The Crwon Inn - Test Valley

Great place to relax, drink and eat delicious food. what could you want more? the staff is too friendly and make them feel from home when they go through the door. drink a drink at the fire on the most comfortable sofas. before you can find some of the best tastings. Don't miss it.

Another excellent Xmas Eve dinner! Fabulous friendly service and delicious food. Charcuterie and the crab risotto were perfect. Thank you and Merry Christmas to the team!

Our friends suggested we have Sunday lunch in a wooden igloo at the Crown and why not? As soon as we got there we had a very warm welcome, there was a roaring fire and we were taken straight out to our igloo which was...all ready. Our food was stunning literally everything on the plate was exceptional. Carrots weren't just carrots' they had a lovely subtle star anise flavour. The meats were all expertly cooked and just because we were outside, we weren't ignored at all with staff checking on us very regularly, asking if we wanted more drinks, topping up the wood burning stove... It was just a really lovely atmosphere with great friends and absolutely brilliant food. Additionally I was looking for a log to make the Caga Tio' for my year old Neice and the staff were happy for me to take a small log back home with me so we could celebrate this odd (but fun Christmas tradition So they score for humour and a fun attitude as well : Would thoroughly recommend this place Great food, great staff and great atmosphere.

I had really high hopes and expectations that lunch at The Crown would be far better than the average pub, Things didn't start well with a pint of beer from a handpump being so cold that condensation formed on the outside of the glass, I...was advised that all their traditional beers are chilled. Next the bread brought to the table wasn't bread but brioche. Homemade brioche and pretty good at that but who wants something sweet and cakey' before their starters? One main we had was gnocchi which was unlike any gnocchi we've had before. No small, soft, fluffy morsels but two fried sausage like rolls of something and no sauce which gnocchi cries out for. The other main was a cheeseburger which shouldn't be too difficult to do well. The meat patty was charred black and I'm pretty sure not freshly cooked. The cheese was not a melting slice of monterey jack or similar but thick slabs of mature cheddar which couldn't melt on the lukewarm patty. To be fair to The Crown when these faults were pointed out to them the mains were removed from the bill. However, if the kitchen were properly run this should never have happened, we'd have had good meal and The Crown would have earned good money. As it was we both lost out!

Strange scallop starter that was rather bland. Main course monkfish was tasteless. Halibut was very flavoursome but came with hard sliced potatoes. Chips were dehydrated. Rum baba desert was a complete mystery. No syrup just a plain dry portion of fluffy sponge which tasted musky...like it was mouldy. No coffee available as machine was broken. On top of everything they charged my card without asking a service charge, which they did deserve as they were extremely efficient. Shame the kitchen did not live up to the front of house . They did remove the cost of the desert without acknowledging their problems. Will not return.