Bench Bistro Bar Nantwich — Restaurant in England

My friends and i attended this place for a birthday celebration. It was very busy to start with. We had booked a table outside. We got seated, our waitress eventually came and asked if we would like to order drinks. We ordered them and it took nearly 20 mins for the drinks to arrive! At the point of delivering them, she then took our food order. The food came pretty quickly, it was tasty and was well presented. The waitress did not return to check if everything was OK with the food and again we were left sitting with empty glasses. Eventually, we managed to order another round with another long wait. This happen again on the 3rd round of drinks. When we did receive the drinks, they were tasty and well presented. Although on the gummy bear cocktail they had ran out of gummy bear sweets, on the candyfloss cosmopolitan, I didn't get any candyfloss and on a Bench cocktail, they forgot my prosecco shot! Our time at the table was coming to any end, we thought we could get another drink in, we waiting for the waitress to come round...which she didn't! We still had dirty plates where they didn't clear the table completely after our meal. One of us when in to ask if someone was going to come and take an order. Not long after, the waitress turned up and took our order, we expressed to her that we would need to leave in 30 mins and so would need the drinks pretty quickly. We waited and waited...nothing!!! It had been another 20 mins, at this point the bar wasn't even busy as most people had left to go to the festival. So I went to the bar and ask where the drinks are? The woman I spoke to said someone would get to us. She didn't ask where we were sitting or what drinks we had ordered! They eventually turned up and with the bill, as I had requested. But no-one came for us to pay for the bill, so again off to the bar we popped to pay!! Overall, food was great no complaints, it was delicious. But unfortunately they need more waitress and bar staff. The turn over between ordering a drink and getting it is terrible. We could of easily...

Unfortunately, the food today wasn't great. The bread was very stale and the waiter told us that it was meant to be this way. I appreciate that bruschetta is supposed to be crunchy, however there is a huge difference between stale and crisp. The cheesy garlic bread was also clearly toasted stale bread, which was very disappointing, though my hungry little boy happily ate it. The halloumi fries seemed like they were bought in cheap, not freshly prepared. The coq'n'balls were absolutely delicious and by far the best thing we had, but they lacked the honey and harrissa flavours that were stated on the menu. The portion sizes were all generous. I love the serving bench the food came on and the floral archway, but the decor is very mis-matched.

Keeping in mind the restaurant has clearly made good efforts to comply with government guidance for keeping staff and customers through covid safe, they did fail in more than one way. The staff were not wearing visors and the tables were not 1m apart. There was, however, a 1 way system and plenty of hand santising stations.

The waiter was pleasant, however he did not check that our food was OK at the start of the meal and when I mentioned the poor food quality, he mentioned that they had received the same comments before! To me this seems as though the chef/management are not looking to improve things and it's not a good vibe for the staff to agree with negative feedback. Perhaps he was just trying to be amenable, but his management of the complaint was poor.

2 stars is probably quite generous, but 1...

I had the unfortunate experience of dining at bench bistro, and I feel compelled to share my significant disappointment. Upon entering, I was optimistic; however, my expectations quickly diminished.

To begin with, the service was absolute chaotich and disorganised . The staff appeared disinterested and inattentive, leading to an inadequate dining experience. After a prolonged wait, my order was finally taken. Unfortunately, the quality of the food did not match the restaurant’s reputation.

When my meal arrived, I was shocked to discover not only undercooked food but also a hair embedded within. The undercooking of the food made it unappetising, raising concerns about hygiene and food safety. Such standards are unacceptable in any restaurant, much less one that claims to provide quality dining. The hair was particularly troubling, suggesting abhorrent cleanliness and customer satisfaction.

In conclusion, my visit to bench bistro was profoundly disappointing. The combination of poor service, undercooked food, and hygiene issues resulted in a thoroughly unsatisfactory experience. I would not recommend this establishment, as the quality of food and service did not meet even the most basic expectations for a dining venue much less one with high expectations.

I would not...