The Carpenters Arms

The Carpenters Arms

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+44 1883 722209+ Add websiteWrite a Review
Hours
Sun
12:00 - 22:30
Mon
12:00 - 21:00
Tue
12:00 - 21:00
Wed
12:00 - 21:00
Thu
12:00 - 21:00
Fri
12:00 - 21:00
Sat
12:00 - 21:00
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What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Ratings and reviews
4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS
Food
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Service
3.9 of 5 bubbles
Value
3.7 of 5 bubbles
Atmosphere
4.2 of 5 bubbles
Is this an Indian restaurant?
About
The Carpenters Arms at Limpsfield Chart is renowned for its delicious home-cooked food and warm welcome. Find us at the heart of the beautiful National Trust-managed Limpsfield Common, a wonderful ancient landscape to explore on foot, by bike or horseback. Dating back to the 1800s, The Carpenters Arms is a destination drinking spot which has featured in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide for the last five years, and lies at the heart of the local community. We serve a range of Westerham Brewery beers and lagers. In good weather, the large garden and dining terrace really come into their own, while the light and spacious Garden Room can be hired for private events.
PRICE RANGE
£9.00 – £30.00
CUISINES
Indian, British
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, After-hours, Drinks
FEATURES
Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Street Parking, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Mastercard, Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Gift Cards Available
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4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles437 reviews
Excellent
189
Very good
120
Average
54
Poor
49
Terrible
25

Flyer781055
Croydon5 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 none
Visited the Carpenters Arms for the first time in many years. The Baman suggested we find a table in the garden area, as the resturant was fully booked. He alos requested we choose from the menu ASAP to avoid the busy period at 1 O'clock. We were comfortable with this arrangement. However, when we requested a menu we told they were being printed. Following a couple of reminders, the menu finally arrived. We quickly made our choises. A burger, a sandwich and 1 pint of bitter arrived quickly . However, although we did not realise until we were home, we were charged for 2 pints of beer.
Written 27 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lucy A
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020 none
Sadly, along with many others, we had our wedding plans scuppered and had to reduce our reception to 30 people with a sat down meal. We contacted The Carpenters and straight from the off they were helpful and quick to respond. On the day, the team couldn't do enough for us. Whilst ensuring we were compliant with COVID regulations, they did everything they could to make our day really special. We used the back room which has been redecorated recently and provided the perfect space for a small celebration. Guests were really complementary about the food which was delicious and we have always been a big fan of the wide selection of Westerham Brewery beers. Bravo! We can't thank Eloise and her team enough, they were a huge part of making our day so special.
Written 23 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

cft1961
London2 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020 family
We arrived at midday and were immediately seated with minimum fuss. We then waited a while before our order was taken. We have our order but the server couldn’t remember it so we had to give our order again. There was some confusion over whether, or not, one of the starters was available. Our starters arrived at about 12:45... the potted shrimps were frozen and had to be returned to be heated up. They came back as butter soup. The beetroot soup tasted like water; obviously the chef had not tasted it. Our main courses were delayed again... arrived at about 1.25pm but were tasty and hot. No problem with dessert and coffee. At £146.00 it wasn’t a cheap meal. The servers were really nice and friendly. It’s just the long waits and the disappointing starters that let this meal down. At no stage were we offered any recompense or explanations for these issues.
Written 28 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Emma F
1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 friends
I have been to this pub a few times and always found it good with above average food. However, I visited three days ago on a day when the eat out to help out scheme was available. The service was abysmal. We came for early dinner with three young children and it took 30 minutes to receive any drinks, more than 50 minutes to receive food and 20 minutes to get a bill (and only then when we chased it down). There seemed to be a good amount of staff (4-5 waiting staff for about 18 tables) but getting service was really hard and on every drinks order at least one of our drinks was wrong. The staff were all young, seemed inexperienced and without confidence and I couldn't see any sign of anyone managing the tables or expediting orders. There was clearly no table allocations as you would have no staff for 20 minutes and then 3 or 4 would come to take your order within a couple of minutes. Then to the menu. They were running a reduced menu on the day we came, totally normal under current circumstances. It seemed to me to be more expensive than the regular menu,if not its certainly not priced well to maximise the opportunity of the government scheme. I ordered a ploughman's board at an eye watering £16, which must have been devised by someone who hates ploughman's as it was nothing like you'd expect. Small Strips of pitta bread and houmous included but no bread to accompany the cheese and ham, an inexplicable hot sausage sitting on top and least said about the pickles the better. My husband had a burger and chips which was virtually the same size as my sons one which was half the price but conversely my friend's fish and chips was so enormous half was left on the plate. We had wanted to order desserts but couldn't because we would run out of time on the hour and a half we had booked the table for, but as it had taken 50 minutes to get our main meals out I didn't think this was our fault. I have eaten at other places since Covid restrictions were in place and they are all coping better than the Carpenters Arms. Unless they can get their ordering systems worked out I fear they will do long term damage to their reputation. I do understand that they are having to do more with less in the current environment but the fact is other places are coping much better and so frankly I would avoid until the world has got a bit more normal or there has been more time for them to work out these issues.
Written 13 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheCarpentersArms1
HI! Thank you for sharing your concerns with us, we are always happy to hear from our customers. As you will understand it has been a very difficult task reopening the pub and restaurant. Our main consideration has been the safety of our customers and staff. We have taken every precaution to make sure that we operate safely. The “eat out to help out” scheme has been brilliant for both yourselves and us. However in this stressful time we have to make decisions that allow us to continue to operate and serve you in the future. We have not had the amount of staff required to deal with such volumes of customers in our establishment that we could have predicted for. (three months off takes it toll!) All of our ingredients are of the highest quality and this will never change. I will let you into a little secret - we have had two chefs over July! Considering The Carpenters Arms has been receiving 150+ customers per day, I am sure you will understand the pressure our entire team has been under to make your visit to us pleasurable. Going forward we would to like inform you that from bank holiday weekend we will have a new menu that reflects how we would like to go forward. Reasonably priced, locally sourced ingredients and even a new bar menu. Check out our website at the end of the month and book a table through our new online booking system. Everyone deserves a second chance right? We are also opening our BBQ shack on the Saturday 29th for Summer Specials including all of your favourites and exciting new cocktails! Kind Regards, The Management team
Written 18 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Matthew R
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 family
So after a walk round Limpsfield chart with my parents I decided to treat them to lunch. We ordered drinks waited a few minutes for a table sat down and then went to the bar to order. A young girl then came over and took our order and I noticed she did not write it down. We only ordered a few small bits. A sandwich, chips, tart and a pate. So after 35 - 40 mins of waiting which we did patiently as we’re enjoying our beers and catching up a young man came over to ask if we wanted more drinks. To which my father responded were fine would just like the food. Then 10-15 minutes later he comes back to say the ticket did not go through. Now as a man who has worked in kitchens for 12 years it seemed like a poor excuse with no reconciliation or apology at all. I don’t mind waiting and could see they were busy it was the way in which the situation was handled. I could see the chef behind the bar chatting away and no one seemed to really care at all that we had patiently waited 45-50 minutes for really what was starters on the menu. And then when they had realised they hadn’t put our food through a weak excuse was given and no attempt to rectify it. All in all a terribly poor experience considering no one seemed to care at all.
Written 3 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheCarpentersArms1
Hi Matthew, I am Extremely sorry to hear about your time spent at The Carpenters. On the 5th of January (the first slot our tech guys had) we had all new printers and cables run so unfortunately our staff was correct however the way it was dealt with was not the nicest to read. We are currently under going new staff training methods and can assure you that huge improvements have been made to rectify all the problems you have stated. If you could email us on carpenters@westerhambrewery.co.uk we can discuss the issues further. Apologies from all at The Carpenters, We hope to see you soon with our refreshed service. Many thanks Management @ The Caprenters
Written 3 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Lily Pullum
London28 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 friends
Booked a table for 7 (two families), we were told max 6 people were allowed at a table. Not ideal but acceptable as we were informed it at the time of the booking. Therefore we split children to a separate table. Upon arrival we were told the oven was down and we could not have ordered food. I firmly believe the receptionist should have phoned all bookings and saved us the journey, and gave us as much notice as possible to make alternative arrangements. As we started looking at where else we could go, the waiter told us the situation was under control and we could have food. We walked in. We sat across two tables at 4pm, as booked, Sunday roast unavailable on Sunday. Disappointing. Again, we could have been told this before we sat down and ordered our drinks. We proceeded to order starters and mains, waitress returned to state that mash is not available for the sausage and mash, so it was swapped with chips. All dishes were extremely underwhelming and below average. Far below average. Cheap airline style. Kids meals were missing peas, the only green. We ate our food because we visited this pub after a long walk at Toys Hill, and we did not know where else to go. The whole afternoon was so bad that in the end we just have to laugh at the awful experience. We will remember this visit for all the wrong reasons. The management need to act fast and improve the quality of the food, perhaps invest in a new oven too.
Written 30 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Local Resident
5 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020 family
Visited today 27/9 for Lunch.Chose this Pub for a Sunday Roast As our visitors wanted this and we wished to support our local. Looked at the online menu For a Sunday and it clearly states Roasts on the menu. Were seated and asked Roasts then We’re advised no Roasts at all as the Cooking equipment ? Was broken for several weeks !!. Hummm not good. we chose a alternative Meal, when ordering for the 5th person the Staff member rolled there eyes in the air? ..Why? Also the Price for this meal online is cheaper than the Menu put in front of us on the day. Overall only went there for a Roast and was disappointed. By Food selection and Service
Written 27 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alex B
11 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021 friends
Visited with friends for catch up lunch . One of us is undergoing cancer treatment so we made sure booked outside in shade for 1 o’clock . Menu on website looked nice with lovely salad and sandwiches. Arrived to be given a menu that wasn’t remotely similar told no sandwiches at lunchtime and no salads . Asked about one on menu waitress went off and reported not available. The weather was so hot abd we certainly didn’t want a huge fish a s chop meal at £16.. so we asked if chef could rustle up maybe 4 salads using the side salad on offer and perhaps add hulumi or feta ? Waitress said after a couple trips that would be fine . By 230 we still had no food ! Finally after much chasing 4 salads arrived .. definitely nothing special but food at least . The waitress was lovely and attentive and nothing was too much trouble but honestly a chef that can’t imagine a salad in under an hour and half leaves you wondering what skills they actually have tbh . I’ve eaten here loads and food was so bad today it really spoilt it for us all . No offer of reduced bill either as they knew we had been mucked around ages . Seems the pub is just out to sell the high price food not the nice pub grub they were known for :(
Written 20 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

N8225ZNsarahb
2 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 family
Had a family lunch booked here last weekend. We visited last year and the food & service was great. This year not so much - we’d booked a table and got seated outside which was great. But after that.....the service was slow, 2 of our drinks were forgotten (inc milk to accompany a pot of tea!), and we were served wooden cutlery “due to Covid”. I’ve eaten out a number of times since lockdown eased and never before have I been served wooden cutlery- which I told the staff. Most of us couldn’t finish our meal - I had the roast beef and I couldn’t cut the meat with the knife plus I snapped a fork. Added to that there was a real wasp problem which I totally understand is outside of the pub’s remit however when we suggested they get some citronella candles on the tables we were told “oh yeah we have some of those on some tables but there’s not much else we can do”. Erm have one on every table perhaps? Real shame as this pub is in a lovely setting and the food is good, but we won’t be visiting again.
Written 10 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheCarpentersArms1
HI! Thank you for sharing your concerns with us, we are always happy to hear from our customers. As you will understand it has been a very difficult task reopening the pub and restaurant. Our main consideration has been the safety of our customers and staff. We have taken every precaution to make sure that we operate safely. The “eat out to help out” scheme has been brilliant for both yourselves and us. However in this stressful time we have to make decisions that allow us to continue to operate and serve you in the future. We have not had the amount of staff required to deal with such volumes of customers in our establishment that we could have predicted for. (three months off takes it toll!) All of our ingredients are of the highest quality and this will never change. I will let you into a little secret - we have had two chefs over July! Considering The Carpenters Arms has been receiving 150+ customers per day, I am sure you will understand the pressure our entire team has been under to make your visit to us pleasurable. Going forward we would to like inform you that from bank holiday weekend we will have a new menu that reflects how we would like to go forward. Reasonably priced, locally sourced ingredients and even a new bar menu. Check out our website at the end of the month and book a table through our new online booking system. Everyone deserves a second chance right? We are also opening our BBQ shack on the Saturday 29th for Summer Specials including all of your favourites and exciting new cocktails! Kind Regards, The Management team
Written 18 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

BeanyExplorer
London350 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020 family
We enjoyed a lovely lunch on Sunday at the Carpenter’s, we felt very safe with all their friendly and professional staff in their masks. This was our first visit to this pub and we only live up the road, it is newly decorated and the menu whilst small has plenty of choice. The portions of food are on the larger side, but it was well cooked and tasted lovely! We will definitely visiting again! BTW they are dog friendly, which was great as we could enjoy a walk before hand.
Written 21 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Experience38579
5 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 none
We had a warm welcome and good service but the food lacks imagination and considering the speed it arrived probably pre cooked. The menu was limited. Our escalope of chicken was chargrilled chicken breast on a massive bed of chips. Not a great presentation.
Written 31 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gareth P
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020 none
My wife, son and I visited the Carpenters Arms about a month ago on a sunny Monday evening. I've lived in the Oxted area for 6 years and not even driven past the pub before, let alone been in it, so thought it was worth a try. We were lucky enough to get a seat in the garden in the glorious sunshine, where my 3 year old could run around and we could sit and have a drink and keep an eye on him. We only had main courses but my wife and I agreed the food was absolutely delicious! My son had something from the kids menu and it was a very generous portion for around £5. My wife is pregnant so did not get a chance to try the alcohol but I had a coupe of pints of the 5.8% IPA from the Westerham Brewery and it was superb! Was tempted to have a few more but would have been pushing it on a Monday evening :0) Talking to the people that work there and other locals, sounds like there have been some mixed reviews of the place over the past few years but sounds like they are really trying to make a lot of improvements recently. I think there's a refurbishment happening as I write this so looking forward to seeing it when it is finished. It's a proper country pub in a beautiful setting and has so much to offer, I hope it's just as good the next time I visit.
Written 8 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

green 91
London333 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2022 couples
Tried to eat here today 12th September and gave up after waiting nearly an hour in a pub that was almost empty, only 3 or 4 tables with a few customers. We had to order food from the bar after waiting 15 minutes or so for the waitress to come back from wherever she disappeared to. She was nowhere to be seen for most of the time. Then a couple who came in after us were served and finished their starters which according to the waitress were cooked before ours as we hadn’t asked for starters! As if that’s a reasonable excuse.
Written 12 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

YvonneCR2014
Murcia288 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021 none
A great portion of food which was delicious and hot, but service very slow. After clearing plates no one asked if we wanted dessert or coffee and when we asked for the bill again waited so long that in the end went to the counter to pay. On a busy week end more staff are needed. They have too much work to cope with when customers are seated indoors, in the extension and outside.
Written 11 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Fay M
London104 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023 none
We went here with my partners family after a really lovely dog walk and were excited to be in a cosy pub in the evening. We had booked an early dinner as we walked in the afternoon before it got dark. The staff were really friendly but not that present. They seem to hang around the bar a lot chatting instead of checking on their tables. The drinks were good but the food was such a disappointment. We ordered some bread and olives to start which was good, the focaccia was delicious actually but the main courses were awful. There was 3 of us that ordered the burger and it was so dry I couldn't actually eat it. It was piping hot as well and I felt that it had been under a heater for a while which was the reason why it was bone dry. My partners dad ordered the duck which did look ok but again was piping hot and the vegetables looked really dry, although they had gravy over them so not as noticeable. The burgers came with sweet potato fries which were ok but felt they were quite crispy, burnt and over cooked. Again these were piping hot so probably had also been left under a heater. We loved the pubs atmosphere but were really disappointed with the food and probably would risk going back to eat again. Definitely would visit for a drink if I was in the area. Such a shame.
Written 8 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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THE CARPENTERS ARMS, Oxted - Updated 2024 Restaurant Reviews, Menu & Prices - Tripadvisor

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