Under the Stars — Restaurant in Bristol

Update

I’ve received a response from Under the Stars stating they do take bookings but I can definitely confirm that on the day and time - 7 September 16.00 hrs - my partner and I were informed by a gentleman that they do not take bookings and it’s first come serve basis because of the size of the kitchen. Then when we returned at 16.45 for something to eat, we were informed they were fully booked. Due to this lie of a response I will definitely not visit Under the Stars. We had many good meals whilst in Bristol - the Spiny Lobster, New MoOn on the Quay and the Hat. I have also never written such a negative response before.

I looked at the reviews online and noted there were a few negative ones about the staff and service, however reviews of the food seemed good so thought we would try it. Went at 4.00pm when the bar opened to book a table for 2 at 5.00pm when the kitchen opened, only to be told they don’t accept bookings and first come first serve basis. We returned at 4.45 pm to be informed they were full. I asked how could they be full since I’d been told there were no bookings and there were definitely a lot of empty tables. A male member of staff then said we could have a table but it could be an hour or maybe one and a half hours before we could order food. I can only assume he wanted us to stay at 4.00pm and have drinks until 5.00pm! We then went to a restaurant - Greek restaurant The Hat- we had booked for later in the week and they gladly squeezed us in and the meal staff snd service were truly excellent. We will definately return to The Hat but not...

We had a reservation for two at Sunday lunchtime, and we proceeded to order 3 small plates each + a bread and hummus starter.

The good: Both the ham and cheese croquettes as well as the crab croquettes were great, well-seasoned and flavourful; The brie and pear salad was fresh and vibrant.

The bad: Although it was fresh, the hummus lacked seasoning - it didn't have any salt and thus was lacking in flavour.

The terrible: The lamb skewers... oh boy, where to start with those. We decided to order two, as we liked the sound of them and wanted one small plate for each. My partner's dish was overcooked to the point that the meat was chewy and had a horrible texture, while mine was underdone to the extent that entire chunks of the skewers were raw asides from the surface of the meat (my partner later said that, after leaving the plate at the table, the server told the chef "Those were underdone" and the chef responded with indifference). Furthermore, the seasoning mixture used for them is absolutely horrible - the meat manages to have no flavour and at the same time be so spicy it hurts! The calamari was one of the worst dishes I've ever eaten: it had no flavour at all, the aioli was bad and the tempura was so greasy that, as a combination of that and the undercooked lamb, I spent a good 10 minutes vomiting upon arriving...

This is effectively an update review. I visited Under The Stars 4 years ago and had a wonderful experience, great food, great service, good value. However, we returned this week and were very disappointed. What used to be a nice intimate experience has become a loud sloppy bar. The food was notably worse than previously and the menu was essentially the same. Although sounding good the food options were sub par and no better than (and in some cases worse than) what can be achieved at home with a low level of skill. Albeit the crab croquettes are still very nice. The food & drinks are wildly overpriced, we paid £104 for 2 people’s food (mains only) and 1 drink each. I recently visited a Michelin star tapas bar in Bristol and paid a similar amount for food that was in a different league. We ordered olives as a starter and they were never served to us, on leaving I asked about this and despite being charged for them they were unwilling to refund the missing food. The service was lacklustre at best, previously polite table service it is now rushed bar service attended by clearly overworked staff who seemed out of love for their jobs. Dirty, wobbly tables, self serve cutlery that was empty . . .

I’ve worked in this industry for years and I recognise the looks on their faces well. I really hope this once lovely establishment can...