The Hemingway in Hackney

Turned up for a Sunday lunch, having booked 2 weeks prior, only to find out our names were not on the list, despite having a confirmation email. No matter how hard the staff member stared at the list, the booking name did not appear. A table was to be made ready in 5 minutes so we were told.20 minutes later, the table was ready, we were guided to it by a less than enthusiastic staff member. (I get it’s a busy Sunday and serving food in a pub might not be your ideal career path) but being made to feel like a burden isn’t ideal. We ordered food only to receive it 90 minutes later. People who were seated after got their food before our group.The food itself was amazing, 5 stars for that. Good portions, hot and well cooked. One of the best Sunday roasts I’ve had. To be fair, they discounted the bill, acknowledging the errors, but it appeared there was no management figure who was in control of the chaos. Get the service right, and it would be 5 stars

I was shocked at the table we were given.A dark, dismal damp cold room that seemed like a store room.They brought a fan heater in and it didn't work.We asked to be moved as we were all very annoyedHealth and safety rules were not observed as my friend asked for a disinfectant spray and a cloth because our table was dirty and sticky TOTALLY WRONGThere was a load of dust and rubbish in the corner too.This was extremely concerningWe received an apologyDue to them being busy I realised they were not concerned.I thought about contacting the LBH Health and Safety department but we all said we will never return.I'm Hackney born and bred.A real pity that this establishment has gone so far down.Sunday lunch is available everywhere and we have a choice to never return.I'm sad to write this.

A very frustrating experience booking a large group with this pub. Be warned.Their manager said they were giving a credit note to all Xmas bookings because of Covid, to move deposits to any date up to the end of January. Fair and helpful policy — until the manager reneged on the agreement, with zero explanation or understanding, sinking our £240 deposit for a group of 24.It’s poor service to flip-flop last minute and drop a large group to keep the deposit, not to mention short-sighted given our spend would be 5 or 6+ times this amount if we could move the date and actually attend.It’s also unprofessional and frankly laughable to ignore a customer’s calls. Only when I used a different number did the manager pick up (!) then wordlessly passed the phone to a colleague after realising it was me on another number (!!). I’ve never come across this kind of treatment before in hospitality. Shambolic.We understand it’s a difficult time for pubs with Covid cancellations, and we wanted to come and spend a proper evening with our whole group in Jan. But this unexplained and last-minute change in credit note policy — apparently offered to all other customers — leaves a bitter taste. This pub is now obviously top of the naughty list. Merry Christmas.

All the doors were opened so a cold draught was going through the whole dining room....we were all freezing. Beers were ok. Food was not wonderful. It looked nice but my fish was a bit oily and the chips not cooked enough. My wife took the burger and found cartilage in the meat.

Really mediocre Sunday roast, and for almost 20 quid. Had heard great things, so was super disappointed. Guinness was also served in a generic glass, had far too big a head, and tasted like licking a bit of metalStaff were lovely

Great selections of beers, Beef Wellington is amazing, we have delicious scotch eggs as starter. Definitely going to come back soon. Staff are very friendly.

Beautiful roast dinner, FULL of flavour - the vegetables had little notes of Orange glaze on them and were non-typically British by NOT being over cooked!I ordered the Roast Beef - a delicious cutMost impressively the service was first classUpon arrival I saw a huge lineup in a house full of customers and the waiters were brilliantNever stopped working, were always attentive and most of all gave us their undivided attentionDefinitely going back!A*

A fabulous meal, one of the best beef wellingtons I've ever had and £44 for 2 people. We were also celebrating so ordered a bottle of Laurent Perrier Rosé champagne which was delicious and fairly reasonable at £90 (considering restaurant mark ups). Lovely service and the lavatories are really nice. To note, they are unisex loos, which I had no issues with but some people question

We had a very enjoyable afternoon here. I would recommend the Beef Wellington for 2. Really tasty. I don’t think it needed the salad?! but hey ho. Toilets are phenomenal. Look forward to returning.

Despite the previous reviews I am writing based on my experience here today on a weekday lunch. Came here early to avoid any crowd and managed to get a seat outside with the sunny weather. I ordered the beef wellington as there are not many restaurants in London that serves this wonderful dish. Although on the menu it mentioned for two, if you have a big appetite then you can finish it with no issue. That’s what happened to me 😀. Overall the wellington was cooked medium rare and perfect juicy. Loved the stuffing they made for this. I would definitely recommend you to go for this if you want something different. I was the first customer to order this and it does have a long wait of 45 minutes for this which was mentioned to me by the server. Overall this is definitely a nice gastropub in East London near Victoria Park to have a good meal.