The Noke Restaurant in St Albans

This is now permanently closed as a hotel and spa. The car valet and charger are still open.

It was good the food was nice but the pasta I had was cold

Nice meal while waiting for the car to charge. Much better than a motorway service area!

Nice food and fantastic staff, drinks a little pricey though.

The Noke gave us fantastic service and a wonderful evening for our wedding reception...highly recommended for that. We have visited a number of times since and both the restaurant service and food quality has been mixed!

Amazing Boxing Day lunch with family and friends . As always The noke did Not disappoint .. 5* food and service. Thank you again .

We decided to eat in the restaurant on our first night, it was not particularly busy, but there was enough people to create a relaxed atmosphere They had a bar menu, a la carte and a set menu, so plenty to choose from, the food was not the fasted to be served, but it did make for a relaxing dinner with plenty of time to digest the food between coursed. There was only one staff member serving with the odd other person bringing out things, but she was friendly and had time to chat as she was very efficient which makes a change from the usual clueless teenager in most restaurants I enjoyed the food and would recommend eating there

Nice furnishings, good pool, excellent waiter service and nice food BUT no apparent sound insulation from the hotel's own noisy function suite outside causing music to permeate the room into the early hours. This was then followed by doors constantly banging and loud guests singing and partying in their rooms then wheelie bins being rolled along outside before dawn collection! Would not recommend this venue if you are actually wanting to sleep in your room on your hotel break! Still waiting one week later for the hotel manager to respond to our complaint about the noise.

Great place to relax and enjoy time with family and friends.

Lovely hotel. Swimming pool great and spa pool great. Warm welcome by staff on reception. However, we were sitting in lounge area at table and staff asked if we wanted a drink. Two of us had coffee but I didn't want a drink. The waitress asked me three times and quite rudely on the last time which upset me as she just refused to listen when I said I didn't want. I felt intimidated by her and it was noticed her attitude problem by those with me. Problem is that all staff we came in contact with were foreign and struggled to understand us. Shame really cos it would have been nice to sit in lounge area and not feelguilty that I didn't get a drink

Stayed there last month on way out to Eurostar. Not been there since a christening 20 years ago. Place hasn't changed much. Nice enough atmosphere, everywhere nice and tidy. Room was good, bed very comfortable, and nice and quiet. Didn't use the restaurant or bar as I spent the evening with my family up the road. Got a good deal on the room, which was nice! Spent a peaceful night, which you want if you're going to be spending all the next day travelling. I'd happily stay there again.

Food is OK but I think a bit pricey for the quantities you get. The bar is decent with multiple televisions on site.

Nice atmosphere, tables not too close together, friendly staff and food choices are good. Dietary requirements catered for. Had an excellent lunch.

Was a crazy time working with Eric Olsen we were the night porters. Spooky kinda place...rumours of haunted rooms, and weird happenings.I thing Gerard Verlombier (?) was the GM at the time. Loved it looking back on it. Then there were a lot of French working in the restaurant, lots of Danes on the front desk. I lived onsite and would sometimes drive to the neighbouring villages in the chill dawns of winter to pick up staff in the hotel car. It was known as the Noke Thistle hotel back then

We just had a very nice night, in a clean room, but were challenged to get our breakfast at the price of the voucher (10 pounds)with the Morning clercs. They said that we should have been informed that we needed to mention it the previous night when registering. This was not an information we had received and they insisted on having us to pay 15 pounds, so we declined. This was a bit sad as it was a generous open buffet and that (most of) the staff were just genuinely nice.

Fish was chewy, burnt and inedible yet the batter was somehow soggy.

It's a lovely if a little dated hotel on a busy main road, the problem we encountered was the staff seemed very young and disinterested, to the point they carried on talking about where they went the night before while they were checking us in. The restaurant again could do with a good scrub however, the food was very good.

Nice food, nice staff, best to pre-book table.

Attended the Noke Hotel for a wedding reception and overnight stay with breakfast. Firstly the wedding ceremony room was well presented and the agreed decor and decorations were set out correctly. The Marque was also set out correctly and looked very nice. The 3 course meal was all very edible and the coffee and drinks were served with efficiency. Our overnight stay was also very comfortable with a nice quite room with all services working correctly. The breakfast was also extensive enough to meet most people's needs i would of thought. The hotel is also well positioned for road links to the M25 and M1. All in all as wedding guests we were well looked after and i can only congratulate the hotel staff for a job well done

Had a great time today at the Nike for our son/daughters naming ceremony. The staff bent over backwards for us & all our guests really enjoyed themselves. Thankyou the noke staff

Stayed for one night. The room was right on the junction so traffic noice could have been an issue, but didn’t really bother us. The room was comfy enough although it has to be said that the net curtains were filthy as was the window sill. There was a prom night on in the Marque but we could not hear it in our room. However this could be an issue if you have a side room and they can go on to 1am. The staff were actually great and friendly, Very attentive. The breakfast was fine, a decent range of hot and cold. The hot breakfast was fine and hit the spot. Another good thing is the free parking. I hate having to pay for parking even if you are a paying guest (Take note London) The outside of the hotel is spoilt by the rotting crumbling windows, it would make such difference with a clean up and lick of paint. All that said, it did a job and was very reasonable for B&B

Beautiful place went to a retirement party

Tried to book a party here, they had all our details in advance, did not flag up and concerns when armed with all our details. Happily excepted our contract and deposit. Over a week later we received a blunt TEXT not even a phone call saying they had double booked and we had to cancel or change our date of our event. This caused much upset as we had paid to have our invites and sent them out, our guest had booked rooms, and we had arranged for family abroad to travel back for the party. We had to take time off work to meet with the events manager, who had her guard up as soon as we met her. She had no empathy what so ever. Told us to cancel or change our date, no sorry how can we sort this out. Insisted her staff had done nothing wrong, although they had not flagged up any problems before accepting our money!! Offered no compensation for the inconvenience. Had to fight to get rooms that were already paid for money back as non cancelation rooms booked yet the Noke were the ones who cancelled the date!! Had lots of problems trying to get our deposit back. Very unprofessional, would not recommend them, a terrible experience.

Just one thing to say about this hotel. A pint of Peroni = £5.20. A half of Peroni = £3.50 (£7 for 2 halves). How can they justify a £1.80 difference between half and pints??

The Noke is well priced and good value. Sure, it’s not a luxury hotel, but for a night on the road with work it’s fine. Leaving the hotel onto an extremely busy road is a bit scary, even for food drivers. The room was good sized, although the water pressure in the shower was very weak. I had dinner in the bar downstairs, and it was good quality. The best bit of the hotel is the employees. They were all, to a person, so friendly and professional.

We have passed this hotel for many years, always looked inviting from the outside. Stayed recently, dining room was very nicely decorated, food good and the staff welcoming and efficient, breakfast was excellent. However the room we were allocated was somewhat tired and shabby, not as clean as it could have been it looks as there might had been a flood in the room we had, and the carpet had been cut out and patched up rather badly. Good enough tho, £50 for the night and brekkie included.

We went for a nights stay and although we had a couple of small issues the general stay was very good. The negative was at breakfast I had to ask a few times for bread to make toast..waited 10 minutes. Eggs were rock hard so had to request fresh ones to be made A supervisor was very apologetic and we received a partial refund. On to the positive, the room was lovely, very spacious. Staff were friendly and made us feel very at home. We chose a number of starters from the menu as finger food in the evening and all of these were very tasty. A lovely anniversary card and complimentry drink each was a nice way to be welcomed to our room. Look forward to returning!!

Great Hotel. Staff very helpful. Libby behind the bar was very attentive as well as professional! Would definitely recommend!

Stayed at the hotel over the weekend and on the second night of our visit decided to eat at the hotel bar/restaurant the oak and avocado.

Having been to many locations with my company at Christmas, expectations on 'mass catering' for many party goers fills me with a hint of dread. Usual Christmas Party 3 course meals have been either mediocre or poor. Catering for several hundred guests is very difficult ....... however - The Noke completely broke the mould !

Went to a party in this venue. Food was dull uninspiring fare.

Stayed at the hotel. Rooms were old fashioned. Not exceptionally clean. My colleague found a contact lens in her bed. Vile

We stayed at this hotel for two nights but I would only go back there if I really had to stay in that area. The room was clean and tidy but very dark, just one small window in a recess, also brown furniture and furnishings which didn't help. The main problem is with the noise. On both nights there were people coming and going with suitcases, a large number of people who were there for a wedding all shouting and making loads of noise in the corridor, including children crying and yelling. This went on until about 1.30am when I had to go into the corridor in my pyjamas and ask them to keep the noise down. It still took another half an hour for it to be quiet enough to sleep. The food was ok, its self service which is fine except that it was crowded and by the time you had managed to get some food and cook your own toast, you came back to the table to cold tea and coffee. I'm not a fussy person but I do like to be comfortable if I am paying a reasonable amount for my nights stay. I wouldn't really go there again.

We paid in advance, great food. I had fish and chips, enormous. My husband had the lamb shank the best he had had, we even as the chef to come to the table. We had the cheese board a bit pricey but so much cheese and well presented probably 1 serving would have been suffice, Great service

having driven past "the Noke" many times over the years, I have wanted ,to visit for a long time,as my Husband and I were celebrating our 47th wedding anniversary,we thought it would be nice to go there for a meal.i am sorry to say it did not live up to expectations the menu was uninspired so we decided on steak.my husband ordered rib eye steak,and I ordered fillet both well done,i expected a nice little neat slice of tender steak,instead of which,it was a knbbly lump of meat,that was difficult to cut and chewey,when I complained I at first was told it was because I wanted well done,it wasn't too well done( still a little pink)

Not quite sure when hotels are going to realise that ‘casual’ visitors are important.

We stopped here for an impromptu rest break due to traffic with my 15 year old, her friend and my wife and one year old twins.

Ate outside on a lovely evening. Staff were attentive without being overbearing and were very professional and friendly. Food excellent, especially at prices much lower than might be expected in a good quality hotel.

Overall the hotel is in desperate need of an upgrade. The room size was okay but the walls are paper thin and we were constantly woken up with people talking when walking past. The bed was small and the mattress kept sliding away from the headboard with pillows of rock. The TV had only a few channels and they were poor picture quality - itv was hardly watchable and had subtitles on which wouldn't switch off. By the fact there was a laminated sheet saying they had TV ariel issues it looks like they have had this problem for a while but there was no mention of it when booking or when checking in and certainly no offer of compensation.

Ambience was nice and very well laid out in terms of space between tables.

Thanks to all the staff at this hotel for a wonderful stay. All staff were friendly and professional and always with a total sense of sincerity. Food was lovely, room was equally good. Have had a really relaxing trip and was made to feel very welcome. Dining room clean and beautifully laid out.

This is the main restaurant at the Mercure Noke Hotel just outside of St Albans. The restaurant is nicely decorated with lots of light from the big windows. The menu wasn't too extensive but the food was good and well presented. The staff are all exceptionally friendly, helpful and attentive which was really nice. If you're staying at the hotel this is where the (really good) breakfast is served.

We spent the overnight stay at the Noke, we went to a function in the Marquee it was a buffet and the food was delicious, never short of anything,plenty for all.

My wife and I along with some friends booked individual rooms here for the evening. They all varied on sizes but all lacked in slight cleanliness and modernisation.

I stay at this hotel regularly throughout the year and it is always a nice welcoming environment. The food is always good and service excellent. Becky runs the bar like clockwork with Lauren and Kamila and Gwynn always have a welcoming smile and can never do enough for you.

I have stayed in this hotel many times and it has never failed to provide a warm welcome. The rooms are comfortable and the food is very good. There are two restaurants and a lovely little pool & spa. However the best thing is the...

The Noke Restaurant was the destination for a post-funeral meal. It's close to the West Hertfordshire crematorium and we all...

Mi grupo de 40 tenía una cena de tres platos que era perfecta y caliente. El desayuno era caliente y abundante.

El personal es un poco lento y las habitaciones son muy anticuadas. Las camas son pequeñas y los baños necesitan mucho cariño. Las zonas comunes son bonitas y bien decoradas y el desayuno era suficiente. Tuvimos que sentarnos en el suelo fuera de mi habitación...

El Noke es imprescindible "distancia" fiable para la celebración de bodas. Viejas, y caro.

Fuimos a los 60 comidas temáticas. Fue espléndido y una gran relación calidad-precio. Llegamos a las 10. 30 y nos dieron té/café y pasteles de Misa del Gallo - un montón de arriba ups si es necesario. Había dos cantantes, haciendo 60 canciones y para el baile. Había una sesión antes del almuerzo y una después. Buena diversión. También hay algo de diversión concursos en las mesas para mantenernos ocupados.

I have stayed at The Noke a number of times and always found it to be a good hotel, although some of the room décor and fittings are a little tired. This time, for the first time, I experienced their private dining also. Whilst it wasn't as 'special' as similar events I've attended in Central London hotels, it was very good. The service was good and food portions both considerable and tasty.Breakfast the next morning was great and we used their meeting room facilities which were just what we needed. You always get a warm welcome at The Noke and it is very conveniently located just off the M25.

We were on a group booking and had a set menu but food was excellent and all of the staff exceptional

The staff were very helpful in the difficult time organising a funeral reception. The food was ample and interesting.. the venue was convenient, tasteful and quiet - just what we needed. Thank you for helping with it all - highly recommended.

Had English Breakfast at Noke.. The Place is clean and nice and has lot of variety for breakfast.......

I celebrated my 80th Birthday in a private room at Mercure Noke. Hannah of the sales team was very helpful in advising on the detail and the whole event ran very smoothly under the watchful eye of Sarah. The food was of very good quality and there was plenty of it. The whole atmosphere was very good and I really enjoyed the day. We were not hassled and there was plenty of time between courses for friends and family to chat

The 'Oak & Avocado Bar' at the Noke is a wooden-floored, modern-style barn; very clean; excellent service; busy bar (especially if wedding on); we shared pizza and fries (£12 total)... excellent with some requested mayonnaise/dips.Huge TV; could be a bit noisy in the main area, but there's a quiet soft end lounge as well (not large).

Excellent service, could not do enough for me with a baby, friendly staff and very accommodating would highly recommend this hotel to friends and family

Great food great service, plus good value.Company dinner here and it was fantastic, just note you can get bar menu in Restaurant

The hotel is very clean. The staff very helpful. Breakfast buffet has plenty of choice, as does the cook to order menu. I had eggs Benedict, the eggs cooked perfectly, but the sauce just let it down.

We visited the Noke on a midweek lunchtime. We went in to what we thought was the bar which was quite empty but were told that if we wanted to eat, because we were not residents,we would need to eat in the restaurant. The restaurant was open for bar snack type meals but we opted for the more informal lounge area which also had dining tables. We each chose the club sandwich with french fries and a drink. The food was quite nice but the service left a lot to be desired. As it was a hot day and it was listed in the drinks menu I ordered a glass of Pimms but the server did not know what this was. When our food arrived we were not offered cutlery or given napkins.The staff that we encountered spoke very poor English and conversed with each other in their own language. Our bill was just shy of £40. For this money you can have a really good 2 or 3 course lunch with drinks and coffee for 2 at a variety of restaurants in St Albans and that's what we'll be doing in future.

We went to The Noke last night hoping for a good quality meal in a nice environment. Our expectations were quite high even though we had booked last minute and the person on the phone told us not to worry, "just come along"!We arrived early and were given our choice of tables. The room was a trifle cold but looked inviting. The restaurant is in a conservatory type room at the front of the hotel, but most of it was partitioned off with only the first third of the room set up for dining. More about this later.We sat down and I noticed two very small food marks on my cloth which had been rubbed over. I decided I could live with that. The menu looked good, I chose feta and minted pea salad followed by lemon sole, my husband chose mackerel followed by rack of lamb. the starters were about £5.50 and the mains £23.50 each. We were served our aperitifs then the waitress brought us four little rolls and butter. The rolls were edible but nothing special.We then had quite a long wait until the feta and mackerel arrived. When it did, I was surprised how large my dish of salad was, but I ate most of it and thought it was OK. My husband's mackerel looked a bit sorry. He told me it was cold and he would have preferred it warm or at least room temperature. The lamb turned out to be overcooked and tough, with rock hard green beans and roast potatoes which we felt might be from the freezer. It came with a little gravy boat. The meal was very salty.My lemon sole was the worst fish dish I remember eating in a moderately expensive restaurant. The food was over seasoned and the fish had been covered in a salty cheese sauce to which had been added large and very vinegary capers. the fish looked grey underneath it's coating and the whole thing tasted pretty disgusting. There was a mound of samphire - expensive to buy and usually delicious - this samphire tasted like it had been cooked in dishwater. the remaining food item on the plate was potato. Even they were not pleasant to eat. They'd been sautéed, I think, but they were hard and flavourless. I ate two mouthfuls of the vegetables and a few of the fish, then wished I hadn't as I suspected it had died a long time ago and started worrying it might make me ill. I realised it had probably been a bad idea to order fish in a restaurant that was empty on a Friday night. After this I decided to skip pudding and just have a filter coffee. The coffee arrived and it was far too strong and bitter. I put lots of cream in to offset this but It was still strong and bitter and cold. I managed to drink about a fifth of the cup and gave up.On top of this, the part of the restaurant available for seating diners is right next to the hotel reception, which means that you can be sitting by windows next to where people are dragging their suitcases indoors. And those people with their suitcases then seemed to be using the top part of the restaurant (a couple of yards away from the tables in use), as a bit of a thoroughfare to get through to somewhere else in the hotel? Which just seemed odd. Lastly, although there is a piano in the restaurant, the background music on offer was a tape of the worst kind of middle of the road cover versions.The experience overall was so disappointing, the venue could be lovely and the menu sounds great but the food was cooked so badly. If last night was typical, the hotel should open up the further end of the restaurant instead of the area open at present, and seriously consider a different chef.

Stay over for the weekend and we enjoyed the food. It's seems that the new head chef and staff kitchen did a very good job with it. Definitely going back!!!

Had dinner here while staying at the hotel. We had the full 3 course meal, no problems with any of the food throughout apart from a freezer problem they had that night meaning they didn't have any ice cream, which is the only complaint.

We booked a wake here. In the time leading up to the date booked (we couldn't cancel because a deposit had been taken), the staff, from reception to management were rude and unhelpful. Suggest some staff training wouldn't go awry.

I went with a large family group on Christmas Day. I wasn't expecting much as it was reasonably priced and the venue is not known for culinary excellence. I was very pleasantly surprised, the buffet style food was presented well, with an abundance of choice and quantity and even tasted great. It was well managed ensuring eating times were staggered so we did not have to queue for any courses. I can't fault the staff, they were friendly and efficient. There also appeared to have been a manager present who orchestrated the day avoiding any oversights and making sure the customers were happy. We were the last table to eat and found there were no more pigs in blankets left, we pointed this out to the manager and he had some cooked and delivered to the table within a few minutes, great service! There was Santa for the kids and a very talented magician who toured the tables with astounding card tricks. To top it off we even got some scraps for our dogs. Well done guys, would definitely recommend!

Try motorway food and do not bother with this place. Even at Xmas could not provide something fresh and tasty. Staff were polite but the food needs attention.

We had an excellent pre Christmas 3 course Lunch at the Noke Hotel Restaurant for £15 each, being OAPs. Otherwise £19.00. The food was tasty and the service excellent. All 3 courses were very good and the Christmas pudding Cheesecake was superb. We used to go regularly to the Noke then staff changed and it went down hill. Recently there have been 2 new owners of the Hotel in quick succession, it is now a Mecure Hotel. I think Mecure need to sort out their booking system as it did not work using their web site Telephone number. I used the local number 01727 854252 to book a table.

Nice food served during Xmas Party night, great staff and entertainment in the restaurant, will certainly use again

Just hand a sandwich and chips, but was very nice. Gluten Free Also. Quick service.I ate it at the bar, which is right next to the resturant

3 course meal with only one vegetarian option ,being risotto. Plenty of choice for starters and mains. Tried the scallops which was tasty, mains-majority of party had the sirloin steak ,which was tender and tasty .My steak was not piping hot and with the peppercorn gravy over it, the meal tends to be luke- warm. Presentation of food was very basic accompanied by a small basket of chips which was average not crispy or hot. Restaurant looks dated. Service was attentive and pleasant.

I took my 84 year old mother here for lunch, as she had old memories of good meals with friends. The hotel needs an update, feels very old fashioned!We were sat in the main restaurant (not many tables being used), which was decorated prettily for Christmas. The waitress was friendly. The food was slow to come, and was very average, it was £13.50 for fish and chips. Fantastic chips!I am not sure who I would recommend it to, it seems much more suited to functions!

We were very impressed by the breakfast choice: full English or continental. Good quality produce. Fruit, bread, croissants etc.Self service, but an excellent buffet.

I made the mistake of booking the Noke for a Sunday lunchtime for my son's birthday without checking Trip Advisor reviews first. Big mistake. Regrettably, I can only agree with the previous reviews. The menu offered a very limited choice (only one veggie option; a very bog-standard risotto), nothing original and imaginative and appeared to date from the early 1980s. Most of the food was passable, however my biggest criticism was that the vegetables were not very fresh (the broccoli was turning yellow, it was well past the stage where most of us would throw it out). It appears that the negative reviews have impacted on their trade as only one table other than ours was occupied in a large restaurant. My guess is that to minimise the impact of poor custom they have concentrated largely on frozen and pre-prepared foods, hence the unimaginative menu. However, the budget could surely run to some fresh broccoli. I have lived locally and been to the Noke for over 40 years, I remember when the restaurant was a very classy upmarket establishment. The gardens are still lovely, but it is sad to see the terrible decline in the food. About the only positive thing I can say is that, in contrast to the other reviewers, the service at least was adequate.

Service was excellent ,food quality good with varied choice.Would not hesitate to recommend and would eat there again on our next stay

I was invited to a meal to meet some friends and found the experience a let down. We waited in the lounge beside the restaurant and it is heartless with the smallest Bar / Coffee dispensing area I have seen let alone in an hotel. The table had been booked although it only had 5 tables taken the whole evening. We eventually were given a menu and even longer about 20 mins we had to ask to have our order taken. The food was disappointing.the Asparagus tips which was OK. We asked for some rolls which turned up when we had finished and when they did we then had to ask for butter which arrived just before the main course arrived. However the main course of Trout was over cooked and bland. The Chefs Forest Cheesecake was good. One member of staff worked hard but needs training and help. 3 staff 5 tables & poor service says it all. Another guest sent her main course back and at the end the chef came out to apologise to her.

We were invited here for a friend's birthday celebration, it was a Wednesday evening, so I suppose that was not peak dining-out time, however there was only one couple dining and they left shortly after our party of a dozen+ arrived. The food was OK but unremarkable, the service almost non-existent. Red wine was left on the table (unopened) and, being seated near the end I noticed that the white wine had just been left in a chiller - no action from staff to offer or pour either! The meal progressed though 'average quality' starter and mains - dessert only came when our (lady) host reminded staff ... and as for coffee - well again our host had to virtually beg for service from an absence of staff! Maybe they did not want to bother with mid-week evening business, for that was the given impression .. in which case they should not have accepted the booking for a group of a dozen diners!

The food was good, but there were missing ingredients for some of the dishes we had ordered. For example they didn't have the vanilla purée mashed potato to go with the scallops and for the dessert the strawberry cheesecake didn't have a berry coulis that was described as part of the dessert in the menu. The service was rather slow and expensive for what you get and the service.

Food was ok, service was friendly albeit a little slow. Reasonably priced and certainly ok if you are staying at the hotel but I wouldn't really recommend it just for a dining experience.

Well used and showed signs of much wear. Hearth had no fire but a focul point, come on even electric would be good. Not helped by ground floor bedroom corridors freezing as back door didn't shut and very draughty.Manager helpful but didn't seem to take on board or have authority to resolve issues. Bedroom nuipgrade looked like a downgrade.

I used the marquee at the venue to hold an AGM for just over 100 people to include a business buffet. The food was good and plentiful and consisted of tea/coffee, many types of sandwiches, small tarts, and lots of fruits and cakes. It was worth what we paid for it, and as soon as a platter was empty it was replaced by the attentive staff.

Breakfasts were FAB but as for the weeding food was slightly disappointing not good value a lot of issues need sorting.

food was cooked well and well presented. spoke to the chef start, well mannered guy and have knowledge of food. very poor as he can not use his knowledge in this place as senior management is strangling everyone with tight budget to pocket all cask. I used this place for nearly 25 years but never seen it so worse.. shame as I live in chiswell green myself

We enjoyed a lovely meal in the resturant , the Haddock was really very tasty! With Thanks to the chef Khalid , and our waitress Madeleine was excellent .

I stay at this hotel most weeks but don't eat in the restaurant that often, mainly because I eat out or in the hotel bar.To start I had scallops, very well cooked and tasty, main was guinea fowl and dessert a strawberry cheesecake.Couldn't fault any of the food in fact the guinea fowl was really good.Service was friendly and well paced.

I rang before hand to book a table for 2 for afternoon classic cream tea. When we arrived we were told at reception to go through to the restaurant area. Spoke to a member of staff there who said there was no booking on her system but they could accommodate us all the same. As it goes there were only 3 people in restaurant anyway. Unfortunately the coffee machine was broken so I was unable to have a specialised coffee and had to make do with a pot of average coffee. The food was well presented on a 3 tier cake stand (as expected). There were 4 selections of sandwiched. 2 scones each (with clotted cream and jam) and a mini carrot cake and chocolate brownie each. The scones were a bit dry. But all in all was good value for the money. It wasn't the best cream tea I've ever had, but I'm sure it isn't the worst either. I would return and have it again though.

Arrived for dinner at 7 pm for a party of 6. The restaurant was empty with only one other table occupied but now I know why! The starter of asparagus was inedible and the scallops were a joke - probably half a scallop diced into 3 pieces. The joke of the night was the soup order. The bowl arrived with a lid only to reveal NO SOUP! The waitress picked up the bowl without realising it was empty. It only got worse - cremated steak the size of a lamb chop, tables hadn't been cleared from the starters, service shockingly bad. We had to go to the bar to ask for drinks and the waitress when she finally appeared looked like she was attending a funeral - miserable was an understatement. Staff untrained, service diabolical and food abysmal. We certainly won't be back!

Lunch table booked for 13:00 for 4 people.All people arrived at 12:55. Only three other tables in the restaurant were occupied (BIG restaurant area). Waitress finally arrived to take an order at 1320, very casual ("Trainee" on her label) approach, no apology for the delay.Drinks ordered arrived at 1345, food (pizza, 2 poached salmon and veg curry) arrived at 14:15Food is ok , ordinary, so no comment here.By 1425 plates not cleared and had to find someone to order a pudding. Ice creams order took a further 20 minutes to arrive. Again had to chase to get a coffee order taken and this did not arrive for 30 minutes. Finally, the Trainee, largely unsupervised, was unable to spilt the bill between two debit cards, a normal practice, and we had to seek an experienced hotel staff to get someone to help her. Finally a manager, with very ill-grace, explained the process to her. we finally managed to leave the hotel at 15:40All in all, a very poor experience. It is quite unacceptable that the hotel offered no apology for the delays and allow a very inexperienced person to work in such an untutored or adequately mentored way.This quite spoiled our lunch with friends we see once per year. Unlikely that we will use , and certainly will NOT recommend to anyone, The Noke in future.

Just returned from a lunch with friends and really can't think of anything positive to say about it.The restaurant was only 10% full and we were served by what seemed a new and poorly trained member of staff who had no support,training or guidance re customer service, the menu or procedure. Despite there being very few other diners we waited 40 minutes for our main coursesand what we received was certainly no compensation for the wait. In fact our 4 mains all tasted reheated rather than freshly cookedFoolishly we stayed for coffee. 3 coffees took 30 minutes to arrive and were served with coffee, or whatever it was, in the saucer.Payment another disaster when the poor girl had no idea how to split the bill between 2 credit cards.2 courses for 4 + coffee took 3 hrs !!!!

We had our Christmas party here, there were just two choices of menu, traditional Christmas dinner or vegetarian which we pre-booked this would of been OK if the food was of a good standard, but this was not the case. I chose the traditional dinner, the starter of pate consisted of two minuscule pieces of toast which were cold and damp, the pate was un-memorable, the main of processed turkey and under cooked vegetables with one pig in blanket verging on the raw left much to be desired, finally the small portion of Christmas pudding was soggy and cold covered in a white liquid of dubious origin which I left, the warm mini mince pie at the end was at least edible. On the up side the service was efficient and the staff did their best. But I will not be returning.

Food choice from constrained menu but much better choices as a result, beautiful. Eat here again and enjoy the relaxing reast area while waiting for booked table later on.

We visited the Noke on a receptieon after a funeral. The reserved room was ok, and the outside terrace that some of us prefered was nice and sunny.The sandwiches were boring, not bad but not something to look forward to. The savouries were nice and tasted good.The wines and juices were amply served and were good.But the coffee, I would be ashamed to serve something like that in my own home. After pouring a cup I wondered if I had got some tea, because I could see the botom of the cup. But no, the one mouthfull I tasted was a veeery thin coffee.

For the first time in 30 years of dining out I complained about a meal! After a couple of mouthfuls of steak I realised I had eaten all the edible meat on the plate. Now being of borderline diminutive BMI I don't mind small portions, but I begrudge paying £18 for what any normal person would regard as a starter, and then have the Chef come out and tell me sirloin is a very fatty cut and there was nothing wrong with my meal. As there was a wedding on, apparently the Manager wasn't going to make an appearance; he was too busy with more lucrative guests. I let the Chef know if he wasn't coming to me then I was going to him, so eventually he appeared and repeated what the Chef had said and that was it. I told him I was only paying for what I had eaten (which would have almost qualified for nil-by-mouth in the NHS) but accepted a 20% reduction- which I regretted afterwards, especially as he then explained I had been given 'the wrong cut of steak'. The only thing wrong was me driving into their carpark that day and dining next to a window blind with all broken cords and missing pelmet, in a room resembling a works canteen, and with filthy toilets. Awful customer service (apart from a delightful waitress)- if you're planning an event, don't even THINK of booking here.

Unfortunately we had lunch in the restaurant yesterday - an awful meal. The waitress didn't know anything about the meals so could not advise me which were dairy free; she just vaguely pointed at the menu. I picked the prawn Singapore noodles - just a pile of noodles really with a few prawns on top and some dodgy sauce - most of it left. My husband had the mushroom carbonara which was overloaded with cream and he hardly ate any of it though we were both hungry after travelling for several hours. The cost was £23.90.Worst bit is that we are both left with a lingering aftertaste this morning.A place to be avoided

We unfortunately booked for Christmas diner, and you can imagine the disappointment when you're then let down. In the lobby lots of staff ignored us initially, then somebody came and invited us to a table, the advertised welcome drink didn't appear actually to be the Champagne and was given, nearly as an afterthought. We were then told to help ourselves from the buffet. The small table for two now had our 'champagne glasses, a water glass, and wine glass each plus butter dish crackers, a small box and would you believe cups and saucers!! Anyway the food was abysmal, my partner asked about the soup, which wasn't on show, the guy came back with a bowl, said its 'vegetable', which she took, It tasted on not much but slimy chicken stock! The main course veg was 'al dente' to say the least. I ate very little of either course and assumed the sweet would be 'bought in' so Ok, but NO, the 'cheesecake' was almost runny. If we'd not paid in advance I'd have left sooner. This was a travesty, to take £90.00 per head with absolutely no value add..I'll never go back and advise friends/acquaintances everybody to avoid at all costs.....

I never write reviews ever! However I have to for this restaurant because I tried the most terrible pizza, and my husband's fish and chips was so awful that he couldn't have more than 2 bites. The peas they served was old and there was something wrong with it!!! The pizza was soaked in cheese and looked more like bread with smeared tomato and soaked cheese on it. Do not waste time or money by going there. We left without finishing our food! Most awful food we ever tried!!!