What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
The Mill at Elstead, Godalming
Review
About
One of Surrey's best country pubs, the unique converted Mill at Elstead is steeped in history and surrounded with beauty.
Features
CUISINES
Bar, British, Pub, Gastropub
Meal types
Lunch, Dinner, Drinks
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
FEATURES
Accepts Credit Cards
American Express
Digital Payments
Discover
Free off-street parking
Free Wifi
Full Bar
Highchairs Available
Live Music
Mastercard
Outdoor Seating
Parking Available
Private Dining
Reservations
Seating
Serves Alcohol
Table Service
Visa
Wheelchair Accessible
Wine and Beer
Location
Free off-street parking, Parking Available
Does this restaurant have a full bar?
Save this restaurant
Hours
Closed now
• Opens at 11:00 AM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Contribute
3.5
989 reviews
Excellent
316
Very good
234
Average
166
Poor
159
Terrible
114
TheBendySpoon
London4 contributions
Jan 2025 • friends
Lovely setting but the price of food is outrageous. Ordered a burger and chips and let’s just say the amount of chips I was served, you’d have believed we were back in Ireland in the 1850s. My friend had a brownie that was done in about two mouthfuls. And to top it off, was charged £6 for a Guinness zero out the can!
Food was still nice but be prepared to stop on the way home at the kebab van and also have to take out a payday loan.
Staff very friendly 😊
Wheel not spinning 😞
Written January 23, 2025
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.
Travellerclass
Farnham1235 contributions
Aug 2024 • family
What a real shame!!! This place is so idyllic, historic and in a superb location. The only real positive apart from the location was the staff who were just wonderful and very efficient especially Jamie-Lee.
The negatives for us and there were a couple are as follows:-
1. The price of drinks is extortionate!! When we arrived we asked for a bottle of the "house white". Usually the house white is the cheapest bottle of wine on offer and is usually quite nice. The bottle of Picpoul Chemin Wine was lovely but we never new how much it cost until we got our bill at the end £33:00!!!!!!!!!! which is a total rip off for a house wine. Majestic sell the very same bottle for £9:99 per bottle. When we saw the bill we even clarified the house wine and the price and were told that the house bottle and price was unfortunately correct. A pint of Peroni will set you back £7:10. A pint of Asahi lager is £7:25.
2. None of the four of us had a starter and went straight for a main. Two people had the Fish & Chips with peas at £16:50 each. One had the Steak and Mushroom Pie with mash & veg at £17:50. Our son had the Grilled Prawns at £19:95. All four meals were lovely but when asked by staff if we would like any sauces etc it was found that Mustard which was all we actually asked for was nowhere to be found. For dessert two of us had the Summer Eton Mess at £8:50 each. They were terrible!! and that is no joke. I have never had such a poor quality Eton Mess as it was basically a liquified yogurt with a finger of meringue sticking out of it. At the bottom we found just a few pieces of fruit. To be quite honest the main meals were good so that is a positive but the pie and mash was a very minimalistic meal, with the pie balanced on the top of the mash and a little veg. Our son had a Chocolate Brownie for his dessert and that was lovely he said.
Our total bill without a tip was £154:55 which I found very expensive. We literally had no starters, four mains, three desserts, one bottle of wine and three beers. Having said that I did tip the young lady who served us as it was not her fault things for us were not good.
Overall I would find it impossible to recommend this place to others and would personally go somewhere else.!!!!!!😒
Written August 6, 2024
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.
PeterCounter
Guildford8 contributions
Aug 2024 • family
The food was essentially good but let down by some details. Fish, peas and chips were very hot but prawns were just tepid. The butter pat for the mackerel pate was frozen solid, and the fish and chips were served on a piece of fake newspaper on top of the plate (why?) which disintegrated as the food was cut.
Service was very slow but there is an event tonight which seems to have taken the staff planner by surprise. And there was a big string of flashing fairy lights which was distracting and annoying to us but would have been disastrous for any epileptics in. The puddings we had were very nice (sticky toffee pudding and lemon posset) but no one wanted “plant based” cream and meringue on the Eton mess.
Otherwise, lovely venue,
Written August 21, 2024
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.
Em D
3 contributions
Mar 2025 • family
We’ve visited this pub a few times over the years but after this visit we unfortunately won’t be returning again. We had pre-booked a table for a large family on Sunday evening and the entire experience was frankly dreadful from start to finish. The staff told us when we arrived they were out of one item on the menu (no problem) but about 10 minutes after we ordered they then returned to say they were out of several more of the dishes that we ordered, and even after people picked replacements for those, the staff then came back again later to say they were now also out of even more items. Hardly anyone at our table ended up with their original choice!
We had to wait an awful long time for the food (almost an hour) the staff kept walking past us and could clearly see we had been waiting a long time and that we were getting quite fed up by the delay at that point, but we only got an update from any of the staff once the meals were being plated up.
Even when the food did arrive it was luke-warm at best, some meals were entirely cold. The children’s meals were far too small for children who were ravenous by this stage (one sausage and a scoop of mash for 6-9 year old children). The fish was a tiny fillet for the price and the meat on the roasts were disappointing.
It seemed like the staff had had a busy day with the nice weather and had sort of already checked out for the evening despite service still going on. It would have been better if they had just closed early rather than try plough on with this poor level of service and disappointing food quality.
Written March 9, 2025
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.
Giles G
1 contribution
Jul 2024 • friends
We were a group of friends and had booked a table for an evening meal. The setting is lovely, the mill, next to the river, a delightful setting and the building looked great. It was then downhill after that. The menu had a really limited and unispiring selection. Portion size was very small which would have been fine if it arrived hot. It was at best tepid or cold. The fish dish with potatoes was not enjoyable as it had congealed with the cold. The salad was very poor, the chips failed to arrive. The starters were so overpriced - a small piece of french bread with a little topping - bruschetta, was £8 odd. We asked for a wine list but it never came. We had to chase down someone working there to get the list so we could at least get a glass of wine. Despite it being nearly empty the service whilst friendly when you saw anyone was really slow and poor. Considering the high price charged it is such a shame as the location is really special. Avoid until the management sort the kitchen out, train the staff and review their pricing policy.
Written July 17, 2024
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.
Lorraine D
2 contributions
Sep 2024 • couples
Beautiful setting, poor food and service. Had a poor meal 2 years ago, thought we’d give it another try and previously had been lovely. Sadly nothings changed!!! Service is painfully slow and Sunday roast came out luke warm. Cauliflower cheese (£5.50 for a tiny portion), came out cold and was sent back immediately. Roast was served on a cold plate so went cold very quickly. Only ate half of it and relayed to waitress that though the food itself was good it went cold so quickly so not enjoyable. Manager was informed, didn’t bother coming over, had to ask waitress what they said and were told that because we’d eaten it there was nothing that could be done!!! Will not be returning. Over priced for what you get.
Written September 29, 2024
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.
bsrt2016
2 contributions
Mar 2024 • family
Mother’s Day lunch… paid a lot of money for the toughest, most unappetising slab of roast beef I have ever had. My poor Mum (90) had the pork… thick, dry and we had to send it back as it was cold, cauliflower cheese cold, gravy thick on the plate, looked like all the meals had been kept warm or microwaved. Child’s meal overloaded onto a small plate so it was hard for a two year old to eat. Haddock was greasy and my Daughter -in -law didn’t enjoy it. 10% taken off the bill when we complained. Desserts were ok but very overpriced. Such a shame, we have been coming here for years as the location and mill itself is beautiful, used to be a lovely Sunday carvery. We won’t be coming again.
Written March 11, 2024
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.
JT
17 contributions
Oct 2024 • family
A disappointing experience. Went for family Saturday night dinner and, despite having booked and the bar not being busy, were sat at the furthest reaches of the bar area right by the toilets which had a definite odour of cleaning products. Zero atmosphere made worse by the clash of tinny music on the speaker above the table and the thump of a base beat from the wedding party upstairs (nb this was early evening). We mentioned this to the waiter who recognised the problem but there was really nothing he could do.
Food was average at best and over-priced. £19.95 for chips and prawns… Surely some salad could have been added to make it a bit more interesting? Very little in the way of vegetarian options and those that were there were plant based too. Personally I don’t want vegan feta or non-cream cream in my pasta.
Such a shame as the setting and building are lovely.
Written October 5, 2024
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.
Clevor
Chiswick61 contributions
Dec 2024 • family
Nice environment pleasant staff serving but food almost inedible. We were first to be seated yet waited 1 1/2 for main course. The trout and braised beef were dry and almost inedible and we should have sent them back but we were all so hungry by this point. You can’t serve dishes like this for £23 which are worse than school dinners. The fire alarm also kept going off which made it difficult to talk. The staff serving the tables did a good job under difficult circumstances. We regret paying for the food and won’t be returning.
Written December 21, 2024
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.
MrsSelective
Farnham30 contributions
Sep 2023 • friends
Two lady friends and I met for dinner and a catch up. We had a cosy table overlooking the water which was nice. The service was good and the food was tasty and hot, but visual appeal on the plate was lacking and the prices charged for it were too high. A burger in a bun and some chips spread out to cover the plate was too basic for £16.95 - there should also have been a side salad, or coleslaw, an onion ring or even a bit of garnish - something! My friend even enquired about this presentation because it looked like they'd forgotten to serve part of the meal. The 'Little Treat To Finish' (£5.95) was good comprising a hot drink and mini-dessert on the side. Overall we had a pleasant evening but owing to poor value for money we will not be rushing back.
Written September 22, 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.
The Mill
Hello MsrSelective
Thank you for your feedback, it's always appreceated to hear back from people and make sure we are moving forward in the right direction.
I will bring your remarks to the relevant people and efforts will be made to act upon them. The kitchen team are always looking for ideas to improve their work so I know it will be valued.
Kind regards,
The Mill team
Written October 5, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kit E
1 contribution
Apr 2024 • family
I hate giving negative reviews as I know people are working hard but this was… quite bad. Wait staff were great, and were very open about there being a half hour wait (soon extended to 40 mins). But the actual food was lacklustre, with the roast potatoes and the nut roast being particular low points. The roast potatoes were tough, overcooked and quite bitter. May well have been cooked in advance and zhuzhed up in the microwave. The focaccia starter was honestly a joke: it was ordinary white bread, lightly toasted. I wish I’d been the kind of person to complain.
£187 for three adults and two children, no alcohol, three deserts.
Written April 7, 2024
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.
Haydon W
2 contributions
Mar 2024 • friends
The staff were very pleasant but obviously trained to get customers eating and to move on within 1.5 hrs. It felt a bit rushed especially between courses. The main Sunday lunch arrived lukewarm, obviously served up on cold plates and left to stand. The presentation was untidy - all piled up and smothered with gravy. The assumption was that every one likes gravy. It could have been served hot in a little jug whereas it arrived like warm and rather congealed. The desert, sticky toffee pudding, was better, presented well and tasty. Everything else was fine , though the main course was a great disappointment by being badly presented and luke warm. Because of this I wouldn’t return to The Mill for Sunday lunch.
Written March 17, 2024
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.
Howard L
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • family
Three of us came for an evening meal. The service was attentive, friendly and polite although it turned out there were some inaccuracies in the information.
Unfortunately the food was below par and definitely not good value when compared with other places on the area where we regularly eat.
Starters were ok - the poached duck egg was good. Smokes salmon was ok but nothing special and presented with slightly stale shop bought sliced bread. Mains were hopelessly overdone and soggy, tasteless linguine, fish and chips with soggy batter and a reasonable steak that was acceptable but again nothing special.
Slightly unfortunate was the language and behaviour of some younger guests who I understand were attending a wedding in the upstairs suite. Not sure why they were in the restaurant.
Overall, we left feeling that we had been overcharged for the quality of the food. The location is great, the ambience good (apart from the drunk wedding guests) and the staff tried their best. We won’t be back unless we hear things have changed.
Written July 22, 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.
The Mill
Hello Howard
Thank you for taking the time to leave us some feedback, it's always appreceated as it helps us move forward in the right direction.
I'm very sorry to hear we let you and your guests down quite as badly as we did. If these issues had been raised upon the day we would have made every effort to resolve them, but I understand that it's not what should be expected when you book a table at any venue.
Please rest assured we are taking big steps with our kitchen team and menu to ensure such an event does not happen again. We hope you'll return and see the changes that have been made sometime in the near future.
Kind regards,
The Mill team
Written October 5, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Frances M
Cobham9 contributions
Mar 2023 • none
My family treated me to lunch at 4.30 at the Mill on Mother's day. The pub itself is lovely and I cannot fault the friendliness and good service from the staff. However even though I asked for rare roast beef it came over cooked, tough with too much fat and gristle. The roast potatoes were soggy and burnt. The whole meal was lukewarm as if had been kept in the warmer for hours. I can only think that the food was all precooked for lunchtime service and I was given reheated food. I did not complain at the time as I did not want to spoil the event. My daughter ordered the pork belly starter and did say that it was fatty and undercooked.
Written March 19, 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.
Bramblers
29 contributions
Jan 2025 • couples
Expensive cold, dry food (trout fillet). Pig cheeks tasted ok, but the kale side and "crispy pressed potatoes" were not crispy, and also cold. The pub is cold as well, being big & rambling and next to a river. Pleasant staff though, who lit a log fire, but not a good experience. Won't be coming again
Written January 8, 2025
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.
Showing results 1-15 of 986
Best nearby
We rank these hotels, restaurants, and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Best nearby hotels
See all 
Best nearby restaurants
See all 
Is This Your Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Free Listing