Blue Anchor, Tadworth

Pub SignMan left this review about Blue Anchor

This is very much a food-led pub, set in a pleasant building on the busy Dorking Road - a good 15-20 minute walk from Tadworth station. As soon as you walk in, you immediately know this is a gastro pub, thanks to the upmarket feel they’re trying to convey with the pub’s decor and ambiance. The servery is opposite the entrance, with seating areas off to either side, all looking like they are designed with diners in mind, leaving some limited space around the bar for anyone just looking to have a drink. The room is mostly bare boarded, with walls painted in contrasting dark and light shades and the windows sporting fancy floral print blinds. Seating comes mainly in the form of comfy, nicely upholstered tub chairs, plus a few plush banquettes, which gives the place a bit of a lounge bar feel. The gastro theme doesn’t exactly make for a great aesthetic, no matter how smart the decor is, and traditional features are notably in short supply, with a bog-standard servery failing to redress the balance. Visual distraction includes some modern art prints, a few nice old-fashioned posters and a whole load of anchors, either in the form of small pictures or else large models tacked to the walls. There’s a fair few potted plants scattered around the room as well, which look quite nice and add to the pub’s overall effect.
I came here to meet friends for a bite to eat, so wasn’t really expecting much on the beer front, which meant it was no great shock to find just Sharp’s Doom Bar available on cask, with a Fullers London Pride clip reversed on a second handpull. The Doom Bar was so-so, but the food was pretty good, with friendly service and a sizable Sunday lunchtime crowd.
I’m not really a fan of the gastro pub format and tend to only enjoy them if I’m there specifically for some food, so I wonder how differently I might have felt about this place if I’d just turned up for a pint. They’ve made this a nice environment to enjoy some decent food but it’s hard to see where a casual drinker would fit in and I’d only really recommend it to anyone wanting to dine.

Date of visit - 1st October 2023

On 4^th January 2024 - rating: 5
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