The Oval Tavern in Croydon

Lovely pub tucked away in a residential area. Food was tasty, service friendly.

What a great pub. Lovely vibe, food was amazing, with great vegi options.

Great pub! Could have sat here all day!

Nice friendly pub. Good food and decent music, particularly on Sundays.

Beautiful quaint pub with great garden and the menu was varied and good value...Great Korean pork belly 😋 and Sunday Roasts! Live Jazz!

Lovely local, great beer,good food ( try the creamy avocado on sourdough toast with a sprinkle of chilli flakes and a splosh of olive oil mmm.) All topped off with attentive professional staff and friendly average workday locals. Nice garden area (but watch the stairs if you're not as sure- footed as you used to be).

Good, reasonably priced food. Nice nice with nice vibes. Good big garden at the back too.

Excellent local pub; friendly staff, excellent food, good range of beers on tap, and a general cozy atmosphere.

Wasn't able to even tryythe place, nor the food. Their website didn't mention the live gig but, what was REALLY disappointing is that we tried 7 (seven times) to book on the phone over 3 days and in different hours, but nobody bothered to even try the phone. When we went in person the very rude guy behind the bar, instead of apologising, laughed at us because "you didn't book 2 weeks in advance", like it was a posh fine dining on the Strand! Making fun of potential customers willing to spend money in your place is not exactly welcoming nor business savvy, to be honest! Happy to spend my money elsewhere, Sir!

Went here for lunch on an unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon in search of al fresco dining. The secluded beer garden to the rear of the pub proved a pleasant venue, and the three of us enjoyed our meals. The cheeseburger and chips platter I ordered was large-sized and coupled with a glass of Inch's remarkably flavorful cider perfectly hit the spot. Service was excellent and unobtrusive. Would recommend unconditionally for those looking for unpretentious generously-portioned standard pub fare. Note: access to the garden is via a staircase at the rear of the main building.

Best pub in croydon. A great night with my wife and friends. Thank you staff, you're ace.

The Oval has been our go to local whilst living near Selhurst (it’s not the closest, but definitely worth the walk) The choice of beer is good and the roast was amazing, Yorkshires were 👌 the beer garden is lovely and they have heaters and some areas are covered.

Great place live musics always excellent

Have had many great meals at this local pub, a real community hub providing much more than a great beer.

I would just like to say how we love the oval.Love live bands fantastic.More important the food is amazing sunday lunch just perfect.I have visited the oval on many occasions with friends.What makes it special are all the staff at the oval.The staff or so professional/friendly and I think they all have lovely customer care skills which makes coming to the oval a lovely atmosphere would like to say a big thank you to all front of house and the people behind the scene we love coming back lisa buckingham.

Always good food and beer at this local pub. Only a few minutes’ walk from East Croydon station. Big beer garden for summer lunchtimes and evenings.

A great pub and music venue. Fantastic food, a lovely area outside the back of the pub and some very interesting music on offer! There's always something happening at The Oval, so give it a visit!

How did Croydon get a pub this good? Only go occasionally as I've escaped the town (very happily) but on a rare re-visit dropped in again with my son before a Palace match. Great beer selection, Sunday roast - choice of all the expected meats - on the money - and cool jazz band playing. Atmosphere great, characters aplenty and it's all jolly bohemian. Love it and so will most people with a pulse!

Lovely back street pub with lots of community events and music. The food is home made and delicious too, especially the Sunday roast:: but you would be wise to phone well in advance as it books up quickly...prices are reasonable too. Definitely worth a visit.

Came for the Christmas/new years lunch with the friends of Park hill. We booked ahead and reserved a table for the group, we had a lovely time with the jazz playing. Lovely food (they don't skimp on the portion sizes!), great music, well kept beer all with lovely service- what a nice way to spend an afternoon!

Really great old fashioned pub. Sorry to not be a local since it looked like they have a lot of great events going on. The Christmas lunch we had was tasty, with great service and general merriment - perfect for getting in the festive spirit!

Lovely old fashioned pub that hosts a variety of live entertainment with a large beer garden to the rear. Very friendly staff and good food at fair price

Great Guinness, roast dinner, service and jazz band on a Sunday.

Really friendly staff, with a great atmosphere

From Canada & visited UK for the first time. This was the last pub my son & I visited during our six day trip. I wish we had gone earlier as we would have gone more often. Authentic pub with good people and warm smiles. It spoke to us immediately. Cheers eh!

The only highlight is that they offer music and the place was very busy The service was very poor and staff are not very friendly :( nothing happened they were just not very friendly Couldn’t try food as I arrived at 8:55 but no an issue

Genuine local established in 1850, a true pub in all respects, the way it should be. Friends meet here.

Average pub experience, good food, friendly staff

Great service and warm welcome, delicious food. Would definitely recommend a visit.

I wouldn't have my taverns in any other shape! Great place, great music, 5 stars

Cinque stelle sono forse troppe per l'esperienza che posso raccontare ma un domani, chissà avrò modo di tornare e rivedere il mio voto e probabilmente ne metterò sei. Scherzi a parte, sono venuto una mattinata piovosa con un amico che vive in zona, il locale è stupendamente tradizionale, sul palco suonava un duo molto tranquillo e la sala era piena di famiglie e di gruppi di amici che pranzavano. Noi ci siamo limitati ad un paio di birre e, per me, poter bere una Landlord spinata a dovere in Inghilterra è sempre il momento per una piccola grande emozione. Poter gustare quegli aromi perfettamente bilanciati, le note erbacee del fuggle e quelle più fruttate del goldings e degli altri luppoli, la perfetta pale ale inglese nel cuore dell'Inghilterra immersi nell'atmosfera di un pub di periferia che mantiene intatto tutto quello che dovrebbe avere un pub: spensieratezza, condivisione, chiacchiere e birra. E' sempre un momento straordinario. Sono sicuro che si mangi anche bene, ma questo è un altro discorso, forse un giorno...

My favourite pub in Croydon, friendly staff and a varied range of beers. Their Sunday lunch is excellent, as is the atmosphere in the 'secret' garden, particularly in the summer months.

Fantastic live music on a Monday, a real treat! Welcoming pub, would go again.

Excellent music venue but not a great policy to let people reserve tables when others get there early to get a seat to watch the band or just socialise. For Sunday lunch it's fair enough but otherwise should be first come first served. Other than that great entertainment, great staff, great beer, great food. Great place👍🏼

excellent bit of blues here.. good beer ... pleasent way to spend an evening

An old looking pub with great live music and nice staff. We had an awesome night on Friday night!

Really lovely local with something for everyone. Very comfortable, not expensive, staff and punters all friendly. Good for dogs and children too.

The big band on Mondays is fantastic

Amazing pub with great drinks and food options. They have a side entrance that is a slope for a better accessible way to get into the garden, the toilets are up or down some steps so can be tricky with reduced mobility but everyone is so friendly and helpful you can always ask for help! Really love it there!

Didn't eat there but the food always looks amazing

Good food, nice music, good crowd,

Went for Their Majesties, great atmosphere and great food!

I always feel so looked after at The Oval Tavern, the food is absolutely delicious 😋 Definitely my favourite pub in Croydon if not London entirely 👏👏👏

What a gem of a pub. The bar/floor team is lovely, just so nice. We went in for a Sunday roast which was spectacular. Live jazz music was on , cask beer was well kept, selection of scotch was grand- perfect Sunday. It has this -sadly not so common these days- homely, comforting vibe. You’ll be silly to not swing by if I’m the area.

The best pub and live music venue in Croydon by far. Brilliant home cooked food, ever changing selection of hand-pumped beers, friendly staff and fantastic live music to suit all tastes. Highly recommended!

Top pub Cool garden & good atmosphere

This has become one of my favourite pubs of all time. Absolutely loved it. Delightful. Great atmosphere, great size, lovely tucked away pub

Tucked away but worth the trip; good music, beer and outside space

Great little Croydon pub with a garden. We went on folk night and the live music was good. The garden is great in the Summer. The garden is compact. Inside is cosy.

Gem of a pub! They often here live music, large beer garden and froendly staff. Well recommended

Good beers. Croydon day of dance. Very busy.

Sunday lunch today was poor. The lamb was very fatty and the potatoes were really hard. I appreciate that Sunday lunch is not an easy dish to serve especially with the range of vegetables on offer. i would like to try some of their other dishes sometime soon so i will reserve judgement until I have visited on a week day. the garden is great and the staff very attentive so many good things going for this pub.

Went for Sunday lunch the food was amazing and reasonably priced. Also had the bonus of live jazz. First time in this pub and have booked to go back in 3 weeks time.

Great 👍 Wonderful pub with great service and amazing food. The seating area outside is very good, too, with pretty bedding plants, informal seating and a relaxing atmosphere.

Busy evening in the beer garden before mega thunder storm . Good ales.

On a lovely Summer's Sunday we luckily got a table for a Sunday Roast at the Oval Tavern, a popular venue with locals which can get busy as they also have live Jazz playing. We sat outside ordering a roast beef, and roast lamb lunches; from the prompt and friendly staff. The meat used is very good quality, and this was especially noted from the lamb. Though do not forget about the vegetables, and I was actually wowed by the carrots which can get a lack of love in most pubs. The roast in all was good, however the slight let down for me were the Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes. The Yorkshire pudding was a bit overdone for my liking, and I would have loved more of a crunchy exterior to the potatoes (my preference 😅). However this is all my experience being subjective, and overall I had a nice lunch at this pub; which is a place anyone would have a good time and easy Sunday at!

Just been there once via recommendations. Food and drinks were good. I really like the vibe, people were singing and playing music during the afternoon. I will definitely go again.

We visit once a month for the Their Majesties event. Its the warmest environment, lovely bar team and incredible performers. Well priced drinks too!

A pub that can't order beer ..it's ridiculous.4 taps with no beer . It's not the first time . apparently the owner is a councillor which that explains it all . What a joke

Love the Oval.. Most eclectic place in Croydon!! Caters for everyone from live music to book clubs & the food is amazing too.All served by really friendly staff..

A very nice pub.. friendly staff, nice food. Just the job really..

Great local, good food and great live music

Wonderful night celebrating Pride 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️⚧️😻

We popped into this pub for the first time enroute to a gig. I was pleasantly surprised. It's a small, cosy venue. Staff are polite you had the sense this place was for music/food lovers. We weren't there to eat but our mouth watered at the food being served so its defintely a place to go if you want some real home made cuisine. We didnt stay long enough to hear any live music - although Ive heard its the place to be for that. All in all I can say it had such a cool vibe, staff were so chilled and so were the rest of the clientele that I am looking forward to another visit where I can spend some. quality time there.

Still the best pub in Croydon. Great atmosphere on Friday night with some brilliant live music and a good crowd. Beers aren’t the cheapest, but they serve a really good pints and have a wide selection of cask and keg options.

A great British pub, just in time for the brass band performance every Monday, a huge band of 25 people, very exciting!

My son and i went for Sunday lunch today 07/07/2024, we were told its so good you have to book, So we booked, and had to sit in the garden, its jazz on sunday, and the weather was not very stable which didnt help , the service, is lovely , but the food is very average, - My son had the roast beef, he wasnt that impressed, and i had the nut roast, the gravy was very salt, and the potatoes werent very roast , carotts were al dente , and the red cabbage tasted of nothing ! I enjoyed the swede ,/and parsnips , but we have had some bad experiences with sunday lunches , so we thought wed try somwhere a little better, and all i can say is that its nothing special , if i could have stood to cook i would have at home, - and it would have been lots better,(but i cant stand for long at the moment - ) My son and I werent overly impressed, and my son took most of his home for the fox!

My Son and i have been looking for really nice Sunday Lunches, locally since we have both been very ill,with the same illness, and i find now i cant walk very well or stand up for long, and although its more expensive to eat out, it means i dont have to stand and cook, which i really used to enjoy, but i havent the strength atm. However we had tried two other places and they were abysmal , so someone suggested that the Oval Tavern, reasonably near us was so good you had to book. So we thought wed give it a go . My poor son wasnt that well and couldnt eat some of his, he ate the beef , but took the veg home for the fox, I had Nut roast and their veg. Ive got to say its more homecooked than most, but the gravy is very very salty , The carrots are al dente , and the nut roast is soft ! the only veg i enjoyed was the sweede. The roast potatoes werE ok, and the yorksire was greasy , the red cabbage tasted of nothing , and the parsnips were a little soggy, however it was quite busy due to loads of locals and Jazz however i dont think that should show in the quality , which i would mark as very average. It was a shame as i was hoping for something a little better than average- edible- but very salty , and a little soggy .

One of the best pubs in Croydon

Not been here for over 20 years when I used to live in Oval Road, then it was a bit of a dive and now it's a nice pub with a nice garden and good staff. A great little pub tucked away in a side road near East Croydon station.

Great drinks, great food, lovely staff and jazz on Monday evening!

Great bar , friendly staff and a safe space for all

Amazing little find, we tried this a few months ago on a Sunday without booking and failed as too busy, we returned this past weekend and could see why, its very nice, lovely outdoor area, great food, defo worth dropping in.

The best proper pub that I have been to in ages. I wish it was my local, I’d be in there every night. The food was also great. 👍

My son is a peep show fan so we popped into the Oval Tavern to see where some scenes were filmed. Thank you to the amazing bar staff who were so welcoming and friendly. The pub is gorgeous with a stunning atmosphere. We will 100% be back in the future so we can enjoy it fully. ❤️

Great atmosphere and great service, with a wide selection of beers

Nice place for relaxing drinks and company!

Great pub with a friendly atmosphere.

Came here today, was having a nice time in a pub I've come to regularly in the past. Until a group of people came in and allowed their dog on the table. It was walking and sitting on the surface of the table. Then it drank out of a beer glass. Bar staff did nothing and actually stroked the dog. Unbelievable, talk about hygiene.

Was having a nice lunch until four people came in and let their dog sit and walk all over their table. It also drank out of their pint glasses. Bar staff not only did nothing but went over and stroked the dog. Was approached by one of the people and told not to stare as they also felt uncomfortable. So disappointed as a lovely pub but I won’t eat or drink here again due to disgusting hygiene.

Went on a Sunday when live band was playing. Was little crowded but staff tried to serve the best they could. Parking is a problem for this pub..decent place to walk if you stay near east Croydon or use public transport.

Fab pub run by friendly, efficient staff who do a tremendous job especially when they’re busy!!! Very popular with locals. This is how a pub should be run.

A great find, with excellent food, beer selection and fun activities like a quizzes and live music.

Great cosy pub tucked away on a quiet street. Such a good vibe with the jazz playing - a real mood booster on a drizzly grey day. Fab roast dinner, we had the lamb! Really impressed with the range of veg (red cabbage, swede mash, parsnip, carrot, broccoli) as well as crispy roast potatoes, a stuffing ball and huge Yorkshire pudding! Appreciated them bringing over extra gravy as a standard - you can never have too much! Cauliflower cheese was decent too. All in all a lovely afternoon. We'll be back!

Decent little pub in Croydon, we went on a Saturday on a somewhat sunny day a d the garden was busy but we managed to find seats. The food was simple but tasty and at an extremely affordable price. There was a drag show going on that evening, which looked fun, but as we hadn't booked, there was nowhere for us to watch the show. The inside is tiny.

Had a beautiful Sunday lunch listening to jazz amazing 🙏🙏

This is a lovely traditional pub, decent menu and lovely (heated when needed) outdoor seating area. Standard pub prices with a wide range of wines and beers as well as the usual spirits. Dog friendly so take your good girls and boys for a relaxed drink!

You couldn't find a better pub in Croydon and I've not found many better across London. Bonus points for being an independent! Had an appointment that brought me across from Belfast for the day and found this spot at the end of the day. Food was affordable and great, inside and outside the place is wonderful, and Tristan on the bar was great craic. He also poured one of the nicest Guinness I've had in London. The Oval is lovely and should that appointment lead to another I'll surely be back.

Great pub for food, drink and music. Been here many a time and always enjoyed the friendly, efficient service. On every single occasion the only negative aspect was the appalling odour in the ladies restrooms. The management must be aware of this as there are a few plastic room air-fresheners placed near the sink but they do not seem to be resolving the problem. Such a shame that this one issue lets down what is otherwise the best pub in the area.

When I visited The Oval Tavern I really enjoyed its cosy, music-filled atmosphere, and the staff were super friendly. I've added it to my barguide.london site too!

Great evening of live music at the open mic. Dave puts on a fab gathering. It's a friendly, homely affair with a good selection of talented musicians. Tonight's highlights were Dan Luke's and the stand out songs of Theo Dussek

What Train Station from Asda Wallington Superstore is there a bus station near the airport and you

Lovely local pub. Live music on the weekend and always a nice crowd in there. Good Guinness too

I had arranged to meet a friend of mine i hadn't seen in some time for a nice quiet drink and catch up.On line this looked like a nice relaxed little pub. Unfortunately we felt like we had walked into a toddlers day care lots of baby's crying very noisy. If this is a regular meeting spot for mothers you should check with the pub first before you go or be prepared to leave and find somewhere quieter.

6 adults, including 2 visiting from New York, 1 baby, 1 dog. We had a really nice time thank you. Mostly sandwiches and soups. Very good service, and food, and very reasonable cost. Well worth a visit.

Lovely find in East Croydon, food was very tasty, staff very friendly and all rounded off we a decent drop of Proper Job!!

Great pub. Great food. Could be the best pub in Croydon.

Best pub in Croydon by far. Really cosy inside and with a lovely beer garden too. Great, friendly staff and a lovely home cooked food menu as well as regular live music and other events. Book your tables early as this place books up fast! As the sign outside says: "Friendly food, tasty staff" 😂

The best pub in Croydon; Ester is kind and runs an amazing pub with old world charm, lovely staff, tasty food and a relaxed ambience. We come here every Friday after work and end up staying for hours.

The staff, food, indy beer selection and live music make this the perfect local. Both the weekday menu and the Sunday roasts are great value. Personal faves are the Beef Rendang, ChiliChoc, and Pork Bau Buns. Also had the pleasure to celebrate a wedding reception with dear friends there, and the team at the Oval did a brilliant job and helped create many happy memories!