Wattenden Arms in Croydon

Had a fantastic time on Friday, really nice little gem. It was warm and cosy and we really liked the halloween/ autumn decorations especially the witch as you go through the front door! After ordering we were given bread while we waited. The waitress made a point to introduce herself and welcome us to the area after we told her we just moved nearby. She was really great and couldn't do enough for us, you can tell she genuinely loves her job which is really refreshing. I can see us soon becoming regulars here. The menu is really varied and i cant wait to come back and try the steak on the stone.

This is the first time we had been to the Wattenden in many years but had read good reviews. They’re well deserved!! A really friendly and buzzy atmosphere and an efficient and friendly greeting from Lauren. Between our group we tried the fish and chips, sausage and mash and the leek pie. All were delicious. Recommend the Harveys beer too. Lauren, as everyone has said, is so friendly, helpful and cheerful. We’ll definitely be back soon.

Just visited after not being fair a little while. Had a great experience, I believe the lady who looked after us was called Lauren, she was really attentive and friendly. We enjoyed looking at all the memorabilia on the walls. Highly recommend.

Fabulous family lunch to celebrate Mum’s birthday. Great service and delicious food. We were made to feel very welcome and Mum enjoyed the candle in her dessert. Would highly recommend.

A very pleasant evening. Good wine and good food. As a group we tried different dishes, fish & chips, burger, chicken burger and pie. All very good and reasonably priced. Noted they do a roast on a Sunday and breakfast too. More ale options for our beer drinkers in the group would be good. We will be back!

Sad to see the young members of staff over worked and not supported by there management team the last couple times i have came in it looks like management finish as the pub is getting busy which they are left to deal with the mass income of customers management do better and support your staff

Ate here with some friends, none of us were blown away with our meals they were just ok. Over priced for what they were and the options were limited. Would be good to see more variety and healthier options on the menu. Maybe some midweek deals like other pubs have. The service was good but I wouldn’t eat here again based on the cost.

We had not been since the revamp and were happy with our experience. Thought the food was great especially the proper French onion soup. I also really like being given a portion size choice on some dishes; that's a real plus for us. Having a proper material napkin was a nice upmarket touch too, We also thought the pricing was fair and comparable to other independent pubs. The staff were attentive as was the manager. We all enjoyed it and will be back when next in the area visiting our friend.

Went in last Friday first time since revamp. What a let down. First shock the price of drinks over £13 for a pint and a g&t. Food prices expensive. Not keen on the green paint job or the surly bar staff. Such a shame.

Wanted this place to be good to great, booked based on recommendation and previous reviews. Location and decor good, friendly staff, although a couple seemed to need some more basic training. We had booked, as it was a wonderful sunny day, we asked to sit outside, Shown to a table in the covered area, got settled, tried to order but staff member had no pen, eventually we ordered. Drinks came after some time. Then a very old gent came and sat at our table, telling us he was using the smoking area, we apologised and moved in side. Why did the staff sit us there…… Our food took ages, eventually our ‘hot appetisers’ arrived cold (obviously been hanging around on pass) with one of the main courses I sent back, big mistake as I got it back again cold, sent it back, unbelievably the same plate came back a third time now warm (re heated / fried) we were really hungry after 90 mins so I just ate most of it. If it hadn’t been so tired and dry from all the hanging around in the kitchen and re warming it probably would have been a delicious homestyle burger. I really should have been given a new plate of food. The chips were good but I think re fried as very very hot. My guests meal was at least fresh / warm, but he described it as ok but bland. The next table had issues with their Sunday roasts, not sure what…. Wanted the Eton Mess for dessert, but got fed up of waiting to be served again…. I paid and we left, underwhelmed by the experience, a waste of our time and £. Every pub, restaurant has off days, this wasn’t the “finest hour” 1345 /1515 28th July 24. Such a shame…. Nice friendly staff and inviting decor. The cider and wine were good, nice and cold. Might give it another try sometime, but won’t be rushing back, plenty of other options nearby.

Loving the new menu. Looking forward to the pub getting local support as it gets established as a new private enterprise. Great face-lift and friendly staff.

Food delicious ans good value, bur service very slow

Very quiet but we were 12, the others ate and were very happy with the choice and quality

Food was served warm and was not served to the whole table at the same time took around 10 mins to arrive. Found the staff rude, not good value for money...

Made a booking to watch the football. Ordered food, food was small, tasteless and burnt not worth the money. When I asked if they could put on the football they said they are a classic pub and they don't have a license. I explained I had a booking expressing to watch the football and it stated live sports area. The lady said the booking team are rubbish we are a classic pub and did not apologise and walked off. Not a great experience.

A lovely pub for a relaxed drink

Had a daughter birthday dinner was ok ✅ quick service

Top class service, good beer and excellent home cooked food - will be coming back!

This may be the greatest pub I’ve ever been to in my entire life. I really love the music when Imagine Dragons play. They have always been my favourite band. Big shout out to Georgia who always looks after us. Thank you

Had a fantastic evening with super service from Georgia

Lovely country pub with great menu and lovely staff!

Mother’s Day Lunch at the Wattenden Arms today was lovely. The food was excellent especially my fish and chips ! An excellent time was had by all. Thank you !!

I would give zero stars if possible. My husband booked a table on line this morning. We arrived and we're told we couldn't have a table when my husband said we had booked for drinks only. The woman waved pieces of paper at us telling us "I'm sorry but all the tables are booked for food, you haven't got a table for drinks. You can drink outside" It is pouring with rain. We declined that 'offer' and began to leave. We weren't out of the door and we could hear her talking about us. Very rude.

Great old pub restaurant great food friendly staff lots of history attached to this pub used since I was a lad ..second world war .as its very near Kenley aerodrome .smashing pub

Both myself and another had a meal at this pub and both had the same. I had food poisoning and the same of my guest. I will never eat here again, the authority has been informed. Having been informed you are forewarned, we were so unwell from this kitchen. A real shame standards have dropped.

Good food, reasonable price. Big portions

Nice and friendly, food nice. Remote location with 3 hrs only free parking if using the pub seems odd given location and dog friendly pub.

Have been here before. Was really disappointed with the service. Ordered two vegan desserts which came out not vegan with dairy cream and shortbread biscuits (despite expressing it was an allergy which required no dairy). When I questioned it was treated as if I was bothering them. Staff were mainly sat on their phones at the bar. Will not be returning. Maybe some allergy training might be considered as allergies can kill. If a product isn't vegan it shouldn't be listed as such.

Warm, friendly with a great ambience. A proper pub! The team are welcoming and more than helpful!

My partner and I visited on Friday lunchtime, for the first and last time. We're not from the area and had traveled 3 hours to see our young nephew for Christmas. I had booked a table the day before via telephone and explained to the man who took our call that we had two small terriers. Upon arrival we were not greeted by either of the two young women stood behind the bar; we didn't even get a smile. This was a very different response to the friendly and helpful telephone call with the man I spoke to the previous afternoon. I let them know about our reservation to which one said, 'I didn't know about your dogs'. We were pointed to a table and told to order at the bar; we had to ask for menus and then ask again for a children's menu. As a vegetarian, there weren't the most options and at 36 weeks pregnant I just wanted something light. My partner went to order me the mozzarella, tomato and avocado sandwich to be told first there was no avo, then no mozzarella and finally none of the focaccia. We asked for a vegan cheese substitute as mentioned on their menu and what arrived was a cheese and tomato on white bread. The cheese was like a white crumbled feta consistency and completely tasteless. My nephew was upset by the lettuce and ketchup added to his burger which wasn't mentioned on the menu. We scraped that out and he enjoyed his food. My partner rated his steak sandwich too, so they were happy. I treated myself to a dessert, as lunch was so disappointing and just wish I hadn't bothered. The chocolate creme brulee fondant topped with strawberries and chocolate brownie chunks is not what arrived. The chocolate is just a cold custard, not fondant, the strawberries were less than one quartered and just on the side of the plate, and the brownie was 3 tiny pieces of diced millionaire shortbread. Despite the discrepancies with both dishes, we were still expected to pay the price on the menu, which seems pretty cheeky when it's not what you're getting. The pub became very busy, with a lot of dogs and there was a very near miss between two, right next to our table which was distressing. We overheard after ordering that they were not taking orders for 20 minutes, to allow the kitchen to catch up, which I've never experienced anywhere before. Had our nephew not been with us, we'd have left at the point of ordering, but we persevered for his sake and didn't want to make a scene. I was also exhausted. My partner enjoyed his food, but mine was very disappointing, and the atmosphere and service was terrible. One of the women staff was bordering hostile and spent a lot of time on her phone behind the bar. We were initially excited to find another dog friendly pub with a kids menu that we could go to when visiting our nephew, but after our experience, we will not be going back.

Just go somewhere else! Went last night for dinner, terrible. When we asked about seating the bar staff shrugged an said 'if u can find a table sit down' then walked away, found a table only to be screamed at by this very unpleasant older woman that we couldn't have a table and 'go sit over there' gesturing to a couple of chair in the corner. When we finally got a table and ordered my partner got sausage and mash which he said the sausage had a funny taste and were crunchy and the mash was like rubber and couldn't eat it, where as I got the hunter chicken which was somehow over and under cooker at the same time, it's supposed.to be BBQ but it tasted like lasagna and the cheese was basically burnt into the dish yet my chips and peas were cold. Desert was no better we ordered apple crumble but what we got was apple pie filling covered in dry oats and flavourless custard. We were so disappointed and just left but by the time we got back to our hotel about 20 mins away we both felt very nauseous and unwell.

Lovely pub, great staff, clean, good food and a nice atmosphere

Only stayed a couple of hours but was a lovely friendly pub.

Quiet Friday lunch. Very pleasant staff, food and atmosphere nice.

Love this country pub. Tracey and her team are simply the best

Just back from a delicious lunch at the Wattenden Arms. Gino, as usual, did a great job of the food and I’m looking forward to visiting again and again. Thank you to the whole team who are always so welcoming and friendly

We had only ever been for drinks before , but , after a dog walk at the aerodrome, decided to pop in for lunch. There was a great atmosphere with lots of full tables , and we received a warm welcome . We ordered the steak and red onion sandwich and the steak and venison pie , both of which were delicious…we had 2 lovely puddings and 2 pints and the total was £48 which we thought was very good value…..we will definitely be going back

Popped in after walking the dog at the Aerodrome , had only ever had a drink here before but stopped for lunch…we received a very warm welcome …we had the venison and beef pie , and a steak and caramelised red onion sandwich. Both were delicious and the 2 puddings were really lovely. We had 2 pints and the total bill was £48 which we thought very good value. We will definitely be back

Another lovely meal here. The food was brilliant, the service is so friendly. Sam could not do enough for us and made the whole experience very enjoyable, It was a great atmosphere too a good old local pub 👍

We often visit on a Sunday evening to take part in the quiz. Today we all had a roast which was very good and have to make special mention to the lovely chef Gino- always get a warm friendly welcome at the Wattenden Arms😀👍

Dog-friendly, near the aerodrome. Friendly staff.

Proper Local Friendly welcome, decent beer and cider Nice garden The pub of choice to watch the Rugby in.

Amazing food and the service and staff are wonderful definitely recommend

This is a great pub with friendly helpful staff. The food last night was hot , well presented and very tasty. The chef even popped out to check it was all ok . Well done to Tracey and her team we will be back.

Had a smashing meal here last night , it all came out well presented, hot and tasty. Tracey and here team were efficient and friendly. Well done to the chef who came out on the floor to check that all the meals were good x👍

Good range of beers. Good food at reasonable prices. Parking, handy for Kenley aerodrome.

The Watt, as we call it, is a long standing favourite. Situated a 20 minute walk on the opposite side of the aerodrome to relatives, it is a no-brainer for good, honest food, excellent drink, and super service. We have eaten there more times than I care to recall, and we have never been disappointed with the food, the service, or the ale. I would recommend this pub to anyone, but I would rather keep it a secret, so it doesn't get too busy!!!

We visited the Wattenden Arms on Sunday to find that this public house was having some kind of charity day. The pub had already had a charity football match and a meat raffle to raise funds for a bear charity. I am sure someone mentioned they had raised £800 +. The atmosphere was fun and everyone was having a great time. The staff were friendly and polite and made us feel welcome. It was as public houses used to be and should be!

Great little pub tucked away behind Kenley airfield. One of the few 'proper' pubs in this area with some local history and a good atmosphere. Great service and welcome from Sam behind the bar. Good beers and food available.

We visited on Sunday as we heard that they were showing the football and also they were holding a charity day. There was a charity football match along with a meat raffle in the afternoon all funds raised were going to Animal Asia I believe they raised £800 +. Great day, fantastic atmosphere. The staff were friendly and made us feel welcome. Proper old fashioned pub we will definitely be back

Such a lovely, reasonable pub. Came here for son's birthday. Staff (Charlotte)brought him a lovely surprise cake. Made his day. Definitely will return. A perfect pitstop when walking around the aerodrome

This pub is such a welcoming pub with a great regular clientele welcoming staff and brilliant food can’t beat this pub great for a quite drink and great chance to meet new people

Food was 10/10 highly recommended and staff are lovely. They were well mannered and constantly asked if we wanted anything.

The wattenden arms is such a brilliant pub I went for lunch on Sunday and it was a brilliant atmosphere with as the wattenden just held a charity football game with all player back to the pub and also a charity meat raffle such a brilliant pub friends staff and great food can’t beat this pub super friendly and great prices

Staff are so friendly and accommodating, special thanks to Sophie she was great. It is great little pub and it’s dog friendly!!🐶

This is the best pub in Kenley, wouldn’t recommend anywhere else! Food is great, staff are amazing and couldn’t think of any place better to go on a Sunday, let alone any day! Meat raffles and charity football matches, what more could you want from your local pub!

Lovely friendly pub with great service and food

What a horrendous experience at this pub today. To be honest it’s just got worse and worse. After tapping in car reg details which already makes you feel grim .. met by miserable bar person behind the bar with no personality or warm welcome at all! Honestly we should have just had our drinks and left.. but as hungry made a terrible decision to eat. Ordered 2 roasts at £15.50 each. Arrived very quickly and just from the appearance knew it was going to be terrible 😞 Not even sure we were served beef.. grey washed out looking something.. with what I can only describe as what we’re supposed to be vegetables but burnt.. the peas didn’t even taste good.. how can you get peas wrong? It was uneatable and honestly at that point should have complained and requested a full refund.. why didn’t we? You only need to read a few reviews to understand you’re not going to be treated very kindly and things could have got a whole worse! Unfortunately this pub is not a friendly welcoming pub and the food is a disgrace.. in these times when people are struggling and that is what is served up.. it’s an embarrassment.

Absolutely terrible 😞 Miserable bar person and the food if you could call it food a total disgrace. Grim all round

visited the wattenden was served by Sam and she was very intentive and friendly will defo be going back

Firstly please ignore previous reviews about the bar staff I have visited many times and the girls are amazing and friendly as is the landlady . Infact this Sunday I felt so sorry for the girls . I booked a table for 4 for Sunday lunch because the food here is usually so good . No veggie Wellington so took the alternative it was ok. The meals couldn't be ordered for at least 45 mins as chef was having a meltdown the poor girls had to field orders not fair . Meals came no where near usual standard missing roast potatoes too ! We left alot of food no one asked why . Its a shame it was a great lunch place but now can't recommend apparently chef on holiday I can wait til he returns

Beautiful old country pub, nestled in the Surrey Hills. We went for a Sunday Roast, which was delicious, and good value too! Could not fault the pub, apart from the bar staff, ( this does not include Tracey, the Landlady, who was great, very friendly and welcoming). As a previous reviewer stated, get rid of the bar staff. Appalling customer service, two girls…very disinterested, miserable, and dismissive. It felt as if they were doing you a favour by serving you! This review would have been five star if it wasn’t for them….Such a shame as this pub is a delight!

Went for Sunday lunch, quite full inside with other customers & dogs. Food was excellent so was the table service. The two bar staff "Sisters"? need to change their attitude towards customers. Seem to be bickering at each other and quite abrupt to my self & to a table of 10 who got annoyed with their attitude towards them. Not the first time I have been a witness to this.

Very nice pub grub. Dog friendly. Staff very helpful. Had a brilliant time. Certainly will be coming back when I'm next in the area

Great service and delicious food, what a lovely little find tucked away in kenley. We will be recommending this place for sure

A very nice friendly welcoming pub hidden away near Kenley aerodrome. Took a visit here yesterday (Wednesday) after a nice walk around the nearby aerodrome for some drinks and a bite to eat for lunch. They have a wheelchair accessible entrance at the back and a disabled toilet indoors as well. There is a nice hidden garden at the back and inside it is nice and cosy. Bar staff were amazing, helping me with the door to get my partner inside whilst she was in the wheelchair and also friendly when spoken to. They had 4 ales on tap and Newcastle brown ale in the fridge. Selection of lagers, a few ciders, wines, spirits etc. We opted to share the prawns and calamari duo starter and the scampi main meal which was cooked nicely and the batter on both was not greasy and nice and crisp. Overall we really enjoyed our visit here and we are planning to come back again very soon. Many thanks to Sam for a pleasant experience and taking a few mins to talk to me when I had a few questions to ask.

A very nice friendly welcoming pub hidden away near Kenley aerodrome. Took a visit here yesterday (Wednesday) after a nice walk around the nearby aerodrome for some drinks and a bite to eat for lunch. They have a wheelchair accessible entrance at the back and...

Nice locals pub but make you welcome.

TLDR: Do not go for the food, but maybe okay for a drink. At least the bar staff were nice and it is dog friendly. My partner and I went out for an evening, expecting to have a few drinks and nice meal at this nearby pub. The coke we were served was flat, and the food was poor. My partner was able to have a few mouthfuls of the "Pie of the Day" before feeling sick, which lasted the rest of our evening. The peas were undercooked, the mash tasted like instant powder mash, and the pie tasted rank. I was able to eat the chips of my meal (hard to go wrong there) and most of my Korean Burger but regretted this when I woke up early the following day with the runs. I don't know if the kitchen was not able to cope well in serving food with the extreme heat over the weekend, or if this is the standard quality to expect. Furthermore, when charging £15 for a meal I would have expected better quality food, and not something I could get for the same quality, at half the price, and with better service at a Weatherspoons. It was clear that the majority of food is frozen/pre-prepared and definitely not worth its value for money. We left without fuss as my partner was not feeling well and we did not wish to make a scene infront of the locals that looked to frequent the bar for drinks Overall our experience was dire, and we would not go again. If all you are looking for is a beer and a place to bring your dog then maybe this is the place for you.

Had a good drink with mate in garden on a sunny afternoon. Lovely place. Good drinks

In response to Tracey’s last message. Correction: I have only visited the pub twice. Yet again I see your customer facing skills to their fullest.

Visited the pub with my children for a nice dinner. Food was lovely and service was great. Pub very nice and clean. Definitely will come back.

We visited on a Sunday with family. Party of 4 adults and 2 children. My family had visited the previous week and raved about the Sunday Roast. Unfortunately on my visit the meal was apparently nothing like the previous. I got a miniscule slice of...

Bar personnel were nice and polite, but the manager Tracey acted in a rude and unfriendly way to us guests as well as to her own staff. Food prices are low which agrees with the tasteless dishes we ate. ...response to below reply: The visit was in March, Tracey was very much present on that day and my experience very much real, this is not a fake review.

poor quality of luke warm food. even though i paid for the extras on the roast dinner, host was confrontational when i said i didn't want them and it was not made clear they were extra and not inclusive. there was no offer of a refund when I was finally allowed to explain my point. there are many pubs in the land and i will be sure to give this one a swerve in the future. host needs to learn a thing or two about customer experience and customer care. seriously lacking thanks but no thanks.

Pub manager Tracey was raising her voice at her ordering staff in front of us, because she was stressed about other customers waiting to order. It didnt feel service minded and also was very uncomfortable, and in addition I felt sorry for the abused staff...

Bank Holiday breakfast absolutely fantastic again! Thanks to Tracey and the team absolutely needed after Saturday nights coronation dinner dance two great events 😂💜

Fabulous evening tonight. Great food and fantastic service. We celebrated the Coronation in style. Many thanks to Tracey and her wonderful team including the chefs who worked so hard to deliver a fabulous 3 course meal. A great time was had by all .

The staff at the Wattenden were very friendly and accommodating! Excellent service overall and catered to all our needs. The food was also perfect we had steaks and was cooked just how we like them.

The Wattenden arms catered to me and my 8 friends the food was absolutely lovely and the bar staff where so welcoming and friendly with making sure our food was all correct such good value for the food the pub its self is so tidy...

Lovely pub but I don't recommend the roast, unless you aint that hungry

Lovely visit sun's out and the lamb shank was fabulous 👌 great service thanks Tracy, Helda and team Great food and great service

Great lunch today lamb shank was fabulous 👌

Great lunch today at the Wattenden Arms. Thanks Tracy and the team...

Went for lunch after the family walk . Service was fantastic and food came out quickly and it was delicious and presented beautifully. I heard they have new head chef who really makes a difference to the place. Beer was also great, nice and cold...

Tracey and the team are fantastic. You're always made very welcome and nothing is too much trouble. Locals are respected and all visitors are treated to superb food, 5 star service and amazing events, clubs, competitions plus a huge range of charity fund raisers!

Came here last minute after the Harrow in Caterham seated us at the worst table ever ! Staff here are friendly and are excellent. The mushroom Wellington was lovely all washed down with a bottle of merlot. Booked a table there for another visit

Pre booked for Mother’s Day, had a very warm welcome and a lovely hun gift from the team their. The food was cooked to perfection and the staff were friendly and attentive.

Came in here late on Mother’s Day with my wife, two young children and disabled father. Had a discussion with the bartender about letting us sit in the bar area as the higher chairs are easier for my dad to stand up out of. The next thing the landlady shouts across the pub that children were not allowed in the area due to quiz night starting. This wasn’t an issue and we were going to have a look in the restaurant area but the landlady insisted on repeating 3 times, rather rudely that we couldn’t sit there. We were happy to move but we were taken aback by her aggressive manner. You would expect just a tiny degree of understanding to my father’s disability but there was none, then when my dad said “thanks, we heard you the first time that we can’t sit here”, she told us to leave. Quite unbelievable behaviour, frankly. Overall a nice pub but beware of crossing the landlady the wrong way.

Great little pub, stumbled upon it after a walk around the aerodrome. Will definitely be back!

Lovely pub, great atmosphere and fantastic service! Food was amazing will be returning

Tucked away in the Surrey Hills within the M25, it was a busy place at Sunday lunchtime. The place wasn't as big as I thought it might be but it has a big heart. A Locals pub welcoming visitors from anywhere. Staff friendly and efficient. Good Sunday roast choices. Good size portions. Well cooked. Sunday night quiz and meat raffle too!

Sunday lunch was average, veg tasted frozen as did Yorkshire puddings. Waited 45 minutes for deserts after ordering at the bar. Staff didn’t seem to notice or care. Such a shame as we were looking for a nice family lunch but ended up a bit of a damp squid.

Family birthday. 10 adults, a baby and a lively toddler. Was given a great welcome and table was ready for us. Great selection of food and terrific service. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff. Food was delicious and there were empty plates all...

Delicious Sunday roast, great atmosphere and friendly staff. First time i had visited with my family and the lady behind the bar was very helpful

Terrible terrible service. I have been going to this pub for more than 7 years, last night (29/12/22) I went in for a drink and the girl at the bar was extremely rude. We were polite and courteous and she told us she doesn’t get paid for being nice / she only gets paid by the hour. She ignored us when queuing for a drink - talking to what appeared to be her sister and then was rude again when we asked if the pub was still serving food. This has always been a great pub but it seems like things have been going downhill - particularly regarding staff.

This was a very mixed day, first time we had eaten there as a family and it was for Christmas Day “Dinner” so not a typical experience. The booking phase was a total disaster and whatever they are paying the company doing it for them...

Great pub and with high speed car charger outside. Nice food and good range of beer

Cosy and warm pub with a good food selection including a good kids menu. Great for a weekend family lunch!

Very nice pub for a drink, particularly in the summer as they have a small but nice garden. Food is also very decent and reasonably priced