As You Like It in Newcastle upon Tyne

My online reservation was confirmed, but the following day got this message, totally disgusting and disappointed….

Went here last night for the first time and won't be the last! Food was amazing, I'm vegetarian and they had great choices. Was booked for my boyfriends birthday and the staff were outstanding making it special, prosecco on arrival, free cocktails and a surprise free desert with sparkler!! After dinner we went down stairs and watched a live band. Can't rate this place enough!! Can't wait to go back!!

Food was terrible there was 12 people 5 steaks went back all the food did not come out at once it was a diabolical mess very embarrassing for the establishment however I must say they did put it right with the bill. I would really like to know what went on the the kitchen that night 31/01/25

First time eating here and really enjoyed it, thought we'd give it a go as part of restaurant week. Chicken parmo was delicious and the berry crumble with ice cream was really good.

We went to view this as a location for our wedding reception and we absolutely loved it! There's so much space and all floors have been made accessible, the bottom floor is only accessible via outside but the car park is beside that entrance so there is no problem. We had a tour where all of our questions were answered and we were given plenty of information and time to take it all in.

Attend a wedding there excellent venue

First Christmas meal away from home ever!! The meal was terrific, starters beautifully chilled, mains piping hot, ample portions and perfectly cooked, and the individual Christmas puds were moist and boozy. Staff were brilliant despite a very full dining room, pleasant friendly and very attentive. Thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and would highly recommend

Chaos all the way. Booked a table for food on evening of 19/12 via website. On arrival we advised staff that we had a table booked for food, got a drink and were directed to a seat. After our table time had some time passed, we made enquiries and were taken to the (empty bar 1 couple) upstairs dining area. We asked if this was correct as we had booked a bar table? Redirected back downstairs and offered a complimentary drink ‘ for all the confusion’. Some time later, enquired about a menu, only to be advised to go upstairs to order and then request that we be allowed to bring our food downstairs! I suspect that the kitchen was not even open and despite the staff being polite, they were clearly unaware of services available. Went elsewhere and unlikely to return following this shambolic experience.

I booked a Christmas Party at this venue for the 12th December 24. We ordered a buffet for 41 people at the cost of £19.95 per person. The buffet menu looked great and everyone was really looking forward to the night. We had 4 people with dietary requirements that required their food to be served separate and I really appreciated that the venue did this as some places wouldn't have offered to serve things separate. When they brought out their food it was served on a small side plate with 5 tiny bits of food on (it was what you would expect as a starter, not something you have paid £19.95 for). When they then brought out the main buffet for everyone else there was enough food to feed half the people we had ordered for and that's with people only taking 1 thing of everything. Apart from people who were veggie who had very limited choice of food even though I was emailed by the venue to say they would bulk out the buffet with veggie options since we ordered 16 veggie. A lot of my colleagues ended up not being able to eat as there was no food left. I spoke to someone on the night and they refused to bring more food out which we paid for and instead offered us a bottle of prosecco on the house. Clearly they thought a sip of prosecco between that many people would make up for the fact we paid for food we didn't get. I understand we are in a cost of living crisis but come on now. I totally get their logic there... A lady from the party that was happening upstairs overhead myself and a colleague having a conversation about the lack of food and she said they had had the exact same problem and demanded the chef cook more food for them so it seems this is a common thing this venue does to rob people of their money and ensure they make a hefty profit. When I emailed the venue the next day asking for half our money back, since we only received half the food (a fair deal in my opinion), one of the managers confirmed that we received insufficient food compared to what we ordered and that the service was not up to their standards and he apologised. I appreciated the acknowledgment but they refused to give us some of our money back and instead offered us a drinks reception... They sure do love their liquids at this place. I politely declined this offer as none of us want to receive 1 glass of a free fizz before we then have to spend a fortune at the bar after. As You Like It, I admire your sales tactics with this but I think it still needs some work. The bar was also extremely short staffed for the amount of parties that were happening which left the bar staff overworked and running around like headless chickens whilst people waited 20 plus minutes for a drink. Maybe if the buffet had the food we ordered then people would have been distracted with eating whilst staff were able to catch up with the drinks they needed to make/serve. Safe to say no one would like to return to this venue again and I think they need to google the definition of a buffet as they clearly don't know what one is.

We booked “The Snug” at AYLI for a staff xmas mixer with food. Although it’s an attractive venue, the bar was empty of customers (possibly due to it being mid-week) which dampened the atmosphere a bit, but party guests also thought that it was very cold inside, and several were sitting with coats on. The fire pit was lit on the terrace, but the fact it was cold inside meant that guests were even less inclined to go onto the terrace. The food was probably the biggest disappointment. We weren't expecting such a small portion size for the £20pp price tag! As well as the small portion sizes, the plates provided were big in comparison which meant the people at the front of the queue filled their plate and people at the back of the line weren't left with much to choose from. Based on last year's event at a different venue (where there was lots of food left over) seeing a run out situation was quite alarming, especially giving that not all guests were able to make the event. Albeit small, most of the food was nice but guests who ate the pulled-turkey bao buns commented on their dryness and, although the provision of a vegetarian alternative to this was appreciated, this appeared to be a small slice of brie with ketchup(?) in a dry mini brioche bun. It was appreciated that staff plated up food especially for special diets, though. In fact, all staff were very attentive throughout the evening the supervisor on shift maintained communication with organisers. Positives: - Booking was fairly straight forward - Staff were friendly and helpful - Attractive venue Negatives: - Venue was cold - Lacking atmosphere as it was void of other customers (other than parties booked in other rooms) - Food didn’t meet expectations in terms of quality and quantity (special plates had ~7 bite-sized items on them) - Large plates provided for buffet encouraging guests to fill them

Hi was at a party lunch recently the room was cold (basement) an ladies toilets very dirty thick dust on toilet roll holders ; an backs of doors filthy etc ...ad hate to think what kitchens were like

Attended a friends birthday party. Service was sub standard and drinks overpriced. Professional photographer took nice pictures and said to simply message their Instagram account. Several requests made and nothing back. Wont be rushing back.

Booked the downstairs event room for a charity event on 11 October 2024. The team were fantastic, contacting me with regular updates. They even added a comp drink for all the guests! The staff on the night were exceptional. Nothing was too much trouble and they worked really hard with ease, making the charity night a huge success. A BIG thank you to all the team at As You Like It.

AYLI used to be extremely popular, have a fantastic atmosphere and great food. I’ve had several evenings there both for food and nights out, staying up till all hours dancing to the live music. But this place has fallen off a cliff.. no atmosphere (probs only 25 ppl in) Had to speak to the bar staff to get to my table booked (Normally you’re greeted) food was unbeatable. Undercooked steak with NO steak knife and extremely dry chicken. Had a few bites and left both plates. Tbf they reduced the bill but shouldn’t have paid at all.

For what was supposed to be a special occasion will be remembered for the wrong things , service was non existent pretty much ,waited a good hour for starters to be served , Pre-ordered food came and was either wrong , half cooked or late , condiments came out when people had finished the meal , one meal came out when everyone had finished , the soft drinks were just syrup no soda in them what so ever , tried buttering us up with free shots and free Prosecco , gave us a discount on bill but quite frankly was the least they could do , Food was bang average and service appealing which lets the venue down massively as the ambience and music was brilliant , To have booked private dining and pre order the food you would think it would be impossible to get wrong , Such a shame as we will not be returning again after our experience 😣🤬🥲

Went there this past Saturday and the cocktails were absolutely awful- complete waste of money. Never going again.

Went for sharing board bought a bottle of wine £49 to accompany the cheese 45 minutes later no food asked the assistant he said food was been plated up waited another 15 min then asked to pay for wine and left totally unacceptable to wait that long for food will definitely not be going back

For a workmates reunion AsYouLike It was absolutely fantastic. Great venue great buffet and the Staff could not do enough to make this day so special for everyone who attended

Booked by mistake thought we had a gift voucher for afternoon tea,but we stayed cost £50 for 2 what we got wasn't worth the money 1 x tiny burger 1 filo veg thing,1 x tiny cheese and 1 x tiny fruit scone 1 egg custard and 1 cake not sure what it was brought that home my son said it was awful I tasted it and put it in the bin, Got a cup of coffee no refill Very expensive mistake wouldn't go back

Food was delicious. Atmosphere a bit dead, it was a Friday evening. Service at the bar seemed slow considering hardly any patrons but friendly enough, food server was a star.

Lovely atmosphere !!We had our end of school prom here ,the staff were lovely and helpful, the room was decorated with fairy lights and the buffet food was great.

Cocktail Master Class…. Booked for 10 people to celebrate a birthday. Had a private bar and function area from 4pm til midnight. Jack was our allocated staff member who stayed with our celebration all night. We had a choice of cocktails to choose from to make ourselves ( with Jacks supervision) Wine on arrival, then into cocktail class. Buffett served after drinks which was exceptional, everyone had something good to say about the food. Then Jack became our photographer and took several group photos, nothing was a problem, Jack was so easy going and up for a laugh while being professional at the same time. A great night, Thanks Jack From all the girls. 😀

We used to love it here. We’ve celebrated Christmas Day here multiple times. We even got married here in the Frangipani. What on earth has happened….? The service is shockingly bad and seems devoid of its customers and once buzzing atmosphere. Called in on Sunday for a roast as we were passing. Hadn’t booked a table but the car park and restaurant was nigh on empty at 1230 and we were turned away because they weren’t accepting walk ins. No wedding on, no large groups visible. I went online where they had availability all afternoon, booked a table for 2 at 12:45 and returned with reservation. Initially ignored on my return, I explained we now had a reservation for 1245 but she had to get a manager to see if it was acceptable. Seriously? It was their website!!!! Waited ages to place order (was starting to think it was deliberate given how quiet it was), then our 2x diet cokes and beef Sunday Roast - which was actually well portioned and nice - arrived, roast minus the roast potatoes everyone else received. We didn’t say anything at time because we didn’t realise until we saw other peoples roasts, complete with roasties, passing by. Wife felt a bit robbed as it’s her favourite thing on the plate. Ordered desert as it was 2 courses for £19.95, finished then asked for our bill. Had to complain that the bill was incorrect at £60+ because everything had been put through separately and not as per Sunday menu offer but again, had to get manager and we sat ages. Manager arrives to sort but till roll was empty…..back downstairs and again we waited, just wanting to leave by this point. Drinks and service charge (which I’d have requested was removed given the shoddy experience) removed by Manager automatically without me even asking. A true sign he knew the service we received was nothing short of shocking. Final bill £39 something. Restaurant was no busier when we left as it was when we arrived….maybe you shouldn’t turn walk-ins away when your website states availability…(?) Will go elsewhere from now on. What a shame.

We had a large family and friends lunch. We had a great time, highly recommend

We went to engagement party great place inside fantastic deco

It was a quiet Sunday lunch with two friends. Lovely place, friendly staff, great food & drink, and fab music!

I have visited this bar intermittently over the last ten years or so. It's not really my scene these days so visits are scarce, perhaps once or twice a year absolute max. I have even played an August Bank Holiday gig here with my band Boys of Brass. I'll go straight for the jugular: it can get rammed. Like mega rammed predominantly because it serves many, many cocktails. Unless you're a 6"5' numbskull willing to barge through the masses, you've got a wait. Also, regardless of the wait the service can be slow even if it ain't stacked out. Why? Damn cocktail prep again. This is why I don't go much, amongst other more logistical reasons. However the staff appear friendly. I've been stopped several times by the fresh faced young bouncers (because I'm bringing a kit bag in post band gig elsewhere) and they were unusually sound too. No unnecessary meathead aggression. It is without doubt a nice looking place, over several floors. Popular for grub, weddings and live music/DJ's. Students, posers and the keen to be seen types will revel here. I don't, but on my visits for a quick beer find it wholy acceptable and pleasant enough. Definitely worth a look in.

8 of us came here for my mother’s 60th meal, Saturday gone. We arrived an hour early so we could enjoy a couple of drinks and the live music, which was good. However we were continually chasing staff to find out if we could be seated upstairs at our table for the meal. After speaking to a few members of staff a waiter eventually showed us to our table and left us with the menus for 45 minutes. We had to then go back downstairs into the bar to ask the bar staff whether we could be tended to upstairs. The bar staff managed to get ahold of a waiter who then came to the table to start taking our order. The waiter then told us that a lot of the items were off the menu and when we queried about the menu e.g. what is catch of the day we were unfortunately met with a horrendous attitude of someone who could not have cared less. The waiter then disappeared again so we got up and left. This was the worse hospitality any of us had ever experienced, on an occasion which was meant to be special.

Really disappointed in the service, it was as if no one could be bothered with us. There were 13 of us, it wasn’t busy, we were sitting alone upstairs…food was also not up to scratch…would not come here again

Well... Booked for Father's Day for 4 people. The bar area was completely empty and we headed upstairs to the restaurant. I chose the tomato and feta salad. The tomatoes were quite soft and a couple of them tasted "fizzy." My husband had the chicken soup which he said was delicious. 4 Sunday lunches followed, they were mediocre at best. Then puddings for 4, 2 of which were incorrect. Now for a positive... the waitress that was serving us AND everyone else was absolutely faultless. She was doing everything on her own. Drinks orders, food orders, service, clearing away etc and all with a smile and a lovely, friendly manner. I didn't get her name but she had long dark hair and a nose piercing. She was lovely and an asset to AYLI. Pre covid I used to visit probably 4 to 5 times per month, sometimes more. We loved it here. This was our first visit since the pandemic. What has happened? It was really sad to see it virtually empty on a day where lots of other restaurants were fully booked in advance. The toilets were grim, the one I used wasn't fastened down and moved quite a lot. Even the outside at the rear didn't look as aesthetically pleasing as it once did. I thought about booking it for an impending big birthday, perhaps for an afternoon tea but sadly I've decided against it. I won't be hurrying back.

Night out with girls.. Great venue, food really nice and good selection. The staff are really friendly and our waitress was excellent.. Great venue everything in one place, food, drinks and dancing, would highly recommend.

Recently had a work event here. We booked the snug for a retirement party, which had private access to the fire pit and outside area. Buffet was great, staff were lovely and very helpful. Bar staff were quick with service. Ladies loo’s were a little bit messy and had a fair bit of water spilling onto the floor in the sink area, however this was certainly overlooked by the great level of service for our event. Also had live music performing on the night which was a bonus. Would definitely recommend for an event! Looking forward to going back for a meal and several cocktails.

I was here for a wedding what a fantastic venue great food great day very impressed try it

Nice place but you do wait a while to get served

First visit and the venue was very nice with a good range of beers and cocktails

Great food and amazing for live music on Friday and Saturday nights!

Tremendous place, amazing food and live music

Friends 21st great night, venue, food and 2 for 1 cocktails happy days live music too. Will b back some time soon😁

I had the most incredible birthday celebration at this bar, and I can't thank the bookings manager, Rachel, enough for making it happen! From the seamless reservation process to the personalized attention on the night, everything was perfect. The ambiance was electric, the drinks were superb, and the staff went above and beyond to ensure our group had an unforgettable time (shout-out to Cam for the recommendations on drinks). It's rare to find such attention to detail and genuine hospitality. I'll definitely be returning and recommending this spot to all my friends. Five stars all the way! Cheers to the amazing team at this bar!

Booked and turned up at the specified time. Waited upstairs for five minutes - a large party (baby shower) seemed to have taken over - absolutely no sign at all of a member of staff. Went downstairs to ask at the bar, and was sent back upstairs. Still no sign of a staff member so walked out after five minutes. Someone from the large party (baby shower) at one point even came to ask us if we needed anything!

We had a private area on the mezzanine looking over the dance floor. As You Like It provided a fantastic party buffet for us which was served promptly and was delicious. We had our own private area and bar so we just danced there all night. It was fantastic we were last to leave. Definitely going to do this again. xx

Very tasty meal and most options were still available even though we ate late for lunch. Service was a bit slow, even though it was quiet while we were there - and when dessert arrived the ice cream had already melted so it must have been sitting in the kitchen for a while, while we waited. Staff were very friendly and welcoming. Mother's ate free and got a free glass of Prosecco which was lovely. Would definitely go again in spite of wait though as food was great.

Nice bar with a nice feel to it. I haven't been here for a while but will definitely be going back

Very cold, I wore my outdoor coat and a woolly hat to stay warm throughout the meal.

No confirmation of booking for Sunday lunch. Turned up and couldn’t find a member of staff to find out if booking was ok for over ten mins. Had to go get our own drinks and down stairs bar. Took 25 mins to get food ordered. Saving grace was food was lovley when it came. Place was dead.

I must start my review by saying how outstanding all of the staff were especially the bar staff. Nothing was a bother to them and I cannot thank them enough. I had my 60th birthday party here, for 160 people. The food was delicious and well presented. The Band we had were called Revival, who often play at As you like it. They absolutely made the night. Their music as brilliant. They were very involved with everything that went on, making sure the the whole night ran very smoothly. I loved the comments we got from our guests saying how lovely everything was and how much they had enjoyed it. I just want to say a big thank you to all of the staff at As you like it and the band members of Revival. You all made my 60th Birthday very special.

Went to AYLI yesterday for a date night meal out and was very impressed. The cocktails and food were sooo tasty (the braised beef cheek in particular was insane!) And the service from the two staff in the restaurant was spot on, making our night out so special :) Would definitely go back again!

Really good food and very welcoming to families with young children. 6 of us had 3 courses and couldn’t fault any of them. Desserts for adults could have been a bit more exciting but they were nice.

There was an issue with our private room booking (head office kicked us out for another person's celebration even though ours had been booked and almost fully paid for months prior) this took a long time to resolve and was stressful. The room wasn't the cleanest and whilst decorating I had to remove old bits of tape etc from the walls, bin old bottles hidden under furniture as well as dust cobwebs from corners. One of the guest's also mentioned she'd been refused service at the bar as they said they were too busy making cocktails for a baby shower and she would have to wait for the bar staff to take orders in the room despite there being no option to pay for drinks separately. However, the celebration went off well, the guests said the food was lovely and the staff allocated to our room were very nice. But probably won't be booking with them again.

Soup starter was very nice! Unfortunately didn’t care for chicken on Sunday lunch! It was very dry!

Venue was great and the band were very high quality. We booked a table and it was in a great spot right by the dance floor ! Great vibe Only issue was the lack of bar staff. Service was very slow and it would appear the staff were inexperienced. This is a shame as AYLI was always known as being a cocktail masterclass which isn’t now the case

Went for restaurant week 2 courses for £15 Was a bargain food nice and there was a band on afterward Would recommend

Came for my birthday as had heard good things but we weren't too impressed . As a group of 4, we were sat on a long table meant for 12 people which was strange and then the service was extremely slow. We had our main 1 hour after our starter. We struggled to catch anyone for drinks and when we came to pay, we could have easily walked away because we waited 15 minutes after receiving the bill then got up and put our coats on then stood by the till for a further few minutes before a staff member appeared. The food itself was okay except he chips were very over salted. Having been for restaurant week, our food was discounted so we weren't too bothered, but there's no way I would pay full price for this place.

We booked a table at half 8 we arrived on time and they asked if we could wait at the bar as they were running late which is absolutely fine we didn’t mind. half an hour passed so I went to ask what time our table would be ready and was told it wouldn’t be long. We ordered another round of drinks and it was now over an hour since our booking. I felt really sorry for the staff as the restaurant was really busy but with hardly any staff and they looked stressed and ran off their feet not great drinks were lovely though. It was getting quite late so we just decided to leave after drinks

I booked As You Like It for a social event with my company and they did not disappoint! The email correspondence was friendly and very accommodating, and I got fast responses to my questions I booked the party buffet for 30 people and the food was amazing! Everyone had a great time, and really enjoyed the live music. Thank you to the AYLI team for making our social a success!

The food was good but the service was extremely poor. We waited 20 minutes for our drinks and 50 minutes for starters. We had to keep chasing for everything, to order drinks, drinks to arrive and finally our bill. The waiter apologised and we were given a free round of drinks. Also the restaurant was freezing. I spent the whole time with my coat on. Won’t be rushing back.

Lovely meal, a bit cold inside and service was a bit slow but they were apologising and gave us free drinks, which was nice. They should have cleaned a bit better glasses and desserts plates too... But food was delicious 😋!

Food was nice but the service was really slow. It took ages for someone to take drinks orders, food orders and to clear away our plates. Staff weren’t very friendly or approachable when asking questions. Also the building was freezing. They mentioned issues with the...

Welcome was great, drinks very nice. It was restaurant week & we all had 2 courses for £15 which was excellent value. The food was really good as was the service. The only thing that really let it down was it was freezing! Like keeping your coat on cold. The waitress did say she turned the heating up but we couldn't tell. Spoiled it really & we left straight afterwards. I feel for them, having to heat that massive venue must cost a fortune, but unfortunately it just meant we took our drinks business elsewhere.

Beautiful building. We were fully ignored by staff when we entered. Service was so slow, and we couldn't get anyone's attention. Offered free drinks as apology. We went during Restaurant Week. I would have been gutted to pay full price. One waitress was excellent when...

Birthday meal out with friends. We’ve done this every year for many years now and we were shocked at the decline in service and overall experience. We were seated quite quickly but waited 20mins fo get our drinks order taken. Several of our food choices...

Disappointed, last minute decision on a Sunday tea time no Sunday dinners left not the end of the world sure there will be lots of other options on the menu. No only two of the starters and 4 of the main courses however I went...

Absolutely terrible place to dine. Arrived for our booking and were seated in an almost empty dining area in what felt like sub-zero temperatures!! Only two starters available and no Sunday lunches. I chose the ham terrine which can only be described as a thin...

We booked AYLI for our Christmas do and attended on 30th November (Thursday evening). We had a section cordoned off for our use. The food was good but other than that, it was appalling and would not go back. The venue was freezing cold. Eight different people spoke to bar staff and the manager and complained about how cold it was (the waitresses even had on hoodies) and asked for the heating to be put on or increased. We eventually got told it wasn’t working and then a desk heater (see photograph) was placed on one of our tables. I couldn’t believe this was their response. A desk heater to warm a huge venue. Needless to say no one got to see the ladies beautiful Christmas dresses as we all sat in our coats and hats. We also asked for the music to be turned up as you could barely hear it and thought dancing would help improve circulation and help get you warm, but again this was not done. The whole night was ruined and I proceeded to leave after the food to go home for a hot water bottle to warm up. I also spoke with another group who were there for a seperate party in the basement and they had also complained due to it being freezing cold. AYLI - a huge disappointment. Will not be recommending your venue for any party, wedding, event in the future. No apology, no discount.

We visited here for our works Xmas do and had a fantastic evening. Even though it turned out that they didn’t have my steak of choice that I had preordered, they were great on rectifying the situation which I thought was a great recovery. All...

7 us went for Christmas dinner. Service and food was lovely. Megan out server could t have done anymore to help Thank you

I came on the last Friday before Christmas with my work colleagues for our Christmas due. We had food in the restaurant which was lovely and then the we went down stairs for drinks. The band they had on was fab and the staff were...

Had a Christmas meal here with family on the 23rd. All staff were fantastic, especially the manager, Kirsten. Food and service was great.

Nice outdoor seating with a fire table. Good music

Christmas lunch with friends. Excellent service and fantastic staff. Very helpful and attentive. Food delicious, especially the sticky toffee pudding. We will definitely be back

I don’t know what is going on with all the negative reviews!!??… after booking As You Like It for 13 of us for work Christmas party, I was a little nervous to realise how many bad reviews there were but we had a FANTASTIC time!...

13 of us chose to have our Work Xmas Do at As you like it, and we had an absolutely fantastic time. We prebooked our food easily weeks prior and communication was easy with the restaurant leading up to the event. When we arrived, it seemed quite quiet (7pm) but the bar was well staffed which was great. 2-4-1 on the drinks 5-9pm was an absolute winner on arrival. We were given a fab table set up for our meal and the main woman looking after us (Nicki I believe if my memory serves me right) was absolutely amazing. Starters arrived by about 8pm, mains about 10 mins after we finished our starters but the desserts took a little longer than anticipated. However, we were all too busy having fun, catching up & taking photos! The food was absolutely delicious. Everyone was thrilled with their food throughout. There was only a small issue with 1 persons steak which turned out to be unavailable, but a GOGW was offered which was a great touch in return. Highly recommend the Beef Cheek for main - it was DIVINEEEE. We had a great space reserved for all of us afterwards downstairs ready for the live music where we all drank and danced our socks off. Thank you to all the staff who took part in making our evening so great! All of the team couldn’t stop saying what a great night they were having throughout. Highlights of the night - The 2/4/1, the food and the identical twins at the bar downstairs totally messing with my head when ordering a drink on arrival haha. The place can get absolutely RAMMED, making it so difficult to get in and out, get served at the bar and to go to the toilets! So be prepared for that if you’re not a fan of a big crowd. The restaurant upstairs is away from all the hustle and bustle of the drinkers though.

We had our work Christmas party for 65 people in the mezzanine restaurant followed by drinks in the snug with a live band and DJ. Our coordinator for the party was fantastic, could not have done any more for us if he tried. Extremely attentive,...

It’s not very often I write reviews but I definitely felt this trip warranted one. Came in for a Sunday lunch close to Christmas with family, restaurant was very quiet and I think I can now understand why! Ordered our drinks swiftly, and after about...

Over the past 5-6 years we have had our Christmas party usually a great success. This year was terrible, despite pre planning with deposit and final payment £47.95, and meal and drinks orders the venue had no idea, we had to ask for everyone several...

Had our Christmas staff night here. The car park at the rear was empty, it was after 6pm on a Monday night. Car park very poorly lit and didn’t appear to be any signs. Had never parked here before. A week later 3 of us get parking tickets for £100 each. Merry Christmas. Just not worth visiting places like this when there are parking crooks looking to screw you over. Might as well just drive to the metro centre

Excellent service from a guy called Kevin. The food was Luke warm/cold and very little of it. I'd go back for a drink but I'd not eat here again.

Customer drop off and returned for pick up, not able to sample the delights inside!

Food was nice but the service wash shocking! I’d recommend hiring staff that look like they actually want to be there and don’t make us wait over an hour to take our drinks order

Had a very disappointing Christmas dinner As you Like it. The main course food was all stone cold, poor quality and tasteless. No vegetable accompaniments apart from cold roast potatoes Turkey obviously pre prepared and defrosted and reheated on the day. For a restaurant with a good reputation, very disappointing. An open bar at the event, serving diluted shots, especially obvious with the Baileys which resembled a shot of skimmed milk.

Well this place has gone DOWNHILL!! We were a party of 4 adults and a child. No ambience at all - was so quiet as no music or anything. We waited an hour for starter, which wasn’t at all what it stated on the menu. My daughters kids meal came out before tables were cleared (sat waiting for service for 15 minutes) - waited a further 10 minutes for 2 adult Sunday dinners, these dinners sat getting cold whilst waiting for gravy and veg and for the other 2 adult dinners to arrive. Absolute shambles and staff running all over to different tables with Sunday dinners. Seemed no system AT ALL. The coke wasn’t Coca Cola it was undrinkable and when mentioned, she went away to check and didn’t return. I just wanted to get out - shame as I was really looking forward to coming back to this place as it had been years and I won’t be returning ever again after that abysmal show of a meal.

Service was shocking - it took around 20 minutes for a drink order to be taken then another 40 minutes before it was brought to our table. We had to ask to order food after an hour. If it was really busy, it would be more understandable however there was not a lot of tables in while we were.

My nephew got married there 2wks ago was amazing could not have been bettet

Food tasty, service good and the live band provided a good atmosphere

The service from our waitress Nikki was great. However, she was let down by the lack of food in the kitchen. Our first choice main courses weren’t available and the 2 desserts we fancied were off the menu. The wine list was basically white, red or rose because there were so many bottles unavailable that the waitress just brought us the available red wine. Overall not a great experience. My partner and I have 4 children between us and this was the first completely child free evening in 3 years. We chose your restaurant to celebrate and we’re very disappointed with the experience.

Very expensive drinks but great place for a celebration event

A bit of a shambles but the food was good! We waited an hour from ordering for food to come, wasn’t overly busy but seemed to be inexperienced staff, problems in the kitchen and lots of people around us getting wrong orders. Such a shame as the food was actually good once it arrived.

We booked our table online for 12 midday and were made to wait to be seated for over half an hour as the restaurant wasn’t ready. The food was average to say the least and the portion size represented terrible value for money. The trio of meats consisted of a slice of pork & beef no bigger than a debit card and a chicken leg. 2 drinks and 2 roast dinners - 1 of which vegetarian cost £48. I have no issue spending money on good quality food in a nice surrounding but there was no value at all on this occasion and much better alternatives within the area.

Arrived on Sunday having booked for Sunday lunch, only to be told that they had run out of Sunday dinners. Booking was for 3.30, so very surprised that they had run out. Waiter explained that they had a high number of walk ins - not a valid excuse as if people have booked for Sunday lunch it’s no fair to tell them when they arrive that there are none left. We would have preferred a call to advise that they had run out. Instead was offered the Al La Carte menu, which was okay, but massively overpriced - 20 pound for a pork belly, and 8 potatoes. Had to get a kebab on the way home as we were still hungry. Hadn’t been to AYLI in a few years - I used to work there whilst I was in Uni 7/ 8years ago, so would always come with my parents, and was looking forward to returning after such a long time away. Will not be returning in a hurry though as the place has clearly gone downhill.

We were a party of 3 on a Friday night at 7.30. Nicely done out restaurant with good ambience and live music. Staff were very pleasant and clearly doing their best, restaurant was not busy but there seemed to be no comms between restaurant and bar and we waited 30 mins to get a Coke despite asking a couple of times where it was. Menu looked promising.Food was served only just warm enough to eat. Chicken Milanese was dry and over cooked, Monkfish over cooked and tasteless. Pork belly crackling was soggy. Breadboard and dip starter was good but one board came with warm bread, the other with cold. If they can get kitchen and bar service sorted then this could be a great place. Work to do.

Very slow service, booked for a birthday that really didn’t go to plan. Guests cancelled deserts due to slow service

My wife and I got married here 01/10/23. We booked the whole thing in January 2022. From start to finish it was organised perfectly. Every member of staff we dealt with was friendly and professional and any changes we wanted were done without question and with minimal effort. The venue is a good size for what we needed, 60 guests throughout the day and the same for the evening. It’s intimate, rustic, full of character and a very calming and warm atmosphere. The mismatched chairs, the fireplace, the tables and the general decor adds to the charm of the whole place. We dealt with Meg the day before and day of the wedding. She used our decorations and set out the tables and surroundings perfectly! She was so good to talk to and it was evident she had our best interest at heart, and just wanted us to have the best day. The day ran smoothly, thanks to the staff and their efforts. We didn’t worry about anything and the pre-wedding meetings were efficient and made sure that we had considered and provided instruction for every aspect of the day. I couldn’t recommend this venue anymore. It’s well priced in today’s wedding venue market and I felt we got value for money. Whilst it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I’d encourage anyone to have a look around the place and see what they thought. The location is great being just outside of the city centre. And having everything happen in one room always goes down a storm with guests. Thank you for making our day everything we wanted it to be. Mick & Charlotte!

We were stuck in the corner with very loud music playing I asked if they could turn it down. Our meal were not hot just warm after we waited a long time.we did not send it back as we had waited so long.we were told that the cauliflower cheese would be served separate as 2 in the party did not like it . But it came on their plate which spoilt the dinner. Very disappointed

Went to collect my wife from here from a work "do". The only place you can park beside it is charged for. I could live with that, but the company who runs the car park does not have every address in their system and you MUST pay by card. Needless to say our address is not in their payment system so it would not let me pay despite repeated attemtps.. so I'm looking at a £100 fine for picking her up in the pouring rain ( I couldn't park elsewhere as there is nowhere even remotely near unfortunately) and being unable to pay the £1.80.Ring them to pay and you get a recorded message saying you cannot pay that way! Very disappointed. £100 to collect your family or friends from there if its they are not stood out in the rain waiting. I gathwr a great place, but an added £100 makes it a non starter ever again.

Was Here For A Wedding & This Place Was Perfect, From The Service From The Staff, To The Food & Drink, It was so relaxed all the way through and everything ran perfectly.

Had a wonderful Friday night in as you like it, bar staff were amazing and Dan especially looked after us all evening! All round atmosphere was spot on. Thank you!

Great quality Sunday Lunch and good family table for 8 .Service from reception and waitress was really excellent and food was tasty and well prepared. Good choice in kid's meals

Very pleasant, if a tad expensive, bar/restaurant. Superb atmosphere, however, parking is a bit of a nightmare.

I have a feeling that AYLI is living on its good name from yester year. Service was shockingly slow. Waited 25 mins for drinks order to be taken. 4 sunday dinners arrived after an hour. Meat (roast beef) was cold and on raw side of rare. Had to be sent back. All they did was reheat which made it worse. Veg on the point of raw and 1 small roast potato with a tea spoon of mash. Complained to general manager who was understanding and polite and recognised the failings. 50% was taken of the bill, which was fair as our party had alcoholic drinks and starters. Would not go back until i started seeing sone positives about this once great place

Cocktails and live band were great. We waited a long time for food even though the restaurant wasn’t busy. Very disappointed that the menu offers lots of gf/gfa options yet when we tried to order them we were told they weren’t gf/gfa