Booked a table for a Sunday carvery today, as a family celebration. Positives first; the meal was very good value, with generous portions. Food was nice. Very pretty building in a lovely setting, close to the beach and a nice stroll after lunch.
Otherwise, I was not impressed with this pub. When we arrived, we were shown to our table and there we sat, for a few minutes, until one of our party asked at the bar where we were to go for our food. We were told we had to go to the bar first to pay. Fair enough, but it would have been nice to have had the protocol explained to us as we were shown to our table.
We went to the bar to pay for our meal, and sat for a few minutes chatting before going to queue for our meal. We immediately realised that we had been packed in like sardines. I was seated half way across the doorway which was the main runway to the food queue and was constantly buffeted and nudged by diners going too and fro. We asked to change tables and were told we could move to the other available table next to ours. However, this was no better as one of our party still had to sit half way into the run-way of diners going back and forth.
The atmosphere was claustrophobic to say the least - I realise that people with loud voices, noisy children and screaming babies are entitled to eat, as are people smelling like extremely stale ashtrays, but to have to move away from my meal and push my chair in and sidle to one side three times, so "Mrs smelly ashtray" could go in and out for the loo, then a fag break, then the loo again was a bit much.
I realise that a business like this has to survive during the winter months, but to pack in diners like this seems to be a false economy to me, as I wont be going back.
I am sad to have to write a review like this, as the pub is a beautiful place in a lovely spot. read more