Toby Carvery

I have visited this establishment many times and never had cause for complaint but when I booked a Christmas lunch on December 24^th with my family although the food was excellent as usual, the service was shocking. We had to find a waitress to order our drinks then after receiving these, after fifteen minutes waiting, had to seek out a waitress to take our order. Her excuse was she thought we were having a carvery but as it was a booked two or three course meal it should have been obvious that we might well want to order starters.
As we were having a carvery meal there was no need for service for the main course but even after eventually taking away our empty plates, again we had to search for a waitress to take the the sweet order after again waiting over fifteen minutes for one to arrive. We did eventually receive the sweets but my daughter’s dinner plate was left on the table and never cleared away.
The place was very quiet with probably almost as many staff as customers so they certainly were not run off their feet. Because of the long wait the meal took nearly two hours which was a ridiculous length of time.
Not once did anyone asked if everything was ok as is usually the case and all the staff were very surly and I did not see a smile from any of them.
Although being a family meal we did enjoy it could have been so much nicer had the service been up to it’s usual standard.

If I were asked to give a definition of average I might well use Toby Carvery. I know that this is a massive national chain and perhaps, in The Queens Arms, I found the bad apple in the barrel but I’m not reviewing the hype or the adverts I’m reviewing my own personal experience at one particular venue.
At the bar the service was quite efficient but soulless and it was lucky that one of our party knew that the soft drinks were refillable because we wouldn’t have known otherwise.
We visited on a busy Sunday evening so we had to wait for a table. This wasn’t a problem as there is a very pleasant outdoor seating area and the sun was shining. They use the buzzer/​pager system so no worries about missing our slot.
At the carvery the chef serving seemed disinterested but I have to say I admired his skill at carving, I have never known anyone as good at carving meat so thinly and making sure there was enough to go round by severely rationing each person. The roast was very tasty but it was gone in two mouth fulls (and despite what people might say I don’t have a particularly big mouth). There was a decent selection of veg, some large but over cooked yorkshire puddings and quite salty gravy.
As with most carveries there was an option to go back for more veg but had I wanted to do so I would have to have been quick because the server cleared our plates like it was an olympic event and there was a distinct feeling that we shouldn’t tarry.
Price wise, I felt it was overpriced (the price is higher on a Sunday) and that I didn’t really get value for money.

Went here today for a family meal for Christmas. As always the carvery was excellent and filling. Plenty of choice in meat and veg. Had just enough room for a home made apple and blackcurrent crumble. Service was very good too, they don’t leave you standing around and get you sat at the table quickly.

Happily go for a drink., mainly because its on my doorstep. I found the food very average, but it is only a carvery and i dont see the point in paying for somthing i can cook at home for less than £6.00. Eat as much as u like, as long
as it doesnt involve extra meat!!!

This wont be a long review but this place just isnt my cup of tea. Didnt do the Carvery thing while I visited this out of the way pub in chapel allerton but I did expect a bit more. They have a bowls pitch in the back and a quiz machine thats about the only postive things I could think of. Its a bit rough around the edges and not in a good way.

Toby Carverys are always really good and this one is no exception. The food and service was excellent.
I’m taking one star off as I only go Monday to Saturday as the price on Sundays is a lot more, and their website doesn’t seem to show the prices you will pay.

Have visited this establishment several times now since in changed to a Toby Carvery, good food, pleasant surroundings. value for money.

The Queen’s Arms is now Toby Carvery land. The venue itself has a nice atmosphere, with a large space. You get the impression that you’re never going to be waiting long for a table, if at all.
The carvery itself is of a good quality: a selection of meats and vegetables. It’s exactly what it says on the tin: nothing more, nothing less. Prices vary according to the time of day that you visit.
I don’t think Michel Roux would be doing somersaults over the service. We had, shall we say, a ‘very relaxed’ attitude to taking and delivery of our drinks. Nobody returned to take our desert order, which was probably a good thing since the main was very filling.
So, if you’re looking for a good pub grub in an environment which has plenty of space, then consider the Queen’s Arms.

We’ve just moved to Chapel Apple and were up for some Sunday lunch action without having to walk more than 100 yards, and so we ended up here to sample the roast beef (with peas, carrots, yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and mash). It was all right. It’s never going to be haute cuisine, is it? But it was all right. The mash was very tasty, and the carrots were cooked perfectly. The beef was well done, rather than pink and juicy, how I like it, but I imagine that’s to do with the cut and the demand so I’ll let it slide. We also had a lemon meringue and a cheesecake for pudding and it came in at £7.95 each. With just a short way to waddle home for a nap, it was handy and did the job.
There are plenty of mid-​week offers too, like Thursday night Curry night and stuff like that, if that’s your thing.
UPDATE
This is now a Toby Carvery, as of October 2010, which is totally, totally awesome, and means I’m now upping my rating to 5 stars, as we’ve eaten here twice and the food’s been soooo tasty. The crackling on the Sunday carvery is crunchy and salty and light and perfect, the meat is all cooked well, the veg is plentiful and not bad at all.
Also, as it’s all new and shiny and lovely, all the staff are in that honeymoon period where they’re super friendly and chipper and not yet run down by horrible shifts and tired décor. Yay!
Mid-​week carvery will set you back £5.95, or £9.95 if you leave it til Sunday. And with refillable coke/​lemonade at just over £2 you can happily flip George Osborne the bird while you’re rubbing your tummy.

I’m fast becoming an old man. Not only is that a concern in terms of gender but also for an early 30 something the age is probably even more of a worry. Maybe I just stereotype too much but I’ve drawn my in-​depth conclusions from the fact that I’m now wearing high waisted pants to my chin and I love real ale. Luckily you can get one of the two at the Queen’s Arms.
Oh yes can you ever. What a great pub for some real beer suppage. The Queen’s is quite a big and welcoming building, ideal for quick stop off my hectic schedule. Now that makes me sound much more important than I am, I’m really not but it is kind of true.
So when I went in and discovered an impressive well stocked bar I was more than happy. It’s cask beer ago and what’s more you can even try before you buy! How good is that! I’m thinking my attempt for a fifth «I’m still not sure if I like it» blag didn’t go down so well though. It’s good beer though and they change the casks on a regular basis. You can even ask them to get specific ones in! How good is that?
As for the food, it’s better than your average fare. Nice and varied and with some original dishes in the mixer, such as grilled halloumi, crab cakes and Thai curry.
They do some pretty bargain budget meal deals too, so it’s worth checking out if cash is tight this month.
Oh and just to make sure I haven’t morphed into a Melvin and not Melissa, I ordered a packet of those men crisps and couldn’t finish them. Phew, normal order is restored.

Seeing The Queen’s Arms from the outside, it’s size is the first thing to strike you. With it’s enormous building and equally sizeable car park, it is quite enticing, particularly in the haze of a summer’s evening.
Having seen it driving past once, I decided to try it out.
Walking in, my heart sank as I realised that it was the kind of chain pub I would normally probably go out of my way to avoid. It seemed a shame that somewhere that may have once been a historic massive gem of a pub had been caught up in a whirlwind of confusion and came out the other side looking like the Hyde Park Pub, before it had it’s weird flowery walled boudoir makeover, possibly inspired by the swankier Wetherspoon’s that keep cropping up.
Once in, I decided to stay for one, and although the hoards of underaged girls dressed to impress/​disgust were a minor distraction, I was impressed with their selection of ale. Once sat down, I also realised that they were playing old disco classics mixed with a few old-​skool hip hop favourites, which completely upped it from my initial nausea driven heart-​sinking moment of entry. I had a good time. The music probably helped, and the surprising range of drinks. I and my mate ended up staying for a few. The food didn’t look up to much, but I must say that there were parts of this aesthetically souless joint that momentarily redeemed itself in my eyes. That wa untill I had to squeeze past a girl wearing a top as a dress on the way out, and I was back to square one…

This delightful pub has seating outside at both the front and rear of the pub making it great place to hangout in the summer months. Inside the decoration has a very homely feel with smaller rooms giving it cosy feel with big sofa’s and chairs. Good menu with plently of choice and reasonably priced too.