Elephant & Castle — Restaurant in Boston

AVOID……AVOID……AVOID…….AVOID…… Today, July 10, 2023, my companion and I just checked into the hotel next door (Club Quarter) and decided to have a quick bite after a very long trip. Actually, I returned to Boston for a vacation after a 36 year absence when I taught at a local engineering school nearby.

A scribble on the menu said something about some special program at 3 pm and not much more (it was around 2:30 pm). I asked the receptionist about it and he said he didn’t know and referred me to the owner-manager who was working behind the bar and in the kitchen. At that time he walked into the kitchen. I went to the bar and waited for about 5 minutes or so the until the receptionist waived his arm signaling me to walk directly to the kitchen and ask him. So, I walked towards the kitchen but kept my distance of 3-4 feet from the kitchen entrance, but clearly standing in bar area where other customers were seated drinking. I certainly knew better not to trespass inside the kitchen. While standing out there I noticed very clearly that the owner was handling the food orders he was getting from the grill with his bare hands piling the side dishes around the plate containing the entree. I personally handled food for myself many times, but never in the gross manner the owner was handling the food plates. Especially, for guests. When the owner saw me he was startled. Instead of answering my question, he yelled at me telling me to go away ask the receptionist. When I explained that I already asked him and he didn’t know the answer and he himself asked me to approach you and ask the question. He yelled much louder and told me to go back and read the menu and find out myself. My companion was standing 10-15 ft away near the entrance and saw the humiliation the owner caused me. Even though it was raining hard my companion left outside. In a moment of anger and embarrassment, I walked back toward the kitchen and when no one saw me, I flipped the owner. This was something so out of character for me that I was more embarrassed at myself. The owner came walking fast towards me that I thought he would knock me out. At 70 years old it wouldn’t take much to do that. Thankfully he didn’t. But he stopped a few inches from my face and yelled out if his lungs and asked me to leave the restaurant immediately and never to come back. He had his receptionist escort me out, but the receptionist respectfully kept his distance from me.

This was my experience visiting this establishment today. Going back to what started the whole issue was that I had a simple question but caught the person touching the food plates grossly with his bare hands that didn’t appear to be clean or sanitized. I would not recommend eating at this restaurant solely for this unsanitary reason. The issue with the owner’s rage too, didn’t leave a good taste in my mouth. I will happily take my business to another establishment and...

Disappointing experience. Reserved a high top table and specified in my booking that I would like it for a World Cup game being shown.

When I arrived the seat was nowhere near a television screen as requested or a high top table. I asked the waitress if it’s possible to sit closer to a screen which she kindly put me in a booth near the big screen.

The manager came over after we had order drinks and abruptly asked us to move as this was reserved. I informed the manager that I have a reservation to watch this game on a high top table and was told to sit in this booth by the waitress. The manager informed me that the table I was sat at had been booked for months in advance.

We moved to a high top table eventually which is front of a screen. A short while passes and a lady walks through the door and the manager informs her we have your seats available, you are lucky as your seats were being stolen and I stopped them. This suggested we took those seats when the waitress kindly put us there in the first place. He said this so loudly that we could hear it very clearly and made us feel very unwelcome.

Later on the manager was being patronising to the waitress staff and the whole experience was very unpleasant to watch.

There was a number people who also experienced seats in wrong location and asked the waitress and manager several times to move even though there was booths left unused.

They advertised they are showing the World Cup games but it didn’t have enough seating in front of screens to accommodate everyone - so I wouldn’t recommend going if you are attending to watch big sports events there.

The service was quick and the food was a good standard. If it wasn’t for the rude manager in particular the experience was a 3/5 but we wouldn’t come back again to this...

TL;DR: That bar lady needs customer facing training and the chef needs research into the cuisine he/she is cooking. If you're a brit, go elsewhere bruv. X

I'll start with the fact that I was crazy-excited to go to this pub because it offered Sunday roast is almost impossible to find in the US and I horribly miss my home and its cuisine! So elephant and castle seemed like it'd be a lovely place to try! The inside looks lovely and almost like a British pub. The sunday roast, we were notified, is not served until after 11. Fair enough, we thought and sat at the bar to get some drinks whilst waiting. The lady at the bar gave me the worst attitude I've seen (I'm not sure if it's the same one in another review, but sounds similar!). I'm not asking anyone to dance for me, not no need to be so dismissive! On top of that the Sunday roast - if you are British, don't. Just don't. First, as the name suggests, it's all supposed to roasted - please do your research about this fairly simple dish. Secondly, lady at the counter gave me a nasty look and told me to just read the menu when I asked her what is in the roast and whether they offer nutroast (instead of beef), again, do your research please. Lastly after seeing the roast and the "yorkshire pudding" and having tried it - I refused to pay for it - not a single thing was even close to Sunday roast. And when I asked that same lady take it off the bill, she told me to go see the manager. I asked her - well can you get him here please? she refused to move herself and told me to go around and go see him. The manager was a lovely gent and is the only reason that I left some tip and giving this...