Bull & Gate — Restaurant in London

UPDATE - my 7th visit. September 2021 No longer required to login or register. Nor required to purchase the "substantial meal with alcohol". A Boris idea consisting of a scotch egg. So, once again,it becomes a pleasant pub where one can sit and enjoy comfort, snacks and copious (or miniscule - whatever floats your ice cube) of booze. Their spirits with mixers glasses are more than ample and will hold 2 shots of gin, a good slathering of ice and almost a whole bottle of tonic. (The little mixer size bottles - not the litres)

Chunky chips with wild garlic mayo (aoli to everyone else) are just delish and help soak up the 2nd portion of G & T now sloshing around inside the inner lady or gentleman.

Staff are delightful. Mid to late 20's at a guess. Cheerful, sober and ready to make ones stay pleasant.

Airy (but not cold) high ceilings and comfortable chairs, armchairs and sofas in which one can slouch. TV providing some sports Chanel or other but not blaring such that one can easily converse about covert affairs or hum the praises of cheese and goats.

Menu looks small but may be pronounced "select" by owners. Chef dresses as a chef and proves his/her confidence by having a semi open kitchen in the dining area.

Sadly both cash and salted almonds are not required or available. This is put down to covid. Apparently the almonds became allergic to the 50p piece. It was bound to happen.

2years ago - summer.

It's so nice, in summer, to sit outside and have a large, ice filled glass with Hendricks & tonic.... watching the world go by. A place to cool down, have a pleasant drink (they have a varied and extensive choice). Quench the alcoholic or non-alcoholic thirst and chill.

The equivalent of a relaxing Thai massage in a glass (or three).

Sumptuous, comfortable seating, a high ceiling and courteous staff.

The British custom of a pub was (originally) the extension of the "sitting room". A place to unwind and chat with friends and acquaintances. Thank goodness the bull & gate continues to facilitate this experience. July 2009 Spent a very comfortable, relaxed early Saturday afternoon here. I adore their huge glasses for a decent slurp of a Hendricks with tonic. My sister had the house Chardonnay. She likes Chardonnay. She has a nose for Chardonnay and was happy to snorkel her way through a few glasses.

It was really nice to see families with infants and one very happy crawler - all relaxed, patient, smiling and tasting.

Spacious, airy and laid back. High ceilings. But not cold. Interesting history dating back to mid 19th century. Some very nice prints (or copies thereof) of all around the local area.

Very pleasant, happy staff. One new staff member was unsure and asked her supervisor. Commendable. If you don't know - it doesn't hurt to ask.

Beer on a par with local prices. Menu looks interesting. Did think about snacking on one of my visits but the kitchen had (reasonably) closed (it was 3.30) to prepare for evening service.

Tried the upstairs cocktail bar. Young man was knowledgeable even with the "older" preparations. Gave me a taste of one of his own inventions which was Brazilian style. Similar to a caipirinha but less sugar. Much smaller area with velvet seating. A bit like cinemas.

Could be very good for entertaining a close friend. Or someone you would like to become a close friend.

Lacks a star coz I haven't tried...

Went into the bull and gate after hearing about the vegan roast dinners they provided and for a family meal out.

Upon arrival we were seen to 15 minutes after arriving to be told we couldn’t sit in the dining hall. The staff then sat us in a corner of the bar where there was no room even to move. We politely asked them if it would be possible to move to somewhere a bit more spacious where they then decided to sit us on a round table big enough for two people. Once again we asked to move and ended up on a reasonably sized table. We were sat there for another half an hour before someone actually came to take an order. He took our dinner order and started to walk away before we had even had the chance to order drinks. We called him back and he took the drinks order.

We were sat over an hour waiting for our drinks to arrive and were told they simply did not go through the system which I don’t believe is true. By the time they had arrived my partners coke was flat, my mothers wine was incorrect and mine and my fathers beers were warm. When I sent the coke back asking if the CO2 had ran out they said that it had been sat there for quite a while. By this point we were already fed up and had enough. We politely then asked how long dinner was going to be they told us 5 minutes. They had came back over 10 minutes later to tell us that our starters were not available that being the mushroom arachini and the potato and leek soup. We told the staff to forget about and to scrap the starters. By the time our dinner had come out it everything was stone cold, potatoes had been microwaved so were luke warm.

After speaking to a member of staff they offered us 10% off our bill after wasting over three hours of our day. The staff also have no respect towards people and minimal customer service. We had mentioned to them how hungry we were and how tired my partner was after standing on guard for the cenotaph as well as performing at the Albert hall the night previously. So with that being we still had to pay the £100 for the meal and drinks.

In total I am absolutely disgraced with the experience I have had and I would be completely understanding if the pub had been busy however it was not. I used to manage my own pub and I have never had anyone previously complain about the level of service in my own establishment. I will never be returning to this pub and I will be in contact...

DISGUSTING RIP-OFF

First (and last) time I have ever been out for Christmas lunch. Lost my husband this year and my son suggested that we all change it up in an effort to alleviate some of the grief and stress of this special day without him. Sat down in good spirits at our allotted time of 2.00pm. Nothing by 3.30 so gentle enquiries were made as to when Amuse Bouche/starters might appear. Staff knew nothing…no reassurances, no excuses, no explanations; and so it began. Eventually, we joined the host of dissatisfied (non) diners at the pass, only to be met by hostility and defensive responses by the staff. ‘It’s my Christmas, too?’ and ‘Do you know how stressful this is for me?’ and even a left-of-field ‘For all you know, I could be disabled!’ WHAT????? The general manager was absolutely useless and eventually hid in the kitchen, leaving just one amazing, server to sort out the mess at the till. A line of customers waited for a refund, choosing to leave in the absence of food or the reassurance that any food would actually appear. 6 out of 8 in our party got their starters at about 4.00pm; a single COLD Scallop, swimming in grease, and a bowl of COLD soup (no spoon provided). As they passed us on their way out, a party of 10 suggested that we take their order as they couldn’t wait and my 91 yr old mother-in-Law was close to fainting from hunger. Six mains arrived…cold everything, overcooked meat, iron-hard Brussel sprouts and not one roast potato. Totally inedible. Eventually gave up and the one decent server helped us to obtain a refund. Thank heavens I had made several desserts (old habits die hard) so st least we were able to enjoy those on our return home. Everything was pre-ordered and pre-paid. We learned that most food was cooked the day before and had only to be reheated. Even staff not turning up didn’t excuse the woeful lack of communication and the overwhelming refusal of the management to accept responsibility and offer their apologies. Instead, they said nothing and then met our understandable disappointment with hostility and self-pity. This place needs a complete overhaul and proper staff training before more unsuspecting people are had...