Amazing place visually shame about the food very bland and tasteless
Gideon Asuming
Crazy Bear was such a nice place to come to. The aesthetics were beautiful inside and out. If you love your Thai food, you definitely have to try this place. I'll be very honest, the food was actually good and the service was pretty decent as well. I'm hoping to come back and try more things on the menu as this time round I didn't get as much food as I wanted (I had a late lunch). But overall, Crazy Bear was a beautiful experience. My partner and I would love to come back and enjoy more of the Thai flavours.
Maybs247
Very nice tasting menu lunch- both have to have the same menu so my partner had to have the vegetarian with me ☺️. Lovely glass of champagne to start and then a variety of starters, then another 4/5 different dishes for mains. Portions were generous but we didn’t feel overfaced, but pleasantly full. Service was warm, polite and prompt.
Tatiana Fomina
Very basic food . 2.5 hour allocation for party of 9 .Same food you can get in Soho for £5-10 . Every dish deep fried. Desert popcorn with ice cream . Not recommended .
chauhanLondon
I’ve travelled from London a couple of times just to eat at this restaurant and n bet been disappointed with the food. I’m veggie and these plenty of choices. Today’s visit was even more memorable because our waitress Frederica was so welcoming and and knowledgeable about each and everything on the menu! She’s a great asset to Crazy bear!
williamtN8086XV
We've eaten here many times and the food is exceptional, as are the intimate and delightful surroundings. Tonight the staff were on top form, charming from entry to exiting, through a time of the most wonderful dinner and drinks. My wife and I were especially well looked after by Frederica, the warmest most delightful hostess we've ever been served by in my 55 years and for this my 55th birthday. Frederica is a credit to your establishment and we'll be back undoubtedly! Grazie Mille Frederica!
Toby Larone
Food was good but whilst the service was friendly enough there wasn't enough of them, lots of people repeating drink orders or sat with empty plates for a long time.The place is also nice enough just make sure you don't sit by the fire escape, it's where all the staff have their cigarette breaks outside plus there's some sort of exterior building fan so every do often you'll get a plume of smoke blown into your face whilst eating your dinner.It was alright, could be a lot better, after spending the best part of £200 on a meal for two I would like to think that they basics would be effortless before worrying about anything more technical but instead you'll your time sat there with an empty glass, dirty plates and a face full of cigarette smoke!
Joanne K
I went with my partner for his birthday and booked the 12 course tasting menu with Groupon. It was around £60 with Groupon and £67/person without Groupon. It was not quite a 12 course menu, more like 12 items put in the middle for sharing. It is equivalent to a 3 course thai meal. The food was okay, pork trio was nice. The brownie was lovely!! The lunch was heavily let down by the service. There were broken glass on our table on arrival and red wine stain on the wine glass. We tried to look past it. The waitress although trying her best was inexperienced. We were not offered any water, or the drink menu at any point. She did not reset the table before the mains arrived. So when the mains arrived, she actually took my previous cutlery away from my hand and proceeded to replace them. The food was waiting and getting cold for minutes before she arrived with plates and cutlery. I had to walk over to ask for water, and walk over on a separate occasion as the prawn cracker did not arrive at the table, which we realised after the mains have all arrived. At the end, there was no suggestion that we could leave by the waiter, no mention of service charge that was in the Groupon instructions, we were left confused and just walked out hesitantly after a while. All the little things added to a poor experience. We were quite relaxed but could imagine some customers really kicking a fuss with our experience. I wouldn't go back and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I would not even pay the Groupon price for it. The farmshop a walk behind was quite nice however!
Trip10668014156
I will add to the numerous 1 star reviews as the service and attitude of this 5 star hotel is disgraceful. We went for a special wedding anniversary meal, 12 course Thai sharing platter. Costing around £180 with drinks for 2 people. The service on Sunday evening was far from acceptable at any restaurant let alone fine dining. The whole experience was shambolic, the waiting staff seemed to have little training and many tables were left waiting a long time to order and receive their food. We had to repeat every drink request and order at least once and many tables just gave up and left as we dined. It made for a very sour atmosphere with almost every table angrily complaining at some point about the poor service. The food when it arrived was nice but the cost of the 12 plate sharing menu for two is comparable to Michelin standard taster menus, sadly the food was comparable to Thai food in our local pub. The first 6 'plates' were all served at once and were simply a mixed hors d'oeuvre, one spring roll is not a plate! Then the next 5 also came together as a meal, noodles raice curry, that is just how you order thai food!. The curry and aubergine were nice but at £62 a head I fail to see how it could warrant such a price tag, especially with the terrible service and attention to detail. The decor is an initial wow but as the night goes on it the tackiness of it all grows. The whole place is poorly maintained and cleaned, wallpaper is stapled on the walls where it's peeling away. I then saw all the terrible reviews and decided I would contact customer service rather than review, maybe it was a one off and they would make amends, but no, they haven't even bothered to respond.
Mike K
Whilst the food (12-plate taster menu) and service were exceptional, our experience was let down by the misleading 13.5% service charge. When you mention such a charge, customers believe that a fair proportion of it will go to the workforce. Surprised by a higher than normal charge, I asked if the server would benefit from it and was told “no”. I was absolutely appalled. Whilst I will return, next time the service charge will not be paid, and I would encourage all other customers to have it removed from the bill too.
My daughter booked this for me as Fathers day treat. Initially it was just the 2 of us then my wife came along as we have heard some good things about the place so wanted it to be a treat for all. On our arrival the place looks great a Rolls Royce with a palm tree growing out of it a London bus as reception. On going inside the decor is quirky and interesting. We were seated straight away in the Thai restaurant which is downstairs which I presume might of been the old cellar. Its a dark area but again interesting. The table was only set for 2 even though we had both emailed confirmations and a telephone confirmation, however this was quickly rectified. We had the set classic menu which is for meat eaters. We were offered the complimentary Brut which was good. The seating area feels cramped 2 many tables close together and chairs were not really suitable for adults. Our starter came out very fast and was the vegetarian starter which when questioned the waiter apologised took it away, which is fine but the couple adjacent who had ordered the veggy option were given the meat option oh dear!! We weren`t offered the drinks menu as some other tables were neither table water so ended up going to the bar where I had my pants pulled down £8 for a pint of cider!! The meat option starter arrived and was good closely followed by the main course which was also good although we felt it was rushed. We had to ask twice for water and you could constantly here the waiting staff apologising for one thing and another. Price wise the drinks are very expensive and £67 for one person excessive. The food was good but nothing you couldnt get for a fraction of the cost at a Thai resteraunt. 13% plus service charge to add insult to injury. All in all a 1 hour drive for a dissapointing night out. The place is nice to look at quirky and odd something different but the service we received and high cost do not merit all its hype. We wont be returning and wouldn`t recommend it to others
Ellen C
HONEST REVEIW so after planning this trip for months to Oxford with my partner we had high expectations after watching many tik toks visting the crazy bear and insta posts. On arrival when you first enter the premises it’s looks so cool you get All excited all seems wonderful we were greeted and told our table wasn’t quite ready so we were directed to the bar to wait. Now the bar visually it is very impressive I enjoy niche qwerky places and this bar ticked the boxes. However what let it down was poorly managed bar men who were rather unprofessionally bickering about something someone couldn’t find we waited a while to be served flat warm watered down Diet Coke this was the first disappointment. After a few minuets we were directed down the the left of the bar in to a small low ceiling incredibly claustrophobic room that smelt musty and un aired that instantly started to give me a headache. My high hopes of an amazing experience has just been crushed as we were sat in a tiny corner next to a very dirty cobwebbed fire escape on chairs and a table that were most probably designed with kids in mines , We were given about 5 minutes to read a very large menu it all felt very rushed shortly after another couple came down to dine and also commented on the smell and how unpleasantly surprised they were with the dining arrangements. Our food came quickly and while it wasn’t awful it was nothing to rave about although I feel like nothing will ever compare to the Thai terrace Guildford their food is the best of the best however we hadn’t come to the crazy bear just for the food we had came for the experience which is our opinion was pretty poor. Then our bill came by this point I couldn’t wait to get out of there I felt like a tinned sardine. Never again we visiting the Thai at the crazy bear
FairCritique4U
I have not been to this particular branch of crazy Bear for many years. I felt it was looking tired and needed a refurbishment In comparison to Beaconsfield. That being said, I must compliment the gentleman running the restaurant. I believe he was from Mauritius. His service was 2nd to none delivered with friendliness, a genuine interest and what a credit to the business. In contrast, I don’t think I could say the same in the bar area. It seemed chaotic. The staff appeared stressed, yet there was hardly anyone there , then one of the colleagues use the F word at another colleague, and that seemed unprofessional something commented by not only myself, but others around. Let’s not go to the food it was wonderful. We had a 12 course tasting menu. It was delicious and we were absolutely stuffed. It came from virgin experience days and it was worth every penny and included a glass of champagne each. If I were to give some developmental area for them to focus on, I would say it would need to be the temperature of the food itself. It could’ve been a bit warmer here and there. I really liked the bathrooms, parking was fine too, and overall I would like to return..
Clara U
So disappointing. This restaurant used to be lovely with great service. Now overpriced and very poor service. We left before our food arrived as the service was so slow. Not good enough.
DarrenU78
Don’t bother awful service simply not good enough. We had to wait half an hour that we had booked to be ready. Whilst waiting bar staff we uninterested and had conversations over us whilst trying to place a drinks order. We then waited an hour for our starters and when they arrived our order was incorrect. Staff said they were prioritising serving a function over the restaurant and they were short staffed. This restaurant used to be good but now overpriced with very poor service, we will not be returning.
Amazing place visually shame about the food very bland and tasteless
Crazy Bear was such a nice place to come to. The aesthetics were beautiful inside and out. If you love your Thai food, you definitely have to try this place. I'll be very honest, the food was actually good and the service was pretty decent as well. I'm hoping to come back and try more things on the menu as this time round I didn't get as much food as I wanted (I had a late lunch). But overall, Crazy Bear was a beautiful experience. My partner and I would love to come back and enjoy more of the Thai flavours.
Very nice tasting menu lunch- both have to have the same menu so my partner had to have the vegetarian with me ☺️. Lovely glass of champagne to start and then a variety of starters, then another 4/5 different dishes for mains. Portions were generous but we didn’t feel overfaced, but pleasantly full. Service was warm, polite and prompt.
Very basic food . 2.5 hour allocation for party of 9 .Same food you can get in Soho for £5-10 . Every dish deep fried. Desert popcorn with ice cream . Not recommended .
I’ve travelled from London a couple of times just to eat at this restaurant and n bet been disappointed with the food. I’m veggie and these plenty of choices. Today’s visit was even more memorable because our waitress Frederica was so welcoming and and knowledgeable about each and everything on the menu! She’s a great asset to Crazy bear!
We've eaten here many times and the food is exceptional, as are the intimate and delightful surroundings. Tonight the staff were on top form, charming from entry to exiting, through a time of the most wonderful dinner and drinks. My wife and I were especially well looked after by Frederica, the warmest most delightful hostess we've ever been served by in my 55 years and for this my 55th birthday. Frederica is a credit to your establishment and we'll be back undoubtedly! Grazie Mille Frederica!
Food was good but whilst the service was friendly enough there wasn't enough of them, lots of people repeating drink orders or sat with empty plates for a long time.The place is also nice enough just make sure you don't sit by the fire escape, it's where all the staff have their cigarette breaks outside plus there's some sort of exterior building fan so every do often you'll get a plume of smoke blown into your face whilst eating your dinner.It was alright, could be a lot better, after spending the best part of £200 on a meal for two I would like to think that they basics would be effortless before worrying about anything more technical but instead you'll your time sat there with an empty glass, dirty plates and a face full of cigarette smoke!
I went with my partner for his birthday and booked the 12 course tasting menu with Groupon. It was around £60 with Groupon and £67/person without Groupon. It was not quite a 12 course menu, more like 12 items put in the middle for sharing. It is equivalent to a 3 course thai meal. The food was okay, pork trio was nice. The brownie was lovely!! The lunch was heavily let down by the service. There were broken glass on our table on arrival and red wine stain on the wine glass. We tried to look past it. The waitress although trying her best was inexperienced. We were not offered any water, or the drink menu at any point. She did not reset the table before the mains arrived. So when the mains arrived, she actually took my previous cutlery away from my hand and proceeded to replace them. The food was waiting and getting cold for minutes before she arrived with plates and cutlery. I had to walk over to ask for water, and walk over on a separate occasion as the prawn cracker did not arrive at the table, which we realised after the mains have all arrived. At the end, there was no suggestion that we could leave by the waiter, no mention of service charge that was in the Groupon instructions, we were left confused and just walked out hesitantly after a while. All the little things added to a poor experience. We were quite relaxed but could imagine some customers really kicking a fuss with our experience. I wouldn't go back and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I would not even pay the Groupon price for it. The farmshop a walk behind was quite nice however!
I will add to the numerous 1 star reviews as the service and attitude of this 5 star hotel is disgraceful. We went for a special wedding anniversary meal, 12 course Thai sharing platter. Costing around £180 with drinks for 2 people. The service on Sunday evening was far from acceptable at any restaurant let alone fine dining. The whole experience was shambolic, the waiting staff seemed to have little training and many tables were left waiting a long time to order and receive their food. We had to repeat every drink request and order at least once and many tables just gave up and left as we dined. It made for a very sour atmosphere with almost every table angrily complaining at some point about the poor service. The food when it arrived was nice but the cost of the 12 plate sharing menu for two is comparable to Michelin standard taster menus, sadly the food was comparable to Thai food in our local pub. The first 6 'plates' were all served at once and were simply a mixed hors d'oeuvre, one spring roll is not a plate! Then the next 5 also came together as a meal, noodles raice curry, that is just how you order thai food!. The curry and aubergine were nice but at £62 a head I fail to see how it could warrant such a price tag, especially with the terrible service and attention to detail. The decor is an initial wow but as the night goes on it the tackiness of it all grows. The whole place is poorly maintained and cleaned, wallpaper is stapled on the walls where it's peeling away. I then saw all the terrible reviews and decided I would contact customer service rather than review, maybe it was a one off and they would make amends, but no, they haven't even bothered to respond.
Whilst the food (12-plate taster menu) and service were exceptional, our experience was let down by the misleading 13.5% service charge. When you mention such a charge, customers believe that a fair proportion of it will go to the workforce. Surprised by a higher than normal charge, I asked if the server would benefit from it and was told “no”. I was absolutely appalled. Whilst I will return, next time the service charge will not be paid, and I would encourage all other customers to have it removed from the bill too.
Restaurantji Recommends
My daughter booked this for me as Fathers day treat. Initially it was just the 2 of us then my wife came along as we have heard some good things about the place so wanted it to be a treat for all. On our arrival the place looks great a Rolls Royce with a palm tree growing out of it a London bus as reception. On going inside the decor is quirky and interesting. We were seated straight away in the Thai restaurant which is downstairs which I presume might of been the old cellar. Its a dark area but again interesting. The table was only set for 2 even though we had both emailed confirmations and a telephone confirmation, however this was quickly rectified. We had the set classic menu which is for meat eaters. We were offered the complimentary Brut which was good. The seating area feels cramped 2 many tables close together and chairs were not really suitable for adults. Our starter came out very fast and was the vegetarian starter which when questioned the waiter apologised took it away, which is fine but the couple adjacent who had ordered the veggy option were given the meat option oh dear!! We weren`t offered the drinks menu as some other tables were neither table water so ended up going to the bar where I had my pants pulled down £8 for a pint of cider!! The meat option starter arrived and was good closely followed by the main course which was also good although we felt it was rushed. We had to ask twice for water and you could constantly here the waiting staff apologising for one thing and another. Price wise the drinks are very expensive and £67 for one person excessive. The food was good but nothing you couldnt get for a fraction of the cost at a Thai resteraunt. 13% plus service charge to add insult to injury. All in all a 1 hour drive for a dissapointing night out. The place is nice to look at quirky and odd something different but the service we received and high cost do not merit all its hype. We wont be returning and wouldn`t recommend it to others
HONEST REVEIW so after planning this trip for months to Oxford with my partner we had high expectations after watching many tik toks visting the crazy bear and insta posts. On arrival when you first enter the premises it’s looks so cool you get All excited all seems wonderful we were greeted and told our table wasn’t quite ready so we were directed to the bar to wait. Now the bar visually it is very impressive I enjoy niche qwerky places and this bar ticked the boxes. However what let it down was poorly managed bar men who were rather unprofessionally bickering about something someone couldn’t find we waited a while to be served flat warm watered down Diet Coke this was the first disappointment. After a few minuets we were directed down the the left of the bar in to a small low ceiling incredibly claustrophobic room that smelt musty and un aired that instantly started to give me a headache. My high hopes of an amazing experience has just been crushed as we were sat in a tiny corner next to a very dirty cobwebbed fire escape on chairs and a table that were most probably designed with kids in mines , We were given about 5 minutes to read a very large menu it all felt very rushed shortly after another couple came down to dine and also commented on the smell and how unpleasantly surprised they were with the dining arrangements. Our food came quickly and while it wasn’t awful it was nothing to rave about although I feel like nothing will ever compare to the Thai terrace Guildford their food is the best of the best however we hadn’t come to the crazy bear just for the food we had came for the experience which is our opinion was pretty poor. Then our bill came by this point I couldn’t wait to get out of there I felt like a tinned sardine. Never again we visiting the Thai at the crazy bear
I have not been to this particular branch of crazy Bear for many years. I felt it was looking tired and needed a refurbishment In comparison to Beaconsfield. That being said, I must compliment the gentleman running the restaurant. I believe he was from Mauritius. His service was 2nd to none delivered with friendliness, a genuine interest and what a credit to the business. In contrast, I don’t think I could say the same in the bar area. It seemed chaotic. The staff appeared stressed, yet there was hardly anyone there , then one of the colleagues use the F word at another colleague, and that seemed unprofessional something commented by not only myself, but others around. Let’s not go to the food it was wonderful. We had a 12 course tasting menu. It was delicious and we were absolutely stuffed. It came from virgin experience days and it was worth every penny and included a glass of champagne each. If I were to give some developmental area for them to focus on, I would say it would need to be the temperature of the food itself. It could’ve been a bit warmer here and there. I really liked the bathrooms, parking was fine too, and overall I would like to return..
So disappointing. This restaurant used to be lovely with great service. Now overpriced and very poor service. We left before our food arrived as the service was so slow. Not good enough.
Don’t bother awful service simply not good enough. We had to wait half an hour that we had booked to be ready. Whilst waiting bar staff we uninterested and had conversations over us whilst trying to place a drinks order. We then waited an hour for our starters and when they arrived our order was incorrect. Staff said they were prioritising serving a function over the restaurant and they were short staffed. This restaurant used to be good but now overpriced with very poor service, we will not be returning.