The Duke in Hastings

This is the 2nd time I have visited The Duke and the experience this time was not as good. Unfortunately, the waiting staff seemed very disorganised and were not very attentive when taking the order. The cutlery, serviettes were not brought out all at once but they kept coming backwards and forwards. One of the party had the gnocchi and when the waiter asked if we wanted anything else, ie, sauces, etc, they requested some parmesan cheese. The waiter returned to say that we could have parmesan but there would be an extra charge of £1 ! I have never in all the times I have visited restaurants have been asked to pay extra for parmesan cheese. We then asked to speak to the manager, who came over and said she would have to speak to the chef as she was a temporary manager. I am not sure what that had to do with making a decision on whether or not we had to pay for the parmesan. I pointed out that a member of the party was having the fish & chips but had requested at the time of ordering that they did not want the mushy peas or tartare sauce. We would certainly not have expected to receive a reduction in the price ! The temporary manager then said she did not want to argue about it so would bring a portion of parmesan for no extra cost. I was a bit annoyed as there should have not been any argument at all as surely a small grating of parmesan should be free anyway, or the price incorporated in the cost of the meal !

We arrived at 12pm as we were going the game at Twickenham and only received our final 6 main courses at 1.35pm over 40 minutes after the first 2 main courses were served. Overall the service was terrible and we do not intend to ever go back again.

Booked for pre-theatre meal. Service was slow, over 45 minutes to get food. Kitchen seemed overwhelmed and unable to cope with the number of covers. Waitress was rude and communication with customers was poor. Had we’d been told at the outset that food was taking a while we would have gone elsewhere. Would not recommend this place for pre-theatre dining and unlikely to return anyway given attitude of the staff we experienced.

The first time I’ve been to The Duke in a few years and unfortunately it’s appears to have gone down hill. The bar area is still nice and welcoming, but the restaurant feels dull and cold by comparison. The food was also very average; some dishes were off completely and the Sunday roast consisted of a tasteless lump of pork, frozen Yorkshire puddings and ‘roast’ potatoes with the texture of boiled potatoes. A real shame, but there are better options in Richmond.

Disappointed that we had to wait nearly 15 mins for any service despite being shown straight away to our reserved table. Our wine was delivered and we had to ask for glasses after waiting another 5 mins. After finishing starters the cutlery was refreshed but again had to ask for replacement steak knife. Staff were extremely pleasant which was the saving grace and food was about par for the course.

Food was excellent! The service overall was good and not too noisy. Only downside was... it was a bit cold in the restaurant area.

Food was fabulous. My steak, as usual, was full of flavour and I loved the breaded Brie starter. My friend was very impressed with the cod dish. Service was very friendly and prompt, as ever. This is a great gastropub with a varying menu and excellent value.

Great value vegan roast, food was great and pricing was very good! Staff service was overall good, although the at atmosphere in the main dining room felt a little cold/overly sparse. Would definitely come back again!

Waiter forgot sauces. Then forgot drinks. Opentable did not have an option to chose a location within a the establishment and therefore we ended up where we did not want to be seated.

Service was so bad. Got the order wrong on 3 out of 5 dishes. I had to ask for items on multiple occasions. Just awful and a shame as the Duke used to be great.

This was a first visit, although we had passed many times and the location was ideal for a pre pantomine drink and snack. The £26 Pinot Noir was excellent and the £15 meze plate was perfect for a snack but certainly not enough for 6 if hungry (you would need two lots).

We went on New Years Eve.. Really really impressed with the staff. my wife who is dairy free couldn’t have been advised better they even recleaned her cutlery. Food was very good a lots of it.

I have eaten at The Duke quite a few times and enjoyed it, but on this occasion, the service didn't start particularly well (I don't want, or need, to be called "sir", but please spare me a member of restaurant staff probably not much more than a third my age calling me "mate" when he greets me on arrival) and disappeared altogether halfway through the meal. We ended up ordering additional drinks and then desserts at the bar. A really disappointing experience.

Amazing food and the service was very attentive and pleasant. Highly recommend this pub/ restaurant.

My friends and I had a pre panto dinner. Service was good. Food was hot and delicious. Thoroughly recommend.

Excellent meal. We were late and they held the table for us for longer than necessary - extremely grateful. Excellent service and beautiful pub.

Food was really lovely, no complaints there. The service did not match. When we asked the waitress to find out if something was vegan on a platter she asked a chef walking by. He shrugged that he didn’t know and then said ‘sure’. Later, the bill was put on our table before we had asked for it and at 22.50 we were being reminded that the pub closed in 10 minutes. There was a real feeling of the staff couldn’t wait for us to leave.

We had a very nice lunch at the Duke. The service was very good and we enjoyed our food. The vegetable meze was nice for 2 to share as a starter and the fish was lovely.

Loved the meal and service but particularly loved that I could bring my dog along!

There needs to be a better selection of food, to cater for Gluten-free.

Our first visit in a while. We had booked, but were just told to find a table - most of which had been booked. Nevertheless the food was good and not expensive - we had fish and chips and roast turkey. The turkey was enormous and ultimately proved too much for me. The fish and chips were reliably good. The beer selection was disappointing with only one cask beer on. Service was friendly.

Service was friendly, welcoming and attentive. However we felt that our meal was expensive and that the quality of the roast meals was not as we would have hoped.

A good pub serving good standard food with attentive service and a good wine list. They did for the 2nd time I’ve visited, have home made ‘focaccia’ and oil on the menu but when it arrived it’s clearly slices of what appeared to be sourdough, but the server seemed unaware. A small thing perhaps but the devil is in the detail!

Every thing was good, welcomed on arrival and shown to pre booked table before going to Richmond Theatre. We had an uncomfortably long wait for our food to arrive, I had to go and ask when it was coming as we had been waiting for 40 minutes and were running out of time to get to the Theatre. We had arrived just after 6pm and had to wait till 6.50 to be able to eat.

Service was hit and miss. Triple cooked chips weren’t actually properly cooked once and I left them. Overall, I was disappointed with it and won’t be returning. For what it was, it was overpriced.

The service was extremely good considering there was one waiter serving a full restaurant. All the customers arrived at once. Food arrived within an acceptable time and was good.

Great food but poor service. It took around 30min to get someone to take our order and it felt like it was a huge problem that we had a celiac guest.

Took my daughter to lunch there. Service was really personable and the fish & chips up there with the best we have eaten in London.

Too busy, therefore service very slow. Food was average, missing items from Sunday roast. I have been there previously and had a much more positive experience so feel that management are taking too many bookings and the staff are unable to keep up with the quality

Inedible veg sharing platter, dry lamb kofta. Very noisy.

Had to ask the waitress to order. Drinks were a long time. My beef was poor. One toilet out of order and no paper in the other. And it’s not cheap. When I complained the waiter didn’t even say sorry. Avoid. I’ve been lots before but will now avoid

Food and service are always good but the restaurant has very poor sound quality.

Fast friendly service, good pub food, lively atmosphere.

I suggest when host/hostess welcomes arriving customers he/she should walk the customer to their dining table instead of telling the customer where their table is.

Great spot for some tucker and a few beers before heading off to Twickenham. Think the pub had been let down by staff not turning up and were a little stretched but still did a great job serving us.

The service we received was friendly, polite and attentive. The selection of music played is excellent!

Food was good, better than I expected for the environment. A big group sat next to us and sort of took over the place and then we seem to have lost our service and ambience.

Food was good except for inedible leeks. The service was ok but would have been better with more staff. We were early there evening before the theatre and had to hurry at the end. You may want to take a close look at the ladies toilets. They were fairly clean but the walls need a good scrub.

Have no real complaints only the noise. It was difficult to talk to my friends. The Todd was good and the service was fine if a little slow on the night.

The Duke is always great. It has a nice choice of beers for a pre-dinner drink and a good choice of dishes for a tasty, great value dinner. I always love going there, it never lets me down.

Very happy with my Mother's Day lunch here. I asked for modifications to my meal and they got it right. I'm impressed as that never normally happens at other restaurants and I have to send the food back. Food was delicious. Waitresses very good.

Prompt and attentive service with good food at reasonable prices. <br />Would definitely return for another visit.

Staff and pub itself were lovely but the food was quite poor. I had a lentil roast and everything was very dry. The lentils looked like a brick and were covered in a grey sludge that looked like cement (so quite a good combo in other circumstances!)

Service fantastic, though have had far better roast dinners. <br /><br />The Merlot wine was sub optimal. <br /><br />All in all, ok. Meh. Won’t head here again for a roast

The Duke is a good place to go with friends for a drink with friendly service and a nice atmosphere. But at least on this occasion, the food was disappointing and, though we’ll definitely go there for a drink again, we won’t be returning to eat.

I enjoyed my recent Sunday lunch at The Duke the quality of food and drink were really good.

Excellent service with very good food

Food was very good but we wondered what was going on with the service because the staff were very offhand. When we arrived they pointed into the restaurant vaguely where we should sit, so we just went in and chose a table unaccompanied, and then we felt like we were an inconvenience throughout our meal. The restaurant was very quiet at 7.30pm so it wasn&#039;t like they were run off their feet. All in all very odd and I shall not be going back!

Everything was great. The only thing that spoiled it was that the toilet seat in the bathroom was broken and the dryer didn’t work. Small details but takes something away from the experience.

Our 2nd visit and the food was just as good as we remembered it. It was a little noisey due to a big party behind us but nothing really bad. Other than that it was totally enjoyable.

Convenient place for pre-theatre snack, with friendly service, but not a great gastronomic experience.

Sunday lunch in February. A tad cold sitting by the window, but the heater was next to us and we were told how to switch it on. Friendly, prompt service. Good food. I would happily eat there again.

Staff were lovely but food was awful!!! Great venue for buggies and dogs however!

Great venue close to Richmond Theatre. Friendly staff but tend not to look around to see people trying to get their attention. Overall good place, though.

Another enjoyable mea with good service before the theatre.

We have been to the duke quite a few times before with great results but this particular visit was substandard poorly cooked food. We were too tired to complain but really we should have.

This pub has a nice interior but smelled so bad we had to leave before we even ordered

Menu is good and the food is very nice. The sticky toffee pudding was cold, which was a shame as it would’ve been better hot. Nice atmosphere in the restaurant/pub.

Lovely place and good comfort food. I feel comfortable bringing my baby here

We had a warm welcome on arrival. The service was friendly and the food good. It&#039;s an ideal venue for dinner before going to Richmond Theatre just around the corner.

Good service and decent food pre- theatre. Pleasant staff. On a chilly night it needs to turn the heating up though.

It was quiet and we were really just looking for food rather than a posh meal. However it was really excellent with very nice friendly service. <br /><br />The food was lovely. Great starters of halloumi and crafter kipper pate. Then a fish platter. Yummy. Great choice of wines by the glass or bottle. <br /><br />A great find and worth a visit.

Menu presemted on Open Table was not the one in the restaurant at which table was booked <br />There are two restaurants at the duke <br />In this case the spp failed to guide me the result was a disappointing date <br />Not happt

The pub food was delicious and the service was akin to a restaurant but in an informal atmosphere. I would definitely recommend it for Sunday lunch. It was quiet when we got there but it quickly filled up. Close to the green but unfortunately no outdoor space.

We booked for 6 people based on the Prix Fixe menu. Nowhere on your app did it mention the Prix Fixe finishes at 7pm. We booked for 7.15pm and were told it was a la carte or nothing. This is a fault of your app.<br /><br />The food was tremendous as always, and luckily we didn&#039;t really need much service as there were only 2 people for all the tables.

Given that it was a Monday evening and we were eating after the show at the Theatre Royal, Richmond, it was very quiet at Duke&#039;s - only 1 other table that was coming to the end of it&#039;s meal. However - the very good natured staff had no issues with the fact that we barely got our order in by the advertised &#039;last orders&#039; of 10:30 which meant that the hoped for &#039;early night&#039; was scuppered. They were attentive and willing to accommodate all our requirements. The &#039;sharing board&#039; that 3 of us indulged in instead of Starters was utterly wonderful! Plentiful and varied and looked a treat. Great good value! Our Mains were well presented and ample - if I&#039;m honest the Burger I had could have been larger and it would have been nice to be offered the option of how I like it (bit over done for my taste) but the skin-on thick cut chips were very good (might like to think of crisping them up a bit more - but that&#039;s just being picky!) We didn&#039;t have deserts but all 3 of us requested different coffees and all were readily available - including macchiato which is sometimes not on the menu at some of the pricier places! I would definitely return to Duke&#039;s as a pre/post theatre venue - at £30 a head including a bottle of wine this is not bad value at all!

The staff were attentive, but the steak was overcooked. We asked for medium and it was well done inside. We were offered a swap, but didn&#039;t bother. My lentil curry was watery and lacking in any curry taste. Lentils in slightly currified stock. The sticky toffee pudding was nice, but the chocolate torte wasn&#039;t very chocolatey, oddly, and really doesn&#039;t go with lemon sorbet. Probably won&#039;t bother coming back here - lots of other good restaurants in Richmond. We&#039;ve tried it three times, so it&#039;s not just an off day. We came back because the menu offers good value and is near the theatre, but the food just isn&#039;t that good. It&#039;s also a shame that they don&#039;t offer the full menu until 7pm - some of the things on there look quite promising.

Went here for a pre theatre supper on the 23rd June. My husband is a diabetic. We asked if he could have cheese and biscuits or a piece of fruit instead of the other choices for pudding. The waiter said no, wasn&#039;t even prepared to go and check. I said I was happy to pay more, but he said at that time of the evening they only offer the choices on the fixed menu. How much trouble would it have been to get a few grapes and some cheese together?<br />Not impressed! Spoilt what would otherwise have been a tasty meal in a good setting. I chose not to take it further on the evening, as it was my husband&#039;s birthday, and we wanted to remain in good, upbeat moods!

I was recommended this by a friend and booked at the last minute.<br />The service was acceptable, not attentive or quick enough, but fine.<br /><br />The food was excellent - very surprised.<br /><br />We ordered the Sunday Roast platter for 2. Plenty of food, in fact too much!<br />Reasonably priced.<br />Happily recommend and go back!

You can&#039;t really go wrong with the Duke. Menu has changed recently and to my own personal taste not at good as it once was. That said re theatre prix fixe was good value and fast. So just what we needed. Can sometimes become a bit of a crèche at times but not different to the rest of. Richmond

The food was very good value. The drinks were more expensive; but they will bring tap water if asked. Nice atmosphere. Great chunky chips.-88

Good first nights meal in Richmond on a Twickenham weekend

We chose this eatery based on personal recommendation. Typical gastropub décor but the friendly helpful staff and excellent pricing make The Duke stand out. <br />Perfect pre-theatre venue for the Richmond Theatre which is a very short walk away, it has a light and airy dining room with attractive and comfortable furniture. <br />The menu has a small but interesting selection of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes, with a prix-fixe option. We found the food to be well-presented and delicious. There is a decent and reasonably-priced wine list. <br />We arrived over 30 minutes early for a pre-theatre dinner, but the staff were more than happy to seat us at once, and we found them to be friendly and helpful without intrusion. Service was prompt, so we were able to enjoy a relaxing meal while still arriving at the theatre in good time. By the time we left, the dining room was full, but noise levels were still fine and there was a nice atmosphere. In all regards, a good experience, I would highly recommend and would certainly go back should I find myself in Richmond again.

Excellent pre theatre meal, quick service, value for money

Food was tasty and well presented. Good size portions too! Friendly staff. Would definitely recommend!

Good Sunday lunch if you like the.pub environment, good for families and friends wanting a drink. It&#039;s not a place to go for a relaxed afternoon it is quite noisy

The staff were very polite and friendly although the service was very slow considering it wasn&#039;t very busy. Lovely food.

A great country pub feel in the centre of Richmond.

Prices are a little high - but I suppose that is Richmond for you! <br /><br />Not all staff are great but the majority are friendly and attentitive.<br /><br />It gets very busy on Sunday&#039;s for lunch so book early to avoid dissappointment!

I really like this pub and it looks great, the staff are friendly and it looks like it should have a good atmosphere.<br />Sunday lunch with the family was a disappointment though. Only pork or beef on the kids menu, where chicken is surely always the easiest option for children? Plus the beef was quite fatty. Then only ice cream for desert - just felt a bit lacking.<br />The gravy on the adult meals was thin and tasteless, the chicken a little pink, only 2 roast potatoes and not enough veg for the price. We didn&#039;t even look at the desert menu for the adults but went elsewhere.<br />Id still come again as I have been before and it was lovely, but this time didn&#039;t quite hit the spot.<br />good luck!

We had a great time at the Duke - it was relatively empty in the restaurant area on a Wednesday night, but the service was good and the food delicious.<br /><br />Handy location too.<br /><br />We&#039;ll be back!

Easy to book via Open Table. Booking checked by The Duke the evening before, very helpful. Busy on Twickenham Match day so book early, Very friendly staff, speedy service. We asked for one burger to be well done but it came medium rare, so we had to swap meals - not ideal but I enjoyed the burger anyway! Nice buzz about the place too - I would definitely go back and good range on lunch menu.

We had Dinner here on a very busy evening. Valentine&#039;s a Day and also Rugby at Twickenham.<br />Nevertheless the staff were efficient and friendly throughout.<br />The food was really good and excellent value for money. <br />It&#039;s attached to a very busy pub but separate enough to not be a problem

good food and nice restaurant but the service was a little slow. Restaurant area was a little crowded and tables weren&#039;t laid out in a practical manner.

love this cosy pub iN Richmond, I was sat by a heater on a cold day which was lovely!

Unable to find our booking when we arrived but we spotted it on the screen. Unable to vary vegetables accompanying a main course. First choice of wine had run out at 6pm on a Friday. Wrong colour wine served. Food was good and served efficiently.

Staff very attentive, food was yummy! Numver of children and babies were a bit much but that couldn&#039;t be helped! Staff were even kind enough to spare some bread to feed to ducks! 😊

The staff were welcoming and helpful in sorting-out our table and the food and drink were excellent!<br />We brought new friends to the Duke and they were suitable impressed - well done to all the team we will be back!

The service here was very poor - slow despite the fact it was an empty restaurant. Guy behind the bar couldn&#039;t make a Bloody Mary. No limes or lime cordial left. Or Rioja. Wine didn&#039;t come until after the food had arrived. Bill came without bar tab included. Then bill came with bar tab but minus creditcard which had been left at the bar. Left sitting with empty dishes for ages whilst staff chatted amongst themselves.<br />Food was ok, but steak was well done not medium. Good toffee pudding. Overall the food was fine, maybe a bit overpriced but the service definitely needs to improve - I would not recommend visiting until this improves significantly..unfortunately I was embarassed to have been the one to pick this as the dining choice for my group of friends so I would give it a miss

Great choice of roasts, nice atmosphere, busy but service coped well.

Good pub, we enjoyed the food. Disappointed that we were not able to enjoy Xmas menu (main reason we booked that venue). We were informed that you can only use the Xmas menu if you booked over the phone.

Disappointing really. Booked an afternoon table with the family.Portion sizes laughable - half a carrot, half a parsnip and a single piece of cauliflower in each dish. Soggy roast potatoes. Ironically, the meat, be it pork or beef was well cooked but brutally over seasoned. The most frustrating thing however, was the service. Four staff would congregate by the coffee machine to socialise, ignoring any attempt to gain their attention. The dining area, at the time, was three quarters empty. This was the case throughout the whole of our sitting. I will not be bringing my family back.

The service was slow and the staff seemedd distracted and inattentive. We waited a long time for our meal to arrive although the restaurant was not that full and as a result couldn&#039;t fit in more than one course before the theatre, which was very disappointing.

Loved the pork chops and the chunky chips in particular! All of our meals were very good, the service was prompt and friendly.

Thoroughly enjoyed my Sunday lunch at the Duke. Am not normally a fan or pub roasts but it was exceptional. Only down side was a large rowdy table in the restaurant at the same time but other than that a superb meal.

We visited as a small group, the restaurant was very accommodating - food was great. Good atmosphere. Would visit again.

Pretty average food and service. Ok but nothing out of the ordinary.

Good value Sunday lunch with yummy Yorkshire puds. Very quick service. The roast chicken was a huge helping and I was a little over faced (and I have a big appetite). the veg a little boring but cooked perfectly, lots of carrots and broccoli and barely any cauliflower cheese. Could have done with some stuffing or bread sauce to make it a bit more special. The house red was very drinkable but arrived after our food had come. Tap water was in a bottle on the table but the waitress never offered to top it up. <br />The sticky toffe pudding was amazing, one of the best I&#039;ve had (and I&#039;ve tried a lot!). Restaurant is nice but for some reason on a hot day they had the heating on so the room was a little too hot.

We came here because this is a sister restaurant to their other place - the Roebuck in Chiswick - which we frequent and love. But this place lets down the franchise. The Sunday roast was cold, the service was disorganized. Food came late then cold, was of poor quality and drinks never arrived. Several staff came by to ask the same questions but then no one followed through. I think it is a management issue. Even the bathrooms had loose loo rolls laying about emblematic of a failure at that top (ever bathroom had one spare roll lying on the floor). In sum, this place needs the attention of someone who pays attention to detail. Next time I am in Richmond, I&#039;ll got the Dysart Arms instead for my roast.

Had a lovely meal with good service but the acoustics are poor! Very noisy!