Marco's New York Italian Brentwood — Restaurant in Brentwood

We arrived and were quickly seated at our table, we were provided with food menus but had to ask for the drinks menu, this should come with the food menu as standard.

I ordered the fried calamari to start. I suspect the frying oil was not the correct temperature, because the batter was soggy and falling off the calamari, while the calamari itself was overcooked, bouncy and rubbery. The batter would fall off the calamari when trying to dip it into the sauce. My partner had the same and disliked hers too, we would not order this again.

I ordered the American burger for my main course, the burger itself was very average, nothing about it particularly blew me away but nothing was terrible either. The pickles didn't taste all that good and the wooden board it was served on could have either been bigger or swapped for a plate. Most of the shredded lettuce ended up falling out while eating. The fried served alongside the burger were sufficiently crispy but could have done with more seasoning.

I ordered the knickerbocker glory for dessert, the top half was nice but I would stop around 2/3 of the way down where the raspberry flavour becomes rather overpowering.

Breakfast the next day was very average, especially for a buffet. Nothing particularly stood out in my opinion and I was not left wanting to go for seconds. The sausages were extremely bland, lacking both flavour and texture. The hash brown could have done with better seasoning. Luckily breakfast was included with the room, I would not have been happy to pay for it.

Most staff seemed young and inexperienced, in order to get our bill in the evening we had to get up from our table to go and ask for it.

I know as a restaurant attached to a Holiday Inn I shouldn't necessarily expect an amazing dining experience, but I would have liked to believe the fact Marco Pierre White has his name on it would count for even a little uptick compared to the usual quality of restaurants these days, unfortunately not.

If I were back at this hotel and had the ability to go somewhere else for food I likely would, you've got Mizu just down the road which will get you far better bang for your buck.

Overall a disappointing meal magnified by high prices, poorly trained staff, and lack of...

I visited this restaurant approx 1 year ago and had a very good experience which I reviewed in a complimentary way but unfortunately a year later and on this visit I was very disappointed…and feel the quality and standards have slipped… having booked this occasion in the strength of an offer on the website i.e Friday Night Steak Night, I booked a table for two for a friends birthday, looking forward to a good steak meal + drink at a very reasonable price which suited my pocket . However when we arrived we were given the main menu and when I asked for the ‘offer’ menu, I was told by a helpful waitress and then the unhelpful manager that they don’t have that offer or the others on the website. I was disappointed to say the least and as I had brought a friend for a meal, I decided to stay rather than looking for somewhere else to dine. The food we eventually ordered was good but I’m unhappy with the misrepresentation. If offers are no longer available, they should be taken off the website immediately. I have been to many of Marco’s more prestigious restaurants and that’s what they are for many reasons. This one isn’t and with the poor attitude towards keeping customers happy when the restaurant hasn’t delivered, it never will be. I like to help the local economy but will think twice about booking again as this...

We have been here a few times and always return for our wedding anniversary. This year was the first year we brought out 1 year old son with us and the staff were so brilliant with him. They got the table all set up before we arrived which was just a lovely touch - usually I'm having to run around trying to find a high chair. Kalia was our waitress and right from the start she was so warm and welcoming. She waved to our son and made him smile, and she showed us the vast array of children's toys and books they had available to entertain him with! I've never experienced such thoughtfulness for children at a restaurant before.

The food was brilliant as always. At one point we even thought to ask if our son's meals were actually from the kid's menu because the portion sizes were so good! My husband had the ribs which he says are incredible every time, and I had the vegetable ravioli which tasted really fresh.

We will continue to return here for our anniversary, and I'm sure we will make a few more trips throughout the year too! Thank you for the lovely food and for making us feel so comfortable with a...