The New Inn — Restaurant in England

One of the worst experiences we’ve had in a very long time. We arrived for our 4:30pm pre-booked table only to be welcomed by staff with puzzled faces. It seemed that our table booking had not actually been reserved or set up. Fortunately, the pub wasn’t busy and we were allocated a table (right in view of the bar).

We quickly ordered our drinks at the bar and took them over to our table. We then spent around 20 minutes deciding what food to order. We were informed that our order needed to be ordered at the bar so we made our way there and relayed our food order to one of the staff members who put it through their system. The young lady who took our order repeated it back to us and it was all correct. Naturally, we made our way back to our table to enjoy our drinks and wait for our food.

45 minutes went by and still no food. I decided to ask one of the waitresses for an update as to how long we would be waiting. I explained that we had onward plans and so just wanted an idea on how long the food would be. The young lady went to the kitchen. She then returned to our table and said that our order would be another 10 minutes and the wait was ‘on the fish’. I explained that the only fish we had ordered was a side dish and we would be happy to receive the rest of the food.

Another 15 minutes passed and not only had we received no food, but no update. I approached a different member of staff and explained the situation. That member of staff then went into the kitchen. She then came out of the kitchen and walked straight past our table and towards the bar area where we could see the staff talking between themselves. Within a few minutes, the member of staff who we spoke to initially stormed out of the kitchen swearing at the kitchen staff. It made us feel really uncomfortable.

A different member of staff (somebody who I think had just started their shift) then came over to our table to explain our food order hadn’t made its way to the kitchen. This was despite a staff member having laid our table with cutlery and condiments and the false information given about the wait on the fish. Despite the half hearted apology and confirmation we would not need to pay for our drinks, the service provided was abysmal.

I was told that the manager was too busy in the kitchen to come and speak to us and I was asked to leave my contact details so that they could contact me (I didn’t ask to speak to the manager but I would have expected them to address the situation with us directly, especially considering how quiet the dining area was).

It was abundantly clear that the staff recognised how poor their service had been and were not in any way willing to address it at the time. I am still yet to hear from management.

We have eaten here before and not had any problems. It’s a shame that this experience has now meant that we will be very reluctant to return in the future. It would have been very different if the staff had dealt with the situation honestly...

Loved this place, visiting the New Inn came at a perfect time. On a Saturday, we walked into Newport and found that none of the pubs/eateries in the centre of town served food between 3pm and 6pm. This was very disappointing! We were about to give up until we found the New Inn on our radar - it was a short walk out from the centre, which is why it wasn’t originally one of our options - and we were so glad that we chanced upon it! The staff were lovely and friendly from the offset and - most importantly - they were serving food. Everyone in our group enjoyed the food and drinks, and the vegan options were very good! Banana blossom “fish” and chips is not a common menu item in the most populous of places, so to find this in Newport was a welcome surprise. The corn ribs - while delicious - were very messy. Normal ribs are pretty messy, I guess?

Pub started to get busy later into the afternoon, which shows that it’s a popular spot for locals and it made for a great atmosphere.

If you’re visiting Newport and don’t want to get disappointed by Bod, The Bridge, or Shakespeare and their weird kitchen opening times, just go to the New Inn. It’s most likely the better...

Great place for a tasty ale, obviously they have lager and tasty ciders also. We had a meal Starter and Mains for £10, great value, an varied choice of starters and mains. We thought the meals might be smaller due to the price, but they were a good size. I had the Liver and Onions with Mash. Peas and salad, very tasty. Partner had the Homemade Pie with gravy, Peas and Salad. We were very impressed. We asked to leave our desert for a while for our meal to go down. I had a Bakewell Sponge with custard, delicious and Partner had a Chocolate Fudge cake with ice cream, the fudge cake was warmed, delicious. We would highly recommend. Looking forward to going back to try out some different meals and deserts. Must add great atmosphere in the pub...