The Royal Exchange — Restaurant in East Hampshire

Turned up on mothers day, and had booked a table for 8 people at 15:30. We waited for outside as the restaurant and bar area was packed. At 16:00 we walked in and found our previously booked table was being prepared. We waited for around 30 minutes before our drinks order was taken. After a further 30 minutes and two complaints our drinks arrived. We were told they had ran out of glasses. At 17:00 our starter had finally arrived. Other tables were cheering when their food arrived as well as people simply getting up and leaving due to the lack of communication between staff and customers. At 17:51 we were told our food will be coming in 3 minutes. No apology or reason was given for the delay. Still further customers around us have left. At 17:55 two chicken dinners have arrived, again with no apology. Followed shortly by a piping hot pork dish. We then discussed if it may be quicker to get the cutlery ourselves. Luckily we grabbed one of the staff who got our cutlery promptly which was good. All in all the we all understand that running a restaurant gets tougher when it gets busy, but there is no excuse for not communicating with the customers what's going on so that people know where they stand. A little polite conversation goes miles. We will never book to...

We Had the Mother’s Day menu in the evening. The battered king prawns were ok. The batter fell off them when I put my fork in them.

The roast pork was not good at all. I had 2 slivers of pork which looked like tiny slices of bacon on my plate. The roast potatoes were hard, dry, microwaved and tasteless. The Yorkshire pudding was ok and I did not bother with the veg at this point. I complained and was brought some more slices of pork but the joint was poor quality. The crackling was 2 thin strips which tasted like they had come from a packet.

The cheesecake was quite nice and I can not fault the service as it was good and attentive.

We are local and have eaten here numerous times and have enjoyed the food. This meal really was not up to standard at all. If you are going to advertise Mother’s Day and take lots of bookings, then make sure your food is up to standard. We were offered a token 10% off our bill which I accepted but the meal still cost just over £100 and I came away feeling as though I had been scammed. Not a Mother’s Day meal to...

My wife and I attended for our second wedding anniversary dinner last night. I have to say, the service is beyond excellent, friendly, polite and quick. The lady who seated us offered us a glass of complimentary wine each as a gift for our anniversary. I thought this was just the best thing of all, such a simple gesture and really made us feel special.

We had a booth near the kitchen and the smells were amazing, we had a good view and were comfortable with no back pain from the benches.

The steak was the best I have eaten in years, and I've eaten enough ribeye to know! My wife's meal was also perfect, great portion sizes and fair pricing. The drinks were crisp and cold, brilliant selection of local cider, beer etc. Including my personal favourite, hazy hog from the hogs back.

There's nothing to complain about and everything from the decor to the service is exactly what you want. £45 a head for 3 amazing courses and drinks.

I'm looking forward to going back for my birthday meal in a few weeks to try the...