The Gatehouse Banwell Castle in North Somerset - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

For the first time ever, we went out for Christmas lunch. Well, what a mistake. Two of our party were over 80+. By the time we left our 80+ year olds were falling asleep at the table, having had to ask staff to clear our plates away and bring our dessert. On the plus side, the atmosphere was good and festive. Staff brought us the wrong dishes and wouldn't listen when we tried to explain. There was a difficult party of three, and it was obvious the staff had no idea how to handle them and they held everyone up. It was a shame as some of the staff tried really hard, but the young chap in the T-shirt really didn't care and it was obvious he didn't want to be there. I had some hygiene concerns too about the prepared dishes being passed round the tables with everyone breathing on them before they arrived at the right place. I've been brought up on good quality meat, I don't know where the beef was from, but it was so stringy and fatty that I could not eat it. I've waited a few days to calm down but I really would like a partial refund after such a dreadful experience.

The Staff are amazing, great food and atmosphere, it was so lovely to be finally out with family on a special day

We visited for my fathers 92 nd birthday tea. The service was of the highest standard, the scones delicious and and abundance of tea. Dad was delighted.

Our daughter was getting married at Banwell Castle so we elected to stay the night before. What a mistake!! In the entrance hall there are 2 dilapidated sofas and a glass top coffee table with the glass broken not a good start. On the landing there were crumbs from cake it was still there when we left. The room was dirty there were adequate amounts of tea and coffee and it was only one night. In the morning of the wedding we had to “dress” the court yard. So up at 6.30am NO hot water! So went to daughters room The Bridal Suite the door lock doesn’t work but they had hot water just enough for 1.5 showers .The water didn’t clear very well from the shower tray this was due to the plug hole being so full of muck and…..

Una buena variedad, teniendo en cuenta el tamaño del edificio y la comida es suculenta y bien preparado. Los toffees postre merece la pena una visita en su propio.

Reservé el Gatehouse restaurante para una celebración de la vida para el funeral de mi madre, Carmino se aseguró de que el restaurante tenía flores frescas y que todo el mundo estaba atendida, el personal era maravilloso y todo el mundo que me hablaba de la amabilidad y la atención. Gracias por hacer de un día difícil, una experiencia maravillosa y un recuerdo especial, la merienda fue bien recibida.

So my first visit here for my youngest brothers wedding. A lovely setting with incredible views, extremely courteous and friendly staff who could not do enough for you and a three course meal where each course was superb(very rare these days, 1 course is usually not so good) but I and everyone who attended thoroughly enjoyed all three courses. It's a 10 from Len to coin a phrase. Thank you for making my brother and sister in law's day special.

Excellent - food was freshly cooked, beautifully served and not. Friendly courteous staff and lovely surroundings - a Mothers Day treat to remember!

Booked The Gatehouse to celebrate my mums 60th Birthday on 11/03/17. All 40 guests had an amazing time. The food was delicious and enjoyed by everyone. Good selection of wines which suited everyones taste. Carmino and his staff were brilliant, nothing was too much trouble even helping to organise the event. The restaurant was very warm and welcoming as were the staff. Will definitely be organising our next family event there again. High recommended. Thank you Carmino and staff for all your hard work.

I was here for the 3 course lunch with a family group of 14. To start I had the Tomato and Mozzarella salad with strange yellow heart of lettuce! Plenty of mozzarella but two small cherry tomatoes seemed a bit mean. No flavour to the small amount of dressing so I tried adding salt. None of the salt grinders worked! My main was the Turkey roast. Vegetables nicely cooked but the meat and gravy was bland and two of my roast potatoes weren't properly cooked and still hard to bite into. Chocolate cheesecake for dessert was yummy so there was a highlight. Shame, due to the heating going off halfway through the meal that I was too cold to enjoy it properly, sat there in my coat! Even with the radiators on it was cool but we were told the heating is on a timer and goes off at 2 pm. We were there from 1-3 pm. No music or atmosphere to start with but later on we could snatch the odd bit of music that was playing in the kitchen. I don't speak for anyone in the party as some seemed to enjoy their food, but I won't be going back. Another reviewer mentions not being allowed to take home vegetables for her dogs, I know why, it looked like the left over veg. is used for the vegetable Lasagne dish. I will not return. 3 courses for £14.95 maybe says it all, you get what you pay for, though I've had better from fast food outlets.

It was blooming awful, I wouldn't recommend going here again, if my life depended on it. Which was more upsetting is that, I emailed my issues and queries to be instantly dismissed and my comments would be taken on board. At no point has the Owner or the Chef attempted to resolve any of my queries, or to say that I am wrong. Limited knowledge on wine list, none in stock. Pre packaged foods of a supermarket quality, deep fried food in dirty oil, tastes vile. The desert was simpler than what was described on the menu, lemon tiramisu it came as a sponge with a blob of lemon curd (not homemade) and some thick cream top. Drinks order wasn't right. And coffee at the end was cold. Atmosphere- well Green day wouldn't have been my first choice in terms of music but we had to suffer that on Valentine's night. What should have been a romantic night was an absolute train wreck, they do not care for customers but purely to take their money. The service is intermittent at best, care and quality is ranked at its lowest. There is far better places to eat locally, Thatchers Inn, The Plume of Feathers, even the Woodborough Inn in Winscombe. Next time, I will by far stick with what I know. As long as Mr Parsons is lining his pockets with your hard earned money he doesn't care the experience you have.

I have read the reviews and decided to visit this venue, I would not recommend it at all. It was all very dirty and in particular the toilet. The cream tea was a huge disappointment with one uncooked stodgy scone and cheap jam. The staff were not unfriendly but also not interested in talking or even smiling at us as customers.

Went here for drink and tea cake Well what can I say you arrive to the entrance and have to drive through the castle to get to car park. You are treated with this amazing castle,as it was a lovely day sat outside on the patio where you have the most amazing view.. Ordered drinks and light snacks Hot chocolate and biscuits,coke and tea cake and lemonade Order was taken and not a long wait at all Staff are really friendly and lovely And the prices are really good

My partner and I came here for Christmas Day (4pm sitting) and what can I say!!! We had a wonderful time, the food was beautiful, the staff were attentive and it was a truly lovely experience! We will definitely be back!

Had a really lovely and relaxed lunch here. The staff were attentive and the food was really lovely. It has a lovely feel about it. I will certainly go again. I thought it was great value for money,despite the fact I was treated to lunch. Highly recommended.

Booked high tea for a casual hen do. Lovely food and settings but felt very rushed and didn't seem too happy that we wanted to enjoy the sunshine outside. Such a lovely place for afternoon tea will definitely return for cream tea but probably not high tea. Friendly staff apart from that.

Our 7 th or 8th New Years Eve at the Gatehouse. We felt that the food this year was better than ever & will yet again be back next year

Absolutely fantastic Christmas Day dinner, delicious food, excellent service, fabulous atmosphere. Everything about our dining experience was just perfect. Thank you Carmino and your staff. We will definitely be booking again and will be recommending to family and friends.

After being treated to a Mother's Day meal here, I decided that I would like my family to enjoy a meal at htis venue for my 50th birthday. We were a party of 24 so not easy to please everyone......but that is exactly what they did!!! The age range of our party was 1year - 79 years and everyone had a fantastic time. At a recent family gathering, my now 80 year old father asked if I would arrange another family party here. He decided that he would rather give us another fantastic meal instead of doing Christmas presents this year. Many of my family will be travellling down from Bristol to resample this superior dining experience.....

family gathering, opted for the fan of melon to start with apricot coolie. Couldn't taste any apricots, this sauce was tasteless although fruit nice and fresh the actual melon had several hard places. Also had the salmon, which was fresh again, and so were the vegetables. The veg was cooked well, still had some crunch to them, which I do like. Sauce with the salmon was ordinary and again, very bland in deed. I threw on a pile of salt and pepper as felt the dish was not seasoned at all. Not a place I will go again.Also noted - I asked to take the left over vegetables home for my dogs, thought this was a reasonable request as "doggy bags" are always available in all restaurants - NOT HERE - not allowed to take home the cooked veg for supposed health and safety reasons - I fear that my veg will get served up in some other dish somehow instead! not happy over this at all. This left bitter tasted in the mouths of all 8 people at my table and all that I tell.

Cannot fault the service. Well organised. Lovely environment. Food was delicious. Stayed in the castle. Wonderful experience. A must for anyone visiting the area.

We absolutely loved our wedding menus and the food quality and service. Nicely presented, tasty and the chef spent time going through options to choose what was best for us. Our guests still talk of the lemon posset and the giant crème teas, all organic and locally sourced. We'd love to come back for a nice romantic dinner - their Valentine's menu is always a pleasure! We ate here before the wedding and were absolutely convinced it was the right place.

I have recently celebrated my landmark birthday at the Gatehouse Restaurant where everything I could have wished for was carried out efficiently, courteously, and effectively. The arrangements were all carried out to the letter and Carmino was most helpful in meeting my requirements in a most good natured and assuring way. I just knew everything would be right - and on the evening it was. The quality of the food and wines was high and the quantities were more than adequate. The Gatehouse is the perfect venue for a modest gathering of friends - not too small and not too big. Someone remarked it was like being in a private house as the atmosphere was so cosy.As the evening progressed (and we had a short programme of entertainment provided by ourselves) we were never hurried and departed when WE wanted to - never feeling that we ought to leave, and Carmino acted as a genial host saying Farewell to everyone as they left, as if they were all his own personal guests. I can hardly wait to be 80 !!

Carmino the owner was fantastic from the first point of contact and discussion concerning the venue to the actual day of the event. Carmino's team of girls were faultless giving an excellent service all night. The food, venue, service and price was excellent, I would recommend this venue 100% for any party or wedding venue. We had over 70 guests attend and everyone enjoyed the evening, to the point that I am still getting people thank me for such a wonderful night. Thank you and well done to all of the team at The Gatehouse Banwell Castle for a fantastic evening.

Wendy and I returned to The Gatehouse Restaurant at Banwell Castle for a Valentine's Day meal. There was a special Valentine menu with three courses and an extremely good choice of options for each course. The restaurant was fairly busy and very romantic...plenty of staff and the service was excellent. We both started with the duck pate with melba toast and then chose different main courses and sweets. It was all perfect, nicely timed and not hurried. Everything just right....this restaurant always serves up a lovely bowl of fresh vegetable cooked perfectly for the main course. Two meals and two bottles of red wine, all for less than £65. Carimino is a great chef and this restaurant is an absolute gem.

Eleven of us dined here on New Years Eve & stopped at the Castle. It is our seventh or eighth New Years Eve here.In our opinion it was one of the best yet.The food was excellent as was the service. Carmino & the gang really pulled out the stops.A five course meal plus coffee & fireworks at midnight for approx £36 on New Years Eve is fabulous value We have already booked up for next year!

We had our wedding ceremony and reception here and we are glad we chose it. The food and drink was very good and enjoyed by all. We appreciated the flexibility in being able to decorate the restaurant in advance too as this was one fewer thing to do on the day. There are range of spaces, the courtyard and bar were very spacious so it meant many of guests had a range of spaces to retreat to. It was all reasonably priced and we appreciated all the special touches. We would recommend it for a meal and indeed a wedding. There were a few niggles such as there was no host for the band so my bridesmaids ended up greeting them whilst we were having our meal. We also felt the waiting staff were a little over attentive which meant some of our favours and place names (for those that were absent) were unnecessarily cleared away which disrupted the table games we had constructed. The scones and cream were not as fresh as we had tried before either. None of these aspects ruined our day but are maybe what held t back from being completely perfect. The location is great all in all and very well priced makes it a very good venue. Carmino was very flexible in constructing a menu for our day.

Although we had a wonderful day, Wonderful food in a lovely location we found some members of staff very rude also bar is very over priced soft drinks (£4 for a pint of lemonade which is poured from a bottle) and the castle host was very difficult to find we feel we couldn't recommend Banwell castle to hold your function.

Absolutely fabulous wedding venue. The location, the staff and the food were very special. A special place for a special day.

Excellent food, good value and a great location.If you stay at the castle you have to try the food here.I am getting marries at Banwell castle this year and will be employing the skills of the chief !!

We got married here in September 2009. (Sorry for the late review, but have only recently got into the Tripadvisor input thing).Carmino was very helpful with organising our wedding requirements. And we had the perfect wedding thanks to all at Banwell Castle (and Cox's Mill in Cheddar for the evening reception). Of all the wedding venues available in North somerset Banwell Castle stood out head and shoulders above the rest. It was reasonably priced, beautiful location, personal. All the other venues seemed to fall down on at least one of those catagories!. Highly recommend it for a brilliant wedding.

We arrived at 4pm and there were six in our group. We were amazed at the fluidity of service and excellent quality of the food. All of the staff were friendly and extremely attentive. This was our first Christmas meal at a restaurant and would, wholeheartedly, recommend The Gatehouse. The food was freshly prepared with an adequate space between courses. However, we were unfortunately sat two tables away from the lady that has given poor feedback on what was actually a wonderful meal. The lady in question complained very vocally on two occasions throughout the meal with no foundation. In my opinion which was shared with many other diners the lady had far too much "Christmas spirit". At the end of the meal Carmino the chef was brought into the restaurant and given a standing ovation by all but the lady in question. No sooner had this ovation ended the lady then generated a further complaint. By now most people who had really enjoyed their day were listening to Carmino attempting very calmly to handle the complaint. Eventually a man from another table entered the conversation and told the lady that she was rude and had no foundation to her complaint. She very rudely told the customer to mind his own business and sit down. The lady had only one goal and that was to spoil the occasion. I have read her review and I have to say shame on you!I would also like to say thank you to Carmino and his staff for all that they did to make it a special day. We will all see you again next year.

I was lucky enough to be present for the Christmas Day Lunch with the wonderful Carmino! Every course was a melt in the mouth experience, the atmosphere was fantastic, and the staff were efficient and charming. The only spoiler was a woman at the next table from me who complained loudly (and without reason in my view) throughout the main course and continued her tirade after Carmino received a standing ovation!! I have always found Carmino to be polite, professional and very customer first. I would (and do) recommend The Gate House to all I meet, I wish Carmino continued success.

This year we decided to eat out for christmas day as there was only two of us. we were welcomed in at 4pm by friendly and well presented staff. me and my partner are sitting here laughing at the review by a much older but i wouldnt say wiser!!! couple who i know have left a complaint. The reason why i know and everyone who would of attended the 4pm sitting knows who complained is they tried to spoil everyone else Christmas day. I believe everyone has the right to complain, but there's a time, place , and overall respect for the staff. i was sat very close to the couple , they SHOUTED at a young waitress four times for all the world to see. and as for waiting 2 hours yes they did wait 2 hours but to be seated, given there drinks, starter, main, dessert, a platter of nibbles, and tea or coffee. so 2 hours for a 4 / 5 course isnt bad going. The food was excellent , the staff was amazing haveing to deal with people like that. and to top it all of the entertainment was worth the money. as we were getting ready to leave we witnessed a young man from one table and a lady from another table telling the old couple off for shouting and trying to spoil everyone else experience. To Finnish off you just cant please everyone , the staff did their best to try and deal with the situation as did the owner . If anything they gave that table more and extra attention than anyone else and the lady still wasnt happy. i would of kicked her out after the starters!!!!

The castle was booked for the 12:00 sitting, everyone was there on time and hungry. Plenty of staff who were all keen.Starters arrived without undue delays, mains and deserts followed, all tasty and well cooked (and hot) a hiccup on the coffee front was quickly sorted and a tasty selection of sweet nibbles came with the java to close the meal. All in all a great success, With pressies for all (I forgot my stay hot travel coffee mug!)

Arrived at 4pm,time of booking,was served 1st course approx 1/2 hour after being seated, butour main course wasn't served until 5.45pm,almost 2hrs after our 4pm 2nd sitting time!Annoyingly, a table adjacent to us was served all of their courses almost an hour before us,despite them having arrived at the same time as us! When we asked the reason why this was happening we were told 'its the way its done here!'Most of the main course veg was inedible,i.e. sprouts & carrots too hard to get a fork into,roastpotatoes were deep-fried,not roast. The coffee served was like dishwater! Had a chat with Carmino who was arrogant & rude. A complete disaster!

this is a great place with great food, i have been here twice and both times were great. We went with 2 friends for a meal and the owner was very nice and chatty, it was very quiet that evening. The second time was with a club and the food was just as great with around 25 of us. A real treat to have a meal out.

i am sure you have all heard the term 'you only get what you pay for' here Carmino gives you way above what you pay for, fantastic value for money.

Had a fabulous three course meal here with family. Good range of choices and Carmino was prepared to pretty much cook anything we wanted for our fussy little daughter. Delicious pâté for starter, very well presented, perfectly cooked beef main course and a syllabub to die for as pudding. Carmino is a wonderful chef and host and we are so pleased to have booked our wedding here for next year.

After getting married at Banwell Castle and experiencing Carmino's cooking we have been back to the restaurant several times (including Christmas Day) and never been disapointed. The menus have been different, not huge, which to me means freshly cooked, and the food beautifully cooked and presented. The service is efficient and it's just a great dining experience. Go, you'll love it. We are returning again for our Christmas Dinner this year!

Great for traditional afternoon tea, jam and scones

My Husband and I have just had our 50th BD party for 24 guests at Banwell Castle and would recommend it to others both in terms of quality/setting and value for money.Carmino who runs the Gatehouse resturant gave us an extensive menu choice and it is all run very efficiently. We had lots of flexibility to have the day as we wished. The meals were extremely nice and were piping hot and nicely presented and everyone was very pleased.We had the use of the courtyard for pimms on arrival and then had tea/coffee and cake on the terrace after the meal and the setting is just wonderful.Our guests who live a long way away could not believe they had come to a castle for lunch and we are very pleased that we decided to book our party at Banwell castle.

We visited the Castle for cream tea so we didn't have a formal meal. We didn't know the castle existed, but were checking out the area as we were moving to the locality. We decided to stop here as we saw the sign for cream teas. It's a strange place - feels like you are walking around someone's lounge but we ordered out cream teas and then went to sit outside and enjoy the view as the weather was lovely. The peacocks were an added bonus (depending on whether you like peacocks....)Would recommend for a short stop and a cream tea on a lovely warm day.

We had a nice time at Banwell castle, the cream tea was nice and sitting outside looking at the view was a lovely way to spend an hour. The peacocks added to the experience. Worth a visit.

An interesting visit as it is a wonderful old castle. I would like to revisit again and take my daughter with me.

Stayed at the Castle & ate in the Restaurant for my 50th. A table of 12 were very well looked after throughout the evening & everyone was delighted with the food. We have stayed & dined here many times before & as always Bill & Carmino could not be more welcoming & helpful. The castle has a charm of its own & the food is always excellent in the Restaurant. We have "done" New Years Eve here for the last 5 years & have already booked for this year.One of Somersets hidden jems

This review is for the Cream Tea. Yes, the main house is "Shabby Chic". Don't go here if you like MacDonalds. We are local to Banwell Castle and we did our first trip of the year on Feb. 25th 2012 for my birthday. If it is a nice day you can sit on the patio with peacocks roaming around. overlooking the most beautiful view. ( Kids can play in the garden ) If it is cooler there is a conservatory and a dining room overlooking the patio.The cream tea is generous. They also do Cream Coffee and other choices but the cream Tea is the winner because the scones are perfect. We love it here and we take all of our friends.

Very nice setting for a wedding, beautiful location and the views and outdoor space lovely.

no atmosphere, is it a wine bar? pub? eatery? not really sure

Have had many meals in The Gatehouse..great value and service the or four courses. The only disturbing time was Valentine's Day this year..the staff had deck out the restaurant in a lovely romantic fashion with candles, balloons and a special menu. The evening was blighted because one gable of four brought a toddler who ruined the atmosphere by running free range around the place and screaming and shouting the whole evening. The one meal of the year without children should have been Valentine's night...the couple should not have brought the child and the restaurant should have specified that it was adults only. This has been my only bad experience and it wa not about the food or value.

I held my son's 6th birthday party in the Gatehouse at Banwell Castle, which seemed an ideal venue for a Knights & Maidens themed party. We organised it at very short notice, and invited his whole class of 30 children. We were offered a choice of different foods and rooms at very good value. In the end I took over the whole building in order to accommodate the mayhem that is inevitable with 30 children.We hired a bouncy castle to put in the courtyard, and brought a variety of games & creative stuff to keep the children occupied and entertained.None of this fazed Carmino, the manager. He calmy assisted us with stringing up a dragon pinyata and blew up balloons. He put out tables for the artisitc endeavours to be made on, and layed out the most sumptuous banquet of delicious food for the meal in a different room - the tables were laid with real linen & looked very sophisticated! He ably assisted us with top-ups and more food as the children devoured the feast.The parents who stayed all commented on how good the food was - no chicken nuggets here, but real goujons. Beautifully presented fruit, cakes and crudites, accompanied by large salvers of tasty hot savoury food freshly prepared was served. Extremely good value, especially given the woeful food on offer at most kids party venues for so much more per head.Finally, he helped light the candles on the Castle cake I'd had made, and cut it up for all the children in time for them to leave.For me, it was one of the most stressful days of my life, but the way that the manager coped with everything on his own and remained utterly calm was an inspiration. I can't recommend this venue enough for such an event, even though it is not the main source of business for the Gatehouse.