The Regatta Restaurant in Torbay

Came away bitterly disappointed. This was to be a 'milestone ' birthday treat. We were looking forward to a beautiful afternoon tea with a table covered with a crisp, white tablecloth, laidened with delicious teatime treats overlooking Torbay. The experience was nothing like we had hoped for. No one to meet and greet us upon arrival. We were initially ignored then directed, not shown, to a cracked brown formica table 'set' for us with two paper napkins, knives and forks and two glass tumblers, in a corner, away from the main dining area and the window. Eventually, we were approached by Heidi, whom we assumed to be restaurant manager. We asked to be reseated and a table was cleared for us. We were served a pot of tea for two and awaited our food. An hour later, we were still waiting. During that time we witnessed several disgruntled customers complaining. Although there were three waiters present, we did not receive any service or attention from them. After an hour, Heidi reappeared and was very apologetic. She offered us a complimentary glass of Prosecco. Our booking had been for 3pm. By now it was 4.30. The food arrived and like the tea table, was nothing like we were led to expect. The sandwiches were not as described on the menu. Some of the fillings were spread so thinly that they were difficult to identify. The pastries were missing. The cakes were not the patisserie style fancies shown in the promotional pictures, but more like traybakes cut into different sized chunks and didn't seem particularly fresh. Our teapot was refreshed and we were given new cups and "saucers", which turned out to be side plates. Heidi did try to make us comfortable, but by that time, all hope of enjoying our afternoon was lost. We did ask a waiter for a box to take our cakes away but were told "We don't do boxes" and we're directed to a pile of paper napkins and told to help ourselves. The three saving graces are; At £25, it wasn't the most expensive afternoon tea. I would have paid more for a first class experience. Heidi did her best to keep customers happy, with what appeared to be very little support from her colleagues. Whatever the Imperial are paying her, it's not enough. The one thing that the hotel did deliver on was the magnificent view, but I give the Imperial no credit for that whatsoever. Lastly, I sent an email to the Imperial later that day, and to add insult to injury, now, almost a week later, have had no response. NB. Pictured - what the Imperial's advertising led us to expect. NOT what we got !

Went for afternoon tea for my wife’s birthday and pretty disappointed. Tea took over half an hour to arrive and food another 10 mins. The food was nice in fairness, however £50 for 2 people is a lot for what you get and also the fact that we had to wait so long. I mentioned when booking it was my wife’s birthday so disappointed not to have any mention of it, but given the fact that a table hadn’t been set up when we arrived I think we were probably forgotten. I’m guessing they would have more staff in high season but overall, wouldn’t be heading back soon.

Dreadful. Had to leave. Ruined a family birthday meal and meet. I am so angry. Cold food, terrible service, lied to re the wine, eyes rolled at and a sigh from the waiter, in half term couldn't rustle up a milkshake (even though on kids menu!) simply awful beyond words. Ruined a special night in so many ways. Just should close and stop this happening to anyone else, thank the Lord we weren't actually staying there too.

I booked an afternoon tea for my daughters 30th , when we arrived we were greeted by the friendly receptionists who wished my daughter a Happy Birthday which was so lovely and they directed us to our table which was positioned next to the window with such spectacular views of the bay and when the cake stand arrived it was overflowing with a mix of delicate sandwiches and an abundance of wee patisserie cakes and gorgeous warm scones which came with a generous supply of clotted cream and jam and even lemon curd which I personally love , we downed it all with pots of lovely tea , the waiter was absolutely delightful just couldn’t do enough for us and which made our experience that more special Parking was free, it was just great experience from start to finish , highly recommend , Thank you to all the lovely people who cared for us on 13th March

Came here for Mother’s Day cream tea, it’s a lovely hotel and has lovely views, the staff were amazing and so helpful but very over priced for what you get.

Afternoon Tea - Food & cakes were lovely. Tea &. Coffee was nice. Service was shocking despite the efforts of the very few staff that were on duty. Not enough staff which is unfair to customers & the staff on duty.

The view from the restaurant will be spectacular when the evening is lighter. Most tables will have a view of the sea. The restaurant was quiet for our visit, but to start the service was very slow. 5 minutes before shown to the table, 20 minutes before order taken, another 20 minutes before the bread arrived. As there were not many people in the restaurant it was deathly quiet. If some background music was played the atmosphere would improve. We were here for my wife's birthday so we wanted good food.......and we got it. The beetroot starter was delicious and very well presented. The chicken main was very tasty and the ribeye steak was well cooked. The food was also hot, another plus point. Sticky toffee pudding to finish, lovely. We had a bottle of rose champagne which was refreshing and not too dry. Food delicious, service slow to start, but it was service with a smile, and lacking atmosphere. In the summer I am sure there will be more staff on and more atmosphere.

The hotel could have made a bit more effort for Valentines. The only sign that it was Valentines Night was a red rose on the table (x2). We were just sat in the same dining area as hotel guests. If you’re going to advertise a “special function” then at least make an effort for it to be something special. Just shoehorning us in with other guests is not cutting it 😢

Very nice food but needs more choices on the menus staff very friendly would stay again will be booking again soon beverley and mick

Afternoon tea with the family … Had a nice time and very much enjoyed the coronation chicken finger sandwiches which were particularly tasty. Had splendid service from a young lady Jasmine who was excellent and seemed to be holding the fort on her own. Well done Jasmine!

We had a superb meal in the restaurant. The food was excellent along with the service. Very good value for money. I would certainly recommend eating in the hotel if you like fine dinning.

Good food, nice dining room but unfortunately the waiters didn’t seem to be trained ( very blunt, in a hurry and struggled with our order ). It’s a pity because it spoilt the atmosphere somehow.

We stayed one night at the Imperial and decided to take advantage of their dinner offer of £30 for two courses. We received a most friendly welcome and were shown to a table with a stunning night view across Torbay. The menu was varies, plenty to suit all tastes. Service was excellent without appearing rushed, food was beautifully presented, hot and plentiful. Will definitely revisit.

My mum and I enjoyed the afternoon tea, but had to wait 20 minutes for the tea to be brought to the table also no spoons were provided for the cream and jam so had to ask for these also the staff never came and asked us are you enjoying your tea or is there anything else we can help you with. The background music was not brilliant as it is December Christmas music would have been nice to listen to while we having our tea.

Excellent food, personal service and a fantastic view. What a relaxing evening we had. Good value set price menu with six choices for each course.

Unprofessional approach of the restaurant staff, together with a disappointed menu selection and many unavailable listed wines - we decided to dine elsewhere

I really don't like to write a negative review unless I feel something could be accomplished by it. My two friends and I had afternoon tea at The Imperial Hotel and were so disappointed in the service. Firstly I would like to point out that this is NOT complaint about the serving staff themselves, as they did their absolute best to look after us. This is down to the LACK of staff. The two members of staff who I saw over a two hour period were run ragged. We were still waiting to be offered tea/coffee half an hour after we had been given our sandwiches/cakes. In the end, I had to ask if we could have some. We were not given plates to eat our afternoon tea from - but saucers. There were no ice buckets for our bottle of champagne. And in fact I understand it to be the last bottle of champagne remaining. It is a stark contrast to the service I received last year. As I say, the staff are just lovely - but there needs to be more of them.

This is a great spot for sitting and admiring the view - it really can't be beaten and is a perfect spot for appreciating the beauty of Torquay. The hotel itself has seen better days and unfortunately came across as struggling to survive - not enough staff, tired and tatty furniture and generally looking past its best. The afternoon tea itself was reasonably good especially with a nicely chilled prosecco!

The hotel was mudty and had obviously seen betterdays, the afternoon tea area had a wonderful view but no air conditioning so was like a greenhouse. Afternoon tea was £25 per person, 3 sandwiches, a small sausage roll, 2 scones and a few cakes out...

We visited for afternoon tea yesterday and it was fantastic. Service spot on from everyone we came across: very friendly and helpful. The spread of food was plentiful and delicious. One of the party was vegetarian and they were able to cater for this well....

Even though we are 'locals' we booked an amazing afternoon cream tea on what was one of the hottest days. Three of us shared this treat of plain & fruit scones with not only clotted cream and strawberry jam but also included lemon curd -...

We had the Afternoon Tea package. Food was delicious and more than ample. Staff were attentive within the confines of obviously being overworked and understaffed on the day we went. Lovely location, views and interior.

Great room overlooking the bay from our room and the restaurant. Good food and service this is our third visit and will not be our last.

Took my mum for afternoon tea. Food is lovely, service is good and views are amazing!! Our only gripe is not having any food boxes to take cakes home that we didn't eat (who ever eats a whole afternoon tea!!??). So clingfilm was provided, not...

First visit to celebrate a friends birthday 🎂, afternoon tea. Not busy , but service slow , although good and was apologise d too we did not mind we were not in a rush. Food good , reasonable, fab views, outside does not look much...

Early dinner - 6:15. Friendly staff, good service. Had window table - fantastic view of the bay. Food was well presented and very tasty. Good value considering the view.

Lovely afternoon tea. Slightly spoiled by sitting in the conservatory with the sun directly upon us so the cakes were melting along with the cream!! The room was very hot & stuffy so uncomfortable!

The food was lovely and the view exceptional. However the room was very plain and the staff showed no interest in us at all. When my husband asked for a box for our cakes to take home, he was handed a roll of cling film....

Food was excellent! Seated next to 2 tables with babies! Couldn’t understand why everyone else was at the other end of the restaurant! This was my wife’s 60th birthday which was explained on booking! Disappointed!

Afternoon tea with friends watching the air show. Lovely day, views - even before the air show are spectacular, food generous and very good. Only downside was low staffing levels which we know are a problem in the area. Often had to remind our waiter...

Don't waste your time ! What a disappointment! Went for afternoon tea . After getting married there 27 years ago went back to revisit . When arrived could not find anyone to say had arrived . When found a waitress she did not really seem...

What a delightful treat! The quality of the tea was lovely too - the loose tea leaf is a particular favourite of mine. Have to say, I will be returning time after time for this particular little indulgence. Top marks to the chef, scones sublime,...

Lovely table by the window with great sea and bay views. Food was very good and a good choice of starters , mains and deserts . Staff very attentive . All together a lovely dinner - will definitely return .

Lovely set course meal. Beautifully presented and cooked to perfection. Fantastic sea view in restaurant and superb attentive staff.

Great views, beautiful surroundings, afternoon tea was lovely with a good selection and a massive pot of tea.

We went to celebrate our 8 year wedding anniversary and thought going back to where we got married. The restaurant is just beautiful, with panoramic views across the bay. You can soak in the view while eating such gorgeous food with top notch service....nothing is...

Great views best scones we have had well presented really enjoyed time a the Imperial. Hotel

We had a lovely meal with excellent service. The views from the dining room added to the pleasure of the evening. I would happily recommend this venue to anyone visiting Torquay.

Booked Mothers Day Afternoon Tea. £30pp, not worth it. One pot of tea for 3 & no refills. Missing food, had to ask. Very average food, had better afternoon tea in a local cafe. Customer service terrible. Had to keep asking for everything & even...

We really enjoyed our stay for a couple of nights. The food was great, and staff were lovely. Good walks along the coast from the hotel.

Fantastic meal and service as always . It's always a pleasure to dine at this restaurant , a truly first class experience

The dining room offers a great ambience with a view over Torbay giving a great ambience! The ribeye was cooked to perfection and the ‘deconstructed’ Derice was a tasty desert. My wife, who is a vegetarian, was especially appreciative of the Wild mushroom Ravioli. The...

Booked an afternoon tea for ourselves and my parents as a Boxing Day treat. Hotel is lovely and beautifully decorated. The cakes were lovely and the scones were warm. The downside were the sandwiches, for one person you received 3 bite size (and I mean...

Delicious beef main and dessert, perfectly cooked Excellent service as usual, staff always very welcoming and friendly

This Review is not complementary. The Afternoon Tea for nine people was organised to celebrate a 90th Birthday. The Event was organised well in advance. On arrival two round tables set apart had been organised. For a family occasion this was not acceptable and a...

No better way to spend time with family, scones, cream and jam followed by sandwiches and cake all with the best tea and coffee and maybe a prosecco! We will be back regularly as close to the kids.

I don't think there are many views to beat that from the Palm Court of The Imperial Torquay! The afternoon tea was scrumptious and the service, albeit a tad slow, was very good. I think most establishments have struggled with getting staff after the pandemic...

We booked an afternoon tea for two for our wedding anniversary. On arrival we were shown to a table that had not been prepared, the waitress then proceeded to ask us what we wanted, when we'd pre-booked an afternoon tea. Our pot of tea arrived...

After booking ahead and having high expectations for afternoon tea, they were not met. Didn’t know about reservation and no table set up. Service was not particularly 4 star and food not inspiring and certainly not up to expectations. The last straw came when we...

Service very good. Meal choices had a nice variety at a reasonable price. Belly pork taste was excellent but the skin had just bern left and was inedible.

It's a lovely hotel with great views. We chose it because of the views, nice looking afternoon tea menu, and the price being more affordable than other fancy teas in the area. But it was a very sunny day and there was no attempt to...

Great setting. Delicious traditional afternoon tea. Good service. Disappointed that two small bottles of coke £9!

Booked afternoon tea for 2 pm for three people but when we arrived there wasn't a table ready as they thought the booking was for two people (my email confirmation quite clearly showed it was for three), however, they did reset a table for us...

Brought friends for a Royal Afternoon Tea with Prosecco as a surprise 60th Wedding Anniversary Celebration especially as they had never visited the Hotel before, whereas we had a number of times. What a disappointment it turned out to be, trying to find someone on...

Really enjoyed our afternoon tea- lovely selection of food all of which was perfect.and in the most beautiful of settings- what more could you ask for. Staff were lovely and we had excellent yet unintrusive service. Can’t wait to do it again!Added some extra dishes...

Booked in for afternoon tea and although the scones and views were spectacular, the 30 min wait for our first drink and 45 min wait for food was an accurate reflection of the poor service. When the food did arrive, the sandwiches and cake were...

Beautiful views, lovey food and excellent service. It was a great place to meet as plenty of room snd not too noisy.

The tea was really enjoyable. The staff went over and above, very accommodating and more than helpful. The scenery is amazing. This was booked as a treat for my Mum's 80th birthday. I would highly recommend.

We went for afternoon tea on easter saturday had booked online once we arrived fount out there was no booking for us and told to find a table which we did in the sauna room as the sun was beating down and no blinds so...

Excellent quality of food and quick friendly service, fantastic view over the bay, very enjoyable dinner.

Lovely sea view lovely service and lovely food and amazing wine. Will definitely return again on our next visit. My mother especially enjoyed her lemon meringue tart and raspberry sorbet.

I had seen a number of luke warm reviews of the Imperial and the cost seemed high, so I was a bit worried about how good this would be - but we parked right outside, and had an amazing full Afternoon Tea for my mother's...

Although the hotel restaurant appeared to be a little short staffed, the staff were very attentive, friendly and helpful. The afternoon tea was absolutely delicious. All of the items were clearly hotel made and to very refined recipes. The flavours, textures and presentation of the...

Good service, Staff helpful and quick. Good food, Small choice but the food was great Great location and view Unbeatable view, restaurant and furniture well maintained and presented. Wine a bit pricey, but it was good. Thanks

My husband and I had a three course meal What a wonderful place to sit with fantastic views across the bay The service was quick and friendly and the food was exceptional not only did it look good but also tasted delicious 😋

Absolutely the worst service i have ever experienced such a shame as food was good. Not enough staff.

The views from the restaurant are absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, that's the only good thing about it. We pre-booked our afternoon tea for 2pm and it didnt come out until 3pm because they were warming the scones apparently. It was different to what was on the...

Lovely clean room, super friendly and attentive staff. Restaurant was very helpful with my dietary needs.

As others have said, the menu is quite limited. However what is brought out is beautifully presented and delicious. If you're staying the hotel, the bar also has some additional options.

Great restaurant, great View, great service, very limited menu with one meat, one fish and veggie. Food was good. Breakfast was great, thanks.

This is the second afternoon tea we've had at the Imperial, the first being back in the summer which turned out much the same way. We arrived (a group of 6 including one disabled member) and were shown to a table that was clean, but...

We visited in late December for afternoon tea. We arrived to find nobody on reception and walked into the hotel lounges. Despite booking several weeks in advance they had no record of our booking, and we then waited an hour for food. It had evidently...

Arranged lunch & afternoon tea at the Imperial for myself & a friend on 30th Dec. The service was poor, very few staff which we anticipated because of covid. However no one really seemed to have a clue what was happening or how to run...

The hotel was decorated beautifully for Christmas. The staff in the bar were friendly and lovely, service was great. I just thought the afternoon tea was overpriced.

First time at the imperial. Restaurant was stunning. Food and atmosphere was lovely. Even considered booking a room for the evening as we were so impressed but ended up going home as we live locally but would most definitely would go again.

The hotel and service is a pleasure to experience but the breakfast could be improved, with limited fruit and no vegetarian option available. Restaurant itself does offer vegetarian options for all other meal times.

The food was top quality and the staff very attentive and helpful. It was a sort of birthday celebration. It was clear that they were short-staffed but what staff there were, managed superbly.

Awful! The only thing festive was the mince pie on top. It took 40 mins to come out despite pre booking. The bread was stale and veggie sandwich fillings weren’t very thoughtful/ interesting - avocado sliced in one (nothing else), only cucumber in another and...

The service was really slow. We felt ignored when we arrived & took 30 minutes to get our table. It wasn’t the staff members fault, they were clearly overwhelmed and couldn’t cope with the demand.

We selected one of the champagnes which was on the wine list. Was then told that there was not that bottle available. Staff did go and check Was then told that it was available When the bottle arrived the member of staff realised that it...

We booked for our wedding anniversary meal because the place looked a nice venue, that is as far as the niceties went. The staff, all 20 of them ignored us as soon as we came in, after a waitress was rude to my wife we...

Fantastic view and lovely table reserved for us. Grand entrance and very lovely interior. Took a while to be served after being seated despite not being too busy. Had afternoon tea. Beautiful scones. Sandwiches a bit dry and slightly plastic style cakes. Tasty enough but...

A great evening, lovely surroundings and ambience, attentive service, beautifully presented food. Unusual but welcome choices on the menu. Only slight negative was the size of the extra cost sides, which in our view were too small, especially considering the price. Having said that, would...

Food very disappointing. My wife had monkfish which was dry and tough and I had what was called tenderloin of pork also very dry and very tough. None of it seemed freshly cooked. I have an eating problem following cancer treatment and I asked for...

My wife and I dined three nights in Regatta and we were not disappointed. We go for quality rather than quantity for food and Regatta delivered. The view of Torbay from the restaurant is a wonderful bonus. Highly recommended.

Absolutely the most amazing afternoon tea I have ever had. The scones and deserts were out of this world. The location of hotel is great and the views from the hotel were beautiful. Will definitely come again and this time try the restaurant.

The food and service was very good. Almost matched the view. A three course meal for £30 is great value. If it’s a new menu tonight I’ll book again.

The best things about this afternoon tea were the sea view, the excellent fruit scones and the friendly staff, especially the doorman when we entered the hotel. The restaurant lacked atmosphere. the decor was tired and it all looked a bit unloved and plain. The...

Hotel portrayed as up market. So expected the best. This was not so. Food was nothing special and not much of it. Three times I had to get up and seek a member of staff to ask where were our main meals 40 mins after...

Dirty stains on floor at our table / drinks arrived - it was a hot day so we had asked for water as well as our pot of tea, but the glass were not clean, fingermarks on them / food was brought out but we...

Food was disappointing. Cray fish was from a tin and made me ill. Kids pasta was warmed up spaghetti and still cold with no flavours dispute waiting over 40minutes for it. We did not wait around for the main as I was already ill by...

I booked an afternoon tea for my friends 40th birthday at the imperial hotel. When we arrived I saw a notice that said they were severely short staffed due to Covid so a wait could be possible so that was understandable We were shown to...

Booked online but wasn’t aware I was booking for a big tea (with sandwiches etc), thought it was just for the table and we could order on arrival! Thankfully it was no problem to downgrade when we arrived but be advised. Had a lovely cream...

Attentive friendly service, limited choice but excellently prepared and served food. A bottle of wine is a tad expensive but when you factor in the superb views it’s no surprise that we went twice.

We booked this treat for the end of our break in Torquay. The hotel foyer and Palm Court where we were sat was amazing. The reception chap and the bar man in charge were very polite and accommodating. We were early for our tea but...

Arrived at the hotel and there was no staff at all! Looked around for someone and finally found a cleaner who kindly directed us to our table after a 40-minute wait! It took 2 hours just to get tea - the milk came half an...

we have just visited for Afternoon Tea. We arrived early as weather was good and they kindly let us sit out on the terrace and provided water for us. As we were early they brought forward our tea time. The teas was excellent and extra...

Very unwelcoming, vaguely gestured towards our reserved table by older male waiter. All other staff were very young and looking to him when problems arose. Such as when we informed a young waitress that the water glasses smelt of stale beer and distinctly cheesy, we...

A very nice restaurant overlooking the bay. The table was set with a tablecloth which has been a rare sight during Covid at other Hotels. The service, surroundings and food were all very good, the only slight downside is that the portions were not overly...

Superb views from a lovely location, but let down by very slow service. The Afternoon Tea itself was average, but disappointing from what we expected to be a top class establishment.