Coy Carp

Coy Carp is situated in a beautiful location perfect for dining alfresco in the warm seasons.
It is a pity that this impressive building does not use its full potential.
I absolutely loved the idea of vintage style dining this place offered and I would love to see it develop more in terms of quality of service and cleanness.
Palate wise — I found the food quite standard. Nothing that would wow you but pleasant to eat and look at :)
The sea bass with roast potatoes and Mediterranean vegetables would have been amazing if the vegetables tasted Mediterranean. However the fish being my main focus I have to say it was very nicely done.
I’m sure that when the weather is nice dining outside is a pleasure although I hope that the river flies which I happened to encounter are not there in summer.
I put the ‘cleanness’ of the glasses down to ‘vintage style’ but I wish the service wasn’t so slow…

Lovely pub, in a fantastic quaint location. Can be extremely busy in the summer however meaning wait times can be very long. If it’s a nice day however and you are lucky enough to bag a table outside the wait doesn’t seem so bad when you have a nice view to look at.

On paper this pub — formerly The Fisheries — has much going for it, being a historic building with its own gardens overlooking the Pynesfield Lakes and the water where the River Colne and Grand Union Canal meet.
But unfortunately the menu lacks interest, the food is average at best, and the service patchy.

Where do I start?
Door locked until 12.05 & doesn’t advertise times of opening outside (at the back at least) Wished for a drink prior to lunch !!! Opens from !2 noon (sometimes) Outside was grubby, broken table (207) cobwebs & Sunday menus under the table battling with all the cigarette butts. Many folk (40 50) at a guess, waiting as it was a very hot day (well expected so no excuse for not enough staff) The staff were by & large very scruffy with ill fitting scruffy jeans & very dirty aprons. Certainly not clean on each day. We were asked if the lunch was ok, when we were still chewing the 1^st mouthful & no-​one returned. Both burgers however were very tasty but the lettuce was old & withered & the chips almost cold. NO lunch menu & No full receipt only the mastercard total!!! As I was sitting looking at the bridge I saw several folk get to the doors, see the queues & go back! Missed revenue!
The whole atmosphere gave the impression that there was NO leadership & certainly NO pride in their work.
I would like this email to go to head office but cannot find an email dress to send it too. (no wonder ???)
The 2* I shall give are only for the 2 different burgers & nothing else. I look forward to a reply. I think I’d better stop here. Pull your act together. The Coy Carp could be all you wish it to be but certainly NOT yet.

Large pub great to pop into while walking or cycling from the canal. Service sometimes can be a bit wonky and slow.

had lunch here today. what a disappointment. Lovely location, lovely pub, poor food — mean portion — not sure whether it is cooked on the premises or not — the waiter didnt seem to know either — or what it actually contained. and he was unable to find out for us! Unfortunately we ate the food because we were hungry but with hindsight i wish we had refused to and changed the order for something else. Will not be going back in a hurry. This used to be a lovely place but it has deteriorated over the years.

I always pop in here for a refresher when walking along the canal. It’s friendly huge old pub. It’s situated next to the canal and has varying ducks that wander amongst the people airing in the vast expanse of garden.
Standard pub fayre. Large selection of Whisky which makes my husband happy. Good selection if wine which makes me happy. Food can be a bit hit and miss. Nice place to be in the winter when sitting next to the large open fire.

It’s amazing that the feedback is so consistent and yet the place is still patronised.
My wife drove the 3 of us and I was thinking «why go so far?».
We sat at an uncleared table– the blurb said «order your first round at the bar and we take care from then». Did so, but we were next to a large party and were completely ignored for 45 minutes until I went back to the bar and ordered next round/​food. Service appalingly slow, though in fairness food was good.
When we finally received some attention from a waitress she tried hard, but even she offered to have no service payment (I gave some because she had tried).
A truly awful experience. Naff, naff, naff…

Nice beer garden, nice setting, good cold beer. I agree with all of the food comments though and for a country pub, they aren’t that dog friendly. I’d recommend that you go a 5 minute walk down the road if you want a decent sunday roast, to The Oaks where they make it all from scratch. I had this yesterday with my family and it was lovely with a really tasty home made brownie for dessert.

The food was ok, service was fine untill I asked for the bill. I noticed that the prices on the bill did not corrispond with the menu. I was told that that we had an old menu’s on our table and that the new menu came out last week. I was then told that VAT had gone up !! when I explained that it did not increase untill January 1^st I was told «well thats the new prices» as for the manager… waste of space. That was our thiird and last visit. How many people have been ripped off over the Christmas holidays?

This place is a great location for a drink in the summer. Unfortunately as a local I find the queueing for a drink and the standard of the food terrible.
If only someone would take this pub over and turn it into a gastropub it would mint money.
Shame as décor and location are amazing both in winter by the fire and in summer in the garden.

What a shame that this restaurant has declined so much in recent years. 10 years ago it was truely a hidden gem situated on a stunning canal setting with a beautiful cosy interior and lovely, well priced food with realy helpful well trained staff. Sorry to say it is different now. Of course, the setting and the décor are still great, however, the quality of the food has realy declined in recent years, and prices have increased so much its just not worth it. To make things worse, there is simply never enough staff on duty to cope with the demand. On a sunny day people are literally queueing from the counter all the way outside the door into the beer garden just to get a drink. Of course, this leads to unrest and I have seen many arguements as a result. There is no table service, so if you are half way through dinner and you fancy a drink you are subjected to a potential 15 minute queue or not bother with any drink. As I have been going there many years, I know that these queues were never there before (even on realy busy days), so this is clearly a case of not enough staff to cope with demand. As a result, many regulars dont bother going there anymore. such a shame.

I telephoned today to enquire about booking for xmas and I have never spoken to somebody so rude.
I asked about their booking form and the woman on the end of the phone said, I dont know I am only the barmaid no, I will get someone that can help you, nothing.
No wonder there are so many complaints about this restaurant, I certainly wont be going there.

If you are mad enough to go on a bicycle tour along the Grand Union Canal all the way from London, this is the treat you should be aiming for. The food is excellent and the staff seem to be used to sweaty cyclists. I have been here twice, both in glorious sunshine, and the garden is just great.

I think it was as the second flock of Canadian Geese came swimming past my window that I realised what a wonderful location for a pub. The Coy Carp in Harefield sits right on the Grand Union Canal, by Coppermill Lock and the River Colne. On one side you can see the birds and on the other, the occasional barge comes floating by. To get to the pub you have to cross a small bridge.
Although they boast a wide selection of ales and wines the Coy Carp is primarily an eatery. There are menus and cutlery on every table on all three floors. I’ve had two meals here: the open chicken pie and bangers ‘n’ mash, so my verdict on the food is based on that. I would class it as good pub food –not great, but not bad either. Good point — the onion gravy was delicious. Bad point –the pastry on the chicken pie was over cooked. However, the chicken was moist and very tasty.
The interior is cosy without being too cramped, but the best spot to dine is outside, overlooking the river. However, I was there during the summer, so of course it rained on both days and I stayed inside.