The Pavilion by Howling Owl in Waverley

My wife and I hosted our 50th birthday celebration at the Howling Owl and we couldn’t have hoped for a happier celebration. Wendy guided us very knowledgeably and efficiently through the decision making which made the planning process a pleasant experience. The venue was beautiful, tasteful decor and lighting, and a lovely well stocked bar! All the staff were amazing and attentive to our guests and the food we chose was delicious. Thank you very much to the Howling Owl team for helping make our birthday so memorable.

Now this what I call marketing "rustic". What a great place to settle down with a coffee or a pint and look out over the playing fields of England. The decor is spot on with a comfy, cosy and clean interior. A double bar makes perfect sense and eases the customers into sensible ques. Excellent pannini with ham and cheese today, sitting in the sun. We'll done H O.

Very nice place for coffee in the morning. I have not eaten here and so cannot comment on the food. There is bar here too.

Hired half of the venue for my 60th Birthday party with about 28 friends attending. Wendy was the perfect hostess. Nothing was too much trouble and the staff were very friendly and efficient. Everyone commented on what a lovely venue it is.

It has a nice relaxed atmosphere and the bar billiards is great fun.

Friendly place; nice atmosphere.

Visited The Pavilion whilst my daughter was playing football. We bought bacon rolls, they were one of the best we've ever had, quality meat, just the right amount of crispyness and tasty rolls!! Brilliant service too, very helpful and friendly... Would highly recommend 😎

The Pavilion recently hosted my aunts wake. Great venue well located overlooking well maintained playing fields. We enjoyed succulent home made sandwiches, tasty savouries and delicious cakes all regularly refreshed by efficient courteous staff. A treat in all respects. I’m sure my aunt enjoyed watching over us whilst we reminisced with family and friends celebrating a life well lived. Thank you.

Went to the Howling Owl today for a wake the food was lovely and staff were friendly and helpful, they took the time to hand out food and drinks to peers less able to move Thank you

Great looking place that, unfortunately, had no vegan options at all :(

I ordered one apple juice for my 7 years old daughter without ice because she has a cough and ice makes her cough worst. The owner lady immediately asked her staff to pour only half a cup. My 7 years old daughter was not happy.

Wonderful for early morning coffee. So glad to have Wendy and her team here

Well this place is just fab. An oasis of style and comfort when we needed it most. The food, including pastries, are home made and fabulous. The staff, particularly Wendy, are kind and eloquent. Nothing is too much trouble. The ambience is alpine ski lodge and there's always a really decent play list on in the background and the views across the cricket square as good as you might expect. Just lovely.

We recently rented the Howling Owl for a 40th birthday party on a Saturday evening. The venue was perfect. Wendy and her staff team are highly organised, friendly and welcoming. The pre-ordered drinks and food we planned were excellent and our guests keep commenting upon how much they enjoyed the pizzas and brownies. A great feature of this venue is the ability to play your own playlist and display a slideshow of photos on the big screen. It was excellent, highly recommended for parties of 40-50 people.

I popped into this lovely location to order a drink after exercising on the green. There was one person waiting for her drink in front of me, I patiently waited a couple of minutes until she was served. I was then about to order, but the waitress completely ignored me and welcomed a friend who had just come in. Still ignoring me, she asked her friend what she wanted. Instead of waiting, I decided to leave immediately. My impression is that this place is very clicky and run by staff who clearly need lessons in customer care.

A lovely addition to the local community, lovely coffee and pizzas etc. Sadly they don't let you have takeaway coffee in your own cup which seems abit strange in a world where we are trying to cut down on waste. Have on occasion been spoken to in a rude manor by staff, for example once we were a coffee short and when we told them we were told to go to the back of the queue... otherwise a lovely little spot

Fantastic bacon baps and ham & cheese Panini. Flat whites were also top class. Definitely coming back again

It’s such a shame because the place is lovely and it could be a real hit! However, Wendy (the owner) was so incredibly rude to myself and others. I know other people have had the same experience. I’ve lived in Godalming majority of my life so was pleased when I heard this was coming to the Rec. But the reception Wendy gave us was awful. She was rude and made comments about myself and friends. I’ve over heard her speak to staff and it is shocking. I initially thought I would be a local visitor to here but after my experience it has made me not want to return. I simply don’t know what she is going to say to me or friends! Such a shame such a lovely place is ruined by a horrible woman. I have lots of friends and family in the immediate area and it’s save to say we won’t be returning again.

Lovely atmosphere , great Pizzas and very friendly staff. A great Saturday evening !

A relaxing and welcoming venue both day and night. Friendly staff and delicious food and drink. Highly recommend.

Vegan and eco unfriendly you’ll be charged for plant milk 😱 quite pricey anyway so unnecessary imo Otherwise pleasant chill place

Clean, nice atmosphere, good range of drinks. Sadly not enough staff, so service was painfully slow. Plastic glasses with 3 pound deposit per glass. Will be back but now in a hurry..

I took my son and 2 of his friends to the Howling Owl this morning so I could get coffee while they played in the park. I have to say that we have previously had good experiences at the Howling Owl and I love the atmosphere. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case today. I had my coffee in peace and the three, 9 year old boys came in to order drinks. I was distracted, as I was chatting on the phone at the counter, and the 3 boys were choosing what drinks they wanted. The boys sat down at the table, and I heard Wendy ask the boys "Don’t any of you speak, what’s actually wrong with you?" So, I realised the boys hadn’t answered her when she asked if the drinks were going to be taken outside. I finished my call immediately and explained to her that the boys had had a sleepover last night and were exhausted and hadn’t slept. The boys weren’t rude, they were simply being quiet; there was also nobody else in the pavilion, so no need to rush. Also, the boys could have been non verbal or shy etc. She then asked me again in a curt tone, "Aren’t they able to talk?" I then explained to her and said they were just tired. She huffed and made some other comments under her breath and appeared very annoyed. In hindsight, I should have said how rude she was at the time, but I was distracted and also a bit shocked. The boys thanked her for her drinks and in the car said they couldn’t believe how she had spoken to them. She wouldn’t have spoken to an adult like that so why should she have spoken to kids like that, especially when they weren’t being rude, just quiet. Wendy appeared very rushed and tired and I heard her say that she had people over for lunch today and was rushing. None of that excuses her being rude to kids. I have always been a fan of the Howling Owl but this has left me pretty upset.

Just great , excellent service, a vital part of the community and also for all the sporting events in the rec. staff very friendly, and Wendy is amazing.

Buzzing atmosphere on a summer Friday evening. Pizzas were delicious - served with a smile. Great bar staff too. Good value all round!

Lovely afternoon spent at The Pavilion as always. Thanks for having us +++++

Checking it out for venue hire - awesome carrot 🥕 cake 🎂, cappucino & very helpful service 😀 . A lovely 😍 spot & space.

Popped in for quick hit chocolates, great atmosphere with friendly service. Cost and warm, looking forward to the summer to sit outside. We will be back regularly.

Good venue for an event. View of playing fields, modern, food excellent with pleasant, helpful staff.

I LOVE THIS PUB /CAFE!!! I would definitely recommend it 😀✌️

I always enjoy going to The Howling Owl with friends or family. The cakes, tray bakes and coffee are always good and the service is too. The only food I’ve eaten other than the cakes is their paninis which are also very yummy. The only thing that can sometimes be hard is leaving the pram outside if it’s busy if I go with my baby daughter as I can’t use a carrier due to my back being damaged in pregnancy and I feel a bit worried about having her in the car seat on the floor with hot drinks in mugs/ cups high up on tables. We love looking out across the recreation ground and parking is usually easy as the car park is fairly big.

What a great little place ! Perfect rest-bite from an hour running around at the park with the dog, The pizza and the flat white were wonderful, as was the pint of Meantime I washed it all down with 😊(it was my birthday) One thing to note upon your first visit… there are two point of service? Depending on what you intend to order, this did cause some initial confusion on our part! I did find it all a bit noisy with children in one ear and rugby on the television ( I’m not a fan of sport on tv) Plus not sure I like dogs in the eating area. But that’s just me , I guess😞 Luckily the food was great! We will return.

Well run cafe & bar with good food and friendly service. Recommended.

Lovely spot in the park. Been several times. If you want a relaxing evening suggest you arrive around 6pm as the mood is far more chilled out. Lovely welcome from staff and happy hour 5-7pm two for one cocktails Friday and Saturday. Delicious. Dogs extremely welcome

We recently held our dear father’s wake at The Pavilion. Clearly a difficult time, Wendy was always super sensitive at every juncture and was very patient with us whilst we gathered numbers and requirements. The day itself went perfectly to plan - it was an ideal venue to have to ourselves, easily catered for the 120 or so family and friends. The food was amazing - so many commented on how good it was and how stylish and relaxed the atmosphere was there. I cannot recommend the venue and staff enough. I have visited several times and whether it’s for a coffee, attending a party and now recently dads wake - every time I am impressed and grateful we have this little hidden gem . Thanks Wendy and team.

An outstanding place to meet friends, with direct access to the playing fields and park for children to play whilst catching up over a cup of tea. Excellent attention to detail including the best bacon roll I have ever tasted. Will definitely be back!

Really nice café overlooking the field. It also has a few different beers on tap so will be lovely in the summer months. The millionaire shortbread was also very tasty and the prices were pretty reasonable. A great addition to the busbridge area - really hope people use this space.

Great atmosphere, nice drinks and friendly service. Pizzas also pretty good considering the size of the place. Would recommend.

Friendly staff and a pleasant, buzzy atmosphere. My bacon sandwich was tasty, as were the pastries. Only complaint was that the iced latte (£3.95 - one of the most expensive in Godalming) was bitter, a bit watery, and not very cold - there were a few ice cubes floating on top but they didn't seem to be very effective! The smoothie was nice but came in quite a small glass for what it cost. I think if pricing was a little more competitive, I'd definitely come back.

Just too understaffed to deal with busy peak periods. Mix up with order and very slow and disorganised service. Took our order to another table, put this order in a take away bag for them, came back and took it away, re-plated back after another blast to warm up and served to us after a long wait - completely embarrassing! When leaving and I asked for my 2 coffee stamps, I was told to queue while she cleared tables. I wouldn’t return here to eat again, food was ok, but nothing special. I certainly wouldn’t recommend to others as I have done in the past. Maybe they don’t need my business.

Awesome venue! Has completely revolutionised the Pavilion into a destination. Fantastic Pizza, great drinks menu especially the new wine list, and very well trained and enthusiastic staff. Well done!

I visited with 7 other of our NCT group and our newborns today for coffee, cake and paninis. I can’t fault the food, service and atmosphere - it was a perfect location for our group to meet and we were made to feel really comfortable by the team. We’ll be back!

Meet up with some friends here and we had lovely time, we all agreed the pizza was great and the lady let us try the wine before choosing which was really helpful. The atmosphere was good and it's really nicely decorated and furnished well worth a visit and we will definitely be going back.

Lovely venue. Staff were a bit disinterested.

Great Guys, very professional!! In addition we would thoroughly recommend their DJ services for your event!

Good coffee’s and great service

Feeling extremely disappointed this morning after popping in hoping for some takeaway coffee and cake.. stood for 10 minutes completely ignored, the lady behind the counter had her back to me the entire time. I understand they were busy this morning and there only seemed to be two members of staff working (which seems insane on a busy Sunday morning).. I could hear there was a wait on orders but it would have been nice to at least have been acknowledged. I ended up walking out. To be honest, we had bacon baps a while back which were disappointing, two tiny rashers of unsmoked bacon in a cheap bap for £4.50. It seems they have taken on too much and after today, I won’t be returning.

I have been many times for coffee and food. Always had a good experience. Friendly staff, lovely owner, and nice atmosphere.Their pizza are very good and the service is quick. Would definitely recommend.

Always a great vibe, we love the coffee, cakes, pizza and good wine. Staff are brilliant. Kids love being able to play outside. Total win for the area

Wendy and Matt have done a great job turning the pavilion into a community asset. They also employ local teenagers which is really heartwarming. I did however want to respond to the anonymous “Charles Charlie Charles”. I know the boys well that he refers to as “an unruly, foul-mouthed group of boys purposefully trying to upset the calm and family-oriented environment. Don't come back.” These boys have literally grown up playing on the rec pitches and playing for local teams for many years. And while I can accept that they don’t realise how boisterous they can be, they are actually a very respectful and friendly group. Excluding them for being noisy can’t be the right answer.

Lovely local place for great coffee. Good selection of beers and wine! 🍺

It’s been a pleasure to watch the popularity of The Pavilion grow. It was a great place to grab a post-tennis hot chocolate in winter months and has excelled in sunny weather - middle aged and middle class families rightly crowd outside on a Friday evening: kids play whilst mum and dad chill with friends over a beer. My only quibble would be that it occasionally creaks at busy times (too many customers, not enough staff), nothing that can’t be fixed. A community asset.

The Owl is a much needed and wonderful transformation of the ageing Cricket Pavilion into a modern, energetic café with an après-ski style atmosphere for sundowners. Barista quality coffee, the best value paninis you'll find in a GU postcode and a great selection of cold beers/wines. When umpiring, the smell of sourdough pizzas (which are better than Franco Manca's) is quite a distraction. Loving the new decking overlooking the cricket pitches where Godalming CC's teams of all ages play! Massive congratulations to Wendy and the team and keep up the good work! (Noted that the spiteful review below was from an unruly, foul-mouthed group of boys purposefully trying to upset the calm and family-oriented environment. Don't come back.)

What a great place to chat with friends and have coffee and homemade cakes . Everyone should try out the pizzas . 😃

What a charming spot with delightful, friendly staff and unexpectedly good pizza! I feel jealous of local residents who can walk there easily but it is also easy to find and park there.

We are exceptionally lucky to have the Howling Owl. Over the last year the place has been completely transformed into a warm and welcoming coffee shop and bar that we continue to visit on a regular basis. Wendy, Matthew, and the other staff are fantastic. Genuinely incredibly surprised to read a couple of recent negative reviews which are completely at odds with our own great experiences over many months.

I have never been so appalled by the service which I have received today, the owner is not fit for a position of such authority. We were treated like outcasts by her and were harassed and pulled to one side for a chat just because we accidentally spilt a drink and we were ‘laughing too loud’. We requested pints of asahis and were poured ciders due to her own incompetence and this was once again blamed on us and then she refused to re-pour an asahi after we pointed this out, this happened twice. The disposable cup system is a scam as-well, we went to get the 3£ refund and somehow the refund was ‘declined’. It is a shame as the set up itself is lovely and we had no other issues with the other staff but I feel the owner needs to have a serious look in the mirror. I’m not the usual kind to leave reviews but this incident really ruined a lovely outing and will unfortunately stick with me for the foreseeable future.

The manager was reluctant to serve us, was moody with us, and poured a pint of cider when I asked for asahi and got it wrong, then persuaded to refuse to pour me a pint of asahi even though that’s what I asked for in the first place. Then she went on to call us rude Infront of all her other customers and made false accusations about us saying we were throwing food around the pub when we were not. Absolutely outrageous I do not recommend

We were very impressed with this gorgeous little venue today. We stopped by late afternoon for a post tennis iced latte & cake break and sat outside in the beautiful sunshine with the doggoes (who were also made to feel very welcome). We loved the decor, music, relaxed and friendly atmosphere and the welcoming staff. This is one of the nicest cafes we've been to in the area and the bonus of the lovely surroundings of Holloway Hill rec. We will most definitely be back. Would 100% recommend.

Nice decor and atmosphere, however the stone baked pizzas tasted worse than the ones from my petrol station but at 3x the price.

Had a lovely pizza in the sunshine at the howling owl. I would highly recommend this to anyone with families or just with your close friends. Absolutely delicious and definitely worth the money. Amazing customer service and very friendly environment.

Went to the pavilion by howling owl as was recommended by a friend for their wonderful homemade Italian stone base pizza. And would highly recommend the staff are absolutely wonderful and very welcoming and the pizza are the best in Godalming.

Paid £14.30 for a veggie supreme pizza, of which I only ate three slices. It really was the worst pizza I’ve had. No seasoning, just basic tomato base with tonnes of chewy, chewy cheese on top and a sprinkle of very skinny and soggy peppers and dried tomatoes as the vegetables. The dough was tough and tasteless. I’m really disappointed, especially for the price.

Pizzas are amazing! Staff wonderful. Great atmosphere and a wonderful place to bring your children…..totally recommend!!

Godalming Good Neighbours held a Coronation Tea Party at the Pavilion Cafe for 19 people including a number of our elderly clients. Wendy, the owner, organised everything brilliantly, & produced a number of scrumptious homemade cakes, much appreciated by everyone. All the staff were super helpful, ensuring the party was a great success & a memorable afternoon for all. Highly recommended

Nice relaxing place good coffee and helpful staff

Great experience really good coffee highly recommend

Nice little place and the band were great . Just a shame they are kicking you out by 11oclock.

Nice place but music a little loud so everyone was talking loudly

This place does seriously nice hot chocolates and home made cakes. Love the atmosphere too cosy seating with sofas, feels very clean and fresh still, invaluable addition to the community would highly recommend a visit here

Fantastic little cafe, perfect for a coffee and a snack if you are in the Busbridge area of Godalming.

A brilliant new local asset, using another older local asset - this is such a GREAT idea. Really friendly, great beers, pizza. We go for a quiet one in the week with the dog after work.

Lovely café and bar - bacon rolls, hot chocolates and brownies especially good! Great place to meet friends during the day or in the evening.