Smith's of Ongar — Restaurant in Epping Forest

My partner booked a table for my Birthday and informed the lady on the phone it was for my Birthday. My son who lives in Australia sent me a voucher last year for my Birthday for Smiths so we didn't want to waste it and booked a table for my Birthday yesterday. As soon as we arrived we were shown to our table. The waiter asked us would we like water still or fizzy and what other drinks would we like. we ordered our drinks and asked for still water. Not long after that another waiter came over to ask us if we would like some more drinks. I mentioned to him that I had a voucher and handed it to him and explained to him this was sent to me on my Birthday last year from my son in Australia and because its my Birthday today we don't want to waste the voucher as it expired a year on the day. He said no that's ok and took the voucher and made a note on the til or computer for the voucher to be excepted. After a while the waitress took our food order our starters & main course. The food was nice but we both ordered chunky chips which served in small separate side bowls but we both noticed that the chips at the bottom of the bowl were over done like they were left in the oil too long. We noticed that the staff were very attentive on offering us to purchase more drinks while we but when our food arrived and we started eating after a while no one person came over to us to ask how our food was or is everything OK. after our main course we were asked do we want desserts, coffees but still no one asked us how the food was. we said no thank you for the desserts and coffee. Please Can we have the bill. By this time I said to my partner they know its my Birthday because we informed the first waiter who took the voucher from us and the lady on the phone who booked our table. I was a bit surprised that they didn't he make an effort in making a kind guesture that majority resturants do with some kind of Birthday dessert for the customers birthday. To me that goes a long way and customers really appreciate it. it just gives that personal touch. But no nothing was done until I actually mentioned to the waiter who gave us the bill that this meal was my Birthday today and this was what the voucher was for. I feel I shouldn't have had to do that because the previous waiter who had gone off shift should have made a note and informed the other staff who were still serving. After announcing this to the waiter he then brought out on a plate one scoop of ice cream with a candle in. considering the bottle of still water they charged £5 and that they are very keen for people to spend money on the drinks I thought they would have been more considerate when it comes to customers celebrations like special Birthdays etc, it doesn't take much to do this and I feel customers really appreciate that kind of personal touch. We also noticed that once we paid the bill and ready to leave no one came over to say thank you very much, hope you enjoyed your meal and made an effort as we got up from our table to leave to come over to say goodbye. We actually opened the door and walked out. I thought Smiths isn't just your normal standard Resturant like Prezzo's or Nando's You only have to look how the waiters are dressed and the tables are laid so Surely I thought Smiths management would train their staff to make sure their staff carry out this level of service. The resturant was not busy so it wasn't because they were really busy. Not sure if the Smiths in Wapping has the same level of service as the Ongar resturant but its little things like this that makes a big difference to the customers, This has certainly put me off on trying Smiths again. The staff need to be reminded that these small things mean a lot to the customers and it's not all about the customers spending money on the drinks...

Having been frequenting both their Ongar and Wapping restaurants for many years now, we recently received some appalingly poor service from Smith’s that means we’re unlikely to return.

Having lost our mother over Christmas, I phoned the Ongar restaurant to arrange a family dinner for our mother’s children and (young adult) grandchildren to immediately follow the funeral and wake.

A female manager answered my call and could not have gone any further out of her way to be unhelpful. We wanted a booking for 11 people, and the manager explained that they cannot take bookings for a single table of more than 10 people.

I said I understood but given the circumstances and the occasion could she book us in on two separate tables for 6 and 5, on 2 tables that were as close to each other as possible.

This seemed a reasonable request, but the manager stonewall refused to accommodate our request. No explanation was given as to why she couldn’t accommodate the request, she simply said we would have to book the two separate tables online, but they couldn’t guarantee the tables would be near each other.

The disdain and complete lack of customer service that we were treated with has left a very sour taste in the mouth, especially given the...

I have lived in Ongar for 32 years. Smiths Ongar of 6 or 7 years ago was absolutely faultless, food was faultless along with the service. Not the same today. I went to Smiths Ongar for lunch on Friday. Noise levels are horrendous. Dont try to have a conversation with your partner, as you would be wasting your time. Service was okay but didn't like being spoken to like I was a five year old. The service staff dont make you feel welcome particularly when being directed the table. Staff who wait on the tables are cold with a superior attitude. Salad is tasteless (I so remember their salad from years ago, it was fantastic) and had no dressing! Skate was okay. Thats it really. High prices for a very average experience. There is hardly any seafood on the lunch menu of Smiths Ongar, some on the a la carte menu I notice. I think a better bet would be Smiths Wapping especially if you are an Oyster lover which I am. Wont bother going again. Smiths Ongar has had its day sadly and never thought I would be leaving...