The Stables in Wokingham

We came for the Halloween Afternoon Tea and the spooky trail. Parking was easy and the hotel itself looked really luxurious. We were greeted warmly at reception and directed to the Briar, a building in the grounds. The decoration was spectacular, the whole room was properly themed and very spooky! Lots of families were dressed up and there was a great atmosphere. Even the soundtrack had been planned perfectly. Unfortunately, the food for the afternoon tea was really unpleasant. I’d booked over the phone stating I was a vegetarian and reminded staff on arrival that I didn’t eat meat or fish, but I was still served salmon sandwiches. It was so dark in the room that we had to use the torch on my phone to find the food on the stand and in the gloom I took a fishy bite before I realised what I’d been given That made me feel quite sick. Although some extra cheese sandwiches were then kindly offered to make up for it, I was really put off and couldn’t bring myself to eat them in the end. You’d need to be very careful if you were visiting with an allergy or intolerance. Overall, everything seemed a bit limp and stale. The cakes were all too soggy and sickly, even my sugar loving children didn’t enjoy them. There was only one very tiny piece of candy floss between two of them and cutting it in half was a challenge. It got smushed in the process, so then no one wanted it. The best bit were the scones, which were genuinely nice. Our waitress was lovely, but when we ordered refill drinks (which were served by someone else) the squash arrived for one child and never came for the other. We struggled to get the attention of the staff to fix this, but luckily the child dealt with the situation by drinking the milk that had come in a jug with my tea. Unusually for afternoon tea, there’s no choice of teas. There’s also a mandatory 12.5% service charge which was not identified at the time of booking and wasn’t shown on the menu or the website. I don’t agree with forced tipping and this wasn’t a situation where I anticipated hidden charges. Also £7.50 was a larger tip than I wanted to leave, but I didn’t want to make a scene. So I paid nearly £70 for one adult and two children including the service charge and I didn’t feel the food was worth it by a long way. The trail was brilliant. Lots of thought had been put in to it and the creepy walk through the woods and the severed heads in the pond took it to a new level. We came back to see the friendly receptionist- now in character and wearing a mask - for a chocolate prize. I feel so bad that I can’t rate this five stars, because every member of staff was pleasant and helpful and the surroundings were gorgeous. If there was an option to do the trail without the food, we’d love to come back again.

My wife and I went to The Stables to celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary. We got married at Cantley House Hotel (the hotel linked to The Stables) and have been coming back to eat in the restaurant for our major anniversaries. We booked for a Friday evening as it was just one day after our actual anniversary. We need not have booked - the restaurant was almost completely empty - not a good sign. The menu does not seem to have changed from when we came five years ago, apart from the more gastro-pub additions of burgers and pizzas. The main part of the menu does not offer a huge selection. When we first came to the restaurant, it was in the fine-dining category - now it's definitely aiming lower. There was nothing wrong with the food per se, although my wife's chicken dish was in serious need of a splash or three more of the sauce. Avoid the deconstructed coconut cheesecake - style over substance. The service was efficient, but not very friendly. The worst part of the dining experience was that the staff started setting up for the next day's breakfast at about 20:30, right in the middle of our dinner. It made us feel like we were in the way of them getting their job done. I appreciate that this is a hotel restaurant and they had a lot of people to cater for the next morning (the hotel was full), but we came to eat dinner, not breakfast! I mentioned the Anniversary on the OpenTable reservation, but no mention of this was made by the staff. In all, we were disappointed how The Stables and Cantley has changed and we have decided that we won't be coming back for future Anniversaries.

We had a lovely lunch. We popped in without a booking but the restaurant was more than happy to accommodate us. Gabriel was our server and he was attentive and friendly. Thanks for a wonderful lunch.

Do not waste your money on the Cream tea there. We went last week to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary and it was was a disaster. The finger sandwiches were dry, very poorly filled and a couple looked like the bread ends were used to make them. We were also only given a small pot of tea for just one person, when we had ordered 2 cream teas. We had asked for another pot but after waiting for over 25 minutes we decided to give up with it and call over a member of staff The young lady was very apologetic and took one of the cream teas off the bill. Still with having to pay £28 for one of the cream teas was a ridiculous price to pay for what was included. We have been elsewhere recently for a cream tea, charged at the same price and there is no comparison We have used The Stables for years to celebrate our birthdays and Anniversaries but feel that it has gone down hill. It's such a shame as it's on our doorstep and ideal to walk to, but between this visit and having had bad service the week before for a special birthday celebration meal we now won't be going back.

So my friend booked a table for 19.15 on Sunday night. We ordered drinks. No problem. We ordered our main courses ( which was lovely apart from the triple cooked chips). Then we can were asked would we like dessert but then told we only have sticky toffee pudding. We all declined. There is meant to be a choice of about 6 desserts!!. Then we were told the restaurant takes last orders at 19.45. My point is if you are taking a booking at 19.15 then generally that table is going to be there for a couple of hours. Not at any point when the booking was made we were told the restaurant closes early. We sat in the garden after our meal . The doors closed and the gate padlocked. When we did leave we had to go by all the bins. Not quite the evening we had planned for a catch up

Disappointed in several things. No cold Perroni zero. No ice !! No triple cooked chops although on menu. Staff miserable. All this and it's a Hotel ??

We attended the summer solstice garden party and on paper the event sounds great but lots of teething problems! First off the chair was so wobbly you’d fall off then after 10 minutes we asked for menus. We waiting 40 minutes for our drinks; they arrived 10 minutes after the food. All the food except the pizza was spot on, hence the two star review. Everything else was lacking. A pepperoni pizza came with 5 slices of pepperoni for £17! When mentioned to the manger he said “well what Dyu want me to do about it?” We did end up getting a replacement. When the drinks did arrive. One was not full and was not matching the description. We asked for another to be made and waited a further 15 minutes. It still did not come correctly and we had to convince the waitress to take it off the bill. One drink came overstuffed with wilted mint. Be warned there are no gluten free options apart from one salad that cost £17. No allergens or calories listen on the menu. No wine menu given The bartender was on his own for the whole venue and the poor waitresses were rushed off their feet! The music by the do was very good but the saxophone was rarely on.

Had dinner at the stables main restaurant on a busy friday evening with my wife We had the scallops and pepper salted squid both cooked to perfection,trout & pork belly for the mains both perfect.They had a band playing in the garden which was very busy.

Pan cooked lamb - unbelievable! This was a truly sublime medley of Mediterranean flavours accompanying a hefty serving of beautifully flavoured lamb. I will definitely be attending the dinner service here whenever fortune permits. Well done!

Easter bank holiday Monday, four of us had the entire restaurant to ourselves. It's a lovely setting with a great garden so we were quite surprised to be the only patrons. The service was excellent and the food was delicious. We had a set menu which was £32 for two courses. Some of the meals are better value than others. The roast beef was a massive portion with crunchy roast potatoes and rich delicious gravy 10/10. The sea cod was tasty and interesting but quite a light dish that could do with some more of the potato element 8/10. We couldn't fault the burger and chips 10/10. All the starters were excellent. We tried the chorizo scotch egg and the mackerel dish which was tasty and surprising 10/10. The oyster mushroom "scallop" was original and again surprising and I hadn't seen before on a menu 9/10. This restaurant deserves to be more popular and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.

What a great time we had here. The staff were excellent and the food was fantastic. We are definitely planning to return.

I have food intolerances and the new Head Chef Craig discussed options and presented a fabulous dinner along with with a lovely dessert. I would definitely recommend trying the Stables at Cantley House Hotel Thank you !

We love coming to The Stables, if its for drinks, lunch, or occasionally dinner. The Sunday lunch now seems to be a sell out and to be honest we tried it recently and loved it. It was a generous portion, well presented and the service was attentive. The sticky toffee pudding is amazing. We also can't the fault the staff that work here, they are always so warm and welcoming and they make such a fuss of our dog! We will be coming back.

This was one of my worst ever culinary experiences. It seems the restaurant at Cantley is getting progressively worse. Desperately slow service, poorly presented food, roast potatoes seemed like they’d been sitting around or reserved and no crispness at all, not enough veg, mediocre wine. Left feeling thoroughly let down, disgusted even. Total rip off a dining experience totally at odd with what is otherwise a pleasant setting. Give this place a miss! Far better value to be had elsewhere in Wokingham!

We had a wonderful Christmas Day meal at The Stables with 3 generations. There were several choices but still had the flexibility to adapt to meet special diets. They avoided the temptation to cram in as many tables as possible meaning we all had space and didn’t feel that we were on top of each other. Pace was calm with wonderful service - so polite but very friendly. I would definitely recommend this wonderful location for celebrations of any kind.

£124 for 2 pizzas, a wing starter, fries and some drinks outside in the courtyard. An absolute rip off. We went for the live music in the courtyard which was outstanding but the cost of the food did not match the quality of service. Pick a lane! Either you are a casual eatery with prices to match ( which was what appeared to be offered on the advertising for the live music or you are an upscale experience - in which case you need to up your outside service, seating & the offering. Will NOT be returning! If your pizza oven is not cost effective it is because it wasn't busy enough, and it wasn't busy because of the price!!!! Pizza was mediocre, not enough sauce - crust too large and need the sauce going further to the circumference. The prosciutto added nothing - was too chewy so all came off in one bite. Not enough cheese. Wings were good. Fries needed seasoning. The band were excellent

Went for afternoon tea with family in stables very noisy when busy difficult to have a conversation. The food was average nothing special was expecting something better . Paid £240 for 6 with £26 service charge very disappointing .

About three years ago this restaurant had an excellent chef. When he left food quality went downhill. The chef is now back, and the food is outstanding. We had Sunday lunch and the beef was high quality. My wife had the chicken supreme which was very good. Well worth a visit. They have a nice garden to have a drink and a meal in a relaxed atmosphere.

I went for afternoon tea here on Tuesday 11th April. This is a lovely location and the interior was very cosy without being cramped. The staff were very attentive without hovering. However, my son and I were underwhelmed by the actual food. The sandwich selection was good, even though the egg was a little bland. The scones were lovely and served warm, but the seasonal hot cross bun was more like a slightly spiced bread roll. The real disappointment was the cakes. They tasted slightly stale as if they were a day or so old. With the cost of an afternoon tea, I expect it to be really tasty and fresh. It’s something you tend to do for a special occasion, so a slightly leathery choux bun is not ideal. It was a real shame as it was my birthday and meant to be a treat.

Both food and service were exceptional. I can’t wait to go back. The summer BBQ and pizza oven sound fantastic.

Really lovely meal tonight, roast dinner was delicious, Jake was very attentive, really lovely atmosphere. Will definitely be back.

Excellent food and service. Had a wonderful lunch. Great atmosphere and location that is very close to Wokingham in Berkshire.

Nice place good location were able to cater for my father who has mobility problems with an average atmosphere. Went for mother's day lunch, food was below par four of us had 3 different dishes, some of the veg was hard and under cooked, Beef was fatty and did not taste like beef, the quality of the WALSH LAMB was inedible some parts undercooked and some parts cooked very chewy, Deserts and coffee were nice inadiquate cutlery knives were not sharp, portion size and presentation was good. The service was average female servers were better than male

Went for Mothers Day lunch and was very impressed! The food was amazing, excellent quality and good portion sizes. the location and surroundings are lovely too with a nice little courtyard outside. The service was very good, even gave the mums a lovely little box of chocolates at the end of the meal. Very nice touch. Probably one of the best lunches we've had in a while! The blackberry soufflé was delish! this was our first visit and we will definitley be coming back.