The Vine — Restaurant in Broxbourne

Went there for Father’s Day today with my son and friend and his two children, the woman on the reception desk/ stand for the restaurant was very sharp and rude to the point of being argumentative too and not welcoming at all! the way she spoke to us wasn’t nice at all in front of the kids no need for it and even the children said outside she was horrible! We then decided to still eat there but outside as they were not accommodating at all saying they were fully booked but the restaurant seating area was very empty and also very empty when we had eaten and left! poor quality cold food just the roast dinner platter was extremely small portioned a x4 platter actually probably enough for two adults not x4 with lumpy cold gravy hardly any veg or roast potatoes for four plates so disappointing! didn’t even want to complain after the initial attitude by the staff as it would of turned into a argument that I’m sure of just look at the way the management reply to other negative reviews! Makes you think are the good ones there friends ??? Not nice people or accommodating was our impression of this place! We sat outside with the kids the food came out very quickly to be fair but the “Order” was wrong straight away as well ! and we had been overcharged too ! we told the waiter straight away and his attitude was take it up with the manager then? No help there! to be fair she refunded the overcharged item straight away. the food was actually cold , extremely small portions for the money not enough food for five people for what they charged actually to the point of bad service poor quality food and presented horribly too whilst all cold I was surprised at the staffs attitude to the point they where mugging us off in there attitude in front of the kids not welcoming or accommodating at all not to mention the spag Bol served “horrible and watery” the child just left it uneaten and didn’t touch it at all ! another customer made a comment to us from the play area saying they wouldn’t go there again with there kids because they was having a similar experience and was only still there because there kid wanted the play area. I’ve lived in the area for years and would never go there again as they spoiled fathers day for us two families “for food there are many better places a million times better like the bulls head where the staff are polite and are happy to serve you with a smile and the quality of food is great! I hate putting a place down like this as it’s hard out there at the moment but the experience was so disgusting it deserved a full “negative” review if only to wake them up and to save another family rude service and complete dissatisfaction and not to mention the cold food that they are happy serve and to take your money for! We eat out in the area all the time and this is the first “negative” review I've left on google reviews and trip advisor too as I felt it was well deserved and more than warranted and if there was a 0 or a minus star option I would of opted for that as a child could have provided a better service!!! The management should be ashamed of there staffs attitude as they were on site and must of overheard from behind the bar but was happy to let there staff continue with there unwelcoming rude and sharp attitude and so should the staff that served us too as they were not nice apart from the young lady who at least had a smile on her face but that’s about it ! The rest seemed like they didn’t want to be there so they projected that attitude! I’m sure the reply will be defensive reading there attack by way of replies on there negative google reviews but out of the mouth of babes all three of them thought you guys were not nice people at all and they were so upset and disappointed with there food and your staffs horrible attitude too! How you guys can be like that especially towards well behaved kids is beyond me ? Nasty & horrible is the only words I can find from beginning to end! And you can’t even say I was drunk as you have done on another reply as I’m tea total !...

Unfortunately I only grabbed the one photo though that’s because they served my children and partner and decided to bring my food out 20 minutes after everyone else had eaten 😂 Let’s begin with the fact that the outdoor picnic tables had 0 umbrellas, I think I saw about maybe 5/6 umbrellas and there were at least 30 or more tables in open sunlight with no shade (and imagine you’re sitting outside with your dogs and children and there’s no shade unless you snag one of the few tables blessed with an umbrella. The quality of food was 2/5 The Huntér’s chicken was so over cooked I could only eat the inside as the outside had gone rock solid (even the dog took some crunching to get through) add that to the fact that it was £13 for about 180g of chicken (at most) horrendously over priced for the lack of quality and quantity. The calamari rings came in at about £7 and I was served with two rings (about the size of my palm) and one that was the size of my 2yr old toddlers palm. Again quantity did not match the price in the slightest. The margarita pizza was a steep £9.95 and it was the kind of quality in a Tesco value pizza (in size and flavour too) very quickly turned into flour flavoured plastic… The outdoor seating is not cared for and maintained, chunks of the tables missing, leaving sharp splintered edges. So it would be nice if that was maintained to a level of safety. Also worth a mention if you are walking in and you have a pram or wheelchair then they have shut the cut through they used to have and you’re forced to walk the long way around - which is fine however you do run out of pavement which forces pedestrians to walk in the road and as it is quite narrow (fits a car in and a car out) there’s no space for pedestrians to be in the road so there’s a huge health and safety risk for wheelchair users and families with children to come off a high curb and be forced into a road. All in all not...

We usually head to McMullens as it's generally better than WhetherSpoons, slightly more upmarket. Unfortunately, this place was a disaster on our first and last visit. The garden is lovely and great if you have kids. We ordered food and waited for about 15 minutes and were served with our burger and scampi dishes. There was no mention of where to get cutlery or sauces. A simple gesture would have been helpful. We had also ordered halumi fries as a side. Halfway through the mains, we still were without our side. Eventually we saw a member of staff as we finished off our mains. We enquired about our sides and the staff member said she'd find out. So we waited...and waited.....and.......waited. An hour, yes an hour later I walked to the bar to ask about the side order. They said they would look into it. We waited and our halumi fries were bought out with an apology that they had been sitting in the kitchen. Rather than bring fresh, we were given the cold fries. At this we left, I am not one to complain, but seriously who would serve the hour old food to paying customers. Given The Bull, another McMullens is not that much further down the road it's worth heading there instead. If you just want a drink in a lovely beer garden then this is your place so long as you don't mind children. If you have...