At this price range it needs to be spot on... it wasn't. I get the concept and the social media brings the people to the tables, but perhaps too busy? Service was (at times) good, the wait between courses was way too long and when the food arrived it was disappointing as it was barely
Duane Bray
We were a little early for our tank so sat in the bar area which was a nice warming area. We were called into the restaurant area and taken to our table. We were given home made bread and butter (which was delicious) while our starters were prepared. We were served by Danny B. Our starters came out fairly quickly. All fresh and well cooked. For mains we had the Sunday roast special, lamb shoulder which was a £5 supplement per person which seemed a good deal when we saw the size of it (we took what was left home and got another meal for 4 from it). It came with all the trimmings including a really nice cauliflower cheese. The yorkshire puddings were really decent as well. We had a bottle of wine recommended by Danny B and during our meal he was very friendly and funny. He gave us his recommendations on the desserts base on what other people had ordered as he hadn’t tried all of them yet (hope he got his cheesecake he wanted). There was a discretionary 12.5% service charge on the bill which was fine but Danny looked after us so we also tipped him personally as his service was very good. Would definitely recommend to others and have already. If we are in the area again would love to come and try the a la carte menu.Parking: Parking is at the indigo hotel, you need to enter your reg in the restaurant and pay. £6.50 for 4 hours.
Paul
First time absolutely brilliant Food was amazing The Roast Beef was unbelievable vegetables were awesome The two lads worked together and were so professional and nothing was ever too much 5 stars aren’t enough Our head of reception realised she had made a mistake in our seated location and moved us to where we should have without any hassles The whole experience of today from the bar staff to the head of service it was a experience I would encourage anyone to take up We most definitely will be returning hopefully the road works would have been completedParking: £6.50 to park was good value and a safe zone
Stephen Hanson
Absolutely fabulous meal. Great menu selection. Ambience and Staff were second to none. Massive thank you to Danny who made our meal memorable for all the right reasons.Starters: Mixed sharing platter for 2Mains: Roast Pork and Sharing leg of lambDeserts: Pistachio & White Chocolate Mousse & 70% Chocolate Mousse.Definitely recommended for all who want a great setting, great service and great food. We will definitely be back in the near future. Never fails to impress.
Cally
We had our wedding reception here two years ago, so we love coming back! This time we had Valentine's afternoon tea and it was absolutely fantastic! My photos do not do the food justice, but I was half running around after our feral daughter at the time! Everything was perfect, thank you again!
Matt Jones
Absolutely superb Sunday lunch. Can’t fault any of it… the lamb shoulder was perfect.
James Lawrence
We tried the Woodsman following its excellent reputation and it didn't disappoint.The sustainability and wood fired concept is unique and the dishes were creative, beautifully presented and flavoursome. Of particular mention was the wood fired cod and the rhubarb and custard tart, both were outstanding and of Michelin star quality
Lynne Whitby
I chose this restaurant for a family birthday lunch after reading the reviews.The food did not disappoint in any way. It really was a fabulous lunch.The negative point was the service; it was a bit haphazard and slapdash, not what I expected from a restaurant like this. We did eventually get a waitress that was efficient. I knew when the waiter was taking my son's drink order that he would not get it. We asked 3 different members of table staff until it appeared but long after we had all got ours.Having said that maybe that was a one off and where the food is concerned I would not hesitate to go back.
Kevin Walters
I eat out a lot and have eaten all over the world so know what’s good what’s bad etc.Food was great, some of this food was the best I’ve eaten (scotch egg mmmm) but the problem is the service, felt lost in the corner drinking champagne with my other half that I had to carry to the table, we was asked if we would like any drinks, requested a bottle of water. After waiting 45 mins to put our food order in I asked if they could do Roast trio, with waitress number2 where our waitress read me the meats I could have with a bad attitude almost rolling her eyes…very rude, I then asked if we could maybe get some bread and olives (as it doesn’t say anywhere this is given) with a very sarcastic tone she told me “yeah, we’ll bring them to your table” waitress number3 turners up and says she’s going to clear the table for the food and puts dirty glasses to the back of the table, starter was delicious, after numerous attempts of eyeball waitress number 1 water turns up. Plates cleared up by waiter number 4, glasses still remain. Mains turn up missing our side and Yorkies, waiting for her to come back but never did, no ask if any sources needed etc just drop and go. Went on like this all night. I got up to pay at the bar as got fed up of waiting for the bill with out drinks etc and had the most awkward scene from Waitress, Number2 where she was creeping around us, then after a few minutes told us we couldn’t pay at this till like we was stupid this is where I told her of our experience and told her to remove any service charge, she weirdly read me what I had and mumbled a lot of stuff at me to where at a guess the manger come and just stud there….a lot of eyes, shoulders and hands at each out without a word said sooo weird again terrible service from the manager (waitress number 1) th Yes
Brian Jones
Dietary restrictions: Very helpful with gluten free options
At The Woodsman, I indulged in their pave and shoulder of Bathurst Estate fallow deer, accompanied by their recommended side of dirty mash (mashed potatoes with crispy venison and gravy) and a glass of Valpolicella Ripasso ‘Pojega’ red wine. I was also offered a serving of their bread with their homemade herb butter, which was a delightful start to the meal. The deer was then presented in two forms: a perfectly cooked medium rare steak and a slow-cooked portion wrapped alongside it, served with parsnip, praline, and quince. Both preparations of the deer were absolutely delectable, showcasing the care and precision put into the cooking.While the vegetables were enjoyable, they were overshadowed by the melt-in-your-mouth deer, as expected. Despite being a bit pricey, I would highly recommend this meal to any visitors to Stratford-upon-Avon. The dirty mash, infused with venison and gravy, was also a delightful accompaniment, and the waiter's wine recommendation paired perfectly with the meal. Overall, it was a remarkable food experience, and I would gladly return for another meal if I find myself in the area again.
Katy Gilmartin
Excellent dinner at The Woodsman, the food, service and atmosphere was great and we would definitely dine there again. We've taken one star off of service as our waitress, although helpful and efficient, wasn't terribly welcoming.
Claire Payne
Love this place as a treat out. Every meal I've had here as been fantastic, even though it isn't the easiest menu to pick from if you're a bit fussy like me. Most recently had the Sunday roast - the only place I've ever had a decent roast potato out, plus generous portions. Fantastic cocktails, too. Highly recommend for a special occasion.
Benjamin Stocker
We had a truly excellent meal here for a birthday treat. Gorgeous inviting atmosphere and the staff seemed friendly. Wine selection was good.The duck was the pick of the starters, especially the croquette. I had the pate which wasn't really a pate but more of a slice of gala style pie but delicious nonetheless.The mains were where the meal really shone for me; I had the cod and mussels which came with a gorgeous sauce and beautifully cooked celeriac. My partner had the beef, shortrib and sirloin, both cooked to perfection and the accoutrement were again fantastic. The sides were great too: I'd definitely recommend the dirty mash but the hispi cabbage we had as well was delicious.We shared a pudding, a pistachio and white chocolate mouse with a blood orange sorbet that I'm still thinking about!I think the only criticism I'd have of the evening was that the service was pretty slow. I think they probably needed one extra wait staff on service because our waiter just seemed stretched a little thin. The spacing between the courses was also pretty uneven, our starters came at a fairly normal time but then we waited quite a long time for our mains. It's the sort of thing that generally I'd overlook, except you are paying quite a lot for this meal.Regardless, I would wholeheartedly recommend a special occasion dinner here.
Vlad K
Everything started great, with the warm greeting by the manager lady and a lovely table for two. Ambience is great, the building certainly has some character.Wine list is well made, some of the wines you cannot find in retail easily, good choice. The starter was nice, mackerel well made with some creative touch. Mains were good also, not amusing but well worth it.The major let down was the table service - gloomy overworked staff, self-service for wine bottle(we had to pour it ourselves or to ask to do it), generally it felt very superficial and not welcoming. By far the worst we had in winter.
At this price range it needs to be spot on... it wasn't. I get the concept and the social media brings the people to the tables, but perhaps too busy? Service was (at times) good, the wait between courses was way too long and when the food arrived it was disappointing as it was barely
We were a little early for our tank so sat in the bar area which was a nice warming area. We were called into the restaurant area and taken to our table. We were given home made bread and butter (which was delicious) while our starters were prepared. We were served by Danny B. Our starters came out fairly quickly. All fresh and well cooked. For mains we had the Sunday roast special, lamb shoulder which was a £5 supplement per person which seemed a good deal when we saw the size of it (we took what was left home and got another meal for 4 from it). It came with all the trimmings including a really nice cauliflower cheese. The yorkshire puddings were really decent as well. We had a bottle of wine recommended by Danny B and during our meal he was very friendly and funny. He gave us his recommendations on the desserts base on what other people had ordered as he hadn’t tried all of them yet (hope he got his cheesecake he wanted). There was a discretionary 12.5% service charge on the bill which was fine but Danny looked after us so we also tipped him personally as his service was very good. Would definitely recommend to others and have already. If we are in the area again would love to come and try the a la carte menu.Parking: Parking is at the indigo hotel, you need to enter your reg in the restaurant and pay. £6.50 for 4 hours.
First time absolutely brilliant Food was amazing The Roast Beef was unbelievable vegetables were awesome The two lads worked together and were so professional and nothing was ever too much 5 stars aren’t enough Our head of reception realised she had made a mistake in our seated location and moved us to where we should have without any hassles The whole experience of today from the bar staff to the head of service it was a experience I would encourage anyone to take up We most definitely will be returning hopefully the road works would have been completedParking: £6.50 to park was good value and a safe zone
Absolutely fabulous meal. Great menu selection. Ambience and Staff were second to none. Massive thank you to Danny who made our meal memorable for all the right reasons.Starters: Mixed sharing platter for 2Mains: Roast Pork and Sharing leg of lambDeserts: Pistachio & White Chocolate Mousse & 70% Chocolate Mousse.Definitely recommended for all who want a great setting, great service and great food. We will definitely be back in the near future. Never fails to impress.
We had our wedding reception here two years ago, so we love coming back! This time we had Valentine's afternoon tea and it was absolutely fantastic! My photos do not do the food justice, but I was half running around after our feral daughter at the time! Everything was perfect, thank you again!
Absolutely superb Sunday lunch. Can’t fault any of it… the lamb shoulder was perfect.
We tried the Woodsman following its excellent reputation and it didn't disappoint.The sustainability and wood fired concept is unique and the dishes were creative, beautifully presented and flavoursome. Of particular mention was the wood fired cod and the rhubarb and custard tart, both were outstanding and of Michelin star quality
I chose this restaurant for a family birthday lunch after reading the reviews.The food did not disappoint in any way. It really was a fabulous lunch.The negative point was the service; it was a bit haphazard and slapdash, not what I expected from a restaurant like this. We did eventually get a waitress that was efficient. I knew when the waiter was taking my son's drink order that he would not get it. We asked 3 different members of table staff until it appeared but long after we had all got ours.Having said that maybe that was a one off and where the food is concerned I would not hesitate to go back.
I eat out a lot and have eaten all over the world so know what’s good what’s bad etc.Food was great, some of this food was the best I’ve eaten (scotch egg mmmm) but the problem is the service, felt lost in the corner drinking champagne with my other half that I had to carry to the table, we was asked if we would like any drinks, requested a bottle of water. After waiting 45 mins to put our food order in I asked if they could do Roast trio, with waitress number2 where our waitress read me the meats I could have with a bad attitude almost rolling her eyes…very rude, I then asked if we could maybe get some bread and olives (as it doesn’t say anywhere this is given) with a very sarcastic tone she told me “yeah, we’ll bring them to your table” waitress number3 turners up and says she’s going to clear the table for the food and puts dirty glasses to the back of the table, starter was delicious, after numerous attempts of eyeball waitress number 1 water turns up. Plates cleared up by waiter number 4, glasses still remain. Mains turn up missing our side and Yorkies, waiting for her to come back but never did, no ask if any sources needed etc just drop and go. Went on like this all night. I got up to pay at the bar as got fed up of waiting for the bill with out drinks etc and had the most awkward scene from Waitress, Number2 where she was creeping around us, then after a few minutes told us we couldn’t pay at this till like we was stupid this is where I told her of our experience and told her to remove any service charge, she weirdly read me what I had and mumbled a lot of stuff at me to where at a guess the manger come and just stud there….a lot of eyes, shoulders and hands at each out without a word said sooo weird again terrible service from the manager (waitress number 1) th Yes
Dietary restrictions: Very helpful with gluten free options
Restaurantji Recommends
At The Woodsman, I indulged in their pave and shoulder of Bathurst Estate fallow deer, accompanied by their recommended side of dirty mash (mashed potatoes with crispy venison and gravy) and a glass of Valpolicella Ripasso ‘Pojega’ red wine. I was also offered a serving of their bread with their homemade herb butter, which was a delightful start to the meal. The deer was then presented in two forms: a perfectly cooked medium rare steak and a slow-cooked portion wrapped alongside it, served with parsnip, praline, and quince. Both preparations of the deer were absolutely delectable, showcasing the care and precision put into the cooking.While the vegetables were enjoyable, they were overshadowed by the melt-in-your-mouth deer, as expected. Despite being a bit pricey, I would highly recommend this meal to any visitors to Stratford-upon-Avon. The dirty mash, infused with venison and gravy, was also a delightful accompaniment, and the waiter's wine recommendation paired perfectly with the meal. Overall, it was a remarkable food experience, and I would gladly return for another meal if I find myself in the area again.
Excellent dinner at The Woodsman, the food, service and atmosphere was great and we would definitely dine there again. We've taken one star off of service as our waitress, although helpful and efficient, wasn't terribly welcoming.
Love this place as a treat out. Every meal I've had here as been fantastic, even though it isn't the easiest menu to pick from if you're a bit fussy like me. Most recently had the Sunday roast - the only place I've ever had a decent roast potato out, plus generous portions. Fantastic cocktails, too. Highly recommend for a special occasion.
We had a truly excellent meal here for a birthday treat. Gorgeous inviting atmosphere and the staff seemed friendly. Wine selection was good.The duck was the pick of the starters, especially the croquette. I had the pate which wasn't really a pate but more of a slice of gala style pie but delicious nonetheless.The mains were where the meal really shone for me; I had the cod and mussels which came with a gorgeous sauce and beautifully cooked celeriac. My partner had the beef, shortrib and sirloin, both cooked to perfection and the accoutrement were again fantastic. The sides were great too: I'd definitely recommend the dirty mash but the hispi cabbage we had as well was delicious.We shared a pudding, a pistachio and white chocolate mouse with a blood orange sorbet that I'm still thinking about!I think the only criticism I'd have of the evening was that the service was pretty slow. I think they probably needed one extra wait staff on service because our waiter just seemed stretched a little thin. The spacing between the courses was also pretty uneven, our starters came at a fairly normal time but then we waited quite a long time for our mains. It's the sort of thing that generally I'd overlook, except you are paying quite a lot for this meal.Regardless, I would wholeheartedly recommend a special occasion dinner here.
Everything started great, with the warm greeting by the manager lady and a lovely table for two. Ambience is great, the building certainly has some character.Wine list is well made, some of the wines you cannot find in retail easily, good choice. The starter was nice, mackerel well made with some creative touch. Mains were good also, not amusing but well worth it.The major let down was the table service - gloomy overworked staff, self-service for wine bottle(we had to pour it ourselves or to ask to do it), generally it felt very superficial and not welcoming. By far the worst we had in winter.