Harvester Barn Chichester — Restaurant in Chichester

. Harvester: The Sequel No One Asked For

Not entirely sure why we went to Harvester, if I’m honest. I once got food poisoning there a few years back, so you’d think that might’ve been enough character development for one lifetime. But nope — we gave it another go. Fool me twice, and all that…

We were greeted and promptly escorted to the hottest seat in Britain. Not figuratively — the actual chair was burning. It had been roasting in the sun like a rotisserie chicken, and sitting on it felt like punishment. There were plenty of empty tables, but apparently, the sun-scorched booth was the one we simply had to experience.

Next stop: the salad bar. Or what was left of it. It looked like it had survived a long day in the Sahara. Everything was dry, limp, and utterly uninspired — like it had given up around lunchtime. The sauces had no labels either, so it was a kind of condiment lucky dip. I went in hoping for French dressing and left with what I suspect was regret mixed with mayonnaise.

Then came the food. The pièce de résistance… or so we thought.

I had the steak and chicken combo. The chicken was dry, but passable — like someone had described moisture to it once, from a distance. Overall, the meal was “fine,” in that distinctly British way that means “I wouldn’t complain in person but I’ll absolutely write a review.”

My two kids ordered the children’s pasta, which somehow managed to be both watery and completely flavourless — an impressive feat, really. Neither of them ate more than a mouthful. My wife’s pork skewers were the real low point. The pork tasted like betrayal and the onions were raw. She barely touched it. We ended up sharing my meal, which says it all.

Final bill? £70. For that, I could’ve taken the family somewhere actually nice — where the salad hasn’t been on a spiritual journey and the chairs don’t try to cook you.

Would I return? Let’s just say the next time the kids ask about a salad bar, I’ll take them to Asda and let them graze in the...

We usually eat at the sister carvery chain on our travels, but while in the area we thought we’d try the Harvester for a change.

First impressions were positive: adequate free parking (always a bonus), and the restaurant itself looked like it had been refurbished fairly recently. The décor and furniture were nicely themed, fresh, and inviting.

There was a short wait to be seated, but the staff were clearly busy and doing their best. Once seated, we noticed the floors were a bit dirty, though to be fair it was during peak lunch service and understandably difficult to keep on top of.

Our waitress, Lydia, was polite, friendly, and attentive. She took our order promptly and handed us bowls for the unlimited salad. Unfortunately, the salad bar was in need of a refresh. A few trays were nearly empty, some items had been cross-contaminated, and the coleslaw looked a little past its best. On the plus side, the bread rolls were soft and tasty.

Our meals arrived fairly quickly given how busy it was. Presentation was nice, the meat was served hot, but the sides were only lukewarm. The menu itself felt fairly standard and a little uninspired. Several sides were duplicates of options from the salad bar. There were three types of chips on offer, though I have to say the mash potato was very good.

Overall, the meal was okay. There wasn’t one major issue I could pinpoint, more a general lack of something special. Nothing was bad enough to complain about, but it didn’t quite live up to expectations, particularly for the price. The staff were excellent – I’d happily give them 5 stars – but the food and overall experience let it down slightly.

Taking into account that we visited during the peak lunch period, I’d...

Came here yesterday as a last minute decision with my partner. We accepted the fact it was busy due to it being the summer holidays which we didn’t have a problem with. When we arrived we were then greeted by Michael, who explained how it all worked as we had to sit in the bar area which we were absolutely fine with. After deciding what we wanted, we then got served by Lydia, who had no clue how to do bar - which was clear to see, she took our order and demanded a table number which to I responded with the table had no number, she proceeded to tell me to “get one” I said we had looked but the table had no number at all (working within hospitality I know a table number is needed because of it being table service), anyway my partner then asked if we could start a tab so we could then add to it if needed, she proceeded to ask another member on the bar - Susan, if we could have a tab which we then got told no we have to pay for it, now I work within the company and on bar so I even know tabs are allowed with a card saved on the system, anyway we proceeded and paid. Started was very good, and the mains were questionable, nearly £20 for my partners burger which looked can I said the plainest burger I’ve ever seen, my sweet potato fries were cold and my chicken for my chicken tikka flatbread was overcooked and chewy. We left our meals, I went to the bar before leaving to asked for an itemised receipt, Lydia had to get another member to do it for her as when I asked it sounded like she had no clue what I was on about. Michael was very welcoming and had good customer...