Gonville Kitchen

Review summary

1. K

   Kris

   Norfolk/Suffolk

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 1

   I’m sorry to say that I was disappointed by this experience. I booked an afternoon tea for two through the Open Table app. I messaged the venue via Open Table the day before to check they had my booking down as afternoon tea but got no reply. To be sure, I stopped by the venue a few hours before my booking to double check they had it down for afternoon tea, only to be told that the hotel did not have my booking. I was able to show them the Open Table confirmation on my phone. When we returned at 2.30 (the earliest the website said you could book an afternoon tea), we waited to speak to the only staff member at the bar. Even though I had chosen to sit in the long bar area, we were taken through to the terrace restaurant, which was empty except for 2 people, and so had no atmosphere at all. The lady serving us was very polite and knowledgable about the types of teas on offer. We were brought our drinks but our food did not come for another half an hour (after 3 o’clock). By this time we had drunk our tea, but were not offered a refill. The food was of a good quality, but there was no atmosphere at all in the restaurant. When we had finished our food, we waited for someone to come over for over 15 minutes but no one did, so I went to the bar again and waited for the same single staff member to be free. I asked if our leftover food could be boxed up to be taken home and for us to pay the bill. He said he would send a colleague. It then took another 15 minutes for the food to be put into bags. The server said she had not been able to find the bags/boxes. I have stayed at the Gonville Hotel before and had really good service. However, this time it seems that they were short staffed and unprepared and so I don’t feel it was worth the £71.50 I paid. This should have been a lovely treat afternoon for my mother and I but all in all was a disappointing experience.
   

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2. J

   JANE E

   Kent

   6 reviews

   4.0

   6 reviews

   Dined on January 3, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   Good food ,something different to try ,good service ,lovely wine and cocktails .
   

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3. P

   Paul

   Cambridge

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on December 29, 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   I’d avoid this place. Half the stuff on the menu had run out, it was extremely over priced, and the food portions were tiny. Service was very slow, despite there being only 4 tables with customers on. Such a shame, as for £114 we expected more than 2 tiny skewers of chicken, and a slither of sea bass! Bottle of wine was also included in that price but having to order a side of potatoes as they had run out of fries and broccoli was poor for a restaurant of this quality. My advice - spend your money elsewhere!
   

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4. L

   Leanne

   Cambridge

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on December 24, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   Nice Christmas atmosphere. Food was tasty although quite expensive for portion size. Was only one other table when we arrived but a few of the tables needed clearing away from afternoon tea. Had to change water glass and plate as weren’t clean. Nice outlook over Winter Wonderland.
   

   Gonville KitchenResponded on December 27, 2024

   Dear Leanne Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed parts of your visit, and we’d love to learn more about how we can make your next experience even better. Your feedback is important to us as we work to improve, so please feel free to reach out if there’s anything specific you’d like to share. We hope to welcome you back again soon! Thank you, Emma
   

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5. L

   Lisa

   Cambridge

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on December 17, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Took our daughter for her 21st birthday Very nice and relaxing for a special occasion x
   

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   Gonville KitchenResponded on December 27, 2024

   Dear Lisa Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your experience with us and that we could make your visit special. It’s always a pleasure to serve you, and your kind words mean a lot to our team. We look forward to welcoming you back soon! Thank you, Emma
   

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6. H

   Helen

   Cambridge

   4 reviews

   2.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on December 14, 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 2

   We had booked the festive afternoon tea at £32 each, it is not worth £32 each! You get 3-4 measly sandwiches, not Christmassy at all. The scones are lovely! I have a tree nut allergy, so I advised them of this and instead of any thought into this, they gave me a blueberry muffin and a small Christmas pudding (they contain nuts) as an alternative. Very disappointed with the whole experience and will not be back.
   

   Gonville KitchenResponded on December 27, 2024

   Dear Helen Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re very sorry to hear that your visit did not meet expectations, and we apologize for any disappointment caused. We’d appreciate the opportunity to learn more about where we fell short so we can work on making improvements. Your feedback is valuable in helping us provide a better experience for all our guests. Please feel free to reach out directly if there’s anything specific you’d like to discuss—we’re here to listen and to make things right. Thank you, Emma
   

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7. J

   Jane

   Dorset

   10 reviews

   4.0

   10 reviews

   Dined on December 3, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   The waiter who served us was very friendly and helpful. The food was very tasty and nicely presented, the spicy rainbow carrots were a nice surprise The only slight issue was we didn't receive all the starters at the same time. For the main courses, the sides were served before one person had received their main. Would recommend this restaurant
   

   Gonville KitchenResponded on December 13, 2024

   Dear Jane Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed parts of your visit, and we’d love to learn more about how we can make your next experience even better. Your feedback is important to us as we work to improve, so please feel free to reach out if there’s anything specific you’d like to share. We hope to welcome you back again soon! Thank you, Emma
   

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8. M

   Mick

   Cambridge

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on December 1, 2024

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 1

   A very poor experience. A poor roast, with roast potatoes that hadn’t been roasted properly, beef not bad minimal vegetables didn’t even get the cauliflower cheese that was on the menu. Only two selection of desserts. And even put 12 1/2percent service charge on which they described as discretionary. But why put it on in the first place? If it is discretionary. Do not go there it is a cold dining room with poor food.
   

   Gonville KitchenResponded on December 13, 2024

   Dear Mick Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re very sorry to hear that your visit did not meet expectations, and we apologize for any disappointment caused. We’d appreciate the opportunity to learn more about where we fell short so we can work on making improvements. Your feedback is valuable in helping us provide a better experience for all our guests. Please feel free to reach out directly if there’s anything specific you’d like to discuss—we’re here to listen and to make things right. Thank you, Emma
   

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9. R

   Rachael

   San Francisco

   7 reviews

   2.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on November 30, 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   This place was a huge disappointment. No one goes to a nice restaurant and pays 30-40+ for a standard main dish to get such absolutely terrible service. We waited 30 minutes for a our first drink. Over an 1 hour 15 min for our food. They were out of half of the menu leaving really disappointing options. The food tasted good, but the portions were tiny and after waiting that long we were hungry. I had to eat again after I left the restaurant. We spent 160 GBP on a really disappointing meal. It's especially sad since my husband and I rarely get to go out for dinner. They charged us 15£ each for the smallest gin martini I have ever had. I will never go here again.
   

   Gonville KitchenResponded on December 13, 2024

   Dear Racheal Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re very sorry to hear that your visit did not meet expectations, and we apologize for any disappointment caused. We’d appreciate the opportunity to learn more about where we fell short so we can work on making improvements. Your feedback is valuable in helping us provide a better experience for all our guests. Please feel free to reach out directly if there’s anything specific you’d like to discuss—we’re here to listen and to make things right. Thank you, Emma
   

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10. V

    Vicki

    London

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 24, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4

    We booked the Festive afternoon tea, paying extra for prosecco and mulled wine, a couple of months in advance for a birthday treat whilst in Cambridge. Unfortunately, the mulled wine was still 'cooking' ? at the time of our sitting (It's not as if it was a last-minute booking) We were upgraded to champagne, which was very nice for myself, as I enjoyed both glasses as my husband isn't a lover of champagne. It was very disappointing that the mulled wine was not available, especially as it was a festive afternoon tea. The rest of the hotel was beautiful decorated for Christmas, but there were no Christmas decorations in the area where we were seated, so didn't feel very festive. On a positive note, the sandwiches were lovely and fresh, and they did swap one of the fillings for us. There was a very good selection of teas and a good variety of scones and cakes.
    

    Gonville KitchenResponded on November 29, 2024

    Dear Vicki Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed parts of your visit, and thank you for sharing how we can make your next experience even better. Your feedback is important to us as we work to improve, so please feel free to reach out if there’s anything specific you’d like to share. We hope to welcome you back again soon! Thank you, Emma
    

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