Hamlin Pub — Restaurant in Saint Clair

We have gone to the Richmond location and this one prior and I get this location is going to be busier as it is on the water and the plaza. One would think though that the staff, management and owners would know that as well, and have better trained staff and a better system. During the Art Festival, we were able to walk right in and the host said he could seat us, we asked for outside. He told us nothing was available out there ( there were 3 table that just needed bussing and apparently for us that was going to be an effort for him). He said he could take us right over to the bar outside and sit right down. We did , received menus. When you go to most places the host/hostess tells you to enjoy, have a good a day something, this one plopped menus and booked. There were people behind us waiting to be seated, the host walked out the door and bussed two table for them and the next party. Still not sure why he could not for us. Then as we were fully prepared to order beverages and food, as we waited, we watched , not one not two but three waitstaff go out and wait on those table that sat after us where they got bussed. We then attempted to get the attention of one of the wait staff and they just walked into the restaurant. I guess being seated at the bar area has some sort of sign that these people should be ignored. I went inside , now quite mad, and gave all this information to the woman now at the desk, where she did offer to come wait on us, but truthfully after being ignored for so long and knowing that the food is really just okay, was not worth it( we only went there as the band was good and we wanted to hear them better and thought we could tolerate one okay meal). We walked right next door to Anchor Bistro who also has outdoor seating and perhaps not a view of the water and had a 20 minute wait, BUT has great food, amazing wait staff and is far more worth spending the money. This was not the first time with a seating issue here. We were there prior with friends (they wanted to go here), given a seat by one person then told by another we could not sit there and then told we would now have to wait 45 minutes. Hamlins thinks they have it all sewn up as they are outdoor seating with water view and one can hear the band, but as one can see, if that were so they would be 5 star rating and they are not. As stated the food is okay, its pub food, there gluten free menu is just meat and potatoes, chicken or a salad, they are not even up to date to know that in this day and age gluten free bread/buns and Beyond Burgers need to be on the menu. With so many options in the plaza and ST Clair, Hamlin Pub is not a...

Came down to the plaza tonight. Ordered 16 pieces of boneless wings and a Bloody Mary.

Their patio is a great spot to watch the bands downtown and I love the interior. It’s clean and the option to open it up to the outdoors is a phenomenal way to utilize the space.

It wasn’t crazy busy when we arrived two bigger groups (6 top and 10 top) and a few other tables on the patio. There were three waitstaff at the front desk plus at least 3 waitstaff walking around on the patio. We were seated quickly and they took our orders.

The Bloody Mary arrived quickly and is a perfectly acceptable drink. Nothing fancy, just a lime for garnish. The Cajun seasoning on the rim was lovely.

It then took 30 minutes to get our boneless wings which were delivered by a kitchen staff member, lukewarm and with no silverware or napkins. We were also out of water. No waitstaff in sight other than the bar staff at the tiki hut who indicated they couldn’t leave their post.

I waited a few minutes, looking for a waitstaff to come to the patio and munched on the few carrots and celery that came with it. I finally had to go into the restaurant and ask the three people at the front desk for napkins and silverware.

30 minutes later our waitress came by again and filled our water, apologized that she had a complicated order with another table, then went to try and find us more blue cheese dressing. She brought back ranch and an apology again but a promise to find more blue cheese.

About 15 minutes later she returned with blue cheese but we had finished our food. We noted that for our whole wait which was about 90 minutes at this point, that all of the empty tables (probably a dozen of them) had not been bused. When my boyfriend went to the restroom he found 3 bus boys standing around.

My guess is that there is some poor staff management happening.

Edit: my boyfriend talked me into giving them a second chance today 8/10/24 and we showed up around 12:30 with a party of 4, got menus from the hostess right away, we were sitting there for 12 minutes and the server never showed. We left and...

My family of five tried this location for the first time over the weekend. Upon being greeted by the hostess, we were led to a table in the corner of the restaurant near the window. When we asked for a high chair the hostess said we could have one and then walked away. My husband ended up getting the high chair himself.

Then, we waited 5-10 minutes before anyone approached our table. Finally, a waiter came over. He was friendly and took our order, but we waited nearly 30 minutes for our food! When we finally got it, it was lukewarm. We ordered two sandwiches and two kid’s meals. It should’ve taken no more than 15 minutes. Not to mention, the portion sizes were so small for the price. Both my husband and I were devouring the leftovers from our kids because we were still hungry. For a $70 meal (with tip) we should at least be full. My husband ordered a burger and onion rings. I think he got four onion rings. The portions were really pathetic for the price! My sandwich came with a side of au jus sauce. Normally, you get the au jus in a small cup. This was served in a tiny plastic condiment container and it was only half full at that! Needless to say, the au jus was gone before I even finished half the sandwich. I tried to flag down the waiter but he was nowhere to be found.

Lastly, I have never been at a restaurant with more flies buzzing around. It was gross. We were sitting next to a window and there had to be upwards of ten flies buzzing around. When we got our food, we were swishing flies away like crazy. I even ended up coving up my meal with a napkin when I went to the bathroom so the flies wouldn’t land on my food.

Overall, it was a very disappointing experience and we likely won’t be back...