The Bookshop — Restaurant in England

The Update (5/5): Following my initial experience, the restaurant reached out directly and offered a chance to revisit, on the house. This time, we opted for the Sunday lunch, which had been recognized by The Guardian as one of the best in the country. I’m pleased to say that this visit was a complete turnaround. The staff were professional and friendly, and the food arrived on time and in the correct order. Every dish, from the pork to the beef to the lamb, was exceptional. This second visit turned out to be the perfect treat for my birthday meal, and I left feeling entirely satisfied with the experience. Final Thoughts: The Bookshop in Hereford has enormous potential due to its excellent food and lovely setting. While my first visit was disappointing due to the service, the follow-up experience more than redeemed the restaurant in my eyes. I would now wholeheartedly recommend The Bookshop, not only for its food and ambiance but also for its willingness to improve and provide a truly memorable dining experience.

First review in July 2024 (3/5) I recently dined at The Bookshop in Hereford to celebrate a special birthday, and while the food was excellent, the overall experience was marred by subpar service.

The Good: Food Quality: The cuisine at The Bookshop was exceptional. The dish I had was perfectly prepared, with fresh ingredients and a delightful blend of flavors. The presentation was also visually appealing, making the dining experience enjoyable from a culinary standpoint.

Ambiance: The restaurant has a cozy and charming atmosphere, which initially set a positive tone for our celebration. The decor and setting were conducive to what we hoped would be a memorable birthday meal.

The Bad: Service: Unfortunately, the service did not match the quality of the food or the ambiance. The waitress made us feel unwelcome from the moment we arrived. Her demeanor was curt and unaccommodating, which significantly impacted our enjoyment of the meal.

Feeling Rushed: The unwelcoming attitude of the waitress led us to cut our meal short, staying just under an hour. This was particularly disappointing as we had planned to spend a leisurely time celebrating a birthday. The rushed feeling overshadowed what should have been a joyful occasion.

The Bookshop in Hereford has a lot of potential due to its excellent food and lovely setting. However, the service we received significantly detracted from the overall experience. For a restaurant aiming to provide a memorable dining experience, especially for special occasions, improving the quality of service is essential. I hope that management takes feedback seriously and makes the necessary improvements.

Recommendation: While I would recommend The Bookshop for its food and ambiance, I would advise management to focus on enhancing their customer service to ensure that all guests feel welcomed and valued throughout...

Disappointed! We celebrated my daughter’s birthday here in August and loved it, so I thought we would do the same for my birthday. I had booked a table for four at 14.15. I received a phone call from the manager at 13.45 to inform me that the table would be outside , but that there would be plenty of heaters. Then he told me that we could not have Sunday Lunch, unless we waited until 15.45, but we would get a free bottle of white and red. We accepted reluctantly, as we had looked forward to the Sunday Lunch that had been praised so much. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were taken to a table not even attached to the restaurant, but to the burger place next door, out in the elements with not a heater in sight. We rejected the table and eventually were given another table with some shelter and one heater. As we had dressed for the colder seating, we were not too cold, but the same cold not be said for the food. Our plates arrived with the meat and by the time the vegetables were placed on the table the meat was cold. By the the time we plated up the vegetables, they were lukewarm as well. We could not get more gravy as they had no jugs left at that time. When our server next came to check on us, I mentioned that everything was cold. They did bring us more vegetables and gravy, but it did not improve the overall temperature of the food. They did try and make it up, by giving me a complementary glass of Prosecco for my birthday and some money off the bill, but I feel they should not seat people outside in December unless they can serve and keep the food hot. It unfortunately spoiled...

In all honesty, I'm pretty gutted to write this. I used to visit the Bookshop for breakfast or brunch a couple times a month, but the food and service, over time started to decline.

One morning, me and my partner went for breakfast as we normally do. We was greeted pretty abruptly, and asked if we had booked. We hadn't. We was told we couldn't sit in the restaurant area, but only at the front in the bar area, which isn't a problem for us. The waiter after 15 mins then shouted us from his till, then proceeded to ask us for our order. I asked if he could come over as i didn't really want to shout my order across the front, as other people was also there. He came over but seemed like i had asked him for something major. The food came, and it wasn't bad, but not as good as it had previously been.

Two weeks later, we went back for breakfast, and surprisingly was told again, we could not sit in the restaurant area. That wasn't a problem, but obviously its not as comfy as the tables are pretty low at the front area. About 10 minutes later, an older couple walked in, was asked if they had booked, they said no, they was told that's fine, and was taken through to sit in the restaurant! We're not one to make a deal out of it, so we left it. But it did seem really strange. I walked round to the toilet, going past the seated area, and it was half empty! The food come and again it wasn't great.

When we got home, I messaged them on their social media pages and no response. I later left a review on facebook, and again no acknowledgment. I won't be going back...