Rick Stein in Wiltshire

Its with a heavy heart that I find myself giving a two star review to Rick Steins in Marlborough. This has always been a go-to restaurant for my family. I booked afternoon tea for Fathers Day; the restaurant was accommodating for adding extra numbers to the table on the day - which I am thankful for. However, they can do much better when it comes to the service:We ordered the afternoon tea with champagne for the little extra charge. We were not asked about allergies which by law is mandatory for all eateries to ask - arguably grounds for a law suit. Alas, I went to find the waitress/manager to let them know we were unable have ham. However, I was told that the sandwiches were “all pre made and nothing can be done but keep the ham sandwiches apart”. Not a great start but as nothing “can be done”, I accepted this and returned to the table. When the average looking afternoon tea that could have been served anywhere else (perhaps a ‘Rick twist’ on afternoon tea), the sandwiches for us were served without being separated as originally requested, and instead were on top of one another - we could not swap them over due to how the layout was done, but no regard for religion/dietary circumstances was recognised.The waitress failed to explain the theatre to an afternoon tea spread, which was disappointing, particularly for those who do not have afternoon tea regularly.Throughout our time, no one checked if we were ok or offered us extra drinks - instead it was us trying to find or stop a passing waiter/waitress.When using the toilets I saw most the staff on the second floor in a group chatting rather than helping the only waitress in the main room.Again we had to chase for the teas and coffees and upon paying the bill again having to go to a different room just to get someone’s attention- granted the service charge was removed from the final bill. With that said, this does not take away from the fact that under the Food Safety Act of 1990 which stipulates: “a good business must not: Cause food to be dangerous to health”, has been completely disregarded by a restaurant. Irregardless of the reason behind a dietary requirement, the question still should be asked and to all extents, be taken abundantly seriously. The mere fact Rick Stein’s restaurant has failed to meet this basic requirement is far from satisfactory.Today was about Father’s Day and all we wanted was a lovely family day and this was in my view taken away from us. Conclusively it has left me feeling fundamentally disappointed and not inclined to recommend to friends.

Not a big fish eater, but had a lovely time at the Rick Stein restaurant in Marlborough.Staff are ridiculously polite and understanding, and not overly in your face.Started out with a tomato and red pepper soup for me, with the other half stuffing his face with Thai fishcakes. Both were delicious!For main I went for the obvious "I'm not really a fish eater, but will have this if there's no burger" option of Fish & Chips. He who must be obeyed had the Mussels... He's a bit more refined then I am!Fish was lovely and juicy with crispy batter that melted in your mouth. Mushy peas, chips and tartare sauce that accompanied were also very good. The mussels, that I am not a fan of, came in an amazing black bean sauce that I would have happily gone home with a bucket of.Dessert... Kind of a problem... Only a small one, though. I ordered Marlborough Pudding, with Birds custard. The Husband had Mexican rice pudding.Both came out and started to tuck in when I noticed the custard was rather stodgy and lumpy... Strange when it comes out of a tin. Mentioned it to the waitress who kindly took it away and moments later brought back another one... It looked as if someone had added milk to the first one, whisked it up and put it in a clean jug... It was now runny and lumpy... I finished the rest of my Pudding - which was superb, may I mention - and left the rest of my custard. We were offered complimentary coffees, which were very much enjoyed.Overall it was an amazing meal. I was dubious as I'm not a fish person, but was duly catered for. Shame about dessert, but please don't let my one experience put you off. If you're a fishy person, or not, give it a try.

We went to Marlborough for the day on 24/2/22 and called in at Rick Steins restaurant on the off chance of a table for 2, luckily there was. The service we received was 100%, friendly, attentive and professional staff. Atmosphere very relaxed. Food was fabulous, cooked beautifully and so tasty and delicious. To start I had the LA MOUCLADE MUSSELS lightly spiced, fragrant mussels made with garlic, onions and saffron, my husband had GRILLED SARDINES with a tomato, garlic and thyme dressing, we both had the same main which was GRILLED HAKE WITH SPRING ONION MASH served with soy butter and TENDERSTEM with salsa verde. No dessert as no room for it. We will definitely go again, price was fair and worth it. A great place for a special meal!Thank you to all the staff at Rick Stein’s Marlborough for making our day out special.🙂

This was my first experience of this restaurant, we went there as a group of 13. They placed us upstairs in an area of our own which was great. The servers were very friendly and prompt. We felt welcomed.The food was delicious, not one person had any complaints and everything was eaten.Personally, I had the Burnt Cauliflower, Steak and Chocolate Pave. I enjoyed every bit. The portion sizes were correct and I felt comfortably full at the end.The server even broke down our bills individually with no fuss and delivered them to each of us, such attention was warmly welcomed.I would definitely eat here again.

Somewhat disappointing. We've been several times to the Sandbanks restaurant and it has almost always been good. This is in a great location and the staff were brilliant but the food was mostly only average and the prices really high so overall poor value for money.The exception has to be the seafood soup that was excellent.We won't be going back.

Everything I hoped for and additionally a great table courtesy of Aydan who also showed us round the venue prior to its opening. His manners and the reputation of the brand persuaded us to book for dinner. It didn't disappoint, lovely starter of mussels followed by the best fish and chips I've had in a restaurant. Staff at the front desk were very welcoming and even allowed us to try a couple of wines to make our selection which resulted in us trading up to a better bottle.Prices were very reasonable for a high profile venue and certainly value for money.A couple of things to improve, linen napkins and bread to accompany the starters would be nice but all in all, very happy with our experience.

Visited today for a special birthday lunch with my Mum and Sister. We were sat upstairs which had such a lovely atmosphere, all the decor is stunning and staff so friendly but not intrusive at all, very professional. Then the food, wow!! Oysters, so fresh and elegant. Mussels were insane, the best I’ve ever had. Will definitely be back for more of the delicious Champagne! Such a lovely meal and experience, thank you so much. Our lovely server (who’s name I didn’t catch, sorry) was very attentive and made my Mum feel special on her special day. Again, thank you so much we will be back!

Amazing, I will always fault a meal or service if required. But this was flawless, service and food all amazing.Yes, there is a premium to pay but imho totally worth it on a very special occasion for the experience and amazing food.

We had an amazing meal at Rick Stein's restaurant in marlborough last night.. the restaurant itself was sleek and stylish, with a relaxed atmosphere and was reasonably priced. The food was exquisite and the service superb. A real special treat on our trip away. We would definitely recommend a visit and would love to go back.

We came in for a meal on a Saturday evening. Ordered mussels and pea soup to start. The mussels were perfectly acceptable but I couldn't taste much of the sauce in them - dare I say, I thought they were quite bland. The pea soup however, did go down well - thick and flavoursome, and they included bread at no extra charge. For main course we ordered fish and chips, and lamb cutlets. Lamb was cooked perfectly but lacked noticeable seasoning and we felt were underwhelming for the price. Fish was tasty but the 'chips' tasted undercooked and soggy. I expect chips to have a nice crispy outer skin with fluffy potatoe in the middle. Undercooked potatoe cuboids describes them better than chips sadly. Service was fine although there was a delay with a pot of tea. Given the name above the door, we were expecting a premium dining experience and had much higher expectations than we received. As another recent reviewer wrote, we found it lacked the wow factor.