White Swan — Restaurant in London

Horrible experience and it didn't need to be.

This review is simply over a mixup of wine from the menu, which is unfortunate. We ordered a 175ml of Provence Rose that was priced at 8.50. We were charged more than that, and questioned the price to find out they had two Provence's and "most people" order the Chateau Provence which was £10.15, which had been given to us. The price was neither here nor there, but we were surprised to be charged more than expected and given something we hadn't thought we had ordered, so brought it up with a member of staff, who had originally served us.

I work in hospitality as a supervisor in a pub and I wouldn't dream of speaking to customers in the manner that they spoke to us, for providing feedback/voicing an issue. The member of staff did verbally offer to refund us £4 but we said not to bother, but to be simply clearer when serving, as I work in a pub that provides two different sauvignon blancs and don't find it hard to ask the customers which one they would prefer/asked for. This is as far as we wanted to take this... we didn't view it as a complaint and only wanted to provide some feedback to be clearer in future and double check with the customer, if you have two similar wines on sale. The member of staff was very defensive, and blamed the mixup on us, saying that she had said it was the "Chateau Provence", however we aren't familiar with the menu and simply thought we were getting the first provence we ordered. The member of staff walked away from us when the conversation clearly wasn't getting anywhere, and we could see them clearly talking about us negatively to the other members of staff about the situation.

Now the reason for our complaint is in what happened following. On finishing our wine and exiting the pub, another member of staff who we had not been served by or interacted with, came out from behind the bar holding pennies in her hand and said "Hi Ladies, here is your £2.80". I found this an incredibly aggressive and rude way of dealing with customers. Firstly, this didn't even cover the cost of the refund we had initially turned down of £4. Secondly, our feedback and concern had been turned into a source of mockery by the staff and escalated to an embarrassing and rude level, it was clear this member of staff had an intent to humiliate and embarrass us on our exit. Finally, I would not dream of treating customers this way.

The pub should be ashamed. Again it was a horrible experience and it didn't need to be. We had no intent of writing a complaint over two glasses of wine and didn't want a £4 refund, we only sought to provide feedback. We would hope to hear back from management, unless they believe humiliating customers for providing feedback...

Depressing and bullish customer service.

What a disappointment this place turned out to be after living a short distance away, having booked a table three days in advance on a beautiful Sunday late lunchtime. We had indicated on our booking that we wished to sit outside in the garden but on our arrival we were told that we could not book a table after 12.30pm outside and needed to sit in a very warm part of the pub, not even in the conservatory. We suggested that we would find a seat on our own accord outside and spoke to a couple who were sitting on a scruffy beer table if we could join them as there was plenty of space. They were v pleasant and were happy to share their table.

Unfortunately hell broke loose. A waitress and manager stormed outside telling us to get off the table in full view of the entire pub garden citing that it was ‘not fair to the couple on the table’ and the pub manager was ‘not happy’ with this arrangement, who made her appearance only to argue with us with her voice rising to an audible standard, insisting we must sit inside. We were of course utterly embarrassed and walked out. This for us was a special occasion where we had flowers to take to my father’s grave but instead what was expected to be a peaceful lunch turned into an argument with a manager and staff member about where we could sit.

This will be the first and last time I will visit this pub. Had we had just ordered a drink and sat outside would we have been ordered off a table?

The ‘manager’ clearly seemed to want to make a bigger deal by ordering us of the table embarrassing my son and I and the couple on the table! As a small garden, everyone could hear. The obvious way to manage our request situation would have been to suggest we wait inside and as soon as a table was free they would let us know but instead it was the most humiliating experience of my life, due to this aggressive and ignorant bar manager, who had absolutely no explanation as to why we could not share a table with other people, which I might add is common practice in pubs up and down the country! But instead just continued to shout at us as we were heading out the door at the top of her voice in full view of a very busy pub!

Avoid, if you are looking for a quiet afternoon and don’t appreciate being ordered around as to where you can sit in a pub by highly confrontational and insulting bar staff who has had absolutely no management or customer relations skills...

I recently had the pleasure of visiting your establishment and must say, it was an exceptional experience. My partner and I enjoyed a delightful evening of fresh oysters and champagne, and we were blown away by the quality of the food and service.

The oysters were incredibly fresh and expertly shucked, with a clean and briny flavor that transported us to the seaside. The champagne was perfectly chilled and paired perfectly with the oysters, enhancing their flavor and making for a truly luxurious experience.

The staff were friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable, making us feel welcome and comfortable throughout our visit. They had a great understanding of the menu and were able to recommend the perfect wine to complement our meal.

What impressed me most about The White Swan Pub was the atmosphere. The pub had a warm and inviting ambiance, with beautiful decor and comfortable seating that made us feel at home. The staff also took great care to ensure that we were seated in a quiet and intimate area, allowing us to enjoy our meal and conversation without distractions.

I highly recommend The White Swan Pub to anyone looking for an exceptional dining experience. The fresh oysters, champagne, and attentive service make it a perfect spot for a romantic evening or a special occasion. Thank you for the outstanding experience, and we look forward to...