The Sailmakers Arms — Restaurant in England

This place has been a really great place to relax with a dog. It's not hard to find a pub in Hull but some do food better than others. It's all down to having expenses for ingredients going off when you have to much in stock, versus not having enough to offer the feeling of variety. What the clever establishments do is that they learn to specialise in one or two dishes, and do then to the best of their ability, so they can keep prices reasonable. The Sailmaker Arms have done this to an expert level with the humble Northern Englishman's delicacy that is the oven baked pie 🥧

They have homemade style pies that they may part-bake and/or freeze. The pie is such a simple staple food of the working class. It's also trendy and hipster, especially with the fantastic fulfilling fillings that include seasonal offerings with all the pies sporting interesting cute names.

Now there is a reason I use three paragraphs to write about the pies. They are the sort of food that most of us that have lived North of Birmingham know all too well since they are nutritionally balanced and reasonably priced, but have upmarket options. I live with one of those Southern heathens who have not tried pies and who see gravy as a rarity. She will not eat anything with pastry but even she will have a try of these and always enjoyed them.

They come with gravy, sweet potato, fries, cheesy chips, mash, peas, broccoli, carrots, and many other traditional options for accoutrements to the pie. Coupled with a reasonably priced pint and a selection of decent enough ales, and a layout that allows privacy for intimate dining, as well as large gatherings.

The place also offers a massive function room upstairs that can be hired as needed. There are simpler snacks like crisps and that little extra of chocolate bars and pot noodle, nuts and pretzels.

The menus changes summer to winter to summer. Ice cream in slightly too small tubs were good enough to make me happy. I'm a "whole 400g tub to be happy" man but I would buy three of the little 150g to get me there. Small farm style carried on the theme of supporting local businesses.

Staff are warm and pleasant enough to talk to everyone without being awkward - which is a good skill when you are a young person in a place that attracts drunks now and then.

Here's the bad news: they don't have a good feedback system. The two times I have had something go wrong, they have gone and done the worst thing anyone in customer service can do: they deny that the issue is valid.

First occasion was when my beloved ice cream was noted to have lots of ice crystals on the inside not just the outside. They actually tried to tell me that this was normal and then they said that they had never had any complaints before. I ended up walking away after an awkward silence instead of what good customer service would do which is treat the customer as always right (since they are paying and not all complaints are made by narcissistic people or Karen's / Kevin's of this world making unreasonable demands to get some free food) and because the value is in keeping your customer happy so they not only return to spend more money, but so they speak highly and tell you the issue rather than taking it online. This stuff is basic for the likes of me who travelled throughout the country especially around London. They would not dream of arguing with the customer. My friend was actually a manager at McDonald's and they have respect for all complaints even when they seem slightly excessive or fraudulent. It's why they have their doors bursting.

Anyways that's the rant I have built up for months since this happened. It stopped me going daily and I looked elsewhere. Especially with the second issue which was my favourite sweet potato fries tasting of what I can only think of as "hand cream" or some other lotion designed to moisturise hands and not to be consumed. It's also sickening to think the kitchens do not have any health and safety procedures especially regarding hand washing.

So that's the good and the bad. Check it out for...

I was a bit disappointed with the experience me and my family were treated by a friend who we have known for many years. Firstly the staff behind the bar were slow when we were ordering drinks. Secondly when our food was served three of the meals were correct apart from mine which came wrong as I requested to have no salad on my burger. Although the manager did apologise for the mistake it was disappointing as I should have eaten at the same time as everyone else.

The atmosphere wasn't as peaceful as I thought because there were noisy children which made me feel on edge as I struggle with loud noises and crowds. But the worst thing was the table we sat at was disgusting because it was sticky and it hadn't been cleaned prior to our arrival. On the way out I noticed it was rated 5 for food hygiene which I had mixed opinions about because although the quality of the food wasn't a problem the tables were below standard. Our friend who treated us said she had noticed a decline in quality, and she felt disappointed by the experience. Overall I don't think I will be going there again due to the slow service ordering drinks and the tables...

The Sailmakers Arms is, without question, one of the finest public houses in all of Kingston upon Hull.

The staff are friendly and welcoming, the owner is a gentleman, the garden is cosy and sheltered (Ideal for drinking in all weather conditions).

The selection of beverages available is excellent. A wide variety of larger, ale and stout including an in house special selection pale ale (Toby's Tipple, named after the host's pet and closest friend Toby, a delightful chocolate labrador). For those seeking something stronger, the spirit selection is well suited for all tastes and the wine selection is modest but covers the spectrum of flavours one would expect.

The food menu is perfect for all seasons and times of day. A range of hot and cold food as well as a selection of meals both large and small no matter your appetite at the time.

In summary, this is a location well worth visiting if you ever find yourself in need of refreshment while shopping or simply exploring in the...