The Rowbarge — Restaurant in Woking

UPDATE- They asked me to reach out to them after my review, as you can see. I responded via email, absolutely zero response from the management, atrocious customer service on every level! JUST AVOID THIS PLACE.

Don’t bother, go to the BIRD IN HAND - MAYFORD - This pub has it all on the surface, lovely garden, nice location, decent-ish car park. That’s where it ends sadly! We visited on a Tuesday, which may I add, I had to phone to see if they were open as they seem to randomly not be on a Tuesday and google maps even showed at the time they were closed! This place we dead when we visited, an I mean 2 people inside the pub, with absolutely no one in the huge gardens. We ask if they are serving food on arrival, prompt no, we then order a gin and lemonade to which after asking, and a 5 minute wait, no ice! It was 28 degrees outside and there’s no ice in a pub! Anyway, we ignore and just go and enjoy our drink in the garden. We decided to go and grab a pizza from up the road and sit in the garden whilst eating it. To my dismay, when I go to order another half pint, I’m asked if we are eating our own food in the garden? To which I reply yes! I’m then told this is not allowed due to health and safety!! I’ve never heard such rubbish in my life, I’m sorry to the gentleman behind the bar, because I couldn’t then hold back my frustrations on the place. There was literally no one else there, apart from one lovely couple who we started to chat with that arrived shortly after us, and our daughters were playing together. These guys clearly had no issue with us eating, sat across the garden from them, so where was the issue?! The thing that frustrates me the most about this experience, is that I’m local, and just a normal type of customer. In fact the perfect type of customer that this type of pub probably wants to and is trying to attract. Honestly has to be the worst experience I have had at a pub in a long time, and I’m devastated for whoever the smart person was, or thought he was, in trying to tell us we shouldn’t or couldn’t eat our food in the garden. Unfortunately the bar staff were the messengers, so I do offer an apology to the bar staff if I was rude, but that was of course not my intention. The manager / management of this establishment need to consider what they are doing, clearly they seem to have things wrong here. So as I started the review, just don’t bother unfortunately, go to the amazing BIRD IN HAND - MAYFORD, where you will be welcomed with smile, get great food and even better service. You need to do better, or just move on...

Nice atmosphere, shame about the manager. We visited for my father in laws wake and at first everything was ok. Tea and coffee was provided along with a buffet and though I didn't eat anything it all looked appetizing and the coffee was hot and decent. The girls who were operating the bar and making sure everything run smoothly were polite, friendly and very respectable. It was as things wound down that a very large scruffy man approached to ask if everything had been ok, which he was thanked for giving my father in law a good wake. It was then that he turned to my 87 year old grieving mother in law and said that that was all good but he now needed paying. It was explained to him by the rest of us that arrangements had been made by one of the deceaseds daughters who had just left and was asked to give an invoice. He hovered somewhat menacingly and insisted on being paid immediately. One of the men in our party suggested we rang the daughter to which the manager agreed saying let's do that now. He then rang the daughter who asked him to call back or she would call him as at that time she was driving. He wouldn't take that and said he had to be paid immediately. It was sorted in the end but was somewhat disrespectful and totally handled wrong. All in all this left my mother in law distraught and shaky. I understand that he needed to be paid but considering he had been dealing with a named person regarding it who was clearly half the age of my mother in law, he should have approached his contact earlier in the afternoon or at least pulled aside someone from the party and enquired about it instead of hassling a clearly upset 87 year old woman! I felt intimidated by him myself so can only imagine how she felt. This put a sour ending to a very difficult day all round. Sir, brush up on your people and moral skills...you let your pub, bar staff and cooks not to mention...

The food is nice as well as the refurb and the staff are polite. It's nice to see some of the old staff back who have the experience, good customer knowledge and care.

However, the talk of the town is the prices, absolutely ridiculous! £30 for a bottle of Prosecco, £26 for a bottle of white zinfandel that cost about £6 in tesco. The worst is £14/ £15 for a double HOUSE gin and tonic. You can get a whole bottle of Gordons for that much! The reason for the second loss of a star is that they are very cheeky to add a service charge to all orders regardless if you have ordered food or not. Most place's add an optional service charge AT THE END when they have had a GROUP of people in that has ordered food and drinks! Rowbarge are adding it every time and you have to go up to them and order! They will take it off if you question it, so make sure you do before you pay, because I think they feel like you wont want to go through a refund process infront of people, it's very naughty. We have been to a few of the nicer pubs since the ease of lockdown (cricketers, red lion) which are the nice/posher pubs of Woking and you can really notice the the price difference.

I feel so sorry for the staff because they seem a bit embarrassed about it, they must have people questioning the prices a lot! And they know its expensive, but they can't do much about it.

Maybe, once the novelty of post lockdown has worn off and people stop going out as much, this pub will lose a lot of customers. People are just putting up with the prices because we all want to get out, but everywhere is booking and outside only, so it's very limited. I understand places need to make up for lost time and Rowbarge has had a referb, but it's too much. I hope they re-look in to their prices before its too late, because its alwayd been a good pub. Unless they are trying to price out...