Fox & Grapes

Mediocre food, high prices, pitiful service and arrogant staff. The Fox & Grapes is a big let down. Avoid like the plague.

Dreadful food, cold atmosphere and overpriced to boot !! What could be London's best pub ( location wise ) not to mention local star has missed a trick. It was miles better before the refit at least it ad soul. Honestly go to The Anchor and Hope Southwark or The Enterprise Walton St and learn what a gastro pub should be !! Such a shame

On a mountain bike jaunt through Richmond Park & Wimbledon Common we had decided in advance that our fuel stop would be the Fox & Grapes, situated as it is slap bang in the middle of the common. But more than that I in particular was very excited to dine at this Bosi run gastropub. We were very muddy on arrival but that didn't phase the staff too much (except for a little bit of an up and down look from the day's manager / head waiter) and we were seated and quickly offered a drink. I started with the wild boar scotch egg.. it came with a scattering of salt on the plate but nothing to dip into although mustard was offered (English). The scotch egg was nice enough, runny yolk, crisp brown panko breadcrumbs but it didn't wow me at all and in fact I felt the sausage meat was a tad under seasoned. At £4.50 I kind of wanted to be wowed - even the Hind's Head scotch egg is only £3.75. Mains followed and I had the wild rabbit & crayfish pie with buttered Jersey Royals. I did enjoy the pie - the filling was richly gamey but I felt that there was not quite enough of it (breaking through the pastry lid there was a good inch and a half fall to the half inch layer of filling) and it needed a bit more moisture. The pastry was underwhelming: a bit bland. I remarked to my companion that surely the point to a pie is in the pastry, and this added nothing to the whole at all which was a shame. My partner had, I think, I can't quite remember, the lamb rump. This was a very generous portion, served very pink as they had advised on ordering. It was very nice indeed. I didn't taste the sauce as it had cucumber in it, which I can't abide, but it was pale with spring (or summer) veg and mint. It seemed quite well received. We didn't have dessert as were continuing on the bikes although a banana and peanut butter concoction caught my eye. All in all it was a pleasant enough lunch but at these prices (£91 for 2 people: 1 coke, 2 halves of Meantime, 2 glasses of wine, 1 scotch egg and 2 mains) I was expecting a lot more.

Give it a miss! Way overpriced. Nice food but do you want to wait an hour for it? There is a clearly a disconnect between kitchen and restaurant - kitchen cannot service the number of tables. Waiters/waitresses are embarrassed by the complaints. Greeting to customers walking in was offhand.

I do not know what the other reviewers are on about, the pub was great! you know what to expect, it is a famous chef's name on the door, and the pub is more food and drink based so the focus is on that and the prices represent this. I have the rump of lamb, friends had the fish and chips and john dory and all dishes were superb, especially the fish and chips. I would definitely return!

Amazing calamari, very soggy burger. 40 mins for order to be taken. Would not recommend.

Went here expecting great food, having read about the Bosi brothers. £19.50 for a 3 course set lunch menu sounded reasonable. But we came away disappointed by the food and more so by the service. My seafood salad starter was full of sand. When I politely told the waiter, he disappeared into the kitchen then came back and reported "yes, in fact the chef is upstairs doing admin and they had just tried it in the kitchen and it was full of sand". No apology, no offer of a new starter! We then both had fish pie. Quite tasty but a lot of potato in comparison to fish and served with a plain side salad without so much as a salad dressing nor seasoning. I make a better fish pie at home using Jamie Oliver's fantastic fish pie recipe, but that is beside the point! Desserts were fine enough. When the bill came, we had been charged for the starter that I couldn't eat. There was also 12.5% discretionary service added. I asked the waiter to take off the service charge (it is optional and I personally don't think it should be added by default - if I think a tip is deserved, I will pay a tip, but I don't want it just added for me). I then said I was disappointed that I was being charged for a starter that I couldn't eat (very politely without raising my voice I might add). The waiter (a different one this time) just looked at me with mild disgust, went and sorted the bill and then came back in an arrogant strop, chucking the credit card machine on a nearby table. Still no apology about the awful starter. Even if the starter were a one-off mistake, the rest of the food is average and the staff we encountered were rude and arrogant. I would never go to this place again, not even if it were free.

I wish we'd read the comments and other user reviews before visiting this overpriced disappointment of a restaurant. For the extortionate prices this place had the audacity to charge, they couldn't even get the basics right. It's hard to get fish and chips wrong, but the battered fillet of pollock with chunky chips I ordered was unbelievably greasy and the chips (not chips but chunky potato wedges) were undercooked and chalky. I should really have sent them back, my local chippy does a better job for a quarter of the price! My partner didn't fare much better. She had a guinea fowl, leak and potato pie which she couldn't finish because the filling had the consistency of water and tasted bland, as if all the chef had done was to tip a carton of single cream into the pie! My advice would be to avoid this place and spend your cash elsewhere. We won't be going back.

Having been highly recommended this was a huge disappointment. In the refurbishment the owners have managed to lose all the character of a pub yet have not made this place a restaurant or a wine bar either. In addition the service was appalling and although the chef is supposed to have done marvellous things with the menu the one vegetarian option was boring and overpriced. I can buy stuffed pasta in a shop for a quarter of the price. I won't be going back.

We were out walking at lunchtime and the aroma coming from the kitchen just drew us in, The waitress was friendly and efficient, sat us down and we had a great meal. The pork belly is recommended. Unfortunately, no one had the two course set menu at £17.50, nevertheless, at £25 a head with one glass of house wine it did not seem excessive for the quality.