Albion Hastings — Restaurant in Hastings

Place was recommended but sadly I was hugely disappointed with The Albion. Let's start with the caveated positive, the pies are decent. Pastry was flaky and the filling soft as you would expect. Mash and gravy were also good although my pie was barely warm but the sauce just about compensated. It was all served on cold plates which didn't help. Anyway all in all ok but not exceptional, price reasonable enough. Worth noting I had to season the food too.

The service was atrocious. Basically a bunch of people staring at mobile phones forgetting what they were supposed to be doing. A table next to us for 'Keith and Joy' hadn't been cleared even though they had left sometime past. Its off putting to see dirty crockery left for so long, it was partially cleared just before we left so had been there at least 90 minutes. Worth noting the venue was practically empty so there was no obvious reason for this cleanliness issue.

Our bill was wrong although I didn't notice until we got home. We weren't charged for drinks that we had but were charged for sides which were included in the price. Suspect it balanced out but again shows how the staff were distracted by their mobile phones. We were offered a bowl of water for the dogs which arrived some fifteen minutes later.

As for the venue, it's a bit tired. We moved table because the countertop could be made to move up and down with the faintest of touches. It was just all a bit grotty rather than rustic. I'm sure on a busy evening it may have been better but on our Wednesday afternoon visit it was all a bit casual...

We came to this pub as a walk in guest with a family of 10. The restaurant side of this pub was 90% empty, with reservations later in the evening. We sat on a table which had 3+ hours until the reservation was claimed. Once we sat down and looked to order, we were turned away by staff because they were "fully booked". We were collectively confused why they continued to turn away more customers that were sitting on tables that were reserved for evening guests. We intended to stay as to have a drink, and maybe a bite to eat. The pub had lovely atmosphere, wasn't allowed to have any food, and the service was dismissive and rude. I heard the food is great here, hopefully some people are are allowed to eat in this...

Hmmmm...... got to choose my words carefully here cos what I 'm about to say reflects the hole area and not just this pub. The place is very old'e worldly with bags of character....... has a wild boar's head on the wall ! Food and beverage were very good also. My only gripe was the member of staff who served me was a bit ...... well as they say from where I come from (East Midlands) "a bit arcey ".....not overly welcoming. Have to say I am finding that attitude at times everywhere in Hastings and the surrounding area. Maybe it's a North- South devide thing..... The thing is we are here in Sussex on holiday spending our money and expect in the tourist parts to be made...