The Hare & Billet — Restaurant in London

🚇 Blackheath 🍺 £6.85 Estrella Galicia

The Hare & Billet is located beside a small pond named after the pub on the edge of Blackheath in Southeast London. The nearest station is Blackheath.

This former Whitbread pub is situated on the site of an 18th century Coaching Inn. It served as a refuge for travellers and the occasional Highwayman along the nearby London to Dover road.

This is a one bar pub that has a contemporary feel with bare floorboards, a raised seating area and a section for diners at the rear. The servery is located on the left with a few stools in front to perch on. The furniture is conventional with a mix of low level, poser tables and a couple of banquettes.. The walls are painted a calming sage green with a number of pictures of wildlife.

The beer line up is decent with a focus on premium brews and cask ale. I decided on an Estrella Galicia, my pint was excellent, price point was a bit punchy. The food menu is elevated Gastro dishes, Fish & Chips costs £18.50, Roasts are available on a Sunday.

I arrived just before 5pm on an overcast Saturday afternoon in June. The pub was busy with a well-to-do local crowd in attendance. The atmosphere was welcoming, friendly and upbeat, this made it very easy to settle in. The service was on point, the chap who served me was enthusiastic and courteous.

The pub hosts a Quiz Night on a Wednesday and also live music throughout the month.

Before I visit a Gastropub, I sometimes worry that I am going to have an awkward experience as I am only visiting to have a pint, it was not the case here at The @hareandbillet . The layout of the pub ensures that those who are here for a beer are well catered for. I loved the village pub feel, the relaxed atmosphere and the tranquil location. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, this was a unique London Pub experience, I would most definitely recommend this pub for your to visit list.

📅 1st June 2024

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I had high hopes, a lovely looking building , great location, a warm welcome but all unfortunately undone by one individual.

Looking back at previous reviews of the hare and billet it would appear that this is not the first time my experience has happened, that there is an issue and it is yet to be addressed.

in hindsight I probably should have been more diplomatic and asked to speak to the restaurant manager, but when you are out for a relaxing evening with your loved one, you really don't want to be ruining the evening any further by pursuing the issue in public, sometimes, and I'm sure we are all guilty of this, we let it ride and try to restart our evening. But this is not acceptable and no guest under any circumstances should be made feel this way. It is extremely unprofessional and distinctly shows a lack in skill and training. It's by far the worst experience I have ever had as a paying guest in the catering industry.

one individual, one very rude, aggressive and impatient male member of the bar/ restaurant team , more suited to doorwork than service it would appear.

everything seemed to be a problem , service was invasive, rushed and impatient, not a smile. not one for the whole painful experience. I'm sure the hare and billet have heard about smile training within their industry, it really works but clearly not here. The pinnacle of the whole miserable experience was been called out by this individually in a threading manner when ,I think, he finally noticed I was not entirely happy with his attitude and service, with the words " what's your problem"?

unbelievable.

To summarise, I get the impression that this does not happen all the time, but I bet it's happening a lot more than people are prepared to say or post about. It seems to be an ongoing issue and until resolved. I'm sure it will unfortunately most likely continue at the detriment to the business.

I will not be returning and I would...

Went to this venue on a Sunday afternoon (2 weeks ago) for a drink to meet some family visiting from the US.

To say the reception was hostile would be an understatement. To my surprise, as soon as I approached the entrance a member of staff ran towards the entrance to ask “if they could help me”. I politely stated I was meeting a party of 5 and if I could just have a drink whilst I wait. He asked if I had a reservation to which I said no but the other people I am meeting may have reserved but I was not sure as they had suggested the venue. He checked the name I gave him and there was no reservation under that name and I said not to worry and will just grab a drink at the bar and wait.

He then ushered a manager who approached the door with another member of staff. I was now being quizzed by 3 members of staff. They then continued to ask “if they could help me”. During this embarrassing and hostile reception, other patrons simply walked into the pub around the welcoming scrum without interrogation or quizzing about why there were there or what service they wanted. The manageress then explained that the kitchen was closed and I stated I just wanted a drink but couldn’t understand why it needed half the waiting staff to ask what I wanted. At this point I was highly irritated and asked them to leave me alone and proceeded to the bar, got a drink and waited for my guests.

As soon as they arrived I shared my hostile experience and we left to find another restaurant.

I could not understand why I had been singled out from all other patrons but it was a very embarrassing and...