The Smithy

The kindest souls in the world run this pub - and they also happen to be excellent cooks and curate a lovely selection of brews! This is a safe haven on a roadtrip and definitely worth the trip if you’re in the area :)

2 months ago · via Google

We have visited many times before and have always enjoyed coming here, which makes this review particularly disappointing to write. This is somewhere our family genuinely likes to visit and has returned to on numerous occasions. Sadly, after this experience, we feel uncomfortable about returning while the individual we dealt with is in a management position. We had chosen to visit after scattering our dad and grandad’s ashes, so it was already a very emotional day for our family. We ordered a large amount of food for our group, but unfortunately the service and overall experience were extremely poor. The meals arrived at different times, and we had been told that the roast dinners came with cauliflower cheese and gravy. However, three of the meals arrived without either. When we queried this, we were repeatedly told that the missing items were “coming soon.” After waiting around 20 minutes, with our meals going cold, we went to the kitchen to ask for an update and found nobody there. Eventually, we took the meals back as they were not complete. My mum then spoke to a member of staff and returned shocked by how condescending she had been treated. I went back with her and initially spoke to a very pleasant barman, who then fetched a gentleman who I believe was called Bradley. We assumed he was the manager, although when I directly asked if he was the manager, his response was simply, “What do you think?”, which immediately felt unnecessarily dismissive. Unfortunately, his attitude throughout the conversation was unacceptable. He was extremely patronising and condescending. He repeatedly referred to the gravy that never arrived as merely a “side,” and that it was a great shame we had not been able to read the menu properly, despite us having been told it was included with the meal. He waved his hands in front of our faces while speaking, made passive-aggressive comments about us being “allowed to feed the dogs” with the meals we had returned, and stated that he “deals with people like us all the time.” What upset us most was his attitude. Rather than listening to our concerns, he appeared dismissive and confrontational. When I questioned his behaviour, he made a comment suggesting that he might “miss a few decimal points” when processing our refund if I continued, which felt entirely inappropriate and unprofessional. The only positive aspect of the experience was the barman, who remained polite and helpful throughout. Given the circumstances of our visit and the way we were spoken to, we left feeling upset and disappointed. What makes this particularly sad is that this has always been somewhere we enjoyed visiting and recommending to others. We have never encountered this individual before, and the way we were treated has genuinely made us question whether we feel comfortable returning. We hope management take this feedback seriously, as the service we received was completely at odds with the positive experiences we have had here in the past.

2 months ago · via Google

Professional and efficient owner and staff and most importantly very kind and welcoming attitude. We spent a couple of nights and had a private party on one night. Excellent food. Impeccable service. Friendly staff. Relaxed atmosphere. Ticked all the boxes really.

2 months ago · via Google

Had a lovely stay in 'The Nook', a small but very nice little room off the pub garden. The welcome at the pub was great, and the food and drinks were good too. It's a great location for a walk down to the coast and would be very useful as a stop on the SW Coast Path as it's only 20 minutes walk away. A good breakfast was included in the very reasonable price.

3 months ago · via Google