Bill's Guildford Restaurant — Restaurant in Guildford

This review is broken down into three parts, the good, the bad, and the very ugly. Keeping in mind that. The very ugly section refers largely to taking an infant with us.

Firstly the good - our friends and my partners meals had what you might expect in terms of food from somewhere like this and at a quite reasonable price. The service was good even though it was very busy. Our food came out in a good time. The general ambiance was good and presentation was nice of each dish.

The bad - I don’t know if I just ordered badly but I was not impressed with my meal, it was a salad featuring watermelon. The problem was that it seemed to be about 70% watermelon. Other savoury ingredients seemed to take a back seat such as onions and olives. The actually leafy part of the salad didn’t seem that fresh either. Unfortunately I was left looking at the burgers my compatriots had ordered with envy.

The ugly - This part is somewhat exclusive to having a 1 year old, so probably ignore this if that is not you. And i also accept that perhaps we need to alter our expectations when it comes to this sort of thing.

Going anywhere with a small child like ours is a minefield because you often need to get lucky on child changing facilities and access facilities. Unfortunately I cannot see a way that I could give either of these points more than a 1/10. Firstly diners are crammed like sardines, in such a way that it’s hard not to feel a little sorry for the waiting staff who are almost having to brush past people to deliver meals. There’s also no easy access for wheeled things such as prams or wheelchairs. Or not at least that we were shown, despite we were clearly struggling. When we left we had to interrupt about 4-5 other parties meals to get them to move so we could get out.

The worst thing however and why I am really writing this review is the dismal and frankly disgusting state of the changing facilities / toilet where the changing table is.

Some things: Changing station is located in the gents toilets down a tight stone spiral staircase which could be pretty dangerous if you’re not concentrating or if you’ve had a drink.

When the changing table is deployed it takes up about 80% of the space in the cubicle (it is literally a cubicle )

There was a very strong smell of excrement and urine in the air

There were a few tissues on the floor with a questionable brown substance on them…..

Nappy bin (that the foot pedal didn’t seem to work) is outside of this “changing area” wedged imbetween / underneath two sinks.

It was really quite harrowing and I felt like complaining but I didn’t want to come across as the entitled parent to busy waiting staff. Luckily I went down there after dinner as I lost my appetite completely.

It was bar none the absolute worst experience I’ve had taking our kiddo out for the day.

But as I say. If I wasn’t parenting at that moment it would have been fine and honestly I wouldn’t write the review. This review is cautionary more than anything.

Thanks...

Pros

The host/server at the entrance (a tall man with dark hair and a non-English accent) allowed me to amend my reservation for later. Whilst staying at The Angel Hotel, the WiFi wasn’t working at the time, so I couldn’t do it online.

I was sat down quickly, checked on, given water to start, and given ample time to decide what to order. Communication was great as the server offered me a substitution for a type of whisky they didn’t have.

The food had good flavor and the spiciness was actually spicy, contrary to other ‘spicy’ dishes I’ve had in Europe.

Another server waited on me (average height blond woman with glasses and nicely manicured nails), who was lovely. When I finished my meal, she asked if I’d like another order or dessert which made me feel very welcome. Her energy was great.

Cons

The original server I met at the entrance wasn’t warm at first, (though he was cordial) and I almost didn’t dine here because of that. He did eventually warm up and could’ve just been having a day. I try to give others grace-within reason.

I was sat right in front of a cart with glasses that clanked loudly when the servers would handle them.

Upon entering, I requested a seat at one of the booths in the main area, yet the server (the man) stated that whole section was reserved. My only critique is to have large reservations in a separate area, or some sort of demarcation/sign for clarification.

The food was a bit cool, though since it’s Lent season and I’m fasting from 0600-1800, I went ahead and ate it as was. Additionally about the food, the sauce (고추장 gochujang) for the sticky duck salad and Korean loaded fries had too much sugar. I recommend having all sauces on the side for the customer to decide how much they want on their meal.

Ultimately, I would dine here again, though not as my...

First off, I need to clarify that the food was good.

My issue is accessibility. A table was booked, including a wheelchair user, and at booking was told there was accessibility.

On arrival the accessibility was by a side door,straight into a small section on the edge of the main restaurant, with tables and chairs which prevented the wheelchair user from being able to even get inside,without moving all the tables and chairs.

Once inside and able to close the access door (space was that limited),there was no possibility of the wheelchair user being able to move at all, and they had to position themselves with their back facing half of the group.

Once we managed to reposition all the tables and sat, I noticed the only way to the toilets was NOT step free.

After about 5 minutes, a staff member came to take orders ( noone had assisted or approaches us during the table moving). I asked if there was a step free way to the disabled toilet if required. The server left and returned with a manager, who was very nice, but explained there was no disabled toilet ( think because it is an old building), and they had been refused permission to build one. The male wheelchair user was told they could use the ladies toilets ( but that was physically impossible due to the layout),as the male toilets were downstairs. One free drink was offered as compensation.

So this kind of ruined the meal , however the food itself was good.

I do feel that if you cannot accommodate the needs of a wheelchair user, then don't say you have an accessible restaurant. It really isn't.

Apparently, they have a ramp for front door access , but I was told the layout means wheelchairs cannot get through the restaurant itself, once inside.

TLDR; this is very much not accessible for...