, ranging in age from 9 to 79 and enjoyed it very much. 5 of the group had the Sunday roast, the children had pizzas and I had a pizza too; the plates were all cleared apart from 1 person, who couldn’t manage all his meat, so took it home in a box for his tea. We haven’t been to The Crown for quite a long time and will be happy to eat there again before long.

Had a lovely evening . The place looked lively. Staff were fabulous and the food was amazing. Great service as normal. Debbie Louise and Ross

Have been here on multiple occasions with friends and family and cannot fault the food, staff, and setting. You can pay similar prices at other places in and around Berkshire and be seriously disappointed. The food quality, portions and taste are exceptional and cannot complain in the 3 years I have been going here. Would highly recommend to all!

Stayed here for 3 nights B+B. Room was cold and needs updating- broken ceiling lights, stained blinds, peeling paint on headboard. No maid service it seems so towels not changed, tea and coffee not replenished, bed not made. Breakfast disappointing.2 packs of cornflakes and warm yogurt is not a buffet. £125 per night is daylight robbery. I’ll stay at the premier inn next time

The hotel is good. Clean rooms and easy access, Good parking. Staff in total at the hotel and the dinning room are very helpful and nice. However I have to write about the food. Which was not good. Examples. Starter of Humus with malt bread was a couple of tea spoon fulls of supermarket Humus with three quarters of a Ryvita broken into three pieces. £7 approx. Macaroni and crayfish tails was a sticky glue like mess. Where was the lobster bisque?. Meat pies, not home made and two out of three were burnt and all were overcooked or reheated. Very little of the food was home made and for the prices charged was shocking. Puts us off staying again as we eat there for four nights

Very nice meal spoiled by the hummus and rye bread starter which consisted of a couple of Ryvitas and a small amount of hummus - for £7!! We complained but these starters were still included in the bill.

Lovely welcoming staff. Had dinner which was very tasty. Staff friendly and kind to our dogs (Billy and Cocoa) and treated them to a sausage. Returned the next morning for yummy cooked breakfast.

Lovely lunch, had the pizza, it was huge. Staff friendly and helpful not rushed when finished eating. Great time

Disappointing to say the least... I went to the crown with family to celebrate a Birthday. For mains I ordered "lobster Mac n cheese" ( no lobster found by the way) the dish was watery, and after a couple of mouthfuls, I knew I had eaten something off and went to the bathroom to throw up as it instantly came back up. I explained to our waitress,who was lovely....however, I can't same the same for your manager, Jade. Not only did she not offer me anything else, but also reluctantly to remove the item from the bill. Our waitress had to convince her to discount the dish to 50% off, although I had hardly touched it. The manager approached the table, and continued to insinuate it was my problem and not hers. Coming from an extensive hospitality background myself, the customer care and service here needs to be addressed. You gave the impression that you do not care about your guests and pocketing money was her main concern. Paying for the dish was not the issue, the poor response and rude management is.

Had a night b and b last Friday. Very friendly and welcoming staff. Had a couple of drinks, excellent Brakespears beer and lovely Pinot. Fantastic room if a bit dark but very comfortable. After a good night's sleep to be confronted by a superb breakfast. Wow. Many thanks to all concerned.

I usually love the food here but was disappointed this evening. The amazing plant based burger has been taken off menu and replaced with a portobello muchroom in a bun! Chips were great though. Why do some restaurants think vegans aren't interested in eating tasty food? Only 2 vegan meals on menu. However my friends did enjoy their meat meals. The outside dining area is pleasant but starting to look a bit shabby which is a great shame as there is lots of seating. Only one toilet working out of 3 so had to queue for loo. Coffees were nice but not very hot. I will visit again but not to eat.

A lovely evening in a relaxed environment enjoying excellent food looked after by a fun, friendly and efficient waiter. It was the best burger since lockdown topped with perfectly cooked bacon covered in melted cheese. When ordering, we were joking with the waiter that every dish seemed to come covered in fresh chillis whereas another restaurant I knew used fresh rocket which wasn't always appreciated. Just as I started my burger, the waiter appeared with a complimentary bowl of tomato and rocket sald saying he thought I might like to try the rocket. Now that is five star service! What a delightful surprise and I confirmed it was excellent rocket with a strong peppery taste. Looking forward to returning and perhaps trying some of the South African dishes next time.

Buffet Sunday lunch was very pleasant. Tasty food, friendly staff and busy. Seemed like a popular place to be. Went on recommendation of friends, wasn’t disappointed.

We booked a table for 6 to celebrate my dads birthday and were quite specific with our request for a round table. The table we were given was perfect, lots of space and we arrived to a friendly smile. Food was very good, we all ordered different dishes for starter and mains and there were no complaints at all, everything tasted freshly cooked and hot. Would definitely recommend and would return again if in the area.

Back again, friendly welcome and service.. Soup of the day very good as were the Gambas, though sauce powerful. Pie of the day and fish and chips to follow; very large portions for older people but excellent Good food, good service friendly staff....what's not to like Till the next time

We stop for Sunday lunch after a long dog walk with our GSD puppy. The food was amazing, the staff were amazing! The staff were so helpful accommodating our children and dog and super helpful. They food was delicious, an excellent selection for the roast, beautifully presented and hot. We will be back very soon!

Slow service.Food overpriced and freezing cold restaurant!Complained but nothing done about it!!!Also trying to force customers when paying to give a tip.I feel this is wrong!I think I might go back in the summer when the weather is hot!!

Lovely Sunday lunch with FANTASTIC service from Amber who repeatedly checked with chefs all of my coeliac related dietary queries. She reassured me such that I was able to enjoy a burger in a gluten free bun with chunky chips - food that I have...

We went for a family meal and it was great! The food came out quickly and was so tasty- I had the churchhill burger which tasted very nice. The staff were very attentive and a particular shoutout to Scarlett our waitress- she was very lovely:)

I’ve eaten 4 times at the crown in the last 12 months, mainly due to a mild obsession with their Katsu chicken salad. The service on my visit last night was the best yet - attentive and friendly (despite it being really busy). Big thank...

All made to feel welcome by friendly staff. Drinks ordered and delivered quickly; small spill which was dealt with with great professionalism by waitress. Starters all good, especially scotch egg and pea and mint soup. Pizza too big for 12 year old but left overs...

Food was great as normal, only issue was the waiting staff did not know what the seasonal veg was , soup of the day , service was ok apart from that

This is a lovely pub! Comfortable and pretty place to sit, great food and great service. Will definitely be back.

We had dinner here last night for my boyfriends birthday and it was truly delicious! Kind and friendly staff. We will definitely be back again!

Booked the day before, arrived on time and greeted at desk and seated promptly. Perhaps staff should say what soup and pie of the day are as they seat you. Scotch egg excellent as was fish and chips; pie of the day very tasty but...

Wow, we were impressed from the moment we stepped in and the lovely manager greeted us. We were quickly checked in and shown to our room, that did not disappoint. In fact the bathroom was perfect - great size, beautifully finished. The rooms are converted...

Restaurant very quiet but service and food both excellent....scotch egg a must try as a starter. Pie of the day hot, plenty of meat, extra sauce, smooth mash and hot and varied green veg. Rump of lamb as above excellent....two clean plates Friendly and smiley...

We celebrated our wedding anniversary at The Crown. We could not fault anything as Sam and his colleague made us feel very welcome and comfortable. The European Antipasti is a fantastic sharer. I opted for the The Seabass and my husband had the Rump of...

The Crown has fast become my go-to for a great lunch or dinner. The helpful and friendly staff provide good service and the food is lovely. I particularly recommend the seabass and samphire (although you can give the saffron potatoes a miss.) There is a...

We met friends here for dinner on a Tuesday evening. It was a warm evening so we sat outside, despite having booked a table inside The food was very good and between us we tried the scotch egg for starters, seabass and fish and chips...

We recently had a great meal and brilliant service at The Crown in Playhatch after a funeral. Sinead and her team were superb with excellent food and service. We will definitely be back.

I went here for dinner last night with a friend. We were worried that we were going to eat outside and it was meant to be raining. We arrived to a big outdoor seating area, part of which was covered with heaters and blankets -...

My wife & I visited The Crown for our first date night after lockdown. The food did not disappoint and lived up to every expectation we had. The service was great and the staff were super friendly. Would recommend to everyone

Stuck outside in a tent, two heaters are completely inadequate to keep you warm. The complementary blanket is a nice touch.The veggie burger had the consistency of tinned spam, honestly there is more texture in smooth pate. My friend ordered the salmon and it was the smallest slice imaginable. One star for the warm toilets.

Made a booking for 4 adults & baby in pram. Greeted at door by young girl who was clearly very busy. Asked if she could help I said yes I have a booking for 3pm 4 adults & baby in pram . She points and says your table is just down there on the left. 1. I’ve not been here before 2. It was very busy and couldn’t really see so I look a bit confused and she says do I need to show you like it was such an inconvenience!! It then appeared obvious to where it was. She then rushes off again nothing said. Now the table had places for 5 with 5 chairs so we had to move a chair out & make room for baby pram ourselves. Not exactly feeling very welcomed or accommodated. The place was heaving and tables so close to each other I didn’t feel they’d taken steps to keep everyone socially distanced. Anyway ordered roasts, came very quickly. Presented very nicely& large portion. Potatoes tasted old and not very warm. Cauliflower cheese old and dry with cheese just melted on top. Beef very very rare in middle. Not the best I’ve had! Overall experience quite poor and I don’t think I’d return. Based on service, Covid safety & food!

We have been visiting the Crown for about 4/5 years but over the last few weeks we have been visiting on a weekly basis as a treat from the Covid restrictions.After our visit today I thought that a review was in order, we both felt very safe and the social distancing and safety control was excellent as was the pie of the day, beef and Guinness.Looking forward to our visit next weekMike and Viv

I wanted to share a message sent to the Crown this morning. They accommodated a wake for my father and from beginning to end made the whole day so much easier. I would highly recommend a visit if you are in the neighborhood. They have a great team and menu where you are spoilt for choice"I just wanted to say on behalf of my family and I a huge thankyou for everything you did to make our fathers wake a memorable experience and one that enabled us to give him the send off he so deserved. From the moment I inquired with you, the team could not be more helpful. From accommodating us at such short notice to the day itself they really were fantastic and made us feel so welcome and comfortable, particularly in these difficult times. The food was perfect and everyone commented on how beautifully presented it was and tasty…..the fishcakes being a particular hit with the younger generation. To then allow us to just hang out and have a late supper, again excellent, was so appreciated by us all when we all see each other so rarely that we really cant thankyou enough.As many people do with such emails I would say I hope to visit again, but I already seem to have become a regular having visited a couple of times over the last few weeks, when I was immediately asked if I wanted an Amstel, my drink of choice, on my arrival friday, which obviously received a raised eye brow from my wife……now that’s service "wishing you all the best "

What a great meal we had. We shared the gambas and the scotch egg to start then both opted for the baby back ribs for mains. They were huge! So tender as well. Falling off the bone, you could eat with a knife and fork! The staff were lovely, attentive and professional. I’d definitely recommend this place if you haven’t eaten here. Ambience is lovely too. We will be back.

So great to have the old team back! We had family visiting us and booked them a room at The Crown for 2 nights last weekend. They loved it. The room was perfect... they raved about the shower! Service was excellent throughout. We joined them for a relaxed breakfast one morning with our young children - great choice on the menu for all ages.

We had a fantastic mid-week lunch at the Crown sitting in their beautiful garden! The staff were very attentive and the food was delicious and great value- even the kids enjoyed the crab cakes and curry (and they’re a tough crowd!).Look forward to visiting again soon.

No words needed. Beautiful Sunday lunch, well presented, with both discrete and attentive service, from the team. 11/10

Yay! This place is back on the map. Ted, Sinead & The old team are back - what a breath of fresh air. Took my gran here for lunch after a walk down the Thames. Beautiful food, well organised in regards to one way systems, ordering etc. The garden is absolutely beautiful, nice bits of shade and a real sun trap too - for those that like that kinda thing. My gran had the Bobotie and I had a burger with chips. I've missed those chips, oh and... she couldn't stop raving about her meal.

The food was fantastic, service was great and the atmosphere was lovely. A perfect evening out with Ted and his Team back in charge! If you’d written this pub off with the previous management get back there as I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Just a quick pint and a burger. Staff are great and prices good. Food was lovely. Pertfectly seasoned chips and hot too.

Attended the crown this evening for dinner. Was met by an externally rude waitress who sat us at our table. Food was amazing but was let down massively by service. It felt like everything became a chore for her. Really sad that such a beautiful venue and lovely food was let down by one individual. Won’t be coming back until the team have some training on basic customer service.

There was hardly anyone else The Crown last Monday when an old friend and I caught up over dinner. Yet the dining room is so nice it creates an atmosphere of its own. Good service from an engaging waitress helped too. It's been a few years since I was last here and the menu is just as varied with enticing dishes. I went for a combination of two starters portions for a main - Asian crispy duck salad and Thai chicken lollipops. My friend had fish and chips - a really well cooked chunky haddock fillet with excellent batter and tartar sauce. In truth my duck felt a tad overdone - not burnt but just that bit too chewy than it should have been. The salad and dressing were good. the lollipops very good, with a green curry sauce and bok choi.We shared the 'signature' apple and honeycomb crumble with vanilla ice cream and Bailey's custard - honeycomb being one of my favourite things to eat.I will never put Bailey's in custard. Just didn't work for me. The chunky apple wedges still had a bit of bite and the crumble was sparse but nice - there was definitely a little less honeycomb than I'd have ideally liked. Decent ice cream .Must have been a pretty good dessert though, as I totally ignored the dessert wine I ordered, which when I did drink it turned out to be the biggest disappointment of the night. The Dao red Portuguese wine we had with our main meal was excellent and decent value. The red dessert wine I was served lacked punch or flavour and was - dare I say it - slightly watery by comparison.Now I've looked up the two dessert wines on the menu on Google I'm not sure I got what I asked for - both appear to be white dessert wines as I expected on the evening.So while I love the pub/restaurant decor, service.and food on the whole, it wasn't quite perfect, is probably a tad expensive for what we had, but I'll definitely go back if I'm nearby.

My partner booked our party of 12 for Sunday lunch. Family get together. He was then emailed to say sorry, could not accomodate. When he called in to check, they'd double booked our own party. So that was the first glitch.Our table was booked for half one on Sunday. Everyone arrived, asked the waitress to do a drinks order for the table, and give me the bill. Service was not particularly fast, and it was pretty obvious that there was not enough staff, in a busy restaurant.Orders were placed for 1 main from the menu, 2 kids meals, the rest of us were having carvery.From sitting down at 1.30pm, we finally got to eat just before 3. This was after 3 requests to staff as to where our order had got to. The wait made even more infuriating, as the guy serving on carvery disappeared, so our party, and 4 other people were stood waiting to be served, which further added to a long wait. Carvery (when we finally got it), was ok.Customer service was greatly lacking. When we finally got the bill, the £27 service charge was an insult. I've had better customer service at a fast food outlet. Not impressed, ruined the day.

Booked for Sunday lunch for 5 people. We arrived on time for our reservation and were shown to the bar as the table didn't have enough chairs which is okay - there were 3 chairs at the table and it's fine if the previous party had overrun slightly. We went over to the bar where there was a queue and no one available to serve. Ten minutes later on being served, the lady that served was rude to both us and her colleague.Drinks obtained, we went and asked for the table where the chair situation was unresolved. Three of the five of us sat down while the other two stood by the side of the table for a further 10 minutes having asked for chairs again and still not got them. They eventually spotted us standing up and fetched some chairs. So we're sat down about 40 minutes late. That's not the end of the world is it.Now - where are the menus, the cutlery, and the glasses - nowhere to be seen obviously. So we request them and get some menus.We ask for the veggie option with the roast and were told - 'I guess there is no veggie option as it's beef, pork or lamb'. I'd say you're right mate.One of us therefore orders the veggie option on the menu and we ask for a heads up when that's on it's way so the rest of the table can queue for the roast which is a buffet affair. Obviously we didn't get the heads up and fair play to the chap - he did say he couldn't promise to give us prior warning and he was spot on again.Now - where is that cutlery? A second request and it's on its way for 1. What about the rest of the table?The other four go and queue for their roasts and ten minutes later there's no progress as there's noone serving the meat at the buffet - the chef had disappeared to find some roast potatoes some time earlier and we can only assume he was digging them up from the garden. So the veggie eats on their own to save the meal going cold, and tries to order some more drinks from the lady frantically walking around the place. 'Excuse me, can we order some drinks please?' - that usually does the trick. But not at The Crown in Playhatch - that sort of outrageous request gets a finger up to silencethe request - and the request to order some drinks is duly ignored. So we give up on that idea.By this time, we've given up. As have a number of the tables around us. People walked out having not been served. A couple came in after us, ordered some drinks to their table and then joined the queue for the roast. The same lady brought their drinks over only to see an empty table to her anger and dismay - 'where have they gone?!' she says out loud. OBVIOUSLY they're in the queue for the roast. She takes the drinks over to them to confront them and gets pointed back to the table to deliver the drinks which I can only assume (so take this with a pinch of salt as I can't confirm) was asked in the same rude manner as she had dealt with everyone else in the bar and restaurant since we;d been there as the couple looked at each other when she turned round as if to say 'What did she just say?'.Anyway - back to the matter in hand - the food was fine by the way - no complaints there so the chefs are clearly capable.We decide to cut our losses and ask for the bill. Not once, but twice. On arrival the second time it's incorrect and with no apology another bill is produced. We pay it and leave.Now - I accept (and hope) that there may have been some extenuating circumstances as to why there were only 3 people running front of house, the bar, and serving tables in a restaurant that sits c. 100-150 for a Sunday lunch - but there certainly wasn't one that was explained to us. We were treated as an inconvenience throughout.In the end you had to laugh. Had they doubled the number of staff I hope that all would have been fine. But instead it ruined a Sunday lunch and overdue catch up with friends and I can only feel for the other diners, some of who were celebrating birthdays.

Good atmosphere, pleasant food and excellent service. They have significantly upped their game since December 2020. I had enjoyed visiting The Crown in the past, but had been very disappointed but am pleased to be able to enjoy eating there again

We had a booking for lunch today to celebrate my nephew's baptism. Our party had 6 adults and 3 children and we were seated in the barn area. We were seated by a person in a grey shirt and dark trousers. He was probably the worst person you could have as front-of-house. If we didn't have the children with us, we would probably have moved to the pub next door! This person begrudgingly sat us at our table, begrudgingly took our drinks order and gave us our menus. Considering you have a pie of the day on the menu, he should have told us what this was at this time. Every time we said 'Thank you', he said 'Pleasure' but without any obvious pleasure. It was as if serving us was an imposition on his Sunday. We had a beautiful baptism service at the church and were looking forward to a lovely celebration with the family for lunch. Unfortunately, this person pretty much ruined the afternoon! Sadly, the sub-par quality of the food wasn't able to make up for his behaviour. Our family used to enjoy coming to The Crown and have even recommended it to friends. My husband and I have moved to Australia and we were looking forward to coming back for a meal. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be coming back again.

I had a meal with my family at the Crown on Christmas day. The meal fell short of the standard we'd experienced on previous occasions. However, the manager, Dan, listened to and addressed our concerns in a very professional and efficient way and we feel assured that our bad experience will not be repeated in the future. We are definitely planning to go back.

We booked at 2.30pm on Christmas day at a price of £80 per head when we arrived at 2.20pm we were told that our table was not ready so we had a drink in the bar.At 3.15pm i asked if the table was ready and told no i then discovered that our table had been given to somone else.At 4.15pm I asked again if our table was ready and the staff were alll running around like headless chickens and told sorry no this went on until 5.30pm 3hrs later when i said enought is enought and i would like a refund which i was told no problem and the table would be ready soon.At 5.45pm we had a bar table not a table in the reasturant but better than nothing we eat our food which took anothere 1hr to wait for after asking where our food was.I spoke with the duty manager and replied that he had been dropped in the s--- buy his manager and he was sorry i must say all of the staff done their best in a bad sitiuation but the manger at the top should be sacked.This ruiened alot of peoples Christmas day and i would not recomend this place on Christmas day there are a lot better places to eat for £80 a head than here.

Was great until the new management came I recently. Went for Christmas dinner today, which we’ve done for several years here before. Nothing wrong at all with the food, but the service was appalling. Not the fault of the waiting staff, there just wasn’t nearly enough of them. One waitress seemed to be trying to cover about 12 tables! New management need a kick up the bum. Avoid until this is sorted out.

This has been one of my favourite restaurants until today. Whilst we had a lovely waitress, one of the waiters was surly and rude. As a party of 7 with two kids, we did ask for a couple of alterations to our food order, but while I know the waitress took them down, the kitchen ignored them. Also chilli seems to feature on a lot of the meals, but not mentioned on the menu and it should be. The food was of a good quality and well cooked. Just a shame our experience was spoiled by such a rude waiter.

Pic attached is of the steak I was served. The waitress deserves credit for keeping a straight face when presenting it to me. I laughed. Asked her if she was joking. She didn’t laugh. Said she wasn’t. I asked her to please pass on a message to the chef that he or she shouldn’t be letting food portions of that size out of the kitchen in all good conscience. I’ve no idea if she did pass on my message as a different waitress served us for the rest of the meal. Other food was fine. But then the plates sat on the table for more than forty-five minutes after we’d finished before someone came and cleared. No further mention of the steak from the establishment; neither in its defence or condemnation and subsequent apology. Pretty bad. Return visit not on the cards though if the service we were shown is anything to go by, I’m not sure they’ll be at all bothered. Anyways grumble over - merry Xmas everyone and if you’re headed to The Crown stay away from the steak.

I have visited this restaurant a number of times over the last 5 years and have always enjoyed the food and atmosphere. On this occasion rather disappointed!

We pre ordered as requested which was fine but o arrival there were no Christmas crackers on our table- there were on others- we had to.ask for them. Main meal was fine for some but some complained about very hard uncooked veg. It appeared only a couple of waiting staff were working and they did their best. Not the worst experience but also not the best

Very shabby service, we were pointed in the direction of our table not shown, despite booking for 6 the table was laid for five, food was OK service was slow. We ordered brandies with our coffee, they came with ice in them - who serves brandy with ice? when we sent them back they returned the brandy with the ice removed, not a replacement, we had to ask for fresh ones. They struggled to make a liquer coffee. We won't be returning!

We've been going to The Crown for years because the food was always good, the service attentive and the atmosphere relaxed and welcoming so naturally when our anniversary came round and because we hadn't been since the new management took over, we decided to have a mid-week treat and hit The Crown for dinner.

I used to adore this place for lunch. Beautiful quaint pub which was easily accessible from our office in Caversham. It had the best chips I’ve EVER tasted in a pub and a lovely warm and cosy atmosphere.

Watch out! Read the receipt a 10% tip is added to bill automatically and they then have the cheek to try and trick you into missing the button on the card machine which if you don’t press “no” adds more tips.

Nice pub/restaurant, and the food was nice - however the service was simply too slow, when it was available.

Just come back from the crown at Playhatch, only 1 GF option and that was the carvery , services by young inexperienced people. Vodka served with a full double bottle of tonic , which drowned the taste of the Vodka. My carvery was good but limited veggies, not everybody like red cabbage and parsnips. The manager was the only one that could do the bill, and that was wrong. Due to go again in a couple of weeks with a party of 16, may have to rethink.

We stayed 2 nights visiting the area. Read good things about the place and thought it looked lovely. On arrival, were very swiftly shown to our room by a young man, the girl in reception was sour to say the least. On first inspection room looked great BUT headboard (wicker style) was covered in stains, needs a good scrub, the duvet itself was also filfthy, dont usually look if sheets are clean, but if kept poking out. The bathroom was lovely with good toiletries. When we got up we found our coats soaking wet, the front door, where we hung them on coat hooks was running with water, they need some sort of stain/varnish on them or a cure of some sort. 2nd night we opened window all night, not ideal on a ground floor.

We have been here before and chose it as we had liked the food, however today I was a bit disappointed.

This used to be THE place to go for a roast on a Sunday but really sad seeing it today. The service was slow, poor and bordering on rude. The waitress had no knowledge of what gluten was and wasn’t able to recommend any dishes that could be made gluten free. The roast was average and not worth 16 pounds. Potatoes rock hard and undercooked.

This used to be one of our standard venues for dinner out, but not anymore. Having visited after the takeover by Brakspear, we felt this has really gone downhill. The menu now has a very corporate feel with standard fare at high prices, there is nothing special to come here for anymore.

Lunch was over cooked and dreadful tables are dirty. Outside tables and chairs are broken.

We decided as the weather was going to be nice to walk the dogs and head to The Crown at Playhatch for Sunday lunch.

The food although slow in appearing was worth the wait. Well cooked and fresh ingredients made it worthwhile

I went here for a couple of drinks, some starters and ended up staying for dessert with a couple of friends. The seating area outside is lovely, a few different areas and some smaller pockets for privacy. The staff were really helpful. Brad served us drinks and was very attentive. He recommended some starters and desserts and they were lovely. It's nice to have a place that does proper desserts !! I highly recommend this place :)

Following the takeover from Breakspear the service has gone downhill - no fault of the staff, there just aren’t enough of them. Saturday night, one waiter and one person on bar with manager filling the gaps. Please don’t complain to the staff, they are doing their best in difficult circumstances... Breakspear sort it out!!! You are risking customer satisfaction at the expense of profit. No customers = no profit ...

We were a party of nine having Sunday lunch. None of us regulars but we'd heard good things. Most ordered the carvery roast and we were told that they'd give us the nod to go up for it when the other two meals were on their way. Then we waited. And waited. I think the staff missed a trick as we would have had plenty more drinks if anyone came near. The staff we did interact with weren't welcoming and it felt as though it was all a bit of an effort for them.

I took my family for dinner last night and I was shocked how poor the food and the service, this place is definitely gone down so bad. It is a shame as it was so good especially for the steak lovers.

Eight of us came for a meal to celebrate the end of term.

Had an event here a few weeks ago. Can’t fault the service, particularly from Sienna, Kerry and Dan S. Will definitely be back.

Four of us had a meal here last night.

We come here quite regularly on weekends and find the food good and a reasonably priced for a meal out. Also been to the Sunday carvery which was enjoyable. Always enjoyed the wine too.

Visited this pub yesterday for Sunday Carvery as we were in the area. The pub was very busy but we found a table in the bar area where we could take our dog, which was great, but unfortunately we were able to over hear the row going on behind the bar with 4 members of staff! The attitude of all the staff was indifferent, certainly not a warm welcome and there seemed to be no customer care. I asked a member of staff to wipe our table, he said he was busy but would come over, but never did and I asked another member of staff for cutlery and she said 'it's over there' and when I asked for serviettes she said 'I don't know what you mean'. Very poor customer service.

We were welcomed to the restaurant which had a pleasant ambiance. There we found a good range of options and ate very well. No bread rolls offered but portions good enough. Though we were on a Travelzoo deal, the prices seemed very reasonable.

Came to have a drink with a friend as it was a halfway point for us both, we ended up staying here for hours, it was too good not to! Barman (think his name was Will) was really helpful and managed to talk us into getting some food later on- thank goodness he did. We shared a couple of bottles of wine in the sunny and beautiful garden while catching up then had the camembert and the antipasti platter- so good and perfect to keep us sensible. I will be returning soon- well done for earning two new regular customers :)

Been to the Crown for Sunday lunch a few times over the past Year. Visited today and have to say the experience was a little disappointing. Whilst the choice of meats was excellent as always, they have let themselves down by serving Aunt Besies roast potatoes and Yorkshire Puddings. These both use to be freshly made.

Had a wonderful family Sunday roast here today. The carvery was amazing. Great selection of food and excellent portions. I had a vegetarian Thai curry followed by pecan pie with walnut ice-cream - both were delicious. The staff were great and very caring. My dad was in his wheelchair and they made it easy for us to access our table. They also offered him a child portion of the roast, which he really appreciated as his appetite is smaller now. The whole experience made us feel valued and cared for. Highly recommended a visit.

First customers at the bar and my bro and I had a lot to catch up on. Lady behind the bar was not friendly at all. We seemed to annoy her from the off. I asked for a french chardonnay which you didn't have so I said 'may I try the Australian one you have'. A kind of rolling of the eyes was immediately noted. The wine was good so she filled my glass and then took her time to serve a beer to my brother. She then went on to process it on the till to charge us. This is when the problem started with her attitude and lack of communication. Must have stood there with my card ready to pay for 7 minutes before I said 'is there a problem' to which he snapped 'NO' so I said I'll sit down and you can tell me when you are ready. What she should have said is 'sorry problem with till' but no she said nothing and then as soon as I sat down she shouted 'you can pay'. Put my card in the machine and then she looked at me and rolled her eyes again and shrugged her shoulders and pointed to the machine. Zero communication, zero apologies, zero personality and so when I took my card I was offered another dirty look. I told her she needed to work on her communication skills to which she screamed back on me 'how dare you be SO rude' - on way to toilet I then over heard her tell a colleague that she was SO hungover and didn't get to sleep until 5 in the morning. Surprise surprise. Basically needs more customer service training and needs to get more sleep and needs to stop rolling her eyes. We won't be back. Sorry! From the date of this I'm hoping you know who it is so you can offer her some customer service training. Good luck

Found a great deal on line for an overnight stay with full English breakfast and three course evening meal. The pub was delightful although the rear garden area was in need of a revamp.

Visited Friday evening with our Daughter and Son in Law. We had visited on 3 previous occasions, this was their first. Lovely friendly staff and pleasant surroundings, however, we didn’t find the food, or menu, anywhere near as good as previously. I sent my fillet steak back as it was stone cold, it was replaced but by then the others had nearly finished. A shame!

We were taken to The Crown for a family meal for Mother's Day.

Not been here for some years and was very pleasantly surprised. The staff are very friendly and the atmosphere very pleasant. The portion size was good and the price reasonable. Tried the South African dish of Bobotie. This was very good but for me just a bit too sweat but had a good spice aftertaste. An enjoyable time.

We stayed here two nights and enjoyed a 3 course dinner both nights. Service was excellent and so was the food. Generous portions and a bottle of chilled tap water appeared on the table without having to request it.

We stayed one night at The Crown when attending a family event. We'd eaten here several times a few years ago when we lived locally, but this was our first stay. The rooms are separate from the bar and restaurant, behind the garden and outdoor dining area. Room was spotless, with some character and interesting decor; bed was very comfortable, but we had to guess how to get the heating to work and never discovered how to put the light on in the bathroom without putting on all the lights and waking one's partner. Bathroom was spacious and also spotlessly clean, but no instructions for (spacious and efficient) shower, and I'm not tall (150 cms) and bathroom mirror was fixed so high I couldn't see even the top of my head in it - this is useless! Similarly I couldn't even reach the hanging rail in the unusual 'wardrobe' arrangement, obviously designed for men's suits not ladies' skirts and dresses. Outside the door was a table and chairs which could be used to sit outside in peaceful surroundings on a warm day and the row of rooms was designed with the back (windowless) wall nearest the hotel, so noise would be minimal even on a summer evening. Breakfast was good - more limited choice than in some chain hotels, but waitress service was pleasant and efficient and food cooked exactly as requested. We'd happily stay there again - but more information in the bedroom folders would be welcome.

I took a group of 11 to lunch. Cold January day, but inside a roaring fire made us welcome. Staff scored points in first 5 minutes; I had only booked for 10 and 11 of us arrived. No problem - extra seating arranged in 60 seconds. This level of service was maintained throughout the meal - not easy with a group of geriatrics who forgot what they ordered, changed their minds, and required very specific preparation of their meals.

Early Sunday lunch slot from 12.30 and needed to vacate table by 14.30

A decent Sunday carvery is often hard to come by, but look no further. I've come here many times for a Sunday carvery and it never fails to impress me. Good selection of meats and vegetables. All fresh and tasty. The beef is second to none. Would recommend the Sunday carvery.

Came here for lunch. Good range of options on the menu. We had a Churchill Burger and the Seafood Platter. Both delicious. The Seafood Platter in particular was excellent value. Friendly and prompt service.

Fantastic food, staff, service. I can’t fault this restaurant, pub, hotel. The whole place is clean and the clientele are friendly.

Came here for lunch was absolutely amazing and service was great, didn’t have a pudding but only because I was full up from lunch, large portions, great atmosphere, will definitely be back!

The service is very attentive and there is a lot of space between tables. As mentioned in other reviews, there is a South African choice of food and wines, which is nice.