The Greyhound, Private Function Room

This is an excellent pub and restaurant. I remembered it from when I was a small child, so when we went back as siblings plus grandson (and great-granddaughter) to scatter my mother’s ashes where she grew up, we decided to book a table for lunch afterwards. Due to my brother and his wife being stuck in traffic in Central London our meeting time of 12 noon didn’t work, but Greyhound staff let my son and his baby come in and wait, and then my sister joined us. We ended up going for a walk, then coming back and once again using their toilet. Then while we were waiting for the other two to arrive, the time of our booking came and went. I rang the Greyhound and they were completely fine with us and put our table booking back one hour. After the ashes scattering we went back, they found us a large table with room for the buggy and took our drinks order. The menu was good with traditional pub food like fish and chips or burger, with more adventurous stuff. At this point I discovered my siblings weren’t hungry(!!) but I managed to persuade them to eat something and they enjoyed starters with a side dish as a light lunch. Apparently the soufflé on the starter menu is never available, but my brother and his wife stopped at a restaurant in Warwick on the way home and managed to get a lovely cheese soufflé so all was well. Food was hot and freshly made and brought to the table at the same time. My son had the burger which he thought was okay (probably on the menu because people expect it). I had the mussels and fries. They came in a big pot with a lid and chips in a cup. My brother had prawns so they gave us a finger bowl to share. The sauce on my mussels was delicious but a lot got left in the bottom. My brother gave me half a slice of ciabatta that came with his prawns so I soaked up some of the sauce, but I couldn’t manage to keep the sauce on the mussel shell without it going back into the pan when I ate the mussel. All the ‘starter and side’ people thought the food was lovely. There was a drinks list with some different beers and cocktails - son and brother had Battersea brewery beer and loved it. But there was no wine list, so I ordered Sauvignon blanc and my sister-in-law had a glass too. It was really good, even if I had chosen from a list I couldn’t have chosen better. There was a jug of water for the table which we had before we ordered any drinks which was a nice touch. Our waitress was lovely and helpful, but so were all the staff including the young woman who saw me arriving for our meal and greeted me like a regular after my earlier visits to use the facilities! While I was sitting waiting for family members an old man drinking beer at the next table said to me ‘they’ve really done this pub up well’ and I agreed. It has a really good ambience and decor, smart but very comfortable and welcoming. And even though they showed rugby in the afternoon it was down the other end far away from the restaurant area and not too loud. A great pub for a drink, a meal or a just a place to meet. Friendly and welcoming, with great food and drinks. I highly recommend it.