Command House — Restaurant in England

We attended The Command House on a Sunday for a special lunch deal thanks to Groupon for my daughters birthday. Unfortunately, we didn't have a very good experience and probably won't be returning. The pub itself has been somewhere I have visited many times over the last two decades and sadly it is has gone downhill. The reservation process was very simple and smooth and upon arrival we decided to sit outside with a drink prior to sitting down to eat as we arrived early. The exterior boasts excellent decoration with a nice view of the Medway. The drinks are a little on the pricey side, but as this has always been the case it wasn't a surprise. However, I strongly believe that the "Pepsi" offered on tap is a cheap bottle of own brand Cola as we spied it on the floor behind the bar when we were seated lateron. We went back into the pub to be seated for our meal. It was at this point I noticed that there was a strange smell and the inside of the pub can only be described as cheaply furnished and very dirty. There were dead flies in the windowsill and the tables were very sticky. We were offered our choice from 4 different meats on the menu, a set list as this was a booking for a Sunday lunch. Our party opted for the 4 different options. After ordering I was told that the lamb shank was no longer available, I was offered a triple selection of meats as a replacement. We had to ask for water for the table as none was offered. Our meals arrived very quickly but a lamb shank was placed before me, only to be retrieved by a very worried looking server who could only apologise. My meal was then replaced with the 3 meat selection. The meals themselves while tasty weren't very warm. The Yorkshire pudding in particular was very soggy and greasy. Sadly my mother found a hair in her food and our server was very apologetic. After our meal he brought out my daughters cake which we had deposited behind the bar before sitting down. Once we had finished we decided again to sit outside. There was a live singer on the little stage, which was honestly the best part about the whole experience. I would never want to play full price for the items on the menu, so I am glad we had a large reduction. As mentioned at the beginning of the review, I dont think we'll...

We have been to Command House a few times and there has always been some kind of problem with either the food or service. The manager at the time asked us to return to prove that they are a good restaurant and would make up for the last bad experience. Thought we would give the restaurant one last chance but wished we never bothered! On Saturday I called to reserve a table, I was told that they only had 24 steaks delivered, so asked if they could reserve two fillets and they confirmed this would be fine. We arrived at the restaurant and ordered our food, usually there is an option for either wedges, chips or fries, they only had fries which is embarrassing tbh. Around 15 mins after ordering the waitress comes over and says they have no fillet steaks left (bearing in mind this is a Saturday night at 18:30), I told her that we reserved two fillet steaks over the phone. She then goes away to inform her manager, he then goes to another table to let them know there aren't any fillet steaks left so we could have them. The waitress then told us there are two fillet steaks we can have but they haven't got enough mushrooms! So offered the battered mushroom as a supplement, I said this would be fine. The meals arrived, I put one of the mushrooms in my mouth and had to spit it out! It was frozen in the middle! I called the manager over and asked him to touch the mushroom to show it was still frozen. He was apologetic and said he would do something about the bill. When we received the receipt we were told that the fillet steak had been removed but we already used a discount on the meal. The receipt didn't look right but couldn't work it out with the manager hovering so we just paid the bill. When I got home I calculated the bill and realized only £2.50 had been deducted! I would have have kept this review to myself but that has made me feel so annoyed and fuming! Can not believe a restaurant doesn't have enough chips, wedges, mushrooms and steaks. And I could have been made ill if I had swallowed that frozen mushroom. I completely agree with some of the other reviews, service is slow and food comes out cold. Have no idea what their doing in that kitchen! Is a shame as the place could have...

I'll try and be as fair as I can here

I've used this pub on and off since 1997 and seen it go through more changes than I can recount. Its in a brilliant location, wonderful view over the river and they have really made an effort with the latest refurbishment. I love their attitudes towards dogs and the outdoor seating has clearly had a lot of money spent on it, the toilets are unrecognisable from 15 years ago

They have a good choice of beers and like a lot of places have embraced the gin boom even having their own menu of the stuff.

Unfortunately there are some not so great points. I’ve seen and smelt the food when having a drink here before and it smells and looks really nice. We've just had a roast dinner and I've got to say it was really disappointing. My wife said her turkey was nice, my lamb was very tough but had some nice bits but the toughness is the main memory here, we both agreed the Yorkshire pud, cabbage and the carrots were good but, the parsnips and potatoes were rubbery, the food turned up at best lukewarm the whole plate was dry and rubbery. The kitchen had run out of cauliflower cheese which was upsetting but one of those things.

I would have given this feedback on our visit however nobody asked, in fairness it was quite busy. We paid upfront so that might have been an opportunity for feedback when the bill paying was needed. I dont normally give food places more than 1 chance as there are so many places to eat now however going on other peoples food reviews and given the fact I'll definitely be back for beers overlooking the medway I'm sure this was a bad day. The 3 stars for service is apart from a delightful young lady who took our drinks orders and explainer to us it was her first shift doing tables we didn't interact with anyone, the menu advertises gravy refills and the food on the plate needed the moisture of another little jug. That took longer than expected when I got someone's attention to ask for some more.

So overall, the place is clearly making an effort, it looks good, the beers are good but I cant defend the food from my...