The Admiral Hornblower in Rutland

Food is superb, service is excellent with attentive staff, been 4 times and never disappointed

Hi, Thank you very much for providing an exceptional meal and great drinks. The staff were helpful and efficient… Took my mother and her friend out for a fantastic meal. Definitely will be returning soon for another great meal / wine and beer! Thanks keep up the good work.

Very cosy and welcoming place. Stopped by for a drink at random as i was leaving Oakham for the day. Wish i had more time. Will be back next time i am in town

Over the years I have been to the Admiral Hornblower a number of times for lunch. This time I tried the new Slider Burgers and they were delicious. I'd strongly recommend these to anyone.

Visited the pub with a friend,great selection of real ales,the food smelt nice so we decided to have a snack we both had a Burger they were delicious, very good service in nice surroundings, will definitely visit again 👍

Food and atmosphere great, but service between Luke and Sally was phenomenal. Funny, warm, friendly and the best people ever. Big up them 10/10

This was our second stay at The Hornblower and we were not disappointed, we took another couple with us and they were also impressed. The room was very large and we had a very comfortable night's sleep. Breakfast was also excellent and nothing was too much trouble. We will definitely be visiting again.

Just had a really nice lunch here. Service and food really good and the manager (I think he was the manager) was courteous and well organised. All in all a great experience

Had a late lunch for my wife’s birthday, food great, service great. Would definitely return!!! Thank you.

Had a late lunch for my wife’s birthday. Great food and great service!! Good menu, lovely atmosphere, Will definitely go again.

We really liked this hotel. Great location in the centre of town but totally quiet as the rooms are behind the pub. Lovely twin room with plenty of towels. The staff were really friendly and helpful and we thought it was good value for money as the breakfast was excellent. We ate in the pub on the first night and the food was excellent then as well. We will definitely be back to visit again

We popped in for a drink and the pub was really busy and a great atmosphere. The service was absolutely outstanding friendly, thoughtful and extremely good. Enjoyed the food also .. not surprised it’s so popular.

Food was excellent today we were 4 ladies who lunch and had a lovely meal. The service was excellent and our waitress today was warm and friendly. Nothing was too much trouble and we had a welcome smile and friendly attentive service.

What makes a place is always the staff, every staff member was so polite and friendly. I stayed four nights, above the pub. Very comfortable room. Met all my needs. Only was facing the high street, and some traffic noises or people leaving for the night. Also the sign outside had a bright light, I tend to prefer rooms that have no light. The food I did have there in the evening was excellent. And the best eggs Benedict I’ve had in a long time. Thank you to all the staff for a pleasant stay.

Lovely meal, excellent service too.

We stayed here for 2 nights. The staff couldn’t do enough for us. The room was immaculate, modern and comfortable. The pub was lovely. The breakfast was delicious. I cannot believe was good value our stay was. Cannot recommend highly enough.

Absolutely dreadful. Food and service were appalling. We went for Christmas lunch and will NEVER EVER go again We ordered champagne, it was brought to our table unopened and left for us to open it. Not poured for us. No chance to taste Not asked how we’d like steak cooked. It was almost raw Had to ask for water. No ice. No salt and pepper Had to ask for sauces Some staff in casual clothing and even sportswear I could go on but frankly it’s pointless, I just suggest you go somewhere else. There are plenty of similar reviews on here and things are not improving

Nice food when the correct meal arrived nice setting absolutely terrible service they were nice and pleasant but so many wrong meals and drinks orders 😡😡😡

Pre Christmas meal with family, excellent food and service.

The last time I came in, did not have a great experience, so have not been in for some time. Had seen on the website that they served breakfast, when I arrived I was informed that it was for residences only. No information about this on the website.

Nice little busy pub with friendly atmos

Great location but the rooms are very very tired and need extensive renovations.

I booked a group of ten friends here for a Festive Menu dinner. O kept my fingers crossed, as last time, the service was pretty dire. However, since the revamp after the fire, I needn’t have worried. Ten people can just fit nicely in the Study, which is much quieter than the other restaurant rooms, The Oakham Christmas Fair was in full swing outside which did make it somewhat noisy, Even so, it was quieter than the restaurants. Two of my party got the time wrong and were an hour late. However, the waitress was most accommodating and we all ended up with all three courses and little delay. The food was plentiful, excellent, and hot where appropriate. We paid individually afterwards, which always causes a slight delay but we had no complaints about anything at all. It’s better value than the equivalent places in Oakham too. Those who had the pâté could have done with a bit more toast but it wasn’t worth mentioning at the time. I had lunch here with two friends a few weeks ago. The noise in the main restaurant was terrible. We were moved to a smaller one which was little better. The Study is definitely the place to ask for. Carpets, curtains or some wall tapestries would deaden the sound more in the main restaurants but this is never in evidence anywhere these days.

Had a nice family lunch here at the weekend. Service and food was good. However, when you serve a parfait (pate/terrine or the like) you need to serve it with some bread, not the 3 TINY and ROCK HARD "biscuits" passing themselves offas bread. Woefully inadequate. A

A Delightful Pub Lunch Experience at The Admiral Horn-blower in Oakham I recently met a friend for a catch at this venue and I must say, it was a truly delightful experience that exceeded my expectations for a pub lunch. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by a warm and inviting atmosphere. The rustic decor, complete with wooden beams and cozy seating, creates a perfect setting for a relaxed meal. The friendly staff added to the welcoming vibe, making me feel right at home.) The menu offered an impressive variety of traditional pub fare, with plenty of options for both meat lovers and vegetarians. I opted for a haddock ciabatta while my friend chose a chicken supreme dish. Each dish was beautifully presented and generously portioned. The fish was perfectly battered and fried to a golden crisp, served alongside skinny cut chips that were fluffy on the inside. The tartar sauce was lovely and complemented the dish wonderfully. My friend’s chicken was very flavorful, packed with tender meat and served with a side of seasonal vegetables that were fresh and vibrant.

Superb visit to this bar, I was new in town and Hannah looked after the bar so well. Will certainly return and can’t want to be back I Oakham x

Really disappointing. Visited for dinner with friends. Service was ok to start with but once we got our food order in, the waitresses seemed to lose interest. We then had to wait ages for drinks, we didn’t order starters but the food took forever (nearly an hour) and seemed lukewarm when it did arrive. We ordered a bottle of wine that was literally dumped on the table with the lid still on. We asked for a second bottle of water that never arrived. When we ordered pudding, the cutlery was also dumped on the table. No one came to ask if everything was ok or if we needed anything else. We were given the bill but then no one came to take any payment. There didn’t seem to be one waitress looking after us, we saw 3 different waitresses so no continuity. There is definitely training required. Staff need to be more attentive and not quite so surly! And maybe their Supervisor needs to be more aware of what is happening in the restaurant.

New manager, first day. So let’s hope things improve. Table booked at 6.30 food came just before 8 pm. Lots of waitresses who seemed to swan about doing nothing. Given the wrong wine. Food order was wrong when it came ( kitchens fault). Food was nice but we didn’t have time to stay for pudding. Wrong meal was taken off the bill.

A very poor experience. The service was woefully slow and appalling delivered. It was so bad we gave up and had to go the bar to chase up drinks and food. The food was very average, and not of a quality implied on the website. The management team were nowhere to be seen, and didn’t seem at all interested even when we complained. I wouldn’t recommend it, plenty of other better options locally.

Using rooms rating instead for the food rating , as it was amazing. Started out with a 3 for £15 nibbles board between three of us, which was just the right amount for the wait until mains. Once they arrived, I was greeted by the best fish and chips I've had in my life, with amazing tartare sauce and the mushy peas were beautiful. Will be coming again for certain! The only negative I can think of was the service was slightly on the slower side, but still very professional and well done! Thank you for a wonderful evening! Edit: Been back twice since the reopening, and both times had amazing food and atmosphere!

Really lovely pub, great service friendly staff amazing roast

I'm only putting 5* because I can't put any more. I can highly recommend this pub for meals. We went on Friday 8th November and had fish and chips, which were amazing. We liked it so much we went back for Sunday lunch today. I had chicken and hubby had the beef. Both were excellent, well presented and the staff were helpful and friendly. Cannot fault anything about this establishment

I went with my wife and family for a get-together meal here. Brilliant place with really friendly and attentive staff. Man alive, the chef deserves a medal for the burgers. I've only ever had one other burger taste nearly as good, but the ones from here have raised the bar. Absolutely delicious. The only trouble is, I wish I lived nearer!

Went for our wedding anniversary meal here ,,excellent food,,very nice staff ,would highly recommend a visit .

Went here, whilst on holiday in Oakham, because of a friend's recommendation, and wasn't disappointed at all. Friendly staff, and the food was really good. My burger was delicious, the fries were hot and tasty, and my wife's steak was yummy. Quite a popular place it would seem, from the steady traffic of customers through the door. Absolutely would go back without hesitation ! 5⭐️

Exploring oakham and decided to pop in for lunch, what a find. Best menus we have seen in some time, could have had anything of all 3 menus ( yes 3) . Excellent food, lovely ambience, service was very good, slightly slow, but was very busy for a Friday lunchtime . Can't wait to go back.

Really poor selections of beer…

First visit since reopening for Sunday lunch with friends. Initial service was good. Three of the main courses were roasts - all were only just warm enough to eat, with the sausage meat absolutely cremated. Fourth meal was the seabass and risotto - with the tiniest 2 dry pieces of fish and a great mountain of risotto- which was hot in places, cold in others and had crunchy peas. No one came back to ask if the meals were ok. Eventually someone appeared to clear plates and we mentioned about the food but the young man seemed quite disinterested. Then someone appeared to ask about desserts - and we mentioned it again, and just an apology given. There were no offers of drinks (further cold ones or a coffee) so we asked for coffee during the discussion about desserts. Desserts and a couple of coffees were ordered and duly delivered - probably the best bit! We then asked for the bill and paid - again no follow up on the issues. In short - food could be a lot lot warmer, don’t serve cremated cold items and generally give better service around drinks, checking all is ok. Will take a lot to get us back sadly as it was very disappointing in terms of the warmth of the food and customer service.

My children organised a family lunch for my birthday , there were 9 of us and we were out in a side room all on our own which was ok but the table was so big the staff couldn’t get in to serve you properly . We waited 30 mins after being seated to be asked if we would like a drink after one of us had to go and ask , then another 20 mins for them to actually bring them , they eventually took our food order and we then seemed to wait ages for that to come , when the main course arrived after an hour and a half it was cold , but as we had waited so long we didn’t want to have to wait again for 9 dinners to be warmed up .The food was good just cold . They really need to give their staff some training as the young lady serving us was very sullen and unfriendly and we just felt like we were forgotten as the service was so slow , when some of our party went to the toilet the staff are just stood around chatting to each other . The table wasn’t cleared after eating and we had to go and ask for more drinks as no one came to ask us . We always leave a tip when we dine out but I’m afraid on this occasion we did not due to the poor service we received . The only tip I will leave is to give your staff more training .

Visited twice while staying close by. On both occasions the pub & restaurant were busy but got seated quickly, with drinks arriving soon after. Both times the food was lovely & although the Chicken Kiev was slightly dry due to its size, it was really tasty. The spiced carrot however was amazing! Other half had cod followed by Frangipan tart, which although didn’t have the cornflake ice cream was still really good. Second visit was for a quick bite, so burger & fish & chips. The burger was really tasty & there was plenty of it. The fish & chips looked & tasted great. Glad I didn’t read the reviews prior to going, it was a recommendation that made us go, as I might have thought differently. It was however really good with very friendly & helpful staff. And busy on both occasions, a Tuesday & Thursday in early October.

First visit after reopening. Was busy but got table and quick service. Food arrived in good time and looked good Husbands burger was almost perfect, hot, tasty even chips were hot My roast cod was extremely small portion. Tasted good but was only lukewarm warm, fondant potato too. No staff passed to check all ok. Finally stopped a waitress ( one of the ones whose hair was hanging everywhere) and asked if anything could be done as food was not hot. Plate taken away and returned, marginally warmer, not even replaced the potato, in fact having cut it in half and halved one half, only 1 half came back all just on a different plate. Informed the young lady who took us to our table when she was clearing. No apology ‘ I’ll speak to the waitress ( not her fault) and the kitchen’. Paid and left shortly afterwards, still no apology, no offer of even a coffee, no reduction. So won’t be returning any time soon

Great pub, lovelly ale and lovelly Sunday roast

Excellent food and very friendly and attentive staff, so good I ate dinner there 2 nights running as the,atmosphere was also very relaxing

I booked a room through Expedia £115 for a one night stay with breakfast night of 16/02/24. Our room on entering was heated to make the temperature immediately uncomfortable. The lovely member of staff suggested we open all the windows and the door leading to the car park as it was impossible to turn the radiators either off or down. When advised that we couldn’t accept a room heated to that temperature or sleeping with the door open all night we were shown to the only other room available. This was a ground floor room in the annex off the car park. We should have simply driven back home late in the day to Northumberland. Our overnight stay in this dark, dilapidated room was nothing short of miserable. The lovely member of staff apologised for the fact that opening the room door was a problem requiring some effort as it required like the radiators in the first room maintenance work. We would have been in trouble had we needed to open the door quickly in event of a fire. In short on the accommodation front I did not receive the standard of accommodation I had booked and paid for. The rooms I saw were tired and in need of upgrading and remedial work to reflect the images displayed. My breakfast the gluten free option was again disappointing as the “gluten free option” simply involved removing the items containing gluten. The bacon was streaky and predominantly fat. On a very positive note we ate in the restaurant for dinner and the food was superb! The Admiral Hornblower appears to be a great option when dining out in the town but in my experience somewhere to avoid when looking for accommodation.

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.

Dishonest service. We visited the Hornblower today (Saturday) for lunch. Whilst we had not booked we were pleased to be offered a table in the bar. We were advised that it would be 15 minutes before they could take our order due to them being so busy. This was fine. However after 25 minutes we asked for our food order to be taken only to be told that due to lack of Chefs our order could not be taken for another 20 minutes ( this would have entailed a wait of 45 minutes before our food order could be taken let alone cooked ) If you are truly that short of staff you should have been transparent at the start instead of wasting clients time. If the kitchen cannot cope be honest and do not promise to take orders when it’s obvious you cannot deliver.

£80 later. Feel like I’ve been robbed. Terrible service. Utterly mediocre food. Terrible place. Zero atmosphere. Most of the small plates from the fryer. The trio of salmon smelt off. Won’t be back.

Really nice atmosphere and really attentive staff. The restaurant was pretty cold cos the back door kept opening for guests and it was so cold outside. Heating could have done with being turned up. My friend and I ordered medium rare steaks but they were more medium well but still tasted really nice! All in all a lovely evening but a couple of tweaks would have made it better 😀

Me and my partner went for Christmas dinner.....What a way to ruin Christmas. To be charging over £90 per person and to get a meal that was unseasoned, wrongly described, small portions....the chef should be embarrassed serving just 2 chantenay carrots, 2 small battons of parsnips an a single potatoe that was.more liked boiled than roasted. We have had better quality Sunday lunches from weatherspoons.....say no more

We had to get a last minute table and the team could not have been more accommodating. We were there to surprise a friend for her 60th and we were tucked away so we couldn't be seen. We all ordered different food and each one of us declared the meal one of the best pub meals we had had in a long time....whether the heart of rump steak, the fish n chips , the burger or the Vegetarian pie...they were all superb...well done team.

Was met with a warm welcome upon arrival - a very good start. Beer (hand-pumped) was excellent, so another ‘plus’ mark. On to dinner, and every dish on the Christmas menu was beautifully presented, and cooked to perfection - another plus mark here. The waiting staff were not intrusive, but carried out their duties in a professional manner - plus to them. Noise levels were not intrusive, like some other pubs I’ve been in, so holding a conversation was no problem at all,another plus. If I had one (very minor) criticism, those who had the beef would benefited from being given a steak knife, rather than the normal one, as the latter was so blunt as to be almost unable to cut paper, let alone beef. That all said, would I eat there again; absolutely yes.

We booked for a multigenerational family lunch. There were 7 of us. Four had the roast beef snd it was delicious, every plate was cleared. As I am in my second chikdhood, 87, I had fhe child's portion, which was more than enough.. One couple had the chicken for fwo, which caused some amusement when it arrived as it was a whole chicken which had to be carved at the table. On leaving a doggie bag was provided for the left overs - more thsn enough for another meal plus the carcase for stock. Service was excellent and we had a lovely relaxing meal in festive surroundings. Coulc eell become an family tradition. ThaGreat vevnnk you.

Another really nice stay in the Admiral Hornblower, really great place nice and central to Oakham center, a very nice place with excellent food and plenty to choose from, breakfast it freshly prepared and will take some beating, take away if required, great selection of drinks with two nice cosy log fires in the bar areas, nice beer garden when the weather allows, management and all the staff are really good, can't wait to get back again

Our family of 6 attended for lunch, arrived without a booking and fairly last minute but we were catered for with a table which we appreciated a lot given we had not pre booked. We had our drinks order, and they arrived fairly sharpish. It was then another ten or fifteen minutes before our food order was taken. Considering we only ordered sandwiches, we waited for our food for just over an hour. When it did arrive, the food was good but we received no sort of acknowledgement or apology for the delay. Overall, I would eat here again as the food was tasty - but unfortunately the pace of the service fell short when we attended.

Fantastic meal and service, we can’t recommend The Admral enough, warm welcome, super friendly staff and exquisite food. Brilliant, thank you!

Stayed at this lovely place for 2 nights…….what a wonderful find! Accommodation was spacious and so very clean. Staff very friendly and always had time for a chat. Food (breakfast and dinner) was great and very reasonably priced! Central location of the town, so very handy just to step out and have a wander if this lovely little town. Highly recommend if you are planning a visit.

Very nice restaurant, lovely staff but quite pricey. The focaccia starter was excellent, main course was good but the dessert (bakewell tart) was expensive but disappointing. Husband is coeliac, only dessert they could offer was fresh fruit salad (a sliced banana, satsuma and some cherries).

Popped in for a quick pint before heading off up the road to try the new indian! Couldn’t believe how dead it was for a Friday night; hardly anybody drinking or eating. People must be saving their money or they are avoiding the place 🤔 . Usually has a good vibe but will see what it’s like next time we visit. Strange amount of small flies buzzing around which was off putting but I think that could be a Rutland thing at the moment

I booked a night at the Admiral Hornblower for my husbands birthday. Oakham was an ideal place to stay as it was half way between the places i wanted to visit. The staff were very friendly and helpful and after looking at the different places...

We went for lunch on a Saturday while we was waiting for our table we purchased our drinks we was shown to our table and given our menus and sat waiting for 15 minutes with no one coming to take our order I called someone...

The menu was not extensive but a good choice and therefore very likely all would be freshly cooked. The steak and sauce were indeed freshly cooked and to perfection. A good choice of wines with helpful descriptions. The restaurant was busy but the staff were...

Our lunch was 50/50. my steak was cooked to perfection but my wife’s BEEF burger tasted like chorizo - we mentioned it to our lovely waitress and she checked with the kitchen - basically the burgers come from a meat wholesaler (which is normal) and...

Beautiful pub in a very handy location. Room was comfy and clean. Staff literally couldn't be more helpful. Had breakfast, lunch and dinner here over the two days we stayed and food was always great. Can't recommend enough.

We chose to eat here because of how busy it looked in the garden at breakfast time! We were not disappointed, service was quick and friendly despite there being only two members of staff in the bar and restaurant when we arrived - fortunately another...

Food came out nice and quick, food was cooked perfectly and was presented very nicely and would highly recommend for people in couples to come here.

The food and service here is amazing, the staff are very helpful and went out of their way to help us with taxis as we couldn’t use our Uber,

Modern comfortable accommodation, clean spacious room. Decent beer and freshly cooked meals. Breakfast v nice. Staff helpful. Three minor quibbles - the bedroom door closer was broken, making opening the door difficult. - Would have appreciated fruit of some sort at breakfast, to help with...

We stayed here for two nights to watch cricket at Oakham School. We were shown to a lovely big bedroom with a nice big comfortable bed. The first thing we noticed was that the extractor fan was attached to the wall right outside the room...

Absolutely fabulous Sunday lunch…beef and pork that melts in your mouth.. Very friendly staff….easy to park …

Apprehensively brought my wheelchair bound and impatient mum out for lunch here - I needed have worried because Dan absolutely made this work. Food was great, and both of us thoroughly enjoyed it. Huge thank you so much to the team, with special thanks to...

15 of us (kids and adults) went for Sunday lunch, they were brilliant in accommodating us with such a large table. The service was great and the food was amazing. Thank you!

If you are gluton free forget it they give you a gluton free sandwich with fries not gluton free had to ask they went away cane back saying they were cooked with non gluton free items

Awful. Waited half an hour for one shared starter then a further 40 mins for an overcooked steak, tepid chips and a half cooked tomato. Doughy undercooked pizza . Had to chase condiments , drinks - wasn't particularly busy , won't be back Please try...

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

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.

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.