Village Grill - Village Hotel Farnborough

We had a family dinner on a Sunday night at this restaurant. The service was a bit slow, but the staff was friendly. The prices are high, but the room itself is beautiful with large screens showing sports and cinema-style seating. It has a vibe reminiscent of an American hotel bar. The managers handled the removal of a problematic customer discreetly. Overall, it was nothing extraordinary, but I would likely go back again.

We booked a table for a large group in advance for lunch on a Friday. The only available times were 11am or 1pm, so we chose 1pm. The bar staff were very busy and seemed stressed, not happy to serve a large group and take individual orders. I called a week ahead to ask if we needed to pre-order for a large group, but the person I spoke to seemed confused and said they would call back, which they never did. We couldn't order food together at the bar and split payments, as it was too complicated. It took a long time for all of us to order with only one employee taking our orders, resulting in food coming out gradually and some dishes taking longer than others. We were warned about this upon arrival, but we expected there to be enough staff to handle a large booking. Alternatively, the booking system should have allowed us to book for lunch before the peak time. The food was good and affordable, but I would not recommend booking for a large group or during peak hours.

We went out for dinner and found the meat to be dry, not very hot, and the vegetables in the bowl were overcooked, looking gray and mushy. It used to be a great Carvery, but unfortunately, it has gone downhill since the renovation.

The venue itself is very good, various areas around the bar are suitable for everyone. It is a shame that they have done away with Sunday Carvery, but the Roast was pretty good, lots of meat, individual bowls of veg, plates and Gravy pots were hot pierced. Out sticky toffee puds were a little gumsy, but the sauce and ice dissolved that. Can be a little loud, depending on when u go. We were there to watch Rugby, so it was a pretty loud afternoon, but we had expected that.

Nice for informal drinks and food. Football on but it is a sports bar so expect some noise. However it was a lovely friendly atmosphere. Staff really helpful. Had birthday drinks and snacks there recently and they went that extra mile for us.