i have always enjoyed going to the crown at bray, and was an occasional place i go for lunch with my family. however, the quality we usually recieve during eating has rapidly decreased. we were seated at a very cramped table beside a fireplace that was not on, despite the restaurant being cold. asked to move next to an "on" fireplace which somehow was still cold? upon ordering drinks i asked for a pink gin + lemonade, and was served a lemonade after i clearly stated twice i would like some gin with it !! prices for portion sizes were a shock. i ordered a side of fries- £6, for a small pot of french fries. for the price i would expect something more. furthermore, the womens toilets were an appalling state for the expectations of this restaurant. three words- cold, dull, dead. the toilets were basically outside with no heating, and the stall had a VERY dead plant inside. not tasteful at all!! staff seemed uninterested and did not check if the food was okay, or say goodbye when we left. overall just a bit of an underwhelming experience, especially for that shocking price tag at the end of the meal.
JA G
We went on NYE... The food was very poor. Standards seem to have slipped. Sorry to leave negative review but the service was amateur too. We’ve been going to The Crown for years and so we are sad to see a mainstay restaurant of ours become jaded and lacklustre.
Amanda D
We have been visiting this pub for a number of years and it has always been one of our favourite places to eat. However our experience today was disappointing. The pub itself was cold and the food underwhelming. The service was slow and we found the staff inattentive. So disappointing.
Popsy K
Have previously dined at the Hinds Head which was impeccable from arrival to the end, staff were wonderful and knowledgeable and food was divine. The Crown sadly does not have the same standards. On arrival table was not ready which was fine, waited at the bar and then seated. Staff weren’t overly attentive, very chatty amongst themselves behind the bar. After being seated the service was very slow, we felt like we had been forgotten. It took 30 minutes to take the drinks order after my husband had to prompt staff. We ordered our food whilst the staff were at the table. Bread and whipped butter was delicious, fish cakes very average, heavy on potato lacked seasoning, aioli accompaniment was excellent. Beef blade main, meat was well cooked, fell apart, carrots too al dente, dumpling was raw and just lacked dept of flavour, the whole dish was under seasoned and arrived almost cold. My husband enjoyed his barvette beef and roast potatoes though we had to ask for the garlic butter which was forgotten. Dessert sticky toffee pudding overly sickly sweet and vanilla ice cream grainy and lacking flavour. My husband ice cream trio had the same issues of grainy texture and lacking flavour . Both desserts were inedible , a cartmel sticky toffee pudding and laverstock farm ice cream would have been a better substitute. Throughout dinner, the staff were less than attentive, lacking knowledge and busier chatting between themselves. Do not be fooled by the allure of Heston, he’s obviously too busy to be consider the standards of his no starred pubs! Sell it to someone local with a desire for it to do well!
Sally Herd
Very cozy for Christmas, we’ve started going as a tradition. Great food (the juiciest turkey!), friendly staff and tastiest puds.
Inga Buterleviciene
Food was delicious, we had fish and chips. Outside garden is enormously big, lovely place to meet people there in summer.
Suraj Rajan
Amazing food but even more amazing service. The girl who served us was absolutely brilliant, thanks a lot ??Featherblade beef is a must try. Horlicks ice cream is too yummy. Very nice coffee. They gave us an additional mince pie for free as she didn’t want us to share just the 1 that’s usually served with coffee.Tucked in a nice place, this pub is a gem!
Amber Kelly
The fish & chips here are the BEST in the area for sure! All our meals were excellent and the pub was very warm and cosy on a cold winter's night. Recommended!
Robert harris
Beautiful historic pub good food and service, but seated at a very small table. Very low ceilings.
Luke Pardon
Roast dinner was incredible, along with the lovely staff/service. We also had a fish dish that wasn’t cooked at all, but that was very quickly replaced and was amazing.Cozy pub, with a fire place and dog friendly. Definitely returning!
I was taken here for my birthday and it was one of the best pub lunch/ visits I have ever had. The service for spot on, friendly staff, the food was delicious and I was even given a little birthday surprise, i will definitely be going back and taking my dog next time as a dog friendly pub
margob99
What a lovely, lovely place! Three of us sat down on a weekday for lunch. We had, between us, for mains - the fish and chips (huge, chunky and delicious) to turkey (magnificent meat, gravy and all the trimmings) and confit duck (superb dish - just the right amount of meat on the bone with sauerkraut, potato and carrot). For dessert we had the sticky toffee pudding (looked magnificent), the pannacotta with heritage orchard fruits (turned out to be lovely quince and truly special) and the Black Forest pot au chocolat (beautifully made, delicious and not heavy at all). I want to thoroughly recommend the food, the impeccable service and the beautiful venue itself. Parking available to the rear of the building, and the garden must be wonderful when the weather's right - it looked great. Thank you so much. Highly recommended!
Joerg Hufschmid
We were a group of 10. A very old and charming place. The service was quite nice and in a perfect speed. Never had to look for waiters, they appeared frequently and were very nice and helpful. I had the beef tartar as Appetizer which was hand cut, fresh and overall nice and recommendable. Not on the top range but good handwork. The burgers I found quite normal and not exciting. The buns seemed to be home made, but I had a quit dry one. The meat was not that good to be honest. Cooked medium but tasted not as expected. I would not order again. As dessert, we got the Creme Brûlée. Well made and delicious.
roger h
Don't be put off by the negative reviews; we nearly were. It is a pub, a proper low-ceilinged, beamed, comfy pub with proper beers. It just happens to serve amazingly good food. Not "gastro pub" food, but straightforward pub food with good size portions of beautifully cooked fresh ingredients. The fish and chips was outstanding. Service is friendly and accurate; if it was a bit slow with the first drinks it clearly prioritised getting food straight from kitchen to table.
Amanda Young
The Australian in-laws loved the experience. The photos and decor is great, love the exposed beams.Food is good but it is getting expensive for a "normal pub". (I know it's a Heston pub :))
i have always enjoyed going to the crown at bray, and was an occasional place i go for lunch with my family. however, the quality we usually recieve during eating has rapidly decreased. we were seated at a very cramped table beside a fireplace that was not on, despite the restaurant being cold. asked to move next to an "on" fireplace which somehow was still cold? upon ordering drinks i asked for a pink gin + lemonade, and was served a lemonade after i clearly stated twice i would like some gin with it !! prices for portion sizes were a shock. i ordered a side of fries- £6, for a small pot of french fries. for the price i would expect something more. furthermore, the womens toilets were an appalling state for the expectations of this restaurant. three words- cold, dull, dead. the toilets were basically outside with no heating, and the stall had a VERY dead plant inside. not tasteful at all!! staff seemed uninterested and did not check if the food was okay, or say goodbye when we left. overall just a bit of an underwhelming experience, especially for that shocking price tag at the end of the meal.
We went on NYE... The food was very poor. Standards seem to have slipped. Sorry to leave negative review but the service was amateur too. We’ve been going to The Crown for years and so we are sad to see a mainstay restaurant of ours become jaded and lacklustre.
We have been visiting this pub for a number of years and it has always been one of our favourite places to eat. However our experience today was disappointing. The pub itself was cold and the food underwhelming. The service was slow and we found the staff inattentive. So disappointing.
Have previously dined at the Hinds Head which was impeccable from arrival to the end, staff were wonderful and knowledgeable and food was divine. The Crown sadly does not have the same standards. On arrival table was not ready which was fine, waited at the bar and then seated. Staff weren’t overly attentive, very chatty amongst themselves behind the bar. After being seated the service was very slow, we felt like we had been forgotten. It took 30 minutes to take the drinks order after my husband had to prompt staff. We ordered our food whilst the staff were at the table. Bread and whipped butter was delicious, fish cakes very average, heavy on potato lacked seasoning, aioli accompaniment was excellent. Beef blade main, meat was well cooked, fell apart, carrots too al dente, dumpling was raw and just lacked dept of flavour, the whole dish was under seasoned and arrived almost cold. My husband enjoyed his barvette beef and roast potatoes though we had to ask for the garlic butter which was forgotten. Dessert sticky toffee pudding overly sickly sweet and vanilla ice cream grainy and lacking flavour. My husband ice cream trio had the same issues of grainy texture and lacking flavour . Both desserts were inedible , a cartmel sticky toffee pudding and laverstock farm ice cream would have been a better substitute. Throughout dinner, the staff were less than attentive, lacking knowledge and busier chatting between themselves. Do not be fooled by the allure of Heston, he’s obviously too busy to be consider the standards of his no starred pubs! Sell it to someone local with a desire for it to do well!
Very cozy for Christmas, we’ve started going as a tradition. Great food (the juiciest turkey!), friendly staff and tastiest puds.
Food was delicious, we had fish and chips. Outside garden is enormously big, lovely place to meet people there in summer.
Amazing food but even more amazing service. The girl who served us was absolutely brilliant, thanks a lot ??Featherblade beef is a must try. Horlicks ice cream is too yummy. Very nice coffee. They gave us an additional mince pie for free as she didn’t want us to share just the 1 that’s usually served with coffee.Tucked in a nice place, this pub is a gem!
The fish & chips here are the BEST in the area for sure! All our meals were excellent and the pub was very warm and cosy on a cold winter's night. Recommended!
Beautiful historic pub good food and service, but seated at a very small table. Very low ceilings.
Roast dinner was incredible, along with the lovely staff/service. We also had a fish dish that wasn’t cooked at all, but that was very quickly replaced and was amazing.Cozy pub, with a fire place and dog friendly. Definitely returning!
Restaurantji Recommends
I was taken here for my birthday and it was one of the best pub lunch/ visits I have ever had. The service for spot on, friendly staff, the food was delicious and I was even given a little birthday surprise, i will definitely be going back and taking my dog next time as a dog friendly pub
What a lovely, lovely place! Three of us sat down on a weekday for lunch. We had, between us, for mains - the fish and chips (huge, chunky and delicious) to turkey (magnificent meat, gravy and all the trimmings) and confit duck (superb dish - just the right amount of meat on the bone with sauerkraut, potato and carrot). For dessert we had the sticky toffee pudding (looked magnificent), the pannacotta with heritage orchard fruits (turned out to be lovely quince and truly special) and the Black Forest pot au chocolat (beautifully made, delicious and not heavy at all). I want to thoroughly recommend the food, the impeccable service and the beautiful venue itself. Parking available to the rear of the building, and the garden must be wonderful when the weather's right - it looked great. Thank you so much. Highly recommended!
We were a group of 10. A very old and charming place. The service was quite nice and in a perfect speed. Never had to look for waiters, they appeared frequently and were very nice and helpful. I had the beef tartar as Appetizer which was hand cut, fresh and overall nice and recommendable. Not on the top range but good handwork. The burgers I found quite normal and not exciting. The buns seemed to be home made, but I had a quit dry one. The meat was not that good to be honest. Cooked medium but tasted not as expected. I would not order again. As dessert, we got the Creme Brûlée. Well made and delicious.
Don't be put off by the negative reviews; we nearly were. It is a pub, a proper low-ceilinged, beamed, comfy pub with proper beers. It just happens to serve amazingly good food. Not "gastro pub" food, but straightforward pub food with good size portions of beautifully cooked fresh ingredients. The fish and chips was outstanding. Service is friendly and accurate; if it was a bit slow with the first drinks it clearly prioritised getting food straight from kitchen to table.
The Australian in-laws loved the experience. The photos and decor is great, love the exposed beams.Food is good but it is getting expensive for a "normal pub". (I know it's a Heston pub :))