The Brasserie Bar & Grill, Dunston Hall, Norwich in South Norfolk

One of the worst experiences I have had in a restaurant ever! Took ages to receive both starters and mains, with at least a 45 minute gap in between them… which went very slowly as I couldn’t get the awful potted crab taste out of my mouth for the entire time. When asked if they had any gluten free bread, we were met with a “maybe” and then they never mentioned it again. As mentioned, potted crab for starter was definitely out of a can, and the chips that came with my steak were 100% McCains oven chips. I don’t mind McCains, but nearly £40 for that and an overcooked “rare” steak, quite frankly my love for them goes out the window. However, it does provide quite good entertainment watching staff constantly apologising for 1 hour waits, with them seeming to think that dumping a bread roll on any aggravated table sorts out the matter… the only saving grace there was Evie, one of the waitresses, of whom appeared to be sent to any of those aggravated tables to make them laugh a little - only staff member with personality. So shout out to Evie, as I doubt the restaurant would have lasted long without her. £105 in total for 2 people, 2 courses, and quite frankly, I think my tortoise has had better meals.

Just awful. Extremely slow food and drink service (for want of a better word). Every single staff member seen was young and came across inexperienced with no obvious control in the whole restaurant. Felt like we were part of a youth experiment for them to run the place for a night with no training or know how on what to do with staff appearing unsure on what to do with any question or situation. Food cold and worth a quarter of the extremely high price, if that. Constantly had to get their attention for drinks with several people (even those bringing drinks) advising they either weren’t allowed to take drink orders or couldn’t operate the till to take drink orders so always waiting for someone to come over. Menus heavily stained with gravy and wine, when we asked for clean menus advised they tried to give us the best they could find. Seems no-one is in charge or if they were, they were clueless in running a professional, customer serving environment. Won’t be returning.

Had a second lovely dinner here during our three night stay. Daisy, our waitress, was lovely and made sure we were happy with our food and wine.

I rarely leave reviews but feel I have to in this case, as the serving staff are absolutely lovely, but the food they serve is unacceptable. This is the first restaurant meal in my life where I refused to pay for all the main courses - the lovely polite staff at front of house agreed without any issue. Firstly , the kids were given ‘nachos’ think microwaved store bought tortillas with grated cheese. I had the squid, this was meagre and looked like it was made by a toddler. For mains the kids ‘crispy’ chicken burger was somehow soggy and dry at the same time. My main, pork belly, had cold mash, and I can only assume, made by the same toddler. Overall, I feel really bad for the staff, tough times in England and there is no way this place will survive if they serve up food like that. Would not recommend. Another first - my kids said not to bother to stay for desert!

Went to the Garden Terrace this evening for a meal. Unfortunately the food didn’t match the eloquence of the room. The crispy fish finger sandwich I ordered was shocking! Two fish fingers sandwiched between two poor quality pieces of bread (looked like Morrisons basic range) didn’t match the description in the menu. No sign of the capers, lemon or pea and mint mayonnaise that was mentioned in the menu! Basically two fish fingers and tepid chips for £11.50. Also ordered a side of onion rings which didn’t arrive.

I very rarely leave reviews but feel i had to on this occasion, we had a family meal here and it started badly when they had incorrect time for our booking, the waiter while polite didn’t know if they did cocktails, then didn’t know what a pornstar martini was, then made it wrong. The starter required wasn’t available, the food id arrive quickly but was very underwhelming, sea bass was definitely precooked and just reheated. Ive had better fish and chips at my local chippie for £7, the £30 steaks arrived warm with cardboard like chips. A new menu, new chef and trained staff is definitely required I have given 2 stars as staff were at least very polite. Fine dining this is NOT

First of all the staff were struggling to cope on what was clearly a very busy 24 hours. However that does not excuse a complete lack of knowledge re food intolerances. Two obvious examples are:- A roast dinner was served with a Yorkshire pudding perched on top of the meat! On asking if the 'yorkshire' was gluten-free and on getting the answer no, the waitress just lifted it off and said it will be all right now! The food was also very average and at breakfast the bacon was fatty and on requesting gluten free toast we received three slices of bread 'untoasted' and were told to use the normal toaster!! We will not be returning

We had really been looking forward to a family evening meal at Dunston Hall as we had not seen our elderly relatives for nearly 2 years, however the food really let it down. The staff were very helpful, but it was obvious they were stretched trying to cover all the tables. Before we arrived I had checked out the website which stated it had "an a la carte menu of starters, mains and desserts in the evening. There are also additional specials on offer daily." and the sample menu looked great with 13 different mains. What we were offered was a carvery, or a menu that had 4 mains - 2 different steaks, salmon or a vegetarian dish. I ordered the "Hot Smoked Salmon Fillet", whilst the rest of the table went for the carvery. To ensure we ate together the waiter offered to warn the rest of the table about 5 minuets before my meal arrived so they could get their food. This he did, however by then there was a long queue for the carvery so my salmon arrived well before the rest of the table got their food. My dish consisted of a good sized portion of salmon on some seasoned noodles, however there were no vegetables other than some pea shots decorating the dish. For the price I would have expected vegetables. Looking at the rest of the tables plates I would suggest the carvery was a disappointment and was not worth the price charged. As a minimum I would recommend the hotel remove the "sample menu" from the website and explicitly state its a carver otherwise more customers will be disappointed.

Visited at short notice for Sunday lunch. A very reasonably priced menu for 1,2 or 3 courses Including 3 roast meat choices. The staff were very friendly and attentive. The food was delicious and well presented. Will definitely be returning after lockdown.

Stayed in the hotel here and booked the first nights meal in this restaurant to avoid any more driving, delicious steak with chips, veg and peppercorn sauce served and the recommended wine accompanied it perfectly.

Stayed two nights first night eat here Food Luke’s warm and service poor Other customers complaining which did nt help the atomsphere

Ate here on both nights of our recent stay, very good buffet, we normally are not fans of buffet meals. Good choice of cold meats, fish and salads as well as soup and breads to start with. Mains were roast chicken, pork, salmon wellington and a veggi on both nights, with roast turkey as well on the second night, lots of choice of veg and potatoes. CHEF PLEASE NOTE NOT NICE TO CARVE THE PORK AND THE TURKEY USING THE SAME KNIFE. Good selection of desserts ranging from hot pudding, cheesecake selection to fresh fruit and cheese board. Our waitress on both nights and at breakfast was Charlotte a real credit to your hotel

The restaurant is very attractive and there are lots of staff but it was a bit basic, very short menu, drinks didn’t arrive until we were half way through, and it was expensive. Food very nice though.

There is a very limited menu. Expensive food. Customer service was disappointing. We found a local pub offering better food at an affordable price.

We had a pleasant meal today. A couple of things to comment on. There were 16 of us and we had two bottles of wine but had to ask for wine glasses and when tbe desserts came out the sticky toffee pudding are advertised witb ice cream and the lemon tart advertised with cream and we had to ask for both. The staff although young i thought tbey did a good job. The resturant was very empty with not mucb atmosphere.

We ate here while staying at the hotel. I had the £13 Caesar salad with chicken breast. The chicken was warm and moist and I enjoyed it, even the anchovies. The other half had a sandwich which came with some lovely looking salad and some crisps but it was £9.50!!! I don't think he'd have ordered it if we hadn't already "paid" for it with our hotel package. If the price of the Baileys in the bar was the same as in the hotel menu it was very reasonably priced I thought, £4.50 for a double (but I didn't actually ask so do double check). They did a cocktail menu but I must be confused about what a cocktail is as they all consisted of one alcohol and then lots of different juices, I thought they normally had more than one type of alcohol and the mixture of juices. I do appreciate a quality cocktail, but I was concerned that I would be paying £6 for juice. The staff were polite, though we were told that menus were on the table when they weren't. I asked a question about my order and they went to the kitchen and got an answer promptly. A few more normal chairs and tables would be good as we had to sit at deep (comfy) chairs but the table was a bit too high, I felt like a child sat at the grown up table! There was an area with more tables but it was closed off, though there were a couple of people in there.

We were a party of six friends meeting for lunch. Two of the party know Dunston Hall well, the rest of us were first time visitors. Service was about right and there was no pressure to vacate the table although we may have stayed longer than we should have as we were trying to catch up on a year's worth of news! The lunch menu seemed a bit limited in its choices - 4 of us ended up having the same starter and 4 the same main course. There was nothing on the menu about dietary allergies but these were dealt with efficiently by the waitress who knew what was in each dish. (Not all restaurant staff are that clued up.) Only two of us had alcohol, no one had dessert but the bill came to around £45 per head which seemed a lot for lunch. Would we go again? Only to meet with our friends.

Waiting staff: friendly and attentive (a little over-personal perhaps and a bit too eager to please) I appreciate that's what some people like but there's a balance. Too much "How has your day been? Are you looking forward to the New Year? etc.Food: not hugely unpleasant but ridiculously overpriced. Smoked salmon starter - £7.50. Approximately two square inches of salmon with a few pieces of dried-up, slightly brown, undressed salad that looked like it had been picked from the small leftover bits of a Sainsbury's mixed-leaf salad. Two or three mouthfuls at best. Yes, I know it's not about the quantity but the quality needs to be exceptional for that price. My friends had the duck starter (same price) which looked slightly better, but still the same salad. Very poor indeed.I opted for the carvery which was fine (well, you can't really go wrong with that, can you?) but priced at £17.50! My friend had the rib-eye steak. (£29.50). It was served with a handful of chips and more of the grotty salad. That was it. The steak was 40% fat and gristle (not exaggerating here) and remained on the plate.I could understand the inflated prices if this were a fine-dining experience in a quality restaurant with an acclaimed chef, but this is a hotel brasserie with nothing at all special about it.There are many excellent restaurants in Norwich that serve superb quality food, in a nice atmosphere and at half the price. And pubs too, for that matter. I'm being 100% objective here and not trying to be funny, but you would get a much better meal at the Wetherspoons on Riverside. Seriously.Final comment: avoid like the plague. I really wish I'd taken some photos to validate this.

This is a nice sized bar with ample quality seating and nice views over the grounds. Drinks are average priced with most pints costing £4.25. There is a good selection of bar snacks available which are quite reasonable.

Owned by Quality Inns, but regrettably does not live up to a 'quality' experience. First impressions as you approach the building is awesome but I'm afraid that's were it stops. We called in for a light lunch, with a view to booking an Autumn Break.

We've been going to this hotel for years and eating here. This time after a few years away it was the worst restaurant experience I've ever had. The wait staff were incompetent. We weren't greeted or sat down by anyone when we arrived which was fine. But then when we asked for a menu the man said they were on the tables, despite not actually being on any tables that weren't occupied, so we had to ask to borrow one off another table. This man looked like he was supposed to be there to take our orders but he did absolutely nothing the entire time. He was clueless. We had to order from the bar where the service was much better.

Cenamos aquí el domingo 23 de julio y tengo que decir que nos quedamos muy decepcionados. Llegamos a tiempo y nos llevaron a una mesa para dos y nos dijeron que nuestro camarero sería venir a servirnos -esperamos 25 minutos antes de que alguien vino a tomar incluso un pedido de bebidas. Entonces esperamos de nuevo para ser ofrecido un rollo que, en un primer momento rechazamos, afortunadamente llevé uno ya que había terminado el rollo antes de que nos preguntó qué nos gustaría para empezar. Entonces esperamos otro largo periodo antes de preguntar cuánto nuestra comida ya que habíamos esperado mucho tiempo - nos ofrecieron otro rollo, pero lo rechazamos. El salmón ahumado de arranque estaba bien y luego nos fuimos a la rotisería para nuestra comida principal. Yo diría que la elección de comidas era muy pobre si no tienes al asador o eran vegetarianos! Los dulces estaban muy bien y había varias opciones. Yo diría que el restaurante no estaba muy concurrido, así que me resulta difícil pensar que todo el retraso era de unos. Hemos comido en el restaurante varias veces y tengo que decir que la comida y el entorno no están a la altura del estándar eran en el pasado. El lugar parece viejo y necesita una actualización y el menú no es genial! Podrían hacer un mucho mejor para un hotel de esta importancia.

Es una pena que un hotel tan encantador no parece utilizar las recomendaciones en su restaurante para hacer mejoras como esta crítica refleja comentarios similares a nuestros comensales. En primer lugar, el restaurante en sí es muy bonita, bien espaciadas y mesas tiene una sensación...

Era terriblemente decepcionada, ya que era una ocasión especial, cada noight había otras 4 o 5 funciones y el personal no podía hacer frente

Encantadora cena vegetariana con un servicio muy atento, de nuevo por el personal maravilloso. Entorno muy agradable con un buen nivel de privacidad beteeen mesas. El desayuno era excepcional! Maravillosa variedad y de gran calidad.

El desayuno tenía una buena selección, pero algunos de los platos calientes no estaba muy caliente. Personal agradable, ambiente agradable.

Comimos aquí en el Día de San Valentín. La comida era muy buena, pero por desgracia el restaurante sólo ofrecía un menú para este día, hubiera sido mejor para elegir el menú completo que está disponible en otros días. Sin embargo, había una opción de 4 entradas, 4 platos principales y 4 postres.

Good breakfast, buffet style help yourself with lots of hot and cold items to choose from. Disappointing dinner, limited choice on a la carte menu and expensive for what you got. Picked smoked haddock fishcake - very bland. Husband chose smoked duck which was tasty but tiny portion. Both had steak for main course which was cooked well - ribeye was the only choice available. Side order of onion rings forgotten; arrived just as finishing meal but this was knocked off the bill. Poor choice of puddings and no cheese offered or listed as a choice so didnt bother. Staff seemed friendly and helpful but inexperienced

No atmosphere, a very limited menu, and mediocre food. All over priced.The Service was great however.

The restaurant was a very different story! We had a reasonable meal the Friday night, the young waitress who had started that day was fantastic! However the food was not great for the price and one dish arrived warm. This meal was 7 adults and 5 children.The Saturday was a bigger party (16 adults 10 children) we pre-ordered the food that afternoon and place cards were given to us with the orders. We had to wait sometime for the meal to arrive, the starters were adequate (not value for money!). The children had to wait a long time for their food to come out, most of the children had finished once the other meals came out. Three of the chicken meals were dried out and cold. The deserts again for the children were brought out in dribs and drabs, us having to ask for the main meal dishes to be removed whilst they were giving out the deserts. The restaurant manager was asked where the missing meals were where he replied there was a problem with the pre-order, however all the meals were correct on the cards. We advised this he said "whatever". I feel the service was extremely poor and very rude staff! The female nanager was spoken to and she said we would not pay for the children's meals. She gave us the private bar to have the birthday cake. The Sunday lunch was pretty much the same, food brought out in dribs and drabs. Children's drinks were given as pints, the children are 5- 11 years! Deserts were not brought out, I ended up cancelling mine as coffe was brought out and desert dishes were being cleared from the table. The main bar was 6 people deep and only one person serving, reception were made aware and they advised they were short staffed! We ended up waiting 20 minutes for a drink, where most of the family had to leave prior to getting a drink!

Plenty of different beers to choose from tea and cofee on tap ,,.cakes .nuts .and snack were available at all times.

We were in the area so decided to pop in for some lunch. There wasn't much of a menu on offer. It was a small set menu or sandwiches. I settled for the soup starter which was fine. I went for the Cod for main which was fine too but was quite slow on being delivered to the table. The atmosphere is non existant. Staff were not the best. I won't be returning.

I booked two nights at dunston hall which included one evening meal in the brasserie ....the ambiance was non existance more like a transport cafe.....no silver service !!!! Cheap cutlery , gasses and poor service. Nothing however prepared me for the discusting food especially the carvery which had such an abysmal offering of ham and beef and turkey and vegetables the like of which I have never seen before....the a la carte menu was equally bad as experienced by my husband .

We stayed at Dunston for one night and ate here. The previous reviews made me a little apprehensive. But we had a Saturday 18.45 sitting...the next offered was 20.30. We were seated quickly and the restaurant was relatively quiet. My wife and both had starters...chicken with black pudding...very tasty. I then went for the lamb that came with potato and broccoli. My wife had a very nice Duck. We both had large and delicious toffee pudding and ice cream. Good attentive service...enjoyable evening.

I am not normally one to complain but I would agree with most of the negative comments towards this place. It has certainly gone down hill over the last few years and clearly requires new management. The service at the bar is very poor (takes for ever even when it is not busy) and considering the price of drinks this makes it all the more un acceptable. The management are clearly incompetent to run a team and a big focus is needed on the speed at which people get served. A big shake up needed. However all that said, the food quality remains good.

Six of us at the first sitting at 12.30 in the main restaurant, we waited about 15 minutes for a very complicated drinks order of a jug of water, 2 diet cokes and a lemonade with a straw! As a vegetarian 2 of us were pleased with our 1 choice and that all the veg were cooked in vegetable oil, but the veg was warm and there was no sauce/gravy for us so a bit dry. The beef I was told was like leather the best things of the whole meal was the yorkshires and the beautiful setting. If we do return it will only be for a sandwich lunch! Too expensive for what we got.

Ordered a lunch of haddock and chips very nice and ciabatta with steak also very nice. But thought it was expensive at £12.50 for the fish and £9.50 for the ciabatta. Service and lovely surroundings'

Have in the past enjoyed the Sunday Carvery at Dunston Hall, but for this visit it was decidedly average at best, only rescued by some tender tasty Turkey and Gammon.Service was haphazard, some pleasant staff but totally disorganised: as we were seated we were told 'Julie will be along to look after you shortly', we never did meet Julie. Giving up waiting we left the table in search of a waitress, ordered a beer and a pepsi, declined starters, and visited the carvery buffet. The roast meats looked good, although portion size a little mean, but the rest was poor: no stuffing left, no Yorkshires, a few scrapings of dried crusty cauli-cheese, some curios looking red cabbage, overcooked courgettes, over cooked dried up roast potatoes, some tasty but lukewarm roast carrots and parsnips, only the peas and sweet corn were approaching normal. As a final insult the condiment/sauce dishes were all empty.Returning to the table the drinks had arrived, a shandy instead of the ordered beer and a rude interrogation when I queried this with the waitress who arrived to enquire 'was everything OK' and was disappointed to be told 'NO'.On the plus side puddings were very good: a good portion of sticky toffee and a crumble with a really tasty custard.But overall very disappointing: over-priced and poor quality, poor cooking. Not a good experience.

I visited on 20th May 2016. I personally thought the food was overpriced for poor quality and small portions. Wouldn't return.

entre et dessert copieux et parfaits plat principal un peu légertrès bon serviceun peu court pour un dinerplutôt pour snacking de luxe

On the first night after beeing seated we waited 45min we were serverd two glasses of water and a beer.Later the dissapointing food arrived. they had got the order wrong. Second night all the vegetables were cold,and the yorkshire pudding was a sort of puff ball, and cold.

We ate breakfast in here, loads of choice. Amazing staff, nothing to much hassle for staff. Can't wait to return

Started off with a very very stale, even rancid beer from the bar situated in the restaurant area as the main bar area seemed to be having a significant log jam due to poor staffing. It shouldnt have been poured or indeed tasted as i even felt worried id swallowed a mouthfull! The carvery was Average at best but the potatoes were terrible; very dry and tough as if they had been frozen and reheated from the previous carvery/ Sunday. For such a cheep and vital ingredient why cut corners? Now way were they freshly roasted. Young staff faultless, well mannered and constantly apologising as they know things could be better. Get the feeling the business is trying to increase margins by cutting corners though. May try again in a year or so as this place did used to be a treat. Sadly not as good value or quality as a £4.95 Budget carvery experience.

Stayed here for a weekend had the carvery one night, £15.00 EACH ! It wasn't good. Very tasteless waitress did not know the menu.Second night better but very expensive, no dress code and was OK but there are much better places in Norwich at this price.

A party of fourteen of us went for an evening meal to celibrate a 70th and 75th birthday. ,the table layout and balloons was very nice.I felt the waitress though very friendly had too many people to wait on..The carrot and cumin soup as a starter was insipid and not to mention no substance. I was also disappointed by the vegetarian choices in the main menu...either pasta or rice, and again the option with the carvery was pasta based.We DO eat other things you know! The sweets/puddings I did not risk in case they contained gelatin. Every meat eater in our party enjoyed their carvery etc so it is mainly down to catering for non meat eaters the catering falls down.

Wonderful bar, very comfortable and warm environment. Food was excellent and service was great. Would definitely recommend to compliment your stay in the hotel.

This a is the main restaurant in Dunston Hall Hotel. So for further information see reviews of Dunston Hall or QHotels Dunston Hall

We had the £26 allowance voucher & this got us a 3 course meal which I was pleasantly surprised at due to it being a hotel. We enjoyed our starters, main & dessert. We had the carvery, we were able to pick from 3 different meats plus salmon, there was a wide range of vegetables to choose from & different types of potatoes which I felt was very good. The staff were very friendly, welcoming & we didn't feel like we were being rushed. Would definitely dine here again.

Having eaten here many times over the last few years, for special occasions only, we were extremely disappointed by our latest visit.The selection of 4 starters on the menu we adequate if not inspiring. The visit to the carvery was a let down. I had the turkey, which on previous visits had been cut from the bone, to find what looked like a turkey breast joint from Iceland. Then, where were the usual tremendous choice of vegetable - gone were the mash potato, parsnips, roasted root vegetables, cauliflower cheese, red cabbage, green beans - all that was left was carrots, peas and creamed leaks, with roast or new potatoes.The desserts were even more disappointing - gone was the self service dessert selection in the carvery area, replaced by 4 items to be served from the kitchen. I choose the "hot" item (apple crumble) - crumble does not have a pastry base and (as far as I can recall) crumble mix is not just brown sugar. The crumble itself was luke warm and the custard had managed to form a skin - obviously it had been sitting on the side in the kitchen waiting to be served.We did complain to the waitress who said it was all down to the head chef.If you are looking for somewhere special to eat on a Sunday (given that 3 courses cost £19.50) this is currently NOT the place for you - you could have food of a similar standard at the local Martstons carvery at half the price.Another minor point - I don't know if the face painting lady was away or whether they have dispensed with her services.

If this hotel purports to be 4 star then the clientele certainly do not reflect it. We called in for a carvery Sunday lunch and I was amazed to see a guy at an adjoining table in shorts and a scruffy tee shirt. The fact his legs were covered in tattoos did not help either. Very classy and whilst I do not expect people to wear a suit and tie I do expect to see long trousers in a restaurant!As for the carvery itself - the food wasn't too bad, nicely cooked meat but the overcooked veg and the tasteless Yorkshire puds let it down. We were shown the wine list but I thought this seriously overpriced and they would be well advised to introduce a house wine at circa £15 a bottle which most people would be happy to pay.The staff were friendly enough but I am reluctant to tip them when all they bring you is starters and your drinks!

sliders were stale (rock hard) and cold, when you are paying over £15 for mini burgers you at least expect them to be hot, also the upholstery on the seats was torn/dirty.

Stunning feature bar. Only problem, no late night residents service.Carvery superb. Wine a bit pricey for the quality but not excessively so.

The bar is lovely and has a sitting room off it for comfort. The bar menu is very good. Try the sliders.Staff are pleasant and welcoming. Take good pictures too.

I ate here on a Sunday night with a business colleague. There was an all you can eat carvery there but I avoided that as it is never a good choice was the vegetables are all stewed and the meat can be dry. We ate from the main menu. A good selection of meat, fish and vegetarian options. I the burger option was described as with a brioche bun, which a burger should never have. When I asked, they changed it to a normal sesame seed bun which did the job nicely. My colleague had a Pea Ravioli which was advertised with a pine nut dressing and Parmesan shards. We asked and it was described as like a pesto with oil and pine nuts. When it arrived however, it was a think cheese sauce and not at all like described. My colleague seemed happy but I thought the original description sounded much more apetising.

Stayed here for an event with my partner and friends...have to say the rooms weren't brilliant and seemed extremely out dated....the bathroom was grubby looking and the tiles in the ceiling kept moving up with air....the shower was the worst I've experienced in a hotel!!the food was nice but the waitresses seemed uninterested in their job and the price of drinks were expensive than the norm with a round of 3 drinks costing £23.50 and a bottle of prosecco costing £32....also had a spa treatment added to our bill that neither of us actually had!!!!overall the visit was a little disappointing :(

Staying at Dunston Hall tonight and on arrival the communal areas and grounds looked lovely. However our room was poorly decorated (about 15 years ago). The room is uncomfortably hot & the air blower is useless. Just eaten in the "brasserie" which is more like a cheap style pub. The food was appalling and did not represent the price. Overall this hotel could be great if money was spent was spent on decor & a chef that can cook. Very disappointed do not stay here for the price.

Délicieux repas grâce à la "carvery" viandes succulentes découpées devant vous, grand choix de légumes, miam! Même la formule buffet est appréciable, car on ne fait jamais vraiment la queue

Could not fault the bar & brasserie at all. Friendly, helpful staff, food cooked to perfection. Absolutely beautiful brasserie cosmetics wise. Interior design really good. Would definately recommend and visit again when in the area. Cannot praise enough. Outstanding.

We were staying at the hotel and decided to have a meal in the Restaurant - the service was slow!When handed menus no-one told us what the specials were, didn't find out until we asked!Waited for about 10 minutes for menus for dessert and then waited over 20 minutes for our dessert plates to be cleared aware - wouldn't have minded if the restaurant was busy but it wasn't even half full and there was lots of staff about, just not covering our area! We have eaten in the restaurant a few times and this was the worst we have ever know it - this was our first time since Q hotels have taken over not sure if this is the reason why.

A welcome return to this old favourite restaurant which offers both an excellent carvery and an imaginative a la carte menu.The wine list is updated regularly and the new Gavi sampled today was very enjoyable.This restaurant is suitable for both a family Sunday lunch or a treat for a special occasion and the views of the beautifully-kept grounds are truly lovely.

Arrived for a carvery at 1400hrs. Very quiet. Good choice of vegetables but my husband's beef was very tough even though it was medium rare in appearance. The food was practically cold as well. At the end of the meal we were asked how it was. The manageress listened to our complaint and walked away never to be seen again. Haven't been for 12 years and won't be rushing back!

Once again visited Dunston Hall Brasserie Bar and had a wonderful meal, the food was cooked to perfection, the staff were wonderful and were really friendly and made us feel at home especially a young waitress by the name of Sophie she was brilliant at her job and her attention to detail was second to non, a lovely cheerful attitude towards her diners,which made us feel just like " part of the family " I would be grateful if the Management would pss on our thanks to her . Well done once again Dunston Hall , we will certainly be returning again.. and I definitely recommend it to anyone..... David & Yvonne Tobin (Capt)

did not wipe the table before serving our lunch on it. Food was ok The evening cavery is like being at school dinners. The restaurant is also very noisy.

Old bar that is clean and tidy (unlike other parts of the hotel)Great staff and bar meals are goodWe stayed in the hotel - I left a poor review for the hotel but the bar, restaurant and staff are worth the visit

My husband and I chose to have a carvery on a Friday lunch time. We hadn't been there for a few years because we were disappointed last time so we thought we would give it a try again. There is ample parking and the hall and grounds look very impressive. We were shown to the table promptly and the waiter took our order for drinks. It took around ten minutes to bring them back as think he was interupted? We sat there unsure as to whether to just go and get a meal as no explanation was given. the bread rolls came and they were nice. there were only 2 meats available, turkey and gammon (i was hoping beef would be an option) the stuffing was exactly like my packet mix one. the roasts were, soft and laid heavy, almost as though they were reheated and the most disappointing bit was my yorkie! it looked nice, was big but whether this too had been reheated or left out too long, possibly over cooked, im no chef but it was thick and inside had the same grey/brown look of wet cardborad and sadly the same consistency. the gravy was watery. the veg was nice though and there were plenty to choose from. I am a foodie and not a fussy eater. My husband left a lot, and for the human dustbin, that he is, this is very rare! so all in all, it was average, price was ok. I will not be going again as I have paid less at many places that have so much better food.

Buffet very very average, breakfast requires improvement...cocktail bar very nice and staff excellent.

Breakfast is a buffet style and has every thing from a continental breakfast to a full English and every thing in between staff vert helpful Evening meals are very good with a comprehensive menu or a carvery with a choice of three roast meats all well cooked and you can try all at the same time if you want great choice of vegetables and sweets .

I had no idea we could come here for a meal till I stayed here. After a first class experience not just food wise but staff to I will return here with all my family. I have visited many venues in the Norwich but none can touch my experience here. On top of that you have the amazing setting of Dunston hall.Also the price I felt was pretty good value. I look forward to eating here again

We have stayed and dined at duston hall for the past 8 years and this unfortunately will be our last! Once shown to our table we waited 25 minutes to order our drinks. I got up and asked if the staff had forgotten about us. I was told the waitress would be right over... another 5 minutes passed and over came a waitress. She took our drink and food order and let us choose a bread roll from the basket she was carrying around. And too, gave us a complimentary glass of 'fiz' to apologise for the delay. I asked for butter for the roll.10 minutes later our starter was served, still with no drinks order!! Then over came a young lad with our wine, but it was white and we orderd red!! This by then, was begining to get a bit of a joke so i went over to speek to the restaurant manager. I found her by another table being complained to by guests. She appolagised to us and offerd us (and the other table) a bottle of wine free of change. I still never got that butter for our rolls!The food was ok, not as good as our past visits. Im not sure what has happened to The Brasserie to make it change so much? In the past we have had such great dining experiences. Really disappointing....

Loved the service, nice gym facilities. The A/C didn't work but wasn't a major issue! The drinks are reasonably priced and would definitely recommend the brasserie! Lovely feel to it, apart from the booth we sat on the seat/leather was put together awfully and didn't match the rest of the seats.

This hotel catered superbly for literally hundreds of diners at lunchtime on Mother's day. The meal was excellent and very good value. The staff made sure every diner felt valued and nobody was rushed. All in all an enjoyable day.

Very disappointed with our recent visit for lunch, we both ordered the fish and chips. Had to wait fourty five minutes for the smallest portion of fish to arrive with some rock hard inedible pea's, two fish fingers would of been better, at a cost of £14 per head. Terrible value. Was expecting so much more from such a grand setting and beautiful building, but maybe I should of been warned by the tired interior that things need to be improved.

Booked for afternoon tea on valentines day as we had previously experienced the same some years ago. What a disappointment!! What has gone wrong. No selection of Leaf tea only tea bags and one breakfast tea. Sandwich cut like a child's school pack up with so called fresh cakes which included a fairy cake as your fresh sliced cake. There was no freshness abouth the offerings and the pastry was soggy as if defrosted from frozen. To cap it all the seats were so low the manager had to bring cushions for you to sit on to bring you up to table height. Never again.

Beautiful old building with a very impressive drive up. We only stayed one night at the hotel but managed to squeeze in spa treatments, swim, gym, sauna and dinner. Which were all gorgeous. The overall feel of the hotel is very relaxed, you could quite happily sit in the bar on your own and not feel uncomfortable. The brassiere restaurant food was excellent and our waitress was lovely. A very good weekend with excellent service, would recommend a spa weekend to all ladies

Staff were very helpful. We had the buffet starters and the carvery dinner which was excellent. Cost was around £20 each which I think was good value

Excellent value Sunday Carvery at "Dunny" as my grandson calls it ! Quality, value and lovely décor. Nice to relax in the Terrace Bar after lunch. If you live in or near Norwich give it a try, you won't be disappointed

One night's stay and very impressed from the very friendly check in impressive bar meal of steak and chips (bar staff worthy of praise so friendly and attentive whilst constantly cleaning and tidying the bar and surrounding area)a really comfortable bed and perfect heating to a fantastic cooked breakfast with a wide choice of nicely cooked produce.

Staff were very courteous and friendly with nothing too much trouble. dinner and breakfast were lovely and eggs benedict scrummy

Made very welcome by the very attentive waiter, and afternoon tea was very good indeed.My only complaint - and this applies to most afternoon tea's, is that the whole thing tends to be too sweet. The finger sandwich's were very tasty, as were the scones and selection of cakes - I just always wish for a few more savory bites and a bit less sweet stuff. That just me I guess - the point is the food was very good, the tea was very good and the service was very good too. All in all an afternoon treat - not cheap, but not bad value for such a good venue - we will be back.

Hardly any decent vegetarian food. We had a veggie curry as room service, and it arrived after 1hr 15 mins and was nearly cold. No better than an average pub meal and cost £34 for 2. The breakfast however was very good, with veggie sausages.

Booked a christmas meal.for myself, daughter and two family members for Christmas lunch after having several good meals at Dunston Hall. Whilst I appreciate it was christmas day I feel that it lacked staff to deal with the number of people. When I am.paying nearly £70 per head so £350 for all of us I did expect a better service. We had to wait about 25 minutes for our pre meal drinks to be served and in fact our starters turned up before the drinks. We had two members of our family go up and get their carvery and then the rest went up. We had to wait about 20 minutes as the chef had run out of meat!!! Which I think was TOTALLY unacceptable and by the time we got back to.our table the other two had finished their meal. When you book a christmas dinner I did it so we can all sit down together to.enjoy a christmas meal and this was taken away from.us. The meal was lovely but was TOTALLY spoilt by two members of our party having to.sit there whilst we tried to.enjoy our meal. We eat out most christmas at restaurants cheaper than this and have never experienced having to eat a meal separate and very disappointed a large company y like De Vere got.it so.wrong

I had a carvery at 12:30 on a Saturday here and OMG it was amazing succulent juicy meat lovely selection of vegetables nice crispy roasties all round lovely.

Loved this restaurant. The breakfast served here is amazing. Butchers sausages and bacon, items like eggs served but also cooked to order, fresh bread and the coffee is lovely. The carvery is fantastic. The meat was cooked to perfection. They allow you to have as much meat as you like - even a bit of each.

Brilliant serving staff especially Abbey [who dealt well with our issues] but the food did not match the menu .

Great choice at breakfast with very attentive staff. Food fresh and good choice. Carvery good choice with plenty of it

Went to the brasserie with very dear friends for lunch, one of whom is a wheel chair user. The staff were brilliant and no effort was spared to accommodate us for our lunch date. wheelchair access was very good. We opted for the carvery and it was a good choice. Three meats to choose from excellently cooked and an large range of vegetables, 9 if I remember correctly. Service was brilliant and all in all the meal was a great success. Certainly would go to the brasserie again. The hotel is set in lovely surroundings and is a really nice place to have lunch at.

Just back from having the Sunday carvery and have to say nothing great.The service was very good and the location nice, but overall the food was just average for a carvery.£16.95 for 2 courses was a little steep, but then that's why I gave it just 3 stars.

Had a carvery here on a Friday night using a spree voucher. We received a friendly welcome on arrival and were shown to a table straight away. We were given menus and the wine menu and the options available were well explained. You can mix and match from the a la carte and carvery menu. We were offered bread rolls which were accompanied by oil/vinegar, butter and tapenade which were already on the table. The tapenade was delicious. A jug of water was automatically offered as well.We opted for the carvery in line with our voucher and were advised to go up when we were ready. We both had slices of beef and turkey and there was also gnocchi, ratatouille and chicken cooked in tomatoes and olives available alongside an impressive array of vegetables, Yorkshire puds, stuffing, sausages and mashed and roast potatoes. We had laden plates and enjoyed it all immensely. Everything was well cooked and tasty.Only one of us could manage a pud a very rich dark chocolate tart with malted milk ice cream which was equally excellent.The service was also timely, friendly and made for a lovely relaxing evening meal. Well done Dunston Hall, I think we'll be back!

I booked an afternoon tea to celebrate our wedding anniversary at a Dunston Hall. We had a lovely table set up for us with balloons and a complementary box of chocolates. Our waiter was great, treated us as if we were the only ones in the room. A beautiful afternoon tea served. We were even offered a complementary glass of champagne each. We would like to say a big thank you to our waiter and to Dunston Hall for a wonderful afternoon.

My wife and I had a voucher from my Son and Daughter in law for a Christmas present and as Iretired this week from 33 years of coach driving we decided to use it for a celebration lunch.I must say the food was excellent the service was second to none and the staff made us feel so at home and comfortable.We had heard some not too good comments on Dunston Hall but I can assure anyone that they are completely unfounded....... nothing was too much trouble for them....thank you to the staff.

I went for a Sunday carvery with my family & was impressed. A real improvement on the last time (which wasn't bad at all) as there was an impressive range of no less than 7 types of vegetable dishes to choose from at the carvery buffet - lovely dishes that you don't always have time to do yourself (well, I don't). For younger children there was an entertainer who was face painting and making balloon sculpture animals; an appreciated boon for anyone visiting with children. Thanks must go to the waiting staff who were patience itself with my dad (who has Altzheimer's) - a thoroughly enjoyable meal & highly recommended.

Seven of us enjoyed a delicious lunch at Dunston Hall. We opted for the excellent carvery on offer, beef, turkey, tasty hot gammon and small spicy sausages, accompanied by a selection of fresh vegetables, most noteworthy were, red cabbage, mashed swede and braised squash.For dessert, we chose from fresh fruit salad, tangy lemon tart and truly excellent chocolate fudge cake with beautifully delicate spun sugar combs - well done to the patissiere chef. The staff were all on good form and gave us great service.

Reasonable choice in the menu with self service and a la carte mix and match possibilities. Atmosphere good but not particularly for intimate dinner.Service was excellent even when I suggested my main course was over seasoned the response was positive and a complementary dessert was offered.Would definitely eat here again.

Nothing to dislike. A pleasant area to dine or have a drink in the evening. You also have views of the gardens one side of the room. Very comfortable and a varied menu. Excellent.

Had dinner and breakfast here.Chose the steak - was nicely cooked and served with fat Jenga chips, was tasty. Wine was nice and not too pricey, also had a cocktail for afters.Breakfast was what you would expect from a hotel buffet breakfast.Only dissapointing thing was people coming in after us and getting served before - still, didn't ruin our evening though. Staff friendly.Would recommend

Stayed at Dunston hall for a Night over Bank Holiday Weekend with some Friends, Enjoyed the Hotel and Had a very nice Meal a bit later than would have liked due to a Jazz convention in the Hotel.Food was of a good standard and arrived hot and was very tasty - I had Salmon off of the al a carte which was cooked well and looked very nicely presented.My Friends ate from the Carvery and had a three course of soup, carvery and sweetAll said how nice it was and was the best Carvery they had had in a long time - so as for the reviews of the food reed before we stayed - We had nothing to worry about as everyone Had a Lovely meal and enjoyed all aspects of the Restaurant and Hotel - So will be back again in the Future.

This place is worth a visit just to walk around the grounds and house and take in the beauty. We went for a family lunch that was disappointing, like an expensive school dinner. For some reason the chef was serving at the carvery and was a rude and surly oaf serving up mediocre food. A nice bar with a good selection of local brews but the whole place feels a bit too corporate, but as I say, worth a visit.

Took our daughter as she wanted the best carvery in Norfolk and as this the most expensive.... when called to book table asked for it to be special as her 18th Birthday, was advised would have balloons on table, when got there obviously was note on booking as reception staff looked flustered but alas no balloons.... luckily brought our own, the restaurant is lovely, the carvery was poor, the mash potatoes was the sort you would expect at Weatherspoon (frozen & reheated) but you expect that for a £4.50 meal, basically, poor quality generally, the poor chef carving was up to her eyes in it as trying to put out the roast potatoes & burnt Yorkshire puddings as well as carving & the queue was about 10 people deep, eventually a bored looking helper arrived & he acted as he really did not want to be there, daughter received a complementary free glass of fizz for her birthday, alas was warm!! desert was good, then the bill, overcharged by £55.00, was quickly resolved but should never have happened. In short a disappointing experience for my wife & I who wanted to spoil our youngest daughter & her two sisters, on her special day,

Have to start out by agreeing with other reviews this place is very pricey for the standard of food. However the ambiance, surroundings and attentive staff make all the difference. We were a party of 8 and all had a mixture of steaks, al a carte meals and carvery. Food was very nice and served promptly, but we were all there for a catch up and not once did the staff make us feel like we should be leaving the restaurant, which having been to places with 2 sittings and being rushed to finish dinners made for a pleasant change. We finally left at 11.30 and retired to the lovely bar, again drink prices very very expensive, but the bar area was truly comfy with nice soft arm chairs and perfect for us to continue our night. Would recommend for special occasions but make sure you have deep pockets.

We took a friend and her son to Dunston Hall for lunch today. We wanted to take them somewhere special. |We all had Carvery with three of us having turkey and one having Beef. The beef was so tuff and stringy it was uneatable. The turkey was ok and the vegetables dry and suffering from old age! When asked if everything was ok we explained the problem. The waitress shrugged her shoulders and said she would speak to Chef which she didn't do. When we left we were again asked if everything was ok and again I told the waitress about the food and also that the toilets were dirty and the floor covered in toilet tissue. She said that wasn't her problem but housekeeping. I said very politely that her customers would leave unhappy about the food and the toilets. This cost us £55.30! I have had better food and service in a motor way service station. Don't waste your money by going there.