Reviews of The Castle Eden Inn, Hartlepool
Review by Reba Woolsey on 2nd September, 2017
Add your review Date visited: 2nd September 2017
My husband and I went to visit the newly refurbished Castle Eden Inn. Wow it looks so much lighter and welcoming the staff were all smiles and really helpful giving us the menus and explaining the specials board to us.
We sat down looking at the menus several people were already in the bar and sat outside when it was announced that there would be no food as they had run out of gas so several people left to go elsewhere and people were turned away if they required food. We asked if we could have a ploughmans or something like that. They then said that they could do certain items on the bite menu. We ordered prawn sandwich with chips.
The sandwich came out on ciabatta bread as they said the could not serve them in bugattes for some reason. Then the next order came out for a table near us with on an open bagette with a huge amount of prawns on it could not believe it we could count the prawns on our sandwich it was full of lettuce and tomato . We mentioned it to the young lady serving us and she went to speak with her manager who just told her to say she was sorry the young lady herself was really nice we just felt it was the managers place to come and speak with us. She did not bother to come and speak with us herself even though shortly afterwards she was stood right in front of us talking to some friends. Such a shame on our first visit since the refurbishment and we were very understanding regards the food situation when everyone else was moving on somewhere else.
We are really not people who complain but I'm so pleased that the staff on duty were so nice and helpful and it's a shame they do niit have a manager with the same principles.
We even telephoned when we got home to speak with her and we are still waiting fir her to ring us back!!!!!!!!!!
Reba Woolsey
Review by Steven Armstrong on 24th June, 2012
Add your review Date visited: 23/06/2012
What a let down. I didn't have high hopes for anything but mediocre service after several visits, but expected everyone to like the food. Service was very friendly from one waitress always smiling but very dour from the other two. My main was delivered as menu, not without all the garnish as requested. Feedback was given that all the mains were extremely salty and in some cases parts couldn't be eaten! Response was a simple "sorry about that" no offer of recompense or perhaps a complimentary drink or desert. worse still no mention of giving feedback to Chef. Candles throughout pub and restaurant are on every table yet never lit! Why put them there if you have no intention of lighting them to create atmosphere! I had taken 4 friends and family along. None of us will return or recommend.
Review by Andrew Gibson on 28th May, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 24/05/2011
What a fantastic meal.
Heard that the masterchef was back and the food was better than ever.
Great friendly service.
This restaurant would give Claridges and run for its money.
I will definatly be back.
Review by FIONA on 16th January, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 16. 1. 11
Been here on several occasions and the food as always been nice but on last 2 visits we have been dissapointed ,went today for Sunday lunch hoping that the past 2 visits were bad days! but wont be visiting again didnt enjoy !!
Review by david hall on 3rd January, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 3/01/2011
Not masterchef!!
I visited this restaurant with my wife and daughter as the chef was a recent runner up on masterchef (we are keen amateur cooks and regularly eat out) and there had been a lot of positive publicity. Unfortunately I did not read the previous review here. Visited Monday 3rd January, the pub/restaurant was not particularly busy. Advised of a 40 minute wait we were happy to be seated and read the menu. After prompting the staff after 40 minutes we were shown to a table. Sadly there was only one one waitress serving and we waited 20+ minutes for our soup starters. We then waited a further hour at which point we asked the waitress about our main course and were told they were on there way. Another 15 minutes and the manager told us they had run out of veg. Food eventually arrived overcooked and looking very sad. Paid for starter and left. If you must visit have fish and chips! I spoke to both the management who were indifferent to feedback. gave me the impression that as they have a masterchef wannabe they can rest on their laurels. Poor communication and staff knowledge (told soup of day was mushroom when in fact tomato).
Mushroom paint does not make a gastro pub and customer service should be at the forefront of any business.
No disabled toilets or facilities for babies.
Review by Andrew Gibson on 30th December, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 21/12/2010
What a fantastic Christmas experience.
Both the food and the service was once again exceptional.
I can't recommend this restaurant enough.
My only complaint is that the restaurant is now becoming so busy I'm having to book well in advance.
Review by Anne Marie Phillips on 17th December, 2010
Add your review Date visited: December 8th 2010
I went for a Christmas lunch with my husbands walking group. We are a very cheerful group and were looking forward to this meal. We arrived for 12.30 and were seated quite quickly. We had chosen our meals from the Christmas menu. The turkey dinners started to arrive first. Service was very haphazard. Some people on my table got their meal, then a few people on a different table. People began to eat so that their meal did not get cold. The gentleman opposite me was halfway through his meal by the time mine arrived. He had finished his meal by the time any vegetable arrived. My meal was finished before my husband got his meal and by this time, what was left of the vegetables, had gone cold. I won't even bother to comment on the content of the meal or the amount! When desserts arrived, the gentleman next to me complained that his plate was cold and was told that the sauce was HOT!! As if that should be enough. Coffees were served in a very offhand manner. A few people were served on each table but rather than complete a table, the waitresses went to a different table and served a few people there. One lady on y table only got half a cup as the jug ran out and no-one ever came back to fill it up. By this time we had realised that asking for anything only resulted in the waitress disappearing for five minutes, so no-one bothered. I could go on complaing about so many aspects of this meal, but it is not worth it. Several of us did suggest to the organiser that we did not leave a tip, but she decided she would as the alternative would be to try and re-imburse everyone. Personally, I would rather she had kept it herself as recompense for the embarrasment of having organised this event. however being English we always seem to tip and so it was left. Those waitresses did not deserve that tip. Since that meal, i have been to three other Christmas lunches in far more modest establishments and I have to say that the meals I have had, at a third of the cost, have been excellent. Needless to say our group have spread the word about Castle Eden Inn. none of us will ever be returning.
Review by Dave Johnson on 15th December, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 8th Dec 2010
Very, very disappointed with this venue. Cam with a group for Christmas Lunch. Service was so slow it was unbelievable. Some had finished their meal before the vegetables had arrived. By the time others on our table had got their meal the vegetables were cold. Food was not good, some served on cold plates, some burned. Quantities at best can be described as scant. Even the coffee took forever to serve, with a ration-book serving of milk.
At best, the experience could be called indifferent, really it was a disgrace.
Certainly we will not go back there again.
Review by June Goulding on 9th November, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 6th Nov 2010
If only we had a place like this in Portsmouth. We thoroughly enjoyed the food and the ambiance. Well done.
Review by A ndrew Gibson on 24th September, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 23/09/10
My wife and I once again had a fantastic meal on Thursday night.
This has to be one of the best Restaurants in the North East.
Keep it up please as we love going there.
Review by James Osborne on 29th July, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 24th july
I Visited the Castle Eden Inn Last Saturday and was very fortunate that i had booked because although i was only in a table of four, the restaurant was full and i could tell why. The staff were very welcoming and polite, the bar was well stocked and i was plesantly suprised to see they had four cask ales to choose from as well as a wide variety of wines and champagnes that would not normally be associated with a village pub/restaurant. The food was also of the highest quality, and on recomendation i started with the bacon and black pudding salad, followed by a forerib which i shared with one of my guests, which was by far the best steak i have eaten this year. I did not have room for dessert, however two desserts were ordered by my table and they also looked delicious. For an enjoyable night out i would look no futher and will be recommending The Castle Eden Inn to all my friends.
Review by Mrs E McGowan on 12th July, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 10th July 2010
We were booked for 8.30pm. but were kept waiting on arrival for our table to be set. This took around fifteen minutes. The menu looked very good; however, starters priced at £8.00 were overly expensive. I ordered belly pork for my main course but the portion was so meagre it was barely worth having (one thin slice of meat cut into three small pieces. This was accompanied by a small portion of 'bubble and squeak' and some apple puree with a very small amount of gravy.My husband had cod with mussels in a cream sauce which he found bland and lacking taste. There were no vegetables served and the whole thing was over priced and paltry. To add insult to injury we were not served our main course until 9.45. We will not be returning.
Review by Mona Ramshaw on 23rd June, 2010
Add your review Date visited: Tuesday 22/06/2010
We are 6 mature ladies who go out for a meal once a month and have recently been trying different places. We went to the Castle Eden Inn for the first time last night after booking a table for 7.30.
We were all very impressed with the pub, the decor, and its layout because the dining room was open plan to the rest of the pub.
We ate off the June Special Menu which was £9.95 for 1 course £12.50 for 2 couses and £14.50 for 3 courses. There was plenty to choose from.
We were given nice french bread to start and I chose the Smoked Mackerel pate, beetroot chutney and toast. Then Beer Battered Fish and chips with mushy peas and homemade tartar sauce.
I can only describe the food as "Delicious", all of our party had different things from the menu and we all said the same. It was all hot and served on hot plates. 2 of my friends had a dessert which they also said was delicious. The service and atmosphere in the pub was excellent and we will be returning next month although I will be back before then with my family
Review by Jacqui Brown on 21st June, 2010
Add your review Date visited: April 2010
Oh my goodness, the food was shocking. We had pre-ordered beef bun and chips, and already paid !!! The bun was dry and stale as though it had been left out uncovered, the beef was at least 2cm thick and very tough (I had to ask for a steak knife to cut through it) and the chips turned out to be 2 very small potatoes (new potato sized) cut in half and dried out. The gravy was nice!!! No one bothered to tell us that there were no chips or roast potatoes left, even though we had pre-ordered. My daughter worked there at the time or I would have demanded my money back. The owners mentioned that Gary Rhodes had something to do with the establishement, what a laugh. I will not be eating there again. What waste of money for such a simple meal.
Review by Andrew Gibson on 21st June, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 19/june/2010
Had the best steak ever a forerib on the bone.
The chef is a genius.
Can't wait to go back.
Review by Claire Charlton on 29th May, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 25th May 2010
On a recommendation from work colleagues a few of us (6) went to the castle eden inn for a leaving do. We had our table booked for 5.30. We all enjoyed our starters, mostly soup and a couple of salads. We were served by to lovely young girls who were very polite. For my main course I had the biggest fish and chips i have ever seen! They were lovely. The rest of the girls all ate from the special menu, they had fish as well and also chicken pie and steak pie. We had a lovely time a few glasses of wine and were to full for dessert!
Review by Andrew Gibson on 17th May, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 15/05/2010
I and my party of 5 had the most fantastic meal on Saturday. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences we have had on a night out (which we do on a regular basis).
It was on a recomendation from friends that took us to Castle Eden and we will definatly be going back.
The quality of service was second to none and my rack of lamb with a minted pea coulis was superb.
Well done to all at the Inn.
Review by Bryan Telfer on 15th May, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 8/5/10
My girlfriend and I recently visited the Inn for an evening meal. We were greeted by a friendly young lad and had a drink in the bar. We went into the restaurant just after 8. I had a chicken and chorizo salad to start and she had the soup. We didn't wait long and they were lovely. The main course she had chicken pie which I thought was delicious and I had the shin of beef. Really loved it. We didn't really have room for desert but managed to share a brownie sundae...wow! I was told it was all home made even the ice cream. All in all we were very happy and will be back soon enough! Cheers!
Review by Joanne on 6th April, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 02.04.2010
I visited the castle eden inn on Good Friday,and was left very disappointed. The starter was nice & as expected, however the same couldn't be said for the main. I ordered slow cooked shin of beef (£13)& my partner trio of pork (£17) the beef came out as a small portion of beef stew & the pork (3 different cuts) one of which was a pork chop incl deep fried pork scratching which wasn't edible ! The vegtables were scarce (3 slices of carrots & small piece of brocilli - I requested more & was charged £2.50 (which was removed when queried) Overall I thought the prices were far too expensive for the quality that was served. A lovely pub but I can't say the same for the food.
Review by Molly Flett on 23rd March, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 21.3.10
We first re-visited the Castle Eden restaurant on New Years Eve and had a very nice evening and good food. We visited again for Sunday lunch which was also enjoyable. However on Sunday 21.3.10 we visited the Castle Eden again with some friends and ordered Sunday lunch. The starters were passable but little did we know that this course was to be the highlight of the meal. We all chose pork for our maincourse which when it came was absolutely disgusting. My pork arrived and was pink and undercooked, I sent it back and when it was returned to me it looked as if it had been microwaved. My partners portion was so small I actually passed my meat over to him. The vegetables were overdone and all piled on top of each other in a dish, they looked most unappetising, and in fact had absolutely no taste. The dessert wasn't much better, once again mine was returned to the kitchen because it was burnt black. I ordered sticky toffee pudding The waitress tutted as I complained and looked very put out that I had asked her for a replacement. A young waiter than asked if everything had been OK - to which we replied in unison that no they had not! He did reduce the bill slightly but we would have preferred a decent meal. Also all the food was served on freezing cold plates! I worked in the hotel industry for nearly 30 years as a function coordinator and never would I have served food from a kitchen like this. We four of us dine out very frequently but unfortunately the Castle Eden Inn won't be on the list of places to visit again. Very disappointing.
Review by Lucy Walker on 20th March, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 14.03.10
Had a fantastic meal on mothers day, superb food and excellent, smooth service.
Just recently been back for a-la carte and was treat like a regular, recieving excellent food and excellent service.
Would reccomend to anyone. Can't understand a bad review about this place.
Will be back soon!
Review by A WRIGHT on 16th March, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 8th March 2010
We visited here for the first time in a long time....the transformation was excellent. We did visit early in the evening ( on a Monday ) due to having kids with us and found our experience faultless. The food was beautiful, staff were very helpful and the house wine was very good. We do plan to visit again shortly to try the regular menu. We found the kids meals very good value for money and were very fresh and clean plates were the order of the day. We would like to say a big thankyou to all the staff for making a very nice evening. We would recommend the Castle Eden Inn to anyone.
Review by Sarah Morley on 14th March, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 13.3.10
I, my partner and son visited the restaurant for an early mother's day treat. Unfortunately we were met with discourtesy from staff, arrogance and left totally disatisfied!
We waited 30 minutes before getting a drink and our food order taken. Our food then took one hour to come meaning that we did not eat until 9 despite the fact that our table was booked for 7.30pm.
When our food arrrived the steak my partner had ordered was extremely tough and quite frankly, inedible.
Not wanting to make a fuss, we got on with our food as best we could but informed a member of staff who showed total disinterest.
As we were not prepared to pay for the inedible steak, we were met with a rude and obnoxious staff member who informed us that "No one had complained about the ribeye before," therefore, he was not prepared to take it off the bill.
The staff member also explaned that as we had asked for the steak "well done" it was our fault.
Apparently, all well done steaks are inedible!
He also threatened to "start proceedings" if we did not pay for the steak! Needless to say, we were in total shock at the treatment of a customer. The last straw came when this unpleasant man told us "don't choose to come back."
We left extremely discontented and unhappy with the "service" we had received. Customer relations are non-existent at this restaurant and the arrogance and complete lack of respect from staff made this an extremely unpleasant experience. Mother's Day meal well and truly spoiled.
We were left to feel it was us at fault for complaining. I would also like to add that we do not make a habit of complaining in restaurants which seemed to be the assumption of the staff member who we dealt with!
Review by Paul Anderson on 12th December, 2009
Add your review Date visited: 11th December 2009
The refurbished and redecorated Castle Eden Inn was the venue of our Christmas night out, 21 happy souls turned up for a three course meal and left thoroughly disappointed and pretty well miffed at the food and the courtesy offered to us.
The food was less than average and to such a poor standard, it makes you wonder why they spent money on refurbishment but failed to hire someone who could make even half an effort in the kitchen. Worse still was the staff penchant for coming around the table demanding we pay the wine bill half way through the meal, at one point a waiter brought a diet coke to one of the ladies present and asked her to pay for it there and then, embarrassing the lady in question. All in all a very poor all round experience, I do hope they manage to offer better than this in future, I've always had a soft spot for the pub being an occasional customer for more than thirty years, the area needs another poor pub like a hole in the head.
Review by john stubbs on 9th December, 2009
Add your review Date visited: 08/12/09
I've just revisited the castle eden inn and found that it is under new ownership and has had a refurbishment.
Its been totally transformed and is really comfortable amd the staff are great. there is a fantastic range of food available every day and would advise to book if you plan a visit.
congratulations to the new owners and management on a job well done!! we will be back for more.
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