The Hole In The Wall Stonehouse — Restaurant in Ashfield

Time for an update to this review. Five years ago, I rated this place two stars because of how bad the food was. Have things improved? A bit, but quality is really variable.

This place has been a Stonehouse for around about six years, so by this stage none of the problems can be blamed on what they inherited from they previous owners.

Let's start with the staff team. On this latest, and our previous few visits, the staff have consistently been polite, helpful, and offer a good customer service experience. On a recent previous visit a specific member of staff was having a bad day. But I saw this same staff member switch to professional, warm, and welcoming as soon as any customer came near. Consistently, this staff member was presenting a great customer service experience, which is an admirable quality.

On some visits, the food is acceptable, never great, but not bad. On other visits however, the food is below an acceptable standard. As with my previous review the carvery still sometimes suffers from food that had turned to rubber after spending too long under the heat lamps, and meat that was dry and devoid of flavour. On my most recent visit the person serving the meat was putting extra turkey on the plates. This was clearly an attempt to get through the turkey as quickly as possible, because it had dried out so much. I don't like food being wasted, but there has to be a balance between avoiding food waste, and avoiding such terrible quality food.

The pizza seems to have improved in recent years. That wasn't a high bar, but at least the last pizza we had from here wasn't burnt to a crisp. The topping and base was cooked through properly. I will continue to see if it remains consistently acceptable.

I did find it interesting that they were promoting a "Soaring Chefs" contest in association with Coca~Cola... Given that this Stonehouse bar is a Pepsi serving establishment, I'm curious which of the two Cola companies would be the least impressed by this.

It is difficult to recommend this place because of the food. On the wrong night, it is abysmal. On the right night it is perfectly acceptable food. The key seems to be to opt for the carvery if it is really busy, order off the menu if it is not very busy, and go somewhere else to eat if it is quiet.

On balance, I'm still giving this...

We arrived for our booked table at 5pm and was told the only meats left were what was out on the hotplates. There was a good amount of meat left (Beef, Pork, Gammon, Turkey) so we decided to go ahead and get the carvery. We got served to pay for the food relatively quickly and got in the queue for the carvery. As soon as we got in the queue it was evident by the time we got to the front there wouldn't be any meat left. My partner went to the bar and changed his order to a pizza and I stayed in the queue with my son. There was only pork left at this point. The man serving the meat continued to carve a considerable amount of meat per person. I finally got to the front and there was one lady left behind me. I said to only give me son a sausage as I wanted me and this other lady to have the Pork so this was done and he carved the pork for me. He proceeded to carve all of the pork onto my plate (which wasn't a lot anyway) and left the lady behind me with no option but one singular sausage.

I understand that things happen where misjudgment is made and you can be busier than normal however what I don't understand is why would you still serve carvery as an option? why would you carve up substantial amounts of meat per person when you can see paid customers in the queue and know you are going to run out? Why not say unfortunately it is going to be a smaller portion of meat but you can have X % off a pudding or a return visit or you can change your food to a different order?

There was just no willingness to preempt disappointment or to make sure every paid carvery in the queue has some kind of meat with what they had left.

Due to my partner having to change his order and us trying to at least get some meat we both ended up having to eat at different times and he had his pizza in a take away box due to our son then getting very restless.

I've never been to a carvery where they still let you pay for the food but no meat is left. You have always been my go to pub for carvery however after my experience on Sunday I would think twice about coming back for a carvery / recommending you.

Should the situation have been handled differently by the staff then it would have been a better experience for people but there was just no proactive...

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a young female member of staff who asked me to sit anywhere, as they were not currently busy. Once my wife and daughter had arrived, after selecting our food and beverages, I proceeded to the bar with my young daughter. I was greeted by an individual who appeared to be the manager. He had an uncut, scruffy beard, greasy hair, and oversized Star Wars badges that did not align with the Stonehouse branding. This initial impression was quite negative.

I subsequently placed an order for pizza, children’s fish goujons, and an adult vegetarian finger sandwich, followed by three drinks. After the drinks were prepared, I informed the manager that I had a couple of vouchers to redeem. He expressed surprise and looked at me in disbelief. I then presented him with a free adult meal voucher, which he initially denied, claiming that it was a buy one get one free offer. However, after I showed him the terms and conditions, which clearly stated that it was a voucher for a free adult birthday meal, he scanned it and was surprised to find that it worked.

At this point, my wife inquired about my extended stay at the bar. During our conversation, the manager remained perplexed and stated that the till had removed the children’s meal from the menu because it was the most expensive item. This decision left me feeling frustrated. I informed him that we would only have the drinks and disregard the food.

In terms of the overall ambiance of the pub, it was in a state of disrepair. The lighting was inadequate, and most of the tables were sticky and covered in dirt. The benches outside were covered in moss and had broken parts.

In my opinion, the Stonehouse company would be better served by either closing this pub or undergoing a significant overhaul, including replacing this staff member. This establishment does not reflect the quality of other Stonehouse restaurants, such as Bartlewood Lodge, which is our preferred choice and where we will...