Trinity Arms — Restaurant in London

Confused.

i rarely write reviews, but really felt I ought to in this case.

I'd never been to the Trinity Arms before the other night (21st December 2016). Upon first entering I thought it seemed like a lovely place (and still) think so. Very nice atmosphere, well laid out, interesting photos on the walls.Friendly vibe from the clientele. Nothing to complain about in these respects.

However, I unfortunately there is a lot left to be desired in two areas: the knowledge/expertise of the staff... and the quality of the food.

I first ordered a A double Bourbon with a tiny dash of coke. I asked for something other than JD. I got the impression the chap behind the bar didn't know what a Bourbon was. I needed to point Bulleit out on the shelf. The tiny dash of coke I asked for arrived as the glass being topped up with coke. I was rather unhappy that this cost me over £9!

I was three quarters through that drink when I popped it on a table briefly to say hello to my friend who ust arrived. Seconds later, I looked back, and it had gone - cleared up by a member of bar staff. In fairness, when I queried this I was made a full fresh drink! Can't complain there... though I wasn't really planning to have a second one.

We decided to order food. We thought the prices were slightly above average, but decided not to be put off by this as the atmosphere seemed nice. However, when our food arrived, we were very disappointed. Firstly, our food din't arrive together. My friend ordered a burger. I don't remember specifically which, but it was £14. What arrived definitely wasn't £14 worth. The burger was quite small, squashed, and the deep fried meat looked quite over cooked. It looked like it had been sitting around for a while and perhaps reheated. No sides/garnishes which one would expect for £14. It looked more like basic canteen food (see photo). It was poor enough to justify complaining to the manager.

While this was happening, my fish and chips arrived. £13 it cost me, but the piece of fish was small, very dry, the chips were dry, the mushy peas were very dry (almost cardboard like), and the presentation was poor (see photo).

The member of bar staff who attended to us (manager perhaps? I don't recall), could tell we were disappointed. We explained that we were surprised and unsatisfied by the quality of the food, particularly in relation to the price. We noted that when so many pubs offer excellent food these days, the standards are set high, and this just didn't cut it. It was, speaking honestly, of mediocre school dinner quality.

My friend was offered a replacement meal (even though mine wasn't great, he opted for fish and chips), he was given a full refund for his original meal too, and we were both offered a free pint. The staff were very friendly, and dealt with everything calmly, respectfully, and without hesitation. Hence my starting this review with the word "confused": 10/10 for customer service, but 2/10 for quality (with regards to food).

Unfortunately, when my friend's replacement meal arrived, the chips were not cooked properly, and the fish was perhaps drier than mine. The tartare sauce was also low quality, likely from a cheap commercial bottle. He was offered a free dessert as way of apology!

We finished up, and left, and went to another nearby pub: cheaper beers, cheaper home cooked food (we didn't eat), and an equally if not...

We went to The Trinity Arms last Sunday for a friend’s birthday, and honestly, it was one of the best pub experiences I’ve had in a while. The vibe there was great – a proper chilled-out atmosphere with enough energy to feel lively but still relaxed. Perfect for a birthday meal with friends. From the moment we walked in, the friendliness of the staff really stood out. They made us feel welcome straight away, which set a really nice tone for the day.

The food was awesome. Most of us went for the Sunday roast, which was spot-on. The roast beef was tender, the Yorkshire puddings were massive, and everything was cooked perfectly. They even had a great vegetarian option, which my friend said was delicious – a lot of places don’t get veggie food right, but The Trinity Arms definitely did. One mate ordered a burger instead of the roast, and it looked (and apparently tasted) amazing, with proper thick-cut chips on the side.

The service was professional yet super friendly. Our server was polite, had a great attitude, and didn’t mind us asking a million questions about the menu. She made sure we had everything we needed throughout the meal, and the general manager even came over to check we were happy, which was a nice touch.

The drinks were flowing too! The beer selection was pretty solid, with a lot of local options, and we shared a couple of bottles of wine with the meal. Both the red and white went down well with everyone, adding to the overall satisfaction of the day.

It wasn’t just about the food and drinks though – the general atmosphere and service made it even better. Everyone there seemed genuinely happy, and that kind of energy definitely rubs off on you. We all left in a really good mood, which says a lot about how good the place is.

Honestly, the likelihood of us going back to The Trinity Arms is super high. It’s got everything you’d want for a laid-back birthday meal – great food, good drinks, and friendly, professional service. If you're after a solid pub experience with your mates, I’d definitely...

The pub itself is lovely, slightly off the beaten track and buzzing with a good vibe, I have been here a few times in the last couple of months, however after yesterday I doubt I will be returning here in a rush.

To sum it up in one line: One of the dirtiest places I have seen in a long while.

We spent the afternoon there yesterday with a few mates (arrived around 4, left at 7), and at some stage the place was so gross that we left to grab the last round elsewhere instead of here as we could not deal with the state of the place. Used glasses had accumulated on the tables (both indoors and in the garden), making it for a very unpleasant view (there was more than 70 dirty glasses in the garden alone around 6:30PM, yes we had "fun"counting them!). A patron accidentally smashed a glass on the fire (there is a lovely open gas-fire in the garden), shards were shattered everywhere (surely not great from a H&S perspective), and no one bothered to clean it for 2 hours (possibly longer, but we left by then). Plates with unfinished food, from patrons who had left the pub, were left sitting on tables for new patrons to just shift them to the side, no member of staff bothered to clean them up.

Members of staff came outside in the garden a few times to smoke a cigarette, however they made no effort to clean up the place, tidy some (or possibly all) of the glasses/half finished plates that were sitting around for hours. At some stage the bar started giving out plastic glasses for the drinks as they had ran out of clean glasses (not a surprise given there was a large amount of them sitting around in the pub).

The icing on the cake was when one of my mates came back from the men's room totally horrified, as he witnessed a member of staff not washing his hands after having done his business...

Management needs to take action and give some basic training to...