Onslow Arms — Restaurant in Guildford

My wife and I have been visiting The Onslow Arms for many years and this is the first time that we have written a review let alone a relatively negative one. Our main problem was the most unpleasant discovery of a nasty piece of bone in the Beef and Ale Pie. Fortunately I detected it just after I had put it into my mouth and immediately realised that something was wrong with what had been on my fork. I managed to pull the item out of my mouth and was extremely grateful that I had discovered it before breaking any teeth or, worse still, potentially choking to an untimely end.

The most unpleasant morsel turned out to be a rough, multi-edged, piece of bone approximately 2 - 3 cm diameter which, undoubtedly, could have caused serious damage if it had gone any further than my side teeth.

I explained the problem to the young lady when she was clearing the main course plates and she said she would take it to her supervisor or manager. With this I thought one of them would, at the very least, come to the table and offer an apology for the somewhat grim experience. I fully appreciate that nobody can guarantee the content of an enclosed pie but this particular form of discrepancy should never, ever get to a restaurant’s table. On the face of it there has to be something seriously wrong with the quality control in the food chain.

Not having had the expected response from a senior member of staff, I raised the issue with the waiter as we were leaving. To say the least, the reaction was far from satisfactory and it seemed to me that it was not being considered as having been much of a problem. I had to repeat that, in my opinion, it was definitely a matter that should be taken up with the supplier of the pies but I left the premises with the distinct feeling that nothing more would be done.

It almost goes without saying, that we are most unlikely to return to The Onslow Arms and, if other customers choose the Steak and Ale Pie, they should treat their choice with due care...

Sadly the food at The Onslow has gone from being reliably great to being very poor. I had the roast chicken for Sunday lunch. The chicken wss served in two pieces on the bone - leg and wing with the small fillet. It looks like a lot but it’s mainly just lots of bone and skin. I could barely cut the roast potatoes which has been sitting under a heat lamp for too long. The stuffing was a ball of rubbery texture with no flavour. The single carrot that was served was charred black and the cabbage was ok. The cauliflower cheese (which was an extra dish) was mushy and over cooked - clearly just a reheat with cheese grated on top and put under a grill. The whole plate was swimming in a thin, lukewarm gravy that had no flavour causing the Yorkshire pudding to resemble a very large soggy dish rag. The plate looked a mess and the food was tasteless. It looked and tasted cheap which it wasn’t. Clearly the Onslow kitchen is struggling since the change of kitchen staff and the current menu is very limited but you should be able to turn out a great Sunday lunch as a basic. The waiting staff are very nice and to their credit they did feedback to their manager who offered replace the meal but given how limited their menu is, I didn’t bother. We didn’t have dessert so I can’t comment but having been before I can say that that too is a fairly limited menu . We paid £55 for two meals with two non-alcoholic drinks. We have come here for years but honestly I won’t be back any time soon. The pub is lovely, the garden is nice in summer and the staff want to do the right thing but sadly the kitchen at The Onslow Arms needs to get back...

Worst experience ever at what used to be a fairly dependable place to eat.

Waited over half an hour to get our first drinks order, which finally arrived, but after our starters had been served. Both Bloody Mary’s had far too much Tabasco in - we like spicy but there was no Worcester Sauce or other seasoning (celery salt, pepper etc) so were quite unpleasant.

Prawn cocktails were bland, not enough Rose Marie sauce, and what there was of it was lacking any flavour. They were accompanied by a piece of dry brown toast which was overdone with no butter, even on the side.

Main courses were one roast beef (which actually was the only thing that was good) and one wild mushroom gnocchi supposedly with truffle and basil. There wasn’t even a hint of truffle (one of the main reasons for ordering) , no basil, and absolutely no seasoning. Another totally bland dish. Ended up leaving half.

We weren’t offered any more drinks - we had to search out a staff member to request them - then they were left at the bar for 10 minutes till WE went and retrieved them.

So utterly disappointing. We did complain to waitress and an amount was knocked off bill (we were also offered free desert/coffees but declined) but we’d rather have paid full price and had a great meal and experience.

Sadly, won’t be visiting ever again. There are far too many other places to go where food and service is much better. It was clear they just want maximum covers (place was far too packed for the staff and kitchen to cope with) with minimal outlay. And judging by comments and complaints from neighbouring tables, we weren’t the only ones having a...