Bistro Number 19 — Restaurant in Lichfield

We came in a party of three and pe-booked. Were shown to our seats, but advised to call at the counter in the main service area to make food orders ? This we did and one of the orders was Soup and Cheese scones, the other two were toasted sandwiches. Drinks were one coffee, one soft drink and one tap water .The tap water we were advised to take from the uncovered jug in the hallway, which was found to be empty? Were informed a full jug would be brought to our table. Resulted in one glass of water being brought to the table ? Two toasted sandwiches and a very measly salad was served, the soup with breast and butter but no Cheese Scone ? When the male waiter was questioned about the missing scone he replied, ‘We have run out and the Chef says it will take an hour to cook more ! When I voiced my displeasure at not being told at the time of placing the order, he became agitated and told me to be more polite !!! This then just irritated me and I questioned why was it on the menu ? He didn’t appear to have an answer for that, and stated I was being unreasonable and to stop complaining 😡 I asked him if he was the manager and if not, that was who I wanted to see ! He then turned and hastily walked out of the room ? Followed by me to see him briskly walking through the kitchens down some outside steps an into the garden ? I did not enter the kitchens and remained in the hall. I could see him being surrounded by several other members of staff. One, a young female ,also dressed in black uniform, came through the kitchen to speak with me. After explaining the situation a questioned why I was not told of the lack of produce advertised on the menu were not available, she did admit she should have mentioned it at the time ? Another two male members of staff then joined the group and I started to feel intimidated, over the fact I was making a legitimate complaint ! Then a female arrived not in uniform,but light clothing and stated she was the manageress. I again tried to explain what had occurred a my dissatisfaction that the order for food displayed on the menu was not then available. Plus when trying to make a complaint l was disrespected and walked away from. Some definite training issues were needed ! She agreed an after further discussion stated that instead of returning the value of the missing scones onto the Debit Card presented for the purchase a free sweet could be offered from the menu. This I gratefully accepted as a compromise, but after a while when again myself and another member of my party attended the service counter to place, Ice Cream ordered again advertised on a blackboard behind the counter I was informed that the flavors were not available, only chocolate flavor was ??? Again the exclaimed my discussed at the Service and overall incapability of this Restaurant ! And asked to speak again with th manager, to be informed that she had gone out shopping???? Very timely ! I don’t know who will read this Bad Review? But if it is someone in the company who has the slightest idea of Restaurant management, hopefully they will see as earlier suggested, training issues are required for all the staff. I have been to the Restaurant in the past on several occasions, but won’t be returning! I do not want anything out of the complaint l have made. No compensation, or even a reply to this review But please get your act together or the customers, like me...

My husband and I visited the bistro today for a pay day treat. As a coeliac, it's difficult to find good places to eat and even harder to factor in a gluten free dog friendly establishment. Bistro 19 do an amazing cappuccino, which is topped with flakes of chocolate instead of the usual powdered topping (I highly recommend the cappuccino!)

We decided to push the boat out and have a full breakfast, as we were both extremely hungry. The ladies on front of house were very friendly and helpful and the lady in particular who took my order was very considerate when it came to food allergies. She even went to the trouble of double checking with the kitchen to ensure I would be able to eat the breakfast, confirming the ceoliac requirement for breakfast with the chef and advising me the food may take slightly longer due to the allergy. Our breakfasts also had some minor substitutions due to preferences (no mushrooms or tomatoes).

The plates arrived and I was mortified to see my gluten free full breakfast was reduced to an egg, a small dish of beans and 3 slices of bacon with buttered bread on the side. When I looked across, my husband also seemed to be missing half of his breakfast. I queried this with the young lady who brought the food who, in an awkward situation was very professional. I am never one to make a fuss but politely advised her I needed to reject both plates. We walked inside and were promptly assisted by the manager, who had originally taken the order and a refund was issued.

I work within the retail sector myself and will never shout or make a scene, the issue was not anyone's fault. Something had gone wrong at some point but it wasnt a big deal. It's not the mistake that's important, but how the resolution is handled. I was happy to accept their apology and a full refund of the food assuring them I would return.

Shortly after this however, we were approached by the chef. Although I appreciate his input, I did feel a little intimidated, as he made me feel as if I was in the wrong for returning the food. Although reiterating to him several times that the everything was resolved and trying to downplay the situation, the chef ploughed on while our dog barked at him for intruding our space. He had completely missed the point that should a gluten free option not be available, we should have been told as soon as possible and certainly before the food arrived. He eventually left, as did we, as quickly as possible. We had already spent an hour and a half overall waiting for food/drinks to arrive.

Following this final encounter, we will sadly not be returning, unless there is an issue with the refund (which I'm told needs to be authorised...

I never leave negative reviews, but felt I had to after visiting here. The outdoor tables are filthy. Food and dried cake everywhere, sticky drinks spillages, deeply dirty and smelly. It was piled on the table and pressed into the grooves of the wood so some of it had obviously been there for some time. I asked a waitress for something to clean the table with. She handed me a dry cloth and said they don’t clean the outside tables, because it ruins the cloths! Couldn’t believe it. The outside area was full of wasps. This is because it is covered in sticky food waste. I work in a pub with a large outdoor area. It is not difficult to clean, we clean tables between every set of customers. Yes, the cloths don’t last long with it, but they are (as the cloths were here) cheap catering cleaning cloths that come on large rolls. You simply use a new one. We hardly get any wasps, because we keep the area clean. To tell a customer that you don’t clean the clearly filthy tables, is just incredible. Moved inside as didn’t want to touch the table. Waited at least ten minutes for the first drink of the two we had ordered and another 10 minutes for the second to come out. Didn’t really notice this though to be honest as was preoccupied by the state of the tables! The inside was not massively better. Rubbish under the tables, clearly not cleaned or tidied efficiently. We were told when we moved inside that there was a wait on food because they were preparing for a large wedding. Surely this should be said when ordering and not when we have been waiting for a while? Took over 45 minutes for food and the two plates came at separate times. Had to leave most of my food and drink. The latte tasted like the milk was on the turn, and the food tasted stale. It took at least four times of asking to get a glass of water. It is such a shame, the space is a wonderful opportunity and Chapters used to be a fantastic place to go. They have also left the bottom of the garden to grow over, hiding the beautiful wall which was such a great feature. Some family came here not long ago and said what a bad experience it had been, I wish I had followed their advice and not wasted money. Basically, if you don’t want to eat poor food in a dirty environment, avoid. I felt really sorry for the wedding...