Nottinghams Restaurant — Restaurant in Big Bear Lake

We last went to Nottingham’s in October 2020 during peak COVID, when outdoor dining was the only available way of getting food there. The food was delicious, the wait staff was fantastic, and this place was BUSY. We were lucky to get a table, and they were well staffed despite COVID. We sat outside because we brought our dog, and they treated her to a water bowl and the heat lamp.

Fast forward to May 2021. This may be their “slow” season, but one of the wait staff mentioned that this place is now under new management. I came here with 4 other friends, my wife, and two dogs. I talked up Nottingham’s all week due to our experience here the last time... Needless to say I was severely disappointed.

The heat lamps outside were mostly not working due to “being out of propane because it is hard to get in this area.” It took three requests for the waiter to get a heat lamp on for us, and she mentioned she needed to “talk to the manager” to get permission to turn them on in cold weather. We were freezing outside, and we were the only people in the patio. It was silly for a basic amenity to be such a hassle to the business. We ordered three burgers. Well done, one rare, and one medium rare. We got three well done burgers. They were good, but for two of us not at all what we ordered. My wife also got the $22, two kabob plate and asked to remove the tomatoes and add more zucchini. What she got instead was a single, sliver of zucchini on each kabob and mostly bellpeppers and mushrooms.. okay. We were able to order appetizers after about 10 mins of sitting down, which is fine. These took another 10-15 mins to come out, and we got a second round. My friend got his soup about 10 mins before all of us got our food so he was just awkwardly eating while we were waiting. We finally got our food after over 40 mins after ordering. This was surprising given we were the ONLY group in the patio, and there were a total of 4 other groups inside. I’m not sure if the wait staff is understaffed, or the kitchen is struggling, but the place was at probably 25% of total capacity, and they weren’t busy. It was sad that we had to wait that long and get the wrong food order as well, so we didn’t reorder or say anything about the food out of fear that it’d take another 40 mins to get back. We waited about 15 mins after we finished eating to finally have the waiter come back and we could ask for our checks. When she came back 10 mins later (again, it wasn’t busy), she came back with the wrong, split checks even though we were specific about our request to split them. I told her to redo it correctly and for the first time, I mentioned the other problems that we had with our experience. I emphasized to her that I was not upset at her, but at the management due to allowing an experience like this to even occur, and I specifically mentioned the things that were wrong. The waiter pretended to take notes; my friend was actually behind her, and she noted that the waiter was doodling. I didn’t know this at the time, but it was upsetting to learn later. The waiter got someone else to come back with our checks. This person did not greet us, nor address the concerns, nor say anything at all. She just gave us our checks and walked away for us to pay. We did, and we left.

I was really disappointed that respectful complaints are not addressed by the new management. We didn’t want free food, or even any other accommodations other than at least acknowledgement. If someone in charge had come back after I addressed my concerns to at least take note of it, at least I could have come back with peace of mind that maybe things could be different. I sincerely hope that Nottingham’s “new management” addresses issues like these. Folks come up here to vacation and have a good time. What was the highlight of our trip for our anniversary in October was now the low point. For the price of the food, I would expect consistent service and acknowledgement and professionalism from staff at...

My family and I went to this location a couple years ago and we enjoyed it. Today, a complete different story. At first when the hostes asked us how many we were, she seemed bother because we were a party of 10. She told us that itll be 1 hr to 1.5 hr wait time. If you glanced into the restaurant there was if anything 6 tables occupied but decided to stay because we were hungry. While we were waiting a couple with their two kids from San Diego were greeted horribly by the manager. They decided to leave and eat somewhere else. We kind of felt uncomfortable at this point because service felt poor at this point. Approaching seating time the manager decided to seperate us and also give us two different servers. Fine it is what it is, we are starving. Food and drinks were okay this time. The only good thing about the visit was ur server Aurora. She was very attentive and very friendly. Making sure we had everything we needed and constantly checking on us. The manager didn't even check on us. All you can see is her being rude to people that were coming in, denying service because she didn't have a place to sit them. I've worked in the restaurant field and that is not how you run a business. Be nice, smile and give them a wait time. Never did I see a smile on her face while she greeted guests. After our meal, my aunt and mom decided to take pictures in the patio. The manager went out to tell them that they can't take pictures there. The manager started moving our tables back and taking our high chairs away while we were at the table sitting down like if she was on a hurry to get us out. Again, no people were waiting in line because she got rid of them. We paid 150+ and my dad's table was 110+ I think that for the amount of money we paid it should of been worth the stay. Anyways, It's the little things at this point that made me want to ask for her name and corporate number. Her name is NORMA and told me there wasn't any corporate or owner of Nottinghams. She wanted to know why but all I told her was because I wanted to make a suggestion. She refused and I said okay fine and walked away. When I was heading out the door she asked me for my info and what the problem was again. I responded with don't worry about it. I thanked Aurora again for her amazing service and left the restaurant. Sad to say but I probably won't come back here...

My family and I came here because we continuously passed by, and it was always busy. Especially with the advertisement of best burgers in town. Well, I had the Notti burger. The patty was overcooked to my liking. It wasn't cooked medium rare. I did put ketchup and mustard to juice it up. The onion was sitting more to one side. It looked like it was cut and just placed on the edge, and the same was the avocado sitting in the center six slices. The applewood smoked bacon and cheddar cheese was good. We also ordered the bacon & bleu burger. The bleu cheese crumbles were nice and chunky and have excellent flavors. The burger was not cooked to be a medium rare, so it was dry, which was very disappointing because we like a juicy burger. My daughter's mostaccioli marinara was good and very cheesy. I'm really surprised at how big the portion is (it does not come with a side because of how big it is). If you do order a side, make sure you eat some, too. We did order a side of broccoli, and it was delicious. It was very buttery to our liking.

Service: There's two people who stand out. Our server, Charli, was amazing and very fun. She kept a smile whenever she came to our table. She is a reason we would be back. While we were waiting, we noticed two little games at the front by the hostess stand. We didn't have cash on hand and asked the bartender if they did cash back. Before we could finish asking, she chimed in without even turning around over her shoulder in the snarkiest, rudest way. "We can't give cash back." You can run my card for a beer and tip, but you can't give cash. You can be rude to me, but to be rude and crush my daughter's hopes as she stands in front of you.

Atmosphere: We loved the feel and ambiance of the restaurant part of it. The inside signage was great to look at, and I felt very comfortable. It gave the old, homely feel, it felt very woodsy and welcoming. The patio looked great, and it says pet friendly online, which is great.

Overall: I give 3 stars because the server, Charli, was great. She had a great attitude and was very friendly towards my daughter. She had a great sense of humor. She also, as a side note, is very creative in...