Blackbrook Tavern County Carvery Lodge Inn
Restaurant - Pub Food in Taunton
Ruishton
Taunton
Somerset
TA3 5LU
Contact Numbers
Reviews
Fantastic Food, Great Staff !
Hi All,Having read a few review's i was a little put off but its so close to the motorway we went any way.What a change, the new managers have made the place even better than it was before, the food was red hot, served really quick, I had fish & chips which was as good as you would get from any chip shop, and the rest had the Carvery which was served on nice hot plates, well cooked meat, beef just med/med/well, and a great selection of veg, all piping hot and very fresh.The staff at the bar were really nice and friendly, busy but still had time to talk while working, the restaurant staff agin were quick, there when you wanted more drinks and took the plates away as soon as the last person had done, they did a great job of selling us sweets, we all had one each and shared them, really glad we did they were superb and when we got the bill it was great value.When paying the bill I spoke to the guy and just said that I did not agree with some of the reviews, it turned out to be the manager and he was telling me that when he took over the staff were running the place and he had to get rid of several and that some of the reviews are the ex staff, its a shame you can not get them taken off as the place is flying and everyone around us seemed happy.If you have not been there for some time go and give it a try, I'm glad we did, we ended up staying there all afternoon it was really good, and we have been back several times (no good reviewing a place on a one off visit!) since and its still the same.
A User - 01/07/2009 | report this review
New menu
Went in the Blackbrook on the bank holiday and can thoroughly recommend the lasagne. Had carvery before and that was really tasty, service can be a bit hit and miss, but if you want fast food, go to mc donalds!!!! Had a very relaxing drink and lunch. Will definately go again
Holly carlton - 07/05/2009 | report this review
what a shame
Used to frequent the Blackbrook quite often a few years ago. My wife and I were around Taunton visted today, oh dear what a change and not for the better.The first thing you see when parking is all the dire warnings about being clamped, very welcoming!Then you walk past the outside of the kitchen which has an interesting aroma.After looking at the menu decided to go for the carvery.Last time we visited this was in a very light and airey glass pannelled room, this has now been replaced by a very dark brick built contruction with small windows. The decor took me back to the seventies, all shades of brown.As to the carvery, the beef was Ok but the vegetables were dry and past their best. The gravy needed skimming to remove the skin and then you had to do your best to avoid the bits than had been broken by previous customers.As is the problem with a carvery all had to be eaten very quickly as it was going cold and congealing rapidly.On the positive side Bertrand was an attentive waiter and did his best.I was amazed to find that this was a freehouse as it has all the hallmarks of a managed chain pub.Once this place was packed on a dinnertime, now it's not.Can they not see why? Very disappointing
A User - 04/01/2009 | report this review
Very Good Service!
Recently went to this pub for a family meal, and I have been previously before the refurbishment... big improvement!Service was brillant, waitress we had was extremly helpful, and fufilled all of are needs, and especially my daughter who is allergic to gluten.Food was pretty good, I had a pate and carvery which were both tasty, and the carvery was not a disoppionment which were my initail fears of coming here. My daugther also had a carvery and the waitress was more then happy to heat up her gluten-free gravy. My husband and son had prawn cocktails and lamb shanks.Overall I think this pub is getting better, since Ive heard some bad reviews of it and I would recommened to go in.
A User - 04/11/2008 | report this review
Fantastic Family Pub
The Blackbrook Tavern is situated close to the M5 and is a great stopping place for the weary traveller and a fantastic spot for a pub lunch. It has a carpark that always seems to have enough room for you even when the place is busy and is located right next to the beer garden so you can fall right into the pub.It has recently been refurbished and it looks fantastic and doesn't smell of stale beer like many traditional pubs. The inside is large enough to not feel like you are in a sardine can when the place is busy and there are always enough seats, which is always a bonus. The beer garden is small but has a heater for the harsh winter months and a small playground for the kids to entertain themselves.The food is very traditional and it is almost like it was taken from a Pub Menus for Dummies book; Steak and Ale Pie, Sausage and Mash, Lasange and a Carvery will feature. Although whilst the menu may seem limited its taste is not and the food is always cooked to a high standard, however this can sometimes mean a delay if you are ordering anything other than the carvery.The staff are exceptionally helpful and if you are in the mood for a chat will happily indulge you whilst they serve. I have also found they are very good with children and can keep them amused whilst you are trying to work out what they are most likely to actually eat.Overall a trip to the Blackbrook in my opinion is certainly advised even if it is for a one off pub lunch to give it a try.
A User - 12/09/2008 | report this review
Average food, pleasant but incompetent service
This recently refurbished freehouse is a 5 minute drive from our office, at which 250 staff are based. I visited with a colleague one lunchtime to try it out as a possible venue for office lunch events. There is ample parking. The bar was not busy. Behind the bar is a large restaurant/ carvery area. The refurbishment has been nicely done. We stood at the bar and studied the menu. Ordering drinks I learned that there is a good choice of wines by the glass - a definite plus point, unfortunately the first one I chose they had run out of, but the alternative Shiraz was very good. We both decided to have the lasagne, and ordered accordingly. This was where the problems started - we could only have sandwiches if we wanted to sit in the bar, we were told, anything else required a seat in the restaurant. There was no indication of this anywhere on the menu, which was lying on the bar! We agreed to go to the restaurant which was quite busy. A young waitress who seemed not to be coping very well took our order. I noticed that there were still dirty plates on the table next to ours - they were still there when we left 50 minutes later. The place smelt a bit like school dinners.After 25 minutes the lasagnas had not arrived so I went and asked the waitress if she could investigate, as we had limited time due to needing to return to the office. "There is a 20 minute wait" she said. I pointed out that we had already been waiting 25 minutes, so the waitress went to investigate. Returning a few minutes later she looked a little sheepish: "there's a 40 minute wait" she said. Ok - it has increased from 20 to 40 minutes in the space of 2 minutes! I pointed out that we should have been informed of such a delay at the outset, to set expectations and allow us the opportunity to change our minds. The waitress offered the carvery as an alternative, and as time was short we decided to go for that.It was fairly typical carvery fayre - beef, turkey, gammon, and a selection of vegetables. The meats were good, the veggies were bland and tired and not very hot. I'm not a great lover of carveries and this reminded me why.We did not have time for anything else, so I asked for the bill, which initially omitted our drinks. I pointed out that I had given the waitress a chitty from the bar when we had entered the restaurant and she rummaged through her apron pockets and eventually found it. This involved merging a bar tab and a retaurant tab on the computer. Unfortunately the bar tab had, in the meantime, had other people's drinks put on it, and this required summoning a superviser to sort the matter out.As we left I found myself wondering: why is it that in Italy you can go into almost any crowded restaurant, receive great service, food arrives promptly, and is nearly always of excellent quality, but over here the service regularly falls to pieces, and food is so often uninspiring? The most charitable perspective I can take is that it was just a bad day (it happens in all restaurants) or the staff were still being trained.All in all a disappointment - we won't be using it for our staff lunches!
A User - 05/07/2008 | report this review
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