The Holly Blue — Restaurant in Basingstoke and Deane

1st visit. Very disappointed. one barman serving on a very busy sunny Sunday afternoon(12pm), stood in a que half way out the entrance for nearly 20 mins on arrival. Sat at a table and ordered food, previously viewed menu on line, pictures showed good sized portions although not the cheapest menu, expectations were high as you get what you pay for right! My guest got their orders fairly quick, 2 burgers with fries or should I say two 2 inch by 1 inch thick buttons of dry beef hidden under a slice of lettuce and a giant brioche bun with approximately 20 French fries/ chips. £17.50 each !!!!!!! Atrocious value, in fact an insult! My and my Wife's food came by the time our gest had eaten and were ready to leave even though we ordered at the same time! A Sunday roast each, nice but nothing to shout about, no different from our local café except 3 times more expensive. 5.Finally more staff at the bar later on but service was still slow compared to any pub/restaurant in the area. All orders were made using barcode and app on table through our mobiles. Couldn't believe app was asking for service tip up front? What service, bring a meal from the kitchen to the table? No table service, had to que at bar to get drinks and had to get our own cutlery and condiments!!!! 7.When the table was finally attended to by a waiter to clear our plates, we took the opportunity to ask for the manager upon which he said he was ( didn't look like he had been out of school long). We explained our dissatisfaction of the quality and quantity of our meals and the exorbitant prices. His reply was " we all queried the prices about the meals our selves too, I can only apologise it's the recession?".... What!!!!!!! I said" I don't mean to teach you your job or how to manage but surely you should be telling higher management about customer complaints and how you feel too, also how about a discount?"

The photographs of the food on their website are not a true representation of what you get by a long stroke and are basically false advertisement. On the the upside the drinks are of the same quality and price of any pub now days and the view outside is lovely. Dog walkers and their pets are welcome and the general atmosphere is good but more suited to the younger client as a watering hole than a restaurant. Won't be going back in the near future for sure unless management make drastic changes to give better value...

This is a curious pub – I had noticed it previously and had assumed it was one of the big nationwide chains, as it has that look. A modern building on the edge of a boxy new-build estate. I was expecting a Marstons or something like that. It is part of a chain, but a smaller one, focussed in the south, so something a bit different.

Popped in on a Saturday for lunch and the place is actually rather charming – clearly mainly a food pub, there is a ‘restaurant’ area, an area for more casual dining and a large outdoor space. The weather was good so the garden was in full swing – much cider was in evidence. Naturally, I sat inside – at a tall table no less.

Interesting choice of food, with pizza and pies both in evidence. Opted for the steak and ale pie, which came with mash, red cabbage and a throaty little jug of gravy. This was a god pie – tasty and fresh and a good size, not too big. A bit too much cabbage really (or it could have been creamed, for creamed cabbage is glorious) but the gravy was rich and welcome. I like pie – I have had pies both good and bad – this pie was definitely a good one. Try the pie. The pizzas also looked very good – I assume there is a pizza oven on site. They had a good load of toppings. Toppings for the people.

Good choice of lagers – had something called Roca Tierra Cerveza. A good beer.

A good atmosphere overall but the pub did seem to attract some odd customers who seemed to have never been outside before, let alone into a pub – a group of men who felt the best place to drink their pints was to stand blocking the entrance (what could go wrong), a family who quailed in fear at the suggestion they sit in the restaurant rather than the bar area, a group of elderly patrons who kicked off because their table had a bench and not chairs. Very strange, must have been the weather… 😃

Overall I’d come here again – the food was very goodre and there were good options....

The landlord is a disgrace and has massively over reacted this evening and caused me to drive home mid meal to get my sons ID and then refused to let us finish our meals and drinks. I will be reporting this incident directly to the brewery this has resulted in us spending £140 on a meal that we couldn’t eat. On top of this the chicken pie had bones in it. We have had birthday parties at this pub and the booking has been incorrect (not enough tables booked ) we had my mothers wake at the pub ( food over an hour late) despite this I have never taken action and reviewed. This manager has threatened to bar me and my family because he is aggressive and has overreacted. On another foot the food is now extremely expensive £30 for a steak and £18 for fish and chips such a shame because the pub itself is lovely which is why we go so often. Not anymore.

Your response shows what an over reaction this has been, no staff were threatened at all and you are being reported to the brewery. The issue was with me and nobody else, you didn’t like the fact that I got the ID and then said that he can’t finish his drink, this was witnessed by staff, your behaviour is disgraceful. We went out for a quiet meal and you have made yourself look very stupid.

We are a respectful family and in all my years of dining at various restaurants and pubs I have never came across such unreasonable and unacceptable behaviour from a manager.

Next time simply say “excuse me does your son have ID ?” Don’t aggressively walk over and shout ID ID ID at someone who you believe to be 15 and snatch a drink and run off behind the bar. We will never return whilst you are in charge, no doubt you will not be there for long with this type of behaviour.

I do however hope that you can learn something from this incident and do not treat future guests with such...