The River Garden in Hillingdon

Walked in to be greeted by no one… then a guy laying down on the sofa (hung over) got up to say hello (after we had walked around twice) we said we had a booking under the name of … he then said how many I said not sure he said well if you don’t know then you can’t sit down??? Most awkward encounter. No people skills at all. I can’t comment on the food but the service was the worse I have ever experienced.

Very friendly staff, good food and nice atmosphere.

Best food i ever eaten lovely pasta and pizza very high recommend thank you 🙏

Amazing service our hostess Julie is amazing very attentive and a pleasure to speak to - food amazing A hidden gem

The River Garden Pub provided a wonderful experience during my recent visit. The atmosphere was cozy and inviting, blending modern design with traditional charm. The staff were exceptionally friendly and attentive, ensuring a welcoming atmosphere. Their drink selection was extensive, including a variety of creative cocktails. The food menu was also quite impressive, offering a wide selection of dishes, including pizza, pasta, meat, burgers, and vegetarian options. Whether enjoying a social gathering, a romantic evening, or simply relaxing with a drink, the pub offers a pleasant balance of lively and relaxed ambiance. I highly recommend The River Garden Pub to anyone seeking a delightful place to unwind in Harefield, and I certainly plan to return.

Food was really nice, even service was good. Specially fire wood pizza was perfect. Will come back.

Food was amazing, great service and friendly staff. Love the food and great offer on food bill.

I had great experience with river garden pub. Food and service was excellent, will definitely come back.

Modern, pricey place. I'm sure it's lovely in the summer there. Extremely quiet for a Friday night. No atmosphere.

Very lovely pub much better than the previous style as the bear on barge , more peaceful and better maintained, more expensive but far nicer and peaceful

Absolutely loved this place. The portions were very generous and the food was superb. The decor is great and the service was good. Car parking available too. We went in December so was too cold to visit the garden, so will be going back when the weather is good.

The worst place I have ever been to eat food! I wouldn’t even call it a restaurant, cafe or takeaway - I wouldn’t even expect a dog to eat there! The food was burnt, greasy and they sent the starters and mains all out together. The fish and chips were inedible - the fish was greasy and slimy and the chips burnt and full of fat probably from the bottom of the fryer. The children’s chips were full of salt and just inedible especially for my young children. The toilets were an absolute disaster- the women’s toilets were flood which I almost slipped over on. Every toilet in all 3 cubicles had no toilet paper and nearly all the toilets were filthy and had toilet paper over the seat. Then to add insult to injury we paid a service charge at the end of the bill which for us was another £10. Our total bill came to £78.38 for 3 kids fish fingers and salt ridden chips, 2 starters and 2 inedible fish and chips which me and my husband left most of it! We won’t EVER be dining at this place again and we should warn everyone not to either. If you want nice food and a clean environment then DONT go to eat here!

We recently had the pleasure of attending a staff Christmas party at The River Garden, and I couldn’t be more impressed with the experience. From the moment we arrived, the team went above and beyond to accommodate our large group, making sure everything was perfectly arranged. The food was absolutely delicious, with generous portions that left everyone satisfied. Each dish was served hot and full of flavour, showcasing the restaurant’s commitment to quality. The service was impeccable—attentive, friendly, and efficient, ensuring that all our needs were met. To top it off, the atmosphere was vibrant and welcoming, thanks to the fantastic live music that added to the festive spirit. The River Garden truly made our work Christmas do a memorable occasion. A big thank you to the entire team for such an outstanding experience! We’ll definitely be back.

Very disappointed with the food and overall standard. I would rate a smidgin better than Wetherspoons.

Chicken Caesar salad is advertised as with Romane lettuce. It came with bagged frisée lettuce which was soggy at that. The chicken was a decent portion but dry. If I had to guess, it was microwaved to reheat. Skinny fries weren’t skinny, they were regular chips. Very disappointing for £15 for the salad (paid extra for the chips).

Quite a nice meal but unfortunately they covered a lovely chicken roast with Pepper gravy All I could smell and taste was pepper

High prices combined with sub par standard of food and drink quality particularly for the area. £18.50 for sub Tesco bought standard beef Sunday roast inc. wedge shaped soggy roast potatoes where they cover the entire plate completely with gravy so all you can taste is bland gravy and not the meat or veg. Asked for the wobbly table to be sorted... Staff couldn't be bothered and staff watched me sort it out for a few minutes before I asked them to lift up the big heavy table so I can slip napkins underneath the legs before they eventually took over. Drinks are uninspired and lack depth of flavour.... again keeping in mind this establishment charges "bougie" prices. This place thinks it's Jolly Farmer (who charges £20.95 for a beef roast and is a high quality nearby establishment) whereas in reality The Ethorpe (who charges £16.99 for a beef roast and is a nearby mid level high street establishment) is a country mile superior to whatever it was that was served to us at the river garden. We paid as the food was hot, the drinks were cold, the service was swift...and so technically there was nothing wrong with the meal...it was just all sub par with zero passion gone into the food. There's no love put into the food and honestly Toby Carvery is cheaper better and only a 3 minute drive from here. Choose elsewhere.

Excellent staff and service lovely food and drinks

Serviceless, Tasteless and cannot recommend at all.

Food wasnt bad here, service was very slow, overall very average.

We went as a large group, 22 new parents and babies, they were very accommodating and kind enough to give us the VIP area in the restaurant giving us plenty of room to spread out and keep strollers and bags near by! The pizza was great and the service was friendly. Would definitely come here again. They also have a large garden in the back which would be great in warmer weather

Visited here for a birthday event, and I was very impressed with how the staff were so attentive and helpful. The garden itself is huge and our children loved running around and playing on the slides and climbing frame. Our friends who held the event were given the outside tipee which was such a nice area to hold an event we would definitely recommend. The staff were very friendly and as soon as the buffet food was running low, they were straight back to replenish it. If we lived closer I think this would be a regular spot for us to visit.

The tomahawk steak is out of this world cooked to precision Staff very polite and professional

5 stars for very nice, professional service, liked the live music that added charm to the place.

I was very pleasantly surprised with the service but mainly the food, All of our party thoroughly enjoyed the tasty food ,we will be back .

Ordered tricolour salad which was supposed be a dish containing beef tomatoes, mozzarella and avocado with a Basil dressing. The dish came out with no avocado and no dressing. The waitress dealt with the matter immediately, and took the dishes back to the kitchen. The second time it came out it had a very tiny amount of avocado so asked again if this could be rectified. It came back out with a larger amount of slimy avocado. The Tony's special wings were burnt to a crisp on one side but conveniently put on the plate the better side up. Considering the higher end prices for these dishes I really expected better.

Overpriced food and drinks, atmosphere is weird, staff unwelcoming and unfriendly. Food was apparently 'fresh' but was most definitely frozen. I'd rather not eat dinner than eat from here again. This place has so much potential but seems it's run by people who don't care. I have no idea where all these positive reviews come from.

I recently celebrated my daughter's 18th birthday at the River Garden in Harefield and reserved the VIP area for the occasion. The staff were lovely, going above and beyond to ensure everything ran smoothly. They were highly accommodating, making sure every detail was well taken care of. The food was fantastic and received numerous compliments from our guests. Reserving the VIP area was a perfect choice for our event and we all had a truly memorable evening. Our guests had a fantastic time. I highly recommend the River Garden for anyone planning a celebration or simply looking for a lovely venue for a meal or a relaxed drink.

Ordered buffalo wings, received deep fried wings with sauce on top. Ordered a southern fried chicken burger and received a grilled chicken breast burger grilled. Place looks fantastic food is below average and staff are rude and service was absolutely poor. Would not recommend unless you’re only coming for drinks.

I had the salmon and it was so delicious - possibly the best I’ve ever had. Perfectly cooked, moist with crispy skin, and exceptional salad. Highly recommend. Atmosphere was also relaxing, aesthetically pleasing and attentive without being overzealous. Great music choices and perfect volume for conversation. We will be back.

Great place.on a sunny day. Well run by great staff

We go here often for birthday meals or dinner after walking down the canal and generally they’re pretty good. Prices have gone up but service and food quality has unfortunately not. We went for my Dad’s birthday around 7 yesterday and it was busy in the beer garden but virtually empty inside where we sat. Waited for main meals for almost 2 hours due to confusion over starters. Steak was blue on arrival but the chef very kindly re-fired this and had it ready in less than 10 mins. Staff had apparently been given the wrong instructions when given our order so I’m not sure what happened there. Bill came, very high considering we weren’t satisfied with the food, and the service charge is included so not a choice. We’d like to come again but will think twice now.

A lovely meal with family members great service and and friendly staff thoroughly enjoyable meal

Lovely Sunday lunch at The River Garden.

I popped in with my wife and grandchildren we had a really nice meal and a few drinks. The atmosphere was really good and the staff were friendly.

I think your set up for the Euros final was an absolute catastrophe. I arrived at 4pm and it took an hour to get in. You guys were letting people skip the queue because they had a friend inside, which made us with bookings a nightmare. Your garden and screen was amazing. But please, guys, for world cup 2026 add more toilets for men, provide quicker service for drinks. The River Garden has so much potential to hold great events but with the queuing times it's just not worth it. 1 star for entry 5 stars for the screen and atmosphere

Just had chips but they were very nice

Quality of food poor. I hope they raise their game

Lovely spot that is great value for money. My favourite feature is not only the football vibe but when there isn't a game watching bargain hunters with a good value meal. Can't go wrong.

Taking table bookings for the football, having people queue for over half hour to get in, pay £5 each to get in, then telling them there are no tables and bookings aren’t guaranteed?! Jokers

First time here, lovely big garden Kids loved it perfect location. Food was very reasonably priced and was lovely and fresh!

I was part of a large group who had pre ordered the food. The starters were very late starting to arrive. And then when they did arrive They took forever arriving in dribs and drabs. I had ordered the camenbert followed by a thai beef salad. The Camembert was very nice but arrived at exactly the same time as the salad which was virtually inedible. The beef was hard tough and chewy. Even worse, the person sitting by the side of me.ordered lamb skewers, when they eventually arrived after asking at least four time and after the rest of us had finished eating hour mains , they were so burnt they looked like charcoal despit being covered up with piped mayonnaise. There were a Lot of us, but they shouldn't have taken the booking If they can't cope

Just visited for a coffee and even though they were closed they still served us. So service was well above excellent.

A group of friends and their children came to meet up on a very sunny Saturday afternoon in this large pub garden and sat on 4 tables with sun umbrellas as it was extremely hot. Without any discussion or notification, the owner came and started to take down the umbrellas shielding the toddlers and breastfeeding mother from the sun “because it was stopping people watching the football”. There was no consideration shown to the more vulnerable members of our group, in the slightest. It was pointed out to him that the people behind us all had their backs turned and were clearly not interested in looking at the very large screen showing the Euro game. The garden was barely a quarter full and there were many empty tables in front of us and closer to the screen however this made little difference to the owner. It was suggested we could move seats to make way for people to watch the match and the impression was that toddlers, children and breast feeding mothers were of less importance as customers. Had the pub garden been full or there were people behind wanting to watch the match, we would have understood but this was not the case. The manner in which we were approached after spending a considerable amount of money on food and drinks was disappointing to say the least. It was a shame this has left us with such a bad impression as all the other staff have always been very accommodating on previous visits.

Lovely place for a party. Get some southern comfort. Please

Very beautiful area where you can enjoy nature and delicious food as well. Parking place is adequate and prices are normal. You can also enjoy big screen matches in European Cup nowadays. Friendly service, recommended.

Lovely friendly place. Welcoming to families especially with kids. Looking forward to visiting this place again in summer to enjoy their beer garden

Waited over an hr for pub garden food chips and wings drinks flat and tastless so expensive £2.50 for a bag of crisps Place is a dive poorly run wont return

Lovely atmosphere , tasty food and great customer service ⭐️

A tad disappointed I booked a table for a meal being I got told the food is absolutely wonderful from a family member who suggested it, on arrival the car park was absolutely rammed even people parking there's in a very dangerous manner which was causing a blind spot,we sadly couldn't get in due to parties going on which is not a problem at all the chap that took my booking should have informed us that there's parties going on and just be truthful by telling us. I'm pleased you have events going on but for us it ruined the evening and ended up having McDonald's because others were pre-booked I believe in this feedback to you to take note your staff just be honest. Thank you.

Absolutely massive outdoor seating area, was heaving when I went but was still served relatively quickly. Nice atmosphere

Who can say no to a cocktail at River Garden - the head in the clouds is just yummm and addictive!! Absolutely loved the starter, I had the king prawns with extra spice and a taste of my friend’s buffalo wings 😍 I’d highly recommend the tomahawk with mash - definitely worth the price! Me and my friend were happily pleased with the service from each member of staff in the restaurant area and bar area. Next stop is on a Sunday - the roast was recommended so I’ll defo need to give it a try! Thank you River Garden staff!

Great place for girlie meet up and lunch .

Stopped by for a drink, but ended up having lunch! Guess why? The atmosphere is lively and good, specially the outdoor garden by the river with the view of the new bridge. The bartenders were great and quick with serving us. The food was really good. Started with some Red wine and Garlic bread and cheese. Surprised to see it pizza shaped (win-win I say!!). We ended up staying for a late lunch with Fish and Chips and Chicken Al A Cream which was good! Only bummer was that the Fish and Chips wasn’t available on the outdoor Garden menu (no idea why) so we had to take our business indoors. Otherwise lovely experience, we spent several hours inside and had a great time. Definitely a favourite spot mainly for the environment!

Revolting food - below average fish and chips, and a halumi salad swimming in oil. Completely inedible. They ‘kindly’ knocked off 10% of expensive bill.

Julie was our waitress and she was really lovely and friendly. The food is great, pizza big size and good amount of ingredients. The pudding was AMAZING! Specially the rocher one. Only “better if” thing is the smell in the toilets and the lack of washing hand liquid in one dispenser. An air freshener will help a lot the ladies toilet.

Fantastic day out that is dog friendly in the gardens. Just sit away from the stage when the live band is playing as it gets loud and you cannot have a conversation at your table. A great atmosphere on a Sunday afternoon in the sunshine.

A great place to take your kids and family. Serving people all very considerate, helpful, smily and will chat to an old git like me. Thank you all. Last time I was here was in 1987! I hope to be back sooner than last time :-)

Excellent food and atmosphere. Staff are really friendly. Also great for kids with a large play area.

Great food, but the service was poor! The young lad couldn't find our table, so then we had to go and get our food ourselves. Also, no Guinness or Peroni beer! 🤔 We would not come back here.

Sat outside on a sunny Sunday, there was live music in the garden and the Greek food from Theo’s in the garden was fantastic. Had a lovely day! The only downside was the lack of parking spaces as it was so busy.

We had a Sunday roast last Sunday it was just amazing

I’m saying this now, this has to be the best local restaurant, the food was very well prepared and the cocktails were expertly made!

Great place. Advertises cask ale on building. No cask ale. Cold pizza. But good. Fun atmosphere.

Food so nice. Portion is disappointed. Julia is sweet and so lovely. Keep up the good attitude girl.

First time here. Certain would return. The only complaint I have is that the tomato soup that I had ordered should have been served with a soup spoon and not a desert spoon.

I ordered a hamburger and chips the hamburger was as boring as the M25 they can really try improve on it… but other then that it’s a really great pub to come to…

Great place to take the family, food 7s always amazing, playground area is great for families

Family friendly pub favourites menu in a spacious pub with large beer garden. The veggie sausage roast was commented on as being particularly good.

Great pub for a lovely summers day.

We usually have our work parties here, I like the food here and there is plenty of parking spaces as well.

Great pub, very friendly staff, fantastic

Great place for family and friends. Food was amazing …they have live music as well on Friday evening.. enjoyed a lot. Their cocktails was amazing … bartender made special cocktail for me .. loved that.

Good place for family dinner on weekends. Live music as well … their is a private space for large parties. Good and drinks are amazing. Will visit again😍😍😍

Very comfortable, not part of a pub chain, so varied menu. Huge garden with loads of benches, so must be busy in the summer

Really impressed with food and service with restaurant we've heard a lot after it changed hands and what a change beautiful and really clean inside

Food was so delicious…. Specially Ravioli, will visit again 🥰

Great set lunch menu. We went for office lunch break and the food and service was great. pizzas are to die for. Will definitely be back!

Great location for a mini vacation. Loved the food and service.

Good food, friendly environment. Service is also good.

Good place for special occasions.... food and cocktails was amazing 🤩

Amazing food and test, great service 👍🏻

Yesterday night i was there it’s really good and enjoyable place and specially thanks to rajan she is very kind and good person thank you for best service 😊

Nice friendly pub by the canal.

Everything is awesome in the River Garden. 10/10 👍

Had the sea bass and it was simply delicious. Very generous with the portion. Big thumbs up from me 👍🏽

Amazing food everytime, great staff. I travel from Hertfordshire just for the quality of the food, highly recommend this place

Really nice place, very clean, excellent staff, plenty of room, but at a price, you will need a bank loan to go for a pint or two

We went for the first time yesterday to the River Garden. We were sadly attending a wake so no photos. The service was very friendly, food supplied for the wake was wonderful and the pub itself is beautiful. We'd happily revisit!

Average, clientele let it down a lot. On the Grand Union Canal so is a stopover if you're thirsty. Menu is overpriced for the type of pub.

This was emailed to a manager of May 2023 after being contacted back and offered an apology and a voucher which I never received and ignored, thought I would still share the review for others to see ! CHARCUTERIE BOARD 16.5 (SHARING BOARD FOR TWO) Prosciutto crudo, salami finocchiona, ventricina salami, artickokes, pickles and home made bread On ordering this I was notified by a lovely member of staff that she needed to check with the chef which meats they had. She returned to confirm there was “no salami Milano” which I explained was not on the menu choice anyway and said “they only had Parma ham?“ Again odd as this is not in the menu … so I asked is there only Parma ham available then ? she returned to speak with him and once again returned to confirm there was Prosciutto, Parma ham and mortadella … as there was 3 different types of meat still I decided to order it. Once this dish arrived, beautifully presented may I add, I very soon realised that the Prosciutto was in-fact English ham clearly taken from the pack… very much resembling Tesco value cheap meat. To my horror and disgust I left this on the serving dish, piled up so the chef could clearly see it hadn’t been touched. In case you are wondering how I know the difference in these meats , not by looking at them as an English individual would but my family is Italian. So I’m sure you can understand my pure disgust that this restaurant can palm off this awful meat as Italian, this is insulting and after the price of £16.50 for this dish pretty much day light robbery!! This was a meal for my birthday organised by my friend so I didn’t not wish to ruin the evening but I have returned back from a vacation and felt it was best to still let management know about this incident so others do not have the same issues with regards to this poor service. I am extremely shocked that a “chef” and I use that term very loosely now would have the audacity to serve people this… I guess not realising an Italian person would be able tell the difference over an English person. Crazy they serve people this stuff but then ignore you. Heard more bad stories since so decided to share this now. Sorry it’s so late !!

Nice enough only went for lunch

a good and hearty Christmas meal in a quiet and friendly place. Too bad some sauces were too salty for the taste of my partner and her mother

Mediocre pizza, cheapest possible cheese, no mozzarella nor basil, pasta was inedible cooked with supermarket sauce. Only beer was fine. The music was revolting, couldn’t get out soon enough. Won’t recommend this place to anyone

Had a fabulous experience. Hired the teepee in the garden for 70 guests. A vegeterian menu was chosen which everyone loved. The staff and management are super friendly. Thank you Julie

We booked a table for four people and were put in a curtained off area with a large group. The food was mediocre and the service poor. The staff seemed very inexperienced and not particularly friendly or helpful. They obviously didn’t want our business because they started clearing the cutlery from the table before we’d had our main course. And, how can you eat ice cream with a knife and fork? The chocolate brownie was inedible. The menu didn’t give a full description of the ingredients and nobody asked if we had any allergies which I have. Unfortunately this is a venue we won’t be returning to

We came late morning so our responses to this questionnaire are probably not typical

Tony hosted an amazing fireworks charity event for Harefield Infant and Junior School with all ticket sales going to our charity. It was a fantastic family friendly event. The venue was great to host a large number of the community. It felt safe and fun. The food and drink was great and the fireworks were amazing. We can’t thank him enough

This place is lovely. I have been a couple of times and can’t wait to go in the summer. Good food and good atmosphere

Good drinking & eating pub on the canal... (Great stopover mooring for boats⚓️) ...great garden with plenty of space, especially for the summer months🍻 ...and very dog friendly inside and outside 🐶🐶.. Always have a good time... Darren & Suki⚓️☀️☀️☀️