Firstly my expectation of this place was high due to the reviews about the buffet style Sunday Roast. My partner and I made the 100 mile round trip specifically to experience what everyone else had.I have to say that the selection and the food did not disappoint, nor did the dessert section. However, the lack of service and the overall atmosphere was where the restaurant lost me.My partner and I went up multiple times to try different sections so each time we finished a plate, we left it on the side of the table for it to be collected but at one point we had 6 plates on the table not being taken away. The staff were clearly not too busy as there was about 3 in the restaurant alone and around 5-6 tables of people.There was also hardly any atmosphere as the dining area was quiet and no music or background sounds. We understand not everywhere can play music but the result was a very flat feeling dining experience.The one bit that really got us was when my partner kindly asked if we could get a takeaway box as she had a few bits leftover on her plate and didn’t want it to go to waste. We asked a member of staff who said he needed to check with his manager, the manager came over and told us that they didn't have, “Any appropriate containers for our food”. We asked if there was anything else that could possibly be used and she said no. We were very surprised as we’d had afternoon tea there about 2 weeks prior. I also noted that the words used were “appropriate containers”.At the end, when paying the bill I asked the member of staff and was told that, “Actually we have foil but we were told that it doesn’t look good to give people foil”. The fact that we were not even offered the foil seems a bit like cutting corners at the expense of their guests - it might not have looked fantastic but it would have saved a lot of food being thrown away for no reason and it would have meant we could have enjoyed the food that we paid for at another time when we didn’t have a 50 mile journey ahead of us. Out of principle I should have taken off the service charge but I think I was still in shock when I was paying.We won’t be returning as this really left a bad taste in our mouth, given that it was £45pp with service charge and the experience really wasn’t worth the drive or the price in my opinion.
Lucky Bains
Our annual team Christmas do is the buffet here. We did it before lockdown and restarted last year. I highly recommend it. Such a nice venue and atmosphere. The food is great, loads of choice and the staff are brilliant (if not very busy). We're going next year tooVegetarian options: Plenty of choice for vegan and veggie options
K W (KW)
The food was great. Starter, main and desert buffet. Lots of choice, very healthy selection.We went for the unlimited prosecco offer with the buffet. It's supposed to be unlimited for 90 mins but they really stop offering it to you after an hour.Clientele is different. Either retired or groups or women on a Saturday afternoon. We were unfortunate to have been placed next to a really loud group of women who really gave me a headache and ruined my experience. I did complain to two waiters but they neither offered us another table or asked the women to tone down. I was pretty disappointed and am not sure I'd go back again.
John Switzer Haagensen
We went last Sunday and the food was great. Great selection of starters, mains and desserts as part of their buffet offering. Oddly the service was really poor, unattentive and frustrating. It wasn't busy at all and plenty of staff for the 5 tables occupied. We kept being overlooked. It's rare that I ask for the service charge to me removed but did this time. The food made up for the lack of service but unlikely going back. Furthermore we asked for a little bit of food bagged up this resulted in a disclaimer having to be signed in case of food poisoning including signed by a witness. I have never experienced that before and seems overkill. We came to eat not to review and sign legal documents...
Justin Froude
Great range of food, something for everyone and constantly being refreshed and staff are always very friendlyParking: Plenty of spaces never an issueKid-friendliness: Always a few children inside so definitely child friendlyWheelchair accessibility: Enough space and all on one level so easy access
Sarah Giles
Excellent breakfast buffet - both cooked and continental - with a view of the Thames. I especially liked the coconut Bircher muesli.Vegetarian options: I didn’t see anything explicitly labelled vegetarian or vegan (eg vegetarian sausages) but there were plenty of options (such as smoothies, fruit, nuts, muesli, cooked mushrooms/tomatoes/hash browns/eggs). We were asked about dietary requirements on arrival so it’s likely they would provide something appropriate if asked.
Carole Longman
Usually a very good range of items at the Sunday buffet but not so good this time. No poached salmon and cheeses selection was poor. No coleslaw. Was told that they had run out of salmon. Note to self book early lunch and not one at 3 o'clock...
fizzy4me
Love the Left Bank The entertainment and settings are fabulous ! Very sad to find that they are card only though.. there should ALWAYS be an option
Steven Holloway
Plenty of choice for all three courses with good service. Eat as much as you can for £38 plus drinks. Nice walk along the river and lock after the food.
Tanya James
Gorgeous buffet style restaurant, but not your average buffet! There is so much choice of starters, soup, pasta sltation, noodles station, mains buffet with 3 or 4 coices including fish and vege options. The dessert table is to die for though, wear elasticated waist!!Have a stroll along the Thames after dinner to get your digestion working!Rexommend for fussy eaters and special occassions. Book well in advance!
Gorgeous buffet style restaurant, but not your average buffet! There is so much choice of starters, soup, pasta sltation, noodles station, mains buffet with 3 or 4 coices including fish and vege options. The dessert table is to die for though, wear elasticated waist!!Have a stroll along the Thames after dinner to get your digestion working!Rexommend for fussy eaters and special occassions. Book well in advance!
Claudio Segovia
I have been coming here for years. The starters and desserts selection are great and incredibly delicious. The Sunday roasts are just OK for me now. When you have to argue with the "chef" that you want it rear, and he says that's all he has (well done, not even medium), when you can see in the back, 10 more roast pieces, you wonder. Attitude for him was more important than service.The service otherwise is great. Except for that "younger chef"...
Rita H
My daughter and I went to the Runnymede Hotel - left bank restaurant yesterday for a Champgne Afternoon Tea and the service, setting and food was amazing. The Staff went over and above to make sure that everything we had was okay and we were offered unlimited tea and coffee included in the price. We will definitely be going again.
Ruth Gee
4.5 star. We ate in the Leftbank as part of a spa weekend. The buffet dinner was included in our spa break, but not drinks. That's fine as that's what we expected. A service charge of around 12.5% is added to the bill at the end for every time you are at the Leftbank restaurant or in the lounge. The buffet is not how I have experienced a buffet before, it's how I would describe a "posh buffet". The waiters will serve drinks to your table and are very quick at clearing away your dirty plates and glasses. A place is set at your table along with cutlery and a serviette before you arrive at your table. The waiters will also happily bring you any extra cutlery you want and are very attentive. Was a good experience with plenty of choice for different foods at a high quality on offer. With the chef located behind the main dishes area on hand to answer any questions you may have. The extra touch of a birthday dessert plate was nice as well for my Husbands Birthday.On arrival to the Leftbank restaurant for breakfast we were given the option to eat in another restaurant that they had set aside for adults staying at the hotel without children, which was a nice option for a quieter breakfast. The staff at breakfast were friendly and attentive. The food was ok, nothing spectacular to say.
Nicci Deaves
Not half as good as it was as a buffet restaurant. Limited menu and no atnosphere. Disappointing this time.
Firstly my expectation of this place was high due to the reviews about the buffet style Sunday Roast. My partner and I made the 100 mile round trip specifically to experience what everyone else had.I have to say that the selection and the food did not disappoint, nor did the dessert section. However, the lack of service and the overall atmosphere was where the restaurant lost me.My partner and I went up multiple times to try different sections so each time we finished a plate, we left it on the side of the table for it to be collected but at one point we had 6 plates on the table not being taken away. The staff were clearly not too busy as there was about 3 in the restaurant alone and around 5-6 tables of people.There was also hardly any atmosphere as the dining area was quiet and no music or background sounds. We understand not everywhere can play music but the result was a very flat feeling dining experience.The one bit that really got us was when my partner kindly asked if we could get a takeaway box as she had a few bits leftover on her plate and didn’t want it to go to waste. We asked a member of staff who said he needed to check with his manager, the manager came over and told us that they didn't have, “Any appropriate containers for our food”. We asked if there was anything else that could possibly be used and she said no. We were very surprised as we’d had afternoon tea there about 2 weeks prior. I also noted that the words used were “appropriate containers”.At the end, when paying the bill I asked the member of staff and was told that, “Actually we have foil but we were told that it doesn’t look good to give people foil”. The fact that we were not even offered the foil seems a bit like cutting corners at the expense of their guests - it might not have looked fantastic but it would have saved a lot of food being thrown away for no reason and it would have meant we could have enjoyed the food that we paid for at another time when we didn’t have a 50 mile journey ahead of us. Out of principle I should have taken off the service charge but I think I was still in shock when I was paying.We won’t be returning as this really left a bad taste in our mouth, given that it was £45pp with service charge and the experience really wasn’t worth the drive or the price in my opinion.
Our annual team Christmas do is the buffet here. We did it before lockdown and restarted last year. I highly recommend it. Such a nice venue and atmosphere. The food is great, loads of choice and the staff are brilliant (if not very busy). We're going next year tooVegetarian options: Plenty of choice for vegan and veggie options
The food was great. Starter, main and desert buffet. Lots of choice, very healthy selection.We went for the unlimited prosecco offer with the buffet. It's supposed to be unlimited for 90 mins but they really stop offering it to you after an hour.Clientele is different. Either retired or groups or women on a Saturday afternoon. We were unfortunate to have been placed next to a really loud group of women who really gave me a headache and ruined my experience. I did complain to two waiters but they neither offered us another table or asked the women to tone down. I was pretty disappointed and am not sure I'd go back again.
We went last Sunday and the food was great. Great selection of starters, mains and desserts as part of their buffet offering. Oddly the service was really poor, unattentive and frustrating. It wasn't busy at all and plenty of staff for the 5 tables occupied. We kept being overlooked. It's rare that I ask for the service charge to me removed but did this time. The food made up for the lack of service but unlikely going back. Furthermore we asked for a little bit of food bagged up this resulted in a disclaimer having to be signed in case of food poisoning including signed by a witness. I have never experienced that before and seems overkill. We came to eat not to review and sign legal documents...
Great range of food, something for everyone and constantly being refreshed and staff are always very friendlyParking: Plenty of spaces never an issueKid-friendliness: Always a few children inside so definitely child friendlyWheelchair accessibility: Enough space and all on one level so easy access
Excellent breakfast buffet - both cooked and continental - with a view of the Thames. I especially liked the coconut Bircher muesli.Vegetarian options: I didn’t see anything explicitly labelled vegetarian or vegan (eg vegetarian sausages) but there were plenty of options (such as smoothies, fruit, nuts, muesli, cooked mushrooms/tomatoes/hash browns/eggs). We were asked about dietary requirements on arrival so it’s likely they would provide something appropriate if asked.
Usually a very good range of items at the Sunday buffet but not so good this time. No poached salmon and cheeses selection was poor. No coleslaw. Was told that they had run out of salmon. Note to self book early lunch and not one at 3 o'clock...
Love the Left Bank The entertainment and settings are fabulous ! Very sad to find that they are card only though.. there should ALWAYS be an option
Plenty of choice for all three courses with good service. Eat as much as you can for £38 plus drinks. Nice walk along the river and lock after the food.
Gorgeous buffet style restaurant, but not your average buffet! There is so much choice of starters, soup, pasta sltation, noodles station, mains buffet with 3 or 4 coices including fish and vege options. The dessert table is to die for though, wear elasticated waist!!Have a stroll along the Thames after dinner to get your digestion working!Rexommend for fussy eaters and special occassions. Book well in advance!
Restaurantji Recommends
Gorgeous buffet style restaurant, but not your average buffet! There is so much choice of starters, soup, pasta sltation, noodles station, mains buffet with 3 or 4 coices including fish and vege options. The dessert table is to die for though, wear elasticated waist!!Have a stroll along the Thames after dinner to get your digestion working!Rexommend for fussy eaters and special occassions. Book well in advance!
I have been coming here for years. The starters and desserts selection are great and incredibly delicious. The Sunday roasts are just OK for me now. When you have to argue with the "chef" that you want it rear, and he says that's all he has (well done, not even medium), when you can see in the back, 10 more roast pieces, you wonder. Attitude for him was more important than service.The service otherwise is great. Except for that "younger chef"...
My daughter and I went to the Runnymede Hotel - left bank restaurant yesterday for a Champgne Afternoon Tea and the service, setting and food was amazing. The Staff went over and above to make sure that everything we had was okay and we were offered unlimited tea and coffee included in the price. We will definitely be going again.
4.5 star. We ate in the Leftbank as part of a spa weekend. The buffet dinner was included in our spa break, but not drinks. That's fine as that's what we expected. A service charge of around 12.5% is added to the bill at the end for every time you are at the Leftbank restaurant or in the lounge. The buffet is not how I have experienced a buffet before, it's how I would describe a "posh buffet". The waiters will serve drinks to your table and are very quick at clearing away your dirty plates and glasses. A place is set at your table along with cutlery and a serviette before you arrive at your table. The waiters will also happily bring you any extra cutlery you want and are very attentive. Was a good experience with plenty of choice for different foods at a high quality on offer. With the chef located behind the main dishes area on hand to answer any questions you may have. The extra touch of a birthday dessert plate was nice as well for my Husbands Birthday.On arrival to the Leftbank restaurant for breakfast we were given the option to eat in another restaurant that they had set aside for adults staying at the hotel without children, which was a nice option for a quieter breakfast. The staff at breakfast were friendly and attentive. The food was ok, nothing spectacular to say.
Not half as good as it was as a buffet restaurant. Limited menu and no atnosphere. Disappointing this time.