The Harrow — Restaurant in London

I rarely leave reviews, but I felt compelled to warn others after my experience at The Harrow Pub. I went there with friends for a casual night out, but what should've been a relaxing time quickly turned into a frustrating ordeal.

First off, we found a fly in our drink. It was so obvious, I couldn't believe it wasn’t caught by the staff before it got to our table. Naturally, we flagged down the manager to let them know. Instead of apologizing or offering to replace it, the manager had the audacity to tell us that if we wanted a new drink, we’d have to buy another one. That’s right — they weren’t even willing to swap it out for free, despite it being their mistake.

To make things worse, there was no real apology, just a cold, dismissive attitude. We paid for our drinks, but we won’t be coming back. It’s clear that they don’t care about their customers or providing even basic service. Absolutely appalling! Save your money and go somewhere that values hygiene and customer satisfaction.

My response to James:

Thank you for your response, though I believe there may still be a misunderstanding regarding the situation. My review was based on a genuine experience, and while we did not use any abusive language, it was the staff who initially raised their voices and acted in a rude manner, which contributed to the escalation. My friends and I were simply trying to address the issue in a respectful way.

As for the "fly in our drink" comment, I understand that my wording could have been clearer. However, the issue still stands — a fly was in one of our drinks, and it was the response to that issue that caused the frustration. We expected a basic level of customer service, such as the drink being replaced immediately, which was not initially offered.

If a group has a great experience, they are often inclined to leave a positive review, so if someone shares a negative experience, it’s important to remember that feedback is coming from genuine frustration. It's not an "attack" or a coordinated effort, but simply an attempt to share what happened.

That being said, I do believe in mutual respect, and we were trying to communicate calmly, which was not reciprocated. I do hope moving forward, any issues customers face are handled with patience and professionalism from both sides.

Lastly, we respect the decision to part ways, but we stand by the experience we shared. I hope future customers have a more pleasant time at your...

Awful place I have never been to Cheam or the Harrow pub before, I arrived and paid for the pay and display car park behind the pub, to meet some friends for a ladies 60 birthday. I had a Diet Coke then went for a meal across the road I drank Diet Coke and water as had to get back to Kent to find at 2308 they had locked the barrier and I could not get out. The Pub still heaving I asked for some help which three of them refused to let me out, told me the manager had locked the gate and gone home with the keys and would not be back until 10 the next morning. Seriously,,.. he went home at 11, a heaving Saturday night and left the proud deputy manager to manage- I don’t think so. The DM told me tough’, basically I should have read the sign and nothing they ‘could’ do or they would have their licence revoked!! ( I had not seen a sign, I wasn’t looking for a sign, why would you when I had just paid for a full ticket, and me not being there before I had no knowledge of this POLICY and why would a pay and display car park that takes your money behind a private pub then normally lock you in) It was ridiculous. I asked for the rational and the logic and was told it is to stop drunk drivers… I told them I was a grown up woman who has drank Diet Coke and water all night and besides what about those that can leave the car part at 2255 versus 2305. We argued the case they didn’t seem to understand I had nowhere to go I was not local they were quite happy for a 60 year old single women to sit in their pitch black car park all night, no mention of duty of care, health and safety let alone someone being held against their will, he just shrugged it off and clearly had no concern about me at all. I was then told I had a bad attitude!!!! ( to which they seriously had not seen it yet) so they were now the Law and the Police it was a complete joke they eventually let me go and the lock, after all that was a combination lock too - so much for the keys and manager story!! The whole thing stank and ruined our lovely evening with my friend.On my exit he shouted out ‘Next time read the sign’, so in the end it was not we can’t help it is was we won’t’...

Date of visit: 10/3/24

Positives: Easy to make a reservation online. High chair we requested was ready at the table when we arrived. Nice food Food arrived quickly (within 15 mins from ordering) and stayed hot for a long time. The dining area and toilets were clean and tidy.

Areas for improvement: Staff should inform customers (or put a sign on the table/ on the menu next to the QR code) stating that customers cannot claim a refund of the parking charge if they order through the QR code/ app). Also, the sign in the car park could also be clearer by stating the refund offer is not available when ordering through the app. Acknowledge the point above as valid feedback rather than ignoring it and being dismissive, defensive and condescending by implying we should have known we couldn't get a parking charge refund through the app because the app didn't prompt us for a voucher code or have a refund button. Also, don't make excuses like "The car park has nothing to do with us" when the sign clearly states it's managed on behalf of the landowner and the car park is solely for customers and staff of the pub.

If the member of staff we spoke to handled the feedback in a more professional way and didn't walk away during the conversation we would have rated the service 4 stars. People sitting near us commented on the lack of professionalism from the staff member. It's a shame this overshadowed an otherwise good first visit to The Harrow.

We would have scored the food 5 stars if they served sunday roasts (i.e. a tiny bit more variety...