The Bumble Bee — Restaurant in Gloucester

Shambles from start to finish ! This used to be a great pub to visit and as we live just a 20 minute walk away it’s nice go for an evening meal or Sunday lunch ! But it’s gone massively downhill not sure if they’ve changed manager or chef or both but yesterdays experience as absolutely shambolic ! Placed our order at the bar at 7.45 couple of drinks and 2 main courses with some sides - went and found a table outside on the patio all of which was filthy dirty so had come inside to get spray and blue roll and wiped the table down ourselves to clean it , asked for a glass of water which had a fly in it when it arrived , half an hour later the food arrived - Camembert was missing bread and the steak had no fries and no side of prawns waited another 2-3 minutes and chunky chips arrived not the fries that was ordered and still no prawns or bread , took the chips inside and asked for them to be changed for fries as was ordered , bread still not arrived and now waiting for fries also , cut into steak even though half the meal was still not on the table and it was absolutely overcooked well done as ever when orders medium ( the pic shown is the second steak that arrived didn’t even take a pic of the first was that bad ! ) I then took it back into the bar and handed to the manager who just seemed so blasé and gormless and said I ordered medium she said she would ask the chef ( what do you need to ask the chef the steaks in front of you and it’s cooked to death ! ) anyways she then comes out of the kitchen holding the steak and asks me what did I order at this point I’m thinking huh?! Anyways tell her and she says she’ll get another - bread then arrives at least 6-8 minutes after the Camembert was served and my partner starts eating before the cheese goes cold - then at 8.50 my steak then comes out this is like 30minutes after sending the other back ( why so long ?! It would’ve taken 8 minutes to cook the steak ) the manager takes it to the wrong table at first we watch her go over to them on the other side of the garden ( even though she had spoken to us several times at our table , it’s just comedic at this point) then goes inside and comes back out again with it , my partner has finished eating by this time and it now dark outside and cold and I can’t be bothered to- we then let the manager know who says eat the steak and she will refund it - we then have some of the steak but the second is cooked med well anyways so are waiting for the manager to come with the refund she promised which never happens we then clear our own table and have to go inside to see the manager and ask what happened to the refund she promised which she issues but what a palava !!

Some serious training is needed here and asap staff just seem clueless .

Picture is of the second...

Ah, The Bumblebee near Gloucester—what a charming spot for a pint! The ambiance? Lovely. The food? Let's just say I've seen more effort in a teenager's instant noodles.

So, there I am, seated comfortably, and I think, "Let's keep it simple. Fry me some chips!" Freshly cut, crispy, golden fries—it's the simplest pleasure one can have. But alas, simplicity isn't on the menu here. "Triple-cooked chips," they said. What I got were more like "Thrice-thawed sadness."

Let's break it down. The waiter brings me these so-called "triple-cooked" chips faster than a microwave dinner. I mean, the speed was impressive if we were at a fast-food joint, but for a place with pretensions of culinary artistry? Not so much. These chips had all the charm of a limp handshake. Crunch on the outside? Barely. Creamy inside? Sure, if you mean the texture of mashed potatoes left out overnight.

If these chips had been anywhere near a third cooking, I'd eat my hat. They were lukewarm and lacked any of that promised crispiness, as if they had been waiting in some sad purgatory of a warming drawer. Honestly, if I wanted something this half-hearted, I'd have gone for a frozen TV dinner at home.

On the flip side, the cider—now there's a story worth telling. Local, cloudy, not too fizzy, and poured straight from the tap. It's the kind of drink that makes you feel like a local, even if you aren't. Refreshing, flavorful, and with just the right kick to make you forget about those pathetic fries.

The Bumblebee, then: a splendid place to sip on some local cider, enjoy the rustic charm of creaky floors, and perhaps discuss the mysteries of life with friends. The loo might be leaking, but it just adds to the character, right? However, if you're here for the food, you'd better lower your expectations—or better yet, just don't come hungry. Rating the food? A generous 3 out of 5, and that's me being kind. Stick to the drinks, folks. They're the...

Popped in for some food today quite late in the day. Haven't been there for ages and decided to try it again. We were met with a bit of an 'attitude' - which was probably understandable on the late busy 'Sunday Roast Day'. I've ordered food at the bar - they didn't have some items available (again - late in the day). My hubby had roast beef, I had steak and our friend just had a starter because he wasn't that hungry. Food arrived - I've asked for medium steak and it was still mooing on the plate, so took it back and asked to cook it for a bit longer. My hubby's roast was completely cremated. I will try to add a picture of the parsnip - which was ready to turn in to ashes any minute... He was starving - so just enhaled it. I waited 18 min to get my steak back - never arrived. Went back to the bar to just cancel it as we wanted to leave. I was really apologetic - I did run a pub some time ago and I understand things happen and sometimes it's out of your control. The actual conversation of me and the person doing a refund: Me: I am very sorry but I can't wait any longer for my food, can I get a refund? Him: No need to apologise, I will cancel it. Him: Can I refund you cash? Me: Yes, sure. Him handing me the money: Thank you very much. No apology in sight!!!! Your steak is almost £22!!! I said how I want it cooked while placing my order and asked for it to be cooked more when I got it! Was you going to cremate it in 18 min??? There was no apalogy from the staff in sight. We all felt absolutely unwelcome to spend our money in this establishment. Definitely will not be coming back and will advice everyone we know...