Vintage Inns pubs Avis 

FOWLERS FARM PUB BRAINTREE Worst xmas day meal ever. Had to wait 35 minutes for our starter (we had been forgotten). duck was dry as a bone and noodles overcooked. Then, after repeated asking of the waitress we waited another 40 minutes for our mains. Upon receiving, the beef was fatty and chewy and cold, the broccolli and parnips were rock hard and cold. By this time we gave up and left. All this for £200. NEVER AGAIN. nor will i recommend. I have been having xmas dinner in pubs for years and this is the worst service and food I have experienced.

I am writing to formally express my disappointment with our recent visit to The Friary Oak, Hassocks on Christmas Eve. Having dined with you on several previous occasions and always enjoyed both the food and the service, we chose to book with you for our family Christmas Eve meal.

I made the reservation on 18 September 2025 for the Festive Menu, with a booking time of 6.00pm. While the food itself was, as usual, of a high standard, the overall experience was extremely disappointing due to ongoing service issues from the moment we arrived.

Upon arrival, we were informed that our table would not be available until approximately 20 minutes after our booked time. We therefore found a table in the bar area to have a drink and were told that we could also eat there if we wished. The table was not laid, but we were informed by the waitress that this would be done after we placed our order.

Unfortunately, the service deteriorated further. The waitress’s manner was curt and unprofessional when informing our son that the scallop, prawn and crab coquille was unavailable. She later returned to advise that his main course choice of the Steak and Venison Pie was also unavailable. Given that we had an early evening booking, this was particularly surprising and disappointing.

To make matters worse, the same waitress then returned and literally threw a Christmas cracker to each of us across the table rather than placing them appropriately. I found this behaviour completely unacceptable and appalling.

We then experienced an excessive wait for our starters, followed by a further prolonged delay for our main courses. After having to ask a member of staff for an update, our mains were eventually served at approximately 7.30pm — an hour and a half after we had been seated. Due to these delays, we decided not to order desserts, as we did not wish to face another lengthy wait.

Overall, this was a very disappointing experience and not the start to Christmas that we had hoped for, particularly given our previous positive experiences with your restaurant. I was extremely embarrassed and disappointed by the situation and would appreciate your response.

Booked a table at The Black Horse in Brentwood on Christmas Eve. We were shown to our table and after sitting for half an hour without any of the waiting staff even acknowledging our presence let alone taking our drinks order - we left.

Had lunch at the Hesketh Arms in Southport. Have been previously and it's been reasonably good. On our visit today had the festive menu £34.95 for two courses £37.95 for three. What can I say. The prawn and smoked salmon cocktail had frozen prawns, not just mine but all 3 dishes. We sent them back and they were replaced. Then to my main course the steak and venison pie. When the plate arrived the pie looked wonderful. It went downhill from there. It was basically all pastry, I counted 3 pieces of meat and not one of the small pieces was venison. I complained again and they knocked the price of my pint off. The other two mains of sea bass were quite acceptable. I decided to try a festive pudding I shouldn't have bothered. Apple and mince pie crumble with ice cream. It was just microwaved apple and mincemeat with a sort of synthetic crumble on top, with the smallest boule of ice cream in a large bowl. Given I would have paid nearly £38 I felt completely ripped off. The only saving grace was our waitress who tried to make up for the inadequacy of the place. Even with my M&B shareholder discount I doubt I'll ever return to this vintage inn again. I'm having second thoughts about another vintage inn I've booked for a family reunion between Christmas and New Year !

15 Older Adults were booked to have the festive meal at the Red Lion in Alvechurch . We had to wait for an hour before we started to receive any food . When it did arrive some of the meals were not very warm. Many parsnips were left due to hardness . Another hour went by before we received any puddings . Service overall was terrible and the meal mediocre

We went to Trent Lock in Sawley/ Long Eaton and we had three courses last night with family. We were served by Lauren. The food was absolutely beautiful, well presented, hot, and good quality. The service was impeccable. This is a dog-friendly pub with a roaring real fire. The staff couldn't do enough for you. I would highly recommend. Again, a big shout out to Lauren and all that served us last night.

We used to visit our local Vintage Inn a lot, then it went downwhill foodwise so we stopped going for ages. Went back a little while ago as we thought we'd give it another go (nice place and very handy) and were very impressed. I always have a pie, and the pie was lovely, what I call a 'proper' pie, lots of filling, very tasty, nice veg etc. So we went again after that, lovely pie & other food again. Great we thought, it's got better. So we went again last night (was hubby's birthday), unfortunately it was awful. Firstly veg were cold, was asked if I wanted a new meal or just the veg, I said just veg would be fine. Server then came back and said sorry chef wants to replate it. Came back out microwaved (I knew because I had cut a bit of the pie off and it was exactly the same!) So the pie was a tiny thing with a massive puff on the top (which is basically just air), little bit of pastry round the bottom, and 3 (that is literally what it was, not joking) bits of meat and a bit of sauce inside. Probably the worst pie I've ever seen in a restaurant. Ended up having something else. So won't be going back again for another long time, such a shame.

Absolutely great experience xx Zack and cassie were great staff. Food was lovely x thank you The Robin Hood at Clacton on Sea xx

We went to the Bumble bee for Sunday lunch and there is very little for pescatarians and some menu items not available as they had ran out of them . More thought needs to go into varied diets as it is not a cheap place to eat ,but the staff are great and helpful and friendly

Well, the £6 pint of real ale has arrived at Vintage Inns. That's 3 times the price of real ale at the chain pub people love to hate - you know where I mean, but not allowed to mention.
But why stop there Vintage Inns when you can charge £9.25 for microwaved sticky toffee pudding? Enough is enough - you're not THAT much better than you know where.

Terrible experience …
We booked a table well over a month ago for a double birthday celebration with 7 attendees .
We booked an accessible table as one of our birthday lovelies is in a motorised wheel chair .
We arrived to find that the only accessible door was blocked by a party of 8 sat on a table in front of it . We manoeuvred our way around that and went to the bar to find our table. We were directed to one up a step which was impossible for us . I asked why we were not in the accessible area and was told they had a booking of 20 people who had requested to be together and as that was the only area that could facilitate this we had been moved .
So a double birthday celebration was completely ruined by the incompetence of the staff / management .
The manager took no responsibility for the situation , blamed his staff, the fact I had booked on their AI booking system. I advise that as a manager he is responsible for his staffs actions and also that whilst I did book on the AI system I also called the pub to check they had the correct reservation and was assured they did .
We then asked if our table could be moved into the lower area as there was quite a space but was told they couldn’t do that as it would be in the way of the door/fire exit . ( just like the table in front of the disabled access area )
The duty manager was ignorant and arrogant and not once did he apologise … nor offer a solution .
This completely ruined two birthdays , my daughters and that of a very dear friend ,who was also humiliated and had his confidence knocked incredibly.
I am absolutely appalled and disgusted at this total lack of compassion and blatant flouting of any inclusion, diversity and disability equality practises the Vintage inns group have in place .
I wish I could give a Zero or a minus number . So disappointed and let down .

Good lunch at The Barge in Woolstone, Milton Keynes. All 4 of us enjoyed the meal and Allison, our waitress was friendly and efficient. Good choice of menu, pleasant atmosphere.

We went to Glover Arms Perth on Sunday 23rd Nov and the staff were very welcoming though rushed off their feet. We both ordered the Sunday roast beef when it came the meat was so tough that we couldn't eat it and the enormous carrot was nowhere near cooked. We also had the mini pudding and hot drink which was excellent and two glasses of wine. The bill came to £70.50 which I feel was excessive for the quality of the main course.

Broughton inn county pub.

I wanted to take a moment to share some observations regarding the current state of the pub.

While I appreciate the delightful members of staff who work hard under challenging conditions, it seems they are often restricted in their duties due to higher management decisions and ongoing staff shortages. This has been a regular occurrence and affects both the service and the overall atmosphere.
, I've noticed that the pub is very cold, with folk often sitting in hats and coats. I've been informed that the heating is controlled by head office, which is an obvious lie , especially since there is a beautiful fireplace that remains largely unlit. This could be due to either staffing levels or a lack of wood or coal.

Overall, it seems that the pub is struggling and could benefit from some attention to improve both staff morale and customer experience. I hope these concerns can be addressed to enhance the pub's environment.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to seeing positive changes.

Best regards Steve

Table for 14 at The Fishers Pond Colden Common.
First at the bar told they don’t sell squash for children but it’s on the kids menu.
Then told there’s no turkey so combo roast off asked if turkey could be swapped out for chicken answer NO so tried to order steak and ale pie that’s on the menu, NO only chicken pie. So had roast lamb. The lamb was just edible but the roast spuds had been warmed up and were like rubber inedible. It was the most overpriced rubbish I’ve ever eaten.
Also the waiter was condescending, kept saying we are not a carvery.
We left wishing we had gone to a carvery for a decent meal.

Staff great. Food good....but customer service aftercare awful. Tried to get issue with app and points and recent visit addressed and absolutely useless

Kirsty at the chimneys was incredible! If I could leave her a thousand reviews I would! Her attitude, care, huge smile, attention to detail and how she was so lovely with our kids was just amazing! It was my husband’s birthday and she made it extra special! Kirsty is absolutely fantastic!! Thank you Kirsty! We will be back again and hope to see you next time!!

My partner and I had lunch at the Lamb Inn Hooe, Sussex yesterday, on the spur of the moment, and I'm so glad we did. The interior is delightful, the service from Jane-and her colleagues-was excellent and very friendly and the food from chef Brad was delicious. We will definitely be back! Sincerely, Pauline Williams

Visited Park Gate Inn today to meet my cousin for lunch. We hadn't booked, so we went to the bar, and we're met by Jane. She found us a table, and we were sat down, and after my cousin and I talking and not paying attention to the menu, we ordered our food (beef shin, and a fish finger sandwich and Mac and cheese).

The food was great, and Jane was always around, checking we had everything we needed.

I had a lovely Apple Tarte Tatin, and my cousin a cappuccino.

It was great to have a catch up with my cousin, but the service and food just made it better.

It's not the first time we've had Jane looking after us, although I'm sure she didn't recognise us.

Great customer service, and great food, thank you

Absolutely appalling customer service from head office. I emailed regarding the loyalty vouchers. When I try to use them the local restaurant tells me they are out of date. Even though they appear to be in date according to the date on them. Seems there's some invisible date you don't get told until you attempt to use them. It's like playing voucher lottery. Had numerous emails back and forth with head office. Not one person there makes sense. Every email answered by a different person. I even asked for the complaint to be escalated. They didn't bother.