Shepway
Wardle

Wardle

39 Earls Avenue, CT20 2HD, Shepway, United Kingdom

Full • Steak • British • European


"Having often dined at Earls in the past we booked what we expected was the Sunday carvery for a party of 12 to celebrate a birthday. We were met by only 1 member of staff who was serving meals, serving drinks to diners, manning the bar and clearing the tables. Apparently other staff had not turned up due to a family emergency. Obviously service was extremely slow but give Nina credit she soldiered on in the face of adversity and did a magnificent job, all with a smile on her face whilst being extremely polite. It must have been very difficult for her as other diners got up and left due to the long wait and another group complained constantly and refused to pay the service charge. We waited an hour for drinks and debated whether or not to leave as it was apparent that our meal would be at least another hour. We skipped the starter as we were all hungry by this time. We were told the main was a ‘plated carvery’ not the buffet we expected. When it arrived the food was not very hot and the portions were not very generous. Not one of the 12 diners received Yorkshire puddings! I’m not a big eater but even I still felt hungry. The deserts although limited in choice were very good. The owner arrived to assist with serving the main course but that was all the help he offered the waitress and certainly no apology or explanation to the diners for the very poor service due to inadequate staffing levels. Having seen the owners appearing on Channel 4’s Four in a Bed and their claims of offering excellent facilities and service I can say that we were all distinctly unimpressed with the service and food. The cost of dining here for 9 adults and 3 children was £321 without a service charge! For serving lukewarm food that we waited for 2 hours for I felt they should pay us for the negative dining experience. I would also remove their board outside stating they offer the best carvery in Folkestone. Would we dine here again most definitely not. Possibly if the hotel and restaurant were in new hands and which could be a possibility in the not too distant future for I fail to see how they can stay in business with such poor levels of service and quality of food."

Closed: Tea Tides

Closed: Tea Tides

3-5 Theatre Street, Hythe CT21 5LD, United Kingdom, Shepway

Vegan • Coffee • British • American


"We decided to stop by Cafe Bellagio for lunch during our visit to Hythe, as we often do. We sat at a window table and waited for the waitress to come and clear our dirty dishes and clean the table. Despite her knowing we were waiting, we had to wait for a male staff member to take our drink orders. After ordering our food, we waited 25 minutes for it to be served. During this time, customers were getting up to inquire about the delay in receiving their meals. Although they were busy, most of the dishes were fast food so there was no excuse for the long wait. The tables needed to be cleaned and other tables were dirty with finished plates. The salt and pepper holder was filthy, rusty, and dirty. When the food arrived, my wife's omelette looked unappetizing and smelled strange. She took a bite but decided not to finish it as it didn't taste fresh. I had a cheeseburger which I enjoyed. After the meal, my wife used the restroom, which was shared by disabled and male patrons. She mentioned it was dirty inside with no hand towels as the hand dryer was not working. I confirmed it was filthy with dirty paper towels on the floor and pieces of paper scattered around. The waitress didn't seem concerned when we informed her. Looking into the open kitchen, it appeared messy with dirty plates stacked up and a pre-cooked pie left uncovered on a table. This raised concerns about the cleanliness of the cafe. We paid our bill and left. It's disappointing to see how this cafe has deteriorated since we first started dining here. We definitely won't be returning, which is a shame as it used to be a clean, tidy, and good value spot."