The Old Forge in Stevenage

We go to the Old Forge every few weeks. It is the place we choose by default when we decide to eat out without planning. We like the place and the atmosphere and the children are not complaining of the food. The portions are generous and the prices are adequate. The only issue is that it can be crowded, on weekends there is a waiting queue for the roast meat. If you go on Saturday afternoon or Sunday it is better to make a reservation at least half a day in advance.

Thanku to wendy for her hospitality for our lunch visit very friendly engaging in my special needs son a credit to your team such an amazing employee we will be visiting again many thanks

Great value carvery, nice atmosphere. Mear very tender and vegetables well cooked. Very tasty, will go again.

Great piping hot tasty food. Quite busy but not an issue as it was to be expected. Were taken care of by Vicky who was really attentive and friendly. Would visit again.

This is by far the best Toby we’ve been to. The staff were very helpful and cheerful. We found the food was excellent and very good portion sizes. Shame this isn’t our local as we would visit regularly.

The meal was average, comparing it to Peterborough, the Yorkshire puddings were flat, in Peterborough they are huge. The staff were superb, although we didn't book they accommodated us. Would I come here again of course.

We have not been here for a few years, and I doubt that we will be going back. The service was terrible from the moment that we walked in, the host snapped that it's best to book in advance and then took his time to pick the worse table he could for us at the back of the restaurant. Our waiting person eventually came and took our drinks order, and so we joined the que to the carvery which was quite quick and we stood and waited while the carver stopped carving to sort out the vegetable trays, we both choose turkey which was cut waffer thin and on a cold plate, the vegetables looked inviting but turned out to be just luke warm at best as was the gravy. After waiting a long time for our bill we went to the bar to pay.

Went for 2 course festive meal. Carvery was very disappointing, Warm veg - some were al-dente. Then had dessert with a small jug of cold custard. In my opinion it was not worth £11.25. It would have to be something special for me to re-visit.

We visited here on mother's day and I was very impressed. It looks so much better after their refurbishment. Food was very nice and hot. But I have to give extra credit to the staff. Jo our waitress was exceptional. Checking if everything was ok, taking our plates, getting our drinks etc. This may be strange putting it as it's her job but from previous experience this doesn't always happen. Most of the time you would only really see someone when you wanted to pay your bill. The lady at the desk was also very helpful., we hadn't booked and didn't hold up much luck of getting in, but she was very nice and managed to get us 5 seated straight away. All in all I was very impressed on how well this restaurant was being run on a very busy day. Credit to all the staff. Well done.

Tried this restaurant again for breakfast and felt the interior facelift was so much improved and was as a restaurant should be, clean, comfortable and welcoming. Breakfast was good and siting of the the toast machine away from the main carvery serving area was better. Hopefully the diners do not drop food on the floor and staff can keep the interior clean. I will return for carvery lunch one day soon.

Good evening just been down for a carvery with my wife.The resteraunt has had a big face lift looks great.the service was 10times better than our last visit last November 2017. I had reserved a table on line for 7.00pm we were greeted with a smile and sitting down 15,mins early.as soon as we were sitting down a lovely chap called Tom introduced himself.asked us if we would like a drink.do we require any starters. If not we went to carvery the drinks were on our table when we returned.i must say the food was very good meats super tender crispy toasties. Big improvement on before and all new chefs new team.we will return. Very happy my wife and I.

Went here on a Sunday afternoon, wish I hadn't, the place is a complete run down dump , as soon as we went in the place it was dirty , when we looked round there , there was food all over the carpets , plates not cleared off empty tables, the seating all ripped, curtains all stained, tables not been wiped down before they relaid cutlery, and plates dumped behind bar as the staff could not be bothered to clear them way! I could go on and on , it has always been a busy place but even more reason to make the effort to give the public a good service as the place takes enough money off the paying customers ! There is no excuse! And the toilets are a health risk they stink !!! And are dirty. I don't know if they have a manager but they should sack him/ her as they just don't give a tosh about the paying customers

OK, I understand, you get what you pay for. The Toby Carvery is pretty cheap and convenient, which is why I have visited so many times over the years - at least twice a month. Sadly, it seems to be getting worse week on week. The last time I visited was 2 weeks ago - the food was so bad that they had to give us money off our bill. The staff were so obliging that we decided to give it another go. Before sitting down to eat, I thought i'd take a look at the food. The cauliflower cheese was just cauliflower sitting in water, the dauphinoise potatoes were just slices of dried up potato again - sitting in water. The rest of the vegetables had been sitting there so long that they had gone dry and crispy on top. There was barely any gravy available - and what was there was like dishwater and had been sat under a heat lamp so long it had a thick skin on it. The counter was filthy - smeared in sauce, gravy and I dread to think what else. It is a shame as I genuinely loved this place for it's good service and consistently average, reasonably priced food. However, I will not be wasting my time going back. This place is in dire need of a refurb, a good clean and a new kitchen team.

Been here a few times now, good food & friendly staff, service is good too. Great for family lunch. The carvery is great and you get to choose what you want, all good in my books.

We have been here several times and the staff here are always welcoming. we are working contractors and have had a lovely hearty warm meal several times. The food has always been warm and plentiful. The place is always clean and warming and the young lady Louise was our waitress at our last visit made our visit very satisfying. But plugging this restaurant is easy if you want a good hearty meal and feel welcome head for the old forge.

Can't believe we were at the same place as some previous reviewers. We used the online booking form 30 minutes in advance to guarantee a table and the system worked perfectly. Staff were friendly and efficient even though they were a little busy . The carvery had 4 meats, the beef caved from a huge joint was perfectly cooked and the portion size with a large selection of potatoes and vegetables. The Yorkshires were great and the carver was perfectly friendly and bantering with all the customers, it was a great atmosphere in what is supposed to be a high throughput low cost operation.We are staying at a nearby hotel where 1 meal costs more than our complete meal for 2 with drinks, we will return later in our stay. Also remember AA members get 20% discount with the QR code available on the AA website.

Go here regularly either for breakfast which is great or for sunday roast at the carvery. Lovely hot food and service good.

Had not booked walked in and was asked if we had booked then found table but had to be gone by. 1-30 food cold no selection of beer s dinning room cool will not be back

Vino para una noche tranquila, pero se arruinó al final no sólo por el coliflor muy blanda, pero por el pequeño niños extranjeros corriendo constantemente y en todas partes haciendo un thunderously acerca de escándalo.

Un amigo y yo recientemente tuvimos una maravillosa comida en el asador toby había una selección de carne de cerdo 4 Carnes y Turquía el meatscwere sobresaliente y una amplia selección de verduras patatas crujientes y encantador Yorkshire pudding asado una buena selección de entrantes y postres. El personal era atento y eficiente había un ambiente encantador y recomiendo iit a todo el mundo.

Gran Asador restaurante insoportablemente caliente en los meses de verano. Personal amable, no particularmente accesible pero aceptable no obstante

This place has really gone downhill, used to be a lovely place, but the decor has seen better days,, torn dirty carpets, the carvers can't be bothered to even look at you when asking what meat you would like, then such miserly portions and so much fat and gristle put on the plates.STaff are rude and not enough staff to clear tables , dirty plates left for ages on uncleared tables. Please TOBY sort this place out .

On my latest visit the service was terrible. There was no excuse for not being able to get my wine before the food was cold because the restaurant was three-quarters empty! Being told to "wait a second" (having already waited 10 minutes) because the waitress was chatting to a colleague is unacceptable service. The food, whilst not costing a lot, was average quality at best. The buffet table could also have been maintained in a cleaner state. On the plus side, I have been several other times and have had better service and food.

More of a veggie fest than a carvery, hasty chef carver unenthusiastic ally meters out the tiniest portions of meat, and seems offended if you refuse a Yorkshire Pud.He then dismisses you with a thrust of the dinner plate.Plenty of veg on offer; some looking rather sad and dry.No red Tempranillo available so had to opt for white.All said Wetherspoons is a better option.

This place is dirty, service is awful, too hot for comfort in the restaurant, staff can be rude and food is tasteless. Could it be any worse?

go here many times - sometimes during the day sometimes in the evening. ts great that you can book a table now, especially for a Sunday as there are always queues for a table at lunchtimes. We always think the food is really good and great value for money.

Service at the front desk was not satisfactory and must be sorted. Once we were seated, the waitress was most attentive, curtious and served us well. The vegetables were good but the beef was overdone and dry. However, Overall the food was OKAYISh. Would visit again. If the manager sorts out the attitude of the front desk and the overcooked meat (beef specially) it would be a nice place to have Sunday roast.

We were booked in for the festive menu due to some family members being away at Christmas. Our party involved 17 persons, both adults and children and some had travelled from London, Surrey and Bedfordshire. It started off badly when despite demands from the restaurant to be there no later than 5.30 ... We arrived at 5.15 ... We were finally sat down after 6pm. Things then went from bad to worse as there were not enough places laid and so one person had to squeeze on the end of a table where he was constantly knocked by passers by. I queued for 20 minutes to get my daughters carvery and upon returning to the table, starters still hadn't arrived. When they did, there were no side plates for bread and butter and a request to the waitress was met with a confused look as if why on earth couldn't we put our food on the table! Starters were lack lustre and those that were supposed to be hot were tepid. Despite pre-booking all the meals, the incorrect amount were still sent out and it was down to us to sort it out. Unfortunately, it was time to join the carvery queue again, which at this point had doubled in size and was ridiculously slow! For the second time that evening, I had to request another carver be sent out (the first time I was clearly ignored!) as the lonesome chef was carving as slow as my cat probably would! Finally a second chef arrived and he was fantastic at pushing on and reducing the queue. Food wasn't too bad however it was somewhat ruined by the excessively noisy and ridiculously over crowded restaurant. Due to the severe delays in getting seated and then securing our first and second courses, 4 family members had to leave in order to get back to Surrey. Plates were cleared and it then took an age and a lot of chasing before desserts arrived. In the typical style of disorganisation that this restaurant seems to display, we had no cutlery to eat our puddings with. When I dared ask a waitress for some spoons, I was shortly after met with 9 (we were a table of 17 - 4 that left - you work out the maths!) thrown down on the table. It was then clearly my responsibility to source some additional cutlery for those unlucky enough not to have been blessed with the disgustingly dirty ones thrown at us. Promptly after pudding, the bill was thrown on our table by the waitress with not even a sniff of an offer of the tea and coffee we had paid for as part of our festive meal. Needless to say, the bill was not paid in full and I made my thoughts clear to the manager on the way out. Unfortunately her response was to apologise but state 'it's not my fault I've only been here a week'. The waitress was short however in her defence she was hugely overworked and it is clear this restaurant cannot cope with the numbers of people they are trying to squeeze in. This should have been a relaxing family get together but turned out to be a rushed, stressed and never to be repeated experience. You get what you pay for and in this instance, its not even worth it! Take my advice, pay a little more and go somewhere nice where you don't have to queue to get your dinner!

A really enjoyable carvery meal at the old forge Stevenage, just next to Tesco`s on the London road to Knebworth.Have been there before but not for a while. Shown promptly to a table , asked for drink order when seated.The carvery was well set out and all was fresh with a good choice .Deserts were also a delight.The waitress service was excellent , I hope the old forge keep to this standard.Will def return.

The Old Forge is just before a large Tesco`s on the London Rd outside of the main town. Stevenage fc just up the road.There is a large car park at rear, and décor inside is a strange mix of old television/film pictures and old funny seaside postcards.A small wait to be shown to a table, but service was prompt after. The food choice is mainly a carvery so choose your meat from a selection of pork/turkey/gammon or beef , there is a veggie option. food seemed fresh some veg looked a bit dry due to the heat lamps , but when asked for fresh chef changed over .Help your self to veg etc, all in all a very good meal. Drinks were on the expensive side but as food is very fairly priced cant complain.No long queues for food and table was cleared quickly, it was very warm inside air con could help.Over all a very good Toby carvery would def return. Excellent value for food.

Went here with a friend for the full English breakfast buffet. It's ruddy marvelous! Don't get there too late though otherwise you'll only have the hot, dried remains, which actually thinking about it aren't that bad either.I could only manage two plates but I was so stuffed I didn't feel like eating again until quite late in the evening. The breakfast kept me going all day. I only go here occasionally but always enjoy the food.

We have visited this restaurant many times and never had a bad meal. However today there were 8 of us for the carvery including 3 children. There was a choice of gammon, turkey or beef all tender and succulent. The choice of veg was basic but well cooked and the yorkies were giant. The desserts were varied and a good size. Everything was well organised and the staff were very friendly. Prices were good and the place was full of diners and many were arriving as we left which speaks for itself.

The Stevenage Photographic Society had their Christmas dinner at the Old Forge tonight and it was my responsibility to organise it. Having been very disappointed by the venue last year, I decided to try my favourite restaurant in Stevenage.I was a little concerned by some of the bad reviews, but I needn't have worried. 30 of us were well looked after, well fed and watered and everything was just tickety boo! All the staff were friendly and helpful. Some of our members arrived late, but we were all served quickly with our starters and then were able to go to the carvery for our main course. Mouth watering joints of beef, pork, ham and giant turkey roasts awaited us. Everything was fresh, clean and hot. A little too hot at times. If the tongs are at the back, you will need a napkin from on top of the heated cabinet.Absolutely delicious meats. Tasty veg, perfect roasties and gravy to die for. I wouldn't recommend the mashed potato, but hey. Comfortable seating for thirty in the conference room. Excellent service. Just brilliant.Many thanks to all the staff. See you all again next year!