The Refectory in Waverley

My wife and I had a very pleasant Sunday lunch here recently. Used to visit regularly when it was a carvery, but haven't been for years. We were very pleased that we returned. The restaurant was busy with a good atmosphere. The food was excellent, and the service was attentive and friendly. There is also a very good range of ales, lagers and ciders. There is outdoor seating and a small playground, which I assume would be nice for summer.

As always, great food and made a very good impression on guests visiting for the first time.

The service, food and ambience are excellent and there is a good selection of ciders and pale ales... but I'm a bitter drinker and there was only one bitter available - which was very nice, but I'd like a choice of two or three.

Excellent experience all round & the staff were very customer focused making sure the visit was enjoyed. A thoroughly enjoyable first visit & will be coming back.

The staff were fantastic, very welcoming and friendly. The Building and grounds were beautiful. Food was great! I went for the steak burger and fries and my other half had the prawn and chorizo pasta, you would not be disappointed with these choices! And to top it off, the number 1 selling point for us above all else was the incredible dog friendly reception we received throughout our entire visit! We would highly recommend!

Food was delicious! Fish pie. Service was very nice. A bit slow for our liking. Very busy, but accommodated us without a reservation. Beautiful spacious pub. Huge. Obviously it accommodates large parties. Even has a fireplace. Dogs allowed. I'd easily come back again

It is a cosy and warm pub, it looks lovely and the staff are nice but the food wasn't great, the chips were tepid and mushy and it seemed like the main course might have been waiting on a hot plate for sometime, not great but might just be this one off as I haven't eaten there in many years. It is a great place to have a drink and a chat and to warm yourself by the fire.

Airy and spacious pub, with ample parking, also with cosy areas.

Lovely restaurant with so much character. The food was delicious (would highly recommend the sticky toffee pudding and the chocolate fondant) and the service was excellent. My only gripe was that I was served a Guinness in a non-Guinness glass, but we still had a great evening!

As usual Delicious food. Fantastic friendly welcoming staff. Beautiful old pub. Highly recommend

Valentine meal with my beautiful lady. First visit, excellent and will definitely return.

We had a lovely meal. It's a beautiful place to eat with open fires and a great atmosphere. A good selection of beers and ciders.

We have been to the Refectory many times,and enjoyed the food.Yesterday our lunch was hugely disappointing.My starter of deep fried brie was luke warm.My husband's scallops were only three,and served with cold potato.The pork and leek sausages,served with a tiny bit of cabbage,and certainly not onion gravy were not nice.Puddings with half a very small scoop of ice cream,quite frankly mean.However my husband enjoyed his lamb main.

Lovely atmosphere, in cold weather you could enjoy drinks close to a huge fireplace under a beamed ceiling and your dog could enjoy species-appropriate treats. In summer you could enjoy peaceful al fresco dining. However, it is also children friendly, but on 1/2/25 a group of friends decided to place their 5 pre-teen kids in 2 tables close to us and found a table for themselves well away from the kids at the other side of the room…the kids were relatively well behaved, but still noisy and enjoying their freedom at the pub.

Thank you for making my sisters birthday enjoyable everything was super from the table seating to the food and service

Great fish and chips. I don’t ever want to choose anything else. Always a warm welcome. Especially for our dog

Popular, happy buzzing place. Super service. We booked again for the four of us. Tables are well packed together so we were leaning across the table to hear each other above neighbours. Not sure why we stopped going a few years ago. Might have been the restrictions on where they allowed you to sit with a dog?

Second time of eating here …..it’s fairly central to meet with good friends and catch up. Good menu selection from nibbles through to small desserts with coffee, including some lighter bites. Not the cheapest but couldn’t fault the food ….there were 6 of us and we all chose different main courses …..no one was disappointed. Our waitress (unfortunately didn’t get her name) was brilliant …very attentive without being too obtrusive. Would definitely recommend this place.

Brilliant meal, had eaten here before Christmas and were given an envelope for either 25%, 50% or 100% off the bill upon returning in Jan or Feb, brilliant idea and we got 25% off, great food in very good portion sizes. Will be back soon.

Great food in beautiful surroundings

Food excellent, Beer fantastic, Red wine a little to cold could be warmer, staff Top marks, overall a pleasant time was had by all,

Hadn’t been here for a while but 3 of us had lunch here today, it was superb! Excellent food, great portion sizes and excellent service. Friendly, professional bar staff. Menu is varied with good vege and vegan options. Whole place shows effort - it’s immaculately clean everywhere, massive log fire, fresh flowers on the tables and at the bar. I noticed a 5 star food hygiene rating displayed on the door on the way in - always a good sign and you can see why. No it’s not Wetherspoon prices but the quality is worth a little extra. Thank you Refectory Milford, we’ll be back.

The Refrectory is a beautiful place but so expensive! Milford is very limited on where to eat, and we needed something local between hospital visiting hours. Staff were friendly and the food was nice. I had the crispy beef salad without the chilli sauce but then it was really dry and I had to ask for mayo, and it was £4.25 for a pot of tea for one! Unfortunately, I won't be rushing back.

Nice and busy but with attentive service

18 of us came for dinner last week. We all had different dishes, they all came out together, lovely and hot. Our server, Vicky, was fantastic. I would highly recommend.

Lovely building. Friendly staff. Tried some of the "nibbles" on the menu which were superb ! The mains were Crispy Beef on Salad with Cashews ( Excellent ) and A Quiche Lorraine which , my partner, felt was far too oniony for her tastes. Having said that, we enjoyed our experience and we will come back again soon.

Very busy. Great staff great food. Massive place outdoors as well. Dog friendly.

When you look at the menu you expect something really special. With typical starters priced at £9/£10, desserts at £9 and main courses at £18 upwards (unless you have a salad), it's clear that this place is aiming at quality and expecting you to pay for it. However, if our experience was anything to go by, in practice what you end up with is something that is actually pretty average and therefore overpriced. A large group of us met up here for an evening meal and to be fair, all plates were clean after eating so there was nothing much wrong with the offering. But the total cost was eye-watering compared with what you can get elsewhere for the same quality. With so many people it was good to look across the range of dishes and compare notes. One of the standard main courses was not available - unfortunate but it happens. More curious was how two dishes were described. The mushroom, cheese and tarragon Kiev would have been better described as an arancini, as that's what it was, and the blackberry panna cotta looked like a sloppy purple blob on the plate. All the above might read as rather 'picky'. But if you set yourself up as a place that offers a high end quality menu at above average prices then you just have to deliver on that. The Refectory didn't do it for us. So if you are happy to eat in a decent venue and pay through the nose for the privilege then by all means try the Refectory. You could do a lot worse but there are also more value for money options around.

Just had a lovely meal at The Refectory, great food and excellent service. Shout out to Finn B who was outstanding throughout….

Well what can I say? I am the world’s best food critic and would find even the smallest faults with service, food, Atmosphere. But I can’t. The greeting perfect. Table service perfect. Food Michelin star. Value exceptional.

A wonderful venue with great food and welcoming very helpful staff. There is also an outdoor covered Informal area outside. The venue has a lot of history and was once a barn. However a lot has changed over time and it has become a cosy warm environment.

Fab family meal, service was so good, really good food

Service and ambience was excellent. Food was very expensive for the portions that were delivered. Not what I was expecting.

Very nice place, very nice staff, good atmosphere, ample parking. Nicely presented food that could use a bit more attention on flavours and could also stick a bit better to the descriptions on the menu. *Update a year later: full five stars. The food is perfect and the price is remarkably reasonable. I had to check the receipt because I couldn't believe it was correct, but it was.

What a lovely pub and atmosphere. We went as a family for Christmas Eve dinner and were treated with great food, fast and friendly service, and a really convivial atmosphere.

Amazing food and a lovely atmosphere! Unfortunately, the waiters had to be asked to tidy the table despite it clearly needing to be cleared, which should have been noticed when dessert was served. Overall, this pub is beautifully decorated and would highly recommend

Went for lunch with a friend during busy Christmas period. While there were many diners and large parties the waiting staff were exceptional, welcoming and very efficient. We were warned there may be a delay but this was minimal and much less than other places which were less busy. The food was excellent with prices in range of the going rate. Management had clearly prioritised staffing levels which made everything work like clockwork. Well done The Rectory. Will certainly be returning in 2025. If you are thinking of dining, I suggest you book ahead.

Great pub, great food. We had our work Xmas meal here and could not be more pleased. Would definitely come again

Very impressed with the building....very inviting. Staff were lovely and attentive. It went from empty to packed within half an hour probably because it was good fare, large portions at keen prices, and lots of return customers. So booking advisable, though they accommodated us as walk ins. Worth mentioning the very good gluten free menu. Definitely coming back!

Beautiful venue, excellent food and service. We are definitely going back. It's a bit of a drive for us but worth it. Service and everything as good as the first and previous times. Manager, waiters and waitresses are excellent people.

The pub staff were fabulous, helping my friend who had trapped her hand in the car door, very attentive & caring.Our lovely waitress was attentive & chatty, the menu has a wonderful range of dishes & our food was absolutely delicious. Great range of ales available & the actual pub was warm & extremely cosy with lovely seating areas. 1st time visit & will definitely be back again. Well done for getting it so right .

Very good food with good choices

Vicky was our waitress. She was amazing! Nothing was too much effort for her. We were a table of fussy annoying women 😄 and she was fantastic with each and every one of us! Really really fantastic service which should be recognised!!!!!!! Thank you Vicky!

Opening early, and on a manic Christmas Sunday service, to help a dad in need was unbelievable and I’m extremely grateful for your support. Thanks

Amazing food and the service from Ted was outstanding. Food tasted as good as it looked. Would recommend and also will return

I booked on line for 12:30 today as I was meeting a friend half way between where we live. I had my confirmation of my booking plus evidence i was coming and somehow my booking was cancelled! Must have been a glitch because I never cancelled and no confirmation of my non existent cancellation. The manager was the most rudest person I’ve ever experienced in my life. He refused to accept that there was an issue as was my fault! He just went on st me with a queue of people behind me. No apology or acceptance that something had obviously gone wrong. I’m disabled and struggled to stand whilst he was bullying me! I was waiting for my friend to join me who was lost. I will never return to this place ever. No idea what the food was like as we went elsewhere where I was told g to the staff here are leaving because of his they are being treated !

Visited Sunday 1st December 2024. Chosen as a convenient location to meet up with family. We travelled from Suffolk and Bournemouth respectively. Great ambience by the open fire, food was faultless and the service excellent. Particular thanks to the young lady who served us, utterly cheerful and charming, she helped to make the whole experience all the more enjoyable. Thank you!

Was really lovely, enjoyed the food portion sizes where spot on, had a starter and a main, filled me up. A tad pricey but well worth it. Enjoyed looking at the art on the walls and the feel of the place. Used to go as a kid when it was a harvester so was sentimental so was good to come back 30 years on and see what's changed.

Nice place, very busy. Staff pleasant, but again busy, maybe short handed? Portions were a little on small side hence 4*, and busy staff 4*. Atmosphere was spoilt a little bit due to quite a few dogs and their barking, (I'm a dog owner and control mine better). Overall 4 out 5.

Ate here a bunch of times over the last year, and really enjoy this place! Can't fault the kitchen, seems lime every dish I've had there has been executed really well. Menu could do with an extra vegan item on sometimes but it's not their specialty so definitely don't mark them down for that. Sadly, the slow service lets this resteraunt down. It seems like front of house is always one or two personal short when it's busy; big place so the team that are on have to run around a lot. The team they have on always seem to be really great, even the trainees have always come across like they know what they're doing. Tl;dr: great place, great food. The servers are great they just seem to need a couple more of them!

We had a big family Sunday lunch here - 22 people - and were looked after very well. Delicious food and excellent, attentive service.

Excellent service food was hot and so much of it. ( glad I didn't have a starter) big slice of pork and a pinked piece of beef with all the vegetables £25.95 vfm

What a beautiful place? Definitely recommend and would love to go again. Staff all very attentive and friendly

Delicious roast lunch, stick toffee puds and tasty Guinness

Nice place, not bad food, very friendly service.

Always a treat to visit. It feels like they really take care of this place. The menu is creative and varied and we appreciate all the vegan and vegetarian options. We always receive excellent and attentive service. Keep up the great work.

The service was outstanding, food was amazing, overall, a perfect Sunday afternoon.

Excellent pub and restaurant with friendly staff and chatty locals, a great range of beers and ciders.

We had a truly fantastic time at The Refectory. For a booking of 21 people, the pub handled us with complete ease and we all had a great time! Food was delicious and brought out quickly, service was top notch and the atmosphere was cosy & welcoming. They even found us a table quickly for drinks when we showed up an hour early unexpectedly! Thank you so much Refectory team. Can’t wait to visit again soon.

Very good food! Lovely place always a pleasure!

Fantastic place. Cody, open fire, great wine, and fantastic carvery. Good portion size, not too big. Loved it

We had the Sunday roast, every cook/chef should try the food they expect their guests/clients to eat, and in this case they obviously didn't.The beef was inedible and sinuous, the roast potatoes were hard shelled and over cooked, the plates were served cold!! We left without sweet or coffee. The service staff were let down by the kitchen. I could, and would not recommend the Refectory.

The refectory is your classic traditional pub food and drink Emporium. None of it is cheap but nothing is outrageously priced unlike some other local hostelries. To my mind the thing that makes the refectory stand out is the welcome you get as you come in and the willingness of staff to stop and chat. Has that certain friendly landlord feel to it. Huge car park and plenty of outdoor seating for when the sun comes out. Recommend the puddings and definitely sample a couple of beers before settling on one. Update : fifth Star added because this venue simultaneously does not automatically add service to your and definitely earns it. There is nothing more satisfying than adding a tip for good service rather than it being assumed.

Amazing service considering the amount of diners. Food was hit, generous and tatsty

If you wish to take your dog on your family meal be aware when booking that dogs are only allowed in the bar and the outside area and not in the main restaurant.

We came here recently for dinner on my wife’s birthday. We had visited earlier this year at lunchtime and had a good meal so it was an easy choice. The menu had a limited choice and there was no obvious stand out item for me. One steak dish of a 10 oz Ribeye was around £34. A bit pricey in my view. The food that we did have was very good. We didn’t stay for desert as the service had been very very slow. I don’t think they have enough staff to be honest. There is no greeting at the entrance - just an over worked stressed bar person pointing us to walk to the other end of the bar to be processed. We were seated by another over worked waiter type operative and then waited 10 minutes to order drinks. A further 10 minutes went by and the waiter arrived to take a food order. We declined until we had drinks on the table. To be fair the waiter looked a bit surprised that we didn’t have any drinks and went to get them himself. Food ordered, 5 minutes later the waiter returned to state that one item had run out. Another 5 minutes getting that sorted and reordering. Another 33 minutes (I timed it) to get our main course. We had skipped starters because we sensed it would be a long wait. Same with deserts …they just couldn’t cope we felt. We won’t go back ….well not for a good while. We know of plenty of other places locally that offer good food and much quicker and friendlier service. It spoils the experience of eating out. The prices aren’t cheap here and we just expect better. I noted a recent review stated it “could be so much better” and this is exactly how we felt.

One of the best meals we've ever had, such great atmosphere and fantastic/ attentive staff. I worked in the industry for 6 years and is by far one of the highest standards of food & service in a long time. Well done all, what you're doing works very well. It was so good we came back a second time in our stay in Surrey! Highest compliments to the chef (s). Rebecca & Sarah - Hackney

Just used up my tokens for £12 off my meal. Picked up some more for 2025. The system works so dont forget to pick up your vouchers!! Great service and the menu us very good. Pleasant easy atmosphere. Super service. Good range of beers, some local, and a fine wine list. Best to book because I'm not the only one who likes it here.

This was our second visit here and yet again it did not disappoint. The food was fantastic and the atmosphere and staff equally. 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Very cosy and welcoming setting, we booked for a large group and staff was very nice (the wait was a bit long but we weren’t in any hurry) I recommend the steak pies with homemade crust 🥧

What a marriage! Excellent and varied menu, including vast range of good gluten free options, beautiful building and knowledgeable and friendly staff. Don't pass through Godalming without stopping here! The food was out of this world - I had GF Halloumi with delicious dip and gluten free Nut Roast served with wide range of 'just right' veggies and GF gravy ... could only manage small dessert but once again, the GF Sticky Toffee pud was extremely good. My husband enjoyed the Crispy Squid, Roast Porchetta and Profiteroles ... all excellent! Highly recommend this place for dinner for two or big family/friends grouping. Plenty for everyone and special diets really do receive a first class service.

Lovely place, nice food, good service

Beautiful old barn, very atmospheric and I imagine great at Christmas. The boiler had broken down so it was very cold but the roast dinners that we all had were lovely.

Very nice atmosphere, good food and fantastic service

A very nice pub with a very nice atmosphere, we won the monthly quiz here tonight and had a very nice meal to boot (the beef feather) highly recommended.

First time at the pub. The food was excellent, the place was busy and the atmosphere on a wet lunchtime midweek was great. The staff were very friendly and helpful. We really enjoyed the experience and will visit again.

Poor Sunday roast - tasteless Yorkshire puddings, roasties were hard and tasted previously frozen. Barely any gravy. Won’t be eating here again! £6 for additional items on the menu like cauliflower cheese and pigs in blankets… otherwise lovely place and nice staff

We loved our first visit with friends.

Very average food. Waiting staff could benefit from some customer service training and some dress code - wearing jeans with the waistband worn around the knees somewhat clashes with this venue.

Lovely building, good service, food was fine just not particularly special/memorable. Would happily return.

Lovely location, very nice garden and staff were exceptionally friendly and food was wonderful 5/5

If I could rate this 10 stars I would. Best pub I’ve been to in a very very long time!

Good food. Excellant service. Plenty of parking in village setting.

Lovely atmosphere and great service. Staff are always very polite and warm welcoming. Food is really nice and reasonably priced. Love going there and will definitely recommend

Very enjoyable visit to the Refectory with our two dogs, who were given VIP treatment.

Excellent food and great choice on menu My wife is gluten free (so really fussy!!) said it was the best that she has had Staff were first class

Beyond terrible food. I had the prawn with rice a flatbread. The prawns were chewy, the broth cold and the rice gloopy and watery. Honestly. Save. Your. Money! I told the waitress and she said she would “feed it back to the chef”. Nothing was done about it.

Visited today and I have to eat gluten free dishes so usually I struggle to find something that won’t upset me. So imagine how surprised I was to find that their menu contains many gluten free options and that they’ll make things gluten free. I had gluten free fish and chips! Fab.

5star service and roast porchetta Just a small criticism the roast potatoes could be a bit crispy on the outside inside that are perfect

Visited on a Monday afternoon, sat outside in the garden which is absolutely beautiful. Our waitress was lovely and clearly working hard. Drinks were slow to come out and a mistake was made but this wasn’t a big deal. Calamari and halloumi fries starters were excellent. Main courses were a mixed bag! The tandoori halloumi burger was not nice at all - massive slab of halloumi just sort of covered in a raw spice tasting red marinade. Token piece of lettuce and slice of tomato in the bun, nothing else. Really disappointed in my food - especially when it was pretty pricey. The total bill was very high - the price for cordial with soda water was criminal!! Such a shame that this place just doesn’t seem to be able to get it quite right. Definitely won’t be rushing back.

Stopped in Milford to find somewhere for lunch. Found this lovely pub. Even when busy the staff were friendly and helpful had a great steak sandwich sitting outside in the gardens. Will definitely go again when passing.

Yeah place was very nice, and the food was fantastic. The service was very slow. Waited 30 mins after arriving to place our order, then the food took over 40 mins to be served. When the waitress offered us dessert I asked if the wait would be as long, she laughed and said no, there is no wait for dessert. There was though, waiting about 30 mins. A great place let down by poor service.

The roast beef ordered today was not tender it was very hard to chew it .I also ordered a pear cider which was a another disappointment. I can't even describe the taste ,a cloudy fermented acidic drink.🤔

The Refectory was recommended to us and worth the 30 mile trip. Lovely looking pub from the outside, nice garden and patio area and internally full of character. Good selection of drinks and the food was very good. Excellent service by everyone. Would highly recommend 👍

Shared a delicious meal here with family.

Beautiful building and lovely outside area. The main pull for me to go here was the choice of gluten free dishes on the menu. There are so many! Eveything is clearly labelled as gluten free and the servers were knowledgeable and helpful when asking about menu items. This was such a find! Highly recommend and you have to try the cheesecake. 😊

Very impressed with food and service. Staff were all very attentive. Ambience was excellent and very relaxing. Highly recommended

Wonderful pub. Brilliant garden 🪴

Our group went here for dinner. It is located close to godalming in a converted barn. Looks really attractive to come and eat or drink something. We were not the only ones. The place was quite packed both inside and outside and this stretched the service. We had to wait a while for drinks and also ordering the meals, as well waiting for the food to arrive. Nevertheless this pub has a great ambiance and we enjoyed talking and looking around. We ordered some nibbles to share as starters. We have took fried hallummi which tasted great, and we ordered a hummus dish with bread sticks. The number of bread sticks provided were too few. As main courses we ordered vegetarian burgers and a pasta dish. The fries were delicious and also the fried hallummi burger tasted fine which was accompanied by a mango chutney. As dessert we ordered ice cream.

Stopped after golf for drink and quick bite around 8pm. Was packed inside and out so didn’t have much hope for food. However, we were served quickly and the food arrived in a normal time frame. Ordered small plates to share which were very good.