The Hengist - Modern Restaurant and Bar Reviews Summary

Atmosphere and Decor

Pros:

• "This is an old beamed building decorated to enhance the features with beautifully comfortable large leather chairs."
• "The ambiance is lovely and the staff friendly."
• "The decor was beautiful and comfortable."
• "The website and socials looks amazing."

Cons:

• "We were seated upstairs and found the decor dull and outdated."
• "We got seated upstairs, the music is from the 80s and I believe the decorations are too."

Service

Pros:

• "Staff were very attentive, swift and polite."
• "On arrival, the hostess was lovely, attentive, did a coat check in and escorted me to our table."
• "Service was excellent especially as they were busy."

Cons:

• "Unfortunately they did not check for allergens and I carry an epi pen."
• "We were struggling to get drinks at this point."
• "When we left the premises the staff just looked at us with not one apology or response."
• "Firstly you're waiting at the entrance before anyone notices you're they're and finally seats you, we then waited 20 minutes to place our order."
• "We're not served food until 3.35 despite having already given our order."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Food was fantastic, plenty of it and cooked well."
• "The food was perfectly cooked and presented and the service was excellent."
• "The food was excellent, tasty very well cooked and presented."
• "All 3 courses were exceptional and at last I have found a chef who can cook a steak medium rare."

Cons:

• "Chef please note roast potatoes were a bit dry inside for future reference."
• "The majority of what was on my platter contained egg, which I'm allergic to."
• "The way the lamb was presented this time was not to the usual standard."
• "The steak was unlike anything I’d seen before, grey and hard, and the peppercorn sauce practically ruined the dish."

Management and Operations

Pros:

• "The manager advised they were short staffed and had a large party."

Cons:

• "For the Saturday before Valentines, I would expect any upscale restaurant to be prepared to pull out all the stops to ensure the food and service is up to par."
• "There was no apology made, no shock at the fact they had just served uncooked poultry."

Value

Pros:

• "Added bonus very reasonably priced."
• "Brought a deal with Groupon, absolute bargain."

Cons:

• "We ended up paying £50 each... for food that not great and very disappointing indeed."
• "Portion size for the price is unacceptable."
• "It cost us an extra £39 pound... even though we did not eat expensive items."

Cleanliness

Pros:

Cons:

• "One drink was served in a dirty glass."
• "The toilets definitely need addressing as they are disgusting."

Special Requests

Pros:

Cons:

• "Had to remind her again 15 minutes later for the free drinks."

Decor

Pros:

• "The pub itself is lovely and has a nice atmosphere."

Cons:

• "The upstairs needs a bit of TLC."
• "Seated in the rather plain and slightly dull upstairs."