The Rifleman — Restaurant in Epsom and Ewell

I walked in this pub to kill a bit of time whilst in Epsom & ordered a coke. The only other occupants were a couple & a very bored looking barmaid. Said Barmaid informed me they could not serve me because I was wearing tracksuit bottoms. I politely enquired as to why this was policy & where this was advertised. I was curtly informed it wasn't. I asked if I could discuss the matter with the landlord. The landlord - a stocky gentleman with glasses- came out & I asked why my custom was being refused & why if it was policy it wasn't displayed anywhere. He bluntly & rudely told me it was 'his' policy & I could go elsewhere to drink. His manner was curt & unnecessarily aggressive. I asked if he was an independent landlord or part of a brewery chain- he claimed the former even though the pub sign displays Greene King. I asked him for his name which he point blank refused to give me. A landlord can obviously choose to serve who he likes but I am a respectable 48 year old businessman who was only commiting the henious crime of wearing track suit bottoms because I had been coaching my son's youth football team earlier in the day. If the establishment has such a dress policy I strongly suggest they openly advertise it somewhere. The bar staff & landlord were quite frankly rude & unfriendly. It is a shame that such a pub with a wonderful local history is managed so insensitively. Needless to say I will not be frequenting the establishment whilst the current 'nameless' landlord resides & will be encouraging other friends & family to...

This is a proper pub, plain and simple. Offers 5 taps which change every two weeks at least. Each time I go there's a new cross-section of drink types and not just a bunch of miserable "craft lagers". There is of course the usual labels day in, day out if you prefer to stick to what you know, and a wine selection that far exceeds the dreaded "red" or "white". The menu is ample and to-the-point, but the food itself is excellent and the portions spot on. However, what really makes this pub worth my time and pocket money is the staff. The landlord could not be more accommodating if he tried, and the bar girls are polite, attentive, and highly conversant. I'm happy to consider this my local, even though it's a 50 minute walk from home, and will always look forward to...

If anyone has read one of my reviews before you'll know I specialise in back street pubs. The Fox I found a while ago on a bike ride along the grand union canal. Fab exterior with those brown and green glazed tills of Victorian era. I'd heard they had done some work and feared they had destroyed the history inside with that gastro destruction. Fortunately although altered it's a good sympathetic make over I approve of. Beer excellent cellar, food simple pub fare well cooked for a reasonable price. Would I meet a girlfriend for a first date there? I did, she loved the place...