Banyers House

The toilets were dirty, and the starters didn’t feel worth what they cost. We arrived at 14:45 and told staff we had to leave by 16:45. We ordered starters and mains together within half an hour, and our friendly waitress assured us that was plenty of time. But an hour and a half after we arrived, the mains still hadn’t come. A young man had taken over, and when I asked about the delay, he said the waitress had left without passing on that we needed to go. At 16:20 he checked with the kitchen and said it would be another 15 minutes. When I asked if it could be sooner, he came back saying the chef’s words were, “you’ll get it when it’s ready.” By 16:35 I asked them to cancel the order. The bill was £125 for the nibbles, drinks and kids’ meals, and he said he’d waived the service charge. The floor manager had also been unwelcoming: instead of coming to seat us, he hollered us over while we were waiting. Service was appalling. I’ve seen busier McDonald’s with better service. Avoid this place!

We had booked a table and arrived on time, but nobody was at the desk to seat us. We waited, then went to the bar in case they were short staffed. Two staff members were making drinks, with no customers at the bar, but neither greeted or acknowledged us. Another couple arrived and stood beside us, and within two minutes they were asked what they wanted to drink. We felt invisible. I told my husband I’d rather go hungry than deal with that kind of customer service, so we left. It looked like only a couple of restaurant tables were occupied, hardly busy enough to explain the lack of basic manners. Such a shame, as I’d heard good things about the food.

The place was poorly maintained, with a leaking ceiling, peeling wallpaper and filthy toilets. Beer was outrageously expensive for the area and the standard. We waited 30 minutes just to get menus, and the floor manager came across as unwelcoming and intimidating. The service was terrible, and the prices felt completely unjustified for that level of service. Very disappointing.

We spent Christmas Day at Banyers as a family of four and had a great day. The food was great, and the staff were friendly and really helpful. Service was quick and responsive.