The Old Ship — Restaurant in Gosport

Well what an experience! Total disgrace to say the least. I am a former veteran of Armed forces. My partner had a voucher to spend at this chain of public houses. For her Birthday. So we looked online & found Old Ship. Lee On Solent. We sat down in front view garden. My partner went & got drinks . As table service scan code not working. Yet no signs to say it was not. 15 mins later as queue at bar. My partner made a comment to male young bar staff. Saying he looked miserable. He "he replied saying tired as not had day off. Also someone had not turned up for shift at 13.00hrs. " so short of staff. We selected food & partner went to bar to order. No time was given? 30 mins later still no food. Yet a couple who came In afterwards has their food brought out. 2 large dishes of food . I stopped the young male waiter. " Asked him any news on food " he said " he would look for us " He came back and said " 10 mins " Yet 10 mins passed . Yet still no food. I went into the pub. Tried to speak to a male staff member. Who said to partner earlier. " hadn't had a day off tired". I was asking about our food . He just turned his back & walked away. I assertively questioned him. To which I got serious arrogant attitude. I requested to see the manager. A Duty manager spoke to me. About the issue. As I heard young male bar staff make stupid comments about Afghanistan. I was not happy at all. As at first i was fobbed off. As was told other people's food was easier to cook. I witnessed 4 adults & 2 children get their meals before us. Then 3 adults get fish chips before us & original couple get their food before us. Yet our order went in first. ( steak & chips. Kebab chips) what takes 15 mins to cook.? I raised this issue again . So it cannot be about simpler meals. Total nonsense. Then a member of bar staff challenged me. I guess he was the manager. But did not introduce himself. He asked if I would leave. I said " I would like our food. Even though 50 mins late. " He patronised me by telling me to say please twice. ? I said "his bar staff were rude and disrespectful ". He " told me to stop shouting" . Of which I was not. ? As he said " we don't do that anymore " ? What does that even mean? I was not swearing or being aggressive. I was pointing out it was obvious the meal ticket was lost? Or why would people coming in 20 mins after us get served before us.? I feel it was the tired bar tender. Who possibly lost the ticket? Any way myself & partner had enough. When a young male waiter. Thought it was funny to say when I asked about food again. Its coming as you've already had a go at us. I am requesting people avoid this public house. The more likes I get the more I will put to charity Royal British Legion. No wonder Decent public houses are closing down. Yet being replaced by large chains. Cheap & terrible service. Myself & and partner went to OTW. On The Water restaurant. Absolutely fantastic. Avoid the OLD SHIP. Head to the On The Front. I would highly recommend it. And highly recommend avoid OLD SHIP. Read my review on ON THE WATER. Absolutely a disgrace today at Old Ship Instead of dealing with a legitimate complaint. The staff just wanted to make it go away. Life is not like that. Customers help businesses survive . Absolute mess? 090822 Received a response from a member of staff/possibly Manager. Who was not present for 3/4 of debate. I did not swear once. As was aware of my surroundings. Also I appreciate a busy lunchtime service. However one table of 2 adults / one table of 3 adults & a table of 4 adults plus 2 children. Served before us yet came 20-30 mins after us. It is obvious our ticket was lost. Thank you we will not...

The whole experience was dire. You have to wait to be seated. After waiting 10 miinutes and ignored by the young barmen 3 times in favour of them serving young girls - one of whom was not legal to purchase alcohol as she was 17 ( I know this as I had taughter her) rather than check ID, the two Einsteins behind the bar decided that as she had tattoos, she was over 18.

Once finally seated - after having to put on my 'Karen' voice, we perused the limited an uninspired menu.

I opted for the Mac Daddy steak and my dinning companion chose the Hunter's chicken.

When I recieved my order of a medium rare steak I was amazed at the skill of the chef (a term I use loosely). I have never had a steak which encompassed all the cooking options for steak. Cutting it down the middle and one end was well done and this gradient down to being rare at the other end but all of it was cold. My companion ( who is a chef) was was both in awe of the incompetence and cooking up a simple steak so badly and dismayed that the dish was allowed to leave the kitchen. The 'rainbow' steak ( as it shall be known) was situated on a bed of cold, limp, translucent white onions. But the crowning glory was the Mac and cheese. Literally, a dessert spoon of macaroni with grated cheddar on top.

When I mentioned it to the poor, over worked, rushed, single working waitress she apologised but explained that was how the meal was presented. When we pointed out the the accompanying chips for both meals were frozen in the middle,and demonstrated this to her, she offered to replace the chips. You may not be surprised to learn the replacement chips did not arrive.

My companion's Hunter chicken was over sauced with a thick salty BBQ gloop. The chicken breast was so small its father must have been a carrier pigeon. The bacon was limp and pale suggesting it had been microwaved.

I asked to speak to the manager but no one came. The poor suffering waitress kept apologising.

We ordered the Eton mess dessert in the hope that the manager would arrive. We also thought they could not get that dessert wrong. I stand corrected. A small scoop of vanilla icecream, squirty cream, and meringue. There was a dribble of strawberry sauce and my companion rushed out and brought a lottery ticket after our meal as they also had quarter of a strawberry.

In the end we left our half eaten meals. I asked for the manager again at the bar as we left, to be told the manager was on break.

The menu, could be promising but is executed poorly. The waiting staff are over worked. The bar staff are inept and swayed by young girls showing cleavage. I had always enjoyed going to to the Old Ship with my elderly Dad before Covid. Unfortunatley, it appears that standard at the Old Ship is another casualty of the pandemic. Get back in your car and drive two more minutes down the road to the Inn by the Sea. You...

Booked a table for a Thursday night 1800hrs, ordered a steak but was informed that there was no steak due to demand, ok fair enough it was very busy so ordered lasagne but unfortunately no lasagne so in the end I had chicken with chips and a bit of salad. Was told it would be a half hour wait ok again no problem but my meal arrived 55 minutes later and i was disappointed when it did arrive the chips were awful tasted like and looked like they were made an hour earlier. The small side salad was dried up and limp the chicken tasted exactly the same as a chicken burger from KFC. Now I had invertantly ordered from their two meals for £10 so for £5 it was ok but well below a similar priced meal in Wetherspoons. The biggest disappointment for me was the dirty crockery and the disgusting pint glass with food particles stuck to the inside of the glass. The pint glass itself was 4 years old yes there is a date on them normally starts with the letter M in my case M15 informing the bar staff that the glass was made in 2015 now in a busy pub how many times has that glass gone into the glass cleaner which by the way is not like a dishwasher at home a glass cleaner will normally only rinse a glass with the same water that was put into it at the start of the day and each time it is rinsed it deteriorates the glass and the widget in the bottom of the pint glass resulting in a flat or smelly pint, this is common knowledge in the pub game the glasses need replacing or a technique Know as rejuvenating. I can except an ok,ish meal for £5 but i cannot except a very poor pint due to poor hygiene or stock replacement it really does make a massive difference to the appearance and more importantly the taste of the pint. I would really recommend the manager and bar staff check all glass wear and dispose and replace any glass certainty over two years old. This pub certainly has potential it's in a great location it's busy but let down by begin understaffed and the poor chef trying to cater for a large volume in a short space of time in a kitchen thats no bigger than a broom closet. Maybe take less orders consantrait on fewer dinners giving them a far better experience, with some great beers,wines let the chef cook not heat and it could be the best...