The Cliffe Lounge Bar & Kitchen — Restaurant in Folkestone and Hythe District

Overpriced and an Extremely long wait for our main course!! There was a larger table that arrived after us they were prioritised in service, so we had to wait for them to be given their food first. Unfortunately the wait was not worth it... My main was inedible, the lamb was incredibly chewy and completely tasteless - I ended up leaving it and going hungry. Both men with us had the pork belly which was so over cooked that it was dark, hard and burnt, which meant the meat was incredibly dry. The steak which my friend had was also over cooked and her pink peppercorn sauce had zero flavour, it was more of a cream sauce. The staff on the other hand were very friendly. It’s just a shame that 15 minutes after leaving our table, the waitress came through to the bar area where we were sat and asked if I would like a replacement meal. Would of been nice if we were checked on during our meal, then this would of been an option. The staff were not attentive and didn’t once check in during our starters or main. A real shame as this could be a lovely venue! By far overpriced, won’t be recommending...

We had a lovely Sunday lunch but service was far too slow. Unfortunately for us there was large birthday party, so all the Roast Beef had gone and only one portion of soup left! Which I thought was ridiculous apart from big party the restaurant wasn't that busy.

We all enjoyed a different starter the presentation and service was brilliant. But instead of getting our Mains shortly after, we a had too wait ages! For the non meat eaters was a Moroccan veg medley or roast with extra potatoes without no meat both satisfied them. But the medley was more creative. My only problem with our mains was the Yorkshire pudding was really dry, not nice and soft!

We chose not to have a dessert as we didn't know how many desserts would of been sold out and didn't want to wait any longer than we had too.

Even though we got slow service we'll certainly be returning as 2 courses for £18 & 3 for £24 is certainly good value for money for Sunday lunch.

Most restaurants ask you if food is ok after first mouthfuls not once you've eaten it. Also there was no drinks...

Disappointing for a 4.4 Rating

I relied on the positive reviews (4.4/5), but what a disappointment…

Positives:

The staff were very friendly and attentive, which is always appreciated.

The fish and chips were good, but nothing extraordinary—and a bit overpriced.

Negatives:

Dishes were quite basic, not what you’d expect from a restaurant with such a high rating.

Big issue with the kids’ meals: they were served extremely hot, likely microwaved given how scorching they were. Thankfully, the waiter warned us: "Careful, the plate is hot." But what a lack of common sense to serve food at this temperature to children! My daughter is only 2 years old—she doesn’t understand such warnings. In the end, she had to eat from our plates and left her meal untouched. Really disappointing.

Conclusion: Friendly service, but underwhelming food and a real lack of thought in some areas. I honestly don’t understand the high rating… Worth trying if you’re in the area, but don’t expect an...