Sondes Arms in Corby

Alot better over the past year im guessing they changed chef 👨‍🍳 food is very tasty and well priced and friendly pub atmosphere and also good customer service

What do you do when you walk into this place with an ADUK registered Assistance Dog only to be told that the two tables in the area designated for dogs are both taken, as it happens by dog-free couples? You try to explain that a disabled person can take their Assistance Dog anywhere and that a table in the restaurant will be just fine. The often used excuse of allergies is trotted out and despite being advised that this discrimination breaks the Equality law, you are refused entry. You leave, that's what you do, and vow never to darken their doors again. The Tea Rooms next door welcomed us, found a table with space for my Hearing Dog, brought water, a couple of biscuits and was interested to hear how he works with me. What a difference!

I've been a customer of The Sondes Arms in Rockingham for years, not frequently but often enough to enjoy the great food and lovely atmosphere. So it was disappointing to be turned away for lunch on a Wednesday afternoon, especially when there were plenty of empty tables available. We hadn't booked a table, but given the space, it didn't seem like it should have been an issue. That said, it's actually great news to see a small village pub so busy that they can turn customers away during tough economic times. Clearly, they're doing something right! However, it’s a shame to have had this experience, as I’m sure they could have easily accommodated two willing paying customers. Unfortunately, negative experiences tend to linger, so I won't be rushing back anytime soon. In hindsight, there wasn’t any clear notice online saying bookings were required, and it felt like a missed opportunity for the pub to welcome all potential customers. Still, good for them for doing so well—just not ideal for the average visitor

The Sondes Arms - it tries hard but something is lacking. We dined here on a Friday evening - one of the Carvery evenings. We dined early so the carvery was just starting. It looked great on the hot plates with plenty of choice and good looking joints of meat. We didn't partake but many of those who were also dining did, so it clearly remains very popular. We decided to eat a couple of meals from the menu - not an extensive menu but one that covers what you would expect … some steaks, some pie, some chicken dishes, a curry and so on. The meals were okay - hot, decent sized portions - but they felt like meals that had been bought in. The curry, especially, had a supermarket, microwave, quality to it that whilst edible, made you feel like you were not getting value for money. The garlic bread flatbread was bland and is not to be recommended. For the other meal, the chips were nice but the chicken was a little dry. We have visited the Sondes many times over the past decade or so (and held a couple of large celebratory gatherings there) and this visit was probably the most disappointing of all of them. The staff are friendly and attentive, the environment is well maintained and tidy, the place is popular (or was on this evening) but, even so, I'm not sure we would rush back for another meal.

We have a family get together once a year and as usual we can't fault it.

This is our local - we visit twice a week we love it so much!! Staff are fab, atmosphere is consistently welcoming with customers friendly and loving to mix and chat. Food is always a solid regular menu, including carvery Wednesday and Sundays - not overly fancy or complicated but just good!!

Carvery as good as usual. Staff very pleasant. A bit chilly in the dining area again.

Sunday dinner at the Sondes Arms was a nice treat and an escape from doing a Sunday dinner yourself. Not anymore. I don’t know if there has been a change in ownership, but the quality is not what it once was. The starters felt like it had come straight out of a packet from Iceland. The main carvery was ok. But just ok. The vegetable selection was good but the cauliflower cheese, although hot, the cauliflower was barely cooked and still hard. Everything just lacked seasoning. The salt and pepper on the table was from Aldi. I don’t have an issue with Aldi. But in a restaurant I don’t think that is appropriate. The dessert was definitely out of a packet and shop brought. When you are charging the prices that they are you expect something homemade. The staff need some training on how to take a drinks order. When you order a gin and tonic, the tonic should come separately from the gin. Not fully emptied into your drink. It is always a shame when you see a venue start to decline in this way. The prices do not reflect the quality anymore. No longer value for money.

We had a wonderful lunch. The food was really good and the service was better. The price for lunch was very reasonable, much to my surprise. The decor is excellent, very comfortable without being over-the-top. Someone has put a lot of thought into that. There is good free parking just outside the back door but you need to have a god look at Google Maps to get yourself prepared.

Steak Frites was disappointing, chewy steak and overcooked fries, and no salad or vegetables with it, and we were overcharged £2 per plate for it on the first bill they issued. The carvery looked good, but the 3 people who had it have had 48 hours of food poisoning symptoms (I won't elaborate), and not completely better yet, we suspect the cauliflower cheese. Service was insanely slow; it took us over an hour to get a main course, and then when we finished our dessert we were asked if we could hurry along because the table was needed for the next booking. Atmosphere was like a creche; noisy, children running around, standing on chairs and sitting on tables - this isn't Sondes Arms fault necessarily, but it ruined a Sunday lunch out. I noted in our booking through OpenTable that it was my dads birthday, but it wasn't even mentioned by the waiting staff on arrival or during the meal. We won't be returning.

Food is great! The outdoor area is amazing as well.

Great steak night! Well attended to by Ellie and the food was very good.

Amazing carvery. 40 minute wait from ordering but once we got to go up it was great.

Not home made, curry was too hot and apple in crumble was tinned and not fresh, I suspect all just bing, apart from crumble topping, waited ages for the bill

Popped in here without a booking & the very helpful staff found us a table straight away. This is the second time we have eaten here & the food is spot on. Food tasted so fresh. Lovely & hot. Great selection and at a sensible price 10/10. Alot more establishments could learn from this venue. Will definitely be back. Will try the desserts hopefully next time but was so full no room this time.

Really bad food, unsalted, potatoes with potatoes and peas, well maybe other dishes is better

first visit since lockdown , fantastic food

Beautiful little country pub setting serving very tasty food on a lunchtime special. Will definitely return 👍🏼

Great food and service every time. Best roast for miles !

Have been meaning to attend for while. Was not disappointed the food is nicely priced and cooked beautifully. Staff friendly and quick service. Most definitely going to be a hot-spot for us going forward

Visited today with family for Sunday Carvery. The dinner was absolutely spot on, fantastic choice of meats & veg all cooked perfectly, all warm and fresh. Waitress staff were also fantastic and very attentive. We’ll be back 😁

They do a nice carvery and have a good menu aswell, great service and a lovely restaurant. It's slightly pricey compared to some other carvery restaurants but it's good.

Had the Beer battered fish and chips along with mushy peas. It is absolutely brilliant 👏 highly recommended, and I'm a returning customer

Great food, really friendly and helpful staff. Very nice place, would highly recommend.

I turned up on a Wednesday, carvery night, more in hope than expectation. Mikaylah and Shaun found me a spot in the bar on what was clearly a very busy night. Service was great and attentive. I ordered a soft drink and a carvery and was able to go up for my food in no time at all. The spread of meat available is always good, but as a creature of habit, I chose beef. The roasties, Yorkshire pudding, and vegetables were cooked to perfection for me. Big thanks to Fabio and Ruby for the service. Overall experience was very good. I attend quite often and have never been disappointed with the food or the service. Given this was a very busy night, I cannot fault my experience. One final shout out to the kitchen team, Shona, Gary, and Bradley. I have never been disappointed with the food, and the beef is always cooked to perfection for me. Will definitely be back. Given the popularity of the carvery, I would advise booking! 5/5

Been here a couple of times but wanted to visit again to have the carvery. Very busy as we arrived but the staff coped with no stress. Called to the carvery in turn which worked well. Choice of 4 meats, I had pork loin and beef which were well cooked and tasty, wide range of veg, all fresh. The roasts potatoes were spot on. A fantastic meal. Service was attentive that deserved a tip. Dog friendly but make sure you book in advance.

Very enjoyable Friday evening in the Sondes Arms. Friendly staff, good food, excellent value on the carvery and not too noisy even when busy. The beer garden is big and has covered options too. Plenty of parking behind the pub (driveway to the left of the pub) including a couple of disabled spots. Carvery isn’t available every day so check their website.

Fantastic place, lovely attentive staff

Lovely food . Very friendly staff and management. The Sunday carvery was beautiful.

I cannot thank the Sondes Arms enough. I have a nasty food intolerance and they were so good they made me feel safe and i really enjoyed my meal. We had carveries that were spot on, nicely cooked veg, and we will be back. Our elderly relatives really appreciated not having to stand in a queue so we could help them get back to their seat and then nip back for our dinner. A really good system. Thank you for a really nice experience and good food

Must have driven past this lovely pub a hundred times but never had the time to stop. Then finally, last week I pulled in for a pint and boy, what a super place it is! I wasn't planning on eating but as I walked past the carvery I instantly changed my mind. Usually the food on a carvery looks like its been sitting there for a month all dried up but not so here. It looked fresh and smelt apertising. So my friend and I dived in! I had the Steak & Ale pie and she had the vegaterian option. Both were delicious! Suffice to say I’ll be making time to stop off here again next time I'm passing

Very disappointed with today’s visit, we were booked for 1.30, didn’t call us through until 2 for the carvery, left waiting like lemons, ordered our dessert at 2.20, told server we had to be away by 2.45 but it didn’t arrive, tried to charge us for the dessert and didn’t offer us anything for the poor experience, won’t be back

Odd system when ordering a carvery. You have to wait to be told to go up to choose your meat. No info re when you get your place, you just order your meal with your waitress at your table then wait! Not the best system and meat was chewy

This is a great place to go for a meal out. The menus are varied and care for all tastes, including a kids menu! A lovely oldie worldie style place, with great igloos outside for an enclosed family meal, with heating of course! The service was excellent and the staff very friendly. There is plenty of parking spaces too. We have just discovered it and think it is brilliant. Have been several times and it just gets better and better. Thank you for great service and wonderful food! Another visit just as great!! A wonderful visit with excellent food and great service. Definitely the place to go. 👏👏🥰🥰 Another visit to have their wonderful carvery, a must have!! The only down side was that we had to wait nearly an hour to get out food!!! 😢

Lunch out with colleagues. Staff were friendly, but service was slow and food was average.

Excellent venue for all your special events

I like dropping in here, sometimes for a good roast or most recently for a couple of pints on a walk.

Visited here on Sunday evening, to celebrate my birthday. Did not realise it was a carvery until we arrived, it was chosen more because it was serving food on a Sunday evening, where lots of other places were not. The Sunday menu was slightly restrictive, would have preferred a larger choice. Chose the carvery in the end as I did not want a steak or a burger, other choices on the menu. The meat was tender (beef, pork and turkey). The veg was slightly more al dente than we preferred, and some could have done with a bit more seasoning, but that was my preference. The main seating area where we were seated was very busy and quite noisy, if there had been room we would have preferred a table in the main part of the pub rather than the carvery area. Saying all that we would go back as for £15.95 you got a lot of food for the price and one of the better ones we have been to. Tips: Book early, expect it to be noisy but also expect some good food.

What a fantastic beautiful pub. We stopped in as a group of four, we did book I advance and they managed to get us a really nice table. The waiting staff were amazing and made sure we were well looked after. We had the Carvery, which was perfect. Also the bar staff were just as friendly and very polite and helpful. I would recommend this place to anyone in the area, looking for a nice friendly pub for a drink or meal. Definitely five stars all around.

Fabulous service and vegetarian carvery - delicious 😋

lovely Sunday lunch good value for money

Booked for a family meal for 10 people, food was lovely, service was fantastic from Eva. The whole experience was great.

The food was amazing and the staff were very friendly. Lovely place 👌

Really good carvery and good beer. Atmosphere was a little too much like a canteen but still really nice. Be good if some of the outdoor seating was in the sun and not all inside the wooden seating area but would return again.

Staff were welcoming,We turned up without a reservation,this was dealt with and we soon had a table. Food was nice,hot and tasty.

Went with the whole family for Sunday carvery. They couldn’t do enough for us! Great service, great food & great atmosphere. If I could give 6 stars, I would!

The place needs doing up ,and tables cleaning for next customers

Went on Wednesday. car park full and slow service .price not bad ? Had curry? Small amount and nothing to write home about 1st and last time sorry 😞

Disgusting behaviour from the manager, arrogant and defensive about his disgusting vegetable soup that didn’t even have one bit of taste. I approached so nicely and looked around for staff to speak to about it. Food was disgusting and he basically chucked the receipt at us telling us not to come back. Absolute disgrace since management has changed.

Another Fabulous roast dinner, lovely staff too, very nice place, will definitely be back again soon thank you

Lovely pub, now a regular for our Sunday afternoons. Great food, lovely staff. Nice cosy atmosphere. Outside space.

Always lovely food and great service

Had a couple of pints in there, beer was fresh and nice, service was great! Ordered a burger and chips, not sure what to expect, the chips was lovely, soft in the inside an crispy on the outside, really tasty, burger was a big double, lots of cheeses etc, felt like I was eating it for ages it was so big, but super tasty till the last bite! I love a burger an order then regular from all sorts of places but this was lovely, was great food! Will go back for sure!!

Such lovely and helpful staff. Beautiful carvery. Was the perfect experience!! Thank you

Excellent Sunday lunch. We will definitely visit again.

Fantastic I highly recommend the food, exceptional service at a very reasonable price. Surroundings are so exceptional too.😊👍

Lovely food, very good service and good value for money, we'd definitely eat here again 😁

Fantastic food,great prices,1 star down as the staff wasn't that helpful mainly very slow

A beautiful restaurant in the lovely surroundings of Rockingham village. The food was superb and the service brilliant.

We have waited for desserts for more than 20 minutes and even went to ask how long it would take to bring 2 brownies and 1 cheesecake The staff was standing chatting while we waited for desserts .if you come here please make sure you have a lot of patience to wait

My Spanish husband, Spanish friends and I stopped off for an hour to have a beer on a very grey, rainy and cold day. We were all welcomed very warmly and the wonderful bartender, Paul converted our cold, miserable day into a very happy one. Great service and a lovely atmosphere. We'll most definitely return when we're next in Leicestershire. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My first visit here. It was a birthday treat from my wife who had been before and thought I would like it. Well I did. It was a great experience and we both had the carvery. Well cooked meat although I just missed out on the gammon but had pork and beef. Both were tender and melted in the mouth. The vegetables were a good selection and cooked as they should be. All in all with attentive FOH it was a very good evening. Will be back again.

Excellent food, so worth a visit. We'll be heading here for our Sunday roasts from now on, nothing to fault it was delicious

Lovely pub/restaurant. Good food and beer. Nice outside seating area.

Noticed two tables being over charged, never normally check my bill but thought I better, the bill came with card machine together, I said can I just check bill please, they charged us for two puddings, instead of one, think it was £11,95 for a bit of cheesecake, no prices on menu, was nice food but would not return

Walked in off the road, welcomed immediately asked where we would prefer to sit and we were taken to our table. All I can say the food was exceptional service very friendly and this was a Friday evening. In saying all that we have booked a table for x4 for Sunday lunch. KEEP IT UP GUYS AND THANK YOU ALL ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Good food but my partner's food that was brought out was not what she ordered. They took it back to the kitchen but left mine out. Ten minutes later they brought the correct order out by which time I'd eaten mine. Should have taken mine back and kept warm. Venue inside is like eating in a village hall; painted wooden walls.

Dreadful, told them I was unhappy with our meal and the young man just shrugged his shoulders, I usually only give Good reviews but felt the need to leave a bad review on this occasion

The price is reasonable. The atmosphere is nice. The staff is nice. But unfortunately, I cannot say the same thing for food. We ordered desserts and drinks. My one was black forest gateau. It was fine but I prefer frozen Aldi one to this. My partner order rhubarb crumble and it came as a mush. It looked more like baby food than dessert, very disappointing. We had to send it back. They asked us if we were happy with the food in the end. We said no and their response was: Oh that’s fine. Weird…

Unfortunately, it was closed!!

A while since I used this place but has always been good food And back garden in summer looking up at the castle

Had a beautiful carvery roast here back in February - really enjoyable evening service very good food was amazing !! 3rd visit here and we were not disappointed - The actual pub itself is very lovely too good atmosphere- we’ll be back !

We just called on for a drink. Most of the place set up for eating . There wasn't a lot of indoor space for just a drink . But staff seemed lovely enough 😊

Food was as expected, classic pub style. Not something I'd brag about but by no means was it bad. What really set it apart was the service. Every staff member we spoke to or interacted with was nothing but kind and courteous. Absolutely lovely place, can't wait to go back

Just home from the Sondes Arms. A beautiful location. Fantastic carvery with a good selection of meat and veg. Great staff and a friendly atmosphere. Will defiantly return. Thank uou for a great evening.

Best carvery in corby friendly staff great service highly recommend definitely will go back with friends

Food was okay, had a steak which had asked for rare got medium, was nice enough, didn't send back as kids were hungry and wanted to eat together. Kids bolognese was okay, chicken goujons have a spicy coating so might not appeal to all. It was busy so service was slow, staff nice enough just a lot on between them all, no dedicated sections it seemed and some confusion. Previously had better meals so might have been a bad night ;-)

After very slow table service ( more so at taking desert order , got menu then heard nothing more for almost half hour) today I was told if I wanted a desert I would have to take it home as they wanted the table back !.

Carvery. Nice veg, meat quality not so good. Half my beef was fatty skin. Cloudy beer and nasty coffee.

I took visiting friends from London here for the weekend and what a disappointment. We waited quite a long time to give our order of food and then even longer before the food arrived. Burger and chips was very disappointing with a very dried up burger and about 8 chips in a basket for an adult, customer didn’t want coleslaw but was not offered peas or salad as an alternative. Friend had pie and chips and she said was nice. I chose lasagna which looked lovely when it arrived but was mostly melted cheese from the top to the bottom, one tiny slice of pasta and very little mince at the bottom of dish. Sadly all I got was the taste of melted cheese! It will be a long time and many favourable reports before I go back to what was one if my favourite local eating places!!!!

Absolute place, only thing I can do is give 5 stars, just loved it. Thanks

Lovely food, relaxed atmosphere, and all staff we lovely and friendly. Definitely going back

Sunday carvery with youngest daughter and family. Really lovely meal and great service plus an unexpected surprise from the chef. Thank you 😘

Slow service not great food. Dry and not tasty

Very busy pub with smart and friendly staff. The carvery had an excellent choice of roast potatoes, new potatoes, cauliflower cheese ( which was delicious) roast carrots and parsnip, broccoli, cabbage, Yorkshire puddings and stuffing,and mashed swede. Choice of meats and everything looked fresh and tasted delicious. The meat was carved and put on your plate - two slices which could have been a but thicker! We all managed dessert - so many choices and the ones we had were lovely. Would definitely recommend a visit and we will be returning.

Friendly welcoming waitresses, varied menu,I had the salmon which was very nicely cooked

First time visiting Sondes Arms and was a real treat! Attentive, well informed staff. Lovely traditional surroundings, kept to good, clean standard. Plenty of parking despite pub being busy. Food was really excellent, carvery busy but excellent variety. Turkey in particular was tasty and moist. Gravy tasty and plenty of selection of vegetables. We will definitely be back. Thankyou so much

First time visiting Sondes Arms and was a real treat! Attentive, well informed staff. Lovely traditional surroundings, kept to good, clean standard. Plenty of parking despite pub being busy. Food was really excellent, carvery busy but excellent variety. Turkey in particular was tasty and moist. Gravy tasty and plenty of selection of vegetables. We will definitely be back. Thankyou so much

Excellent food, poor selection of ales.

Room cold kept coat on, service was slow and food was ok except curry bland no side dish. Childs meal was £7.95 but too large should be smaller and better value. Very limited beer selection, and expensive to similar type food options. Been coming here for years for family gatherings but agreed will go elsewhere as not what it was previously. Better value and quality elsewhere.

First time visiting here on Sunday since the new management took over happy to say the food is just as good but not as much meat was given by the server which was a bit of a disappointment but still nice We will try again on another Sunday just to see if it was a one off..

Another great Sunday carvery here,was a bit worried when it changed hands but if anything it has improved.Would like to say congratulations on your wonderful staff,all really young people with a great attitude and working together really well,all of them pulling togetherWell done all.

Today, 20/01/24, we had a family and friends buffet for 32 people. The staff were excellent, the food delicious, the venue and ambience was superb. Every person in our party was delighted, with some going to book for lunches in the future. A truly delightful experience. Thanks to all of the staff and in particular Bradley the chef. His recommendation and selection was perfect. David & Lyn.

Had a birthday dinner here recently and could not fault the food or the service. We were a family of five with a young child and baby. We all chose something different and all enjoyed our meals I had salmon which was cooked perfectly. Good selection of starters and desserts. Food was served quickly and they even supplied a picky plate of vegetables for the baby. Will definitely be visiting again

A group of us sometimes drop in for a drink after tennis, and it's a lovely pub and the staff are very welcoming.

Afternoon Tea sandwiches were very poor, not like previous visits, cake and scones average! Tea was ok and topped up with mo extra charge!

Seen a lot of bad reviews but had to visit as I received a voucher for Xmas, glad I did visit as food was excellent service was excellent food delivered to table quick enough couldn’t fault the place, even gave our complements to the manager for the food and service, will definitely be going back thanks again

The Sondes arms in Rockingham , were book to host a family gathering of about 30 people , and a hot and cold buffet was ordered , we all arrived on a very cold day , to be met by attentive staff , we were ushered into the back area , where tea , and coffee was provided, and there was a decaf was offered , after drinks had been ordered at then bar , by friendly helpful bar staff , our buffet started to arrive , the range of food prepared was indeed extensive, both hot , and cold , everything was top drawer , and the attention to detail, was indeed impressive, the hot potatoes with chives , was extremely popular, and instead of boring ol sandwich’s , there were mini baguettes, with all sorts of fillings , the staff wandered thro , to check everything was fine , which I thought was a nice touch , nothing was too much trouble , we were all very impressed by the very high standard , and quality of the buffet, and the method it was presented, and the staff were attentive but not intrusive. All we can say is will we be back ? Damm right .

Went with friends and it is certainly different from our previous visit under the old owner who had a more varied menu. The staff were friendly and the service was good, we had to move tables as the room we were in was cold , the second area near the carvery wasn’t much warmer and should be looked at as the heating clearly isn’t working effectively. The menu choice was a little limited compared to some places but sufficient choice and we had the Soup , mushrooms and Prawn Cocktail starter - all good then the Pie, Fish and Chips and Carvery respectively. All were good and hot and no complaints , the meat in the Pie was very tender and the fish was a good sized portion. One thing I would change is to not use the metal containers for the peas , not needed. It was Carvery night and it looked decent. Staff were good , service was good and we all enjoyed our food. It wasn’t expensive for 4 people either so with a few changes could be much better - Early days for new owners however I’m sure they know what needs to be done.

Been twice before no problems.!! The wait for getting served and then the wait for lunch and then the wait for afters and then had to ask and wait for the bill which we have realised is wrong as 3 of us had the 11.95 option. Just makes you NOT want to go back so we wont ! Also it was very cold waiting!!