Wattenden Arms in Croydon

I have previously defended this pub on social media as my wife and I have been there many times over the years.However, we went there for lunch today and arrived on the dot of 12 to find the doors locked. After several minutes a rather aggressive landlady unlocked the door saying "What's the emergency, this isn't a hospital ?" I am not a prude but I do object to having to listen to foul swearing when I am out with my wife.There was a loud mouthed regular standing at the bar and virtually every other word began with "F". The food can only be described as mediocre and they now have the most ludicrous parking arrangement where you have to obtain a voucher at the bar and scan it into a machine at the back of the pub. We won't be returning.

Very disappointing visit to this pub they we used to visit every week for quiz night. Was told no hot drinks to be served (despite a machine there) as they were too busy. Pub half empty and bar staff playing on phones behind bar. Busy? Really?However, it was the way the lady spoke to us that upset us the most. Some customer service skills need to be polished - lots! Sad, as now we will not return as it’s left such a bad taste and have told many others too of the shocking experience.

I used to be a customer then one day i was driving past and the landlady proceeded to be extremely rude whilst she was blocking the road. I had my 85 year old mother in the car so thanks. It’s a shame because i really enjoyed my pints in this pub.

Cute little pub with reasonably priced drinks in comparison to other places. The food menu looked good and had a reasonable selection of vegan starters/mains/deserts at around £10 a main. Dog friendly. Best to get a lift there as walking is limited to the woods or up narrow roads with minimal paths.

We popped in on a dog walk and were made to feel very welcome. Dogs were given a drink, and also some treats which was a lovely touch. We had a couple of beers and it was a great pit stop. Food was available and the menu looked good but we didn't have any - this time but I am sure we will be back. This pub had the feel of a local, a very friendly local at that.

Stumbled across this pub whilst getting lost - it's really nice - felt like we were in an old country pub! Seems like there was a proper chef in the kitchen to our glee. Nice cross section on the menu not just your standard pub grum and yummy desserts. Prices were decent too, definitely go back there again.

Great food, very friendly staff, great service lovely atmosphere and just on my doorstep. What more can we ask for?

A nice country pub which seemed to be full of locals and dog walkers. Outside seating was good and we had an enjoyable time. Staff were friendly and helpful. I would definitely return

still a nice little pub even after being taken over by a chain. bigger choice of food and drink than before, even though a lot more pre prepared. still great atmosphere, staff, locals and of course still dog friendly

We met some friends here for Sunday lunch and a few drinks. This pub is beautiful with a real sense of history and character set in an idyllic countryside location right on the doorstep of London. However that's the only good thing to say about it.The bar staff were barely able to cope with what could only be described as a slow Sunday. The glasses were dirty, we were told certain drinks were out of stock whilst the barmaid stood in front of a fridge full of those drinks.In regards to the food, the menu promised great food which was a complete disappointment from start to finish. I had a Rib-eye steak that tasted great and was latticed with lovely grill lines but everything else on the plate was tired and cooked to death, it very much put me in mind of how my Nan used to cook vegetables, not in a good way either. It was unpleasant to eat.My companions had the roast dinner, which again sounded lovely but was essentially made up of ready made food. Ready-made roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings with watery gravy and mushy vegetables begging for the bin. It's the sort of food you could happily buy for the freezer and reheat in 50 mins. For something described as "The Perfect Sunday Roast" and costing £12 it was a bit of an insult.The desserts were quite nice, in stark contrast to the rest of the food but again it had the feel of something shop bought and unboxed to serve. I have no complaints about this when the food is nice.Unfortunately they managed to get the food order slightly wrong too, when we pointed this out they corrected it fairly quickly, but made it clear that it was definitely our fault for ordering wrong in the first place! So customer service left as poor a taste in the mouth as the food.I'm not sure if we caught them on a very bad day or whether Sunday's are just not the time to visit. But I'd steer clear of this place in the future if food is in your sights. I'd happily stop off again for a quick pint if I was in the area again, but I wouldn't go out of my way.Such a shame.