Toby Carvery Peterborough — Restaurant in England

We arrived approximately 15 minutes behind schedule and were informed by a young lady at the door that she was unable to locate our reservation. Unfortunately, her demeanor was quite dismissive and somewhat impolite. Despite this initial discomfort, we decided to overlook the situation and accepted a table near the bar that offered some privacy.

Shortly after, a waitress kindly offered to serve our drinks before we had a chance to review the menu. However, several members of our party began to feel uncomfortably cold due to the strong air conditioning directly above our table.

When our party arrived with food at the table, it was either already cold or quickly became cold due to the air conditioning. Regrettably, I was unable to enjoy my meal due to the low temperature of the food. There was a mistake with our initial drink order. The young lady at the door earlier, arrived to check on the food and I informed her about the incorrect drinks. She responded with an unpleasant attitude and asked what drinks were in front of us. I explained that we obviously didn't know and that the children found the drinks disgusting and did not taste like orange or apple juice. The server's response was inappropriate and did not resolve the issue. The apple juices arrived later, but the overall experience was negative and the children did not enjoy their drinks.

So I went to pay, right? But before that, I asked for a manager. I wanted to let them know about the service and that I'd be leaving a review. A manager came over and said she was training the new waitress. She also said she was actually on her way to turn off the air con. Can you believe that? We'd been waiting for over half an hour for it to be turned off! I mean, couldn't she have done that first? She did say that the other young lady at the door, shouldn't have acted the way she did and that she'd been spoken to about her behavior towards customers.. This raises the question of why she continues to engage in this behavior.

The young lady manager removed the carvery from the bill and only included the drinks, which is appreciated. However, the service, food and overall experience were extremely disappointing (I have omitted some of the details for brevity). The food was cold, and the atmosphere was unwelcoming and oppressive. I will not be returning to that...

We have dined many times at the Toby Carvery Peterborough. Why "many times"? Well we would not be going back time after time if the experience was bad now would we? One thing that always strikes me is that the staff seem to stay with the restaurant for a while and there is no great turnover. Happy staff make happy customers. I think we are lucky, we are always welcomed with a smile from everyone. They may not know our names, but they always know who we are. But then we can see how they treat other customers and the smiles to them are just as genuine. Ah yes, but what about the food, you ask? Roasted Pork, Gammon, Turkey or Beef. Always of good quality and always nicely cooked. Occasionally they may run out of one joint or another. It can be difficult to judge for the chefs sometimes, and later in the evening after an unexpected rush, one joint of meat may be unavailable. No ones fault, just circumstances. The vegetables are almost always nicely cooked. Crisp cabbage, not a soggy mess that I have had at other carveries. Good roasted potatoes. Usually a dauphinoise potato dish is available which is scrummy. Peas, carrots, cauliflower in a mild cheese sauce, which is nice as the cheese does not overpower the gravy! And yes, they do know how to make a delicious gravy!! A word of warning. I always find that they serve me quite enough meat on my plate. They are told how much they are allowed to serve and they are not allowed to serve more. The carver will get into trouble if they give a bigger quantity, so the portion size is measured. They don't go to the length of weighing it, but it is done by eye and knowledge. If you want a bigger portion of meat a remedy is at hand: ask for a king size plate! That will get you a larger serving of meat, two little sausages and extra yorkies. All for an extra one pound fifty. Go back as often as you like for veggies, you can pig out if you want! Puddings are available and I recommend the fruit crumble. We have always had a good experience at the Toby Carvery Peterborough and would go even more often, but the diet...

Feels weird giving a chain restaurant 5 stars, but as far as chains go this was a very good experience!

OK it's not fine dining... but everything was far better than expected for the price, and worthy of top marks.

I took mum, and we opted for the 2 courses for £12.99 - we each had carvery and pudding.

Every member of staff we met was friendly but also professional. Not stuffy, just polite and helpful. Which is what I want in a place like this.

The food was absolutely spot on. I had beef, and I honestly expected something dry and tough, but what I received was a decent portion of lovely tender beef. The man on the carvery counter was helpful, asked my mum (using a rollator) if he could help her - we refused as I was there, but he genuinely seemed to care, which was nice :)

Puddings were simple on the set menu, but when you factor in a total price of £12.99 (including unlimited veg) - a nice simple crumble and some whippy ice cream is just what the doctor ordered! I didn't ask what the crumble of the day was as I like surprises - it was apple and rhubarb and I couldn't fault it. OK there wasn't a lot of crumble on top - but to be honest that means I can chalk it up as eating more of my 5 a day - and again, it's £12.99. In this day and age you'll struggle to get a decent plate of meat and veg for that, without getting a pudding included!!

Soft drinks a little on the dear side but that's normal everywhere now, and they were bottomless so if you go up for seconds you are immediately getting better value for money. From memory about £4.40 each for self service soft drinks, as much as you can drink.

Having not been to a Toby for about 5 years I can say this meal was a massive improvement on the last one we had and we are already planning when to go back!

Total bill £34.58 for the two of us, 2 courses and bottomless...