The Estate Grill at Great Fosters in Runnymede

As always, the food part of lunch at the Estate Grill was superb. However the service was absolutely shocking and let down the whole experience. On arrival, there weren’t enough menus for our party and no children’s menu was provided for my son. I resorted to using the online version of the children’s menu, which later transpired to be out of date and what my son wanted to order wasn’t available. We ordered bread for the table and crudités for my son which then arrived with the main meal. Not ideal. I can’t though fault the food at all - delicious as always. On finishing our meal, we then had to wait nearly an hour for the table to be cleared. We had asked for desert menus and when these hadn’t arrived after 30 minutes, I went to request them and for our table to be cleared (we were outside so were starting to be bothered by flies and wasps on the dirty plates). When we arrived, the table next to us was being used by a wedding party for drinks. They left shortly after we arrived and the table remained uncleared the entire time we were there. We were celebrating a birthday, indicated on the booking, and no acknowledgement was made of this. It honestly feels like every time we come to Great Fosters now, there is a problem. It’s really quite embarrassing for the hotel, which used to be spectacular and which we have been visiting (including hosting our wedding reception) for almost 20 years. The new owners need to have a rethink of their service model because what we experienced today was not a premium level of service and we will seriously think twice about booking again.

One of the most stunning gardens and pool. Amazing to sit outside for a drink at sunset. Restaurant is excellent. Not quite a Michelin star tenderness and uniqueness. It still excellent food Wine list very reasonably priced and very good. Recommended !!

Appallingly slow. We waited over half an hour for drinks at the bar and over 45min for our starters at the restaurant. When the starter finally arrived, they didn't arrive all at once and our son's starter arrived a good 10-15min after everyone else's. We have to forego dessert....we couldn't bear the idea of another long wait. This establishment needs to review it's catering provision ASAP. I strongly discourage anyone who values their time from coming here.

Tonight’s dinner in the Estate Grill was so much better than the last time we had dinner there a few months ago! We thought we would give it one last try tonight! It was wonderful tonight! The food was delicious and the service was wonderful! We will return!

We had a superb evening at the Estate Grill celebrating our 10th Wedding Anniversary – our reeption had been held at Great Fosters. The food was consistently incredible and everyone who works there was the right mix of polite, friendly and enthusiastic. A particular mention for Molly who gave us excellent service and wonderful menu recommendations. Our special night was made all the more special by everyone at the Estate Grill and, just to mention it again, the quality of the food was unsurpassable.

Came here for dinner with some family with a voucher and having heard some good reviews. Staff are friendly and the general atmosphere is calm, and the food itself is very well done with three courses and lots to choose from, especially if you are vegetarian. The service however is very poor; waited an extremely long time for our order to be taken, for food to arrive, and at no point did anyone come to ask if we needed more drinks or if everything was ok. I think this place has potential but for some reason the general service was poor and slow, making the evening a little unpleasant.

The food was good, we really enjoyed the roast. The beef was particularly tender and plenty of vegetables. Staff were friendly. That's where it ends. A lot of wines were unavailable. We were given different menus. We had to ask to have food spillage cleared. Water jug and champagne flute were school canteen quality. We were overcharged! Hope things improve as Great Fosters was a special place for us and I'd hate not to be coming back again.

Having visited GF for afternoon tea for several years now I had high expectations for dinner. I couldn’t have been more disappointed. The food was tasteless and poorly presented. The fish was so bony it was inedible and the wagyu and brisket burger was dry and tasteless. We had to change our order 3 times due to them running out of food, and they weren’t even able to provide the correct water! Service was extremely slow and staff actively avoided us. The staffs response to our feedback about the food was bizarre - very unapologetic, although they took one meal off the bill. How on earth is this restaurant Michelin starred?

A very underwhelming experience, visited with my family recently and it was a night to forget. We were seated after waiting a rather long time, then nobody came to take our order for 20 mins, (the dining room had only 3 tables eating) the waiters were too busy talking and joking around the front so this was frustrating. Then one of the waiters finally came over, a very tall man, (who was rude and rolled his eyes) finally took our order. Terrible service! after a long wait the food finally came and it was ok, nothing special just expetced better from a 5 star hotel grill. will have to think long and hard about making a return here....

Gutted 😭 what has happened to this restaurant? We have been coming to GF regularly for 12 + years. Got married, held party’s and stayed regularly. As part of our anniversary we stayed over and had lunch at the Tudor pass which was amazing and decided to have our evening dinner at the estate grill. What a shambles it has become! We proceeded to the Estate grill for our anniversary dinner. This was one of the worst experiences I have had in any restaurant and I certainly do not expect this from Great Fosters. The menu was cut down due to an issue which we were disappointed but I understand things happen. As we were shown to our table we ordered some still water which took over 30 min to come to our table. In which time no orders were taken for food nor drinks. We tried to get some attention but there were no staff (it seemed very disorganised)! Finally someone walked in and noticed we did not have our water so he apologised and got our water and took our order. I ordered the ribeye and asked to have it how the chef would recommend it (Med/rare) and my wife had the burger. Another 30 min past with no food in slight nor wine by this point I walked out of the restaurant to find a young man to help! Our food and wine finally turned up after 40min from ordering and I noticed the steak sauce had a thick skin on it and the steak was not warm. Also no steak knife was given to me so I could not even cut my cold steak! It took a further 15 min to get a steak knife by which point I could not eat my food. I spoke to the waiter and he said it was totally unacceptable and apologised. By this point I did not want dessert or anything else as you can imagine so we left. This ruined our anniversary dinner/stay (thank god for the Tudor pass)! Breakfast After not eating any dinner the night before as you can expect I was a little hungry so we came down just before 9am. Things unfortunately did not get better, the staff where not present with only one member struggling to cope. We were told to sit down on a table but none had been cleared so we had to take a large table for four people. We ordered eggs which none arrived and when we finally ordered our cappuccino after 25 min the only member staff let out a huge sigh. I understand she was stressed as a result being the only one available but she was rude and looked disinterested. In the end we had a small bowl of cereal and left straight after which was a shame as we where planning on spending the day at the pool and grabbing lunch.

Had dinner with the family at the Estate Grill resturant. We sat in thecterrace as the weatger was fab. A lovely venue and good service. However, the food could improve and that's why I gave it 3 stars. A great shame.

Just come back from a very disappointing lunch in the estate grill. I was given to understand that we could be on the terrace but were told no it smells of chips and ketchup so we’re inside. Iincredibly hot in the room and apparently the windows wouldn’t open. The food was very indifferent and the service was appalling. We understand there was a wedding there today and obviously all the attention was on the wedding guests, but I think this is really put us off going to great Fosters. We previously had a lovely lunch in the Tudor room but don’t think we will be going back again

I pursued booking a table at the Tudor Pass fundamentally with the assumption that it'd been done. However, I got a booking confirmation for the Estate Grill section, which could have been worked out but turned into a nightmare eventually. The staff was failing to take my order for 40 minutes when I decided to leave the premise. The late lunch slot has been booked 'reserved' for special occasions, which I had to terminate without dining completion in order to act firmly under these circumstances. Bloody hell! It's an insane experience, and the entire staff's response seems to be odd. I would find it unbelievable that these pitiful and irrespective practices can appear at a Michelin Star place. It's preposterous that the staff has shown low ethics and tended to be rough. I don't comprehend why this place occupies and sustains the class of a fine dining premise.

We've been going here for our anniversary dinner for years (we got married at the venue). Love the food, the service and the ambience, but the sommelier really takes the price. Knowledgeable and really funny.

Extremely poor service and food - had better at the local chippie . Food cold , overpriced , badly cooked and not fresh .When some issues were highlighted to wait staff these were rebuked . Have complained and been offered a comp afternoon tea but there is no way we would go back - even for a freebie . Downright appalling.

Not impressed at all, table not cleaned properly and the roast beef dinner was cold as the restaurant was, Sent it back and when it came back still wasnot very warm. I asked for some horseradish and the waiter gave me all the excuses why they didn’t have any. I’ve eaten in better pubs than this five star hotel.

From the muddy car park to the awful service I was hoping the food might make up for the lack of a quality dining experience. Unfortunately, the food was mediocre at best. At half the price, the meal would've been overpriced. I would be embarrassed to serve food like this at home.

Went to the Estate Grill for what I was hoping to be an elegant and memorable pre-Christmas experience especially as the Hotel has just been awarded five stars.. Well Yes it was an experience but one that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. We were shown to our table and then left for twenty five minutes before anyone came over to see us. The room itself was very cold and most of the guests kept their coats on. There was no atmosphere in the room and the staff were not up to the standard for such a prestigious hotel and so we decided to leave before ordering and find somewhere else to eat that was more welcoming, with better trained staff and a warmer in temperature dining area.

Oh Dear! What has gone wrong? We have belonged to Great Foster’s Dining Club for 15 years and this was the worst dinner we have experienced. We were running a little late so we phoned to tell them from the car twice. Nobody answered the phone. When we got there I apologised that we were late and said we would have a drink in the bar and wait to be seated in the restaurant as we always do when we come for dinner. I also told the bar tender that we were there for dinner! Nobody came to seat us. My husband received a phone call from the dining room asking us where we were? This was after we waited after half an hour in the bar. The waiter from the restaurant came to seat us and proceeded to tell us off for not getting a hold of them as if any of this was our fault! The food on the menu was extremely limited. We just wanted something light. When we got our food which just ended up being burgers and chips with some sides it tasted old as if it had been cooked earlier and them warmed. So sad! This used to be our special occasion place to dine. That is why we joined the dining club. Staff were probably new but I don’t think we will go to the Estate Grill for a very long time if ever.

If you want a more stylish experience on a Sunday than a pub lunch (for example at the Barley Mow at Englefield Green which one recent reviewer compared it to) The Estate Grill delivers it. The food is made with quality ingredients and correctly prepared. We both had the smoked mackerel to start followed by one beef and one porchetta. Quantity was sufficient without being too large. The room setting is lovely as you can see in the images on their website, but the room temperature was chilly to the point that the food was cooling quite quickly on the plates. I also heard other diners commenting on the room temperature. Overall though the setting was stylish, the food was good, service was attentive without being too much so and the wine waiter was charming. On that basis we would book again and intend to invite other family members for a special occasion. Weirdly on leaving the hotel lobby we were given (by the doorman?) a card with the TripAdvisor website details on it to encourage us to post a review which we had in fact already planned to do.

I have not been here for a few years, after a disastrous previous occasion, where I was greatly embarrassed in front of my guests for the terrible service and highly unsatisfactory food. Upon my complaint I was reassured by Management that my unpleasant experience was...

This is a lovely place. Our friends booked a table for us to meet up for lunch while we were in from the States. All of the food and beverages were impeccable. The waitstaff were a bit too fussy and overly attentive. But otherwise, a...

My partner and I went for dinner last night after seeing that the Tudor rooms next door to the estate grill was a Michelin star and the estate also had rave reviews we felt we were in for a treat. This was going to be...

I visited the Estate Grill with two friends for a Sunday lunch. We began with some delicious cocktails from their extensive drinks menu. Two of us had smoked mackerel pate as a starter. Very nicely presented and tasted lovely. We all had a roast. Plenty...

We had Sunday lunch a couple of weeks ago and it was very poor and over priced at £45 each for 3 courses. The lunch is served in the Orangery which was OK. The service was overall very poor, slow, staff appeared to be untrained...

this restaurant is located in a hotel with extensive grounds which are well maintained and extensive. We found the service to be excellent throughout and the food was well presented and very tasty. I must mention the rhubard and custard mille feuille which looked amazing...

We had hoped to enjoy a celebratory family lunch at Great Fosters on 26th December 2021. As explained in my email to Tori Searle on 19th December, our family were going to be unable to travel from Sweden to spend the Christmas period with us,...

From the current 4.5 average rating, we were expecting, at the very least, a decent meal, but from the moment you enter the restaurant, you get the feeling that the Estate Grill is the unwanted sibling of the Tudor Room. The room itself is stunning,...

We hadn’t been to great Fosters in quite a wile so were unsure of what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised. We were very well looked after from the point of arrival and after a short stroll around the gardens we sat for lunch....

Both ordered the rib-eye steak. Expected to pay on top for a side of chips. Asked for blue cheese sauce came out Luke warm and set in the pouring jug - representing a sludge. Steak wasn’t a ribeye. Far from. Looked like an ASDA special....

This was our first chance to go out for a while, having previously had excellent meals at the Tudor Room, we booked the Estate Grill as the Tudor Room is not open on Tuesdays. A lovely setting, with an open log fire, the welcome was...

I went with my family last Saturday for dinner. Food was amazing and the staff very friendly! I will go again!!

We were sited quickly asked where we would like to sit and was overall given a warm welcome, the food was outstanding and nothing was too much trouble for the staff

My girlfriend and I visited as a celebration. We were greeted with welcoming staff and the highest quality of service. Including a very helpful waiter, Valentino. We would highly recommend visiting as there is high quality food, matched with drinks, accompanied by the highest quality...

We had a lovely dinner at the estate grill restaurant served by Valentino who was wonderful! The food was unbelievably good and Valentino’s recommendation of the dark chocolate mousse for dessert was perfect! Would highly recommend. Perhaps the restaurant could have some gentle background music,...

Went for my Dad's 90th and really enjoyed the food and service. The lamb I had was amazing perfectly cooked and my Dad's cake was great even if I had not saved space for it.

Having previously dined at the Tudor rooms we decided to book at the Estate Grill for the first post Covid family lunch. It was not the luxury experience we had read about from this 4 star hotel. First the table was set for 3 adults...

Wonderful space, great service and tasty food , all of the highest order. In time of covid, the Great Fosters team have utilised their beautiful spaces, cleverly and importantly for us, it felt incredibly safe. The food here is always superb, today the Pea Soup...

Fantastic Black Forest Gateaux for our son’s 10th birthday. Delivered in perfect condition. Wish we hadn’t finished it - it was lovely!

Met friends for lunch there yesterday. The hotel looks stunning as you drive in, the restaurant is pleasant with it's high beamed ceiling but there it ends. The menu is just dull and ordinary, burgers, fish and chips, not a thing to take your interest...

The Estate Grill is informal dining in a beautiful restaurant. With high vaulted ceilings, stone mullion windows and open fire. Our evening meal and breakfast was cooked to perfection and the service from the staff was warm, friendly and welcoming.

We had afternoon tea for four and it was perfect. Lovely setting (Go early and explore the grounds / art) They were able to offer full tea for the Vegan in our group and all the food was delicious. It's a little pricey but the...

We arranged a Sunday lunch for our second wedding anniversary having got married at the previously glorious Great Fosters hotel. My wife arranged a joint Spa treatment prior to dining at 12:30; unfortunately the whole thing was a disaster resulting in us not having a treatment (cancelled 1 hour before we arrived) and eating mediocre food with poor service. What has happened to this once wonderful hotel? The staff don’t seem to know what they or doing (or care for that matter), the food is average at best and the menu range is non-existent. We had planned Christmas Day at this hotel but will now book elsewhere as this was simply mediocre in every way. Judging by the other poor reviews we are not alone in thinking this. Such a shame.

We decided to have a meal at the estate grill restaurant as a family. The food was superb & the service even better. We will definitely return & recommend.

29/8 - the staff were sailing short-handed (totally unacceptable when there are so many people unemployed) and this was transmitted to the diners. The service was painfully slow, and the food, bearing in mind there is a Michelin star restaurant under the same roof, was...

Good service, good food, reasonably value. The setting of the hotel is very impressive, with extensive, well-tended gardens - pity it was raining when we visited! Good COVID precautions - felt very safe for an indoor venue.

Return lunch visit! In these uncertain terms I was very excited to have a visit to look forward to and be returning back to Great Fosters hotel as we have stayed here previously and been for afternoon tea on several occasions. Oh what a shame...

Lovely hotel within an idyllic setting. Went here for my partners birthday lunch at the Estate Grill, couldn't fault the staff or their COVID procedures however lunch was overpriced which is a real shame, it cost £25 for sea bream with a few veg underneath,...

Hotel and grounds are great, The estate grill what’s gone so wrong? Cold food small portions, really average and cheap quality food. So disappointing it’s gone down hill. Management really need to listen to what people are saying. Thank you Alexandra hotels for such a...

We were a party of 3, this was our first evening meal out after lockdown, and as it was my birthday too, I was really looking forward to it. On the plus side, when my husband booked, he asked for a nice table, which we...

Had such great hopes for our visit today. Experienced the most amazing wedding here 10yrs previously. Was so good to be back - venue is still incredible , all the amazing memories came flooding back........until we were served our food. Service was mediocre but the...

This hotel used to be a treat destination. This is sadly no longer the case and I can only put it down to the change of ownership. Great Fosters is now part of the Alexander Hotels group and has deteriorated dramatically. We had a table for 4 for lunch on the terrace this week. For our friends, this was their first trip out in months and we intended it to be a treat. Our experience was the complete opposite. We must have waited at least 20 minutes for our pre-lunch drinks to arrive to the point where I wondered if we had actually ordered them at all. The menu is basic which is fine if the food is good. We actually had to flag down a passing waiter and ask if we could order.My starter of prawn cocktail was an embarrassment - 2 lettuce leaves, some soggy bread and a small prawn cocktail you could buy in a supermarket. My husband and our guests had heritage tomato salad with goats cheese. Why use the term ‘heritage’ when the most basic tomato is used. The goats cheese sprinkled over was microscopic. Each time we asked for anything such as a bottle of wine, water, oil - it didn’t arrive so you therefore asked the next passing waiter and if you were lucky it turned up. Main Courses were very average - certainly not to the level expectedly in a restaurant such as this. A dessert would have been welcome. However, we decided against it as the table next to us waited 40 minutes for their dessert another table waited nearly an hour for their bill. They got up to leave in exasperation - and were told payment could be made - the diners replied “we’ve waited long enough for you we are going for a walk you can wait for us now”It was clear that there was no Restaurant Manager and the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. To say the experience was disappointing is a gross understatement. The staff are untrained and either indifferent or unaware of the issues.This is the first trip advisor review I have submitted as I feel so strongly about the shocking level of service experienced.

We have eaten here before and the food has been fabulous. The venue is amazing and the grounds are awesome! However, we had our first overnight stay and it was disappointing, this could be due to not being open very long after Corona virus and they were finding their feet but it felt like they were short staffed and the staff they had were stressed. The food was disappointing and the service was poor. Such a shame

The food has gone downhill badly since it has become part of a hotel chain. The food budget has obviously been cut to virtually nothing. Having experienced the worst meal we have ever had yesterday (yes, seriously, the worst), we won’t be going back until we feel confident they can sort themselves out. In all honesty, we would have been served a better meal in a basic pub - Yet, they still try to charge top-notch prices. It's just poor.While the nice manager tried to make things right and offered us a complimentary return, I am sad to say that we will not be returning any time soon. It’s just not the same as it used to be, and unless the food offering can make a comeback to the way it used to be before the hotel was sold to a chain, we won’t be coming back either. How very very sad.

Had the misfortune to eat here last night and it’s such a shame this beautiful hotel has been ruined by the new owners. Where to start! On arrival we were surprised to see cars parked directly outside entrance which never used to be allowed,I know that is small complaint but it really spoils the first impression. Also a car was parked directly across the pedestrian entrance from the car park which blocked it completely forcing people to walk the long way round. Annoying but not the end of the world. THE FOOD...... Trust me the food is best described as very poor . We had prawn cocktail to start which was worse than any I have ever eaten in a restaurant. I have eaten pre made supermarket prawn cocktails that tasted better than this. It came served on 4 baby gem lettuce leaves. The prawns were the smallest I have ever seen. Like tiny shrimp to be honest and the sauce was so bland and unseasoned it had no flavour to speak of. The bread served with it was basically 1 slice of shop bought medium sliced brown bread!! (Pre-buttered)They have the cheek to charge £10 each for this! Crazy! My wife and I had fillet steak which were overdone one was supposed to be medium rare and one medium. They were both well done to burnt! We told them this but no offer was made to replace them! The chips were dark brown and hollow which probably means they are cost cutting by not changing the oil regularly enough,whilst the peppercorn sauce was more like coloured water with peppercorns in it. They charged £32 each for these! Not sure how they can justify the prices of the food they serve.We did not bother with dessert as by then we had given up hope of anything good coming out of the kitchen!!! Do not waste your money. If you have been here before when it was an independent hotel and enjoyed it stick with those memories as you will be wasting your time and money going back with the way The kitchen especially is being run currently. Such a shame as my wife and I were married here when it was a fantastic hotel. We felt so annoyed by this we left straight after the meal even though we were booked into the hotel for the night,mainly due to the fact we could not face the breakfast if it was going to be of the same standard as the dinner. In fairness to the hotel when we told them what we thought they were very apologetic and they waived the bill for the meal,but that still does not really excuse the poor quality food they are serving at sky high prices!

We have been coming to Great Fosters for 15 years and we are a member of their dining club. It was our wedding anniversary today. We thought we would celebrate at Great Fosters as we have in the past. So sad to say that it was terrible! They sat us outside and it was starting to get dark. Our waitress could barely speak English. We ordered sparkling water and 2 Diet Cokes. All the drinks came out in the appropriate bottles but they were opened! The water was still instead of sparkling and the Diet Coke was completely watered down. We had prawn cocktail which was just okay and pretty tasteless. There was mo salt or pepper on the table! By the time our main course came it was too dark to see it! There were no lights outside where we were sitting. We had to ask for a candle twice before the waitress brought one to us. I don’t think she understood what we were asking for. We were using the lights from our phones to see. Finally they moved us inside for pudding. The food was just edible. The whole experience was awful. They have just opened a few weeks ago after being closed for Covid-19. I am hoping that they are just having teething problems and will get better. We were so looking forward to this dinner since we have been mostly isolating. I was sad for us and I sincerely hope they get better. This was our worst meal there ever and we have eaten there lots! Just so sad and disappointed to experience Great Fosters like this!

Beautiful setting and grounds- a visual treat! Tasty food in the Grill. Enjoyed the fillet steak and roasted sea bream. A very pleasant lunch out.

We had a private dining room (Wine Room) and the occasion was special. However, the service was dire, very disappointing. The hotel was busy but it appeared there wasn't enough staff. We ordered champagne pre-dinner in the lounge - had to ask for it at least three times, waited nearly 20 mins! When we went to our dining room, it took ages before orders were taken. The wine list came after dinner orders were taken.Then we had to wait ages for our food. They got 2 out of the 6 mains wrong, so two in our group had to wait for their mains, by which time the rest of us had nearly finished! Poached cod - the cod wasn't cooked properly, had to send it back.Roasted pheasant - half was tender, the other half tough.Our host complained so dinner and drinks were on the house. OK, so that took the sting out, but it really spoilt our evening.A five star hotel - you don't expect these issues!

We stayed in the hotel for two nights and ate in the restaurant both nights. There is a good selection of food and with a party of 10 we had no issues selecting various meals over the two nights. Service was very good especially for a large party and when busier on Saturday night and the food was well cooked and very tasty. Would recommend the restaurant for good quality food and in a nice atmosphere.

Nice food, lovely atmosphere, helpful staff. Food nicely done, but watch out for the bill for the drinks, which had more than double the number of items we ordered. Must have been billed for every one staying at the hotel

Had Sunday lunch at the Estate Grill today. It was very nice except the Yorkshire puddings were missing and of the 2 roast potatoes, one was so burned I had to ask for another one. I was surprised that the kitchen sent it out when it was so bad. Otherwise it was very tasty and vegetables really good. I did find on the whole the service to be a little bit over the top. Top marks to the lovely waitress who bought our food and realised the Yorkshire’s were missing, she gave the most genuinely good service.

Ate here last night with my Husband, have to say it was disappointing. Started well, the smoked salmon with Yuzu gel was very nice. We had to return our mains, dry, dense & over seasoned. Desert ok but somewhat bland.It’s a lovely hotel & the service is excellent. Food, however, is distinctly average.

My wife and had our wedding anniversary in the Estate Grill in December. We arrived around 7ish and found we had the place to ourselves for the first thirty minutes or so.The room was lovely, the team were very considerate and we served by a lovely young gent - who’s name I now can’t remember - and looked after us throughout the evening.The food choices included the normal sessional menu plus a Christmas set list. We were allowed to chop and change off both which was great!The food itself was well presented and delicious.I thoroughly recommend a visit!

Been going to the Great Fosters for years. It truly is a unique building. It always felt that you were going to a friends stately home rather that a hotel restaurant. Since Alexander Hotels took over things have been hit and miss. Went to the Estate Grill in late summer and the service was faster than McDonalds and the staff just didn't seem to be organised. Wasn't much better a few months ago. Decided to try it again in December and things have improved. They seem to have hired some people who know how to run a restaurant and kitchen. Food and service was much improved. However, the staff turnover is shocking. Although they are all very nice you don't get to know the people anymore because they change so frequently. The only constant is Stephen the sommelier. He really makes you feel welcome and does a fabulous job with superb wine selections. Come on Alexander hotels, sort out your staff retention problem and don’t allow people to park in front of the building (that would never have happened under the previous management).

We have been coming to great Fosters for many years, for lunch, evening meals and/or overnight stays and it is always wonderful to receive a warm and friendly welcome back from Stephen Farrell, the Sommelier. His knowledge is second to none and he has never failed to suggest the perfect wine to accompany each course. We have seen many staff changes over the years but Stephen had remained constant and is, without doubt, the greatest asset to Great Fosters!

We had a date night as a couple and had a lovely evening at the estate grill. The staff were delightful, friendly and very professional. Valentino the sommelier recommended us a wonderful wine to go with our prime rib chop, which made our evening!

All the food was very good and some excellent. However I was a little disappointed that having told them two weeks in advance of our dietary requirements there had been no real effort to make a meal, it was still a case of well no you cannot have that or you will have to have it plain. So I had cured salmon, which was delicious, but without the accompanying items, veg, etc for the same price. This also happened to other member in the group. Plus having gone to a lot of trouble to establish that soup was ok as it had no gluten or diary etc they then served it with an ordinary roll. I was surprised the two scoops of ice cream arrived, for another member of the group, with no garnish or wafer. The service was excellent and the surroundings superb, would like to see the gardens on another visit.

Fresh ingredients from the gardens, impeccable service, good wine list, and delightful dining room with working fireplace.

I only need to say, great surroundings, great staff, fantastic food. The gardens are well worth a visit. Highly recommend. You can see from the photos what a great place this is. The staff were very attentive and we had a wonderful meal.

The food was excellent, even with a couple of us reqesting changes for dietary requirements. Service was excellent too. I'm planning on returning with friends in the next couple of months.

We were disappointed with our family dinner. This was our first visit after an absence of several years. Food and service were reasonable overall - staff were friendly and food came quickly- but they were not high enough quality (or in the case of some dishes, quantity) for the very high Michelin star prices.

We have been coming here for years, and after a disappointing visit last time we wanted to give it another chance. : Service Dreadful. Food average No- one available to serve a drink after dinner Will not be rushing back

Four of us were dining in the estate grill and were really looking forward to a culinary delight judging by the prices. The soup of the day tasted like it had just come out of a tin, I ordered a side of french fries and when they arrived they were done to a crisp and you couldn’t get a fork in without them snapping to pieces. I didn’t say anything as I didn’t want to embarrass my fellow diners, but then my two friends received their order of Salmon on a bed of Sagaloo and the salmon was overdone or had been sitting under a hot plate and you literally couldn’t get your fork onto the rock hard potato cubes that were part of the sagaloo on both dishes. We did tell the waitress about it and she came back and said that the Chef said that the dish was as it should be! We were offered a replacement but by then the other two diners were uncomfortably half way through there main meal so they decided not to re order and went without. We Were all feeling very deflated about the whole evening and passed on the desserts. When we asked for the bill, no attempt was made to reduce the price of what we had ordered apart from the two meals that we sent back and no attempt was made to reconcile the disastrous service that we had received. We will vote with our feet and not return. Very Disappointing.

I was fortunate enough to be treated to lunch - I would definitely recommend this restaurant - the food is amazing, the staff are excellent, surroundings are lovely

We were there for dinner to celebrate a friends 30th. As we were there early we had cocktails before dinner. They were very disappointing. Both the Aperol Spritz & Mojito were flat and watery.

Lovely breakfast with lots of choice of hot breakfasts as well as fresh fruit, cereals and very nice cappuccinos

We had dinner in this unique restaurant. Couldn’t really fault it. Food was great, staff were very nice and helpful and the setting and building is beautiful. Would definitely go back.

Love the location and atmosphere but such a shame that the service. Food fine (esate grilll) but nothing special. Took 40 mins to get a drink outside then was rushed to order food. Then ambience background music turned off at 10.30... took the hint and left.

Sadly the food and service did not live up to the incredible architecture of the building and dinning room.

Venue looks great and decided to have some drinks on the terrace before dinner. The 1st of the 4 drinks ordered arrived 35 minutes after ordering and the 4th drink never arrived before we had to go into dinner despite numerous visits to the bar and apologies. Could the service get any worse in the Estate Grill? Well lets just say it did not get any better. Food was great and the venue was great but the service... After being seated at a far corner table, the menus or 4th drink had still not arrived after another 20 minutes so I sought out the manager to have a chat and get the menus myself. More apologies but no improvement. Asked for water several times, there was no butter with the bread, Desert item was incorrect as the order was not written down, one of the drinks was neat gin with no mixer. It was an awful evening on what should have been a celebratory night. They included the service charge on the bill which did make my laugh. When asking the manger to remove the service charge, he asked what he could do to get us back. Frankly, nothing. If any senior management wish to contest my review, I'm happy to discuss but based on the apathy apparent last night, I'll not be holding my breath.

Nice hotel, beautiful grounds but unfortunately lacked atmosphere. No background music or entertainment. Drinks food very overpriced and nothing special over and beyond what you would get at a cheaper restaurant. All bottle beers ;0( ...

This couldve been such a lovely experience as our lunchtime started off so well. The staff at the start were very nice & welcoming including our Hungarian waitress who's name we didnt get but also Alastair who was very personable & helpful. As we were early we took the opportunity to have a walk around the garden & had some lovely chats with the gardeners & house staff.

We were staying at the hotel and the Tudor Room was closed so made reservations for the grill. Definitely not grill food and a nice substitute for the main dining room. Lovely decor, menu and the “wine guy” was a nice break from some of the stuffiness of the hotel. We started with steak tartare and had lamb and tenderloin for the mains ending with cheese. All cooked and presented beautifully. Very enjoyable evening although some of our friends dining separately said the service was very slow.

We just had an amazing Anniversary lunch at the Estate Grill. The food was amazing and the service was excellent. The waiters are so friendly and accommodating- especially the marvellous Valentino Buono! Really made sour visit special. They gave us great and considered recommendations on both food and the wine list. If you are going to go for a steak and are in a couple then it is definitely worth having the chateaubriand. Cooked to perfect. The desserts were amazing and we loved the added touch of some special Macarons to celebrate our anniversary! Thank you. We will be back more frequently.

Four of us went for a friend’s birthday dinner. Firstly, what a beautiful place and grounds. We had cocktails outside first, then dinner in the Estate Grill. All the staff were great - helpful, friendly and very welcoming. We all enjoyed the food very much. The portions didn’t look huge when they arrived, but they were delicious and absolutely filling, so the quantity was right! Will definitely be back, had a really lovely evening.

We ate in The Tudor room on our first night on our second we ate in the Estate Grill.

The set lunch menu is modestly priced comnpared with the Gt Fosters à la carte offerings. Unfortunately, on the day we visited, it didn't offer much choice that attracted us. The food was tasty but for some dishes there seemed more decoration than food on the plate! The wine list is expensive. We ended up paying £43 per head which we thought was poor value for a mostly ordinary mid week lunch.

I ate here for lunch and was left very under impressed. We had the 3 course spring menu, which seemed good value, except that the portions were tiny, and the hot food was not that hot. The starter of bits of cauliflower was frankly inedible, plus had some kind of burnt taste. 3 of us had this starter and all agreed it was not nice.

Maybe it was a case of expectations set too high or we caught them on the off day, but we left unimpressed. Service was friendly, but staff was not well-trained. Food ranged from 'good' at best to quite mediocre. The setting is nice though, but we wouldnt consider coming back.

Fantastic Sunday lunch. Stunning dining room. Excellent food and wine. Service was not quite as good as it should have been but will not stop us going back.

I have only ever previously attended a wedding evening reception at Great Fosters but had not eaten or stayed there. As a local, I was interested in attending a floristry class and when I saw lunch was included, I was encouraged to book. Our class of 10 was split across 2 tables for lunch and we were served separately which was fine as one group of friends sat on one table and the rest of us were seated on another table. The restaurant wasn't busy and we had been asked to pre order our food from a set menu during the morning so we expected the Monday lunch service to be efficient. Unfortunately the two of us who ordered steak, were presented with tepid lunches and our side dishes were delivered scattered across the table in front of other guests, which was a little awkward. The steak was so cold that we both returned our plates and had to wait for new dishes to be cooked. The replacement dishes were indeed tasty(and hot this time) and the desserts were very good too, however unfortunately, my first impression of this restaurant was not the greatest and not the most professional. I wonder how it performs during a busy evening dinner service?

Sufficient choice to satisfy every palate. We had the Chateaubriand with a bottle of Rioja and a great finish with excellent coffee and all 10 cheeses between two. Dreamland!

I took my wife for what I thought was going to be a lovely dinner that was far from what we got the Restraunt was understaffed and at one point we was being served our meal by kitchen staff the food was of a poor quality and not what we expected, I will say that we have been to the Restraunt before and had decent food and service but on this occasion it turned out to be a very costly mistake and should not have happened for a meal costing circa £200-00

My friends and I have managed to get away to Great Fosters for a night 3 times now, over several years and we love it. The Estate Grill food last evening was delicious, as was the wine, and the staff so accommodating and helpful. We love the atmosphere and the care put in. Thoroughly recommended for a special occasion.

Myself and my partner went for my birthday treat. It was a wonderful experience, one which Im very mush looking forward to repeat. The staff were attentive bit not overbearing. The food was delicious. I loved the way you can order your food while having a drink you are then called to your table.

Great food, excellent service. Fantastic cocktails. Atmosphere was a bit dry and quiet. Would go again.

The food on the whole was quite tasty but the overall experience for the price was not good enough. The service was slow, food was luke-warm, with the staff mostly miserable and uncaring. The restaurant was only half full for a Sunday so our meal should not have been like this.

A stunning venue. Excellent service and our party of 5 was well looked after. Great food and wine. The emphasis was on fresh locally sourced ingredients and presentation was of a high standard. Interesting choices from a varied menu. Reasonably priced.

...just right for an upmarket but informal lunch for a discerning group of five friends/spouses who had not met altogether for about 25 years! Warm welcome, attentive, friendly but not intrusive service (the newly arrived Belgian waiter was charming and courteous) and the sommelier knowledgeable and extremely helpful. We all chose two courses from the set menu and at lunch time found that quite sufficient. Our dishes were all, not surprisingly, well presented and most appetizing. The supreme of chicken was moist, tender and tasty and the cod cooked to perfection. Accompanying sauces in separate pots completed the dishes.

Lunch here today for 50th birthday. Very helpful & friendly staff. Food was excellent. Grounds & gardens lovely to walk around after lunch