The Five Bells Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The food was all home cooked and so tasty."
• "Delicious food, we had 3 courses and it was all perfect."
• "The steaks are also fantastic, along with the desserts."
• "The food was absolutely delicious...I had the fish pie....packed with beautiful fish and cheesy potato topping."
• "The food is delicious everything was cooked to perfection."
• "Food was delicious and of excellent quality."
• "Food was absolutely beautiful. Presented lovely and very tasty."

Cons:

• "The medley of veg was cold."
• "Very disappointed with food this evening. Deep fried roast potatoes, overcooked chips, cold peas, frozen pre cooked Yorkshire puddings were rubbery, broccoli tough, and much more."
• "I like al dente, but the broccoli was almost raw."
• "However, the food did let it down on my visit. Came for a roast, and it felt like some of the food was microwaved."
• "Friends had fish and chips complained they where very greasy, l had lamb dinner found veg almost raw."
• "Food not very hot either."
• "Sadly, the Yorkshire puddings were overcooked and cold."

Service

Pros:

• "Great service and above all a great menu with excellently prepared food."
• "Service was second to none."
• "The staff were friendly, it must be hard wearing masks an entire shift!"
• "Service was great, staff were really friendly and accommodating when we wanted to remove some items from a dish."
• "Staff were very friendly and helpful."
• "Great service from manager, I believe his name is Mark."
• "Service is also very good; staff are friendly."

Cons:

• "Waited a while at the bar to be sat, seen too. Think initially low on staff."
• "Whilst we had to wait at the bar around 10/15 minutes for our prebooked table."
• "Service has dropped off over last few months, not sure if change in restaurant staff."
• "Terrible service, sat down at 7pm... didn't come back until 8.15pm to tell us the kitchen can't take our order."
• "Waitress as if everything was ok but did nothing with our complaints."

Atmosphere & Decor

Pros:

• "Love this pub as it reminds me of the pubs in Kent and of a couple of very old houses I had in Kent. Furnished beautifully in keeping with the beams and atmosphere is always great."
• "The decor is a little mad but it's a beautiful building with a cosy setting."
• "This pub is different to the rest of pubs in this area. It has a unique decoration, with weeds, birds, cooper items, etc."
• "A beautiful pub and staff are very helpful and friendly. A really warm atmosphere."
• "The surroundings are great from the shotgun above my head to the mice (fake😂) climbing the books! You just find yourself looking around."
• "A great traditional pub, really nicely decorated and furnished, with a friendly atmosphere."
• "The place itself has so much character, it's absolutely adorable."

Cons:

• "Only dropped a star on atmosphere as it was a little cold, despite a log burner doing it's best."
• "Only problem is I feel a little watched at times by the stuffed birds."
• "On a very cold day it was a shame that other customers didn't always shut the door to the outside."
• "Things are a bit aged in there and in need of revamping."

Value

Pros:

• "Prices are good for the quality and quantity of food!"
• "Pretty good prices for the quality of food served."
• "Would highly recommend steak nights. They're a bargain for what you get!"
• "Good-sized portions and fair prices."
• "Excellent food at reasonable prices."
• "The food was excellent and great value as usual."

Cons:

• "Cost for 4 people over £140 🙄 definitely not value for money or worth another trip."
• "Rather expensive considering."
• "And they charged £10 for one of the smallest portions ever."

Accessibility & Convenience

Pros:

• "Tip: allow enough time to find parking around the village, as the carpark does not always seem to be in use, and street parking can get busy."
• "Good service, good price, great location."

Cons:

• "Quite a lot of the menu options were not available on the day of our visit."
• "We hadn't been on a Sunday before the menu had less choice than on weekdays."
• "Only one downside - the real well with water and a bucket attracted too many flies."

Special Mentions

Pros:

• "Dogs are very welcome and that's not just words--it's genuine."
• "Really good variety of vegan and vegetarian options, all with good-sized portions and fair prices."
• "Dog friendly too which is an added bonus!"
• "Great vegan and veggie options."
• "The staff are well-trained and the host, Mark, is incredibly accommodating."
• "The pub had the most amazing Christmas decorations."
• "The staff were so welcoming friendly and attentive and also made a real fuss of my partner’s dog, Jet."

Cons:

• "One of the chairs collapsed throwing the person sat on it to the floor with a crash due to the state of the furniture."
• "It is a great shame they no longer do the Early Bird Menu mid week."
• "Went here with funeral party following the wake. Lots of us wanted a meal but were told they were fully booked - not very many people in the place."