Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Coombe Wood House is being hailed for restoring a vital service Croydon residents have long missed, marking a significant addition to local care provision.
As reported by Inside Croydon,When given the opportunity to return to one of her childhood haunts, our arts journalist, Bella Bartock, can’t resist going out for a great supper.
To enter the restaurant industry in 2025, one would need to have a very strong constitution, as well as actual guts, or balls of steel, if you want to be rough.
Compared to the Grand National, the aspiring restaurateur faces additional challenges due to inflation, increases in National Insurance, and red tape from the local council.
Numerous well-meaning attempts to accomplish something new, different, and right have broken dreams and chipped away fortunes. Gordon Ramsay’s cooking nightmares are not unique to him.
But in the current market environment for the hospitality trade, it must take a certain type of fortitude to do so in Croydon, a rotten, run-down, and down-at-heel borough. Look at the Selsdon Park Hotel, for example. It must be bleak if even Wetherspoons are closing their bars—I last counted three in Croydon.
Nevertheless, it is what the owners of Coombe Wood House Restaurant are attempting to accomplish.
A short distance up the road, Coombe Wood Gardens is no longer the prize-winning, exquisitely landscaped public area that it once was thanks to the council’s parks team. Its current condition reflects Croydon’s current position.
Another Croydon landmark, the restaurant “Château Napoleon” (later renamed “The Château”), which was open from 1978 until 2022, was located next to the gardens.
In November 2022, Inside Croydon reported on The Château’s demise. The restaurant lost a large portion of its midweek, corporate lunch business following ten years of development blight in the town center, which led to its demise. However, COVID also had a negative impact. Catering and hospitality have been severely impacted.
The dining area is housed in a traditional Victorian building with original oak panelling, which adds a sense of warmth, tradition, and classic elegance that is uncommon in Croydon’s eating scene.
He had always frequented The Château and loved its slightly pretentious menus and slightly Fawlty Towers-style grandeur in the oak-paneled dining room.
The Coombe Wood House Restaurant opened without much fanfare, but a week or so ago, I saw the new sign outside the old location while my nephew Kenny was taking me down Coombe Lane. I simply had to go because I was intrigued.
Based on our understanding, the proprietors of the Château were unsuccessful in their endeavor to sell the structure. Therefore, they decided to try again with different leases, whose senior team includes outstanding individuals with experience working in Mayfair restaurants.
Significant renovations, redecoration, updating, and some investment have been made to the old location. The location has managed to preserve its quaint Victorian charm. It looks brighter and more contemporary now, better than it did when it closed.
In addition to the traditional Harvester and Beefeater corporate restaurants nearby, the establishment confronts fierce competition from the numerous gastro pubs in the countryside on the outskirts of Croydon, where the food frequently comes with high-end restaurant rates.
Croydon has been lacking a restaurant of this type for a while, and Coombe Wood House offers a truly chic and reasonably priced option.
“The restaurant served excellent cuisine during our visit (I brought Kenny along; the youngster deserves a treat occasionally). The attentive, kind, and kind service was excellent.”
With a focus on classic English dishes including sole, salmon, lobster, lamb, chicken, hog, and steak, as well as vegetarian options, the menu features European-style cuisine prepared in a brasserie setting.
Another benefit is that the menu prices include potatoes and veggies with the majority of the dishes (not pastas, as that would be ridiculous).
Free bread and butter are also provided, which is a very French custom and greatly appreciated.
The most affordable non-vegetarian main courses start at £18.50 and £19.00. From Wednesday through Friday, lunch and dinner are served from fixed menus that cost £22 for two courses. The two-course Sunday roast lunch set menus cost £27.50. The starting price for bottles of wine is somewhat less than £25.00.
Sadly, the conditions at the previous Château within the last year or two have greatly improved with the new business. I departed feeling completely satisfied with our dinner and experience, as well as the fact that this new company is investing in Croydon, after using the plenty of parking available directly outside the restaurant door (Kenny spent the entire evening drinking mineral water).
The proximity of Coombe Wood House to the “millionaire rows” of large homes across from Lloyd Park, including those on Castlemaine Avenue, is my biggest worry. How will management keep the riff-raff away with such low prices?
What makes Coombe Wood House different from other restaurants in Croydon?
Coombe Wood House sets itself apart in Croydon’s eating scene by fusing a modern, approachable style with traditional elegance, considerate hospitality, and a distinctive rural environment.
Coombe Wood House is distinguished by its exquisite Victorian oak-panelled structure, which adds a touch of beauty and history that is uncommon in Croydon’s dining scene.
It offers a brasserie-style menu with traditional British and European cuisine, including traditional English favorites, and, in keeping with French hospitality, serves them with complementary bread and inclusive sides.
This is in contrast to many chain or gastro pubs. The Mayfair-trained employees of the restaurant provide friendly, attentive service, fostering a cozy and inviting ambiance.
Its rural location, encircled by gardens and woodland, provides a peaceful haven only a short drive from Croydon’s downtown. Additionally, Coombe Wood House accommodates unique events.