The Curlew — Restaurant in England

Disappointing. Booked online and encouraged to specify if celebrating, which we were - daughters A-level results. No mention of this throughout dining experience. Order from table via QR code which is less convenient than waited service - felt like we were doing the job for them. Ordering via QR for a large party of 8 was not the easiest and lacked opportunity to ask about dishes. Requested outdoor table but nothing reserved and ended up on decaying and rotting rickety pub tables next to busy road. Could easily have put two of the 6 person quality tables together for us had they thought about it without any trouble at all. Starters were nice. Chorizo, cheesy garlic bread, halloumi fries and chicken bites. Well priced and 6 dishes enough for 8 of us. Drinks delivered to table but waitress asked us to hand them around to guests. Mains were average. Burgers stodgy and fries were only warm. Child's steak was fatty. Chickpea burger and lamb skewers went down well and were enjoyed. Again service was poor. Delivered to table without any conversation or a smile and begrudged being asked to tidy away dishes from starters which remained on table - needed to be asked despite being blatantly obvious that needed doing. QR code did not allow further drinks to be ordered so needed to go to bar to get them. At no point during meal did anyone check that everything was ok and whether we needed more drinks or any additional condiments. Decided to skip dessert, had already spent £200+ for a decidedly unenjoyable experience. A real shame. Have enjoyed previous visits here but it seemed that we were an inconvenience to the staff, the QR table ordering felt like customers were doing part of the hospitality job for staff. And given that they specifically request customers to highlight any special occasion it was disappointing that in doing so, not one member of staff ever asked about...

We booked for my 30th birthday, and whilst it was over the phone, there wasn't a way to speak to a human, instead it was an automated service to book a table. I gave an average score for the food, as whilst my steak was decent enough, the other food was mediocre and overpriced for what it was.

The worst part was being told we had 15 minutes left on the table, despite having JUST cleared our plates and not even finished our first, and inevitably only round of drinks, let alone thought about dessert. Don't get it wrong, we weren't chewing at a slow pace (we were really hungry), and the majority of the time was spent waiting for food. We didn't get starters, just main meals. Personally, I think this is awful for a food establishment, especially with a booking. Funnily enough we weren't told at any point that we have a time limit, and frankly I didn't appreciate being made to feel like a cash cow. Would've been nice to have a birthday dessert, or a second round of drinks. You're better off going to harvester or somewhere else, where you'd know what to expect and not have to pass on puds.

Dear management: People don't eat out because they can't cook or order online, they do so for the experience. And if you charge as much as you do for the level of food you serve, it's paramount that the experience makes up for it. What a disastrous disappointment and waste of a birthday. Regrettably, you've lost a local foodie...

Only go if you are eating! It's not a pub it's a restaurant. My daughter was at a works meal so we arranged to meet her. We'd had her daughter for the day & it was a convenient drop-off collection point. We went in ok and found the table that they were at. We sat down, and my husband went to the bar to get us a drink. No bar service, table service only. So he came and sat down he watched 3 waitresses chatting & having a laugh. He saw the front of the house manager go over and say something. He'd told my husband that someone would be over to take an order. Eventually, after arm waving, a drink order was taken. My daughter & friends wanted their bill. Eventually, they got up and went over to the waitresses station. They were told to sit down & they would bring it over. Eventually, it arrived, and they worked out payment. Some were paying by cash and others by card. They said the food they had was good. My daughter left, and we decided on a second drink. The Front of House manager came over and said that the table was needed in 15 minutes, and we said that's fine. If we could have the bill, we would take our drinks outside. He thanked us but did nothing about the bill! We decided he/they couldn't be bothered, then neither could we. Eventually we asked for the bill paid and took drinks outside. We won't bother going back for a drink. The menu looked ok and food...