The Wayfarer — Restaurant in West Lancashire

Have been going to the wayfarer for many years but hasn’t been in a while for food because of disappointing past experiences but decided to try again as it’s a beautiful location but unfortunately we won’t be returning.

Along with a disappointing menu and having to make do with certain things being vegetarian we chose our meals, then there was quite a bit of confusion with having no cheese for a pizza, then told there was vegan cheese then there wasn’t which was fine so we ordered anyway.

Blackened chips were put out with my mums meal for one but it’s the sitting down of customers but not wanting to give them a decent restaurant service which I don’t understand. Why not just stop serving at a certain time.?

I can’t believe after all of this time, before customers have finished their meal they still do that thing of moving tables and chairs back and forth as you’re eating, if not a ploy to rush customers, nothing says we just want you out of here more than that. The spraying of tables with cleaner around where you are eating is not really acceptable either.

Once we had eaten our food, it was clear the service had stopped and the two staff, one seemingly the manageress avoided all eye contact as they kept walking past even though it was obvious we had finished. No one attempted to move our empty plates.

We waited patiently as they kept walking up and down but still nothing. My son wanted desert or we would have just left. I had to ask the girl who had been serving behind the bar who was really nice and pleasant could we order desert. She said yes and didn’t seem to mind but the manageress brought it over with a I can’t be bothered look on her face. She had well checked out and it was obvious she didn’t wish to do anything any longer.

It’s such a shame as it’s a beautiful place but seeing the other reviews seems we are not the only ones to notice a decline in the service. There are plenty of other beautiful places around which we will go to...

We went for Christmas dinner, we have been coming for christmas dinner for around 10 years on and off and I for one will not be coming back. The serving staff seemed like they they didnt know what they were doing, they tried to bring 3 different orders one actually snatching the food out of my mums hands as she said this wasnt ours the wait for the food was terrible. I was served a goats tart which was hard, and the waitress introduced my starter as "the tart with the allergies" which made me laugh, my mum near lost her teeth on the pate toast. My "turkey dinner" was a square piece of turkey that was dry, i had no pigs in blankets or stuffing as advertised (yes i have allergies but i can eat these things) so basically 4 fried roasties, what looked like baby puree gravy and a square turkey breast!(the dog enjoyed it anyway) The veg was what i can only describe as under cooked and watery dumped in a square dessert bowl, i had to pounce on a waiteress for serving spoons. The waiter looked bemused when we asked for a sparkling rose, and it was a flat dry one I am a massive dessert eater and i didnt eat mine their once mouthwatering poached pears tasted like chinese 5 spice (i excused myself and spat it out in the bathroom) and the chocolate tart again was solid tasted like condensed milk and had obviously been warmed in the microwave as it was boiling in the middle! Looking around the room much of others food appeared to have been sent back untouched and they seemed more bothered i hadnt had an allergic reaction to their food rather than was it nice. I have had better meals at the wheatchef and bottle and glass for half the price! I can only think that they have changed the chef or he was off sick, what ever it was get the old chef back! I for one will not...

We had an awful experience here. Service was shocking, we had to ask for the wine menu twice, for it to turn up with the starters well after we'd asked again, and the serving staff seemed utterly bemused by the very concept of a 'merlot' that it took two more attempts to order a glass of wine before a glass of acidic cheap plonk turned up about 25 minutes after asking. By this point my beer was empty, but all attempts to get the bar staffs attention were in vain. I did once get eye contact and a smile before the waitress turned around and went back to her conversation.

The food was mediocre at best. Whilst the chicken and duck parfait and garlic bread starters were good, if over priced, the beef roast left a lot to be desired. The meat itself was excellent, but the Yorkshire pudding was bread. I don't mean it had a bread like texture, or it was poorly cooked, it was actually bread. A Yorkshire pudding shaped lump of bread. Combined with potatoes that would bounce if dropped, cauliflower that could chip a tooth and a homeopathic quantity of gravy.

Getting the bill was another nightmare, perhaps knowing the quality of their fare, the food was hastily cleared without comment, even though mine and my dining partners glasses were again empty. We had to almost jump out on a paint waitress to get the bill, then waited. And waited. And then waited some more. Service was not forthcoming, so I headed over to get the bill and vent my frustrations.

The manager salvaged the Wayfarer an extra star over the one star review the food and service deserved here by apologising and knocking 40% off the bill, although it was still overpriced for what we got.

Maybe we just went on an off day, but I can't recommend the Wayfarer, and certainty...