The Crown Pub Dining Rooms

The DJ was playing extremely loud music, and it hadn’t been advertised. We could barely talk to each other, which defeated the point of our annual catch-up. It felt like a cheap bar, not the relaxed, welcoming pub we expect The Crown to be. We’d booked our yearly Christmas get-together there again because it’s convenient for everyone, even though we’d noticed food quality slipping while prices kept rising. We paid a £10 deposit each, pre-ordered, then had a disappointing meal. The prawn mousse had no taste. The pork was nice, but there were only two small pieces, and the eight of us had to share just two small dishes of vegetables. The cream with dessert seemed clearly off. Three of us had the same dessert and agreed it had turned, though the waitress suggested it was raspberry flavoured. It was eventually replaced with canned squirty cream, which wasn’t an acceptable substitute. With a pitcher of sangria, my bill was £46.50 on top of the deposit already paid. A very disappointing visit, and one we’re unlikely to repeat.

The staff, service and ambience were great, and there was a 30% Friday discount, but the food was really poor. The pork bites with orange glaze were tiny, hard and overcooked. The buttermilk chicken burger with fries, slaw and sriracha mayonnaise was a mess on the plate, with no garnish or care. The burger had fallen over, the chicken was dry with only a teaspoon of mayo on top, and the slaw underneath was dry and tasteless. I wouldn’t serve that meal, a child could have done better. Fish and chips were the only dish anyone enjoyed, though the kitchen had run out of peas and served baked beans instead. Running out of peas on a Friday night, with no frozen ones, is laughable. We’ve eaten at The Crown many times before and were always delighted with the food. It seems someone in the kitchen now is incompetent. The food coming out is dreadful quality and overpriced.

A brilliant last minute booking. The room was spacious, the wet room and toilet were bigger than I expected, the bed was comfy and the amenities were great. The food was really good too, and the butter of the day was new to me but awesome. Noam was a fantastic staff member.

The fish and chips were probably the worst I’ve ever had. The batter was soggy and tasteless, and the chips were just oil. Vinegar on the batter didn’t help, and neither did the lemon I asked for. My friend’s Thai green curry tasted like a microwave meal to me, nothing like a green curry should. Nobody checked how our food was. We were looking for lunch before football. Google said dogs were welcome in the bar and outside, but when I asked for a table in the bar, the waiter insisted we had to sit outdoors. I explained what Google said, and he wouldn’t budge. I told him my dog was a service dog, though she rarely wears a coat because of her fur, and then we were allowed to sit inside. Please clarify your dog policy with Google.