Stonecutter's Tavern at Belhurst Castle — Restaurant in Town of Geneva

Disappointing first meal at the Tavern. I grew up going to Edgar's Restaurant at the Castle, and always had the best food and service, in the most amazing setting. This visit was the first time at Belhurst Castle for my husband and we were unable to make reservations since we didn't have an exact time we would be arriving into Geneva, so we decided to try the Tavern.

The hostesses were informative of the wait time, but honestly it felt like they were trying to talk us into leaving with a 1 hour wait for the bar and 2 hours for a table. We waited for just over 30 minutes for a spot at the bar, and shortly thereafter there was many open tables, so the wait was no where close to an hour for either. The service at the bar was lackluster, at best. We ordered cocktails, an appetizer and a couple of soups to start. Cocktails were fine, but nothing to write home about. The calamari was cooked well (not rubbery), but the serving felt small for the price and the garlic aioli felt like a very heavy handed smear of jarred mayonnaise. Then we wait began for 2 French onion soups. Easily 20 minutes after we finished our calamari, and I saw the bartender ask another server to check on them for us, but then they still took a solid 5-10 minutes more to get to us. The soup looked great, with tons of cheese, but the broth was fairly bland and lacking those robust flavors of an onion soup. Again, it tasted good, but for the price point it was a bit of a let down. It was getting late, and after the wait for our soup it was close to closing time, and the bartender made sure to let us know the kitchen was closing soon, so we decided to call it a night and get dinner elsewhere on our way back to our hotel.

The set up of the bar service area was terrible, with all the staff, including the bartender, having to go behind the bar for every drink. This definitely made the flow of the service incredibly busy, and not efficient. Sitting at the corner of the bar by the stairs down the servers take in to the bar was an experience with tons of staff going by over and over for everything, but the bartender not coming by as often. We easily would have ordered another drink or two, and a full meal if the service had been prompt.

After visiting the Castle multiple times of year through my childhood and into my 20s I was looking forward to seeing what the new addition. While the space is well appointed and includes a lot of space, for those visiting for their first time, be prepared to be disappointed. The building is lack luster and no where close to the grand appointments of the original Castle.

Next visit we will definitely be making better plans and going to Edgar's for dinner and skipping Stonecutter's for anything more than maybe a cocktail by the firepit...

Dear management of Belhurst,

My mother and I visited Stonecutter’s Tavern on Saturday, August 31st around 5:45 PM, and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience with one of the bartenders on duty. We have been to Belhurst Castle before and have always loved it, which makes this incident all the more surprising.

When we arrived, the hostess directed us to stand at the end of the bar if we wished to order drinks. We completely understood that the staff was busy, and we did not expect immediate service. However, being acknowledged with a simple “I’ll be right with you” or a welcoming gesture would have gone a long way. Instead, the bartender made eye contact with us several times but chose not to acknowledge us. After several minutes, the couple seated in front of us even ordered wine on our behalf to help us, which seemed to annoy her. We felt like we were more of an annoyance than valued guests.

When she finally came over, her first words to us were a curt, “What do you want?” with no warmth or hospitality. After we politely thanked her for our drinks, she slammed the glasses down and said only “yup” before walking away.

Later, when we weren’t sure how to pay since no bill had been given, we flagged down the younger bartender (who was very pleasant and professional). He went to retrieve the check for us, but the older bartender abruptly interrupted him, saying “I got it!” She then handed the receipt to my mother. As we began walking toward the patio with it, she snapped, “Aren’t you going to pay?” in a sharp tone. When my mother asked if we were allowed to have another drink, she again responded with nothing but a sarcastic “sorry,” rolling her eyes in the process. On top of that, we went there for happy hour and waited so long that we missed it by 1 minute. She didn’t even grant us the happy hour discount.

We truly appreciate how hard your staff works, especially when the bar is busy. But at an establishment like Belhurst Castle, we expect professional, welcoming service that reflects the elegance of the setting. Unfortunately, this interaction left us feeling unwelcome and uncomfortable, which is not the experience we’ve had during past visits.

We wanted to bring this to your attention so it can be addressed appropriately. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and we hope to continue visiting Belhurst Castle with the warm and professional service we have enjoyed in the past. I would...

Husband and I went for an early dinner, drinks and to enjoy the view. It was our first visit and will definitely be our last. When we arrived, we were ignored at the hostest stand for almost 15 minutes. The waitress on duty walked past us several times and didn't say a word. When we were finally seated, there was no apology for the wait. We chose to sit outside, and we're put at a high top table. The chairs were so uncomfortable. They felt small and cramped and uncomfortable to sit back against, not to mention the table was super wobbly. Both my husband and I were uncomfortable throughout the entire meal. When I got up to leave, the marks on my legs from the chair digging in, were there for over 20 minutes. Definitely need to invest in some nicer seating. The waitress looked tired and overworked. Had very little interest in waiting on us, and it was apparent. We ordered drinks, soup, an appetizer, and dinner. We tried to order the pretzels, but they were out of them. The food came out quick, which is one positive thing I can say. The nachos were ok, not bad. The soup was too thick and clumpy. The Buffalo Mac and Cheese was bland, and the consistency of the cheese was off. It's almost like the flour didn't mix right. My husband had the burger which was cooked to the right temperature it was OK. Nothing special. The waitress never brought my husband's ranch dressing and never came back to check on us. It wasn't until we were done with our plates piled in front of us that she bothered to see how we were doing. Overall we were highly disappointed. For the cost of the meal, over $100, I would have liked to have had a much better experience. Mediocre food and service leaning on the location of the Castle to sustain itself. Would not go back and would definitely...