Pappy's Texas BBQ Kendal, Cumbria. — Restaurant in England

I had heard about Pappy’s from a friend. It was recommended to me as the best bbq food outside of the U.S.A I am fortunate enough to have traveled the U.S.A extensively and can honestly say that it’s far from it. We booked a table over the phone for 2 people for 8pm. When we arrived there was a small seating area, sadly this meant that our table was still being used and we had a bit of a wait before it was clear. During the wait we had heard the waitress apologising to some leaving customers about the food, at this point we had some concerns but since a friend had recommended and you do get problems occasionally we decided to proceed. It was a short enough wait and we had time to look at the menu so we could order straight away. Sadly we intended on having the Dyno ribs but these were all sold out. We opted to have buffalo wings and sausage dippers for starters, followed by the sharing plater with the extra brisket. The starters arrived in good time the buffalo wings could have done with some more sauce but that’s my taste so I wasn’t on the whole disappointed. The Mrs had the sausage dippers and unfortunately they were so peppered but most importantly dry, I’m sure they were re heated. We would have given this a miss if the platter improved, sadly it got worse. All of the food over peppered but most importantly so dry it was almost uneatable, I have never had beef brisket as dry in my life. We had wanted to speak to the waitress to explain our displeasure but it was clear we’re being avoided. At the point we had been approached and asked if everything was ok I explained our displeasure in the over peppered dry food that was presented. We had been asked to wait as a manager was going to come and “have a word” The manager arrived and tried explaining Texas food was heavily peppered, if this is the case I can understand that but the dry food I couldn’t. Brisket, pulled pork, cooked ham, chicken Thighs, and sausages should not be dry, the manager agreed and apologised. Now at this point I would have been happy to pay for my starter and the drinks we had making the bill come to around £50, and I would have held back leaving a one star review and maybe have done a 2/3. They say in business you’re only as good as your worst employee. Unfortunately the manager knocked the drinks off but added a 10% service charge after we had been asked to wait for the table and said they would do better next time. The bill was £85 for food that we didn’t even eat.. I am aware of my rights and I know I didn’t need to pay in full, but if this is the best they were prepared to do then I couldn’t be bothered to discuss I just wanted to leave, what poor customer service. I personally own a business and employ, so I’m fully aware of the needs for good customer service. I’m afraid I received, poor food, followed by a poor service. 1 star is completely...

We originally booked for the Friday night but had to reschedule for Saturday as we were adding more people to our party.

When asking if we could move to the Saturday I was told I would have to cancel my Friday reservation (which we had paid a deposit of £30) and to rebook for the Saturday.

A £60 deposit was taken in addition to the £30 I had paid for the Friday reservation, for our booking of four, which is deducted from the final bill. That said, it still felt a little steep for a small group.

The restaurant itself is VERY small, so while the atmosphere was okay, it did feel a little cramped and cosy. I’d be a little disappointed if we weren’t sat on a booth as the other seating looked rather uncomfortable.

We all ordered the Pit Master Platters (choice of 5 meats and 3 sides). When we went to choose our meats, we were told that the chef selects them instead not a problem, but it would have been nice to have that explained properly when seated, as neither of us wanted the pulled pork, when we asked if it could be removed, we were told no.

The food arrived quickly, which was great, but the portion sizes were smaller than expected compared to what we’d seen on social media. I could have easily finished a platter myself.

The brisket was lovely, but the other meats were quite dry and all had a very similar, overly smoky flavour.

I usually love mac and cheese, but this one was disappointing… no cheese sauce, just greasy pasta with a breadcrumb topping and a sprinkle of cheese.

My friend also ordered the crispy chicken tacos to share at the table, I myself did not try them. But the other members of the group stated they just tasted burnt and greasy and not really any chicken.

We’d booked after seeing the restaurant all over social media and thought it would be a fun addition to our trip to the Lakes, especially as we’re visiting Texas and Mexico later this year. The margarita was delicious, but again, on the pricey side.

I completely understand that hospitality costs are rising and small businesses have to adjust, but overall, we didn’t feel the experience justified the price. Our total bill came to £190 for four people, including a 10% discretionary service charge- which, while optional, always feels awkward to decline.

Service was friendly enough, staff checked in on us and brought extra sauces when asked. However, it did take around 15 minutes to get our bill, which felt unnecessary given how small the restaurant is.

Overall, not a terrible experience, but not one we’d rush...

Not a great experience. After reading all the great reviews we couldn't wait to try here after finally getting a weekend to ourselves to travel up to Kendal from Liverpool. We booked for Saturday night and were one of the first seatings. They informed us the restaurant wasn't open but all bookings were to take place in the taco place which was fine and the lovely server showed us there. Once seated we got some drinks, nearly £5 for a 330ml bottle of coke was a lot but we thought we were treating ourselves. We were then informed they had no brisket and therefore couldn't do anything with brisket. We chose nachos to start which we thought were £4 but ended up £10 with two watering tomato salsas but a nice salsa Verde. When ordering the waitress told us she needed to check we had any as they used the last of them the night before. She then informed us they had prepped more. Not worth £10 for a plate of nachos unfortunately. I got the buffalo wings which she then had to check if they still had any. I was informed I would receive the last portion which I was happy about. The buffalo sauce was quite watery and barely covered the wings but the flavour wasn't bad, just subtle. Partner for the ribs to start which were lovely. I then chose the pulled pork burger and partner had the Dino rib. The Dino rib had a very intense flavour that ended up knocking me sick it was that overpowering but it was nice and moist just overseasoned to death. My pulled pork burger was inedible it was that dry it was similar to eating cardboard in a bun. It was also quite bland unfortunately. I was quite upset by this point as I couldn't eat my burger and the Dino rib wasnt too my personal liking which is I understand may have just been my opinion but it was unlike any rib I've had before. I imagine the brisket if it were there would have the same seasoning on. I informed the waitress the burger was too dry to eat and she asked if I wanted another, I said it was ok but thank you. I unfortunately didn't eat my main except for a handful of chips. They took the service charge off as an apology but that was it. At least it was something. Overall £89 for a meal I didn't really enjoy apart from the wings and some nachos. Overall there were too many things unavailable that if it were my business I simply would have closed and apologised. Instead of having a full night we decided to head home after this as our hearts just weren't in the night anymore after this... Unfortunately won't be back but hope...