Curious Pig in the Parlour

Someone from this business manages this listing.

1,465 reviews

#4 of 6 Restaurants in Copthorne££ - £££, Bar, Pizza, British

+44 1342 716202+ Add website

Hours

Sun

8:00 - 23:00

Mon

8:00 - 23:00

Tue

8:00 - 23:00

Wed

8:00 - 23:00

Thu

8:00 - 23:00

Fri

8:00 - 23:00

Sat

8:00 - 23:00

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Ratings and reviews

3.5

1,465 reviews

#4 of 6 Restaurants in Copthorne

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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CUISINES

Bar, Pizza, British, Pub

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours

features

Location and contact

Effingham Road, Copthorne, Crawley RH10 3HY England

+44 1342 716202

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Details

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About

We've found ourselves a beautiful home here in Copthorne, just 7 miles from Gatwick Airport and we're proud to serve up delicious food straight from the kitchen and crafted drinks poured at the bar every day of the week. Plus we're the perfect place for a stop-over before you fly, or to base yourself from when exploring the beautiful county of West Sussex, with 9 beautiful bedrooms, stylishly designed for maximum comfort. We look forward to seeing you soon!

CUISINES

Bar, Pizza, British, Pub

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours

FEATURES

Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Dog Friendly

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3.5

1,465 reviews

Excellent

543

Very good

363

Average

197

Poor

173

Terrible

189

Paula R

Crawley54 contributions

Best Pizza around!!

Dec 2019 • friends

Have eaten here many times & they certainly do the best Pizza around. Other dishes are well worth a try especially the 2 for 1 steak on a Tuesday, great midweek value. The guy behind the bar was also kind enough to let us taste a couple of the red wines before we decided on a bottle, which was greatly appreciated. Highly recommend but book in advance.

Written 2 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.

Curious_Pig

Dear KISSPLR, Thank you for leaving us a review! I am so pleased you enjoyed your many visits to us! You'll be pleased to know we are re-commencing our infamous steak offer next Tuesday. I shall be passing on your kind words to the rest of the team and make sure our bar-staff keep up the good work! We look forward to seeing you soon. Many Thanks, May Heal

Written 4 January 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

ChrisB090

344 contributions

Pleasant Dining Experience

May 2021 • none

Having heard great things about this restaurant, I was looking forward to it. On the evening we dined outside it was chilly. Service was OK (but it took ages to get our bill); The portions of the mains and the desserts were smaller than the price would suggest. But the quality and taste of the four meals we had was exceptional. I can't wait to dine inside whilst dining outside on a long summer evening will be amazing. Book your table well ahead.

Written 8 May 2021

Curious_Pig

Thank you for the lovely feedback. We have hopefully built up on our speed.

Written 1 November 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

StarGazer

East Grinstead1 contribution

Very average food

Sept 2020 • none

Visited on a weekday night and it was busy. Can't fault the waiting staff - very good. I had the rib-eye steak medium rare and it was very thin,sinewy and chewy. Good job it had 50% off steaks as full price certainly wouldn't be worth it. Overall disappointing and average.

Written 16 September 2020

Curious_Pig

Good Evening - We're glad that our waiting staff did a great job with you, and we can only apologise for the quality of the steak that you received. We have passed on the comments to the chef, to ensure that checks for quality is more thorough. We hope that this doesn't deter any future visits, and we look forward to seeing you in the near future. Kind Regards The Curious Pig in the Parlour

Written 17 September 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Lucy

1 contribution

Awfull, awfull and awfull

Jan 2020 • solo

I was dining on own as working in area. I decided to treat myself to Sunday roast. What a wrong choice. I arrived 15 mins early, so there was a scene with me arriving early couldn't find my booking. Eventually found, I was thrown on a table for 4, I needed and wanted a small table for me, just me. It was absolutely freezing, as sat by door, with people walking in and out to garden. I ordered roast beef, Yorkshire pud good, wine good. The roast was warm, not hot, garnishes fine. I was then joined on my table by another woman scoffing down a pizza and talking loudly in phone, using the other lay up knife to stir her drink, vile. My warm roast ( yes I ate it as was starving ) finally taken from me, there was no how was your meal, would you like another drink. 30 mins later, got desert menu, 15 mins later, got asked if I'd like a desert, answer no, I couldn't wait to reluctantly pay and get the hell out. The customer service is shocking, individual nice people, however as a single person wanting a lovely table for 1 Sunday lunch, the curious pig should be ashamed and sort it out. I meant to add, I hadn't even sat down and was told, no prawns, few lamb left, sirloin, and something else , I wondered if I was going to be tested at the end to see if I could remember what wasn't available !!! This place from the outside lifts your heart, you think oh looks lovely, you walk in, welcoming bar, then it goes rapidly downhill from there, such a disappointment, I will not recommended and never return. Phew !! Get a grip on customer service and more in-house training required to enable to deliver outstanding customer service, I may of been on my own but no excuse to be overlooked, to allow another person on my table, to be freezing and serve Luke warm food. Anyone would think I'm rather peeved !

Written 19 January 2020

Curious_Pig

Dear Lucy, Thank you for leaving us a review. I am so sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your meal with us. We are a fresh kitchen and pride ourselves on serving high quality food as well as taking the time to train our staff to their best ability so therefore, I can only apologise this was not apparent during your mos recent visit. In regards, to another guest joining your table, we would simply never seat another party on a table already taken. I cannot take any responsibility for the manners of the other guest but i will however, apologise that this wasn't dealt with. I will be taking your comments into consideration and we appreciate all feedback. Kind Regards, May Heal

Written 21 January 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Freya

2 contributions

Disappointing (During Covid)

Jul 2020 • family

We have been to this restaurant a few times in recent years and have always enjoyed our experience however last night we decided to go and see what it was like being in a restaurant with the pandemic restrictions. Sadly I don’t think you would have known a pandemic was still going on. The waitresses got way to close to the table to take our order and to put the plates down. They touched the cutlery before putting it on the table (another restaurant placed it on a tray so we could retrieve ourselves). There was no one way system meaning that everyone was everywhere. Forgive me if i am wrong but I didn’t think the pubs should be booking at full capacity? It was full! Tables were all busy. Yes they had sanitiser on entry but that was it really. I even saw a waitress jokingly touch a customer at one point. I know this seems all very dramatic but we would like to have pubs stay open and avoid another lockdown. Sadly I don’t think we will be back anytime soon. The food was lovely and it was nice to be out again just a shame that they were a bit too relaxed.

Written 11 July 2020

Curious_Pig

Thank you

Written 9 January 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Achnacloich

Copthorne260 contributions

Well worth visiting

Aug 2020 • none

We revisited this local restaurant during “East out to help out” initiative. We made our table booking online using their website and this was easy and straight forward. Due to the popularity of the scheme we were only able to book for a dinner slot for 5:30pm. The restaurant has a large car park and with the reduced numbers being catered for space was not an issue. When we arrived the restaurant was already half full and despite having over 50% of the tables removed still managed to generate a good atmosphere. We were welcomed and shown to our table. In line with COVID measures the table was bare which did rather spoil the experience. Menus were brought and a drinks order taken. Drinks were served promptly on a tray and we were asked to take them to the table as part of the COVID measures. I did wonder how they got on the tray if staff were unable to handle the glasses. There is a good range of dishes on offer with something to suit most tastes. We ordered the chicken breast and steak for main courses. These arrived in the timescales expected for cooked to order. Again, dishes were served on a tray together with napkins and cutlery and we lifted them onto the table. Condiments were offered and brought in individual sachets. Both the chicken and the steak were cooked as ordered and were excellent. The thick cut chips accompanying the steak were perfection personified. Only minor blemish was that we were given cocktail napkins which are rather on the small side. When the mains were cleared we were offered the dessert menu and my wife decided to have the cheesecake. This was again served quickly with accompanying cutlery and fresh napkins. Throughout staff were attentive ensuring the meal was to our satisfaction and offering drinks refills when required. The restaurant was full by the time we left and despite the reduced numbers had a atmosphere close to the “old normal”. We had a very enjoyable meal and have booked a return visit with friends at the beginning of October. If you are in the vicinity then the Curious Pig is well worth a visit.

Written 12 September 2020

Curious_Pig

We are thrilled that you had such a good time with us, and it is lovely to hear that all of our hard work is paying off with the new measures in place. We look forward to seeing you again in October! Kind Regards The Curious Pig in the Parlour

Written 15 September 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Mark N

Copthorne42 contributions

Birthday time

Nov 2021 • friends

Well where do I start, waited for 5 min to be seated then get told no pizza and not fillet steak, we all ordered sirloin 3 of us, then they came out and said no sirloin, all steaks were over cooked and looked more like sandwich steak, the triple cooked chips were more like nails. It was a good job it was half price there is no way on earth I would paid. I heard it was bad but thought would give it a go as half price, and looks nice from the out side. The staff don’t have a clue felt sorry for them. Avoid like Covid you will be upset and leave angry

Written 4 November 2021

Gill R

Crawley110 contributions

Excellent Meal

Dec 2019 • none

We visited The Curious Pig on 20th December my sons 30th birthday. Obviously it was very busy being in the run up to Xmas but the staff were attentive. We had a friend who is a coeliac and she was immediately given a coeliac menu and as all the food is freshly cooked there was no problem in accommodating her. Food was delicious and arrived in an acceptable time We will definitely be back

Written 16 January 2020

Curious_Pig

Dear Gill R, Thank you for leaving us a 5 star review! I am so pleased you chose us to celebrate your sons birthday. We have a range of gluten free options to accommodate for our coeliac guests so I am happy she enjoyed it! We look forward to seeing you again soon. Kind Regards, May Heal

Written 17 January 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Grant N

Copthorne50 contributions

My email about the rude Manager.

Nov 2021 • none

For the attention of the Owner of The Curious Pig, Good afternoon. I have just driven home after my Mother, Sister and close friend had a meal at the Curious Pig. We did not book a table for todays lunch but as we live locally, we drove in and parked in the car park hoping there would be a space for us. We walked into the restaurant and enquired if there was space for four of us. The manager was brash and abruptly asked us to use the sanitiser to clean our hands then showed us to our table. My sister on seeing where the table in front of us was situated near the door of the kitchen enquired if the table nearby was available as it was a little more private. The Manager replied it was and then continued to say in a sarcastic way these words “You may as well have two tables as you have taken two parking spaces!" We looked at each other totally unaware of the parking error and tried to take in his rude comment regarding the parking over the lines in the car park and the fact that we asked to sit at a different table. We couldn’t work out if he was sarcastic or facetious, either way he was was so blatantly rude and unprofessional that we are disgusted that he is working there, let alone front of house ! We sat down and my friend felt threatened by his comments regarding her parking and felt a need to walk out to move her car. When she returned we all contemplated leaving as we all felt so very offended by this mans tone and rude comment. We mentioned this incident to one of the delightful waitresses who apologised to us. No apology or comment was made to us during our meal from the Manager. As we left my mother did mention to the Manager that he was very rude and that were offended by his comments. He didn’t seem at all interested and barely made eye contact or acknowledged her in the slightest with no real honest apology. He was too busy looking at his computer screen. As a Business owner myself and so very aware of making people feel welcome, we are so very offended by the brash comments made today. On this occasion his comment was so very insensitive and facetious and then to not really care how much we were offended is hard to understand. On refection we should have left straightaway as the atmosphere and hurt feelings ruined the meal. I have shared my feelings on trip adviser and await a response. Regards

Written 6 November 2021

Touringlamp

7 contributions

Terrible steaks

Dec 2020 • family

We ordered 3 rib eye steaks here tonight. What turned up was 1 rib eye & 2 pre cooked awful rump cuts. When I asked the waitress (who were great) to ask the kitchen what’s up, I was told that ‘they don’t cut the meat on site and that it’s pre cut’. Which didn’t answer my question as to why we had 2 different cuts of meat on the table. Couldn’t be bothered to confront the kitchen on how they’ve completely mugged us off on our steaks. Starters were great however. £30 for mystery chewy cuts - not so great.

Written 9 December 2020

Curious_Pig

Thank you for your review. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and would like to assure you we are working on training and hiring new team members. We hope to see you again in the near future.

Written 9 January 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

louisapd16

27 contributions

Raw Food and terrible management.

Aug 2020 • none

Me and a friend came for lunch goodbye. What was concerning is they didn’t make any customers sanitise their hands upon arrival and no staff were wearing face masks to protect themselves or the customer. We’d ordered a chicken starter. After it was served we discovered it was complete raw. The young waitress was very polite and apologised about the food and took them away straight away and voided them off the bill. Later the manager came after we requested to speak to him and his lack of concern and attitude was worrying. There was no apology from him and no empathy. He said all food should be temperature checked and there’s not much else he could have done. Clearly food isn’t being checked there and that’s concerning. He said if we would like to carry on eating there then great f not he would cancel the order. We wasn’t asked if we’d like anything else or something as a gesture of good will he seemed to just shrug the matter off. The bill came and we’d still had to pay for all of our drinks and mains which is unbelievable. As we were leaving he was on his phone with his back to the door and once again no apology or even a goodbye.. Such a shame as we go there quite often and most certainly won’t be again.

Written 19 August 2020

Curious_Pig

Thank you for your response. We are now under new management and would love to see you in the near future!

Written 9 January 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Gumbo99

Angmering151 contributions

Loved it

Aug 2020 • friends

Family meal with old friends who had been here before and had bigged it up before we came and they were spot on. The Scotch egg starter was excellent and the pizzas, burgers and deserts that followed amazing. The waiter seemed a little inexperienced and made a couple of minor mistakes with ice in drinks etc but these were quickly put right and the food was served quickly and piping hot. Loved the quirky sink in the gents too, we will definitely return when in the area next.

Written 26 August 2020

Curious_Pig

Thank you

Written 9 January 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Julie F

34 contributions

Awful

Jan 2022 • family

In the past we had heard good reviews on this place so we thought we would give it a try. I wouldn't bother going back if I'm honest. Service was ok. Waitress very sweet however the quality of food let's this place down. We ordered steak medium no sauce just steak and fries. The steak was so rare could only eat around the edges. It had sauce on the side with a mushroom, the sauce was so hot. When we were asked how the food was and we said the steak isn't nice and we asked for no sauce they just scrapped the sauce off the plate. The pasta dish was watery and tasteless. I think Iceland do a better dish for just under £2. The man didn't really want to know or put things right just carried on cleaning the table. Not good value for money, and a real disappointment. Wouldn't recommend and won't return. Shame there is no customer care.

Written 15 January 2022

Curious_Pig

Written 1 February 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Marion G

Hartfield68 contributions

Very disappointing experience

Mar 2022 • none

Arrived at the pub and shown to our table, and then waited so long to be asked if we would like a drink that one of our party had to get up to ask for drinks. We tried to order our food once a waitress came to the table, there were at least 4 items that we we were hoping to order that we’re off, this was a Saturday night, not very busy, really not acceptable. When it came to ordering coffee this was also unavailable. We spoke to the manager who really was just very defensive. We will certainly not be revisiting this pub, felt sorry for the waitresses to face criticism that was mostly not in their control.

Written 13 March 2022

Curious_Pig

Good Morning Marion I am sorry that on this occasion not all items were available on the menu, unfortunately we are still having issues with suppliers. Sadly our coffee machine is currently broken and awaiting parts so that it can be repaired. We hope to see you again soon for a better experience when our new menu launches at the end of the month. Kind Regards Aneurin

Written 15 March 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

GordonWhite

38 contributions

DREADFUL EXPERIENCE, what has happened to this place

Nov 2020 • none

Party of 4, been there before many times and enjoyed the meals but NEVER AGAIN. The meal my wife had Cottage Pie my wife had was a very small ramekin size with a small spoonful of meat in it and just a few small carrots and tiny jug of gravy. A friend had the Chicken, Ham Hock & Pea Pie. Again small ramekin size with approx 8 beans and a few small roast pots. No gravy and waitress could not understand why we asked for some, well it was on the menu! I had a Margarita Pizza which was scarce with toppings and I could have done better going to Tesco. My wife said she was still hungry when we left and in 40+ years I have never heard he say that. I would embarrassed if I had served that meal to guests at my house. I wrote to the restaurant when we got home. The reply was very dismissive of my issues and said size and quantity were dictated by 'head office'. The respondent didn't even have the courtesy to provide a name. An awful experience and not that uncommon having spoken to others. I will never cross their threshold again, there is much better value around and in these days when competition is fierce they will lose out.

Written 3 November 2020

Curious_Pig

Good evening, I would firstly like to start off by saying how sorry i am for the poor service you recieved. I would also like to say thank you for your feedback as it has been helpful for us and we have passed your feedback onto our head office to see if we can make some changes. I have gone back and spoken with the kitchen team and my floor team to make sure that we don't have this happen again so thank you for bringing it to my attention. If you did give us another chance i would hope that we can turn it around and show that it was a once off on our behlaf regarding the service. If you choose not to give us a chance I am sorry about that and again for the bad experience and we are sorry we will not have your custom anymore. I hope his response is what you was hoping for kind regards Nathan Mitchell

Written 2 December 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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