The Lewisham Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in Sandwell

My friend booked a table here for midday and were told we need to vacate at 2pm. I had the sea bass with potatoes my friend had the fish and chips but ordered sweet potato fries instead. The drinks came quickly and shortly our food came. They didn't swap the chips for sweet potato fries, they had to be cooked while my friend waited. My seabass looked and tasted nice. We knew we were on a time limit, but we were asked three times if we had finished, when I had food on my fork to eat. The last time the waiter came I was just about to eat and he asked if we had finished. I told him to take the plate whilst he reminded us they need the table at 2pm it was 1.55pm. We didn't order a dessert, no point considering we felt rushed to eat and constantly being asked if we had finished. I've removed my 4⭐ review. I had afternoon tea with friends on a Saturday afternoon. I've got to say I thought our afternoon tea, very poor! They brought out the cake stand. We looked at it and all I can stay it didnt look appetizering! The top shelf had 2 scones, one plain and one with currants, and what we thought was a caramelised onion quiche. The second shelf had what looked like victoria sponge cake and some sort of chocolate cake or biscuit. The bottom shelf had one ham, one egg, a small minute wrap and two sausages rolls. Ideally there should have been two of everything and identical. We shared the plain scone, neither of us liked currants. How do they propose we share the one ham and one egg sandwich and the tiny wrap between two people. It doesn't make sense! My friend asked for no pork and they made up a separate plate of food, which looked like it was taken from a buffet table. I assumed they thought she was vegetarian because all the items were vegetarian. Whereas they could have done coronation chicken/plain chicken or tuna and cucumber sandwiches. It all looked slap dash to me. My friend had to wait for her food, when the could have brought it all together on separate plates. Even the water we asked for came with the three glasses sacked and left on the table for us to sort out ourself. Whereas they separate the glasses and pour the water for you. I know others have given good reviews for the afternoon tea, but we will definitely not have afternoon tea here again. Compared to other reviewers photographs taken at the same place, what we had on the day was appauling! I've had better afternoon tea,! I thought the service was poor, we didn't...

I really like this place and have been a few times before for lunch, private events, and evening dinners — all of which were great experiences. However, our recent visit for afternoon tea was quite disappointing compared to previous visits.

I had requested no pork, but instead of simply removing or replacing the pork items, I was given a vegetarian option. I didn’t ask for vegetarian — just no pork — otherwise, I would have said so when booking. I did make this clear to the waitress when receiving the vegetarian food, but I felt it was brushed off as if I had no choice.

We were also given the choice of “tea or coffee” (I know this is stated on the menu), but there was no selection of teas, which felt unusual for an afternoon tea. When the tea arrived, we only received one teapot between the three of us, which only poured about one cup each. We had to ask for more tea, and unfortunately, the waitress didn’t seem very happy that we called her over.

We also needed more cream, as the amount given was only enough for two people. It was also double cream instead of clotted cream, which took away from the traditional afternoon tea experience.

The sandwiches and scones were okay, but the desserts were unevenly served — there were odd amounts of Victoria sponge slices, and only two of us got to try the chocolate cake.

When we asked for takeaway boxes, we were told there weren’t any available. We then requested some napkins or handkerchiefs to wrap things up instead, but the waitress never came back with them and stayed standing by the bar, so we decided to just leave.

Overall, while I’ve always had great experiences here in the past, this particular visit felt disorganised and below their usual standard. The staff didn't seem rushed off their feet either. The food was average, and the service could have been more attentive. I’m giving 3 stars because I know they can do much better based on...

Beautiful, charming and serene soundings which is an absolute treat and asset to West Bromwich, as I can honestly say there is no other restaurant that was smart enough to take advantage of the beautiful views of Dartmouth golf club, leading into the grounds of Sandwell Valley! The restaurant isn't very large, and due to how popular it is - this means it gets booked up very quickly. Due to its high demand, you only have your table for two hours (or so I was told). The staff are very friendly and pride themselves in a very professional appearance and service. The starters and main meals are a good sized portion which was a pleasant surprise as you can expect to pay over £10.00 for a meal quite easily here. Dessert portions are more smaller which you actually don't mind as you are quite full from the main anyway. I believe there is a decent range of alcohol on offer, however I stuck to my wine on this occasion therefore cannot elaborate on the selection. Overall, it's an absolutely beautiful place to 'wine and dine' which you would never believe is in West Bromwich. No offence, I love West Bromwich, it's just The Lewisham is one of a kind within West Bromwich, hence the comment. If you like a bit of class and elegance, in a beautiful setting - I would definitely recommend it! You can check out the menu online before you commit to a booking. There are vegetarian options, not so much vegan. Lastly, I would strongly recommend booking a table, rather than just turning up as the Lewisham is very very popular. I actually had to change the date I originally wanted to take a friend there due to the lack of availability, which was a little annoying but nevermind. Love the place though. Just the atmosphere/surroundings alone cheered me up! Beautiful place! Apologies for not taking any photos. I was actually too busy...