Hotel Van Dyk in Bolsover

I’m writing this review based on two stays I had here in December. I stayed here for one night after a visit to Chatsworth at the beginning of December. Then again over this New Year weekend for 3 nights. Ironically we were given the same room 107. The second visit we spent 2 nights in 203, after problems on our first night in 107. LOCATION- the location of this hotel is perfect it is 5 minutes drive from the M1 close to the village of Clowne with shops and some take aways. It’s a good base to explore clumber park, Derbyshire dales and chesterfield. CHECK IN - the first time we checked in there was a big Christmas party going on & a band playing in reception. It was extremely busy, but we were checked in quickly. The second time we arrived at 7pm to find nobody at reception. We waited 5 minutes and still nobody turned up. So we went looking for staff in the bar! We eventually located the receptionist. The hotel reception smells very fresh, is modern and clean. ROOM - the room was large with a big bed, huge TV, tea/coffee, biscuits, bottles of water & black out curtains. Room 107 was on the first floor and room 203 on the second. The bed in 107 was two singles pushed together, not great for couples with a big gap down the middle of the bed. The bed in 203 was an actual double. 203 was an attic room and had some slanting ceilings, there were no blackout curtains just a Roman blind that let lots of light in. Both rooms were very modern, exceptionally clean and we loved them. The rooms were very hot, despite setting heating to the lowest setting. There was a fan in the wardrobe, but no air con. We loved the lighting and decor in the rooms. BATHROOM- the bathroom was large, modern and clean. It has a walk in shower and very fluffy towels. There was also some nice toiletries provided. FOOD - the restaurant looks lovely, modern quirky and bright. The bar is next to the restaurant, with a court yard for warmer days. Breakfast was included and was lovely. The first time we stayed the hotel was busy with party guests and we had to stand waiting for breakfast food because it had ran out. This time was different and all food was replenished before it ran out, despite the hotel being busy again. We also ordered room service on both visits. We found the food to be really nice. But the guy bringing it brought one tray, then had to run back to the kitchen to get the other tray. Surely a trolley would be a better idea?? The staff in the restaurant all seemed like they needed training. We were taken to our table New Year’s Day morning and the young waitress just stood staring at us. The food had been moved in to the snug room, but we weren’t told this. We had to ask and also had to ask twice to get a cup of tea, as nobody offered. The only decent waiter we met on both occasions was a lad with glasses and ginger hair. He was very attentive and asking people if everything was okay. NEGATIVES - the only negatives of our first stay was waiting for breakfast items, which is why we chose to come back. This time there was some sort of loud extractor fan going on in the ceiling of our room 107 & the heating wouldn’t seem to go lower than 24 degrees. It started in the middle of the night, so we hardly slept on our first night. We reported it to reception in the morning and a guy with a walkie talkie told us he’d switch it off. We got back 6 hours later from a day out, only to find it was still on. I went down to report to reception again and was told ‘Craig’ who deals with it was out. So she’d send him up when he got back. We decided to turn the tv on the drowned out the noise only to realise that no plug sockets were working either, so we couldn’t even have a cuppa. I went back to reception after an hour of waiting for ‘Craig’. Before I even got chance to say about the plug sockets, I was told by the receptionist that I had to appreciate she was on her own! When I did get chance to politely tell her about the sockets she offered to move us to room 203. The next morning we decided not to go to breakfast and instead have a lie in to catch up on the lack of sleep. But at 11am the cleaner knocked on the door and walked straight in, not even giving us chance to answer. The do not disturb sign was also on the door, but she’d not seen it. When she realised we were in bed, she shouted from the door ‘are you going out today or not?’ Not really very good practice in my opinion & I’ve stayed in a lot of hotels. Other negatives were having to supply a £50 holding fee on your card for each night you are there. Also long queues at reception at certain times. OVERALL- If I was rating this hotel on cleanliness, decor, location and food, I would definitely give it 5 stars. It’s a beautiful new, bright, vibrant and quirky hotel, which is why we booked to go back so soon. But it seems that a lot of the staff let this hotel down. It seems that some of the reception staff need to learn to ‘listen’. The young lad on reception new years morning was very professional & seemed good at his job. But some of the restaurant staff really need training on how to actually interact with people, which should be a minimum requirement. It seems that also a ‘lack’ of staff lets this hotel down. If there was a maintenance problem surely there should be someone on call who can look at the problem sooner than an hour. Reception can get very busy and have long queues, due to lack of staff. New Year’s Eve was the only time i saw two staff. It’s a real shame that our experience wasn’t great this time. Which is why I have only rated it 3 stars. Maybe if things improve I may return, because it is a really nice hotel that could be great.

I am extremely disappointed in my experience today. I have been many times and consider this a premium dining experience. Today we werent given a drinks menu or asked for our drinks order. We werent offered water for the table. The waitress was sullen and taciturn. The wine was late. It really wasnt a good experience

We went on a Tuesday night to celebrate our wedding anniversary. There was a good choice on the menu however the food was disappointing, quite tasteless and my meal had to be returned as it was only Luke warm. I waited 15 minutes for it to be brought back while my husband ate his then I ate mine alone. Not the evening we had hoped for. Yes the man apologised but made no effort to recompense us for the meal. The room was noisy though not even full, we have noticed this on previous visits. As this is local we have tried this place a few times only to be disappointed again. It was expensive mediocre food and unfortunately we will not be returning.

Went for a friend’s birthday celebration. We have been before and the food is outstanding, however this is our second visit where the waiting staff have been of very poor quality. Last night we asked some simple questions about the vegetarian curry which we got a reply of ‘I don’t know.’ We had to ask him if he could go and inquire. The waiter then couldn’t find my friend’s drink on his tablet and just handed it to her to find for herself. The evening continued like this which was so disappointing as the food was so delicious. Most of the waiting staff were very young and inexperienced and would definitely benefit from shadowing more experienced staff as when one of the full time staff (dressed in shirt, tie and waistcoat) came to our table he was knowledgeable and polite.

If you're looking for an upmarket afternoon tea with good service, adaptability and a friendly vibe then seek a nice little independent cafe elsewhere. We were so disappointed with this place. There was no atmosphere in the restaurant, the waiters didn't greet us, we had 2 people serve us, both of who told us conflicting advice on the drinks included in the tea for 2. They brought the wrong drinks out, we'd only ordered 2 drinks at this point. Nothing seemed to flow. The kitchen weren't adaptable to our requests with the food. It all just felt very impersonal, rushed, back street cafe. I took my mum, sister and our children and it felt like a very expensive, mediocre buffet unfortunately. There was nothing on the plates that wowed us for the price we paid..... and that was in the half price offer!

We booked a room for about 40 people and pre selected all three courses. The soup was nice and it was how although the fresh bread was not very fresh. The main course was so cold I could only eat about half the meal. In addition the potatoes needed longer in the oven and they were not cooked through and we pale and visibly undercooked. The desert was ok'ish. Not much vanilla or sweetness in the lumpy custard. A real shame and normally I would have sent the meal back to the kitchen buts its very awkward during a large gathering. Next - drinks. What an absolute rip off. I live local so i know it is pricy but Morretti/Madri is £6.80 a pint. That is bad enough but should you order a half (for a lady) , it is £4.50 - this is daylight robbery and should be illegal. We went to the bar a few times and order 2 or 3 halves and were never told of this extortionate scam. Watch out - there are far better places in the area that don't rip you off and know how to server a basic dish at an acceptable temperature.

Came for a meal - food was average. Tried a few times to get clarification on what the ribs signature sauce is as mine was covered in cumin seeds which is a strange choice for seasoning and no mention of this on the menu. 3 emails and no clarification. Disappointing have been wanting to give it a try for a while. Sadly didn’t live up to the expectation and poor customer service when trying to provide feedback. Should be mentioned on the menu

The Restaurant in the evening was absolutely freezing I had to keep my coat on throughout the meal . The waiter plonked the bottle of wine on our table unopened with glasses and walked away !! Serve yourself !! Then the food arrived by a robot which was better service than most of the staff ! The only thing which was good was the food, credit to the chef who cooked the meal . I like to talk but felt that the table distance was to vast and I hate shouting across, but we had noise from the disco and table and chairs scrapping across the floor as the staff were setting up for breakfast. I will not be returning again due to lack of care/ service from most of the staff are untrained for a restaurant of this standard . It is such a shame as my family have used this hotel/ restaurant for over 40 years with some great memories from my childhood.

Sunday dinner - food was outstanding!! The customer service however was terrible. I don’t mind being served by actual robots I think the novelty is great - but I do mind being served by arrogant staff who ignore the customer and are rude. The only waiting staff who showed any integrity and authenticity was a staff member who was being trained. We waited 10 mins for drinks, they didn’t come, then reordered when we gave our dessert order, 5 mins later the drinks came and another 10 mins later the same drinks order came again. The waiter assured us they would be taken off the bill. They weren’t!! my husband asked for them to be removed, the bar manager said he would need to verify - my husband identified which waiter it was - the waiter then blamed it on some one else! Again we waited 20 mins for the bill, my husband lost his patience and went to the maitre d desk - where he was ignored three times!!! Very poor - there is a negative culture here amongst staff. Such as shame as the food is excellent and the setting and the surroundings are lovely. Looking at the response from management on other trip advisor reviews I don’t think there is any serious reflection on what is wrong with the service & no urgency to act on feedback!

So when we arrive for take that tribute no one was on reception so had to go to main entrance while they found someone as we went back and forth in rain back they was no no clear instructions When we arrived at van dykes only 1 member of staff on bar so long wait The food was good we had 3 course meal with tribute band for £34 each which was good value for money however the soup had more than a wack of pepper in it the main of chicken was very good and dessert was OK. The waiting on staff who served was very inexperienced and you could tell this by there serving and coordination of the service no clear leadership and no care in the service required to pull an event off some staff clearly wasn't communicated with when one table was clear so you had staff walking round clearing random tables not in order they were served and it was a set meal complents to the chef fantastic chicken and mash need more gravy Shame about inexperienced staff and no coordination tribute band wasn't as good as we were hope Also music from DJ was far to loud during service

Was giving my friend a treat of afternoon tea here. The room and service were good but when having two afternoon teas, be aware they all come on one serving platter. Unfortunately, the finger sandwiches had margarine on them, some still with a crust and the plain cheese was cheese slices, all were dry! The cakes were very small and again were dry. The only decent item was the scones with jam and cream. Very dissaponted Afternoon teas need an upgrade.

Absolutely disgusting customer service from the so called guest service manager. I have been a leader in the Customer Service industry for a long time and let’s just say if my team had ever dealt with a situation as I was dealt with today I would be highly embarrassed and we would all be out of a job. So I had booked afternoon tea for my mum as a treat for her birthday. She called me this morning to say she was not well and had done a covid test and the result was positive. I contacted the hotel with more than 48 hours notice to advise that I would need to unfortunately cancel the booking. I was told I couldn’t cancel the booking as it was none refundable as per the email confirmation, I explained I had not received any email confirmation. They confirmed my email address was correct. I asked them to spell out my email and it turns out they had put the wrong email address down. So they have verbally aknowledged I have not received this email and therefore I have not had a written contract with the terms and conditions and with this is Mind they still proceeded to tell me these are the terms and conditions and my booking is none refundable. I was extremely frustrated and after I was met with lots of no no no I asked for the date to be transferred for when my Mum was free from Covid and they still said they could not accommodate this as all bookings are none refundable and none transferable as per my non existent email. I am a reasonable person and would never want any business to be out of pocket so would totally understand if they had prepared the food for us and we had to cancel however as explained it is now Tuesday at 10am and the reservation was on Thursday at 1pm. There was an absolute lack of customer care in dealing with this place. Not even a sorry to hear she is unwell. Not even a thanks for being responsible and not wanting to bring covid into the restaurant for other customers and team members. There is absolutely no reason why they could not have changed our date with no loss to themselves. This is sheer greed. These people do no care at all and I can honestly say this is one of the worst customer experiences I have come across. After reading many other reviews it seems they even give the most Unprofessional responses to peoples negative feedback. Potential wedding was on the horizon here. Let’s just say they have no chance now.

We went for afternoon tea today, very disappointed, margarine on sandwiches, they did a special plate of sandwiches due to allergy advice I gave them (they get a plus for that) cakes Victoria sandwich was nice the rest of the cakes were poor so much so that you could not tell what you were eating. We go for afternoon tea often must say I won't be going back . Staff brilliant couldn't fault them but the over-all experience needs improving.

Staff were polite, courteous & engaging. The owner was arrogant, rude, insulting and threatening in his behaviour. Hotel in one section is luxurious and modern. In the other, decor and facilities are unclean and outdated

No signs to the restaurant. The first person told us the wrong way. No draught beer at the bar, only some keg. Seats were very comfortable but the seat behind was very close. Service was very slow for two sandwiches, we also asked for some mayonnaise which arrived when we had almost finished. The staff had no sense of urgency and one looked like he couldn’t wait to get home. There was a robot server which was also very slow, not very ‘clever’ and out of place in such a restaurant. The cheese which was described as Barber had very little taste and was served in what looked like shop bought bread. The smoked salmon, however, was very tasty.

Seems it didn't apply to people booked for afternoon tea ! Even with 2 elderly ladies the staff expected them to travel , no attempt at rearranging, no goodwill, all comments removed from social media and people posting blocked. All the pretty snow pictures of staff who obviously had nothing better to do . Very poor service, would advise future customers to think very hard about visiting such an establishment.

Was meant to be having a birthday 2for1 afternoon tea on Thursday 9th March, costing £25.00 instead of £50.00. I was telephoned the day before on the 8th to see if my friend and I were still going. I mentioned my concern about the very...

My wife and I ate at The Orangery at Van Dykes recently for a meal. Although it's a pleasant environment, the food is only ok and not worth the price. A tenner for nachos with grated cheese that hasn't been melted takes the mick a...

When you arrive at a place that describes itself as being "nestled in the heart of Derbyshire" you expect a certain something. You do not expect a person I believe to be the restaurant manager to publicly "dress down" a member of staff so close...

Booked what I thought would be a special meal for my wife's birthday. Started off ok, but as the restaurant got busier the staff got less attentive. When the food arrived a friends meal was 'swimming' in oil and was dripping off the plate onto...

I have been to Van Dykes quite a,few times. And really enjoyed it but the last twice I am really not impressed. The time before last had a lovely meal I had gone with a friend. But did not appreciate being chased over the carpark...

Having reviewed the Orangery last year I was invited to join the family again and after much deliberation I said I would. So this hotel has pretensions around being a luxury one but it’s miles off I had to go to the bar for a...

Shocking! Never again! Booked online for the restaurant. Didn't specify which restaurant as we'd never been before. The website brought up a list of places to eat so I just booked a table for two. Pulled up in the car park and realised we were...

Our first visit to Van Dyke and definitely our last ! We had Sunday lunch in the Yule Lodge, the food was extremely average and overpriced and the service was terrible . We ordered wine which took ages to arrive , 3 of the staff...

Visited with 4 friends for afternoon tea. We were shown to our table and waited about 15-20 minutes before anyone came to ask if we wanted tea or coffee. Afternoon tea for 2 arrived and tea for 3 and coffee for 2. We had no...

We booked in the restaurant for Father’s Day taking 3 generations of dad’s with us for a special celebration being Father’s Day. Unfortunately it turned out to be the worst experience I have had in what is supposed to be a 4 star establishment. There...

I attended this venue for a birthday meal, I had seen all the videos online and I was genuinely looking forward to it as I had wanted to go for some time. My friends travelled all the way from Sheffield, a night that should have...

I visited tonight to celebrate a birthday with a group of friends. Unfortunately It was a terrible experience, staff were rude with no basic customer service skills and poor management. I would not recommend.

Quite honestly this place was much better before it was taken over. It used to be opulent & the staff were previously fabulous as well as the chef. We had been going there for 10 years plus prior to the new owners & so called...

Hopes of a great Christmas day feast, No welcome drink on arrival, are table no1 for the 3 oclock sitting, 10 adults 1 child. One bottle of water on the table, no glasses, 40 minutes to get glasses, 3 members of staff asked before 1...

We paid £89 each for our family of 5 but unfortunately on the day my daughter and partner tested positive to covid so did the right thing and didn't come. The operations manager was very unhelpful, all we asked for was a voucher so we...

We usually go to Van Dyk’s by Wildes a lot and have never been disappointed, so I felt safe paying the overpriced cost for their Christmas dinner 2021. Sadly I will not be paying their ridiculous prices again. The room was over full. You were...

I would like to express my utter disgust at van dikes we booked a table for 4 on Christmas eve this was booked in May we were phoned 5 weeks before Xmas to be told it was cancelled as they were giving there staff a...

Where do we even start….. we booked a table for 8:30pm for my boyfriends birthday, since they did not have the table ready the staff suggested we had a drink at the bar, after eventually getting served, we stood at the bar because of how...

The staff and food were great but it’s not very accessible. In the main car park there were no disabled spaces and no signs for if/where they were. There was also no dropped kerb for wheelchair users. The door to the toilets is also really...

We had booked a family dinner for our mums birthday, our previous dining experience had been good, however on this time it was not. Firstly I would like to say the staff were fantastic, however that is the only good thing I can say about...

We attended Van Dyk as to celebrate our friends birthday having booked tickets to the “firework extravaganza” and an overnight stay at the hotel. It’s fair to say our experience was truly awful- the staff were rude and unprofessional (especially senior management) and as for...

The venue is nice and has been renovated well. Our room in the new building was spacious and comfortable. The food was good although the vegetarian option came out much after the rest despite them being made aware in advance which in itself was disappointing...

So we have paid £60 for tickets to the Bonfire event .. Today had a call asking us to arrive by Taxi .. As they have sold 1500 tickets and apparently only have 400 parking spaces .. Not leaving in Clowne , we asked if...

No signs where to go once parked up!! Took a while!!! Fantastic decor bit cool Plesant young lady served us Loads off staff Plesant and well presentant Starters and mains delious and perfectly cooked. Do decided on dessert.. Retro cornflake tart.. Should be pink custard.....

We came as a party of 20. Sitting outside. Yook 40mins before we even saw a member of staff. Drinks order was taken and recieved drinks in a reasonable time frame. They did say water eould be provided too (it was one of the hoy...

This evening we visited this lovely hotel for some food and drinks with some family and friends we hadn’t seen in a while. Ascetically this venue is lovely and fits the upmarket profile you’d expect from the price range on the menu, the personal and...

Disappointed from the outset. Booked for a 60th Birthday with a months notice, I initially requested for the table to be dressed for the occasion at the point of booking. I received no feedback. I sent an email two weeks later requesting a response, none...

Very disappointing evening. I was not going to leave a review as we decided it was just one of those bad experiences and we just wouldn’t go back again. However, after seeing the patronising and plainly rude responses from Van Dyk’s on here to other...

I booked Yule Lodge for a birthday celebration. We arrived at 6.20pm for our reservation at 6.30pm and was shown to our table. We placed our drinks order and were given menus. The waitress then came to take our food order and i kindly asked...

Absolutely appalling. Even more so because my review has been deleted once already under the excuse of “you must have posted it on the wrong business” - most certainly did not! So here it is again...Cold, rainy day. We’re asked to sit near the cold and away from the fire with my 70 something father in law - we ask to be moved to a table near the fire but get refused and best excuse given was “I know it’s frustrating but I can’t move you to another table because they’re booked” - all tables near the fire were empty.Told that requests can’t be made but then told that we can’t be moved to another table because others have made requests...?!?!Then told that the table can’t be changed because the system says so...Told that tables had to be left empty for a while between uses to comply with Covid regulations but other guests sat straight at a table that had just been vacated.The table we were asked to sit at had not been cleaned, there was left-over half eaten food still on it.Eventually managed to get a manager over (baldish with a small goatee) who told us that we should leave if we don’t like it followed by “One poor review doesn’t make a difference to the hotel, we see thousands of people here very day so you don’t matter”

This was supposed to be a special celebration meal! Where do I start! Staff definitely need more training kept coming to table asking same questions. Starter was lovely but certainly went downhill from there... Award winning sausages came stone cold and God knows what award...

The fiasco started a week ago when Van Dyk changed their menu for the tipi (we had booked our table there weeks ago) the new menu meant there was nothing my friend could eat on there. We tried several times to call and email to ask if she could have something off the indoor menu to no avail. Eventually we managed to get through, to which we were told very rudely that they hadn't changed the menu (even though they plastered it all over social media that they had!) and that my friend couldn't have anything off the indoor menu, meaning she couldn't come. When we arrived, we were seated and asked if we wanted any drinks. We asked for a drinks menu to which we were told there wasn't one. I asked what gins they had and the poor girl serving had no idea! Eventually my friends ordered cocktails, 10 minutes later the server came over and told us we couldn't have cocktails outside! As the evening went on it became very clear the staff had no idea what they were doing. The food was nice, but the lack of training for the staff just wasn't acceptable. We asked for a dessert menu, the member of staff looked confused and said he would bring one to us, 45 mins later still no menu! After we paid, we were told we could sit outside for drinks and that their were plenty of tables for us. The bouncer then spoke to us like we were children stating that we couldn't sit at the tables on the lawn as it was waterlogged. We then went to the terrace to find there were no tables free! Eventually we made our way to the indoor area, where there was actually another terrace we could sit at. We were sat for 20 mins and no one had come to us to take our drinks order. I went to a member of staff and asked whether it was table service or not and he said that he would serve us, 10 mins later he did. There was one lovely lady who was actually decent at her job and let us order desserts there, so thank you to her! However I don't appreciate being told to settle up the bill before the desserts have even been brought out to us! All in all just so disappointing, Van Dyk you need to train your staff and tell them to ditch the attitude! Also if you post anything on their social media calling them out on this, they delete your comment! We won't be back, and looking at the other reviews it looks like it won't just be us.

Visited the Yule Lodge..Starter Cold sent back to be then given raw chicken..Food Poisoning in the making.Only 2 options for drinks Heineken or John Smith'sOrdered our second drinks to be told no John Smith's only option Heineken.Waitress was lovely and were taken the brunt of the many many complaints..NOT A SINGLE MANAGEMENT REPRESENTATIVE ANYWHERE JUST LEFT THE POOR YOUNG WAITRESSES AND WAITORS TO TAKE THE WRAP.ATTROCIOUS ON EVERY LEVEL.The Biggest laugh ..we will take the starters off the bill...How do they work that out we hadn't eaten them as if they were doing us a bloody favour..After 2 hours of this debacle our party if 6 left angry,upset and bloody Hungary..Extortionate prices £24 for bottle of house wine...REALLYVan Dykes need to retrain all staff in Customer Service..For your Management Good Luck with that.

Totally unacceptable, food wait, service and food quality all poor. 4* hotel supposedly. Seems to be trending in one direction. Venue is lovely but they need to get their act together. A very disappointing experience. No, I am not a Karen, but I refuse to accept this level of service from anyone.

What a shambles! We sat down at 7pm and waited 40mins for any kind of service, we asked for a menu and was told ‘there aren’t any left’ we managed to find one online! We again asked for a drinks menu and was told they don’t have them?! Very poor range of drinks offered when the waitress tried to remember them all. We ordered our food which came quite quickly, but still no drinks after now been seated for over an hour! We finished our food and still no drinks...we went up to the bar area and was told there was no order for us, please why isn’t there anyone in charge?!! The bill came......11 main courses on our bill for 6 people seated!! I just despair, I feel sorry for the poorly trained short staffed waitress staff. This shows just pure greed comes to mind, let’s get as many people into one place and give everyone a really terrible experience.

It may be a 4star hotel but it really isn’t worth the money, I wouldn’t waste my money staying here again. Decor is nice enough, Food is average for the price. For saying Covid has had them shut for so long you’d think they’d be more receptive to customers needs and be more flexible, The staff were not helpful to issues you need resolving and the attitudes are disgraceful.

We came in yesterday evening at 6.15pm 4 people. Problem started at check in. First of all couldn't find us for around 10mins. We eventually got seated and was told we would need to vacate the table at 8pm- fine no problem.We ordered drinks one of which the pint of John smiths was flat so the waitress changed it (the next one wasn't great either) we waited a while and someone came over to take our food order and we ordered more drinks. This time the ipa came flat and I ordered a tap water for the table and got a bottled water which I said OK I'll just pay for it. We had ordered 2 bottles of sauvignon blanc throughout the meal also. The starters came after a while and all was fine with the food. We then received our mains which came 5 mins before we were due to vacate the table. We ordered the swordfish, the meat board, Mexican chicken burger and half rack of ribs with chicken. The price of the meat board at just under £30 was unbelievably disappointing. My chicken burger bun was almost frozen on the top and rock hard underneath in which I couldn't bite into it. The 3 tiny potatoes which accompanied the meals were neither marinated nor warm. They were stone cold, the sword fish was chewy/rubbery and the ribs had no flavour at all. We were asked how the meal was and we told the waitress that we weren't overly happy and she explained it was hard to keep the food warm as its all done outside. The overall menu was disappointing with not alot to choose from. We then decided to order puddings as I didnt eat my meal i was still hungry and another round of drinks, obviously at this point our time at the table had been and gone. Our puddings came sometime later and my chocolate brownie came accompanied by nothing it said on the menu (salted carmel icecream) it literally came just a slab of brownie with nothing. I told the waiter and he brought me a little bit of pouring cream. Granted everyone else's puddings were fine. We had all eaten our puddings but still not received the drinks we ordered to eat with our pudding. The drinks finally came when we were ready to leave at 10.30. The bill came and I was astounded at the £206 price tag for an overall quite frankly below average meal and service. Myself and my family have always eaten at van dykes in the restaurant and never had a bad meal so I was very surprised when we raved about it to our family and brought them along with us for them to be disappointed too. Embarrassing really. I wanted to give you an opportunity to rectify this before I publish it on social media. Id hate for anyone else to spend so much money to be let down by the food and service. For the fortune you have likely spent putting money into the yule lodge i'd have thought abit of that would have gone into the staffing to cover service and more of appropriate cooking area to keep food warm.

We had booked a table inside for six on Monday 17 May at 2pm. On Friday 14 May we received a call saying the government have moved the goal posts and we can't open until 5pm on Monday. We can seat you outside at lunchtime and we need a £20 deposit now! The whole point of the booking was to eat indoors. Nothing on gov.uk to say that places couldn't open until 5pm. We have booked an alternate venue for the same date at the same time. So the government obviously haven't changed the goal posts. We don't like being lied to.

I booked afternoon tea for our golden wedding as our cruise was cancelled and we had our wedding reception there.After waiting at the desk for 10 minutes and then seated we were told we had to be out by 4.45 as they were busy.This was 3.10 pm.25 minutes later our tea arrived but no tea or coffee.After 15 mins I went to the desk and was told they were very busy. It arrived after a further 15 mins.No refills were offered as advertised.We asked our guests if they would like a drink and we ordered from the bar via the waitress.Because the table was uneven one of our friends finished with her wine in her lap !!It was a very meagre tea and didn’t meet our expectations in fact very disappointing.I did send an email and after 6 days I sent a message re not replying.I exchanged messages with what I felt was a rude ? Manager who wouldn’t divulge his surname.I would not recommend this hotel for afternoon tea and our friends felt the same.Overall a very disappointing golden wedding tea!!

Would advise not to bother having food delivered. Ordered Sunday lunch, 3 courses at just over £60. Starters were average but edible. Main courses decent sized and quality items. Huge Yorkies. However, the problem is they sent our order without gravy. Tried ringing them to advise this and after being on hold for 30 mins gave up, before the meal was completely inedible. The problem is a Sunday dinner without gravy is just pointless, dry and pointless. Emailed Ban Dykes and a week and half later finally got a response. A sort of apology but nothing really to compensate for 2 main courses at £14.95 each being ruined... disappointing really. Dessert wise, bread and butter pudding was good. Would recommend that. Corn Flake tart portion size very small, for £7 a portion. Avoid that one.It’s real shame as this venue now looks amazing and just round the corner from us. Was likely to become a favourite of ours but we will not be in any rush to visit now. Mistakes happen, but it’s how you rectify them that keeps people coming back.

Due to covid restrictions I ordered a cream tea to collect as a treat for our wedding anniversary. On arrival the girl on reception could not find the order and was quite rude and unhelpful, after a 40 minute wait and various excuses she said the chef was REFRESHING the afternoon tea quite how you do this I am unsure. Finally I was given the order, when I unpacked it I was surprised by the meagre contents. I have had many afternoon teas in various locations and this is by far the worst , I have had far superior from my local garden centre. Very disappointed as I was expecting something better from this hotel as I have dined in the restaurant and was impressed by the standard of the food.

I attended the Yule Lodge and left feeling very disappointed. The booking was for 2 people at 6:30, we arrived exactly on time and were told our table wasn’t ready and to come back in 15-20 minutes. We were given a menu to take with us whilst we wait, 5 things were crossed off the menu as you didn’t have them. We weren’t asked if we wanted a drink whilst we waited which I didn’t think great. We then went back 20 minutes later and were seated. Someone took our drinks and food order. We were told you didn’t have any moretti, I am aware of the shortage so this wasn’t an issue but around an hour later we saw someone else drinking moretti. You didn’t have a drinks menu which I found inconvenient but that’s a minor thing. Our first drinks arrived but they took longer then expected. Our starters arrived and shortly later our mains. When our mains arrived we ordered another drink, I asked for a pornstar martini but got told you had stopped doing cocktails which I thought was strange but just ordered something else instead. We had finished our mains before these had arrived. We enjoyed our starters but our main meals were very bland and lacked flavour. Later on I then saw numerous people drinking pornstar martinis and staff bringing them out but I was told I couldn’t have one. We then had to chase our second drink up and a short while later they came. We had been there for just over two hours and were only just starting our second drink (this includes the 20 minutes we had to sit elsewhere). So I decided if we ordered a bottle of wine we wouldn’t have to keep waiting for drinks, you didn’t have a wine list which I at least thought you would. The wine took around 20 minutes to come and I was about to ask for it to be cancelled and for the bill when it arrived. I ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio, the wine tasted so cheap and was warm. Someone asked if everything was ok and if we needed anything else so I asked for a manager. I couldn’t even see anyone that looked like a manager in a different uniform organising everyone. I was kept up to date when someone would come over as the staff struggled to find anyone. A young girl came over and said she was a supervisor, she knew the service had been poor and took our main meals and bottle of wine off the menu for this which I fully appreciated.I think it is a real shame that the service was like this as we still paid £50 for a night where I may as well have sat at home and I would have had a better time.When I arrived at the hotel, I was blown away by the extension and said to my partner I really want to come back when it fully reopens as it looks amazing. I have been to a wedding at the hotel and the service there was second to none so to have experienced such poor service I was so shocked and very disappointed.I think it is such a shame as you have made some amazing changes to the hotel and I would have loved to come back and believed I would have visited regularly due to living close by but now I would think again as I wouldn’t want to pay for the same service again.

My friends and I went to the new Yule Lodge at Van Dyk - only to leave very disappointed! We tried to order cocktails, to be told we couldn’t order them by our server, and then saw other tables having them, the waitress said she’d made a mistake. The main course was wrong for my friend with allergies, after having to have the dish changed three times, we had all finished our food and she was left to eat alone. By the time she had waited for her meal and finished it, our 1 hour 45 time slot was up and we couldn’t order the desserts we wanted. When our bill was brought to us, we were charged with other people’s drinks added on, this had to be re-printed twice after the staff hadn’t listened to the drinks we said we hadn’t had. The manager came over to our table and explained to us that the staff were new and apologized. When you are paying these sort of prices, and the standard of excellence that Van Dyk advertises, we were hugely disappointed with our experience and expect staff to be fully trained before starting so that these kind of things don’t happen. My friend could have been seriously harmed with the food that came out that she was allergic to and said so when initially ordering. I’m just making others aware as to our experience to make sure that Van Dyk’s listen to what people are ordering. I have tried to write a review on their Facebook page, and my comment has since been removed by Van Dyk, only the ‘sparkling and glorifying’ comments are being left for others to see and not the honest reviews. Not good.

We visited Van Dyk by Wildes on a Saturday evening when the weather was good and it was very busy. On arrival, we seemed quite impressed by what they had done to the place in terms of the outdoor eating area (teepees). We had to wait a few minutes for our table to come free that we had booked, but we didn’t mind too much and once we had sat down, a drinks order was taken quite quickly. The food came out and overall, the quality was good. We asked to order more drinks, however, having ordered the drinks, they did not appear. Having finished our meals, we asked where the drinks were and we thought that the staff were chasing this up.Another twenty minutes passed and still, no drinks, so we chased this up again. The drinks never arrived, but the staff had been quick enough to add them to our bill. Having got the bill, the staff did take off the value of the elusive drinks (although there was no apology from the member of staff), but it really shouldn’t have got to that stage. Having visited Van Dyk last October, it seems a common theme that the staff seem to struggle when the place gets particularly busy. Van Dyk has the potential to be a really great place, but quality of service needs addressing first.

We visited the lovely outside gardens of Van Dykes on the worksop Road near Clowne.We hadn't booked a table inside the marquee, and was happy to sit on the benches outsideThe waitress took our food menu, my wife decided on a Teriyaki chicken on the starter menu, as she didn't want a main course, and I selected chicken caesar salad off the mains menu, we also selected foccacia bread to go with our meal.We were very clear that the starter and the main were to be brought out at the same time so we could eat together.Our drinks came out, shortly followed by my wife's Teriyaki chicken, she told the waiter, we had ordered the 2 meals to arrive at the same time, he told us he would go and find out what was happening. 10 minutes after a different waiter came out with another Teriyaki Chicken !!!!We explained everything again to the waiter, he apologised, and said he would sort it.My wife finished her meal, then a further 20 minutes passed no food, I wasn't prepared to wait any longer.I approached the maitredee and told him of our experience.He again apologised and said OK I will just charge you for what you have had.Insensitive, very unprofessional and we won't be returning

Ordered a Sunday lunch for delivery which was a bit pricey. Opened it they forgot mash potato I paid extra for and forgot gravy. Phoned them up they apologised and said they would send it out in the next 30 minutes. I said not to bother the dinner will be ruined just refund me back for the potatoes and gravy which they replied they were unable to do a refund they will deliver the missing items. Which come 40 minutes later so dinner was not the same when I had to read heat it. Absolutely shocking. Will not eat there again. Really gone down hill since the new owners have took over

I left a comment on their Facebook page stating my Sunday dinner dine at home arrived cold and a little dried out. Not ideal when it’s cost £38 for 2 Sunday dinners, but I also stated once I’d reheated it the food was nice. My comment was deleted and I was blocked on Facebook. Then my husband made a comment asking why I’d been deleted for leaving a fair review his comment was also deleted and he too was blocked. So that’s why you’ll never see a negative review on their Facebook because someone (I believe it could be the owner but have no proof but he’s the one that was replying to other customers queries at the same time) deletes them and blocks you. What a childish and ridiculous way to deal with honest constructive criticism. Will never use this company again and will also been advising people of my experience.

Afternoon tea for two £30, okay happy with that, but with just two teabags? Couple of sandwiches and a few cakes all in a little brown bag not one serviette. Phoned up twice, finally received a call back the next day and was told what do I expect? Thank you Van Dykes for a great experience it was only for my mothers 70th birthday never mind I know where not to go next time.

After another drab week staying in we spiced up our choice of food and decided to try the takeaway dining experience.We opted to place the order through "Just eat".We placed the order at 16.30 and requested delivery at 17.30, we received confirmation that our delivery would arrive at 18.00.Van dykes contacted me just before expected delivery informing me that it would be delivered late and to expect the food at 18.15, only we had to wait until 18.50....not a good start.The food was cold and tasteless, the experience was poor I didn't expect dining room standard but it was nothing special defiantly not worth the money even with 25% discount. The order was delivered incomplete, I had a side order of beer battered onion rings...and I'm still waiting 24 hours latter so I guess they just forgot...I tried ringing but got no answer....

Having seen this hotel restaurant whilst passing, we thought it looked really special, so booked for a special occasion. On entering we were impressed with the reception area. We were shown through to a bar area which was so cold as the french doors were wide open (in October) so we said we would go straight to our table in the Orangery. We instantly felt overdressed as everyone else was in very casual clothing. That was my mistake, I should have checked the dress code, it wasn't what I expected. The table was wobbly and we had to put serviettes under the table leg. How can this happen on a brand new floor with brand new furniture. The waitress was lovely and the service was fine, but my main course of chicken fillet was dry. My husbands belly pork was good though. My chocolate gateau dessert was the strangest gateau I have ever seen, more like a tray bake and again extremely dry. I had to use the sauce which came with my husband's sticky toffee pudding to be able to eat mine. This wasn't a cheap night out either, the wine started at £24 a bottle. Altogether a very disappointing evening which I had been looking forward to for our anniversary.

Poor service and appalled at the way I was spoken too by the manager for commenting on the oily food.

Christmas meal in The Bowdon last week was quite possibly the worst meal I have ever had . So much wrong with the food timing and service . I,ve had some excellent meals in the past but this was awful.

Attended a works Xmas party, there was no tinsel,no tree not even a cracker. After what seemed an age my starter arrived, a slice of warm grey pate, garnished with limp peas shoots and the end slice (crust) of untoasted bread. Another long wait and cold roast beef arrives with a huge Yorkshire pudding . I did not attempt the vegetables they were served in a soup/ pasta bowl and it was obvious that another dish had been stood on the top of them as they were squashed and splattered on the side of the ubowl. W e were not offered horseradish or mustard and has we were not courtesy checked we didn't get enough gravey to soften the Yorks. Pud. The gravey was tasty and the chocolate orange cheesecake was good. We have dined here many times in the past but we will not return.

Booked Bowden/ Chapel for special family gathering (6 weeks in advance with requested £80 deposit)... we were contacted one week before before reserved date and told our booking had been amended (different room and time) as they had accepted a last minute booking for a charity event! On arrival it turned out to be a Christmas Fair! The place was so busy we were unable to find anywhere to park. Some 3/4 of an hour past our meal time (and still unable to park) we approached reception with the problem... basically we were told nothing could be done (they were very obviously unable to cope with the influx of the amount of people and other related complaints)We had elderly family in our group who where becoming distressed and it was obvious that nothing was to be done to help. As we had a booking also for the following Sunday the receptionist said they could transfer the deposit to that date but if there was any unused part of the deposit it would not be returned. (their policy is to not refund any deposit in money) Later in the day there followed a phone call from their duty manager who very aggressively and impolitely told us there would be no transfer or refund as it was all our fault and that we should have parked (two vehicles) on the very busy A619! (Already very congested with heavy traffic and other parked vehicles for the Xmas Fair) The attitude of the so called duty manager was disgusting to say the least... hiding in his office (unavailable! was the word... and twice again today). Obviously we will not return. These people need to remember that a bad service passes around a lot more than a good one.

We booked this place for Lunch with an open mind. The place is set in a nice country area and green surroundings. The interior is well looked after which was pleasing when entering. The staff are polite , friendly and seem very happy to be working there. The food was good value for money, fresh and well presented. The desert menu is easy and covers most bases. The bread and butter putting was delish. Worth a visit

We came to The Bowden, now renamed The Chapel, on the recommendation of the receptionist at Van Dyk’s. We had been through a very fraught week surrounding the terminal illness of my mother and wanted somewhere quiet and special to eat. The hotels website uses the words extra special and exquisite and calls for a dress code of smart casual, the latter being stressed to us when booking. On arrival the bar area of The Chapel is welcoming however this was spoiled by the aggressive and insistent behaviour of a guest who was having to wait for a drink in another area and demanded instant service at The Chapel bar. It soon became apparent quiet was not to be the order of the evening. The majority of staff carry short wave radios which blare out at regular intervals including during service in the ‘extra special’ restaurant. Quiet and intimate it is not. The menu is limited 4 choices for each course. The food was excellent. We were confused during the evening when tables were being seated of guests wearing torn jeans and hoodies and ordering burgers. Smart casual and fine dining apparently forgotten. If you want a special evening forget here.

We had requested a quiet corner table for a family dinner to celebrate an 87th birthday. A couple hours before the appointed time the duty manager called us up to say the Southgate Brasserie which we had booked would be full and seeing we wanted tranquility she would open the Bowden restaurant early for us and give us a corner table which would be more suitable - as long as the birthday girl could make the extra couple of steps, which we confirmed she could.It was a terrific gesture and most successful, we all enjoyed the location, ambience and service as well as the cuisine - 5 stars for initiative and delivery making a perfect dinner.Thanks to all involved.

We were unable to get a table in the grill and were offered the restaurant instead. We were shown to our table and given two menus but they were different, one was for the grill and one for the restaurant, we asked the waitress if we could order off either and was told no, we could only order off the restaurant menu. We were then asked to move tables as ours was booked. There were many tables and this one wasn’t special but we did as asked. There were only four main meals on the menu beef, lamb, cod and vegetarian. I ordered lamb to be told that there wasn’t any! I asked what the beef came with to be told chips, mushrooms, onion rings. It wasn’t really what I wanted but there was nothing else I wanted. My partner ordered cod. We then noticed that other people had food off the grill menu. Our food came and I was pleased as my beef was with vegetables and in a jus, it was just what I would have picked, although the fillet was quite small, quite thin. My partners cod was the cod off the grill menu, again, he was pleased as this is what he wanted to order. We pointed it out to the waiter but only to point out that it was £7 difference in price, we were assured that this was noted. The bill came and we were charged for the restaurant cod! It was all sorted out ok, we enjoyed our meals but the staff were clearly not appropriately briefed. We have eaten in the grill and it has always been good,the restaurant felt like a throwback to the seventies, it felt like we were in a faulty towers set. We went on a voucher, and for the money we enjoyed our meals, if we had paid full price we would have been very disappointed.Not sure we will rush back for a while.

Over an hour and a half wait for pan fried salmon. Good when it came but lacked vegetables. Complained but dismissed by arrogant staff

On 24th Feb celebrated my wife's birthday with eight family members food was delicious and the service from Elliott and Frederico made it a really memorable occasion

We are at this restaurant on a one night stay and I have to say the food and service was great.

We had a beautiful meal from the set menu. The staff had sparkle and festive cheer. The food was outstanding. The five courses were exceptional and we look forward to returning next year! For more: sensational scallops, superb sorbet, lovely lamb, tremendous trio of chocolate mouse and great customer service.

We had always had a lovely meal at the Bowden Restaurant. Unfortunately the last time that we went there the meal was appalling. First off I asked for my favourite drink Prosecco unfortunately this had no fiz, so I complained to the bar staff who assured me that it was a fresh bottle, took my glass in the back and came back with a so called fresh glass this was the same and both were on the warm side. My husband and our two friends ordered fish and chips, the batter on the fish was soggy as if it had been microwaved, the chips were also soggy and the peas we're cold. We were the only ones in the restaurant since we decided to have a 4.00 meal. No one came to the table asking if the food was okay. The person behind the bar was busy wiping the cutlery and she wasn't happy any way that I had complained. So we paid up and left. On returning home I sent a message of complaint and was assured they did not microwave the food . I asked if perhaps the chef had not got the fat hot enough. We have often eaten at this restaurant and even had a private room for my husbands birthday, in March which was fantastic. They didn't really have any explanation why the food was like this.

I go here all the time! Really nice food, ambience is good and staff friendly. I have been on dates here and also with family would highly recommend

Lovely lunch spoilt by a table of moaners. Typical my food is cold cos it wasn't the temperature of the sun They then ate the replacement and still compained pricks

¿cómo es este lugar sigue abierto! El personal es simplemente horrible. Mi hijo dijo que mirando fijamente a usted todo el tiempo. Hablan como si un inconveniente para ellos. Y mi palabra - 2 horas para tomar una comida rápida? Su inexcusable. no se abren si no tienen el personal. El ambiente y la música es simplemente atroz. Quería slit mi garganta tras 90 minutos de espera, en lo que era una habitación casi vacío.

Nos invitaron a un almuerzo espléndido por amigos para mi cumpleaños. Las edades de los clientes iban desde 71 a 2 años. Buena comida, excelente servicio por personal eficiente y amable sin su "pasarse" el poco amable. Una queja muy sabroso fishcake - Mi se servía en una pizarra. Hubiera preferido una llanura, placa blanca china pero no puedo quejarme ya que no iba a pagar la cuenta!

Visitamos de nuevo los viernes por la tarde y tengo que decir que la comida era excepcional. Tuve la merluza con verduras y patatas y era preciosa. Yo decidí tratar a un postre y que era fantástico. Fue un merengue de fresa, bien presentada y deliciosa para comer! ! El servicio también fue excelente y una gran relación calidad-precio!

Fuimos para mi comida de cumpleaños gratis en la comida 6 de julio era increíble y el servicio! Debbie era increíble, muy servicial y nada era demasiado problema. Hemos reservado para venir para el Día de Navidad y no puedo esperar! Lo recomiendo encarecidamente! !

Decidimos ir a cenar esta noche por casualidad no ha sido tener unos pocos meses descubrimos que desde noviembre que ahora somos por la parrilla por internet o teléfono. Tuvimos una cena el restaurante estaba bastante lleno y también eran de catering para una boda, pero no nos hicieron esperar y nuestra cena era buena nuestros platos estaban bien preparados y bien presentados. En complementando nuestra comida nos dijeron que había un nuevo chef, creemos que la cocina ha mejorado por lo tanto seremos frecuentes nuevo. diners

Asistimos a una fiesta y nos quedamos una noche. Excelente comida y entretenimiento. Paramos en la habitación woburn, teníamos un sueño bueno, bonito y bien equipado. El personal era muy amable, desde el recepcionista hasta los camareros y el personal de catering en la noche a la señora en la sala de desayuno. .

Finest restaurant in the area. Fully trained professional staff. Meals are well cooked and offers quality for all tastes.

Un servicio realmente útil. Tuve nachos para empezar, que eran realmente sabroso y de casa campo realizadas. Mi marido tenía ensalada de pato y dijo que es una de las mejores ensaladas que ha tenido. Tuve panceta de cerdo y fue cocinado a la perfección chispeante piel. Mi marido tenía carne, la carne era bourginion tan tierno y la salsa era precioso. No podría poner un dulce, pero que parecía delicioso. Estamos planeando volver y probar el pescado y las patatas fritas, ya que también parecía bueno.

Aquí estábamos exactamente un año y nuevamente en Mothering en domingo. Nos gusta este restaurante debido a su no-fuss, no hay necesidad de hacer una reserva y la calidad ha sido siempre muy alto. Llegamos pronto después de abrir al mediodía ya que necesitábamos estar en casa a las 2pm, así que todas las expectativas de comida fresca sirvieron rápidamente. Langostinos tempura estaba muy bien preparado y presentado. El escalope de pollo también fue excelente. Siendo un restaurante británico, situado en esta parte del país, uno debe esperar carne asada y verduras budín de Yorkshire con ser un pan comido para el chef para llegar a la derecha. En primera presentación, todo parecía bien, aunque me pareció divertido para comentar el enorme tamaño del Yorkshire - unos 7 pulgadas de largo. Fue en el comer, llegó la decepción, que destaco es, en mi experiencia anterior, el 'Van de uncharacteristic Dyk'. El plato de carne era todo entregado a cool mesa. La Yorkshire estaba seco y fresco y sin sabor, hizo más fácil cortar por virtud de la bandeja de China y los estados unidos de estar sentados en una mesa redonda, de vidrio con superficie. Este debe de haber sido para satisfacer una concurrida almuerzo ya que todas las otras mesas estaban establecidos con manteles de lino. Las patatas asadas, probado y cortar como si hubieran sido calentado desde ayer (calentado, no climatizada). Dos de las tres rodajas de ternera de pareja derbyshire desde arriba parecía generosa y un sabor delicioso. Pero cuando llegué a la tercera decepción Slice. Era como Kevlar; flexible, pero immpossible para cortar. Tenía que ser a la izquierda en la fuente junto con las dos terceras partes de Yorkshire y las patatas residual asado. Si el chef como algunos monitores, mi esposa hace un Yorkshire que ella fue enseñada por mi madre. Las camareras jóvenes eran todos muy eficiente y educado y es decepcionante que su esfuerzo no se reflejaba en la cocina con carne sirve. Este Volveremos, pero espero una crítica más gratis será posible.

Having originally booked for 6pm we were able to bring the booking forward at short notice with no fuss. Staff were very friendly, food was excellent as always and all had a great time.

My husband and I visited the restaurant last night (31st Jan) as always the food was superb- we have been going to Van Dyk's for about 5 years now and even got married there and can honestly say we have never had a bad meal. My only comment would be that I saw on Facebook there was a special of mixed grill however when we given the menus there was no mention of a special dish on offer it was only when I asked the waiter because I had seen it online that we were told about it. My husband had the mixed grill and said it was beautiful. I hope it's one staying on the menu. Will be returning again soon

Called in the restaurant for a Sunday roast as I've been before & am usually happy with the quality of the food, however the Sunday roast was bad quality with rock hard veg which must have been cooked for absolute minimum time. The waitress did tell the chef who admitted the veg was rock hard but that's how it's cooked. No, the veg couldn't be eaten as it couldn't be cut with a knife. I did feel embarrassed about the meal as I had taken a friend with me & we didn't enjoy the meal at all. The tiny desserts were just out priced at around £7!

We had 1 portion of fish and chips - this was very nice. Hot.2 x gammon and egg. The gammon was very overcooked and dry. The fried eggs were overcooked, so no yolk for dipping. Kids didnt like the chips, but i think that was either a personal thing or because there were small bits of pineapple sprinkled on them giving them an odd taste. My daughter ate one mouthful, i tried it (dry).We tried to complain, but boy, it's hard to get anyone's attention once your food is delivered! And no one checked back to see if everything was ok. Because i would've asked for a fresh egg and told them about the overcooked dry gammon. And I know from other reviews that if you complain at the end of the meal - they can be quite narky.My starter was ok , small for £6.50 - ramekin dish of mushrooms in garlic cream. I expected a little more than a ramekin dish! Tasted ok though, nothing memorable.We asked for extra tap water 2 times - it finally came when we had finished our meals. We refused to pay for another bottle of water at £4.50!It was very busy and the staff were much friendlier looking than the last time we went in December. However, we struggled to get the attention of anyone so we could pay. When we did, the bill came and we were overcharged! Or rather under-discounted! Lucky I am a maths wizard. But it took thrm 15 minutes to sort this error out. I had to stand there all this time waiting for it to be sorted. Still no one asked me 'how was your meal?'.

Great main courses. Ordered sweets and surprise surprise after 25 minutes inquired where they were. Paid and left yet again. This is not the first time this has happened. It's not as if they were busy, less than half full, staff too busy talking to each other and not paying attention to customers. They need training. Perhaps the owners could call in at the 3 Acres near Emley Moor to see how to train there staff.

We took our extended family here on New Year's Day. It is a beautiful hotel the restaurant is well presented with white linen, the staff were extremely helpful. But the food definitely let it down. 6 of our party had the lamb roast dinner,when it arrived there were 2 small slices of lamb there were far to many potatoes and a huge yourkshire pudding. The vegetables came separately we only got a 3small bowls with carrots cabbage and cauliflower ch research and broccoli. The food was poor value for money as the roast was £15. Plus. I just expected better.

Excellent venue both our starters and main courses were excellent this place was so busy for a weekend in January which we were initially surprised by but after tasting the food we could understand why.

The venue the staff and the food are all amazing! Perfect wedding!! Thank you!!!!!Also had a meal in the restaurant on New Year's Eve and, once again the food and service were excellent. Also, good value.

For a Sunday in mid January I was astounded by how busy Van Dykes was. Often how bustling a venue is a good barometer for it's quality however on the day in question service certainly suffered as demand peaked.We met my parents who were waiting in the bar and the first shock was the cost of the drinks which shouldn't have surprised me as they were standard 'hotel prices'. The place was manic and no one seemed to be allocating tables or covering front of house. After finally managing to accost a member of staff, he was aloof, curt and dismissive stating that it wasn't his job and he was busy before sidling off. Fair enough they were stretched but at least assist me by finding someone who is willing to help me. The rest of the staff did otherwise seem fairly friendly and amiable however.When the food arrived it was well presented but fairly bland. All portions were of industrial size which I'm not bemoaning, My fried Halloumi starters was decent but the industrial sized fish and chips was all quantity and no quality unfortunately. (Note to self: stop ordering fish and chips in pubs and restaurants as it only leads to disappointment and heart ache).All in all a shame really as the place is geared up for being a great venue.

We love the restaurant at the Hotel Van Dyk, as it provides a welcome variety of dishes, in a choice of normal or smaller portions and uses high quality ingredients, for example the beef in the burger is exceptional. All presented with style.However, and this is why we chose the title, its spoilt by under-resourcing and lack of a visible maître d' ...We went for a family 63rd wedding anniversary lunch, on Boxing Day. The service was sluggish, and the staff appeared 'jet lagged', leaving long periods between attention and courses, a frequent complaint in reviews, and a little tetchy as if working the 3rd day of three twelve hour shifts? There had been a large (20ish cover table just finishing as we arrived) which may well have been demanding, but the time after arrival to having drinks orders taken and then after having dessert menus delivered and orders taken was unacceptable. We had to seek out service whereas it should have been seamless and attentive. This is a management issue and need addressing pronto to return this excellent establishment to top of the league.