Holy Hobo — Restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne

TGIF (Thank God It was Free)

Awarded a voucher to spend at a select number of Apartment Group venues we landed on the Holy Hobo and so for anyone considering eating here, we'll run you through our experience. Added context, we both work in the industry, have done for some time, with added restaurant and catering experience.

Quiet Saturday, booking for late evening. Seated at a table one over from another who were also eating, just finishing up. Our table and surrounding tables were sticky and with food residue. Within 5 minutes of being seated we're already being asked if we know what we would like to order, we ask twice for just a little while longer. On the second occassion, the server apologises for coming over again so quickly but it was because he was "bored". Great. He's then off on what we can only assume is the management table sipping on another colleagues cocktail. And then he's off out the door, finished?

Once it's been realised that we haven't been waited on we've finally got food ordered. In just shy of 20 minutes, it's out, and much to our dissappointment. My "lamb kebab" was in fact two lamb koftas on a skewer. Our chips with chilli and pulled beef respectively were dry, flavourless, and boring. We've ordered food deliveries from Delifresh, we've ordered from Bidfood, this felt like it had come from the Tesco down the road and straight into a microwave. No less than 5 or 6 minutes in and we've left a good two thirds of the 'food'. I've paid off the drinks and we're out on to the next place.

This was a Saturday night, if tables aren't cleared or wiped, if there's no handover between staff on which tables need to order (it was just us as the aforementioned table were leaving as we arrived), it begs the question of what is really being done? If the fundamentals of service are not being hit, then are we safe to assume that duties of hygeine and safety are consitently being carried out?

As industry staff we don't recommend and won't be coming back, complimentary...

We had a terrible experience at HH - I had booked a table in the Kareoke Kave for 12 people, 2 months in advance yes TWO MONTHS, and followed up to confirm twice in the weeks before my booking. They were great over email/ social media, confirmed my booking however on the day we arrived on time to find our area was being completely used up by an 18th birthday party, so there were cakes, bags of presents, baloons etc all over the space. We were put elsewhere (not in kareoke area) so initially thought ok no probs, we can wait a bit for this to finish (our table was 9.30, we were told the party would be cleared by 10.). 10.15pm comes around, we go and ask for an update as everyone was initially so pumped for kareoke, and the new DJ that came on played terrible music (which we actually asked him to change). They said we could have our original table but it was surrounded by drunk 17 year olds eating cake and we were a bunch of 30 somethings on a hen... no thanks. It wasn't until closer to 11 the children left and we could actually get stuck in. We had a ball once we got our table and could start singing, but terrible organising and such a shame to happen on my sister's hen do, particularly after me confirming things. We got some free prosecco to sweeten the situation, but would have just preferred to have gone elsewhere....

06/06/21 Started off grand got seated quickly but then had to wait 15 minutes to get approached by a waiter. Mind you I was rasing my hand like I was in primary school at every member of staff that passed

Finally made an order then waited approximately 20 minutes for another waitress to return just to take payment

Honestly I was so glad to get a member of staff and the idea of some sauce I didn't question the bill after I paid, I realised afterwards there was £21 worth of booze on the bill we did not order I take fully responsibility for my error not spotting the mistake however when I approached staff about the issue I was informed "I don't normally work here" alluding to usually working in beach box

I was basically told the issue was my mistake and had to accept to drinks / cost incurred. To be honest booze is booze I didn't complain

After this my table was avoided like the plague we tried to alert staff multiple time that we needed served again but no one took any notice

Eventually my friend got a staff member attention to take his order and a full 30min later we got served

The waiting between service just got to much for me and I...