The Fox and Pheasant — Restaurant in London

Beautiful Pub, great location, good food.. But atrocious service. I booked a table for myself & 8 other guests for one of our good friends goodbyes from the restaurant we work for. Arriving on time at 7:30 we were told we were not able to order bar snacks to nibble on while waiting for the guest of honour, because we all had to be there to put in any food order.

Unfortunately her train got delayed so she arrived at 7:55 instead of 7:45 with our final 2 guests who were in charge of getting her to her surprise party.Which the waitess very clearly had an issue with although it could not be helped. However we accepted the lack of service/ drinks assuming once we were all there the welcome would be warm and pleasant. We did not get that unfortunately.

We started by having to wave the waitress down to grab our food/ drink order although it was already 8:20 & our entire party had been seated for over 20 mins. I started off by stating that 6 out of the 9 guests were having starters and mains. But the guest of honour & her 2 friends were having bar snacks & a starter. I was also going to continue & say we were all having desserts when the waitess rudely cut me off stating that we all had to order the equivalent of 1 main or 2 starters per person to eat in the restaurant. Which of course for a table of hospitality workers is not a problem at all. We do understand a minimum spend and licensing laws. But the fact we were not informed of this rule in advance is not acceptable. I politely stated that we had not been told this despite speaking to the restaurant twice in the last two weeks. The response was "You would have been told" in an extremely rude tone. She then insisted on grabbing the manager which I welcomed as I thought he would be more professional. That was however not the case.. I tried to politely say that we hadn't been told that rule on the phone but that everyone was 100% having a starter/ main aside from our 3 friends who wanted bars snacks, starters & a dessert. He then cut me off & said the same poilicy. Stating that I was 100% told that in advance. I was upset at the tone, but I bit my tongue & said okay thats fine. If you guys pop back in 5 we will be good to order. Although, still no drinks order for the new guests..

Fast Forward another 30 mins later, no one had come to take a food/ drink order. I can only assume they were hoping we would walk out & they wouldn't have to deal with another large group since they already had a 7 top next to us that was being treated amazingly & possibly 2 large parties was too much for the staff on shift to handle? We eventually waved down a different server who despite clearly being new, was lovely & got our order in by 9:15.

We however didn't recieve starters until 9:45, mains until 10:40 & two of our guests had to cancel their mains & go as they were going to miss their last train home. Couple that with the fact that we were told multiple times that it is our fault our food & ordering process took so long as apparently none of us were on time. Which is simply not true & in the guest of honours case London trains cannot be helped. Overall a very upsetting experience & I am extremely sad that one our friends last goodbyes from working with us was service that we would never dream of giving. Needless to say the service charge was removed off the bill as it was almost £36.00 for some of the worst attitude I have ever had from a manager and a waitress. Even when at the end I explained that as one of the food items was burnt, our sparkling water was forgotten, two mains had to be cancelled due to slow timings & we weren't satisfied with the service we weren't comfortable paying for the burnt item or the service charge. Her response was" Well that was your fault because you guys weren't on time" 3 of our party arriving 10 Mins after I told the restaurant they would on the phone as it was a surprise is no excuse for poor treatment or for the food order going in at 9:15pm. Really unfortunate as the place is lovely, & the bartender, & other staff members...

Not family friendly and rude staff.

No high chairs available so my 17 month old daughter had to sit in our laps throughout. This was despite me leaving a request on booking to have a high chair.

There was also no changing table so we had to change a dirty nappy with her in a cubicle whilst standing.

Staff completely unapologetic about this and just say that it’s on their website that they don’t have high chairs, when in fact it is not. Picking a fight with my wife during dinner about this and then changing to say it is on their open table page (again it is not).

Daughter didn’t eat any of her meal as she does not eat whilst sat in anyone’s laps. Meal not even offered to be refunded.

Their excuse is that they don’t have space for high chairs and that other local places don’t have high chairs. As someone who lives in South-West London and works in the area this is a bare-faced lie. Any parent who goes here will have been to smaller establishments with less space in the local area that cater for families.

Ultimately whole experience could have been improved if staff actually showed some empathy for the situation, but lack of facilities was compounded with rudeness.

Food was meh too.

Edit following response to review: Whilst you have apologised in the response to review this is actually the first time you did offer an apology. The rest of the message negates any attempt at sincerity.

I have checked with all other members of the party and nobody was offered an apology at any point (one sample of messages confirming as such in the attached photos) despite your claims.

Also to make a passive aggressive comment about two parents and a young child by referring as all other guests as delightful underscores the contempt you showed towards young families, particularly mothers, on the day itself.

We would have been more than happy to listen to either you or Rafaela, but all you did was try and argue that it was on your website when it was not and did not acknowledge that we had also left this as a request at the time of booking (photo also provided as evidence below).

Ultimately we would have struggled through without a high chair either way, but it was your attitudes on the day which made us leave early I am sorry to...

🚇Fulham Broadway 🍺 £7.40 Kirin Lager

The Fox and Pheasant is tucked away in an idyllic side street in Chelsea, just a stone’s throw away from Stamford Bridge. The nearest Tube is Fulham Broadway.

This pub was built in 1846 and was originally called the Bedford Arms. Ten years later, it was renamed the Prince of Wales, and in 1965 it took its current name, the Fox & Pheasant. In 2017, singer-songwriter James Blunt bought the pub and carried out major restoration work that retained much of its character.

This traditionally decorated two-bar pub has a compact servery serving both bars. The decor features half-height wall panels, sage green walls, boarded floors, and traditional furniture. Decorative fireplaces, historic photos, classic pub mirrors, and a statue of Mr Fox add character, while a well-used dartboard is a welcome sight.

At the back is a conservatory, which serves as a dining area and is fitted with rustic dining tables and sumptuous curved banquettes, with an olive tree as its centrepiece. Upstairs, there is a private dining room.

The beer selection was interesting and varied, offering a range of premium brews alongside three cask ales. I opted for a pint of Kirin Lager, my pint was excellent; price point was as expected. The food menu features elevated gastro fare alongside pub classics, with hearty roasts taking centre stage on Sundays.

I arrived at 1pm on a sunny Friday lunchtime in August. The left bar had a group of well to do locals, in the right hand bar was a friendly chap from Aberdeen who was visiting London pubs all weekend, and in the conservatory there were a couple of lunching ladies. The atmosphere was very relaxed with an almost village pub feel. The service was superb, the Lady who served me was warm, welcoming and personable.

Absolutely loved it here what a fantastic cosy pub. The exterior is so inviting, the decor homely and comfortable, the beer was on point and the service was first class. Fairplay to Mr Blunt, cracking pub, I would wholeheartedly recommend a visit.

Follow @thefoxandpheasantpub for updates.

📅 22nd August 2025

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