The Merry Monk in Taunton Deane

Place has gone downhill quite a lot of flies🐜🦟around in the bar area and where the food is food not so good as it used to be

First time here. One nice touch was that my wife is dairy intolerant, so they provided a large separate portion of vegetables for her. Very busy so remember to book a table. Friendly staff and attentive. Will be back

The most amazing meal ever definitely be back soon

Cracking carvery. One of my favourites, also option to take away when they are fully booked

Great carvery. Will eat there again.

One of if not THE best carvery I have ever had . The beef was perfectly pink , the vegetables were perfect and plenty of choice . Service impeccable and a lovely atmosphere . Such good value .

The pub was surprisingly full at 5.30 on a Tuesday evening in November. Excellent food all freshly cooked so it pays to eat early. They had an offer on 2 carveries.

Took my 92 year old mum and good friend out for lunch today . Had the carvery which was amazing ,cooked to perfection, lovely selection of veg and served nice n hot . Wheelchair friendly ,staff attentive and good service all round Definitely recommend 👌

Best carvery I've ever had, will definitely come back again x

Absolutely lovely experience. Very well presented pub with friendly staff and an amazing carvery.

We had the carvery which was 2 for £22. Great value and delicious food. Will definitely revisit when I can.

Excellent food and great value for money

I went to the merry monk with my neighbour this evening. Not many staff but the food was amazing as were the staff that tended to us. A really enjoyable eevening thank you to you all

One of the best carvery I have ever had consistent and enjoyable

Excellent meal excellent service and I would recommend it to family and friends. Book up every Sunday till Christmas.

Excellent carvery, good atmosphere, great service

Best carvery in town by far. Great team runs smoothly

We've been here a couple of times in the last few weeks. Once for Sunday carvery and once for an evening carvery. On both occasions the food was excellent and service was also very good. Highly recommended and will be returning again soon.

We visited a friend in Creech today. We’ve known this lady for more than 50 years… we used to live there. She took us out for lunch to celebrate my wife’s 80th birthday. First time to the pub. Food was excellent (even have a carvery on weekdays), service great, atmosphere great…the place was almost full for midweek which says something ! Wish I lived closer 👍😀

The food was superb, but the visit was tempered by the poor service of the waiting staff, we were kept waiting 30 minutes for our drink order, I appreciate that you were busy, but it felt as if we had been forgotten. The food was amazing though, thank you

We booked a table and waited 15 mins to be seated as there wasn’t a table clear or people still on the tables that should of left as you only get 1 hour 30 - 2 hour max (states on there website) slot for bookings we were given the option to wait for a table to be free not sure when that was they where just getting deserts and night caps .. or have a table that needs to be back in a hour we had the kids and wasn’t going to wait an additional 30 mins and good we didn’t we wait the table we where meant to have where still there when we left. With two kids with us we took the table right away. We waited in line for 30 mins for food and people pushed in there is no correct waiting system for food so with 4 of us expected to eat in 20 mins was ridiculous. I get it’s busy but what’s the point in booking a table if they have no space. The staff said go up and help your self and would get us in straightaway due to times, we noticed people had tickets but never mentioned to us we needed one so came out of line to find one or enquire. So after left the line sorted that we then got food (yay) all in all had about 15 mins to eat a full Sunday dinner have 2 drinks and then leave. Was not happy with experience at all and don’t think I would return. Especially on a Sunday. Booked table for 6pm for 2 adults and 2 children Here is a breakdown of timings on this visit: Arrived 5:55pm to the door seated 6:15pm 18:25 first drinks arrived. (2 adult beers and 1 child simply fruity already bottled) not to long of a wait in 10 mins usual average time 6:20 partner waiting in line for child food waiting in line. I then go up with for the other child and myself we all Sat down with all 3 meals at 18:38pm exact Food wasn’t seasoned and the veg was the nicest part of eating the meat was good but flaverless. No check back on table after seeing us eat for the 10 mins and had to go get our own drinks at the bar. Even through there where waiters and waitresses everywhere serving. 6-7 in this small area. This was a shock because I had already asked to speak to the manager 2 times. After wolfing down the meal the best we could there was no air con or windows open and the building was very hot. Even the table next to us mentioned it’s hot and was sweating … over all experience was a 1/5 stars Food was good just not enough time to eat meat could use seasoning and the salt on the table was missing the bottom, I asked for some this never came. After leaving my barley had enough to eat before having to go paid the £51 bar tab for this and took pictures of the amount we managed to eat before we got told by a gentleman that the other group where here. I then waited to speak with a manager for 35 mins 7:42 I left and the manager was no where to be seen when waiting at the bar. As well as paying for the bill I asked. The car machine was presented to me and the bar man then started serving someone else as I was paying. The guy next to me had push past me and told me to move. Usually it be I’m dealing with something I’ll be with you in a sec but felt I wasn’t important enough at this point. I have put the timings exact on here as I like to review places. This was checked and written in the notes for my review today. All I can say is that if it wasn’t illegal I would have walked off without paying. No one acknolaged me as a customer, served me as a customer, or even said good bye or thank you after taking the money. See pictures below of what we ate in the space of 15-20 mins before being asked to speed up as table would be needed.

Recent refurbishment, superb and comfortable restaurant. Nice staff. Wide menu, includes a separate standard menu and carvery. Can be busy.

Absolutely crap service was ass it took 50 min for 2 carvery’s and the food was shocking potatoes were hard as a rock tight for meat

Great carvery and great value !!

the carvery was amazing...huge portions

Delicious and a good price. Not sure the veggie mushroom carvery alternative really went too well with the roast but it was all lovely.

Well organised busy Tuesday night hopefully visit again

The food here is delicious. I had carvery and everything was perfectly cooked, hot and tasty. I would definitely have given this place a five star rating apart from one issue. The person in front of me in the queue was (from the conversation) obviously known to the server and he was given at least twice as much meat as me. As carveries run on a unit weight per customer serving it left me feeling a bit disgruntled and wondering who (me?) and how many people would be given less to make up the shortfall

Our first time at the Merry Monk but definitely not our last. Good choice of real ales, very well kept. The two ladies had nut roast but were, I'm afraid, left singularly unimpressed. However, the rest of the carvery was beyond excellent. Superb selection, some in creamy sauce, excellent roasties, all piping hot. The staff were similarly excellent. Smiley and jolly and jolly helpful. Overall, a most enjoyable experience. See you again on Sunday.

I generally don't go to carveries as I can't eat the meat (I'm Muslim), and the vegetarian alternatives are usually bland, insipid affairs (especially around Birmingham), but the veggies offered here are lovely, all different and very hearty and tasty. Order your roast potatoes separately, though. Service and desserts was excellent too

Sunday carvery was outstanding. Thank you to everyone for making such great food. Front of house staff were all great too. Only things for improvement are.....it would be nice if you could eat food in the grassy part of the garden, not just the patio area, don'tknow why you can't? And second, there could be some toys for kids to play with like there used to be. Food was 10/10 though, best carvery we've ever had hands down.

Food was good but not great parking was a joke not enough spaces but after all that overall a good experience will go back an try again at a later date.

Great carvery, good service and great drinks selection

One of the best places you could eat in taunton and the price is so good

It's been a while since I've been back here, and it was good. Great attention to service, obviously I ate too much food, which was fresh and delicious 😋 Excellent value... AA++

One of the best carverys I have ever had

We had a fab dinner here today. They fitted 6 of us in with no booking. The carvery was the best we have had. Presented beautifully, tasted fab, what more can you ask for. Thank you

Went in yesterday for food, the quality of the food was amazing, the waitresses were lovely and helpful except for the young lad behind the bar, he was rude and very short tempted,, as a family on holiday it was quite disappointing,rude and arigant

Started well, we were shown to our table and ordered drinks. I ordered a San Miguel and has a Carlberg delivered, i pointed out i had ordered a San Miguel and the young lady apologised and took the Carlberg back. Some 10 minutes later, still no drink, so i went to the bar and after waiting a few minutes was able to get my drink. After sitting at the table for 40 minutes we were wondering when we would be invited to get our carverys, I asked one of the staff and was told it would be a further 5-10 minutes. We were duly invited to get our food, my son who had ordered a nut roast was disappointed to be told it was not ready and would be bought to the table. The food was excellent and we enjoyed our meal, with the exception of my son who didn't get his nut roast. Upon pointing this out when paying the bill the bill was reduced by £1, no explanation or apology was given. Its a shame that the service was so poor as the food was excellent. Many of the staff seemed to be very young and seemed busy, but could do with some training and guidance in the importance of good customer service.

Had nice beef and fresh selection of vegetables nice drink and friendly staff. Very good value for money

Stopped in here to kill time during rush hour before heading back to Wales and I'm so glad I did! The carvery was fresh, such good range and soooo tasty! Genuinely the best carvery I have had. Lovely staff and pretty restaurant inside and out. If I'm ever around Taunton you can guarantee I'll be back!

Lovely food - however, as a meat eater, more than veg- it was very tight on the meat, when we asked for more - we were faced with a tut and a dirty look from the lady carving! Shame as everything else was lovely !! Except - it felt like we’d been forgotten

Came today found portions disappointing for a carvery. And my Chicken Burger wasn't happy 😒 shame really looks a nice pub perhaps 🤔 it will be better next time.

Fantastic place to come for the weekly quiz. Enjoyed the carvery.

Lovely experience here for tea tonight. We ordered two carvery's and a steak. The food was absolutely gorgeous and cooked to perfection. Everything was very clean and tidy. Nice and relaxing atmosphere and the staff were all very lovely and attentive. One small thing to note was there was no one there to greet us when we arrived and we had to wait a small time for someone to come to seat us but once they did it was a great experience and we will be back again soon for sure. Thanks all.

Last minute booking on a Friday. Managed to get a table and when we arrived we saw people being turned away as it was full so we were reassured that the food was going to be good. Did a carvery for 2 for 20pound which was really good value. Service was a little slow and disorganised I think they were just very busy or not enough working however it didn't take us too long to be told to go up for carvery. The food was delicious meat wasn't dry at all. All the veg was freshly rotated and all tasted good and all well seasoned no over cooked water mush is sight. Decided to get desserts also and the chocolate tart was delicious! The bar is dog friendly and if you book you need to mention it. They have children's colouring which was good but it was a shame to see the playground was gone and there were definitely a good number of younger children that could have benefited from it will definitely be back!

Great carvery, lovely garden with plenty of seating. Definitely worth a visit.

Dropped in on Sunday lunch without a booking and they fitted us in. Good atmosphere and staff couldn't have been more helpful. Fast service at the bar and picking carvery within 15 minutes of sitting down. Sunny day so we sat outside. REALLY good food. A good choice of meat, all fresh and well cooked veggies too.

A brilliant place to eat and drink

Not just a carvery. The food is excellent quality and value. Friendly staff, and some great options if you don't want the carvery. But the carvery was SO good. Quality cuts of meat, cooked to perfection, with a wide range of veg and accompaniments. Dog friendly too.

Happened upon the Merry Monk by chance. So glad we did as this was the best carvery I've had in years. Lovely food, good value, friendly and helpful staff, plenty of room between tables. Will definitely return when in the area.

Absolutely lovely carvery. They welcomed us & our dogs. The wife had a desert great price.

We had a lovely mid week roast two for £20

Really poor service. We didn’t book in advance so took the risk of getting a table. Was greeted by a blunt waiter that said they don’t have a table despite a few tables appearing empty. He explained they were reserved although for an hours time. We said we’d be quick as we only wanted carvery but wouldn’t let us have a table. At this point we still reasonably understood as we didn’t book so we asked if they do takeaway (it was sunny so we planned on taking it somewhere nice). They said yes but ended up charging us for a takeaway box! Asked to speak to the manager as the waiter was still being blunt and bordering on rude to see if they could drop the price for the takeaway box considering we wanted to eat inside but she was also blunt and said no. Becoming more disappointed we carried on and selected our carvery in the takeaway box and was ready to go. We then asked for some cutlery (assuming they provided it for takeaway) and they said they don’t supply takeaway cutlery and were unwilling to lend us some normal cutlery that I promised I’d return. We live in Devon so this was very disappointing. Made no effort to help us out and didn’t care about us at all. We wouldn’t have bothered about the food and would have asked for a refund but we had a hungry 4 year old with us! Extremely poor service and won’t be going back.

This is an excellent place. Read my review below.

Good food and staff. Long wait for carvery

Just booked a table here for the 3rd time this month honestly can not fault anything. Delicious homely English food, full belly’s all round and staff are lovely. 😋 very reasonable priced too. 😊 🐾 Dogs welcome which is always a bonus 🐾 Merry Monk don’t change anything… 👌

Lasagne was black as it was burnt.

We really enjoyed out carvery would definitely come back

The best carvery that I have had in a very long time. The meat and vegetables were perfectly cooked and the portions were not skimped on. The carvery was very bright and the tables cleared regularly and cleaned after every customer. The staff were always smiling and attentive and always at hand to help you. The carvery was very busy indeed but the atmosphere was very relaxed and happy. All in all a very nice establishment indeed to have Sunday carvery with family. Highly recommended.

I came to the restaurant with my family 2 adults and 2 children. One of my child ordered a pizza from children's menu, rest of us carvery. We could not have our meal until my child got her dish. It took them 45 minutes to serve the pizza . Then we could go and have our dinner, again we were waiting 15 minutes in the queue. Generally I am very disappointed.

Always came here for lunch and seen different owners however it's gone down hill massively nice staff members have left and been replaced with rude inconsiderate people that's a shame as we loved big family gatherings here over the years. The food is disgusting there is hair in the food and some staff members think it's nice to shout over an old couple and two babys! Looking at the reviews I can clearly see alot of people feel it's gone down hill aswell. Maybe hygiene standards should pay a visit and training given to some staff members on professionalism and behaviour.

Great food at a reasonable price. will go again

Disappointed, staff could have been more attentive, food was OK, I had ham, egg & chips. Baileys cheesecake was quite poor.

The carvery during the week was excellent and well priced 2 for £20 3 × meats and a great choice of vegetables potatoes etc lovely choices of puds well recommended

One of the best carvery’s I’ve had for a long time. The meat is lovely and tender, vegetables are cooked just right. The gravy tastes amazing! Not to forget the deserts! Wow baileys cheesecake was lush!

Delicious carvery. Grateful they fitted us in with no booking but couldn't be more helpful in slotting us in. Food was yummy. Meat very generous and great choice of veg. Thank you.

Hands down this is the best carvery in Taunton, meat and vegetables all cooked to perfection, I had the beef and it literally melted in my mouth, all the staff are very attentive and really look after you, if you not tried it lately you are missing out! Keep up the good work guys

Food was very good, good value. Clean Friendly staff.

Just one thing wrong with Sunday carvery .... no parsnips!!! Otherwise excellent

Excellent carvary, and good value. Would come back again

Fantastic value and delicious food. We go for the roasts at 2 for £20 Monday-Friday. I'm vegetarian and the veggie choices are excellent

First time back visiting the Merry Monk after a few years , first impressions as we pulled into the car park was not great , middle aged men speeding around the car park , lots of tyre screeching and noise . We were greeted by a friendly young waitress who was very attentive. However the food was slightly bland and underwhelming. The carvery always used to be great and looked delicious but food off the normal menu lacked the wow factor the carvery has . Not much of an atmosphere, some staff more approachable than others . Overall a mediocre experience. Good for basic pub grub

Beef, pork, turkey. Lots of extras. The dauphinoise gratin was amazing !

This is regarding their beer tent in the spring Market Belfast. Staff extremely rude. Condraticting each other. Bouncers have a power trip! Disgusting

Amazing as always. I love this place. The food is fantastic, the service really friendly and efficient and the atmosphere is always perfect. It was my Dad's birthday and we had an amazing meal. He requires a dairy free diet and they were able to make his menu choice with dairy free mash without any issues. My Mum and I had carvery which was delicious as always. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The Merry Monk to anyone. It's a guaranteed great meal!!!

I love the carvery they serve every day, not just Sunday only. The only thing we miss is the mashed potato.

Lovely carvery and great homemade desserts 🥮

Indifferent staff, cold vegetables, new potatoes were fried...long wait for food to arrive.

Great food , good atmosphere and prices are fair.

Very good food nice and hot and tasty

Great food, great price, friendly staff

I went for a meal here on 30th April for a friends birthday. I had the Lasagne which was burnt to a crisp. It was completely black. Had it not been for the fact that my friend was paying and I didn't want to upset her I would have complained at the time. Won't be going again here again.

Great carvery and staff very friendly and helpful

AMAZING CARVERY ....pudding wasn't bad ....lol lol

Lovely meal. Great service shall definitely visit again

Went for a Sunday roast. The carvery was good, I went for a vegan option and had a nut roast. Food was excellent on mains but very limited choice on vegan desserts other than Sorbet. The chef on the carvery was very helpful, but the waitress staff were too busy to ask when seated and any more drinks. The Ale was not chilled.

What has happened to the merry monk? . came on Mon night for a carvery . Staff didn't know what they were doing.. Food was horrible, vegetables unedable.. we will never return.. such a shame as it used to be fantastic.

Newly decorated and is lovely and clean and bright. Dog friendly and delicious food. Worth a visit x

If you know, you know... But if you don't, then you soon will! Trust me, just go and experience this place for yourself. It is first class.

We'll call you when it's your turn for the carvery LOL ... you just know that's NOT going to happen and it didn't. After 20 minutes and no one at the carvery, yes, we had to remind the inexperienced overstretched young waitress. Read the reviews here and on TripAdvisor, a recurring theme of poor service. A real shame as food was superb but service was hopeless. The management so need to train their staff.

Disappointed with staff, Felt constantly ignored. The food was average unfortunately.

16 went for a meal on march 26th lovely carvery and kids ordered burgers .staff helpful and chatty .

Great food again, well worth the visit.

We have our own Sunday lunch table, the whole package is brilliant! We even had my late Aunt's wake, 27 carveries, there. They did her proud, she loved her Sunday lunches, virtually every Sunday, with us. Would recommend to anyone.

Waited for staff to tell us when we could go up for our carvaries. People in after us got to go before us. Waited over half an hour. Vegetables crammed underneath hot lamps so spoons hot and had to bend down to see what you're getting. Ordered puddings and waited a long time for those. It was supposed to be a family get-together. Put off with very long wait

Best carvery in Taunton. Amazing pub, awesome food

Our favourite, had my belated birthday last night here. 14 of us, great food, service and company, thank you to all the staff,, Dino.

We've previously had lovely carveries here and have come back quite a few times, the food is generally very nice. Unfortunately it now seems to have gone downhill and our last experience will probably mean we don't go back again. To start with, we were seated on a small table in the corner next to a loud speaker. The manager appeared to have a number of children under her supervision which were allowed to run riot and were given a large long table to occupy. I saw the children were allowed to wander up and help themselves to the carvery whenever they felt like it, mostly just helping themselves to the Yorkshire puddings by hand. We felt like we were sat in a kids play area. When we were told to go up to the carvery there was nobody there, after waiting a while one of the waitresses came and served us, I assume they didn't have a specific person serving like they normally do. There didn't seem to be much hygiene as the waitress finished serving tables and then served us without washing her hands. The food was very mediocre and there was a severe lack of customer service. Unfortunately, based on this experience, we won't be going back any time soon unless they turn things around considerably.

Had nut roast carvery and myvwife had carvery. Absolutely lovely