The Welloe — Restaurant in England

Hmmm, it should have been amazing but, just wasn't. The service was friendly but, not efficient and they seemed understaffed. Food was better than expected but, only just and our expectations were on the low side. No frills here, burgers, mac n' cheese, pizza etc. Slightly overpriced for what you get but, you are beach front and the location is outstanding. The social media photos make this place look gorgeous, unfortunately it doesn't look as good in reality. The restaurant really needed a big clean. I'd imagine it is hard to keep a beach front restaurant with lots of families and dogs visiting clean but, we had to wipe food off the chairs, and sauce from the table leg and the floor needed a big sweep (again due to lack of staff I'd imagine). Unfortunately the tables are very sticky, I think mainly due to the type of coating used rather than cleanliness but still, no one wants their clothing to stick to the surfaces. Family of four, first visit £110 + tip, 4 x main meals, 2 x puddings, 2 x alcoholic drinks. Family of four, second visit (Friday 4pm to 6pm when wine was £3.99 for a medium glass, this is a great deal!) £100 + tip, 4 x main meals, 6 x alcoholic drinks, 2 x soft drinks. The thing though that lets this place down was the lack of atmosphere (even during a busy evening service), not sure if this is because of how the tables are spaced, or that it is basically a big box of a building or that it was out of season, but, it really lacked that comfortable, soft vibe. Bizarre, as the restaurant was warm, it is very family and dog friendly (which is great), the staff were really nice and accommodating (although some were noticeably not very well trained, perhaps some new staff recently) and it looks fantastic on paper, it just doesn't quite manage the slick, slightly high end vibe their social media portrays. Maybe it's just a lack of attention to detail across the board. I am only really disappointed because it could be outstanding, it is still better than most places. If you do take advantage of any of the deals; check your receipt, some staff weren't fully trained on the deals of the day (overcharged by £22 on second visit), and clarify what the deal actually is as we told that the deals were on all day and in to the evening on the first visit (£10 main meal special) but,...

I was at The Welloe at the same time as ‘Mental Mutts’ (most recent review before mine) and I can’t disagree more with what was said and what actually happened.

My partner and I went in for a quiet drink whilst there were also a few very well behaved dogs. When ‘Mental Mutts’ arrived she had four dogs, with one especially vocal & barking every 10 seconds. This went on for a while and I was close to saying something when the bar worker/waiter discretely approached to say ‘I’m sorry but if you’re dog is going to continue to bark they’re going to have to leave, it’s not fair on everyone else’. This continued to occur and in my opinion the staff were very patient and allowed quite a lot of time before approaching again.

During this period, there were other people entering with their well behaved dogs, and every time someone came in, her dog would bark again, making her other 3 dogs bark too. One couple tried to sit at the table behind her and it got too much so they moved. Another family came in and her dog continued to bark. At this point, The Welloe was becoming busier and there were no other places to sit.

After a while the waiter approached her for the second time to say ‘I’m really sorry but you need to leave. It’s not your fault but it’s just not fair on anyone else.’ He was very polite and did not kick up a fuss. Meanwhile she was dropping spiteful comments & swearing to the staff and the family next to us with their well behaved dog. She was clearly frustrated and aggressively dragging her dog out by the scruff as she was leaving.

Her behaviour was totally uncalled for and just utter rude. Hopefully ‘mental mutts’ will not be returning.

Otherwise, The Welloe is lovely. The fire was burning, it was cosy. The staff are efficient & attentive and I would 100% visit time...

Having experienced the previous incarnation of this place as the Sandbar it was so nice to see the changes and upgrades you fin din the Welloe. The online booking service didn't send us a confirmation of our booking but it was there so just make sure you are booked in! Staff were lovely and accommodating, we had a visually impaired person in our group and they made sure we had everything we needed. One thing to watch out for as this is a dog friendly place, there maybe dogs strewn around the floor.. 🤣 we have to detour round a rather large German shepherd and a huge golden doodle on the way to our table! But it was fine.. Make sure to ask for a sea view at your table as those are limited, we didn't make it this time but have enjoyed it in the past, especially on stormy days!

The food was delicious, we tried the pizza and the fish and chips and both were excellent, generous and really tasty. The drinks were cold and from major brands and the waiter stopped by a few times to check we had what we needed and food was good..

So if you are looking for a good night out with great food and ambience right by the seaside that is casual and dog friendly then this might be the...