The Commodore — Restaurant in Great Britain

A family friendly pub perfect for gatherings and get togethers - my husband and I booked a table for 5 of us (4 adults and a toddler), we were welcomed warmly upon arrival and taken to the table which already had the high chair sorted out for my nephew which was a nice touch, lovely warm features throughout the building of wooden beams, dimmed lighting, a fireplace lit - what a wonderful atmosphere. They are also dog-friendly with a ‘dog station’ near the bar with water and treats.

To start my sister and brother-in-law had the Baked Camembert for 2, I had the Calamari and my husband had the Brie Bites… all tasty, the cheeses as gooey as possible and the calamari crisp. For mains my sister had Chicken Schnitzel, the meat was succulent with no dryness, I had the 10oz Ribeye - with Dripping Sauce - cooked Rare - it was cooked to perfection and the dripping sauce was silky and intense in flavour. My husband had Mac & Cheese - with Pulled Brisket which was piping hot, very cheesy and the pork was tender. My brother-in-law had the Pork Belly & Mash - probably the most tender and moist pork belly experienced and a large portion too. My little nephew had the Child’s Tomato Pasta, a really large portion for a child and had a really intense tomato taste. No complaints at all for the mains, everything cooked well, very flavourful and decent portions. For desserts we had 2 Sticky Toffee Puddings, a Blackcurrant Sorbet for my nephew, a Banoffee Pie and The Honey Pot - all very tasty, the blackcurrant sorbet was nice and tart too. The only issue was The Honey Pot being a bit heavy and dense, but tasty nonetheless.

I would recommend the Rothschild 2022 red wine - VERY good!

Service was also brilliant, greeted warmly and the server was attentive and accommodating for my little nephew. We would all return without doubt for further family gatherings.

Unfortunately I completely forgot to...

We booked a table online and with the offer of the 10 quid off if you spend 40 quid quite appealing. What is in the small print is that it takes 6 hours to activate. Fair enough. The place is in need of a massive facelift, it seems to be stuck in the early 90s and reminds me of a Butlins. The decor is very dated and could be spruced up, outside the tables look past their best and slabs could do with modernising. The staff seemed stressed and probably needed more on, the guy we had was a bit over familiar. When I showed him my QR code he took my phone away to scan it which threw me off, I'd never take someone's phone. It was a bit weird. In fact all the staff seemed a bit weird, as if they all hated each other but in a passive aggressive way. Maybe they need a wee staff building sound bath together or something? The food took an age to arrive and it wasn't a complex dish, it was a starter Mac n cheese chips and onion rings as a main, and fish and chips. Probably waiting around 40 minutes. The Mac was sickeningly overwhelming, chips greasy and onion rings mostly batter. The fish and chips were okay although I had trouble finding the fish through the over cooked batter. The giant chips were supposed to be triple fried but I think they were reheats. I had to ask for the bill twice and they didn't return so we paid at the bar. The best part of the meal was that they had bottled fentmans ginger beer. First time here and I'm relatively local but definitely the last. My wife wanted to go to la barca, and I've learned she's always right! So thanks for helping my marriage...

We were staying at the Travel Lodge next door en route to the Hebrides and, because the Commodore had good reviews, booked a table for supper.

On entering, the pub felt clean, warm and comfortable. We waited in the pub area until our table was ready and chatted with some lovely local people. The pub was dog friendly and any establishment that is, always gives a good first impression to us.

We were shown to our table and the waiter took our orders. The food was lovely. I had the pie of the day (a proper pie by the way) and my wife had the chicken skewer and rice. I had a mini pudding (great idea) which was a small portion of Bakewell tart and custard and a cappuccino.

It's worth noting that the waiter who served us, Julian, was better than your average waiter. He was interested in us and interesting as a person himself. Yes I know that “waiting staff” are often hoping for a good tip, but most of the time those who are angling for a tip are not sincere in their conversations with diners. Julian was a good waiter, yes, but he knew the area and it's history. He also wanted to know about us, where we came from and where we were going. He was perfectly good at his job but we could also see that he loved interacting with customers while carrying out his duties.

Would we return? Yes.

Lovely pub-restaurant. Lovely locals. Dog friendly. Good food and...