Buckinghamshire Arms Aylsham Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The food was excellent with generous portions and reasonably priced."
• "Now to the food whole plaice and venison burger were exceptional."
• "The food was really wonderful - I had the wild garlic soup to start, followed by the cauliflower rice bowl, and that was absolutely delicious."
• "The best swordfish steak I`ve ever had."
• "Food was lovely. Best cheese board I've had in a very long time."
• "The food was beautiful and although there was a restricted menu there was still plenty of choice and all cooked to a high standard."
• "The food was perfect. The portions are very generous."

Cons:

• "Fabulous place, buzzing! Best food ever! I'm sorry to say that we returned today full of expectation only to be disappointed by 2 of the 3 main meals which were inedible."
• "The scallops were a great size but serving cured ham which is salty (prosciutto) with samphire made the dish too salty."
• "Sweet potato fries which came with the Venison burger were overcooked and the onion marmalade far too sweet."
• "The quality of the beef for Sunday lunch was very poor & so was the flat iron steak."
• "Brie and spinach tart was an absolute mess."
• "The food however, whilst generous in portion sizes is not well presented nor cooked."
• "Very overpriced for under par food."

Service

Pros:

• "The service was swift and charming and the food was excellent with generous portions and reasonably priced."
• "Couldn't fault service, cleanliness, friendly staff, fantastic food!"
• "Service was good once order taken and the food was exceptional."
• "Service was fast, friendly, and efficient."
• "Service was great, delivered by two waiters, both of which were very tentative and polite."
• "The service was very good and prompt."
• "Thank you to the staff who were superbly efficient, perfectly attentive and went beyond expectation in the care they showed towards my Mum and Dad… and seemingly towards keeping all guests happy during a busy time."

Cons:

• "There was a delay in our main course being brought to us, but this was due to a mistake in the ordering system which they apologised and compensated us for."
• "The service was again a bit slow (to take food order)."
• "Service a bit hesitant and confused."
• "Even it was busy, we didn't have to wait long for the food."
• "The pub was packed solid and staff struggled to keep up therefore service was very slow."
• "Friendly staff but a lack of awareness in how to serve (eg constant leaning over plated food including with cloths dragging through, lack of check backs for drinks nor clearing of empty glasses)."
• "Superb food but let down by non-existent waiting staff."

Ambiance and Location

Pros:

• "Wonderful old building, full of character."
• "It's an old world pub, full of little nooks to settle down in with your pint, and at the same time a well laid out restaurant."
• "Next to Blickling Hall a lovely pub to stop for lunch."
• "The setting was beautiful."
• "Very pretty ground and within viewing distance of Blickling Hall which is a great backdrop."
• "A beautiful country pub on the edge of the National trust blickling estate."
• "Lovely country pub situated next to Blickling Hall. Plenty of car parking spaces."

Cons:

• "Unfortunately the carpark is too small and parking difficult."
• "Parking is problematic during peak times."
• "Path from the carpark very muddy and slippery."
• "The pub was very hot inside and we were tucked in a tight corner which made me feel quite uncomfortable after a while."
• "The thing we thought could be improved is the decor, particular the area where you book in. It looked tired and a bit shabby and not a great first impression."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Mains were around £16 each, which is absolutely bang on for the quality and not overpriced."
• "Generous portions and reasonable prices."
• "You get what you pay for at the Buck Arms."
• "The roast beef and roast chicken dishes were generous in portion and good value for money."
• "The food was really high quality, plentiful, beautifully presented and delicious."
• "Massive portions, beautifully cooked, excellent value for money."
• "The food is absolutely incredible but make sure you're hungry before hand because the portions are massive!!"

Cons:

• "We then ordered a beer and a glass of wine + x2 packets of crisps and was charged over £15 for the privilege."
• "Food quite expensive as expected and similar quality to the other restaurants owned by this chain."
• "Didn't bother with dessert as it was overpriced."
• "Vegetarian options poor, vegan ones nonexistent."
• "Feels like theft £38 for that rubbish and feel very unwell as consequence."
• "Food is overpriced. Drinks are overpriced."
• "Menu was good but a pound or two on the pricey side."

Accommodation

Pros:

• "The rooms were stunning."
• "Glad to see separate area for customers who bring dogs."
• "Slept really well, the room was very comfortable."
• "The rooms were smart and comfortable."
• "Our room was large and comfortable with a lovely view of Blickling Hall which we visited."
• "Stayed here while visiting Blickling House, which was just across the road. What a great time we had, the room was fantastic every thing we needed, warm & comfortable."

Cons:

• "Ensuite bathroom had a bath with shower attachment but no means of having a proper shower."
• "Our room was a little bit shabby and could have done with an update."
• "Four foot six inch bed had a rather soft sagging mattress."
• "We stayed in room 4 which was a lot smaller than we'd expected from the photos on their website."
• "Our room could have been a bit cleaner."
• "Would have liked to see wooden coat hangers in the wardrobe and not assortment of high street shop plastic ones."

Staff and Customer Service

Pros:

• "I had a great stay here I took my dog and the staff were fantastic with her."
• "Couldn't fault service, cleanliness, friendly staff, fantastic food!"
• "Friendly and polite staff too, always a winner!"
• "Staff pleasant and attentive."
• "Staff couldn't have been more helpful or attentive."
• "Wonderful, attentive and really friendly staff."
• "Every member of staff was friendly, attentive and always smiling."

Cons:

• "Told off by gentleman behind the inside bar because I was ordering drinks for an outside table."
• "The manager on duty was very rude and arrogant and talked down to his staff and to us."
• "Only down side was the manager walking through our dining room on the telephone several times."
• "The service staff were ok but lacked customer service training."
• "Friendly staff but a lack of awareness in how to serve (eg constant leaning over plated food including with cloths dragging through, lack of check backs for drinks nor clearing of empty glasses)."
• "Big portions of low quality food and bad service."