The Apollo Arms Public House — Restaurant in London

Sunday roast - never disappoints! We booked a couple of weeks in advance because we were bringing a buggy - the pub accommodated the buggy happily on a spacious and comfortable table. The starters were delicious and came very quickly after we ordered - this was unexpected when it was a busy Sunday service. They had all of the roasts to choose from and our party enjoyed the chicken, beef and pork between us. There’s a great wine menu by the glass and by the bottle and seasonal cocktails to have as an aperitif. Whilst the roast is priced quite highly in the mid £20s, it was value for money as it delivered lots of flavour with proper roasties and importantly didn’t skimp on the gravy! We went the whole hog and ordered desserts too - again trying a selection - sticky toffee pudding, the Black Forest baked Alaska and the apple crumble. Whilst the crumble and pudding both came with ice cream AND custard - the only constructive feedback I’d give is that the custard was thin like crème anglaise rather than thick like custard. Was still very tasty nonetheless! I’ve deducted a star for service only because our waiter wasn’t very knowledgeable about the drinks menu and we had to chase for the wine to be served with the mains. But otherwise, really great and whilst the restaurant needed the table back at 3pm, with speedy service across the three courses 2.5 hours was more than enough to leisurely enjoy our meal without clock watching and feeling rushed....

I want to start by saying that my review should be helpful to all people who have a dairy allergy! The pub atmosphere is excellent; however, when I told the waiter I had a dairy allergy, she confirmed that I could order almost every dish! So I ordered the beef roast on the menu with horseradish and carrot cream and other veg like red cabbage, green beans and Yorkshire pudding. Now, the waiter told me that the pudding and the purè were not dairy-free, but the chef could replace them. The dish came only with some potatoes, red cabbage and one piece of carrot. The beautiful plate served to everyone in the restaurant was reduced by more than half for me. However, the same thing didn't happen to the bill, and I paid as I ate the whole dish! Now, I’m not asking for a price reduction, but for this price paid of 35£ on my poor plate, I should have gotten maybe more carrots or potatoes, at least until the plate was the same weight as the normal one! Having a dairy allergy precludes having a lot of food; however, if a restaurant accepts to serve food to those who have the allergy, the plate should be a decent one as the regular plate on the menu or don't ask for the total price or don't accept to serve food free from allergy as you are ending by serving a dish free from the food (almost empty). And this situation runs...

Great food, but confusing and poor customer service. The experience getting a table was frustrating.

When we arrived at 7 PM on Sunday, March 2nd, the pub was mostly empty, yet we were turned away with no explanation, told there was no space for walk-ins. It seemed odd, so after walking away, I checked their online booking system, which showed five available tables. I booked one immediately, paid a £40 deposit, and returned.

When I explained this at the door, the staff member didn’t offer an explanation—just asked to see the booking and then walked us to a table, letting us choose from several options. This made the initial refusal even more baffling.

Our food—two Sunday roasts—arrived within minutes, suggesting the kitchen had plenty of capacity. Meanwhile, we saw other people being turned away despite the pub still being half-empty.

This isn’t the first time I’ve been turned away here, and while I understand there may be operational reasons I’m not aware of, the lack of transparency makes it feel arbitrary, even personal. A simple explanation would go a long way in improving the...