The Squirrel

Had a really nice Sunday lunch at The Squirrel recently. I had booked a table for 7 of us and we had a nice table in the room toward the back that leads out to the garden where there is a nice playground for the children to keep themselves busy. Choice of food was good and quality was excellent. Special mention for the staff who, despite handling an issue with a failed oven, were clear with what was still available and what was off menu and friendly throughout. The bar and restaurant is nicely decorated but the same treatment hasn't extended to the gents toilets which while clean are cramped and in need of a refresh. Overall though, a super time was had by all and I would happily return.

Some of the best pub food I’ve ever had!! The ham hock was so tender I could have taken it off the bone with a spoon. Wait staff was excellent, so was the cosy atmosphere. A perfect end to a lovely autumn walk in Penn Wood across the way. I am also gluten free and was very well catered for, they even had a separate menu marked up with GF or an alternative they could do. Will definitely be back!

Traditional local pub. Good service and welcoming atmosphere. Large garden, front seating with deck chairs a nice touch overlooks the green / cricket pitch.

+2

Elizabeth was excellent. It was so nice to be served at the table in the bar, so appreciated as we are elderly. Lovely and friendly. Just a bit noisy as you were very busy, a wake, but excellent for you.👍👍👍

Yesterday, my husband and I, along with friends and family and several four legged friends, undertook a walk over the Chilterns to raise funds and awareness for Blood Cancer UK. We chose The Squirrel as our lunch stop. Jo and the team were brilliant both before the day helping us get organised and yesterday for getting us all well fed and watered. They also surprised us with a very generous donation to our fundraising all of for which we are truly grateful 🙏❤️ A wonderful pub with a very warm welcome, highly recommended. Thank you for having us!

A beautiful tranquil location in the heart of Penn street, over looking the local cricket pitch. Recently refurbished by punch to a very high standard with cosy arm chairs round a crackling open fire.... Ideal on wet days like today. Huge outdoor seating and play area for the children to the rear with a covered smoking shelter and extendable canopies for the hot weather... Extra seating at the front overlooking the the cricket green. Serving food daily From 12pm 2nd kitchen / pizza hut at the front of the carpark open during the warmer months. Nathen was a fantastic host and the coffee was exquisite... Full flavor espresso straight from the machine 😋 Photos show the squirrel is very clean and inviting throughout. A great place to spend some quality family time over food and drinks. Dog friendly 🐶

+6

We were looking for a dog friendly pub and the Squirrel came up. I have to say, we had a lovely time. Greeted by friendly staff, homely atmosphere and really enjoyed our meals. Highly recommended.

A friend and I spent a very enjoyable Friday evening in the Squirrel a few weeks back. The landlord was very friendly and couldn't have been more welcoming to two new faces in her pub. She's definitely won our future custom and cannot recommend it enough. In addition, with it's idyllic village green location and the cricket season just around the corner......what's not to like😁

Great selection of beers, lovely food and friendly staff.. the scotch eggs are delicious and the burgers are amazing

Lovely pub, Lovely food and great staff

Amazing pub. We felt so welcome, the staff are lovely and the owner Jo is a bundle of great energy. The dog was spoilt as well. The food was delicious and we cannot wait to go back again soon

We recently celebrated a family event and chose to have it at The Squirrel Pub in a semi private area and I must say it exceeded all our expectations. From the moment we arrived, the staff made us feel incredibly welcome and attended to our every needs. The service provided by the staff was exceptional. A big shout out to Jo who was incredibly helpful and went above and beyond to make sure we had a great time and was happy with everything. The food at The Squirrel was top-notch! The menu offered a wide variety of options, and each dish we ordered was delicious and incredibly flavorful. The semi-private event space was perfect for our gathering. It provided a cozy atmosphere, and we also got to enjoy the lovely outdoor space and games in the garden. Overall, I cannot recommend The Squirrel Pub enough . The combination of fantastic service, delicious food, and a welcoming atmosphere made it a truly memorable experience. If you're looking for a place to celebrate a special occasion or gather with friends and family, The Squirrel Pub is the perfect choice.

We went for a quick lunch after a lovely walk in the forest next door. The welcome was so friendly and we were encouraged to find a space where the dogs could be comfortable. We ordered light snacks and lunch with some drinks and everything was absolutely delish. The serve was quick and the atmosphere of the place was wonderful - nice and busy but not too hectic. We'll definitely be back.

Yesterday we hosted my mum's 60th surprise party at The Squirrel and it was perfect in every way. There is a lovely garden room dedicated to events which had access to the pub garden, and it was sectioned off from the rest of the pub so there was no outside noise. The food was very reasonably priced and went down very well with our guests. Jo and her bar staff couldn't do enough to help (we weren't the most organised party planners!) and were very prompt at tidying up plates/glasses etc. I'm so glad I found this pub as it was exactly what I wanted. I will definitely be back with the family for a pub lunch very soon. Thanks Jo and team 😊

Great lunch. Really friendly and welcoming. When they discovered it was my daughter's birthday, they presented her with a complimentary glass of fizz, a lovely touch. Will definitely be back

A very nice pub with lots of parking and outdoor seating. The atmosphere was a little subdued BUT it was a Monday lunchtime.

Very pleasant lunch. Ate in the restaurant, cool quiet and comfortable. Good service.

From the moment we walked in, we knew we were going to have a lovely evening. Under new management, this pub offers a warm welcome to locals and visitors alike. Cosy chairs by the log fire, as well other comfy areas, make for an ideal place for food and drinks. The food is delicious. The menu is relatively small, but this allows for high quality, home cooked food, which is what a village pub should be about. The restaurant is small but perfectly sized for an intimate dinner for two or a larger group. The service is excellent, with staff wanting to ensure everything is as it should be. Four-legged guests are also made welcome by the staff who treat all customers as friends.

Sadly, we have missed The Squirrel off our list of pubs to visit - despite having lived in the Amersham area for many years! Visiting last week for dinner we were impressed by the cosy atmosphere, lovely log fires (most welcome on the frosty night we visited), great reception by staff. Our steaks were very good (perfectly cooked), the desserts enjoyed. The let down was the steak pie - filling fine but pastry rock hard - not sure what went wrong there! We rated the food at 4/5 due to the pie - otherwise it would have been a 5. Small, simple menu but very good country pub food. We have been again for a drink and booked for the Christmas period.

Staff good especially Charlie who was very friendly and efficient.

Absolutely perfect for an English countryside pub and a Sunday lunch!

Excellent Sunday roast, really lovely service and tasty food. Looking forward to coming back!

Very lovely food, will be coming back. Very clean and nice pub, staff extremely friendly and food is delicious!

My original review is below....but i feel i need to update it now. Unfortunately our favourite thing (the bar menu) has been discontinued, but the website hasnt been updated, so it was a bit of a disappointment when we arrived. We then went with the regular menu, only to be told (after ordering) that some items weren't available. In the end we downed our drinks and went elsewhere. ‐--------------- We stopped at The Squirrel after a walk in Penn woods. This is a lovely characterful country pub that has a very friendly atmosphere and was busy with local couples and families. It has a good varied menu and I can definitely recommend our lunch of the 4 starters for £25 deal, followed by whole baked brie with dipping bread to share. There appears to be a nice garden with kids play area. It is also very dog friendly. We will definitely be going back.

Great pub with a massive garden, food is good quality and atmosphere is great. Accepts (slightly) muddy boots and dogs which is useful as it's opposite the cricket pitch and some woodlands. In the summer the garden is a real bonus with plenty of seating, a good climbing frame/playset for kids and cover as well. There is some parking onsite and there is some onstreet parking around although it gets busy as this is white a popular spot - but no worries if it's full try your luck at the Hit and Miss around the corner! Accessibility wise there are some steps inside, both to get to the 'restaurant' and to get to the loos. The carpark is gravelly and prone to puddles and there is limited pavement if you park on the road, which has some significant potholes.

+6

Very good lunchtime offer pint and food £14.50 All served quickly and good quality, enjoy the atmosphere there!! Regular visitor!!

The pub is nice and cosy, the service is good, there is a variety of beers you can taste but the food was not as tasty as it looked. Overall it was pleasant experience.

Lovely country pub with good walks nearby and children friendly beer garden at the back and in the summer you can watch village cricket.

Nice staff and a great kids play area, sadly the food is normal frozen food fried or reheated, nothing bad but nothing special. They looked to have a good selection of beer and ale though which would have liked to try.

2:30 table for a late Sunday lunch. Everything pretty good, excellent service and a lovely pub. I had roast beef. Nothing exceptional, meat was very well done. Maybe if we had an earlier table it would have been less so. My wife had fish and chips which she said was excellent. Can’t fault the place with that one exception - we had a good time so mission accomplished. Lovely village setting, proper authentic pub, super friendly and efficient staff, food arrived promptly.

We are trying out a few local places for Sunday lunches as we will have some guests to take out next month. We thought we would start with the Squirrel as we have eaten there before ( midweek). We both chose roasts, my wife ordered the Pork, whilst I chose the Beef option. The portions were both very generous particularly the meats, good roast potatoes and good Yorkshire pudding. However it was disappointing that my wife’s meal was missing both the crackling and apple sauce that should have accompanied it. We did mention this to one of the staff as we got to the end of our meal, but nothing materialised. Service was generally good, although we did feel a little ignored when it came to asking for our bill. I would have had a pudding, using the complimentary voucher that I was sent after my previous visit but was unable to open the email due to a lack of signal. Thank you, see you again sometime

Sunday lunch was a solid 8/10 for the chicken which came with decent roast potatoes (not too crispy on the outside), excellent vegetables (beautifully cooked carrots, green beans, cabbage), a good amount of chicken on and off the bone. Let down by the lack of a Yorkshire pudding, ordinarily I’d be insulted by that, but the super pork (?) crackling on top of the chicken and the weirdly square and thin slab of slightly toasty stuffing, I think that’s what it was. It was good. Beers on tap all decent. Nice atmosphere, lovely service, little garden out back, dog-friendly - look forward to coming back some time.

Nice secluded country pub. Good range of beer and cask ales. Food menu has a lot of options including gluten free. The place has a few fireplaces and a play area at the back with outdoor seating as well. Family friendly and dog friendly too.

I'm rating a 4 because we never ate any food. The pub is located right near the edge of the woods so is a great place to stop off after having a good walk. It is also dog friendly so feel free to take your dog along for a little treat and sone water ( they also do special doggie dinners). The pub is warm and cozy and feels very welcoming.

We’ve just come home from eating lunch there following a lovely walk in the area. The food was fine, but we were stuffed into a tiny corner without enough space to move or be comfortable. Having booked in advance for 3 people and a dog they’d had plenty of time to accommodate us appropriately. Unfortunately another table had pushed ours back and made the entire experience really uncomfortable. I would have appreciated that the staff step in and help us, but they just expected us to cram ourselves in. I brought it up to the staff on paying and no apologies were made. Good food, but overall a disappointing experience and we won’t be back.

This seems like a good pub, although we only stopped for a quick drink. It was nice watching a cricket match in the village green across the road. My only gripe was getting a bit of pressure to order everything before we had decided what drinks we wanted so the lady could bash the order into the computer all at once. What’s that all about?

Traffic made me late to join friends so I opted for something quick and easy to eat for lunch. Leek and potato soup was available so, assuming it would come with a roll, I asked for a couple of pieces of GF bread and butter with it. The bowl was about half full. The bill was for £12 and marked as soup and half sandwich. I explained it was wrong, I'd just had soup and bread. The waitress said she couldn't alter the bill as the till had no option for bread on its own. Apparently the soup didn't come with a roll even though it was £8. Apparently she'd offered me a half sandwich option - she hadn't. Apparently the till is king and cannot be changed. I paid. If I'd not been with this group I'd have asked for the manager. I did ask for the contents of the half sandwich to go - I was given cheese and some pickle. I left still hungry, unhappy and shocked at their behaviour. I won't be back.

Terrible birthday meal – poor food and worse service. We went to The Squirrel in Penn, Bucks this evening for a birthday celebration, and it was a huge disappointment. Despite my daughter booking it specifically for my birthday, this was never acknowledged by any of the staff. The only positives were the drinks – the espresso martini was excellent – and the vegetarian tart starter. Everything else was poor. The calamari was soggy and undercooked. The chicken schnitzel was also undercooked, yet the waitress dismissed this by saying it was just a “vein.” The so-called Korean burger was nothing more than a bland chicken burger with some onions and peppers and no hot sauce. My son had one bite, told the waitress it was very bland and she dismissed his comment and packed it up for him to take home. He left it there. Service was no better. The waitress was clearly inexperienced, failed to take feedback seriously and handled complaints badly. Overall, this was a very poor experience for what should have been a special occasion. We won’t be coming back, and I wouldn’t recommend this pub to anyone. I wish I had read some of the reviews before going there, the pub always seems to be dismissive of any negative/constructive comments. Anyone knows that pink chicken is a big NO NO

We visited this evening for my mother in law’s birthday dinner, and what should have been a celebratory evening turned into a huge disappointment. At first, things looked promising - drinks arrived quickly and, to their credit, the espresso martinis were excellent. However, despite it being a Friday night, there was absolutely no atmosphere. No background music (despite there being speakers), no buzz, nothing. It felt fairly flat and unwelcoming. The food was, frankly, appalling. The calamari starter was undercooked, soggy and rubbery. The Devon potted crab was completely bland. The chicken schnitzel main was served visibly pink — when we raised this, the waitress dismissed our concern by saying it was “just a vein.” It was not. Serving undercooked chicken is inexcusable. The so-called “Korean burger” bore no resemblance to what was described on the menu — instead of a proper Asian slaw, it came with dry onions, limp peppers, a squirt of mayonnaise and what looked and tasted like a frozen Birds Eye chicken burger. The service throughout was lacklustre. Staff seemed uninterested and there was zero hospitality. Despite us clearly stating in the booking (and mentioning again while being served) that we were celebrating a birthday, this was ignored entirely. Not even an acknowledgment. For a family of five, our bill came to over £230 — a steep price for such substandard food and poor service. The menu is overpriced for what is delivered and the lack of care in both the kitchen and front of house was glaring. I would not recommend this pub to anyone. Judging by how other reviews are responded to, I expect the owner (who is also the chef) will fire back defensively rather than take this feedback on board. That in itself speaks volumes. A chef-owner should know how to deliver proper pub food and treat paying customers with a basic level of respect — sadly, this establishment fails on both counts.

We visited The Squirrel, Penn St on a Friday evening for a family dinner to celebrate my mum’s birthday. Things started off well – drinks came quickly, the atmosphere was nice, and I believe it was the manager who first served us, and she was quite welcoming. Unfortunately, it quickly went downhill. Our starters were okay (the calamari seemed undercooked), but the mains were very disappointing. My sister’s chicken schnitzel was undercooked and visibly pink. When we raised this, staff denied it was undercooked, claiming it was a “vein” – but it was clearly not cooked properly. I ordered the Korean chicken burger (£18.50) which was nothing like its description – just a dry chicken fillet with some mayo and a so-called “Korean slaw” of onions and peppers which was dry and tasteless. I had one bite and couldn’t eat any more. For comparison, earlier that same day I had a wagyu burger at Prime in Beaconsfield (£21.90) – that was top quality food. The difference in standard was night and day. When we shared our feedback, the waitress showed no care or interest. The attitude felt like they just wanted us to pay and leave. For a £230+ bill for 5 people, I expect far better quality food and customer service. Sadly, this was a very poor experience. I wouldn’t recommend this pub and will not be returning. The image is of my “Korean Chicken Burger” which the staff packed for me to takeaway but I left it there as it was not nice at all.

If I could rate lower I would, the calamari was like chewing rubber bands, we didn't finish it, the schnitzel was undercooked and the chicken still pink, we didn't finish that either! We were told we could have asked for the food to be cooked longer, but no one did a checkback to see how everything was until the plates were collected, service was appalling, there was no one else in the restaurant...we felt intimidated by Jo, she wasn't helpful, she was quite rude and aggressive in the way she spoke to us, she didn't even tell us if she'd spoken to the chef or what was said. No compensation, nothing to make up for the terrible food, not even money off the bill! Absolutely disappointing and I work in the hospitality industry! We will not be returning!