Olé Rochester — Restaurant in England

We very much wanted our time at Olé Rochester to be a genuinely good experience. We chose it to celebrate my daughter's 21st after popping by one Sunday afternoon.

My Mother-in-law is in her 80's and partially invalid so we selected the so-called VIP area towards the rear. That's closer to the ladies room and apparently quieter. We booked online, but one can't book the VIP area nor specific tables this way. We followed up with a call to ensure that our booking was allocated to the VIP area. Agreed! All set!

We arrived bang on time. There was NO prior knowledge of our booking and our table was neither assembled, nor set. Our experience started with some confusion whilst somebody pulled tables together to make one the right size for us.

To be fair, Christina (forgive any spelling mistake) apologised, but I have to say that the VIP area is anything but VIP when compared to the rest of the restaurant.

We ordered olives, bread and vinaigrette to share whilst we thumbed the menus. Almost pure olive, we could see a translucent brown stain at the very bottom of a solitary vinaigrette pot which was to share for the whole table. It could only be described as a tiny smear of balsamic beneath a quart of olive oil. We sent it back. When it returned, we could still see the bottom of the pot through the olive oil. They had added a little clear, sharp vinegar! Not good at all, but something that any junior kitchen hand should be able to get right.

To be fair, the sea bass and the paella received good reviews from our table. The sharing mixed grills for two didn't. Rare became medium and medium arrived overcooked and dry. I simply don't understand what they did with the pork which arrived diced. This was a difficult and unsatisfying meal. The one positive was that the chorizo sausage was surprisingly succulent.

Overall, this was a disappointing experience. Christina ultimately saved this from becoming a 1 to 2-star review. She didn't cook, but I suspect she might have done a better job than the folks on the grill.

To the owners - we were told that Saturdays are rammed so we had to book ahead. Paying zero attention to your booking info is pretty poor. I want to turn up to a restaurant that is expecting us. I also want food that is cooked by somebody who knows how to cook. Time for some training or a new chef. Did it spoil my daughter's 21st celebration? Well, it's more about the people you're with than the place you're at, but this was a lost opportunity to remember a moment in time for all the...

On Saturday night, we met a friend who had chosen this restaurant for their birthday meal and had booked a table for seven guests at 7:30 PM. I had never eaten here before and was excited to see what the experience would be like. We arrived around 7:25 PM and waited to be seated, but no one came to assist us. After a while, we spotted our friend and made our way over to their table. We called to ask if we could order a drink while waiting for the others to arrive.

Once everyone was there, we ordered our food at around 8:00 PM. By about 8:20 PM, we had all run out of drinks and had to call again to request more beverages. Personally, I would have preferred to be offered a refill instead of having to ask.

Then, around 8:40 PM, we were informed that our order had been lost, and we were given a complimentary cheese platter. I inquired about how the order could have been lost, especially since it was all digital, but I didn’t receive a clear answer. They assured us that our food would arrive shortly.

Once again, we ran out of drinks, and a friend at our table went up to ask for service. They mentioned they would grab a pad to take our order, but it never materialised.

The food finally arrived at around 9:20 PM, and we asked if we could order more drinks. The food was okay—nothing special. A member of our party mentioned that their food was cold but chose not to send it back. I think the portion sizes for the price are very small, and the steaks are pretty expensive for their size.

Key Points:

Good: The interior has nice décor, is very clean, and shows great attention to detail to create a Spanish vibe.

Bad: The restaurant is very busy, and with pre-booked tables, they should have adequate staff to cover all the guests. I tend to spend more money on drinks than food, but the service is lacking.

The menu was difficult to read; I wear glasses, but most of us struggled to see the food descriptions in red under the lighting and had to use our mobile flashlights.

The music was a little too loud, making it hard to hear each other without raising our voices.

At one point, a friend had to go up to request more drinks, which was unacceptable.

Final Thought: I would not recommend this restaurant to any friends due to the service we received. I believe feedback, both positive and negative, is important for improvement, and I hope this review can help enhance...

Myself and Editorial Consultant reviewed The Ole Rochester on Sunday 7th July. We were pleasantly surprised at the ambience and decor of the restaurant. It was a nice bright, open space and had such a welcoming feel.

Ole Rochester, is a beautiful Spanish eatery in the heart of Rochester, nestled within the quirky retail ambience of the High Street. The setting is a magnificent atmospheric restaurant, with vibrant murals spanning the huge walls.  Upbeat music adds to the vibe, echoing its Spanish roots. The service was impeccable and high-level without being intrusive.

We ordered the Olives, Bread, and Manchego to start a generous platter furnished with  fine garnishing detail. This set the palate for two mains of Sea Bass, Agave sauce, roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and the Seafood Paella. Dishes were plentiful and exquisitely presented.

The Sea Bass fillets had a delicious crunchy outer, and the sea of vegetables and potatoes was delicious and complemented the delicate flavor of the fish. The Seafood Paella was very filling, delicious, and a generous portion. It could easily be for two people.  This was  downed by a delicious glass of The Ole Rochester's original Sangria.  We were pleasantly too full to attempt desert, however, we made the decision that we would definitely be back again, and this time we would make room for desert.

Overall a truly fabulous experience in a characterful,...