Hare & Hounds — Restaurant in Elmbridge

We had a really lovely experience here after some very hit and misses (more commonly misses) in the surrounding area while staying here for a week. The lady that served us was French and brought with her that air of hospitality as a career rather than a job that continental Europeans have that makes for really nice service. Efficient, polite and warm but unobtrusive. We hadn’t booked but were seated easily although it was a fairly busy Thursday night. Lots of outdoor and indoor seating available and a kids play park. I was so so happy to see the menu. A few carefully curated items rather than a huge menu (which I always avoid where possible as you just know it’s either done badly or isn’t fresh). I was surprised to notice that despite the appealing choices on the menu, literally everyone around us seemed to be eating burgers or fish and chips! Each to their own I suppose but I had the confit duck, my husband the lamb cutlets and his father the mussels. We all thought our food was incredibly tasty and were so happy we went on and had puddings which were also yummy. We would definitely be regulars if we lived in the area...

I didn’t want to write a bad review but I am going to be really honest here. We are long time customers of the hare and hounds and will not be returning.

Prices are too high now, you’ve raised them from February 2023 and we can’t afford to pay this for what we get. You are charging £18.50 for a main. Portions are significantly smaller than 6 months ago. This was your draw and for some reason you’ve cut the portions. Doesn’t look good when charging £18.50 for a plate. You have taken items off the menu that many people liked. I assume cost cutting but then again this doesn’t look good. Service was appalling, other than the French lady who is always nice. No one even bothered to take our order. Bit strange, you did seem short staffed today but the pub wasn’t particularly busy.

This place needs a turn around, you may have noticed less customers than before. Please address those 4 points above. Honestly this used to be a fantastic pub, I’m not sure what is going on. If you think any part of this review is inaccurate please...

This is probably one of the best roast dinners I've had in a pub possibly ever. I brought my mum here for Mother's Day and was surprised to be able to get a booking 5 days prior (especially as almost everywhere else within a 5 mile radius of Kingston was fully booked).

The staff were all very friendly and the pub is nice and big, with a tabled restaurant area and a tabled bar area. The restaurant part looked a bit nicer decor-wise but at the end of the day we were all getting the same service quality and delicious food. The thing I liked most about the roast was the quantity and variety of vegetables; most places give you three variants of vegetable (usually carrots, cabbage and peas) but not here! Carrots, peas, broccoli, cabbage....the creamy leeks alone would have made me happy.

I will definitely be returning on a Sunday in the...