The Waterside Hotel

Restaurant visit only. More than a bit disappointed with the overall visit. Staff were pleasant and friendly but the food was disappointing. Firstly they only have Pepsi as a soft drink no coke which is very odd for a place of this size. Only one type of soup on offer which was mushroom which few people would opt for. The main corse of steak pie was very good but far too small a portion of mash with it for the price they are asking. The dessert was awful worst attempt at a cheesecake I’ve ever had. Location and surroundings are excellent but they need to do much better with the food for the high price they are asking. Had much better food at a lot lower prices.

Friendly welcome. Didn't have a booking but got a table, no problem. Good choice on the menu. Waitress was polite and informative. Not rushed. The plates were warm. Food was freshly cooked and well presented. Sunday roast was amazing. Toilets were clean. Lovely day and looked like a nice outside space. We chose to eat indoors.

Paid nearly £20 for a very poor portion of fish & chips. Pale pathetic looking fillets of fish were limp and unappetising. The three other dishes were also overpriced. A beautiful setting spoiled. Definitely would not recommend nor return. Staff were friendly but let down by poor cookery.

First time eating at this restaurant for a while. We had a nice greeting on entry and were seated close to the windows with a nice view over the sea. The menu is quite basic. We had the prawn cocktail starter but both of us found the prawns to be tiny and very tough to eat with a very watery sauce. The main course of fish and chips was quite small and came with a tablespoon of salad leaves. It was shocking that the adult main course was the same size as the child’s fish strips, but more than double the price. At the end, when I was paying, I found they presented me with a more expensive bill which had desserts which we hadn’t had. On top of that they argued that my deposit was less than I had paid and only agreed with me when I showed them the confirmation email. Overall, not impressed.

The Waterside claims to offer the "very best in casual dining" so my expectations were high but ultimately were not quite met. Being positive the food arrived quickly, the starter (chicken liver parfait) was tasty and the main (fish and chips) was piping hot with fresh fish and a crisp batter. There's quite an extensive wine list with prices per bottle in the £30 to £70 range. For two courses, non-alcoholic drink and coffee the bill was around £38 a head. Areas where improvements could made - - The initial experience of waiting to be seated wasn't great, with the serving staff doing their best to avoid catching your eye. An acknowledgment and 'we'll be right with you' would have gone a long way. - I had to ask for iced water, this should be provided without needing to ask - The fish and chips came with 'minted mushy peas' which turned out to be a dish of a flavourless, dry paste. Oddly, the main restaurant and bar doesn't offer much of a view out to sea, maybe they open the veranda when the weather is warmer. The restaurant is open plan but not overly noisy even on a Friday; the free WiFi gave a good connection. Overall, quite good but could easily be elevated to excellent with some attention to detail.

Great location and lovely hotel, just a shame the service at dinner was really not good. Ordered a desert (a pre made cake which just needed to be cut) which took 20 minutes to come whilst the staff all stood about in a group talking, then took another 20 minutes to try and get someone to take payment for the bill. Otherwise a lovely hotel and outside seated area for a drink.