Ember Inns review: Simply awful 45

My colleagues and I have just been to the The Gate in Northwood Middx for our Christmas Lunch - the service was appalling and the food - well - inedible. When we complained we were fobbed off - given a token bottle of wine and 1 beer. The bill was £61.60 - an absolute disgrace - how anyone can charge such prices for processed turkey, burnt yorkshire pudding, a raw sausage and either undercooked or overcooked veg - depending on how "lucky" you were - all served on a COLD and I may add unclean plates. Even the condiment "bowel" containing the Cranberry Sauce looked as though it had been 10 times around the diners for the week. Dessert was as much a disaster as the main - thank God we didn't go for 3 courses!

Staff attitudes - especially the Manager's - were disgusting - won't be long before this pub will join the ranks of many in this climate i.e. shut - still every cloud!

It's a good job we all work for the NHS - won't have far to go when we all start feeling unwell!

NHS Girls
Mount Vernon Hospital
Rickmansworth Road

Visited an Ember Inn at Grimsby 'The Rose and Crown' for lunch the other day. Ordered a Chicken Caesar Salad.
The salad leaves were not only tired but black underneath, so I sent it back.
It was replaced with another with equally limp lettuce, by which time my husband eaten his food so I ate alone so to speak.
I think it was the most pathetic effort, what does it cost for a crisp lettuce? I was given tired leaves a second time, and I think the same pieces of chicken from the first salad, too much glutenous sauce without any croutons. Your staff should take a leaf out of the local 'Millfields' pub in Grimsby their Caesar Salad is superb, and has croutons and everything one would desire from this Salad.
You Must Try Harder, needless to say we shall not be recommending any of our friends to lunch with you!

Will not be visiting The Nightjar in Poole, Ravine Rd any more as we are fed up with no loo paper or soap and overflowing waste bins in the toilets. The disabled toilet is permanently flooded. The ambience of the restaurant is nice but the meals are frugal, only about two teaspoons of peas with less scampi than other restaurants provide for the same price and very very dry chips. Not our idea of a nice meal out, especially if you can't wash your hands before you eat.

Ember Inns owned by M + B. M+B not interested in complaints. I eventually got an email back from a complaint I made to Head Office. This was the reply: If you would like to comment about a visit to one of our restaurants, you can either email us at guest.services@mbplc.com, write to us at the address below or telephone [protected].
I had already emailed a complaint. Shame on you Ember Inns and M + B.

Just wanted to know why on earth did you take the chicken korma off the curry night menue?We always go for a Thursday night curry for a korma, because it is a milder curry and nice and creamy, our favourite by far.Went as usual on thursday to find no more Korma, even the staff couldnt understand why it had been removed from the menu as it was a best seller.Someone hasnt done their homework and asked the customers what they want.From Mrs Maureen McCarthy.

whent to emberinn fordbridge road ashford middlesex for sunday lunch meal was terrible cold had two tiny roast patatoes parsnips were less than half inch big and so solid you could not eat worse meal i have had ever place has gone down hill to a terrible state mr j gardner

On Wednesday 9th March 2011 we visited The EmberInns pub, The North Star on Hook Road, Chessington, Surrey, which was listed as a pub that accepets the daily mirror vouchers to eat a three course meal for up to five people for £10 each.The staff there knew nothing about them and wouldnt even accept them even though i showed them the website that said they did! They said the manager was not there at the moment and would be back soon so we had a drink in the bar and waited about 20 minitues and the manager didnt come back.We were very dissapointed and it was an absolute waste of time buying the newspaper and saving the vouchers. Needless to say we went to another pub down the road for a nice meal.
Miss Natalie Loible
natloible@hotmail.co.uk

Just visited The Sandringham in Downend Bristol, March 12th 2011, never again, the food was diabolical, the gammon was minute and all the food full of fat. The really annoying thing was the staff were not interested, tough luck was the attitude, after arguing that the gammon was 7oz as stated on the menu, it was not stated on the menu as being 7oz, to serve food like this is not acceptable and the chef along with the bar staff need retraining, we were a party of five, five that will not be eating at Ember Inns ever again

Went to an Ember Inn (The Queens Head, Chislehurst) on 6/04/2011, for what we hoped would be a nice relaxing lunch, After having to clear one of the tables so that we could sit down and peruse the menu. We then made our selection and then one of our party (4) went to the bar to place our order. It took well over 15 minutes before he was eventually served, and was then told no more food was being served, even though a large sign outside the pub stated food was being served all day. He enquired why and was rudely informed "Because they were not serving any more food". After reading all the above complaints I guess we had a lucky escape. We should have known immediately the establishment was not up to the standards we would expect, by the dirty and cluttered tables, clearly they had at some point been serving food, yet did not have the common sense or initiative to at least put up a sign to say they were no longer able to serve any more food that day. The pub was dirty, the staff rude and arrogant, it would appear this is normal standards for the Ember Inn Chain.

went to an ember inn The holyhead, Holyhead road coventry on 16/05/2011 for relaxing lunch with my husband, as i am vegetarian and have been for the past 25 years i ordered ameal with the v veggie symbol, halfway through the meal i was absolutly horrified to find a piece of chicken in my salad, I immediatly alerted the waitress who simply shrugged saying don t know how that got there, i asked to speak to the manager after waiting another 10 minuted another member of staff came over and tried to dismiss the matter by saying it had not happened before, they just did not care at all, eventually the manager came over he was equally uninterested offered me a voucher to eat there again like that would make everything ok, he simply did not seem to understand how appalling and unacceptable it is to find apiece of meat in a vegetarian meal.I did not accept any voucher as the thought of eating in a place that clearly does not care about any cross contamination of meals made me feel pysically sick, i repeatedly asked for contact details for head office i was eventually given a number that when called suprisingly does not exist.I am appalled that the way they prepare their food obviously leaves alot to be desired i will not be eating in ember inns again and i would certainly not recommend anyone else to do so.

After a refurbishment, i took my partner for a light bite to the Crown in Four Oaks Sutton Coldfield. [Friday 13th May!]. I ordered the mixed platter at from memory £9.85. The bar man was very friendly, and our order arrived within ten minutes. That is whwre all the positives ended. I could not believe the pitiful amount of food that was presented in front of me. As it was a sharer, i split the food into two. I must say that a child of five would of devoured it in a few minutes and would still of asked for more. Four tiny battered mushrooms in a ramakin. A small, i mean small peice of deep fried brie. A portion of pate, four peices of dry bread cut from a bake your own baguette, they were just a little larger than a fifty pence peice, just slighter thicker, and as hard! Two further ramakins with a teaspoon in each of what tasted like jam, and finally decorated with a withered handful of watercress. I went back to the bar, and asked the barman to spare me a moment. I showed him the two plates, he agreed it was very poor value for money, but were guided on portions. [not even going down that road]. I asked for another bowl of bread which i received, and a little later on, another member of staff agreed and offered us two free deserts. Ember inns, this is not the answer, sort out the portions at the Crown. I must say, unlike a lot of people who will not visit the pub again, oh yes i will be going back. I will be eating. I hope they have got there act together!

The Nut & Squirrel, Westcroft, Milton Keynes - I went to this Ember Inn with a group of friends last night. I used to go to this pub fairly regularly as their food, although not commanding a Michelin Star, was good value for money. I don't know what's happened in the meantime but the service was terrible - an hour's wait for food (which is a very long wait considering the pub wasn't that busy and most of the food is microwaved anyway) and unhelpful, rude staff. My wine glass was dirty (asking for a replacement got me a dirty look to match the glass), the table was sticky, and the condiments basket needed a scrub out. The food itself was ok, although poor value for money and small portions. It will be some time before I visit the Nut & Squirrel again, I was very disappointed in it. This pub has apparently won an award for its new menu...I think it must have been awarded by Ember Inns to Ember Inns!

Having been a happy regular at the Kings Fairway Ashford for 5 years and eaten a fair few meals
i and a other regulars are very dissapointed at the shabby meals served up for the last year or
so, and the state of the decor' has gone down hill rapidly and is in a worse state than a rough Wetherspoons, the sooner it has an overhaul the better,

I intended to complain about the Green Man at Kenilworth but having waded through the above complaints and no accolades, there is no point in elaborating. They are all tarred with the same brush.
The last few months has seen a decline in sevice and staff numbers not matched by a customer fall, although that won' be long in coming.
I won't go into details-there is no point. You management have fouled up a good pub restaurant and presumably it is costing you. Good- You deserve to.
John Andrews 18th October

My wife and I recently called at the Eden arms in Doncaster for a two course meal.The total bill came to £21:70 including one drink.After placing our order we patiently took a table and waited and waited for 55 minutes .Finally it dawned on us no meal was coming.We had noticed earlier that the barman who had served us had gone home, but not before he had consumed his own meal.Upon apprehending another member of staff we were informed that no food order had been placed with the kitchen for our table despite a numbered bottle taking pride of place on the table.We received a sorry begrudgingly, to then be told that the turkey my wife had ordered was no longer available.Upon asking for a refund we were given cash although we had paid by card.It was only upon reaching home that we realised we had only recieved £15 which didn't even cover the cost of the meals.Come on ember inns this sort of service simply is not good enough.We were contemplating booking christmas dinner at the same pub, not now.

people that have commented on food are very lucky.I drink at the grosvenor in caversham and they run out of beer!
can you imagine a pub running out of beer!well on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday lunch there are glasses on top of nearly every pump.Out of a selection of 12 bitters and lagers only three were on and its the same every week.Get a grip

I have tried a few local Ember Inn pubs, Mawney Arms, The Harrow, and the Optimist and last night at the Optimist was the last staw. When this current menu started the food was great at all three pubs but recently all three pubs have just got worse and worse to almost like they cant be bothered. Last night we waited half an hour for our food and when I asked what the problem was the Barmaid/Manager said oh its not the kitchen staff, its me Im on a go slow! She didnt even apologise as she just didnt give a damn! So thats it Ember Inn's can go to hell Ive just had it. Also my partner had violent sickness and diorrea last night which I dont know if this was to do with the food or not as it might be a bug but hey enough is enough! Im sick of the bad service and less and less effort with the food. Oh yea and thats without mentioning running out of the best ale on many occassions. Good ridence Ember Inns!

can anyone tell me when a member of staff at the open arms in coventry physically assaults a customer then the customer gets barred and nothing happens to the member of staff /

Hello went this afternoon to celebrate my daughters 20th birthday, must say was not impressed with the service nor the food. I pre-booked a table and the manager on the telephone and he promised that he would arrange to decorate the table with balloons. Neither the table was reserved nor any kind of decoration as promised. The offer of buy a main course and either starter or pudding for £2 was misleading when we ordered we asked for sirloin steak to be told they did'nt have any. When i came to order the starter for £2 i was told it was only on a selection of starters and what i wanted was'nt included, very disappointing. We ordered the rump steak as they had no sirloin and when it arrive it was absolutely in edible. It was like a burnt piece of rubber and we had asked for it to be cooked medium. We sent it back and 4 out of the 6 of us had to eat leaving the other 2 waiting, We had to wait over 20 mins for our steak by then the other 4 had finished their meal.My parents had beef roast sunday lunch and that wasnt much better, the beef like rubber and curled as if it was from previous days.The food was'nt very hot either. When our rump steak arrived it was clear the chips and peas were the same just re heated and the steak exactly the same. The 2 waitress on duty apologised but did'nt know what to do, we did express to them that they need to either take steak off the menu or get it from somewhere else. I had already paid in advance for the meal £66 otherwise i would'nt have paid for some of the meals.
If you are looking for somewhere to have a drink then this place is fine and in the week they do do good offers but my advise is on a Sunday you pay full price and the food is not good.I will be placing a complaint to the manager .

re the sandringham in downend bristol: went to meet a friend who i havent seen for ten years for a drink at said pub, first drink served in very good time, second drink, well, after 15 mins and 7 people comming to the bar and getting served before me i asked the barman if i was invisable, he said, very terse, your next, 2 very good looking girls came to the bar i was completly ignored AGAIN and he served them first.at this point i decided to leave, i then went to another pub where it was very busy and got served in 3 mins.my friend txt me`10 mins later to say he just got served, in total 25 mins to get served, the pub was not even busy so there is no excuse.ember inns you should be very embarressed at your staff and your training, will not go there again and will tell everybody i know not to use the sandringhamin downend.Ember inns please read this

re the open arms incident yeah i was there and i saw everything a member of staff did headbutt a customer and i heard later another member of staff telling an older gentlemen (think it was the customers dad) that this was clearly captured on cctv. went to the same pub saturday afternoon and the member of staff was working behind the bar. i believe there is no manager working there at the moment but surely they must have someone in authority to discipline the offender or is it company policy to allow staff to randomly headbutt and assault customers ?

re the open arms yeah i am that older gentlemen (thanks for that) i actually witnessed the incident although the barman was not on duty at the time (does that really matter) he did headbut a customer and the customer got barred for this. this is absoulitely appaling the customer went back into the pub the next morning and Frank (the barman) was working, apparently as if nothing had happend Sarah the team leader barred the customer without asking him what went on the previous evening (which she was not working) . my conclusion to this is that she had asked Frank and took his word for it. One side of a story is only half a story.so ive been told. Apparently head office are linked to all the cctv recordings in this pub let them have a look and see what they think. Although i have not seen the incident on cctv i have been reliably informed that this is clearly visable. After posting this complaint on this website let head office get in touch with me and see what conclusions they come up with. I will keep all intrested parties informed and anyone who knows me i will also put this and the outcome on facebook thanks for reading this

re the open arms incident. It is basically as i thought this complaint has been on the web site for a week now and with all my information on it (phone number "E" mail adress etc ) and guess what ? no one has got back to me and absolutely nothing has changed. Question for you Ember Inns why do you have a complaints procedure in place when someone complains you do absolutely nothing about it ? Is this why no one can get "A NAME" on the web site because nobody wants or is willing to take up and sort any complaints that arise.

We have been visiting the Green Man in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, for lunch for some time now and up until recently, have been in general quite pleased with the quality (for the price) of the food. However, they are trying to reduce the prices now to such a degree that the food has really deteriorated! I think two meals for £10 is a real bargain, then it was two for £8 and now one meal and one for £1! Ridiculous and quite clearly the food is not going to be very good for these silly prices! We recently had a fish and chips (in the past, beautiful haddock with lovely batter) but now is Vietnamese River Cobbler! Absolutely awful! Just not the sort of fish you can cook in batter at all! It tasted jelly-like and the look of it was terrible! We were not told of the switch in fish and after tasting this awful stuff, we sent the meals back. We were offered something diffferent, so we agreed and after a very long wait, our substitute meals arrived and both were stone cold! I'm sure most people would rather pay realistic prices for their meals and have something edible, rather than questionable fish and tough-as-old-boots and riddled-with-gristle gammon! So...what with their recent policy of allowing children into their pubs (as if children are not allowed absolutely everywhere these days, without having them creating merry hell around the tables in a pub when people are trying to enjoy a quiet meal) we will no longer be patronising Ember Inns in the future!

Open Arms --- As we are all complaining about the barman (Frank) i thought I would join because he is so rude to customers its unbelievable that he still works there. Reading about the headbutting incident and other people getting barred for this (which i can well believe ) I have got a better one for you. READ ON Frank whilst in uniform and on duty actually SPAT into a customers face. The "guest" complained to the team leader (obviously no manager as per usual) and the "guest" got barred for this, and once again nothing happend to Frank. This is now two incidents that have occured regarding this barman which should both be regarded as gross misconduct and liable to instant dismissal. I would advise anyone going to the open arms to be very wary of this character and keep your distance better still do not go there at all. Furthermore if anyone else gets assaulted by Frank whilst he is in the employment of Ember Inns/ Mitchells and Butlers I would advise them to not only call the police but to take Ember Inns to court and sue them because they have been warned numerious times about him and nothing has been done. Like jdeak I dont suppose I will hear anything about this letter of complaint either and this letter might not be on the web site for long but I am taking a copy of this and other complaints about him as proof that Ember have been warned previously.

The Denton Hotel pub restaurant owned by Ember Inns is to be avoided like the plague. Had to wait 1 hour and 15 minutes for a meal for two people. Had to wait the same length of time to heat up our grandchilds meal.my mother is diabetic and other diners came to her aid with sweets.When complaint was made manager was disinterested and said one meal was ready but would have to wait for mine as the chef had burnt it, but could have a meal intended for another customer. made another complaint to the assistant manager who said this was not their usual standard and gave a voucher for fiftteen pounds. Duly went back clutching our voucher two weeks later, placed our order naievely expecting good service, waited 1hour and twenty minutes or rather our two friends did who went along with us, we got ours in good time but the two friends had to watch while we consumed ours, just as well as only two sets of cutlery given to us.Complained again to new manager who showed a remarkable contempt for us for daring to complain to her .Invited her to come over ann apologise to my two friends and make an amendment to the bill, which she declined. We were informed that the manager was too busy to speak to us. by a waitress who was clearly happy in her work as she smirked as she handed our coffee to us laughing that the place was getting worse as there were no saucers to be found.

We visited the Queens Head in Chislehurst and found the lack of staff to serve you and the time it takes to get served very annoying. Having put up with the poor service for the entire evening we were a little shocked at the bell ringing at 10-35, we inquired what time the placed closed and were told 11-00 and twenty minutes to drink up and leave, at 11-05 we were approached by a doorman to drink up in friendly way, but within a minute there was another one not nearly so friendly and quite rude, threatening & obnoxious when we told him we had asked at the bar when buying our drinks what time we would have to leave he was not interested and became even more threatening, we left after finishing our drinks but this spoils a pleasant evening.I do feel having four doormen on a Sunday night is a bit over the top and perhaps more bar staff would be helpful, also as someone who works in the retail business dealing with the public on a day to day basis i would suggest employing doormen with a bit of tact, politeness & just knowing how to talk to people in a civilized way.after all Ember Inns what ever happened to the customers always right, not in the Queens Head Chislehurst drink up and get out or else.

just had a meal at emberinns foley arms in stourbridge west midlands, its a lovely room and staff are very helpful and friendly, Ive never thought the food was good but my husband has always liked the fish so i usually have a salad the fish has always been hake, so i decided to have fish as well when i ordered i asked for 2 fish and chips i was told it wasnt hake but a fish cobbler type which didnt know what it was, i soon found out the only way i can describe it is a battered slimey jelly it doesnt flake it tastes of nothing i put a small amount in my mouth it was vile, my husband was hungary so ate a little of it i just are a few chips and peas, i didnt ask for our money back or ask for anything else, but asked to see the chef, he knew it was rubbish but this is the product they are given by emberinns instead of hake, so thats what this company think of their customers give them rubbish, if any one reads this dont order the fish, even though we have always felt comfortable at the foley we wont be going back.16th july 2012 Lynne Ashman

Have just returned from my local ember inn three hammers chiswell green, been going there over the last 6 years, not one to normally complain, but my experience with my meal was awful. Since cila left its gone downhill. Tonight i ordered a starter and it came with my main course witch both were cold and burnt, so I approached the manager and he was extremely rude and arrogant and very unsympathetic. Didn't care shrugged his shoulders and distributed that sauces on the menu they don't serve we're as I have had before. What a shame this is my local I certainly won't be returning unless a huge change and my friend who I recommended this pub to certainly won't be returning either.

Had same experiance, awfull recently!,

I had a meal there tonight which was really bad everyone was complaining but it fell on deaf ears, really poor.

Visited Red Lion at Kings Heath, Birmingham on 29th August. Waitress did not bring us the right cutlery and serviiettes with our meal, the lemon mayonnaise was missing from my main course. When the desserts came my sticky toffee pudding was in a very bowl, bowl and my husbands profiteroles were stale. We didn't think that this was good enough for the £23 it cost.

I have just been to the Easington pub in Banbury for a meal and i can honestly say it was the worst food i have ever seen thrown infront of a paying customer.I understand now why they get you to pay before you see the crap they call gastro food;i have been a chef for over twenty years and am sure that had i served anything over the pass that resembled mine and my families dinner i would of been sacked and probably had a visit from the EHO. Dirty plates, filthy cutlery, parsnips that couldn't be cut with a steak knife, a burger that had been broken in half by the skilled chef to see if it was cooked, salad that was almost as brown as the burn't chips, scampi that had been cooked so long the scampi had evapourated, devilled whitebait that wasn't devilled just sprinkled with cajun spice from a jar, mayonaise dressing that looked like wax as it had been left uncovered in a warm kitchen. WE got our money back from the rude woman behind the bar who couldnt see anything wrong with the meal.she was an idiot who loves to employ idiots i really must say it wasnt a complete washout the ice in my watered down coke was nice and cold.if you value your health dont eat there.

I went with my partner Alan to Ember Inn The Greenman in Harborne in Birmingham on Sunday 18-11-2012 @13-30, It war very cold outside, But when we got inside it was colder. upon this i made a complaint to a member, up on this i was set upon the Lady manager, in more than told me to leave if i did not like it. First to go and sit by the fire, As the coal fire had gone out, and the gas fires where turned down so low, there were to so many People Standing around the 2 " gas fires" there was no room. Having been a very happy regular for 20 years, I find this very disappointed . As we where going to have a meal there, But no more. As i work in a local Hospital i shall inform my staff to forget the Christmas meal. a loss of 20 meals, plus wine what a loss. P/s All the other costumer's where complaining about the cold in the pub, so why did thy not warm the pub up, the hotter you get the more you drink no brainier is it

My family and I visited the centurian in lincoln on Xmas day for Xmas lunch well I was disgusted! For a meal that cost 180.00 for 5 of us it was limited the food was small portioned mostly cold and ruined my Christmas Day my mum and sister also joined us coming from devon for Xmas the price of this meal was overpriced for what you got which basically was rations and not even a free bottle of wine service poor atmosphere poor and will not be visiting here again I feel sad and ripped off to be honest!L!

During 2011 my family and friends socialized a lot at the Green Man in Kenilworth but over the last 8 months we have stopped going there after a change of management due to the bad service and food.
After a recent refurbishment we decided to see if the service and food had improved to which we were sadly disappointed.
I went to order food and when i got there was told there was no chips available which is surprising as they are served with most meals on the menu, i was also told there was also only 2 jacket potatoes available.
My wife ordered a Sirloin steak and agreed to have a jacked potato and i ordered a trio of pies served with Mashed potatoes and Buttered cabbage, the food took 30 minutes to arrive which was a surprise as it was fairly quite (Monday 07th January) i wouldn't mind the wait if the food was good but when it arrived the steak meal looked OK but the trio of pies looked a mess, 3 small lumps of mash scattered round the plate, the Buttered cabbage was mixed with Brussels sprouts and peas and was not coOKed in butter, the gravy was a glutinous lump in a sauce boat and the whole meal was cold.
I sent it back saying it was cold and after another 15 minutes my wife had finished her meal, i went to the counter and told them i no longer wanted it as i was not willing to eat alone as my wife had to.
We will not be returning

My husband and I went to the HollyBrook in Littleover Derby last night for a meal. We previously had been in this pub for a drink a few years ago but had not eaten there before. All I can say is both our meals were in edible, my Dover sole was so dry it was like rubber. I asked the waitress to take them back ( I have never sent a meal back in my life ) which she did, and that was that ! She didn't return with a comment or nothing, no one came over to ask what the problem was or apologise, nothing ! We will not be eating there again and will certainly advise our friends and family not to.

My family and I visited the Robin Hood at Millhouses, Sheffield last night for a meal and I can quite honestly say this is the worst meal I've ever eaten in my life. The front of house staff were nice enough, but upon ordering they gave no indication that we'd have to wait 45 minutes for our food to be served and when it did eventually arrive I was shocked at how clearly pre-cooked food that had been warmed up in the microwave could possibly have taken 45 minutes to arrive. I can understand waiting a long time for food cooked from scratch and I can also comprehend quickly served food of a poor standard, but I can't understand having to wait 45 minutes for crap food, it's not even as if they were busy there were only us and one other table eating.

Onto the food itself, my wife ordered the chicken and ham hock pie, which contained plenty of mushrooms, next to no chicken and no ham at all, the suet was so dry it was inedible and the mash potato was actually worse. My 2 year old daughter had the fish goujons, which I simply could not allow her to eat as they didn't look cooked properly, the half dozen chips she got were pale and listless and the peas (which are her favourite food) were so dry she wouldn't eat them. Although this wasn't the finest part of the meal, the lemon wedge served with it was so dry that when I squeezed it no juice came out at all.
My burger tasted like it had been cooked days before and my chips were no better than my daughter's.

I tried to find somone to complain to, but there was no-one around, I did complain to the lad who came to clear our table who offered us some free deserts, I explained that the last thing I wanted to do was eat more of their food and by this time it was 18.45 and I needed to get my daughter home and to bed. He said he would 'sort it out' and after 10 minutes when he hadn't returned we got up and left.

I'll be going back in my lunch break today to ask for my money back.

Rose and Crown, grimsby, served luke warm fish pie and a burnt burger... Poor portions, this chain is going down hill fast... Give me a hungry horse or a wether spoons any day of the week for value and quality...

My friends and I have been have been using the Crabtree in Hemel Hempstead for many years and have always been more than happy with the service and the friendliness of the staff that was until recently, when new management took over and this lovely old pub is now almost deserted as the new management seem to have the attitude that if you complain you are barred, they are not willing to address the complaints about the state of the toilets, the poor quality of the food the rudeness of some of the staff, the fact that over the winter people have had to sit in the pub with their coats on as it has been so cold in there. I really think that some of these issues need to be addressed as soon as possible as I can see this pub closing down which will be a real shame as it has been a part of Hemel Hempstead for so many years. As a result of this my friends and I are now looking for another pub in our area which treats its customers with a bit of respect and takes complaints seriously