Jamaica Inn

I’ve never left a bad review before or sent food back. I booked a birthday lunch for just me and my mum on a very hot day, and I understand that people may have been stressed. We chose the roasted pepper and pesto wrap because neither of us could manage anything heavy in that heat. But for a place with this reputation, they could at least have cut up the pepper. The wrap was awful, with no flavour or effort. The ingredients seemed shop bought, and I don’t think the chef had tasted it. The young man I returned the food to was polite. They gave us a free dessert to fill our stomachs, but the waitress was rude. A larger maid gave me a dirty look. Then, when the woman brought our food, she was blunt and slammed the spoon onto our plate without apologizing. We weren’t rude or offended, and handled it properly when something wasn’t right, especially after spending over £40 on food and drinks. I don’t recommend it, and won’t go back unless I really have to.

The Daphne Du Maurier suite was even better than we expected, and the inn and its setting were lovely. We ate breakfast and dinner there and never considered going elsewhere. The food was amazing, and there was good local beer on tap too. The staff were cheerful and welcoming from the moment we arrived. We had a brilliant stay and hope to come back soon.

The menu had very little choice, and the Jamaica Inn mixed grill, which I’d planned to order, wasn’t available. I chose the steak instead, but it was tiny and chewy for the price. It came cut into strips, which made me think they were trying to hide how small it was, with a few chips and green leaves on top. Very poor value for money.

The sticky toffee pudding was lovely, but the custard looked as if a gallon of butter was floating on top. Outside, the tables and chairs were worn and so wobbly they didn’t feel safe. The bar seemed short-staffed, and the staff there didn’t look particularly happy. We’ve visited the jamaica Inn several times on our way to Cornwall and usually look forward to the food. This time we arrived at our allotted time but were passed around before being shown to a seat. There were plenty of empty places, yet everyone was put in one area, so it felt cramped and very warm. The menu had less variety than on earlier visits. The beef madras seemed okay, but my crispy beef salad was only crispy because it looked like they’d poured a bag of KP nuts over it. After eating we sat outside to cool down. This will probably be our last visit. I don’t know what you’ve done, jamaica inn, but it isn’t good.