The Oyster Bar — Restaurant in Seil

Disappointing experience – service let the place down

We were the first customers to arrive but were completely ignored for nearly 25 minutes. When we entered, the barman asked if we’d be eating or drinking, and we clearly said both. Despite that, we overheard him incorrectly tell the kitchen that we weren’t eating – which explained why no one had come to take our order.

Had we not picked up on that error ourselves, we would have left without being served at all.

When we were finally approached, we remained polite and knew exactly what we wanted – this is an oyster bar, after all. But there was no apology, no acknowledgment of the mistake, and no effort to make amends.

Mistakes happen – that’s understandable. But in any decent establishment, the error would be owned and an apology offered. Instead, we were left feeling like an inconvenience.

The food was fine – not terrible, not outstanding – but the lack of service and atmosphere overshadowed it. One staff member joked about “organised chaos” – only half of that was true. There was no organisation, and certainly no sense of genuine hospitality.

Restaurants are about more than just the food – service and experience matter. Unfortunately, this place...

We decided to give this place another try, hoping our first visit was just an off day. Unfortunately, it was worse.

The service was poor from start to finish. Staff looked like they couldn’t be bothered, and the barman in particular was rude and unfriendly. The food was barely edible – the fish was tough, the batter soggy as if it had been microwaved, and the burger was dry with a bun that tasted like it had been sitting under a heat lamp.

The restaurant wasn’t busy, yet everything felt disorganised. When we raised our concerns, the response was simply that they’d “inform the kitchen” – no apology, no attempt to put things right.

What’s even more disappointing is the way this place reacts to criticism. Judging by their aggressive and childish replies to other reviews, I don’t expect they’ll take this feedback seriously either.

I won’t be returning, and I’d strongly advise others to avoid this place unless they want the same...

Book a table. This place has been well thought out in respect of the covid19 government guidelines and spacing. Hand sanitizer available to use. Everything is sanitized, the toilets are kept clean and all staff have face masks on. This place is a gem, not only is the food lovely and freshly made but the staff are all brilliant, they are all friendly and helpful. We were a party of 7 adults with a baby in a pushchair, kindly placed us near the heater on a cool rainy day! A couple of our party had oysters and said how lovely and fresh they were, 4 people had mussels and there was none left over so I'd say they were a hit, there was a small menu choice but varied to suit different tastes for all. Definitely worth going to if your in the area. Nice area to have a walk after your meal or to just sit and...