Dukes Head, Crawley

I believe this large roadside pub used to be a Harvester or Beefeater back in the day, and compared to those chain offerings this is definitely an improvement. Fairly standard gastro pub fit out with a large dining area to the left that ticks all the boxes in Gastro pub designer’s handbook, clean wooden floor, large wooden tables and chairs, pastel Farrow & Ball paint chart liberally on all surfaces and an out of place bullock scull on the fireplace for effect, you know the sort of thing. But then fortunately to the right of the central bar is a slightly more characterful lounge bar area with comfortable padded seating and then some exterior bench seating to the front of the pub which means although clearly its primary focus is as a restaurant, it’s not too bad to stop just for a beer. On this front two ales were available in the form of Doombar and Harveys Best. The Doombar was OK but the Harveys was sadly quite thin. We did choose to eat here as it is very convenient for those returning to the APH Off Site Gatwick parking area and in need of somewhere to eat. Slightly pricey but the food we had was very good as was the service, although it wasn’t that busy and therefore not that challenged on our late afternoon visit.

Official site of the Dukes Head, contains menu - www.thedukesheadcrawley.co.uk

Official site of the Dukes Head, contains menu - www.thedukesheadcrawley.co.uk