The Artful Dodger in Torbay

Came away bitterly disappointed. This was to be a 'milestone ' birthday treat. We were looking forward to a beautiful afternoon tea with a table covered with a crisp, white tablecloth, laidened with delicious teatime treats overlooking Torbay. The experience was nothing like we had hoped for. No one to meet and greet us upon arrival. We were initially ignored then directed, not shown, to a cracked brown formica table 'set' for us with two paper napkins, knives and forks and two glass tumblers, in a corner, away from the main dining area and the window. Eventually, we were approached by Heidi, whom we assumed to be restaurant manager. We asked to be reseated and a table was cleared for us. We were served a pot of tea for two and awaited our food. An hour later, we were still waiting. During that time we witnessed several disgruntled customers complaining. Although there were three waiters present, we did not receive any service or attention from them. After an hour, Heidi reappeared and was very apologetic. She offered us a complimentary glass of Prosecco. Our booking had been for 3pm. By now it was 4.30. The food arrived and like the tea table, was nothing like we were led to expect. The sandwiches were not as described on the menu. Some of the fillings were spread so thinly that they were difficult to identify. The pastries were missing. The cakes were not the patisserie style fancies shown in the promotional pictures, but more like traybakes cut into different sized chunks and didn't seem particularly fresh. Our teapot was refreshed and we were given new cups and "saucers", which turned out to be side plates. Heidi did try to make us comfortable, but by that time, all hope of enjoying our afternoon was lost. We did ask a waiter for a box to take our cakes away but were told "We don't do boxes" and we're directed to a pile of paper napkins and told to help ourselves. The three saving graces are; At £25, it wasn't the most expensive afternoon tea. I would have paid more for a first class experience. Heidi did her best to keep customers happy, with what appeared to be very little support from her colleagues. Whatever the Imperial are paying her, it's not enough. The one thing that the hotel did deliver on was the magnificent view, but I give the Imperial no credit for that whatsoever. Lastly, I sent an email to the Imperial later that day, and to add insult to injury, now, almost a week later, have had no response. NB. Pictured - what the Imperial's advertising led us to expect. NOT what we got !

This hotel has always been a convenient choice for local business Xmas lunches and dinners. Although there is nothing to critisize about the food , I had a very unpleasant encounter at the front desk today . I just finished one Xmas lunch today and I am due to return for another Xmas party on this Saturday with my dance group , I forgot to book the Xmas set dinner for my husband who is disabled thinking that he might not want to join in. Last minute he said he would like a night out to have a bit of fun and company . So I asked the front desk lady if I could order food from the a la carte menu and he could sit with us and be served the food that he has chosen . I said I would pay for that dish today in advance . She said the food cost £23 but she wants the balance of the money ( the hotel charges for the set Xmas menu £37) to be paid too ! I said what , even without eating the Xmas dinner , and less the starter and dessert ? She said yes of course , because he would have the benefit of listening to the music !!!!! I was absolutely gobsmacked ! Wow , what a mean spirited place ! This is after our group of 40 just had lunch , and there will be another 40 -50 to come on Saturday! They have absolutely couldn’t see how money grabbing this attitude is ..! It of course doesn’t make business sense , as it means they would rather lose another customer’s business and create a horrible bad taste and bad will . The fact that they have loads of business this time of the year make them so mean spirited , complacent and arrogant ! Reverend Lyte who used to live there. He advocated humanity , warmth and community spirit and love . He wouldn’t have approved of this lack of human warmth , common sense and greed culture !

the food is hot, filling and arrives very quickly, even when dinning room is full. service is 100% attentive. the range of food is very good

Decent burger, but nothing special. It looked like it came from a frozen food retailer. Small fries are really small. Staff was friendly, but the wait was long.

Excellent coffee and service. Please commend the staff for their care and service to an elderly customer. They were always caring and considerate. It was a joy to visit whilst i was on holiday in Torquay.