The Admiral Hornblower in Rutland

Really nice place. Didn't eat here so can't comment on the food. Was absolutely packed when we arrived which is a good sign. I would describe this place as more of a restaurant than a pub. Lovely decor and nice beer garden too.

This is a beautifully appointed restaurant. Decorated in subtle tasteful modern colours. The tables are well spaced and with comfortable chairs. This goes to produce a fine dining area and a lovely ambiance.We ate in the restaurant but noted that there were a number of different places to dine as well including a well presented garden area.The food service staff were smartly dressed in a modern front of house style. They all demonstrated their keen interest in the customers showing very good attentive customer care and food service skills.We arrived towards the end of the lunch service. Maybe that was not a good time to pitch up?We ordered fish pie. It was a large portion but very very hot. Indeed this was its downfall. A creamy mash potato will easily boil when over reheated and partly dissolve into the sauce. This combined with very small pieces of fish made it next to impossible to detect any fish. Whilst it was very tasty is wasn’t what it should have been. The kitchen need to review the size of the fish and carefully supervise the reheating to ensure it doesn’t go above 75c.The beer battered fish and chips didn't fair much better. The beer batter lacked any aeration and was therefore very heavy when dipped into the batter resulting in a cake like product devoid of any lift. Whisking in some beer before it was used might have saved the day. Unfortunately what were lovely chips were served coated with lots of burnt flecks of food particles. This demonstrates that either the cold zone in the deep fryer was ineffective or they don’t use fine spiders to remove floating bits.This is all about observing what’s happening and not turning a blind eye to the results in the hope the customer doesn’t notice…..and it should be about pride in their work!The kitchen are not paying enough attention to detail…unlike the designer, the architects and decorators of this delightfully fine eatery. ………..Such a shame.

Excellent for and ambience. Staff very helpful and polite and provided quality service. Highly recommended.

Stayed here for the weekend. The atmosphere was lovely and welcoming. The management and staff were excellent and the food was great. Lovely menu with wide range of dishes, cooked to perfection. The rooms were spotless and well appointed. Can’t fault anything. Well done to all and I would highly recommend a visit.

Great food, freshly cooked. Restaurant is spacious and bar area is cosy with open fireplaces and old beams

Popped in for a spur of the moment quick lunch. We hadn’t booked but was found a table by a very helpful member of the staff. Lucky for us as I think it was busy. I would recommend booking if you needed to guarantee a table. I chose the Fisherman’s Pie with seasonal vegetables. The dish was great with really good flavours. The staff were attentive and helpful. I really think this is one of the best pubs in Rutland for drinks and food. Well worth a visit.

Spent a two nice days here. Lovely engaging staff. Local beers on tap. Huge covered garden area to escape the rain. Only downside for us was Sunday dinner, it was booked for 1pm and it didn't come out till just gone 2pm and we had a taxi booked for 14:30 so had to wolf it down a bit quicker than we would have liked. The roast beef was lovely with a slight hint of pink. Cooked to perfection. The other factor concerning my score of 4 was a severe lack of gravy. What came out was a little pot to share with my wife. Normally we'd consume twice that amount each. Especially with a Yorkshire pudding on the plate. All in all a great staffed establishment that is worth a visit

Not being locals we’d been recommended the Hornblower by the brilliant guys at Sigma Sports. How grateful we were too, we received a warm welcome and the thoughtful young chap who showed us to our table is a credit to their team. Not forgetting our waitresses who were very helpful and cheerful too. We were served well presented and delicious food. Tribute was on Tap plus local ales and good selection of wines. Good sized restaurant area with well spaced seating and the span of glass doors (some open) are a lovely feature. We left feeling very repleat and content.

Visited for the first time for Sunday lunch Menu selection was very extensive and the food was very good with reasonable portions Nice selection of beers too

We really absolutely loved going to this pub. We have had three or four evening meals there recently and not only was the food excellent but most importantly the service was wonderful. Great bar staff and waiters. Friendly. Professional. Helpful. And courteous. Try this place. You won’t be disappointed. We will be back. Table in the front window please!!

The Hornblower has gone down hill quite a lot. The outside area is scruffy as are the toilets. The service was good. The food was average. We have had better for much less money.

I have visited three times this week! Firstly for lunch (fish finger ciabatta), then an impromptu family gathering for dinner (mussels) and then for dinner with friends (mussels again as they were soooo good) I also thoroughly enjoyed a couple of passion fruit martinis while my fellow diners found the espresso martinis too good not to have several! Great food snd great, friendly service!

Great service and place to sit outside and have a drink and a bite to eat whilst watching the world go by.

We visited the Hornblower yesterday evening as a group of ladies to celebrate our friends birthday. There were 11 of us in total. The overall experience was wonderful. The service was brilliant from smiling and efficient staff and nothing was too much trouble for any of them. All of our meals were delicious and very well presented. My sticky toffee pudding was perfect.Thank you to wonderful staff for making our evening special, we'll be back soon.

Really outstanding in all departments: a nice room with excellent bathroom, truly first class food in top notch surroundings. All rounded off by enthusiastic, helpful staff. Very surprised at how reasonably priced everything was. Will definitely visit again

We stayed here recently as two couples were visiting Rutland Water. We were looking to have a meal in Oakham and a few drinks etc in a place that has some atmosphere (there wasn't many places like this)Staff were really quick in getting us to our rooms and gave some helpful advise on OakhamWe saw the Staff Jasmine, Tabetha and Dan whilst out and they recognised us and stopped to have a good chat with us. We then ended up playing pub games with them and enjoyed a great night together.All the time they remained professional and was almost still providing us a service in there own time.You don't get Staff like this very often Admiral Hornblower and you are very lucky to have such dedicated staff.Breakfast was really nice and again the breakfast Staff were really helpful.Rooms were at the back separate to the pub so really quiet

I booked on only Wednesday for dinner here for four of us on the Thursday, the following day. Although they were virtually full, they were kind enough to accommodate us in a private room.Service from start to finish was spot on. The new menu was terrific. Two of us chose the hake in a mussel sauce (fabulous) with one fish pie and one steak. Sticky toffee pudding later, was covered in lots of lovely sauce and salted caramel ice cream. Delicious and not mean portions either.Do go, even if only to taste the amazing mussel sauce which was not short of mussels in it. Complimenti al cuoco!

Just been to the Hornblower with a couple of friends. Sat down at 7:30 - didn’t get a waiter until 8 finally got a drink at 8:15. Finally got our food at 9:05. Once the food came it was good but we were a bit passed it! Such a shame as it’s a lovely place to eat.

Attended with family for Sunday Lunch and decided to eat out side. The service was awful. There was 6 of us eating. No salt or pepper bought to the table staff acting as though not interested. We had to go in to the pub to ask for our condiments. Nobody asking us if we would like more drinks. Everybody looked disinterested.When deserts were delivered one cheese board included the plastic wrapper that the cheese had been wrapped in. The food was quite nice but because of the poor service the experience wasn’t. New staff came on later who seemed to have a bit more about them. When we complained nobody seemed to be bothered and there was a huge lack of responsibility with the staff and management. Not good,,I’m sure other pub restaurants would have appreciated my £168.00 more than this lot.

a well established and well planned pub serving drinks and meals. seating inside and outside. a ramp provides wheelchair access . good food and good service, in my case in the sun!

This wonderful place accommodated 10 of us at short notice after being let down at the last minute by a local Michelin starred restaurant. And to be honest, I’m glad we were let down. The staff were all wonderful and very friendly. The food was superb and very good value. The wine and beer were superb.Absolutely faultless and I hope we get the opportunity to visit this gem of a place again soon.

This isn't our first visit to the Hornblower but it is the first this year. We booked a table in the bar for dinner as we had our puppy with us. They gave us the window seat which is one of 2 lovely spacious bright tables in the window recess. Rustic furniture, cloth napkins, a simple fresh flower small display on teht able and spotlessly clean.Service was really friendly and efficient. We loved the nice touch of bringing our puppy a bowl of water with our drinks! We shared a camembert and both had the lamb rump dish and my husband pushed the boat out and had the coconut panna cotta (It was his birthday so let him off) . Absolutely of it was fabulous. I had a couple of glasses of malbec also which was really good quality. A really great experience - probably the best we have had there.

A friendly well set out pub, we were sat in the airy conservatory area. starters of koofta kebabs and a pork and chorizo terrine were fresh tasting and we both went for the chicken and ham hock pie, which was superb. £17 for a pie seems steep but this was worth every penny. Not a cheap meal but certainly a value for money one

First visit to a pub since the end of lockdown! Super excited and got greeted by a lovely waiter. Starter was excellent and so was the wine. Unfortunately we asked for water for the table 3 times and on the 4th time only received 1 glass - there were 5 of us. Our steaks were juicy and tasty however we asked for them rare and they were very much well done. We also asked for pepper sauce which arrived when we were almost finished. No one checked on us to see if the meal was ok which is why I didn’t have the opportunity to mention it on the night. When we were cleared of our main course, we waited 20 minutes and still no one asked us if we wanted to look at dessert menus so we just asked for the bill and left. Disappointed and won’t be returning in a hurry.

Had a pleasant enough visit but nothing amazing considering the prices are quite high. One thing I won’t be ordering again is a bottle of wine! Super expensive for a bottle that isn’t worth the money. My friend booked our table and I have to say it all felt a bit crowded for the current climate

Went for coffee & a light bite at 11.30 today , had to wait 5mins to be seated, nearly 10 for our order to be taken then 15 mins to receive our drinks, so decided not to eat there as we couldn't guarantee how much longer we would have to wait for the food & didn't want to miss our appointment. Not sure how many staff was on duty but we only saw 1 gentleman taking orders till 3 more staff turned up at 12 midday. Very dissapointing, not impressed, we were hoping to have a nice lunch & carry on with our journey. We sat outside under the canopy & understood the rules with the covid restrictions which were in place. Don't think we will bother next time.

Very attractive historic building, well-looked after with uncluttered and stylish interiors including several open log-burning fire places.Very friendly, helpful, efficient and unpretentious staff, who make everyone welcome.Good locally-sourced food at reasonable prices.Clearly a very popular venue with locals for regular drinks and meals.

We were recommended this restaurant but were disappointed with the quality of the food which is really just pub food trying to pretend to be something that it isn't. We started with salads which were OK but a little small. We had the fish platter which was again OK but nothing to write home about and Sea Bream. Everything was very ordinary and nothing was especially well done. The stand out disappointment was the wine which was shockingly bad. We tried to find an acceptable dry white. The Chilean was simply undrinkable, the New Zealand alternative not much better and eventually settled for the Pinot Grigio which was just about OK. The staff tried very hard to respond to our concerns and I would not criticise their efforts they are just working with a bad product. We were also aware there were groups of people clearly breaking the covid rules to be there but weren't seemingly challenged. For example a group of four men after a game of golf drinking loads and sharing a food platter for 2.

I ordered this on Thursday 19th November and received an acknowledgement the day after. A roast beef and a roast pork meal with 2 apple crumbles for afters. I arrived at the requested time, and was met by a cheerful member of staff and told the meals would be right out, the food arrived, boxed up and piping hot about a minute later and I was on my way. The food was excellent, perfectly cooked vegetables, crispy roasters, succulent, tender meat (good portions of all!) and very tasty. My wife assures me the gravy was good (I don't do gravy... :) ) The apple crumbles were superb, probably the best I've ever had, and I need to know how the crumble was made! a good helping of spicy apple and raisins under a crunchy crumble that hadn't gone soggy in transit - exquisite! I would happily recommend that anyone looking for a roast Sunday dinner in Oakham orders one from the Hormblower. Thank you to the staff for producing this quality of food during this difficult time, and with a smile on their faces under the masks!

Due to current conditions I had to cancel my pre-birthday meal with the ladies. So we decided to try a Sunday Roast Takeaway. A first time for everything. We ordered a nut roast, 2 Pork loin, Cauiflower Cheese, 2 Apple Crumble with Custard and Cheese & Biscuits which worked out at £15 per person. It was delicious and included roast potatoes, yorkshire puddings, cabbage, parsnips, carrots, cauliflower cheese and gravy. We were so full we took our desserts home. But the crumble was also amazing!!

Really good Sunday lunch - perfectly cooked beef, nice range of vegetable accompaniments and lovely roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings . Jugs of gravy which we love.

Lucky find on a cold wet day!Looking for somewhere for lunch after a cold, wet walk at Rutland Water and we were very happy with what we had here. Lots of choice and the set lunch menu is great value especially on ‘eat out for less’ days. The dishes are interesting, inventive and well-prepared. Service is excellent and friendly.

Great Sunday lunch, good quality produce and good service, highly recommended. Excellent social distancing measures in place. Will come again,

Not been here for years, but the place we were going to has closed. Impressed with the food and the friendliness of the staff. Despite all the Covid restrictions, they worked hard to make us feel at home. The food was good- the fish and chips especially.

We stayed one night last week and found it a lovely hotel with welcoming and and friendly staff. We had a beautiful room - although the bathroom could have benefited from a loo roll holder and shelf! (Believe may have just been refurbished which could explain this).IWe had booked dinner in their restaurant and certainly the hotel is very Covid aware. All guests need to wear face masks around the hotel until seated at a table. We had the two course set menu which was excellent and very good value for money. Would definitely recommend and Giorgio go back and enjoy a walk around Rutland Water when it is hopefully less windy!

Covid prepared. Lunch menu served from 2pm. Garden had Marquee with well spaced tablesWe chose Sandwich with skinny fries.Atmosphere was happy with lots of other folk relaxing in the sun.Wine was good.Beer was good.Poor Sandwich, thin dry bread with tasteless ham. French fries cold and tasteless.£8 & poor value for money.

Great bar, restaurant and hotel, staff were attentive but not in your face, food really good and the Monday to Wednesday restaurant offer was amazing, and to enjoy the September sun the garden area was superb Room we stayed in was lovely with a super comfy four poster bed. Would definitely recommend a stay here.

Popped in on the off chance and had a lovely lunch. Everywhere was spotless. The staff attentive and the food first rate.

Booked a table so that we could have an early Dinner, Service at the bar was very good. However although there was a BIG sign at the entrance warning of Covid and wait to be seated 50% of the guests just walked straight in, socail distancing did not exist, people stood at the bar drinking which made it difficult for people obeying the rules, did not see any table sanitising.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch here today. The fish sharing platter was excellent - especially the lightly smoked salmon (well sliced with 'bite') and warm bread. A wholegrain or seeded bread would have been preferred but perhaps they'd run out - anyway the white bread was fresh and warm and we enjoyed it nonetheless. We also had the side salad which was delicious with plenty of dark green leaves well toasted sunflower seeds. My friend had the roast duck which she said was moist and both it and the accompaniments were very tasty. Service was friendly and helpful and we shall certainly return.

I met my brother for a birthday drink. We were told that the app is the way to order and my brother ordered a round of drinks, we got the drinks about 20 minutes after ordering even though there was only about half a dozen people in the pub The second drink took just as long but as I was waiting for my wife to finish work we had to stay where we agreed to meet When my wife arrived and my niece and sister in law arrived we were still waiting for a round of drinks even though we ordered them 10 mins before they arrived .When the drinks arrived the ice that had been put in the glass for my nieces coke had melted so she had to drink it out the bottle We complained to the manager and received a free round of drinks which arrived in 5 mins which was the fastest we received one The excuse the manager said was because of the app although when my brother went over the road to another establishment that was a lot busier he got his drinks and food in less than 5 mins A couple at another table who had eaten had finished their meal and left the pub but their table had still not been cleared an hour later and was still uncleared and not sanitised when we left I would not recommend this establishment at all

Lovely friendly staff was quickly shown to a table. Just a shame the food wasn’t so nice Very greasy fish and chips and for nearly £20 for that and a coke I expected better

Went on a Wednesday night with partner and 2 kids for a drink whilst we waited for our Chinese takeaway. No service at the bar even tho there are Perspex screens, duly registered through the app even though it’s longwinded (also doesn’t accept Apple Pay) and took 7-8 mins, sat in garden. Made the order. Another 10 minutes passes, partner goes to ask where are our drinks because it’s NOT BUSY there are max 10 people, the THREE bar staff all chatting together say they haven’t noticed our order and hadn’t even started pouring. Got a refund and left frustrated. If this is your new system keep an eye on your order screens if that’s how you expect people to order!! Or let people order through a screen?

My husband and I had our first dinner here after Lockdown and were slightly worried about the virus safety procedures in place. We needn’t have been at all concerned. Wayne, the manager, reserved us a table in the window in a room with only three tables. No condiments on the table. A good sign. (Not needed anyway as the food was seasoned to perfection) Drinks were brought on a tray amd we helped ourselves to them.My husband chose the duckling and asked for French fries instead of fondant and wasn’t charged extra. I had pan fried cod with clams which was the best main I’d had anywhere for a couple of years and had a generous helping of cod atop a delicious sauce with asparagus and spinach. Couldn’t fault any of it. We’ll be back soon with friends.One can eat outside, though not book an outside table, if there’s room but obviously can’t retreat indoors if it rains. Eat in. You’ll be fine.Felt ultra-safe in these unprecedented times.

Drove from Kent to Oakham, stopping at Cambridge on the way. Parked at Waterbeach and cycled along River Cam route 51 to central Cambridge. Lovely cycle, took about 30 mins. Walked round Cambridge, lunch and cycled back and continued on to Oakham.Hotel is in centre of town. We had Room 10 at back of small car park so was very quiet, although when staff went to next door room for supplies, a light would shine in our room at night which was a bit annoying, but I actually slept very well (took my own pillows). Room very clean and towels, tea, coffee, free bottles of water replenished each day. Staff all very friendly and helpful, good quality food. Not many restaurants seemed to be open so ate in the hotel for three nights and like the breakfast, good standard of freshly cooked food.Inside tables good distance apart, staff wore masks and has large outdoor terrace where tables were distanced. No standing allowed. Lively atmosphere, in a nice way, at the weekend, seems the place where young people back from Uni meet.Town - quiet, small town with some upmarket, independent shops. 3 miles to Rutland Water which is stunning. Visited bird sanctuary and cycled round Rutland Water (about 20 miles) a bit up and down, much of the path gravel.

Last week I was on holiday in a lodge around Rutland water, and I first visited The Admiral Hornblower after it was recommended to me by a local. The food was outstanding, tasty fresh and memorable. The staff were accommodating and professional. The food was so good we decided to return later in the week and again had an excellent meal. well done to all the staff at the Admiral Hornblower.

We came for lunch today, I had the smoked salmon and cream cheese baguette and my partner had the coronation chicken baguette, both were so tasty! The portion size was great and for the price we paid we thought it was well worth it. Also loved the music playlist. Overall a great experience!

Stayed at the Admiral Hornblower having read the reviews on TA. The restaurant is great. Innovative food in a modern and comfortable setting, with excellent and friendly service. Would definitely visit again.

We arrived here for a birthday get together. Myself travelling from the North and my friend from the South..We felt Oakham was about the middle and after searching found The Admiral Hornblower. On arrival I could easily have missed the place altogether as it has a tasteful but unassuming exterior. Inside is a delight !!! Again tastefully decorated and lots of small rooms each with a twist, to the rear is a large dining room.We ate lunch, dinner and breakfast here.Lunch was a delicious beetroot, pear and goats cheese salad for me and my friend had a selection of cheese and biscuits.. Both were tasty ample and served by friendly staff who put you at ease. They offered information and suggestions, both of which were accepted. Dinner was in the delightful dining room and we both opted for the set menu. I chose a starter and Main Smoked Mackerel and Apple Sakad for starters very tasty !! And Potato gnocchi with mushrooms, Spinach and peas.. this was cooked perfectly. I enjoyed every mouthful. My friend had Sausage and Mash, for Mains and a dessert. Apple crumble with Ice Cream. She asked if there was custard as an alternative??? And was served with both. Again the service was exceptional..I sought advice re wine and was served a delicious Pinot Noir which was the perfect accompaniment to my gnocchi. We both enjoyed our food and the style of customer service this establishment has. Breakfast was traditional and large... we had several cups of coffee and tea sat in easy chairs by the fire... This is not a place to miss if you're in Oakham. The only negative thing is the size of the car park and the difficulty finding it!!! But neither of these things would put me off returning...Well done and a big Thank You to your excellent staff....

We visited for my Mother-in-law’s birthday on Saturday lunch and we had our own private little room which was lovely. The food was outstanding as usual. The service was exceptional. Being out in our own little room you would have thought we’d be forgotten but we kept being asked if we were ok and would we like more drinks. Archie was looking after us really well ordering our drinks and bringing them to us. Would definitely recommend a visit to this establishment.

This is a lovely little place with a great atmousphere. Great customer service from a lovely chap when booking in. Did eat here in the evening but breakfast was lovely.

Booked table for 7.30pm four of us. We say in the conservatory and within an hour the place was full. Staff nice , starters all good, had to wait a long time for our mains and the pork crackling wasn’t crackling so we did mention this and they took this from the bill which was appreciated. Couldn’t fit dessert in and total bill with drinks was £140. Didn’t drink too much as we were meeting friends afterwards. Good atmosphere and would visit again when in the area.

Came here on a cold Saturday night and it was great to ha e some excellent beers and bins beside a real fire in a modern, stylish pub. Service was very good and all our party enjoyed all their alcoholic beverages.

Popped in for a drink last night, but bar staff really not bothered about serving me.....I’m assuming it’s because I’m not local as I had to wait whilst regulars/friends who rolled up at the bar after me, were conversed with at length and served before I was even grunted at. Such a shame, the building is lovely and welcoming and could be a really lovely pub. We were going to eat here, but the restaurant was empty with no atmosphere and as the bar service was so remiss we decided to look elsewhere. Found the Lord Nelson...very nice

Live this pub, have probably reviewed before but been several more times in last few months. Food is a fair price for the quality (medium price range), feels like a treat but not pretentious. Lovely cosy bar area, and elegant but relaxed restaurant area. Great for most occasions: friends, family, date night, solo lunch with a sleeping baby, or even business meetings.Highly recommend

Hornblower has been a favourite for a while but tonight even better. Lovely wine properly cold, great menu. All on very hot plates, sea bream perfectly cooked, small portion as requested for mum. Dessert, salted caramel brownie and Salted caramel smooth ice cream very very special. All served with a smile as usual and that’s really important to us. Please don’t change, you are our local first choice. Ladies x3!

What a huge regret we spent £160 for a couple on New Years Eve it was the first time since our Son was born that we went out and treated ourselves (15 years). We regularly drink and eat at the Hornblower so we thought we were on to a safe bet! How wrong we were we had to point out twice that there was a gaping hole in the marquee the heating system generator kept tripping out! We asked to be moved eventually and to top it all the Cuban night with ‘Entertainment’was a disco - was expecting a Cuban band at the very least -don’t bother if you want a great night out at New Year.

Stayed for 3 nights here and had meal one night. The room was in the main building and was spacious and comfortable. The meals were well presented although one (gnocchi) could have done with a bit more taste. The cooked breakfasts are very good and generous. On checkout we were being charged for an extra meal and drinks, this was quickly rectified but it is clearly worth checking.

we had a wonderful evening, immediately greeted by Archie on the bar who made us feel very welcome and seated by Toby who did an amazing job serving us and offering insight into the menu.

I am still shocked and disappointed about the terrible Christmas Dinner we were served at this pub/ hotel. It was my christmas present a treat and expensive, I really looked forward to it and not having to cook on Christmas Day.

Christmas dinner the end of year family celebration is supposed to be the one where pubs and resturaunts pull out all the stops to impress. Well im sorry but this place really let its self down. We arrived for our dinner at booked time and was seated by the front window. Straight away i noticed dirty table, ripped cusions. The starter arrived, yellow bread and a pate which tasted like raw liver. My mums was not good. Main arrived after 45 mins. Luke warm pigs in blankets, (pink) mush for veg no stuffing average turkey. We complained and were offered another option. We ordered filet of beef. That arrived, consisted of hunk of beef, hard cauliflower and broccoli with bisto. At this point i took the manager to one side and asked for a refund. This is not on, the hornblower has issues here, and for 85 quid ahead felt totaly ripped off. As someone else has said go to witherspoons across the road

We arrived at the Admiral Hornblower on Christmas Eve as a family of 10 for breakfast to start the celebrations. We called the day before to book and were told there was no need and to be there between 8 and 10.

On arrival, the room was like a sauna. I was unable to turn the heat down and had to get someone to turn it off totally. It still meant having to sleep with the window open as it was still over warm. Being road facing, the noise was more than I would have liked to experience. The kettle couldn't be plugged in on the drawer unit it sat on. It had to be filled in the bathroom sink and then plugged in on the floor. The slightest movement in bed at night meant the headboard was rattling around and bashing against the wall.I ended up having to stuff a pillow behind it to stop being woken up on a regular basis. At night, the green light from the emergency light was painfully bright, I realise these things are made that way, but perhaps a re- arrangement of the room would stop the bright light shining in your eyes. Shower was nice and roomy with good pressure. The bar was good, well stocked and reasonably priced. I'm not sure the £80 single room price is justifiable in its current form. Breakfast in the morning appeared to be good, with a good selection of juices, cereals although the toast could do with more than just being shown the grill. The cooked breakfast options were good too.

Have eaten here 2-3 times. On this occasion my wife and I hosted son and daughter in law, who we were hosting as new residents in the locality. Pie of the Day was the best we have ever had in a pub or restaurant, lovely pastry filled to the gunnels with tenders large chunks of steak. Vegetables fresh and tasty. Portions large. Totally satisfied. Service exceptional too.

Booked for four of us to have lunch one Sunday. We were early to the restaurant and given a great table and provided with excellent service. Plenty of choice for meals, the roast beef was delicious, vegetables done to perfection. Wine options lovely and puddings were very enjoyable. By the time we left the place was packed, great to have such fabulous eateries in our midst.

Group Christmas meals can sometimes disappoint, but our own group's meal at lunchtime today was excellent. A lovely, festive private room with an open fire, good quality food and friendly, efficient staff.

Have stayed several times in recent months. They are always warm and welcoming. Lovely food especially the evening meals and very friendly service. Even kept my special milk in the fridge for me! Can't fault them, many thanks for everything you did for me

A group of us visited Oakham and 2 couples stayed here, which became our base. From the start we had a great experience with Are how behind the bar and the lady on reception who offered to sort out our parking. As a group of 12 we planned to eat elsewhere but when were disappointed we returned to the Hornblower and wee provided with a perfect private room...nothing was too much trouble and they made their money from us...Simples!

We’ve been coming here ten years for these large family functions so we know how it should be and how it was. If I was the owner I’d be looking at today and asking what went wrong. Yes we complained and yes we received an appropriate discount but there was a catalogue of failures best summed up by our diligent waitress being left high and dry at a critical point of the food service. We were the largest group there on a very busy day. Even something as simple as condiments was an issue (they arrived after most of us had finished eating). My wife complained to the less than visible general manager directly while he was stood in the kitchen. He never came and apologised himself despite him knowing more people were unhappy (the waitress was very apologetic but this was not her fault). Service was painfully slow.

Visited the Admiral Hornblower on Saturday night around 7pm the dining area was buzzing but not packed out - staff not very attentive kept having to put our hands up to get their attention. We placed our food order once it came, we were asked shortly after if the food was OK, but we hadn't had chance to sample it - after that no one came to us, again had to put our hands up to order more drinks. The food was very average - the pork shoulder was dry the potato was hard, the gnocci was bland and the steak was tough. For the prices being charged we were expecting a lot better and there are a lot more eating places in the area that are better quality.

My friends and I went here on the Monday evening (for a friend's birthday) and we all rated the food as excellent and couldn't fault it.

Having failed to obtain any service whatsoever at the Whipper Inn on the Market Place, we continued down the High Street and happened on the Admiral Hornblower.

I stayed here when I was attending some training for work about 20 minutes from Oakham. The pub is the middle of the high street and easy to find. I did have trouble finding the car park, so I opted to park in the public car park (this is free overnight and if you need to leave your car longer then get the RingGo app and pay remotely). I arrived through the front door and was directed to reception. After check-in, I was escorted to my room. It was a single room and was quite small. Not a problem for me, but other people prefer have space to put their stuff! The bed was lovely and comfy. The room faced onto the high street, but Oakham isn't very busy so traffic didn't prevent me sleeping. The breakfast the next morning was lovely - cooked to order and quick.

We stayed here a few years back, and decided we would stay again as Oakham seemed a decent little place and The Admiral Hornblower was quite enjoyable.

Visited this place with work colleagues (British and Belgian) while staying in a nearby hotel for 2 nights.

I stayed at the admiral for 5 days recently on a work trip, I was travelling on my own and couldn’t have been made to feel more welcome and comfortable. The food for both breakfasts and evening meals where excellent and nothing was too much trouble. The staff were also great nothing negative to say. Thank you so much xx

Celebrated my son's 18th birthday in a private room "The study"" with family and could not fault anything. Fabulous staff, good quality food, beautiful venue. Highly recommend The Admiral Hornblower. Thank you to all of the staff for a lovely meal & excellent service. Great place to meet our family traveling down from the north as not far from the A1(M) and worth traveling from Hertford to meet up. Thanks

7 of us went for Sunday lunch on a very very busy lunchtime - I believe they had been very busy from early morning due to the rugby on tv. Nevertheless Wayne and his team kept up the high standards we come to expect. The food was perfect and we will be returning soon hopefully.

What's happened to this place it used to be excellent. Firstly booked a specific table and someone else was given it. Eventually we were offered a good alternative. The breakfast was not as specified in the menu, no black pudding or mushrooms! Finally to cap it all the toast came, 2 slices between 3 of us - we reordered and eventually 2 more slices arrived. We know it was Rugby World cup day - but you knew it would be busy and should have food and staff to cover the demand.

Went in on off chance of dinner for 2 on a Wednesday evening, well received taken to table in large orangery type conservatory at the back of restaurant passing open kitchen as we went.

Enjoyed an excellent Sunday lunch here with friends. I had the beef, which was beautiful and portion sizes were decent. We ordered a side of delicious cauliflower cheese and couldn’t resist choosing from the pudding menu. Nice garden area to enjoy the sunshine. Only thing stopping it being 5 stars was food could have been hotter - it was like warm when it arrived. Extra gravy soon sorted that out. Excellent, friendly service.

fantastic room in the back in the courtyard. The only niggle was the bathroom door was faulty. Beautiful breakfast even though it was busy with a wedding party there. Will definitely come again, we found it very easy and parked our motorbike outside our room. Credit to ya ...

Booked only the night before for a Friday evening early meal. The bar was busy and there was a pleasant atmosphere. The conservatory where we ate was fab, light, contemporary, a real treat. It was too wet to visit the garden outside but we saw the adverts for the cinema nights which would be lovely in the right weather. Our meal was good, we both enjoyed the rib eye steak. There was a quite a wait for dessert and then a further wait, just a little bit too long, for the bill. Still, the place was popular and the staff were on their toes all the time.

We spent a few nights there for an away-break and found it very pleasant. Our room was in the old stables across the courtyard and quite secluded. The next door rooms went over our head and we had a bit of noise from people's footfalls, but not a major problem. The breakfasts were first rate. We ate there once for dinner and enjoyed it. Sunday we found they closed early which they did not warn us about so we had to eat out. Another night we ate out on recommendation but not because of fault at the Hornblower. Staff were very helpful and polite.

Another brilliant stay with good friends, wonderful food, real ale, and absolutely top notch caring staff and amazing customer service. Room 4 with four poster bed very comfy. Had a very relaxing stay. Breakfast still the best! Keep returning with no drop in quality. Was hoping peanut butter cheesecake would be on the menu but the lemon version with the cracked toffee topping was divine with a mouth watering raspberry sorbet. We will be returning. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff.

Slight hiccup, as we booked over the phone in the morning for a 7.30pm table and arrived early at 6.30pm, but they had no record of our booking. Not to worry, as they booked us in and advised us that the were 3 large tables already in so the would be a 40 min delay. We were advised of the delay and were happy to wait and kept up to date with timings. When our order was taken, it was served beautifully and in good time, with everything cooked and presented perfectly. Three courses for 2 adults and 2 courses for our daughter, drinks and all under £100. Great little pub with lovely friendly staff.Will be back when next time in the area. Thank you

Had a lovely meal the food is excellent the place was really clean the staff were fantastic except for one Australian lady who I thought was very rude and obnoxious one young man said hello to her and she completely ignored him and when the pub started to get busy she sat around doing nothing

Pulled pork ciabatta roll was the best of this type I have ever had. Accompanied by a cold San Miguel- perfect.

We had a lovely Sunday lunch at the Admiral Hornblower for our family gathering of 10 people. Service was attentive and efficient and the food was really good ... overall thanks for a great experience.

Had a superb night with great food and excellent wine service was fantastic really enjoyed the whole evening. Will return

This lovely pub, set in historic Oakham, is a pleasure to visit. We visited for a funeral Wake, and the atmosphere was perfect for such an occasion. The food was superb and plentiful. With its own carpark at the rear and a bright and airy atmosphere, it is a thoroughly recommended place for whatever occasion.

We booked 5 rooms for family & friends to celebrate 2 Birthdays. Sarah really looked after us on arrival and throughout the weekend and along with the rest of the team, great service always with a smile. All of the rooms were lovely with individual styling & good selection of tea, coffee plus complimentary mineral water. We had dinner in one of the private rooms which the team had set up for us so that it was a really sociable setting. Menu at dinner offered a good selection for all tastes including a variety of sharing platters. We also had an excellent lunch in the bright, airy dining room and good breakfast too. Both rooms and food at very reasonable prices. We had a great time and will definitely be back.

Never had a bad meal here. Been 3-4 times. Great service too. Free parking right behind the building helps.

Great to see this place so busy with locals. Good indication of what was to come.

We stayed here with family and friends and dined in the separate dining room in the evening to celebrate a special birthday. The accommodation is very good, quirky rooms and furniture. Excellent food in the bar at lunchtime fish finger sandwiches were great, the evening meal was also fantastic, a good choice of food and very reasonably priced. We enjoyed breakfast before we left, that was also fantastic, we will definitely stay again and I would highly recommend. Rooms inside are amazing. Claire looked after us and all the staff were friendly and helpful.

Oldie building with lots of charm, set in a very old town but it has very comfortable bedrooms and lovely food. Three or four real ales to boot cannot go wrong.

Generally ok but came away thinking overpriced and not enough flavour. Service was excellent but experience was let down by the food. Chicken piri-piri at circa £18 was dry and tasteless. Doubt we’ll be back.

My hubby and I have visited this place a number of times as a couple and always had a pleasant experience.

We have eaten here twice recently and both times we were required to pay a deposit of £10 per head. We were even asked to pay a deposit for a baby. On both occasions the deposits were not deducted from the bill until brought to server's attention.

We spent a Saturday night ere recently, whilst visiting for a friend's birthday party. We had a very pleasant stay. The staff were very accommodating, the room was well appointed and comfortable, and breakfast was plentiful and tasty. If you have a large car, you may want to think twice about trying to negotiate the archway entrance into the rear car park, but other than that, I have nothing but compliments for this pub/hotel.