Wine Bar & Grill in North Dorset

Decided to try this as it’s under new ownership and within walking distance. I booked ahead for Sunday lunch at 1pm thinking it may be busy but the main bar was was completely empty. The staff greeted us warmly and were offered drinks which we decided to have at the table in the the restaurant away from the loud music. Obviously the staff were playing what they wanted rather than something suitable for the clientele. The restaurant only had one other couple dining, it was completely empty apart from us. The waitresses were very young, sweet and polite. After a considerable wait we were served our food. What a disappointment! The lamb wellington consisted of 3 slices of lamb with a thin layer of pastry around the outside, my Mothers 3 slices of pork looked nice and I have 2 slices of overcooked roast beef. The vegetables looked ok but were barely warm and and roast potatoes were yesterday’s and had chewy skins. Very disappointing which we pointed out to the waitress when she asked how our meal was when she cleared the table. I could hear the same comments from the other couple when they were asked the same question. We decided that we’d go home for our pudding rather than chance a repeat reheat of yesterday’s. Such a shame, we weren’t offered any explanation, but one only had to look around to see why the place was empty. My husband who doesn’t cook could have produced a better meal. It cost us £56 in total. We shan’t be returning and I don’t suppose the other diners will either. I took the meat home and there were no complaints from the dogs!

This is a great place to meet your friends and enjoy a great night's socialising. Good atmosphere and friendly staff.

Always a good meal to be had here. From the welcoming staff, great selection of drinks to the delicious food beautifully presented by Arnie and his team. The Sunday carvery is always worth a visit but on this particular evening I had a fish misto with squid rings and it was fantastic. My husband had a lamb burger which was also delicious. Thoroughly recommend a meal here.

Excellent menu choice, deposits paid in advance, Friday 14 December for 19 people.Food was excellent, service was also good, everything came out together and hot. The attention to detail was great. Presentation of the dishes was fabulous. I would thoroughly recommend this restaurant. I have heard that Tapas Thursdays are a real hit so this is next on my hit list!Thank you once again Arnie, Sarah and your team :)

Went for a Christmas meal the food was fantastic and I can't fault the service - overall it was excellent very impressed.

We went as an extended family group including my 10 month old daughter on a Sunday for lunch. We all had the carvery. There was good choice on offer, 3 meats and lots of sides, it was all very tasty but unfortunately I didn’t find it all that hot. I may have been just unlucky however, and it was lovely food. I would definitely return as the customer service was excellent and they were happy for my daughter to just have food off mine and my husband plates. Good value, overall very pleased.

My wife and I booked for a Saturday night, we turned up for an 8pm sitting and we were the only people in the restaurant. I don’t get it... lovely food, clean and tidy place, but peak time on a Saturday and it’s empty... This repeats another Saturday about 6 weeks ago, when again we were the only people eating in an empty place.Sad, as the food was excellent, I thought reasonably priced and decent quality. Just wish others would support this restaurant, as I cannot believe it will survive for long at this rate and that would be tremendously poor for the town. I agree somewhat with a previous review about the decor, it’s a bit bland and doesn’t provide much in the way of identity, and opening it up without the double doors would provide a bit more atmosphere. But overall we enjoyed it and just wish more people would visit it.

We visited on a Wednesday evening and ordered 3 different main meals. My parents moved to Dorset 24 years ago and we all agreed this is the best meal we have had in Gillingham in all that time. The bar is tucked away from the main high st but we'll worth the visit.

I visited on Thursday evening with friends for tapas and prosecco night. I couldn't fault the food, it was all really nice. Good selection and the staff were lovely and welcoming. I will definetly be returning.

Had a meal here on 22/6/18 with my Mum and two friends. The restaurant had no atmosphere at all and along side our table was a row of kids high chairs which didn't really add to the ambience and felt a bit like a road side cafe.

When I have visited the wine bar I have been happy. The garden is lovely in the summer. All the times we have been, Alex has been very welcoming. The beers are very refreshing so all in all a good place to be !

Well considering it was a set menu consisting of carvery and a large group we thought the display of meats and food were lovely. However my friend and I thought we would have a small helping and perhaps return for a second as it was so nice and there were loads of veges, Yorkshire puds and meats just sitting there. I didn’t return but my friend did only to be told off by the chef saying she couldn’t have anymore. At her insistence he begrudgingly allowed her a slice of beef and a few vegetables. None of us will be returning because of him. What on earth were they going to do with all those leftovers I dread to think... serve them up the next day to some unassuming diners? The meal was I believe £11.50. As I say I can’t fault the food just the attitude of the chef. Dreadful. Do not recommend I am sad to say...

Had an amazing tapas tonight great deal for £30 brilliant atmosphere service was great and food was delicious will be visiting again soon would deffently recommend

We had a steak on steak night it was cooked just right medium rare and was a lovely taste, good luck to the chef and new management

This place has just changed hands, the Portuguese chef is amazing, about time Gillingham had a decent restaurant. Lots of comfortable seating for having a drink

Just been for Sunday Lunch as the Wine Bar & Grill has been taken over by Arnie & Sarah there second week there,

Had a good meal here with family on Saturday night. The food was good and the place was quite busy. Steaks were very tasty - chips are amazing! We had a long wait before the main courses came out though. Staff were friendly. We retired to the bar for drinks but the music was quite loud and could not talk very easily.

Un amigo y yo tuvimos un buen almuerzo aquí la semana pasada. La comida y el servicio fueron buenos, el poco que lucha con la decoración y el ambiente general de este lugar. Aunque el interior ha sido renovado recientemente, todavía parece anticuado y sin personalidad. Este sitio necesita de la reguera la alfombra y abrir el espacio en una zona grande con bar prolongadas. Aunque era de clima cálido, el jardín de la cerveza parecía muy descuidada con muertos cestas colgantes todavía no colgaron, hierba recién cortado y un trampolín doméstico que parecía viejo sin lados o escalera que estoy seguro sin luz un H&S; inspectores ojos. Es una pena, ya que cuando llegué a Gillingham hace 10 años este lugar siempre está lleno. Visitar Angola 76 en Shaftesbury o muchos de los pubs artesanos en Frome podrían dar el propietario algunas ideas sobre lo que podría traer a potenciales Gillingham? ? Personal experto con un ojo bueno para detalle podría ejecutar una fantástico bar de ginebra aquí?

Caminar en el personal del bar era agradable y acogedor.

We went here for Lunch on Mothers day and it was a very poor experience indeed. The 2 young guys serving were simply overwhelmed and under trained. It was embarrassing to watch them deal with a not especially busy restaurant and I've had much better service in most chain restaurants, who at least train their people to a level before letting them loose on the public. These 2 boys deserved much better. The food was poor, the steaks arrived without steak knives, there was no salt and pepper on any table, the youngest waiter couldn't read the list of specials because he couldn't read the writing, food delivery was painfully slow, repeated requests for a coffee that had been ordered became tedious, complaints from every table about incorrect orders and slow food was painful to watch and finally, a miniscule amount of overcooked salmon was a served up as a 'special'.

El bar de vinos es fácilmente el mejor lugar para ir en Gillingham, con el mejor servicio al cliente alrededor.

Visitamos en un jueves por la noche para carne. Bistec fantástico, perfectamente cocinada. Encantador y el personal era muy servicial. Nos sentimos muy bienvenidos y lugar encantador por la noche tranquila con mi marido. Sin duda volveremos con los niños la próxima vez como gran...

Este lugar fue elegido para nuestra comida de Navidad obras. Habíamos viajado desde otra ciudad a unos 15 km de distancia. En la entrada, alrededor de las 7 de la tarde, me sorprendió lo fría que era el lugar, algunos de nosotros tuvimos que mantener...

Noche muy, muy buena la comida era adorable nada era demasiada molestia y el personal era muy agradable

Steak night 2 for 25.00 was out standing. Have been here 5+ times in last 6months with friends, fab meal every time, no bad words on staff. Book table for 12 for christmas meal. Thank you wine bar. Karen Nicky Paul and Paul

This Sunday a few of us went to the wine bar for the help for hero's quiz night. I was a little hesitant to go after a previous visit at the beginning of the year when there was a male chef (that was quite rude) Our food was very salty and overcooked, when we told the bar lady we cant eat it, The male chef came out and begain being very rude and unreasonable. The decore was also a bit dated. But after stepping foot in the venue Sunday night we noticed how much it had changed for the better.It was extremely busy but very well organised. I was told that there are new managers and chef there now, that have done a fantastic job redecorating and organising different events for the pub in a very short period of time them being there. I wish I went to the Elvis Tribute event, as I heard that was a good night too.The staff are very polite and friendly, the food was fantastic and we had a really lovely time. I will definitely be coming back again soon

Sounds like a great deal........ 2 steak meals and a bottle of wine, £25. I guess you pay for what you get because it was possibly the worst meal out I have ever had. To be fair the staff were thrown in the deep end, with their lack of knowledge I think they could not deal with the amount of things that were going wrong. Lack of wine glasses, warm wine, lack of wine collers to even try cool the wine, steaks that were over cooked (apparently the hot plates faullt according to the manager!!) frozen chips, burnt sweet potatoe chips and on top of that we waited nearly two hours for the food to even come out. We were then asked what we would like for pudding even though we had no pudding menu, only then to be offered an ice cream sundae or plain ice cream. What a dissappointment and will certainly not be eating there again.

First off, a fruit drink was served from the bottle which was over a year past its Used by date, to a pregnant lady too! No offer to refund, just swapped it.After watching the other tables food arrive out we were looking forward to ours, however we had an hour and a half wait after we ordered, given that we had a table of 12 but our choices were pretty similar, so not difficult! Only 4 tables out of about 10 were occupied. Our onion rings didn't arrive until we were half way through our food, no mention they will be late until we asked. Steaks came out on sizzling plates but when one lady questioned her steak, which should have been medium well, the plate was blamed, cooking it more to create the well done meat! 'We should have been told about these when we ordered', apparently. The raw rocket and cherry vine tomatoes were warming nicely on the hot plate too. Sweet potatoes chips were burnt, again, excuses there too, they are supposed to be dark!Replacement normal chips came out warm but with frozen middles.No English mustard, on a steak night!Not enough wine glasses, or wine coolers, in a wine bar!'Italian Stallion' burgers should have come with a ciabatta bun, this was a normal white one.No discount was offered after raising these issues with the owner, eventually they offered complimentary drinks, however conveniently the nicer wine (therefore more expensive bottle) we had with our 'meal deal' had run out and we had to swap to a different bottle, warm too.I think thats everything! DO NOT LET THE DEALS SUCH AS STEAK NIGHT SUCK YOU IN! This place needs to not do food and the customer service needs to improve! We felt guilty for complaining, I felt embarrassed for you. We shall have a curry next time. I advise you make a trip to Shaftesbury Town, much better eateries!

The meal was the worst we have had in along time and neither of us eat half of it .We had been looking forward to our evening out and our meal and went home very disappointed !Also the wine bar doubles up as a " Youth club " ! , lots of noise and some 11 youths arrived during our meal and gathered next to our table .

Had a fantastic evening meal at the Wine Bar & Grill. I have eaten in many great restaurants around the area and have to say that Stuarts food was some of the best i have eaten. Highly recommend eating here and will definitely be back again.

now the restaurant has opened again with a new chef we thought we'd try it, What a chef ! the food here is outstanding , this is not just pub food, we have been to plenty of top quality places , the Swan at Lavernam, the cumberland/sheekeys/joe allens/ the chesterfield and the rubens all in London, the Balmoral in Edinburgh and the manor house at castle coombe among others, and let me tell you the food dished up here is at as good as any of them !!!

We have had many Sunday Carvery lunches at the "Wine Bar and Grill" and they have always been very good, but they are now even better with the new Chef. Stuart puts his own "twist" to the vegetables, which makes it just a bit different to a conventional Carvery. All the desserts are excellent. Overall, It all tastes wonderful, and I think it's good value for money. Stuart also does some great dishes during the week so keep an eye out for those too. All the staff are friendly and helpful. Will be back again soon!!

a group of us had a wonderful lunch here. Everything was freshly cooked and tasted just like home cooked.. The meat was tender with good flavour the fresh veg well cooked but not mushy. Good choice of deserts and cheese board. We all would return.

Always very pleased with service in here.Most of the time we go in for drinks and have a great time with a really good atmosphere and staff are always nice. Had a couple of sit down meals and very pleased with the food and service.

We visited here for the first time (to eat) on a Friday night (the last Friday of the month) and expected it to be heaving. We'd popped in here for a drink before, but never a meal. We were surprised that there was only one other table occupied.Because of how quiet it was the service was good, although there were a few things that weren't available on the menu. The gentleman taking our order also had to check a couple of things, which considering how quiet it was, we would have thought that he might have been briefed when opening?The food was served quickly, was very nice and there was plenty of it - it was also reasonably priced.We asked for the bill but had to then go to the bar to pay as nobody returned to our table. The food cannot be faulted here, the service was good (but consider how quiet it was could have been better) which is while we're giving our review 'Very Good'. The biggest disappointed was the atmosphere - We're fairly new to the area and we're gradually trying different establishments - We had high hopes for this one, but we just didn't 'feel it'.We'd eat here again without a doubt based on the food, but if we're looking for atmosphere we'd probably give it a miss.

Well, we "enjoyed" a very mediocre meal this friday. Not well cooked at all and ingredients of dubious quality. The waiting staff were noticeable by their absence; very busy having lovely chats behind the scenes rather than doing their jobs and attending to the people who ultimately pay their wages. Last time we will be eating at the Wine Bar. Owner needs to get a grip on the business.

I went to Wine Bar with a friend on Friday night. We arrived rather early, just after 7pm. We sat at the table and went to bar to order our drinks. Unfortunately we found out that the table was rather sticky and my dress's sleeves did stick to the table so I had to rip them off leaving the place with unidentified sticky substance glued to my dress. The worst part of our visit was when I went to the bar to order another round ( this was our 2nd round at about 9PM) and I stood at the bar for about 5 minutes and noone bothered to serve me! The bartender and his companion ( who I think might have been the owner) were having such a good time that they kept ignoring me when I was the only person waiting to be served at the bar! We left the place. Very disappointing!

We regularly go to steak night. It is always excellent and outstanding value! The surroundings are great and the service friendly and efficient.

As a family we just loved the experience we were well looked after and the food was cooked to perfection, we will definitely return!

Came here on a quiet weekday for a meal. Lovely decor in the restaurant. We were welcomed, seated and served drinks by a helpful and polite waitress. I had a rump steak which was absolutely delicious and juicy. What was great was that the chef came out immediately after I cut into it to check that it was cooked to my liking. My partner had the mixed grill which included a steak, sausage, gammon, pork tenderloin and chicken! It was a huge meal and each bit was cooked really well. Lovely dessert of strawberry meringue fool which was creamy with lots of strawberry. We had a bottle of merlot which was well priced and very drinkable. We will be back!

Travelled from New York to meet up with friends near Bournemouth and took a side trip to Gillingham, well worth the time as we enjoyed a lovely Sunday carvery lunch. Roast beef and lamb…and everyone loved the Yorkshire pudding! (I know that's standard for Sunday lunch, but we don't get it much in New York!) Mandy, the chef, made us feel special, the place is beautiful and we really had a nice time. Thanks for showing us a good time Gillingham!

We went to the Wine Bar for dinner with friends. From the moment we arrived we were made welcome and the staff saw to our every needs.Despite it being steak night, it was no trouble to arrange for different dishes for two of the party. You really get the feeling here that nothing is too much trouble and is a very welcome change from some of the other "better" eating places in the area!The food itself was delicious - all cooked to order and perfectly too.Altogether, a splendid evening out - this establishment is something of a "hidden" jewel, but one that deserves to go from strength to strength!

We had a lovely lunch here with a group of people. Mandy had gone to so much trouble and gave us a great spread. Everything is very competively priced. A lovely garden to sit in and have coffee afterwards. For dessert try one of her huge meringues, full of fresh cream and delicious strawberries, Too good to miss, an excellent addition to Gillingham at lunchtimes and evenings,

I think the new chef has had a big impact. Food was delicious and chef got involved and came out personally to see if food was ok. A proper nice grill. Well worth a visit!! We came down from kent and had to try it!

A group of 8 of us enjoyed an fabulous evening on 14th Feb.We had pre booked but none of us ordered food until the evening.The barman/waiter was very friendly & attentive.We all had food from the Valentine menu but normal menu was available.All the dishes came out together & were all presented/cooked to a brilliant standard.The restaurant was busy & the small team of staff made sure everyone was given excellent service.The food was really good value and we will definately go back again.This is definately one of the best places to eat in Gillingham.

A very pleasant lunch time, which we look forward to repeating soon. The menu had something for everyone. Lite meals such as jacket potatoes to daily specials and juicy steaks. Very generous portions at very reasonable prices. The new chef is keen to cater for all tastes and the puds are delicious. If you are looking for somewhere local to eat, this is ideal. The bar and restaurant are spotless, light and airy. To sum up I would say this is home cooking at its best, in a great bar with separate restaurant overlooking a lovely garden. We look forward to making it our new 'regular'.

These premises had a rather poor reputation when a pub and despite a huge renovation job on the building, little tempted me to go there.However, recently it has become The Wine Bar and after my wife had her work's Christmas Party there (and was pleasantly surprised), we decided to try it for an evening meal.We were both very pleased - a nice relaxed atmosphere, a seating area with leather sofas where we had pre-dinner drinks and browsed the menu before being shown through to the dining room. This was pleasantly furnished and again had a nice atmosphere.The food was delicious - perfectly cooked, well presented and reasonably priced. The puddings gave the impression of being "home-cooked" and not bought in - again very tasty.The (very busy!) chap that was at the bar AND serving in the dining room was friendly, polite and very helpful - a credit to The Wine Bar.A place we will now be happy to visit again!

Not many people know about this place, its on the edge of town in Queens Street. You really need to try it out with a good selection of beers and the food is really great with lots of daily specials. The emphasis is in 'home made' and this really shines through especially at 'pudding' time. Very friendly staff, nothing was too much trouble, good for families and friends alike. Apparently there is a new chef there and you can really see the difference. Went there for a special occasion where the room was booked out, excellent buffet, no shop bought stuff there!

Went there for lunch on Sunday and had their carvery. They have recently had a new chef start and I would definitely recommend as the food was perfectly cooked and the dessert was delicious. Will be going back for sure.

This place used to be very soulless and dull, but is slowly improving. It is generally pretty quiet and had probably been hit by the opening of The Shed, but deserves to do well. The staff are friendly and attentive and the food is good value. Give it a try!

26 of us went to the wine bar for my birthday, the staff couldn't do enough to help and the food was excellent for all 26. All of us will be going back

We came to visit my partner parents and they booked this having never visited. We looked at the reviews on Trip Advisor as find that they are normally a good representation and after seeing the reviews went with some reservations. I am very pleased to say that the food and hosts were excellent. We are pretty spoilt with restaurants where we live and the food here would compete with them easily. Between the 4 of us we had the soup, the Brie and redcurrant jelly, lamb shanks and Pete's curry. All of the food was excellent and the chips which the parents ordered with their Lamb we very fresh and crispy. The red cabbage and raisins that came with the shanks were a superb accompaniment. The pinot Grigio was very pleasant. Everything was excellent, so much so that we are going to try the carvery tomorrow and will report back on it !

went on a sunday, the food was good, but not the service left a lot to be desired, even so properly go back

This is the most soulless establishment one could ever imagine. It pretty much encapsulates Gillingham.