Address: Lyndhurst Rd, Christchurch, BH23 7DS, United Kingdom
Phone: +441425276050
Rating: 3.9
based on 461 reviews.
Decor and Atmosphere
Pros:
"A wonderful pub/restaurant especially after the amazing refurbishment."
"The new decor is lovely but there is no atmosphere."
"The newly refurbished Cat & Fiddle is brilliant the decor is really striking when you walk in."
"A lot of time, money and effort has been invested in revamping the Cat & Fiddle and it looks beautiful."
"The patio area looked nice and the entrance was rustic but contemporary with it."
"The whole pub has been renovated beautifully and there are some lovely outside terraced areas to eat."
"Wow wow wow! What an incredible transformation! The pub/dining room looks absolutely stunning!"
Cons:
"The new decor is lovely but there is no atmosphere."
"None of the tables outside had been cleared or cleaned and people were smoking just outside the restaurant door."
"It's right beside the A31 and the Esso garage, which spoils the experience of sitting on the lovely terrace a little."
"There are no ashtrays outside but they allow smoking so the ground is littered with cigarette ends."
"The place has a great history but it could do with a bit of TLC to bring it back to its former glory. Broken windows, guttering and weatherboard hanging off don't give a good first impression."
"It was incredibly noisy, although it was by no means full. Lots of hard surfaces and nothing to absorb sound made the time there painfully loud."
"The window which we were sat next to was filthy and visible finger marks and black dirt covered the window frame."
Service
Pros:
"Service was friendly but slow."
"Staff on the telephone were very friendly and welcoming."
"Great friendly Service."
"Our server, Steven, was polite, funny and punctual."
"The team were very friendly and welcoming."
"Staff very friendly, attentive, polite."
"The service was excellent and the chips were delicious."
Cons:
"Service was friendly but slow."
"Service could have been quicker."
"Restaurant was not busy but food took longer than considering basic choices."
"Service was slower than slow, had to chase drinks, replenishing of cutlery."
"However service was very slow, it took 3 hours to have a 3 course meal."
"Service poor. 40mins to get our coffee."
"Service by the young waiting staff was very slow and not very attentive."
Food Quality
Pros:
"Had a great fillet steak here."
"Portions were large, well cooked and nicely presented."
"The food arrived hot, was well presented and tasted really good."
"The food was absolutely amazing."
"The food was really really good."
"The prawns skewer and the sea bass were excellent mains."
"The food was lovely and the staff very attentive and friendly."
Cons:
"Food incredibly expensive for what it is (£15.95 for a Caesar salad) and on the lower end of mediocre."
"For Starters I had Nachos which were good. Salad was nice too, Main meal was grilled chicken skewer on a flat bread, the chicken was fatty and slimey,the pepper burnt and was unedible and the flat bread was harder than the plate."
"The half carrot that wasn’t even peeled nor boiled entirely, as still was raw in some parts."
"The food I would like to say was second rate but that would be kind."
"Food was to a great standard as always, however the service was absolutely shocking."
"The menu was mediocre with various items unavailable."
"The worst experience was the skewer of lamb kofte I ordered was unwrapped and burning hot."
Staff and Management
Pros:
"Lovely pub, beautifully refurbished. The staff are so friendly."
"The really lovely reception hostess at the entrance counter was really friendly, you could tell by her manner and the way we were treated that she loved her job and nothing was too much trouble, a proper people person and a real asset to your company."
"Our waitress Poppy was great, friendly and helpful."
"Chloe was our waitress, she was rushed off her feet but couldn’t have done more for us."
"Poppy our waitress went over and above with her service at our table."
"The attentive and friendly staff were the icing on the cake."
"The service we received by ‘Ruby’ our waitress was excellent and very attentive to our needs."
Cons:
"I found it hard to enjoy my time when the manager(s) seemed to be treating staff with utter disrespect."
"Very unprofessional as work like this should be done out of hours."
"The deputy manger was running around being very condescending towards his customers and his staff."
"The place is run by disinterested teenagers."
"Staff appeared to be more interested in clearing tables then looking after diners who were already there."
"The staff seemed to be mostly very young and inexperienced which impacted on the overall experience."
"We were told the manager, who had spent the whole time we were there showing 2 people around telling them how wonderful it was instead of improving customer service, had said he, 'was not keen to speak to us'."