My wife and I joined a group of friends here for Sunday lunch. We wanted to try it, as we had been there a few times in the past, and as the pub had just reopened after a long closure for refurbishment.
The new look to the whole pub/restaurant is very nice. They seem to have modernised yet kept some of the older features of the building. There are now rooms so you can stay after a long evening out! The staff were plentiful in number but maybe a little inexperienced, as we were to discover during the meal.
While our orders were taken promptly, we had to wait longer than usual for our main courses, albeit that there were 10 of us in the group. The food was good, without being outstanding. I had roast lamb with all the trimmings, which was a reasonable although not generous in proportion. My wife had a nut roast, and while we both enjoyed our lunch, there were others in the group who found their meal not quite as they hoped. £12.50 for a Sunday lunch is probably a little on the high side, but reflects the surroundings.
Having ordered desserts, we again had to wait a long time. One of the orders was wrong, and after most of us had started to eat our pudding, the waitress came to announce to the three of our group, whose dessert had not yet arrived, that theirs wasn’t available! It wasn’t good to hear that, especially after the rest of us had already started eating. They were offered a different dessert, but declined given the timing.
In short, the refurbishments are very nice and it’s worth going for that alone. The meals were just about satisfactory, while the service could have been better. We think we’ll go again, but maybe when it’s less busy and for a ‘snack’ meal rather than a full lunch.
“Pub website”:http://www.dartmoorhalfwayinn.co.uk/
