The Crown
- Hours:
Mon-Tue 11:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Wed-Thu 11:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri 11:30 a.m.-11:00 p.m.
Sat 11:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m.
Sun 11:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
- Music: Live
- Best Nights: Mon, Fri, Sat
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: Outdoor Area/Patio Only
- Coat Check: No
186 reviews
Hayward, CA
"My & my crew weren't planning to eat @ Buffalo Bill's originally, but since the restaurant which we were planning to eat at down the street…" read more »
27 Reviews for The Crown
Why people expect the food to be amazing I have no clue. It's a British pub and restaurant which translates to great beer on tap and so-so greasy comfort food. The service staff are always pleasant and happy to talk you into adding mushy peas and/or bubble and squeak to your order. I've never gotten a bellyache from the food, only from too much cider and laughing too hard.
Best to come with a gang of pals for some catch up time over fish, chips, and pints.
Cheers!
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I have had the fish and chips here so many times. Why, oh why, cant you be in Berkeley? We spent many a night here having 2 pints each and indulging our need for battered fish and french fries. I love the fireplace in the center, though it can be too warm sitting next to it. I will admit that this place can become loud, but I never found it overbearing like I do so many others.
I had the unfortunate experience of eating here this evening. This is now the 5th and final time I will ever step foot in this restaurant since not only have I always had less than impressive food, the service has gone downhill.
Without my usual stories behind why I was here, this is the lowdown of why I will not be back.
The place was not very busy...so, here it goes:
1. Hostess (probably her first summer job) offers to seat us inside or out. There were 3 of us and the tables outside available were for 2. Upon being seated I watched her stand at her "station". Then I watched her play with her hair, walk around, fiddle with her too tight skirt, fix her hair some more and then she finally took a seat behind her "station". She then takes both hands and puts them through her hair, shakes it and kind of flips it. She plays with her nails, and the best tonight folks...she takes off one of her shoes and plays with it touching the bottom to see that it has come undone from the base. All the while I am thinking this is who touched my menu, my silver set up and who knows what else.
2. The ONLY thing decent here is the fish and chips. Unfortunately, I cannot eat this much fried food right now so I peruse the menu and decide upon a "harmless" burger. I ordered veggies instead of fries, making sure no mayo or anything like it would be on my plate. I received a well done patty on a bun with the tomato, pickle, onion and browned wilted lettuce. To top it off, the lettuce also had a big splooge of some kind of jiz. I mean, it was probably tarter sauce or something, but man, if I wasn't already disgusted at the school lunch type burger served, the rest of it did me in.
I did not eat the burger but I did eat the veggies. I waited and waited for the waitress to come back. She did-after the rest of my party was done eating. She asked if I wanted a box. I showed her the burger and lettuce spooge/set-up. I asked her to charge for the veggies but to take the rest off the bill. She apologized...barely.
I have yet to see a manager type person walk around this place. I have yet to have a good quality waitress. I have no need to ever give my money to this type of place and I swear, if any of you own or work in a restaurant, please tell me you don't allow your employees to play with their hair/shoes in front of customers!
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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09/03/2007
This is the review after dining here twice. The first time was 4 stars, the last time (Friday night)… Read more »
The Crown should be shut down for health violations and rude staff
This place has the most ignorant servers ever encountered. They have serious problems with stink attitude and empty headedness. Management is no better and the food is greasy and weeks old.
Why are they still in businesss? The place is flithy, there were roaches crawling on the bathroom wall!
Came here a couple times for lunch. It was decent.
Came here couple of times for Happy Hour. It was fun
Came here for Year End Closeout. Don't remember what it was like..but I'm sure it was great! I do remember some beer poury spouty things...Here's to free beer!
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Pop Quiz
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1. What are your favorite beers.
2. Where can you find them all on tap (even the ones that aren't normally distributed in the states)?
3. Essay question -- Do you like the place? If so, explain why.
***************
Michael M.'s answer sheet
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1. Boddington's, London Pride, ESB, Tetley's, and good Guinness that hasn't been sitting on a hot truck bed losing all of it's flavor
2. The Crown
3. Even if this place were just a bar that serves chili fries and patty melts, I would make it a regular stop, but the food options here are serious. Fried bangers, hot wings, three different kinds of fish and chips, a good selection of Indian food. If it goes well with British ale, it's on the menu.
To complete the triangle of male pleasure, there has to be some entertainment to go with the fried food and beer. There is a big screen TV with sporting events on and some very friendly and very good-looking waitresses. Unfortunately the friendly part and the good-looking part are mutually exclusive, but there's at least one of each running around, so just be aggressive and you'll snag some decent service. To their credit, they do handle a load of tables during after work hours.
I've been coming here more and more recently. I hear complaints that it doesn't have the British pub look, but I have to disagree. The divey thing is definitely more of an American concept. This one is pretty damn close to what you'll find in London.
The crowd? Well, you know, it's Danville. What did you expect? Good-looking people with money. In a way it reminds me of Southern California, but there's still something distinctly Bay Area about it....what could it be? Oh yeah, the food doesn't suck.
So as long as you believe that cleanliness is a positive thing for a bar, this is a place you want to check out if you're in the neighborhood.
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Came here for lunch with my co-workers coz one of them has severe latex allergies and this place uses non-latex gloves to prepare their food. Its not a pleasant place to go for lunch because smells like a dirty ol' bar and looks like one too. Fortunately the food was very tasty and the big screen TV kept me from looking at all the nastiness. I definitely recommend the pulled pork sandwich with fries.
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Seems like a good place to meet friends and hang out. We went on a Friday night the wait was pretty long due to the families that were eating there (we showed up at 7 and waited about 40 minutes) but by the time we were seated all the kids were about cleared out and it turned into a proper pub atmosphere.
The food was good, three of the four of us had the fish and chips, and everyone liked it. I had the Maui chicken, which was good. We also had an appetizer of fried shrimp, also good.
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Like many before me and surely many after have said, they have Boddington's on TAP! (and plethora of other fine British and Irish beers, ales, stouts, etc).
If you're looking for authentic British pub food, this is the place to go. I highly recommend their fish and chips as well as the bread pudding which is absolutely perfect!
It can get VERY crowded on weekends and holidays, but they have some private booths that make it a bit easier to talk with friends if that's what you're there for. Live music on weekends and plenty of tvs to watch the game, whatever "the game" is at the moment...I'm not really a sports girl :)
To be completely forthcoming, I worked here for about 8 months after graduating college. It was a fun job, made some nice cash, bettered my public speaking skills, etc. They used to give us one meal a day for working 2 back to back shifts, so being the diligent worker I was, I worked many back to back shifts and tried just about everything on the menu.
Things on the menu I'd recommend:
1. Fish and Chips (Great deal, always fresh, batter is not too heavy, cooks in the back have got this down to a science.)
2. Shrimp Sandwich (On the lighter side, good bread, shrimp salad is made fresh)
3. Pork Chop (Pricey, but flavorful, best "entree" dinner meal on the menu if you're not digging the fish and chips)
4. Shepard's Pie (Mashed, warm, and comforting)
And that's about it. The appetizers are all pretty decent - pretty standard bar food there. To give you some insight, the kitchen in the back is very clean and there were never any health issues/problems we had to deal with, ever. So no worries there.
Servers I worked with were pretty cool, mostly just kids looking to make some cash for school. Ownership has stayed within the same family but still has changed a bit within that family - no longer do I see my favorite friendly English couple behind the bar, but instead....other folks I didn't really care working for too much.
Surpassing the food and the service by far is the beer selection here. When the beer reps came in, I was able to help taste and select some of the beers, which was one of the best perks of the job. You can expect to see at least a couple of the following on tap at all times here: Carlsberg, Boddy's, London Pride, Stella, Guinness, a good Porter, and a decent ale.
They have bands here that play on the weekends, some are entertaining, mostly geared towards the 'burb drunk desperate housewife cougar crowd. And boy, do they get down.
For drinking only, I'd definitely recommend over Meenar's (which reminds me of a "classy" bar in Reno) or Norm's (like drinking in your living room maybe 15 years ago but with not as comfortable furniture). Toss up between here and Elliott's...drinks are way cheap at Elliott's, bar is way cool, and they've got shuffleboard on the nights they aren't being crowded out by barley legal danville kids home for Thanksgiving break. The Crown is indeed, an excellent place to catch a football game (the European kind) and during World Cup they'll be open when the game is on live, even if that means a 3AM showing.
My last word of advice when coming here, is if you're thinking about stopping by during 4th of July weekend, please don't. It's so packed there is usually a line outside 50 deep, and a lot of the servers know this and either quit or take a last minute vacation beforehand. If you really expect to get great or even decent service on a holiday weekend where you can see bodies spilling out of the joint, well, you're just walking into your own fire. I tried to serve 6 pina coladas and some drunk kid bumped into me, causing me to spill them...all over myself right in front of my table. It wasn't pretty, how I looked, or what I said to that kid...in front of my table.
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I will never go back. I'll spare you the details but the last few times we have gone here, at least one of us spent the rest of the afternoon in the bathroom.
Only come here if you drink your meals. Oh yeah, at night this place can be like a high school reunion.
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I went here with friends and although the service was fine, the food was less than memorable. My burger was okay, but the fries served with it tasted like they had been fried in vinegar (if that's even possible). The interior of the restaurant is just a little too bland to convey a nice atmosphere.
I don't think I would go back.
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I would like to give this place four stars, but I think three is all I can do for now. I've only been here a couple times, once over a year ago and once very recently. First time just had drinks, this time dinner too.
It was very bright when we first arrived about 8:30 p.m., but the lights dimmed about an hour later, which seemed more appropriate. The inside is kinda cool. I was in London for two days, about eight years ago, and never went to any pubs (I was with my mom), so I don't have much to compare it to. But this is a favorite place of a former co-worker of mine who happens to be a Brit.
I like the big wooden booths, lots of room to spread out. I like the looks of the bar, too. The service was just OK. Attentive at first, then got worse as the meal progressed. We didn't receive our requested waters until halfway through our meal -- about a half hour after we asked for them. By the time we were trying to pay the check, the server walked past our table multiple times (to help the table right next to us) and never glanced our way. Another server/bus-boy-type was taking the other plates from our table when I was clearly still eating (had food in my hand and left on the plate), yet still motioned to me to ask if I was done. Uh, no ... ?
Four of us shared a pitcher of Boddington's, which was enough for four glasses at $19. Not too bad of a deal. Three of us got fish and chips, which comes as one large piece of fried fish instead of individually fried ones -- so you eat with a fork and knife instead of your fingers. The fish was fine, the fries (sorry, chips) were fine, but nothing spectacular. The fourth person ordered a turkey burger and said it was pretty good.
Brett L. is right about the cougars ... the two sleaziest dressed women in this place looked to be in their mid-40s.
I like the concept of this place, they even have a cool red telephone booth out front. But it's the execution that seems to have some issues.
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5 stars for the beer, 4 stars for the services and the front porch, 3 stars for the food.
Let me just get the most important thing out of the way here: They serve Fuller's London Pride from the cask!! As in hand-pumped, cool but not cold, unpasteurized London Pride just like you get in London. Un-f**king-believable!! They also serve Fuller's ESB and Strongbow Cider from the cask, and Boddingtons, Bass, Guinness, Tetley's, Stella, and a few others on tap. Oh yeah, and I guess they serve Bud Light as well, but you really should just be taken out back and shot if you order that.
F**king London Pride from a cask!!! Holy sh*t!!!
Ok, now that I've got that out of my system, let me get to the not as great stuff, namely, their food. Now I actually like British food (granted, I've never had blood sausage, but still), and I really love pub grub, but their food here is sometimes very mediocre. Their sheppard's pie was basically just ground beef in a light gravy with thin mashed potatoes spread over the top, and their fish and chips are good but nothing special, but their chicken Caesar salad is pretty good. Given how they clearly go out of their way to serve the beer that they do, I was surprised that the food wasn't up to the same standard.
And lastly, while they call themselves a British pub, a pub they are not. A pub should have dark wood paneling on the walls, a fair amount of ornately detailed stuff here and there, an old-world feel, and not-bright lights. The Crown, on the other hand, has light colored walls and ceiling, bright lights, and absolutely no "cozy pub" feel. The atmosphere isn't bad, but it's not a pub. I guess I shouldn't fault them too much for that, however, as I have so far only been able to find one pub in California that gets it right (in downtown Monterey of all places). In any case, it's very nice sitting out on the front porch by the sidewalk if the weather's nice, and the inside is pleasant.
Despite all of its mostly minor faults, however, there is no doubt that I will be back many times because of the beer. Great beer!
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I had another day of returning and shopping pre-black Friday today with the pup, the whelp(daughter) and the Bitch(not really), aka my mom in tow...
Turned out decent as I found some great buys, that mama dog(aka Grammy sported the price tag for) with an online , store good coupon, with 40% off on three items, and found some skinny ass jeans that actually were a size bigger than I normally wear for
a great price. Lucrative and valuable in my book!
But, again, we had not eaten, and I went to a job interview that took over an hour, between. So after sporting my new duds, to the interview, I picked up the pup, and the Whelp, from the mother Bitch, ( not really, we love her so much!), we headed to Norm's for a burger, they have some great burgers after you get rid of 1/2 the bun, and eat it with a fork, to second guess, yes I know, I swore off 2nd guessing, to eat at the Crown..
Two tables were seated, no one came to our attention after 5 minutes or so... So we seated our selves. A friendly guy, came out, told us sorry, to which I said no big deal but we felt dumb standing there. All good, he even said he was just in the back bs-ing! I love honesty!
So a friendly bartender gal comes out, takes our order and proceeds to answer our 's about calamari etc. The calamari was very good, lightly breaded, crispy, tender, delish, the cocktail was lacking and so was the tartar, especially for an English pub. Tues. are burger day, to which they serve a 1/2 lb. burger with fries for 6 bucks , good deal, Samantha orders this, I get of course the fish and chips, but opt for the sliced up version rather than the whole filet, in beer batter. The beer batter is light, maybe not as crisp as I want.... As mentioned the sauce is wanting, and need malt and salt... Not a good sign. But OK...So, 33$ later, we finish our meal. The 1/2 lb. burger is a round disc, but S ate it sans the over-sized bun, that would have totally engulfed it had she eaten it, over-cooked and bland, and bland fish was not really to our liking... But, hey, I guess that is truly English style!
2 stars for the honest and friendly service, no pressure to order suds, although suggested, perfect timing, and friendly service. 1 star for the mediocre food at not so great prices! Plus, I asked for a teeny bit of garlic on my fry's and was charged a dollar extra, for a smidge of what is offered!? Hmm?
Last, when I have ben here for hot August nights, the cider on tap is not very cold.
So an over-all 2-3 stars
The fish left a fishy taste in the mouth...
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Amazing fish and chips, haven't really tried anything else because I go here when I am craving them and am in the area. Love the booths and sitting al fresco while dining is really quite fun during the summer. It's a happy place to be!
I would give 5 Stars for the lunch time crew
1 Stars for the food
The waitress's were very nice and even "talked" with my son Dylan.
My husband and I both got food poisoning from eating. I had the sausage sandwich and was very sick from it. Then we went back and Dave got sick from the fish.
Too bad, because we really liked The Crown, but we will never go back.
The chips are not like they are at home, but I've never really been anywhere in the US where you can get decent English chips. The fish is great - even that funky hong kong style they make.
Bring a jacket if sitting inside - they keep it cool.
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I just moved to Danville after having spent 2 years in Leeds, England. These guys did a great job of recreating (in a distinctly NorCal way) the look and feel of the hearty old English pub. I'm just happy it's not another cheeeeezy Irish pub knockoff. They've got some great bitters on tap and thankfully serve them colder than they do in the motherland. The food is good - but that's not what brings me back. I love the fact that these folks serve beer in "Imperial Pint" glasses - that's a true British pint for you - bigger, heartier and more thirst-quenching.
Word of warning: watch out for the cougars here on weekend nights - they are on the prowl for young male flesh as my brother unfortunately(?) discovered.
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Good Upscale Pub.
This place is an attempt to recreate an old English Pub in downtown Danville. It doesn't quite fit, but that's ok. The beer selection is good and the food was really good. To start off with, we had some onion rings and fried shrimp. Yeah, they were both really good. Then for the main course, we had a blue cheese and mushroom burger and a traditional fish and chips. Both were good pub grub.
Parking is pretty easy in downtown Danville you just have to know to park in back. The service was prompt and helpful. Even though they were busy, we never felt ignored. The only knock on The Crown is it is a tad more than other places. Dinner and one drink a piece came out to about $20 a person. Still, that's not bad. If you are in the area, I recommend a visit.
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Lets be honest. The food is crap but the Beer is great. Good English selection of drafts that you don't find at other bars like Peets or Elliots. Don't come here to eat, just drink. It has a nice little outside area to sit, drink and people watch.
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This is a true British Pub in the sense of Brittania Arms in San Jose. If you've come to drink and eat hearty food then this is a great place. If you've come for fine dining, the place is just to busy to serve you well.
Some of the dishes are hit or miss. Avoid the India colonial style food like the Chicken Tikka & Tomato, tasted dried out and chewy (guess this is the modern realities of British food), but old English classics like Shephard's Pie with Mushies were fantastic.
If you've never been to Danville it is worth pulling off 680 and checking it out.
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OMG - The WORSE service I have ever received. My husband and I took a couple of friends there on July 3rd and either they were short-staffed or slow in the kitchen. Nevertheless, it was a 2 hour dinner for some fried food!!!
At first I thought it was just our table, but tables around us waited over 15 minutes to just order. One table clapped their hands and said 'Hurray, our food is here!"
I expected the servers and staff to be more apologetic of the service and at least warn the patrons of the delay, but nothing of that matter ever happened.
The food was okay and it was crowded for the Daily Specials...can't beat Fish & Chips for $6. I had the Layla Chicken Sandwich, meat was too dry and the chicken was only on half of the sandwich roll.
Maybe I should try it on a non-holiday night, but I will not come here hungry or expecting great service.
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Boddington's on tap - enough said.
Never been to the UK, so I don't know what fish and chips are like there, but this place is tastey. I went to one place claiming authentic british fish n chips... and they also had chinese food on the menu. Yeah... right. Authentic?
The crown is awesome; they have other cool things on the menu, but I always get the cod and chips.
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I really like this place. The service is excellent, the food came out quickly, and it was delicious. My 6 year old daughter asked an obviously busy waiter for a Sprite and altough he was busy and he wasn't even our waiter, he still brought it to her within seconds. One of my friends that I was with is a chef at a restaurant in Walnut Creeek and he was asking the waitress a lot of questions about some of the meals. She was knowledgeable and was able to answer his questions. Last night was my second time there. I don't remember much about the first time I went but I will definitely go back a third time.
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not quite a british pub, very suburbish. salad was alright, but the fish was a little too greasy for me.
wine was eh....
other items on the menu seemed somewhat interesting
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