Starting Gate in Herefordshire, County of

Whitbread should be ashamed of themselves as I complained on the first Sunday in June and still waiting. Nobody cares and just read it's closing this week due to lack of performance. Shocking experience

What a shame. There are plenty of signs to explain the lack of staff and those there were doing their best. However not much choice of fruit, cereal or juice. However nice location and hope situation improves

We booked the Premier Inn next door. After work we expected a meal & a few drinks next door. On walking in, we read signs saying we are short staffed, and you may have to wait. We met by a lady, a friendly lady. 'Have you booked'. We said we are staying next door & don't mind waiting. She said there are only 2 of us. We are not taking bookings. I'm so pleased you didn't let us book to eat with you. We went to The Beefyboys, Hereford. They had amazing food, fantastic service. I've written them a great review. Some of our colleagues went for breakfast the next morning. 10 minutes waiting to be served. The only hot food was the toast they toasted themselves.

Called in with friends for a breakfast before going to race meeting. Food would have been ok if not for waiting for toast by the time it was toasted food was cold. It was pretty busy and as such should of had a member of staff loading the toaster.After the breakfast went into the bar only to be told there was no Guinness and no draught beer, this is 11.00am on a Raceday, mismanagement springs to mind..

Food is amazing, Karen is amazing always smiling and making us laugh. It was very busy but all the team work so hard. All the team are amazing

We had the misfortune of visiting this place for lunch. 4 unspeakable burgers + 1 inedible sirloin steak! Service ok but food terrible. Cold chips, rubber steak & dried up thin over cooked burgers. The sweets were ok, obviously bought in so of a reasonable quality. £90 bill including tip! We will do what we usually do in these situations, vote with our feet & steer clear of Beefeaters!

never disappoints me, my choice, of brunch, i have a staple diet,so i keep it clean! asin my gut!! grilled chicken breast, with extra seas ING ,eggs and chips ..i've now decided to switch it up Alil', fusion of fried eggs, garnished with chilli, /corriander accompanied with their lil flat naan bread added in with the grilled chicken breast.piece..mmmm!! my ( beef eater fusion..it works really well. thank you. chef, and (Kerstin) your a benefactor an asset to the company great, in being on ( front of house ) she's Amazing,.a very warm welcome and every time, ,../another colleague a barman /waiter, my uni guy!!!, he's a star, man.⭐ customer satisfaction is 💯.and the chef.thank you, somuch..for feeding me. he always gets it on point my food.(cannot fault these guys.)

Breakfast today was awful, been hanging around for hours as all dried out, sausages way over cooked and freezing cold eggs Had to pick a clean plate as loads in stack were dirty Came home and around 4 hours later we all have tummy ache and diarrhoea Whole eatery area looked filthy and unkempt Don’t think it’s been cleaned properly for months Jug of urine in the ladies toilet..hope they don’t recuse this catering jug for milk etc… Will not be returning but will be filing a complaint with environmental health

I Honestly can’t recommend this place enough. We Had such an amazing experience coming here for my first time with my friend. We just wanted to treat our selves a little. The staff was very attentive and we couldn’t thank Karen and Kirsty enough for their amazing customer service. Great food and great mocktails. 100% will be back with my friends and would recommend to others.x

Brilliant service by the staff and food was cooked perfectly. Joe made sure our evening was pleasant and overall had a great experience

What a fantastic restaurant/bar, let’s just start with the incredible staff this place has they’re so lovely and professional and always a joy from the start of the night until the last minute so 10/10 for these guys Secondly, the cocktails were just the bomb!! I had a few different ones and they just went down a treat and I’ll definitely be coming back to try the other cocktails they have to offer. Definitely recommend this place to anybody who hasn’t been yet it’s a delight Special thanks to Dan M the restaurant manager for taking good care of everyone and the establishment.

This was our first time in a beefeater and it didn’t disappoint. The restaurant manager (Daniel his name was) was brilliant throughout our evening and was very knowledgeable about the menu and we only planned on staying for food but as we felt so looked after we ended up staying most of the night. We will be returning and hope to see Daniel again.

Decided to go for lunch here as it’s my partner’s birthday, he had the lunch deal and ordered breaded mushrooms (overcooked and no lettuce or garlic mayo, which would have gone really well , just came with a little bit of bbq sauce) and the rump cooked med rare which he enjoyed, I opted for the prawn cocktail and turf and surf combo upgrading to the fillet steak which I was looking forward to but unfortunately let down as ordered mine med rare too but came out medium to medium well and was quite gristly on one end so didn’t enjoy as much as I hoped, no check back was done and have a feeling my steak was left to ‘rest’ too long under the pass for a while before being brought out to us, overall a disappointing visit.

We arrived for the breakfast having not stayed at the hotel, it was 10:20am. We were goreeted and shown to a table, eventually. We perused the selection and found, no plates, no bacon, no hash browns, hard eggs and what seemed like vegan sausages (yuk). Although, there was also no white bread and only two slices of granary. Within the pastry section there was nothing, no croissants, no pain au chocolate, no pain au raisins, no cinnamon swirls, no muffins. All baskets were totally empty. They have already emptied out the juice machine so no juices were available. When speaking to a member of staff we were told there were to be no additional food to be delivered because they were tidying away breakfast. Although, they did eventually bring some bacon. Overall, a thoroughly underwhelming experience.

The roast potatoes aren't! They are obviously boiled, kept in a fridge until dry, stale and tasteless and then thrown into a deep fat fryer - guess what, they're still stale, dry and tasteless. If this is the practice of the cook here then I don't trust the kitchen or the food.

We had a relaxing Friday evening meal here after a busy week. Great atmosphere and food. We are regulars at the Starting Gate, the steaks are always good here. The service was particularly good on Friday and Freya looked after us well.

went for some drinks with some friends , lovely place to be , they also show sports which is a plus if that’s your thing!

Lovely pub/restaurant, no task was too hard for any of the staff , lovely menu and drink selection , with the hotel less than a stones throw from the front door

friendly, warm atmosphere and not overcrowded! speedy service and staff happy to cater to odd drink requests.

This is a relaxed easy environment, Libby was our server and Joe was the chef we were here for a birthday meal, we really enjoyed great food and friendly service. We benefited from a discount as a celebration 🍾 and this was much appreciated a very reasonable meal out. I had the surf and turf and the prawns tasted superb and my upgrade steak to Fillet was outstanding. Cooked to rare perfectly. The spicy sauce accompanied the prawns was to die for. My fiancé had 3 of the mixer starters which was more than enough and again very tasty. The atmosphere was quiet social which was perfect and you don’t feel rushed once finished. Would totally recommend and we will be back. Nothing at all to complain about. Well done staff. Sorry forgot to photograph meal.

Fantastic service even though it was very busy, manager and waiting staff was very helpful and prompt with services. We always go here and would highly recommend to everyone! Meals were outstanding as usual! We give them a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Food was good when we eventually got it. Service was slap dash, we waited for 5 minutes to be seated, we did take a while to decide what we wanted but it then took 35+ minutes to receive our food. This would be acceptable at...

The place was busy, so it took twenty minutes before I could order, which I wasn't worried about, and eventually I ordered a mixed grill. The plate was cold, the food was luke warm, the 8oz rump rare steak was medium and the English mustard...

Friendly staff, good vibes and great drinks selection , thanks to Aggie for recommending a nice IPA ! 🤩

Four of us went for dinner celebrating a Birthday, the staff were very welcoming on arrival, we had two sirloin one T bone and mixed grill, All meals were cooked to perfection and Joe who served us couldn’t have been more helpful. The last few...

Went last night. The food left under hotplate too long coldslaw was red hot chips cold. My partner has steak. Overcooked and dry cold chips again. Our waitress was lovely and left her a tip. Short staffed I asked to speak to manager who was...

My Husband and I have eaten at this restaurant before, many times...not always with successful and enjoyable pleasure. We ate here on a Wednesday evening, during extremely hot weather. Although under staffed, I believe only 3 in the restaurant and bar, the meals we had...

This has been our 4th visit and every time the food has been great but today our food and service were both fabulous Reneta a big thank you

As a guest of the neighbouring premier inn we went for a lunch snack. Tables were left un cleaned and with empty glasses for a while. We ordered 3 snacks for £13 very poor food. Barely warm, tasteless and basic, garlic bread was so dry...

Booked table for 130pm For family Sunday lunch No lamb X5 adult main meal all cold portion sizes very small Duty manager informed but not helpful Even pudding cold !!! Have contacted them but as yet had no response only standard email sent to me

First impressions were good and we were not disappointed. The service was prompt and friendly. The food was to the normal Beefeater standard, and satisfied our needs. Although we were happy overall with our visit there was one downside I am afraid. I visited the...

Beefeater restaurant next to a premier inn. Had a drink while we waited to check in to the premier inn. friendly bar staff. recommended earlier breakfast time to avoid crowded later. We booked the meal deal (£26 each ) at check in and found it...

We are now one of those couples who don't need to see the Beefeter menu! Beefeaters are our default choice for a lunch out. Gammon for me and open chicken sandwich for him. Both items from the daytime menu so perfect size for us. Great...

Love coming here with friends and family meals are always top notch And the cocktails are out of this world

We had a lovely meal which was Fresh, well presented & tastey. It was my wife's birthday so they gave her a cocktail on the house. We thought this was a really nice & kind touch. We'll be back for a KitKat Sundae soon!

Popped in for breakfast while passing. Excellent food and value. Service was exceptional, and a big shout out to Karen for making us laugh 😂🤣

Stayed at premier inn - had the pleasure of Karen looking after us! What a fantastic lady full of energy, super helpful and a credit to the company …. We need more Karen’s in hospitality!!! Fab fab lady x

We were really impressed with the warmth and efficiency of our welcome. Despite being incredibly busy Karen went out of her way to assist us. She was a star! (The breakfast was all great too, we certainly didn't go hungry.)

Came in for a meal with my partner for my birthday both ordered off the grill menu food was cooked to perfection complements to the chef The girl freya who served us was amazing extremely pleasant and helpful laughing and joking with us both nothing...

As always, an excelleny meal with very friendly and helpful staff. As we went at peak Sunday dinner time, 1.15pm, we had a slight wait, but nothing too long. We come here around every 2 weeks and have never been disappointed yet. Good food, friendly...

Service was good, food however was a let down, my haddock and chips would have broken a window it was that much overcooked! How any chef can mess up battered fish is beyond me, but how they then actually serve it up is another level...

Waited ages to be served. Once we ordered it took ages for our starters to arrive. Once we finished them, we sat for ages before the plates were cleared and our mains served. The roast sirloin beef was over cooked, very dry and cold. Nothing...

We visit this part of the world 3-4 times a year to see family and usually we have breakfast at the starting gate . Karen who works here is always friendly and the kids love her.

We called in on route to Cardiff from Wrexham. All the meals were so tasty, I had smothered BBQ chicken with a side of halloumi fries, and both were the nicest I've ever eaten within this chain of pubs. I very much enjoyed the cheesecake...

Had a dreadful meal at a pub near Hereford yesterday, so. We were very cynical about eating Here but, have to say, it was absolutely fine. Not gourmet fine dining but. Very decent, even more, the staff were lovely. The EE waitress was so helpful,...

Always get good service here and the steaks are excellent! The steak sampler was a hit at our table,it comes with three different steaks to try and the sauce is spot on. Will be back soon!

Never felt so ripped off. Ordered a chicken melt dish as a main. Came with a very small amount of coleslaw(no more than a tablespoon) 10 chips(see photo) And a small piece of chicken (dry & overcooked) The packet slice of cheese on the top...

Terrible meal. Over priced +++ portion sizes are in entirely insufficient. We have had a better meal from KFC. …will not visit again.

Ate here early evening. Had to ask for the meal deal menu. On first impression the restaurant is in need of an upgrade, tired decor. The only good things about the meal were the friendly waiting staff and the drinks! Food wise lots of items...

Party of 5, 2 hours+ still waiting for the deserts for 3 courses. 20% of menu not available. I would avoid the lasagna to quote the recipient ‘worst one in the world’. Burger OK but very dry. Burnt halloumi fries but potato dippers were very...

Have been here for Xmas lunch on several occasions and it has always been excellent value for money.The staff are always very helpful and it is a pleasure to visit.

Visited Hereford today to see our niece and nephew, decided to visit their local pub Im for a meal. Well we had an absolutely amazing afternoon. The host Alexandra was brilliant, she was bubbly and thoroughly entertaining! We had a great meal and would like...

Came in on thursday night with my mum for a birthday meal. Was served by a young man and had to wait a long time for our drinks and food. Eventually talked to the manager, believe her name was mon, as there was a few...

Magnificent service and lovely conversation with the manager Alex. We have drinks there often and we will continue doing it as long as Alex works here.

I come her every 2 weeks for breakfast as part of my networking group. I have wonderful time due to Karen. However, I took my friend and his daughter here for an evening email. Unfortunately, Karen was not there and the experience was embarrassing for...

Went in with the family and it was really busy. The staff all worked really hard to make sure we were well looked after. The food was excellent,I had the ribs and they were spot on.

Come in for valentines day the menu was excellent. Had the v-day menu was £16.99 food was lovely and team were so helpful with any questions I had keep up the hard work guys

We’ve just visited The Starting Gate for a Valentine’s meal and it was wonderful! Our host Lexi was fantastic, she was bubbly and entertaining and made our night! Would recommend the fillet steak to anyone who visits. Bob & Kelly

We stayed two nights at the nearby Premier Inn - nothing wrong with the hotel. Breakfasts and dinner on our first night were taken in the Beefeater. Nothing to complain about food ok etc. it's the service that I feel I need to comment on....

Came for a meal with family, service was great. Highly recommend. Even though it was busy, staff couldn’t do enough for us.

I've frequented a lot of restaurants along side a Premier Inn, Karen's service this morning was up there with the best of them

Had breakfast here and there was ample hot and cold food being regularly replenished. Service was welcoming. Would help if tables were cleared more promptly but it was fairly busy for a Sunday in January. Would visit again.

Food was very nice. I recommend the house stack. They squeezed us in last minute which I was very grateful for

Lovely tasty breakfast, nice and hot, friendly pleasant staff Will be visiting again. Have already looked at the menu and lots of meals I’d like to try .

Had breakfast today staff were very pleasant and nothing was too much trouble. The food was lovely, well stocked and hot Perfect

Went for family meal,all the staff were friendly and very helpful.no pressure to order straight away and nice relaxed atmosphere.the food came nice and quick and was lovely,the waitress was really friendly and checked to see all was ok.food and staff were great,definitely be going...

I come here for breakfast with my kids most weekends. The choice is really good and food has always been brilliant. Staff are all really friendly and welcoming as well Definitely would recommend

I was in a group of four people - on arrival we were shown to our table, given the menus and offered drinks. There was no pressure to order and all was relaxed. We ordered drinks and when the waiter came to take meal orders...

Always end up popping in here for a quick bite to eat and never disappointed! Food is tasty and the service is always very pleasant.

Food was great, we had really nice burgers. It was really busy but the staff were working really hard, nothing was too much trouble.

Come Christmas day there was 12 of us the food was fantastic and great atmosphere the team were happy and food was fast

Visited last night for a meal. They must be terribly short staffed as the waiting times for drinks and food was unbelievable. When food finally came out, it was lukewarm/cold. Didn't even bother with desserts as we had already spent two hours in there for...

We came for breakfast this morning, Karen met us at the door very happy and chatty. We seen the manager who was there last night a lovely bubbly Welsh girl. The buffet was lovely and fresh and we met the chef as he was topping...

Visited The Starting gate in Hereford on the off chance of lunch, we both had the festive burger, OMG just like a Christmas Dinner in a roll absolutely fab, also would recommend the after eight ice cream sooo beautiful. Resultant staff were very friendly and...

Me and my husband had the festive 2 course meal not only was it amazing food, perfectly cooked but the service was great. Didn’t have a long wait and the stuff were absolutely helpful answered all questions we had about the food and answered allergy...

Haven’t been for a while but we had a lovely lunch this week. We had festive 2 course the turkey burger is amazing and the chocolate kitkat Sundae was too good we had to have one each! Staff here are always friendly and polite and...

Had to pop to the area for a family visit.. so had to return as the last time was a good one!! Had a family meal had have to say the stuff was amazing even tho it was very busy!!! And the food was as...

I want to start by saying the bar staff were lovely and very apologetic. But… it just seems to be poor management. We got there at 6:45pm ish as we had a table booked for 7pm, the first order of drinks came relatively quick. BUT...

I want to start by saying the staff were lovely and very apologetic. But… it just seems to be poor management. We got there at 6ish just for drinks then we asked if they had a table and they sat us at around 6:30. The...

Not a good start, although busy the bar had only one hand pump, and that had run out ( at 6:00 o’clock on a Thursday evening) Very long wait for the food, over an hour from ordering . On the good side, the food was...

Sunday night around 7pm. Menu states complimentary savoury popcorn while you are browsing the menu. They don't offer this it should be taken off. Ordered steak and ale pie, they didn't have this, ordered fish and chips, they didn't have this either even though we...

We were staying in the adjoining Premier Inn and decided to eat at the Starting Gate as we had travelled most of the day. We were met by absolutely nobody behind the bar and when the miserable looking waitress did eventually pop up she had...

Love coming here the staff are so friendly and the food is always good absolutely can't fault the place

Whilst the customer service was good, it was obvious that the restaurant was understaffed, and that their was no competent chefs in the kitchen. My mixed grill was appalling; a mummified fried egg obviously salvaged from the breakfast buffet, a chicken breast raw in the...

Came here for a nice breakfast with mates before a lads weekend away, hoping to get a full stomach for the day. Unfortunately that wasn't possible as there was hardly any cooked food left under the heat lamps. This was at 9:45am - 45mins before...

Had to wait 20 min just to order drinks then the wrong drinks came , then waited an hour for our Sunday roast when it eventually came it was cold and a really poor standard, my son had a burger and chips and they were...

Whilst staying at the Premier Inn next to the Starting Gate, my husband and I had 2 evening meals. We had to wait 25 mins for our booked table and were asked what drinks we wanted on arrival but had to wait 30 min for...

My husband and I went to the beefeater Friday evening, it was busy!! From start to finish all of the young ladies handled the evening superbly, they were polite, fast and always smiling. We both had a rare ribeye steak with thick chips and it...

My partner and I came in for breakfast and it exceeded expectations. The food was great but ther Service was outstanding. Karen our waitress was absolutely fantastic; we will be back.

Ten minutes after we arrived we were still standing, waiting for someone to lead us to a table! It got worse! With other diners around us also complaining, we finally managed to get seated, only for there to be a mix up on what should...

Not a good experience! Staff that ignore you when you wait to be seated for dinner, over an hour wait to be served food, rubber eggs and resurrected sausages left over from breakfast. Breakfast itself not much better. Cold bacon and broken coffee machine. Finally,...

This is the third time I have been in 2yrs. Both of the previous times were shocking, and resulted in us complaining. Giving the benefit of the doubt (and it’s convenient as on the way home from town), I took my 4 boys for lunch....

Fantastic start to the day very friendly staff and a very good choice of all u can eat breakfast and continental breakfast would highly recommend and most definitely be back thanks again u friendly bunch

Very sad to have found out that Nikki Bell is leaving ! I have to say that I have been looked after by Nikki many many times over the past few years and she is absolutely amazing . Nothing is ever too much trouble and...

Had a great rump steak, followed by apple crumble and a Cognac. Excellent! Plus, we were well looked after by a lovely waitress named Jemma.

We’ve eaten here 2 nights on the run as we were staying at the hotel next door. 1st night 1hour wait for starters then another3/4 of hour for mains Food was lovely though 2nd night 1/2 hour for starter 3 chicken Goujons and a small...

I visit The Starting Gate regularly and enjoy it every time. The staff are friendly and helpful and the bottomless soft drinks are ideal if you are sat in the garden enjoying the good weather. It’s my favourite play in Hereford

Really lovely breakfast at the Starting Gate this morning. Such a big variation of food. Staff were amazing, very attentive. And a massive bonus - kids eat free with a paying adult!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Called into The Starting Gate Beefeater for a light lunch and was only the second diners to arrive but once we were seated lots of other diners arrived and the one and only member of staff opted to seat these before returning to take our...

The staff were excellent,nothing was too much trouble. The kids meals were brought out quickly which we appreciated and ours followed shortly afterwards. The ribs were fantastic and the steak was cooked perfectly. Will be back again soon!