The Grill Father — Restaurant in Rugby

We visited The Grill Father as a party of 4 following a recommendation and whilst the main elements of the food were good, the service and atmosphere could be improved.

The Grill Father is located at the old Royal Oak pub on Lawford Road and it isn't abundantly clear that the location is open nor that it is a newly refurbished restaurant from the outside. There seems to be a 'work in progress' feel when you turn up and this is a common theme of our visit. We arrived at around 7:30pm on a Saturday without a reservation and when entering the restaurant, we almost apologetically asked whether we could eat there. The room was quite small, dated and still felt like it was The Royal Oak, rather than a new premises. It didn't help that there were no other guests dining, but I believe the larger function room was being used and fellow diners did join throughout of visit.

The service was attentive, if a little awkward, as most of the drinks on tap at the bar were no longer in use (another sign they weren't quite up and running yet). We ordered a 'Small Platter' to share between 3 of us and my partner had the 'Schnitzel'. The server asked if we were happy to have the traditional cheese curds on the chips and did a great job at informing us there was no Lamb for the Platter but offered some substitutes. It was also great they did sell Romanian Beer.

The 'Small Platter' had both positives and negatives; the Salad, Red & Green Peppers were missing from the Platter, meaning we have Meat, Chips, Bread & Pickles. The Chips, although a great portion size, were not warm and sadly tasteless, even with the grated curd. However, and probably more importantly, the meat was excellent. Both the Chicken Wings and Chicken Breast were especially succulent and the Minced Grilled Rolls and Pork Belly were really well cooked, with a strong charcoal/BBQ flavour. I also really enjoyed the Sausages, and these went great with the Bread and Pickles provided. The only meat I wasn't a fan of was the Pork Neck, but this was just down to personal tastes. I tried a little of the Schnitzel too and it was both crispy and juicy, but sadly there was the same issue with the chips.

Although there seems to be a few teething problems and a period of transition (please bear in mind we visited at the end of June), the key element, the meat, was generally excellent and we will certainly be back to try again once they have had a little more time. It's great to have a Romanian restaurant in Rugby and I hope they can instil a little more of their personality onto the venue.

6.5/10

Visited Saturday...

I recently visited The grillfather ], eager to enjoy a meal.. Unfortunately, my experience was overshadowed by the poor customer service, which left much to be desired.

From the moment we walked in, it was clear that service was not a priority. Despite having a table, and the money were taken , we were kept waiting far too long without any explanation or apology. Once seated, it took ages to get the food ordered and paid first , and when they did, their demeanor was inattentive and rushed, making us feel like an inconvenience rather than valued customers.

Every restaurant that I was in , first you order , serve and than pay , however at the grill father ,is all the way around First you pay for food that you wait with hours to see it on the table.

When we finally got the order , items were forgotten or delivered incorrectly. Attempts to address this with the staff were met with indifference, and it seemed like no effort was made to rectify the situation. At one point, we were left without the food ordered for an extended period, and we had to flag someone down multiple times just to get it.

The food itself was decent, but even great dishes can't make up for feeling ignored and undervalued. The lack of communication, professionalism, and basic hospitality made the entire experience frustrating.

I hope the grill father takes this feedback to heart and invests in better training and staff management. A restaurant may thrive on its menu, but it's the service that keeps customers coming back—and unfortunately, I won’t be returning...

I didn't know much about Romanian food before last night, I'm not sure there has ever been a local restaurant / takeaway that has opened to showcase it.. I dont pretend to know too much more now however my family are very pleased we went! We went out of our comfort zone (indian/chinese: typical English type food) and we weren't disappointed. The restaurant has a relaxed feel, it's clean and welcoming. We sat for drinks and our order was taken quickly. There was a wait for food but to be expected when busy with takeaways on a Friday night too. The food is priced well, starts around £8 (not many places match that!) the menu isn't complicated and we were comfortable ordering (adults and kids.) We might not have gone full eastern European but we were happy to taste the difference. Simple things like the chips and polenta were seasoned Meats were all cooked so well, char-grilled but never dry! The staff working were lovely, did everything they could for us, the chef told us how their mum would make some puddings so they weren't available but the fried doughnuts and crepes were still on offer and tasty! Music for Romanian customers and guests made for informal entertainment, don't come here if you aren't interested in being exposed to music and laughter as you eat!! We were pleased to tip on the bill of £75 for 4 people. I wish the newer business...