Chew Kitchen — Restaurant in England

We are always a little disappointed with the Chew Kitchen, to the point when passing we often have a quick discussion about whether to stop for a coffee and more often than not we decide against. Which is a shame as the coffee and food is always pretty good.

The problem is mainly with the service, its indifferent, and we are not the only people to think so as we have taken friends and family there and in all cases people have commented that the service was not quite right.

This really starts as soon as you go in the front door, you are left wondering whether its wait to be seated or find a seat, then you wonder whether its table service or whether you order at the bar. This is sometimes caused by the staff being a little too involved in discussion with people they know, each other or they always busy themselves with tasks. They just don't take the time to look up from their task and welcome you.

If you are lucky enough to be seated, whoever serves you will then busy themselves and leave you in limbo for 20 minutes without taking your order.

So, why not 0 out of 5? Well its not that bad, the food and drink once you get it is actually great, the décor is quirky and interesting, it gives you something to look at when you wait to place your order and best of all its dog friendly, which is pretty rare these days and much appreciated.

How do they fix the indifferent service and make it more welcoming, not sure, perhaps an extra member of staff or perhaps keeping their staff focused on customer service? Not sure, but I do hope they...

Horrible experience. We arrived at 5.45 with only one family present to be told all the tables in front of us had been booked but we could sit in the back. Our drinks and dinner order were taken politely but we sat waiting for some considerable time for our dessert order to be taken so we decided to pay and go. At this point we were told that there were so many walk ins (ie NOT bookings) that they were too busy. Most tables at the front were still empty. It soon became evident we were deliberately put in the back away from other guests no apology for just leaving us waiting whilst other people were attended to. Was it because my husband had smart shorts on or the fact we were visitors to the area. We will not be returning to this place to eat and it does not make us feel unwelcome...

Fantastic experience at Chew Kitchen. One of our party had celiac disease and it was very important to find somewhere that knew the difference between gluten intolerance and celiac disease. I rang Chew Kitchen and they knew exactly which foods for the Sunday lunch were gluten free and which ones weren't. The owner/chef spoke to me personally to talk through their food preparation and told me to make a note of this when asking my reservation.

For our meal all the waiting staff were lovely and helpful and all clued up on our requirements. They made a note when the celiac guest ordered food and again made sure the kitchen was aware. The food was delicious, cannot recommend enough!

Thank you Chew Kitchen for making our visit safe for all of us and for providing a very tasty...