Reviews in Worcestershire

We’d been wanting to visit Christopher’s ever since they were based in Aston, so we were really excited to finally try them at their new Bromsgrove location. Unfortunately, the experience fell short of expectations. We arrived at 12:25pm for our 12:30pm booking for three people. After ordering drinks and being told the different carvery prices, we were seated and advised to go straight up for food. The first meats available were lamb, chicken and mutton. The lamb was extremely salty, the chicken was dry and only seasoned on the skin, and the mutton was mostly bone and fat with a very thin, bland sauce that didn’t have much depth. The portions of meat were also very small. We then received Yorkshire puddings (which appeared frozen rather than freshly made), two scoops of rice and peas, vegetables (diced carrots, peas and cabbage), plantain (three pieces), and roast potatoes that tasted more boiled than roasted, with no crispy edges/soft centre. The mac cheese tasted like a block of cheese and the gravy was very thin, lacked flavour, and didn’t seem homemade, more like Bisto. It would also help if the serving staff asked guests if they’d like more or less of certain items before closing the lids on the hot plates. We were finished eating by 12:55pm, and sadly the food wasn’t enjoyable enough for us to stay for dessert, especially at £6.50 for sticky toffee pudding. We stayed to finish our drinks, but at 1:40pm we were reminded that the table would need to be vacated by 2pm. The atmosphere could also be improved. The same few songs played on repeat, and the music selection felt more suited to a tourist-style setting than a relaxed dining environment. A broader playlist would make a big difference rather than Shaggy, Bob Marley, UB40 and Inner Circle on repeat. Overall, we left quite disappointed and hungry, sadly, wouldn’t return based on this experience.

Fantastic carvery as always plenty of choices of meat and veg and all hot food. The kids enjoyed their burgers too. Will be back soon.

Unfortunately, the meal was lukewarm and tasteless. We were asked if we enjoyed our meal and we gave feedback. The staff were very pleasant and took our comments on board. One of our party mentioned that no-one asked if we had any allergies. A party of 4 next to our table said the same thing about the food being cold - they asked for their money back and were given a refund. We didn't kick up that much fuss about things, just probably won't go back.

Had an excellent carvery very filling good service from all staff and very friendly

Very friendly and helpful bar staff. Delicious food - the lamb and the Mac & cheese in particular. Clean and nicely done out pub. Will definitely return!

1st time visiting, on arrival staff was very welcoming & friendly & continued to be throughout my visit to. Food was cooked nicely, maybe not quite as spicey as expected but these guys are catering for different palates( there is hot pepper sauce available) Overall I enjoyed it, would come back for the week day menu Keep up your good work guys, thank you to your lovely staff

Myself, hubby and daughter visited on a Saturday for a 5pm booking. We arrived and we were greeted at the bar by a lovely member of staff ( name unknown but she has worked at pub for a number of years) where everything was explained and we were able to order drinks and food straight away. We were seated promptly and waited to be told we could go up for food. The place was quiet so no queues. The server was new but polite and was able to answer questions and serve the food as requested. The food was delicious and met all expectations. My daughter hadn’t wanted veg initially but once we sat down she changed her mind (typical haha), I took her plate and asked if she could have veg and no hesitation and a smile and she had what she wanted. The overall vibe and decor is great , real cosy and welcoming place. Now only one gripe. Hubs and I enjoyed our food so much we decided it deserved a dessert. We went up to the bar and ordered said dessert and another drink. At this point the time was approaching 17:45. We sat down and a young waitress informed us that the table was needed back at 18:00/18:15hrs. We then felt rushed , I was enjoying a second glass of wine and waiting for pud. I get that on a busy evening timing is crucial , however there were empty tables all around us. I think that 1.5-2hrs is the usual that I would expect to be Sat to enjoy an evening meal with family. So be aware that tables are allocated for 1hr 15mins. Would definitely like to return as it was just up our street but don’t like to be rushed! Thankyou.

Like other locals, I have been following the social media posts about the opening af the carvery and had high expectations. This could be a hugely successful carvery. We had received an email prior to arrival to advise us the curried mutton wasn’t going to be on the menu which was a shame as we were looking forward to a Caribbean meat choice. Our arrival was at 12, and we were advised we would be taken up table by table but the kitchen was running behind. How could this be, as the kitchen staff know service should start at 12. However, we ordered drinks and sat at our table and filled the time and this wasn’t too much of an issue. We were advised we would be given ‘additional’ meat to make up for this lack of mutton, which we thought was a nice touch. 30 minutes later we were called up to get our food, so just on the limit of a ‘reasonable’ wait. We stood at the servery to be greeted by the most miserable server anyone could expect who gave us our plates without talking to us. The meat portion was not as expected, a little chicken (about a third of a drumstick) and a small slice of lamb, so if that was ‘extra’ what would the normal amount be like! The vegetables were given to us, not allowing us to serve our own, so it wasn’t a self service carvery. We were asked what we did/did not want. Apart from plantain, and rice and beans, there was nothing different to a usual carvery, so today didn’t feel like we were experiencing a Caribbean carvery, which we were so looking forward to, mainly as curried mutton wasn’t available I’m sure. We also had to pay extra for mac and cheese which could come as a dish with the others, especially as the green veg offerings were very limited- just one bowl of mixed veg, no cauli cheese, for example on offer. Most dish options were carbs- rice, mash, roast potatoes. Very little healthy veg to balance the meal. There were positives- the food was delicious. The mac and cheese was scrummy and the meats were booked perfectly, very well seasoned. The roast potatoes were nice and crunchy yet soft in the middle. So if the above disappointments could be corrected, this place could easily match people’s expectations and offer something really special. The waitress and bar staff were friendly and helpful. The restaurant was decorated well and looked inviting, was bright and airy. I hope this feedback helps the restaurant to improve as it’s still early days, when all customers are new and critical. We will be coming back next month to see if any of this has been corrected as we would really like this to be our place of choice for a carvery as we are walking distance away. We want to give them another chance. Most urgently the server needs some customer service training, or if he lacks experience, then I hope he learns through experience to at least look like he enjoys working there and enjoys talking to people. I hope you learn from this feedback, as the aim is to help make the experience something special.

First time going here for a meal , the food was lovely, friendly staff and quick service. Will be going back

I’ve followed Christopher’s Lounge on Instagram for quite a while and had been really looking forward to trying it. I’ll start by saying that the food itself was genuinely fantastic – you can tell a lot of care goes into the flavours and the quality. Unfortunately, the overall experience didn’t match the standard of the food. We arrived on time for our booking and, as it’s advertised as a carvery setup, we expected that we’d be able to go up fairly quickly. However, we were seated and then left waiting around an hour before we were allowed to go up. About 45 minutes in, a member of staff told us that there were no roast potatoes available and they were having to make a fresh batch, which added to the delay. We were really hungry and it was unexpected, especially for a carvery, where you’d naturally expect things to be ready. When we were finally called up for food, the service from the staff on the counter felt quite unwelcoming. There wasn’t any greeting or friendliness and everything just felt very slow-moving. It took a surprisingly long time to serve just four of us. I do understand that they call tables up one at a time to avoid queues, which makes sense, but the pace of service really needs to be faster to make that process work smoothly. We were offered complimentary desserts due to the wait, which we appreciated, but the communication around ordering them was quite confusing. We were told to go to the counter ourselves to order, even though we weren’t paying for them. When the desserts arrived, we had asked for ice cream but were served custard, then told that there was no ice cream at all so they gave us custard instead. Lucky we all like custard so we were happy to eat it anyway but the heads up would have been nice prior to giving us another option with checking Overall, the word I’d use to describe the service and organisation is chaotic. It feels like the place has so much potential – the food is genuinely delicious – but the service, communication and general organisation really let it down. It doesn’t feel managed well, and unfortunately that overshadowed what could have been a great experience. I live very close and would love to support it regularly, but at the moment, I’d find it too stressful to go again. If they can tighten up the service and bring more structure and warmth to the customer experience, it really could be a standout place.

Visited for a carvery on Sunday at 6:30 pm as a treat for visitors. Three out of four of us had no roast potatoes and was told it would be a five minute wait. Asked at bar and was told potatoes were out. Was expected to queue until I informed them our dinners were already on the table. Member of staff came with me to the carvery area and asked for a plate for potatoes. Given a little bowl, probably a good job, as the amount of roast potatoes would not have feed the people waiting. Garlic sliced potatoes were luke warm not hot. Disappointed and definitely will be a good while before we return.

Very disappointed, service was VERY slow, food was VERY bland and considering it’s unlimited veg & potatoes, you are served these and very little portions, when I questioned I thought it was unlimited, I was told I can go back up after?

the food and place is faultless I think maybe a little under staffed on the bar but other than that really recommend this place

I don’t usually write reviews but feel I need to. We were stood waiting for 25 mins to be seated even though we’d booked a table and paid deposit. We booked for 5 people and paid for deposit for 5 people and was given a table for 4. We tried to add a chair but was told we couldn’t. It then took about another ten minutes to be seated to get a table that fit us all. We then had to wait a further 20 minutes to be called up to get our carvery. The meat was nice but all the food was cold and the Yorkshire puddings and potatoes were rock hard. Also had no mac and cheese and no children’s menu. Unfortunately I wouldn’t come back, it wasn’t a great experience and very stressful for my toddler too.

We had the carvery, very nice meal no waiting about, the staff were really pleasant.

Not great food was just warm at best, can’t help your self to veg it sides, our table was booked for 7pm on a Saturday night tried to order desserts at 7.45 after being told what is on dessert menu and was told kitchen closes at 7.30 so can not order food did taste good tho

Great meal great staff. We were there this Friday and there was trouble outside with builders drunk driving and being violent

Amazing food and service Good relaxing atmosphere