My partner and I weren't staying at the hotel, but enjoyed a 3 course meal at The Chapel. The jail itself is really impressive and I left wanting to know more, so would definitely visit the tour if I'm ever in the area again.The Chapel restaurant is a good sized open space with artworks projected on the ceiling and windows, although the window projection was quite misaligned. Atmosphere-wise for dining, I would have liked the background music to be louder, as it was almost non-existent.The staff were friendly enough, but there were some inconsistencies with the tone that the restaurant is trying to achieve, for example our waiter's footwear had holes/tears across the side of the shoe. Get the guy some new trainers. Also when taking our order, he seemed to opt for the 'memorise' route, and then forgot everything and wanted to double check our order. There's no shame in writing the order down guys.Our first order of drinks didn't arrive until our main course, which is odd. Was the order forgotten, or is the service too slow?My starter of the crab was presented in the shell atop a large bowl full of seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, pine). I didn't quite understand what they were trying to achieve, or what happens to the seeds after (hopefully not reused, but surely too expensive to simply throw away?) The taste was okay, I'm not a fan of eating out of a shell, it's too awkward. Forget the seeds, and the shell, add a rocket salad.The mains and dessert, presentation wise, was incredible, like something out of MasterChef. The staff who bought our food out poured gravy atop it, with no real flair, and the awe in presentation quickly went away.Taste wise, it was nice but overly sauced. The beef shin was extremely small, like a very large scallop, but cooked very well. Equally the dessert was delicious.£50 pp for the 3 course dinner which is probably about right. The menu didn't have individual dish price points, so be prepared to have a 3 course dinner only.
Avril Walker
We were really looking forward to this lunch. We had a wowcher deal thank goodness.Yorkshires were not homemade, beef not very hot, roast potatoes were soft, and wine was very over priced. I would not have paid £40 per head for the 3 courses.However soup very tasty (but no roll) and so was the pudding even though very small. Sadly I will not return
Tony Wright
Our food was undercooked, the ample meat (beef) portion disappointingly so. My wife wasn't able to get her knife through the parsnip on her plate. Oddly, for such a well presented restaurant, there was no bread roll with the soup starter and no condiments on the table. I would have liked some horse radish with my beef but none were offered. All very disappointing. It would have been so easy to do so much better.
Heather de Boer
Fantastic, loved my pizza and really enjoyed the gruesome jail!!!Vegetarian options: I had a vegetarian pizza and my husband had a salad, we enjoyed our food and staff were good.Parking: It is January, we parked at the hotel and gave our car registration number to reception
johnnewcomb1961
We have just had Sunday lunch at the Chapel restaurant and for £40 each it was not good enough. The building itself and the work done to bring it from what it was to how it looks now is certainly impressive. Its easy to get to and park right outside the door. You must sign in at the hotel reception to register your car as in the car park or you will get hit with a hefty fine. This is becoming more of a problem across Cornwall as hotels outsource their car parking management, so beware. The Chapel restaurant is not sign posted within the hotel it is the Breakfast Room. Arrived a few minutes before 12 and was kept standing whilst our assigned table was identified as the seating plan was not there. After 5 minutes we were told to just choose any table. The restaurant is very very nice. Tables and booths are spaced out well so you are not on top of other people and chat. Background music is pleasant and a nice level. The Sunday lunch menu is brief but looked ok. The starters looked pretty but small servings so don't expect to be filled up. The mains were one meat, one fish and one vegetarian option. The choice of the roast beef can he served rare or well done, I insisted on mine being on the medium side of rare and it came out fine but seemed weird being told how I can have my beef. Rather than being asked how I wanted it. My wife had cod fillet which although very tasty was half of a good portion. My roast beef and trimmings were all very tasty and an acceptable portion for a small person. Desserts again are limited in options and presented nicely but small portions. The choice of wines is short but what they have is good enough. So, the building looks great, a very unusual setting; the service is polite and good for Cornwall, the food served looks pretty, tastes good but small portions. That would be the end however my sticky pudding came with a stone from a date and a small piece of plastic. This was resolved by the offer of free coffees. Nice looking coffees but really a bit too bitter. Definitely worth visiting but we both had a sandwich when we got home.
Bridie S
As we are staying a night we thought it would be good to book into the chapel for dinner,i did read a mixed bag of reviews on line so wasn’t sure what to expect,o couldn’t disagree more with alot of the reviews,can not fault a single thing,the staff here are so lovely and accommodating,very polite and friendly,the food is outstanding and definitely one of the best meals we have had and being wine lovers the wine was exceptional. Thank you for the most amazing food and service,we 100% will be back and will recommend you to everyone.
Richard Cooper
We were nearly put off this restaurant because some of the reviews were so negative. I am delighted to say we decided to go anyway - it was a delight! All the staff were helpful, friendly and attentive. The food was excellent, and what an amazing experience - eating in the beautifully restored, historic building. Would thoroughly recommend and will definitely be going back.
Sammy Nicole
Popped in with the family this afternoon! Leanne served us and she was fantastic! Although rather busy!! 2 men in suits were behind the bar. Just seemed in the way and didn’t help the team even though they were running round clearly busy! No acknowledgement to their guests! I’m sure someone tried to approach them and were just dismissed! I’m guessing managers! Clearly not team players! Food quite good!
900Martyn
While the Sunday Lunch was delightful, the service was absolutely appalling with us having to wait, and wait, and wait even to be seated. Three different waiters asked if we were being attended to and then totally ignored us. There must have been 5 or 6 waiting staff plus a chap in a jacket who seemed to be in charge - ish - when he was there, but we, and so many other guests, were simply left waiting to be served. Disgraceful service for a, supposedly, upmarket establishment. The only saving grace was one waitress, bless her and whom I shall not name to save her any grief, who did manage to look after us despite being shunted from one task to another by the useless manager (the man in the jacket). What could have been a lovely Sunday Lunch enjoyed in unique surroundings with lovely food became a hugely frustrating experience. Chapel Restaurant Bodmin Jail - you need to do much much better!
Roving736978
Really disappointing. Booked a 3 course Sunday lunch as part of a groupon deal. Good job as I would have been sickened to pay the full amount of £95 for two. Firstly my husband had the tomato and pepper soup which had a glob of cheese that had coagulated on top. No roll or bread to accompany. I had the smoked salmon wrapped around cream cheese which was average. The roast lamb was really poor. My husbands had bits of bone in and it was pretty tasteless. The best thing on the plate was the cauliflower cheese. Desert we chose the bread and butter pudding which was made with leftover pain au chocolat and the sauce swamped it and was too sickly. The restaurant was beautiful but it was a shame it was let down by the food. The toby carvery we have had was better quality. I also ordered a pint of asahi which was on the menu and they could only offer Atlantic at £6 a pint. They said they couldn’t provide the asahi despite being on the menu and as we were leaving the bar below clearly had asahi on draught. My advice is go elsewhere and support local restaurants
Unfortunately our experience is pretty much the same as has been documented here before. Bland, underwhelming, overpriced food - although my beef was well-cooked - and absolutely appalling service. We repeatedly had to ask for our drinks. They finally arrived after our starters had been cleared away, and in the end we asked for the bill rather than wait any longer for our dessert. Other tables appeared to be having similar problems. There was no atmosphere and no-one seemed to care whether we were enjoying the occasion or not. Certainly not a fine dining experience. The evening was a birthday gift so, in a way, I am glad we hadn't read the reviews prior to booking. But if you are in a similar position, then I suggest you get a refund and book elsewhere. We were able to laugh about it whilst we were there, but came home feeling very let down and disappointed. I have never written a review like this before and hopefully never will again.
Freedom29766261974
We were staying in the hotel and decided to have dinner on the first night, it is quite pricey but we eat in fine dining restaurants and we are happy to pay if the food and service are worth it. Can I say that the staff were lovely and welcoming and a lot of the food was good. My partners mushroom arancini starter was delicious and my plaice was ok them being served in glass bowls was weird. We both had the beef which was mostly good except the short rib which was a bit tough. We had ordered some chips as a side dish and we waited for them but it became clear they weren’t coming so we asked and the waitress she was extremely apologetic and said they would come out soon but our dinners were pretty cold already so we ate them and the chips arrived when we finished. To be fair it was just a mistake but when your paying premium prices you do expect premium service. Had I been serving I probably would have taken the food away and brought it all out together hot! They didn’t charge us for the chips but that didn’t really help much. My partners banoffee dessert was delicious and my rum baba was massive but only ok. I had a Prosecco which was brought to me in one of those mini bottles you would get on an airplane and the waitress said will you be ok pouring it yourself. The setting is lovely and I feel like with a few tweaks and attention to detail this restaurant will be on its way to being great. We would give it another go if we stayed again.
rogermD4296YO
The food was nice enough, but what’s with the portion sizes? Is it a matter of authenticity, giving us the same amount the prisoners at Bodmin Jail used to get? It brought to mind all those 1980s jokes about nouvelle cuisine - you think your plate’s dirty before you realise that’s the food. Very overpriced for what it was.
Nic H
We had Sunday lunch. £40 a head!!! Starters were bland and tiny. Being so small they needed to pack a flavour punch which they didn't. The meat on the roast was very good although the lamb ordered pink was well done. Veg was OK. The sauces and gravy never arrived. Lamb without mint sauce! We had a 50 minute wait for the deserts which were not worth the wait. The servers were busy chatting whilst diners tried to get their attention. Tables were left without being cleared when dinners left. The room and building is 5 star. But at this price you expect great service and great food. We got neither.
Alison Romback
Very disappointed with food and service, had to ask for condiments to accompany our meal despite eg mint sauce supposed to be served with the lamb. Not enough staff so didn’t know who was serving our table. Really looking forward to a Sunday lunch at Bodmin jail but won’t be returning. Had better food at my local pub!
My partner and I weren't staying at the hotel, but enjoyed a 3 course meal at The Chapel. The jail itself is really impressive and I left wanting to know more, so would definitely visit the tour if I'm ever in the area again.The Chapel restaurant is a good sized open space with artworks projected on the ceiling and windows, although the window projection was quite misaligned. Atmosphere-wise for dining, I would have liked the background music to be louder, as it was almost non-existent.The staff were friendly enough, but there were some inconsistencies with the tone that the restaurant is trying to achieve, for example our waiter's footwear had holes/tears across the side of the shoe. Get the guy some new trainers. Also when taking our order, he seemed to opt for the 'memorise' route, and then forgot everything and wanted to double check our order. There's no shame in writing the order down guys.Our first order of drinks didn't arrive until our main course, which is odd. Was the order forgotten, or is the service too slow?My starter of the crab was presented in the shell atop a large bowl full of seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, pine). I didn't quite understand what they were trying to achieve, or what happens to the seeds after (hopefully not reused, but surely too expensive to simply throw away?) The taste was okay, I'm not a fan of eating out of a shell, it's too awkward. Forget the seeds, and the shell, add a rocket salad.The mains and dessert, presentation wise, was incredible, like something out of MasterChef. The staff who bought our food out poured gravy atop it, with no real flair, and the awe in presentation quickly went away.Taste wise, it was nice but overly sauced. The beef shin was extremely small, like a very large scallop, but cooked very well. Equally the dessert was delicious.£50 pp for the 3 course dinner which is probably about right. The menu didn't have individual dish price points, so be prepared to have a 3 course dinner only.
We were really looking forward to this lunch. We had a wowcher deal thank goodness.Yorkshires were not homemade, beef not very hot, roast potatoes were soft, and wine was very over priced. I would not have paid £40 per head for the 3 courses.However soup very tasty (but no roll) and so was the pudding even though very small. Sadly I will not return
Our food was undercooked, the ample meat (beef) portion disappointingly so. My wife wasn't able to get her knife through the parsnip on her plate. Oddly, for such a well presented restaurant, there was no bread roll with the soup starter and no condiments on the table. I would have liked some horse radish with my beef but none were offered. All very disappointing. It would have been so easy to do so much better.
Fantastic, loved my pizza and really enjoyed the gruesome jail!!!Vegetarian options: I had a vegetarian pizza and my husband had a salad, we enjoyed our food and staff were good.Parking: It is January, we parked at the hotel and gave our car registration number to reception
We have just had Sunday lunch at the Chapel restaurant and for £40 each it was not good enough. The building itself and the work done to bring it from what it was to how it looks now is certainly impressive. Its easy to get to and park right outside the door. You must sign in at the hotel reception to register your car as in the car park or you will get hit with a hefty fine. This is becoming more of a problem across Cornwall as hotels outsource their car parking management, so beware. The Chapel restaurant is not sign posted within the hotel it is the Breakfast Room. Arrived a few minutes before 12 and was kept standing whilst our assigned table was identified as the seating plan was not there. After 5 minutes we were told to just choose any table. The restaurant is very very nice. Tables and booths are spaced out well so you are not on top of other people and chat. Background music is pleasant and a nice level. The Sunday lunch menu is brief but looked ok. The starters looked pretty but small servings so don't expect to be filled up. The mains were one meat, one fish and one vegetarian option. The choice of the roast beef can he served rare or well done, I insisted on mine being on the medium side of rare and it came out fine but seemed weird being told how I can have my beef. Rather than being asked how I wanted it. My wife had cod fillet which although very tasty was half of a good portion. My roast beef and trimmings were all very tasty and an acceptable portion for a small person. Desserts again are limited in options and presented nicely but small portions. The choice of wines is short but what they have is good enough. So, the building looks great, a very unusual setting; the service is polite and good for Cornwall, the food served looks pretty, tastes good but small portions. That would be the end however my sticky pudding came with a stone from a date and a small piece of plastic. This was resolved by the offer of free coffees. Nice looking coffees but really a bit too bitter. Definitely worth visiting but we both had a sandwich when we got home.
As we are staying a night we thought it would be good to book into the chapel for dinner,i did read a mixed bag of reviews on line so wasn’t sure what to expect,o couldn’t disagree more with alot of the reviews,can not fault a single thing,the staff here are so lovely and accommodating,very polite and friendly,the food is outstanding and definitely one of the best meals we have had and being wine lovers the wine was exceptional. Thank you for the most amazing food and service,we 100% will be back and will recommend you to everyone.
We were nearly put off this restaurant because some of the reviews were so negative. I am delighted to say we decided to go anyway - it was a delight! All the staff were helpful, friendly and attentive. The food was excellent, and what an amazing experience - eating in the beautifully restored, historic building. Would thoroughly recommend and will definitely be going back.
Popped in with the family this afternoon! Leanne served us and she was fantastic! Although rather busy!! 2 men in suits were behind the bar. Just seemed in the way and didn’t help the team even though they were running round clearly busy! No acknowledgement to their guests! I’m sure someone tried to approach them and were just dismissed! I’m guessing managers! Clearly not team players! Food quite good!
While the Sunday Lunch was delightful, the service was absolutely appalling with us having to wait, and wait, and wait even to be seated. Three different waiters asked if we were being attended to and then totally ignored us. There must have been 5 or 6 waiting staff plus a chap in a jacket who seemed to be in charge - ish - when he was there, but we, and so many other guests, were simply left waiting to be served. Disgraceful service for a, supposedly, upmarket establishment. The only saving grace was one waitress, bless her and whom I shall not name to save her any grief, who did manage to look after us despite being shunted from one task to another by the useless manager (the man in the jacket). What could have been a lovely Sunday Lunch enjoyed in unique surroundings with lovely food became a hugely frustrating experience. Chapel Restaurant Bodmin Jail - you need to do much much better!
Really disappointing. Booked a 3 course Sunday lunch as part of a groupon deal. Good job as I would have been sickened to pay the full amount of £95 for two. Firstly my husband had the tomato and pepper soup which had a glob of cheese that had coagulated on top. No roll or bread to accompany. I had the smoked salmon wrapped around cream cheese which was average. The roast lamb was really poor. My husbands had bits of bone in and it was pretty tasteless. The best thing on the plate was the cauliflower cheese. Desert we chose the bread and butter pudding which was made with leftover pain au chocolat and the sauce swamped it and was too sickly. The restaurant was beautiful but it was a shame it was let down by the food. The toby carvery we have had was better quality. I also ordered a pint of asahi which was on the menu and they could only offer Atlantic at £6 a pint. They said they couldn’t provide the asahi despite being on the menu and as we were leaving the bar below clearly had asahi on draught. My advice is go elsewhere and support local restaurants
Restaurantji Recommends
Unfortunately our experience is pretty much the same as has been documented here before. Bland, underwhelming, overpriced food - although my beef was well-cooked - and absolutely appalling service. We repeatedly had to ask for our drinks. They finally arrived after our starters had been cleared away, and in the end we asked for the bill rather than wait any longer for our dessert. Other tables appeared to be having similar problems. There was no atmosphere and no-one seemed to care whether we were enjoying the occasion or not. Certainly not a fine dining experience. The evening was a birthday gift so, in a way, I am glad we hadn't read the reviews prior to booking. But if you are in a similar position, then I suggest you get a refund and book elsewhere. We were able to laugh about it whilst we were there, but came home feeling very let down and disappointed. I have never written a review like this before and hopefully never will again.
We were staying in the hotel and decided to have dinner on the first night, it is quite pricey but we eat in fine dining restaurants and we are happy to pay if the food and service are worth it. Can I say that the staff were lovely and welcoming and a lot of the food was good. My partners mushroom arancini starter was delicious and my plaice was ok them being served in glass bowls was weird. We both had the beef which was mostly good except the short rib which was a bit tough. We had ordered some chips as a side dish and we waited for them but it became clear they weren’t coming so we asked and the waitress she was extremely apologetic and said they would come out soon but our dinners were pretty cold already so we ate them and the chips arrived when we finished. To be fair it was just a mistake but when your paying premium prices you do expect premium service. Had I been serving I probably would have taken the food away and brought it all out together hot! They didn’t charge us for the chips but that didn’t really help much. My partners banoffee dessert was delicious and my rum baba was massive but only ok. I had a Prosecco which was brought to me in one of those mini bottles you would get on an airplane and the waitress said will you be ok pouring it yourself. The setting is lovely and I feel like with a few tweaks and attention to detail this restaurant will be on its way to being great. We would give it another go if we stayed again.
The food was nice enough, but what’s with the portion sizes? Is it a matter of authenticity, giving us the same amount the prisoners at Bodmin Jail used to get? It brought to mind all those 1980s jokes about nouvelle cuisine - you think your plate’s dirty before you realise that’s the food. Very overpriced for what it was.
We had Sunday lunch. £40 a head!!! Starters were bland and tiny. Being so small they needed to pack a flavour punch which they didn't. The meat on the roast was very good although the lamb ordered pink was well done. Veg was OK. The sauces and gravy never arrived. Lamb without mint sauce! We had a 50 minute wait for the deserts which were not worth the wait. The servers were busy chatting whilst diners tried to get their attention. Tables were left without being cleared when dinners left. The room and building is 5 star. But at this price you expect great service and great food. We got neither.
Very disappointed with food and service, had to ask for condiments to accompany our meal despite eg mint sauce supposed to be served with the lamb. Not enough staff so didn’t know who was serving our table. Really looking forward to a Sunday lunch at Bodmin jail but won’t be returning. Had better food at my local pub!