Toby Carvery Rotherham — Restaurant in Rotherham

Review based off 4 visits.

Comfortable tables and chairs, fair amount of space between the tables and options for booths and chairs only. High chairs are a good size for 6 months plus if able to sit unaided.

Kids under 3 eat for 99p, veggies off the carvery. Great deal and very helpful. Also fresh juice options for children too which was nice as fruit shoot is not in my opinion a good choice. (It can remove varnish from marble). I'd say that having squash as an option would be more preferred but at least the fruit juice is there.

Really nice salmon wellington available and a good choice of vegetables off the carvery. It does take time to prepare so if you're in a hurry make sure you order on arrival.

Specific Visit 1 - One of the staff was friendly and fun - interacted with our baby boy and made him laugh and smile. She was wonderful character, more servers should be like that.

Specific Visit 2 - The toilets weren't particularly great, many stairs to get to them. Not ideal if you're not able bodied. Disabled toilet is available but it directly off the main room. There is a baby change in there - which is certainly fit for purpose and plenty of room to maneuver.

Specific Visit 3 - We booked for 8 people. We were late, it was a Saturday. I tried to call ahead, but no answer (they were obviously busy). We arrived anyway 40 minutes late, significant time to expect them to say, sorry but we just can't fit you in. We were prepared for this - however we were pleasantly surprised that Richard, a lovely person in a green shirt and a smile to make you feel very welcome, did their best to get us a table to sit all together. Logistics of this I assume were not as simple as they made it seem. What an amazing person, I write this with personal thanks. In addition the server for the table, forgive me I don't remember the name but they had pink/red hair and they kept updating us on the menu items and the veggie carvery process in the kitchen. It was busy and both those team member certainly showed their great hospitality and customer care. Also a shout out to the server who brought the drinks over, even though they were booked onto the wrong table. They found us and didn't complain! We will certainly be going back again.

Specific Visit 4: This visit was without a booking, for 2 adults, 2 children. We arrived and were greeted at the stand near the entrance. Very friendly welcome from Kevina. We were seated with ease. The table was more than sufficient for us, the round one in the back corner. Lovely breeze from the open window.

Carver Tracey was lovely, service with a smile. Lots of options to choose from, as a vegetarian I do really enjoy coming here. The Vegetarian main extras are a bit too much, but all the goodies off the carvery are perfect.

No complaints here, not even from the picky 2 year old eater. Also the Mac n Cheese obsessed 6 year old.

Highly recommend. Great staff. Yummy food....

First time visiting this weekend and was truly disappointed food wise and wait to be served at the bar. Il start from the beginning…. Walk in mid Sunday afternoon so we had expectation the place would be busy which it was. the lady who greeted us was lovely. greeted us warm and friendly got us a table by the bar which we was lucky to get no problems with the table at all. On ordering you order at the bar in the bar area I was stood there for nearly 20 mins waiting to get served there was 2 people in front of me. There was plenty of spare staff walking past granted they may be doing other jobs but no one stops to jump on I’d say to help the lady serving but she didn’t need help just needed to be quicker. Fast forward to food wow what a disappointment the carvery was… 4 meats on which was great! The carvery area was filithy veg gravy and meat everywhere again I know it’s a busy Sunday but doesn’t take much to have a wipe about… veg consisted of. Carrots, peas, sweetcorn, dolphinwa potato (as much as I like them I’ve never known them to be on a roast) cauliflower cheese, stuffing, roast pots , mash and Yorkshire pudding. Carrots tasted off this was even noticed by the children they was going black and dry on the edges, pea and sweet corn can’t say nothing bad but I’d be even more worried if you get them wrong. Stuffing was dry and there was hardly none left and no signs of anyone re stocking it. Roasts pots where banging hats of to who ever made them! Mash was vile I’d rather choose smash mash. Yorkshire pudding was dry and tasted burnt. The most blandest boring Sunday dinner, biggest regret of £50 very rare we eat out for Sunday dinner as we like to cook them at home and now I remember why. Shocking food, slow service and not a chance I’d be returning in the future. So if you want tinned veg and some meat there is your place if you want some decent snap get googling a better place for a carvery. My other half never wastes food and he left over half his. You state on your menus staff are up prepping from 5am not sure what your prepping at that time in all fairness there’s not enough...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Truly Unforgettable Experience

Walking into Toby Carvery, we expected a warm, homely roast dinner. What we got instead was a fever dream with Yorkshire puddings.

Our evening was graced by Madame Zelda, a waitress who doubled as a psychic and part-time phone enthusiast. She took a “come and go as she pleases” approach to service, frequently disappearing to check her messages in the kitchen (possibly performing tarot readings for the roast beef). At one point, she shouted our order across the restaurant, because nothing says fine dining like a public broadcast of your meal choices.

When the bill finally arrived (after what felt like an entire astrological cycle), we suspected it was incorrect but were too scared to ask.

Over at the carving station, we encountered Mortdecai the Meat Miser, a man who looked as though he had seen things no human should. He did not speak. He did not smile. He merely mechanically sawed at the gammon, his hollow eyes betraying a deep and infinite sadness.

And the food? Well. The meat was fine. The peas had been exorcised of all moisture and crumbled into dust. The roast potatoes were an abomination, somehow both overcooked and undercooked, wrapped in an alien-like skin. The macaroni cheese was simply macaroni with a vague memory of cheese. The roast parsnips? Lethal. If dropped from a height, they could kill a man.

Adding to the ambience was a clientele best described as “varied”, and a mystery woman in loungewear, who may or may not have worked there. She had no uniform, no identification, and an air of casual authority. Was she a rogue diner who took matters into her own hands? We may never know.

And yet—despite the questionable food, unsettling service, and general air of despair—we are giving this visit a solid five stars. Not for the food (obviously), not for the service (good lord, no), and not for the atmosphere (which was actively distressing). But for the memories, the unintentional comedy, and the sheer absurdity of it all.

Would we return? Absolutely not. Would we talk about this night for years to come?...