Harvester Windmill Bushey — Restaurant in Hertsmere

2024 - Its been a while so i was hoping that some changes had been made and it was back on par with how it used to be, but alas....no. Had to call to make a booking as the website said full up until after 6.30pm. We were given the choice of early afternoon only, with one slot left available, because they were fully booked. This sounded promising as ive always been able to book last minute here. We arrived to find the restaurant somewhat busy but more empty table than full. The lady came and took our order and was really nice (although forgot our cutlery when handing us salads bowls. We had to wait until our starters came out before we could eat any of our salads we had been staring at for 10 minutes. The starters were ok except for the med veg - frozen peppers, onions and courgettes, microwaved with a seasoning on. Awful slop that got sent back. On to our mains. The steaks were ok, peas were like bullets and mushrooms were quite black/brown leaving me suspecting they were old ones used. The burger were ok except for one of the bbq ones. Absolute sloppy slimy mess. the pulled bbq meat sauce was really thin (how sauce goes once its been cooked, cooled then reheated in the microwave) and soaked into the bun rendering it a gloopy sloppy mess that couldnt be picked up. Had to pull all the bun away and eat the meat with a knife and fork which kind of making ordering a burger pointless. Oh forgot to add, the salad bar.........well, the lettuce was fresh cut (just put out) but the pasta salads are so bland. Cucumber was dry and needed a bit if dressing to eat. Pineapple??? How do you take a juicy fruit like that and make it dry and tasteless. Same for the beetroot. Some of the salad items you could tell had been sat in a container of water in the fridge awaiting it turn on the salad bar. But why did the olives taste a little chemically - similar to tap water? Where they rinsed under the tap?, sat in a waterbath. Cant quite put my finger on the taste but half an olive and i spat the rest out. (did someone spray cleaner near them when they were open on the side?) The floor wasnt clean as you could see remnants of people salads (olives & cucumber), lurpak wrappers and chips on the floor around a few of the tables. We didnt stay long and definetely was not staying for desserts no matter how much we wanted one (Off to baskin robbins after) Not worth the amount of money it cost for us to eat out. Felt very much like a cafes attempt at being a steak house. Well planned, poorly executed, overpriced. I own a food business and to be honest, i would be shocked and appalled if my business operated like that. The only saving grace was the waitress. Its a shame they closed the Ruislip one which was far better in comparison

2019 - Usually a really nice place but last visit was toward the end of the night. You could tell staff had begun to prepare for going home. Due to this experience I haven't returned despite being offered a free meal for myself...

Once seated It took 20 minutes for us to get a drink, then a further 30 minutes for us to get our food. When the food did finally come, it was over cooked and disgusting. The cleanliness and hygiene of the restaurant is poor, because of covid we wasn’t allowed to get our own salad so the staff had to do it and they don’t wear gloves. The tables all around us was also dirty and not cleared from the previous customers and stayed like that during our entire visit. My son ate all his food but me and my friend only picked at ours, so when the bill come I asked for the manager and explained everything I have said here. I then went on and explained that I was willing to pay for my sons meal (as he ate his) and all the drinks but I was not willing to pay for mine and my friends meal. The manager was very rude and even went as far as to threaten us with the police, so I told him to call them. When he did he stated that we was refusing to pay for the entire order and lied about our behaviour at the restaurant. When the police came, I explained everything I stated here, but while speaking the manager was rude again and asked to move away by the police so that I could speak. Luckily there was a table behind us that spoke out and also explained how bad the service is. The police then went off and spoke to the manager, when they returned they told us to make a complaint to head office and that we will be getting a 20% discount for our meal (the manager could have done this from the start instead of waste everyone’s time). Best part of that experience is that before the police left the table behind said “officers you might as well stay as we are about to pay our bill” meaning they was unhappy also. I will never eat at this restaurant again!!

I would also like to add that one of the waitresses seemed to be suffering with amnesia as she asked me “are you finished with that or are you going to still have a nibble” as there was a lot of food on my plate. The manage was insisting I ate all my food, because he wasn’t willing to give us a discount. So when I asked the waitress In front of the manager if I had eaten my food, she replied “I wasn’t paying attention so I don’t know.”...

If you love a cheeky Harvesters then The Windmill is the place to go. We have about 4 other Harvesters that we can drive to easily, however the quality of the food, aesthetics and staff are highly disappointing. Strangely I would have put The Windmill in this category before, after travelling there for breakfast a while ago to be told they didn't have a chef. Wayne and the KM have come in and managed to turn this place into a very high standard restaurant in no time. The Windmill is always busy and sometimes that can put people off but please don't let it here, as the aesthetics and cleanliness of the restaurant are kept to a high standard, the staff from the bar, the kitchen and the waiting staff are always friendly and happy to help where possibile and have great knowledge of the dishes they offer. The salad bar never looks like a bunch of hillbilly's have ran through it, remaining replenished when required with fresh and tasty salad options, additional toppings and sauces and lovely bread rolls. I love the new Wing and Wave main course, and I always order my steak medium well which worries me in a lot of restaurants as its hard to cook perfectly...But not here! Shout out to the amazing chefs for achieving a perfectly cooked steak every time. Cuts like butter, fresh quality ingredients and mouth wateringly delicious. Wayne and his team definitely deserve this review and I look forward to the next visit very soon. So if you're in the area or fancy that cheeky fairly priced date night or family night, The Windmill is definitely one to visit. Always remember to download the harvester app and get the card stamped before you pay to enjoy the offers...