The Griffin, Carlisle

Whilst conveniently positioned to the station and handy for a flying visit whilst waiting for a connection, this establishment is certainly not worthy of its 3 star rating. Although the bar staff are friendly and seem hostpitable and the place in general is kept clean and tidy, the food and kitchen service need seriously looking into. We were a party of 4 that visited on 10/03/20012 from a private steam train charter. We were in Carlisle on a flying visit and were looking for food and refreshment so we decided on the Griffin just for convienience. We ordered our drinks which were served promtly by excellent friendly staff, who seemed to be in abundance, then ordered our food of 2 portions of ham and chips, 1 portion of sausage and chips and 1 jacket potato with tuna mayo. We were informed on ordering that our order would be approx 30 to 45 mins. However, some 90 mins later, after complaining we were told there was no ham! We therefore re-ordered and were told we would be served in approx 10 mins. However, 35 mins later we were served with food that was tasteless and appeared to have been thrown onto the plates from a great distance. Not a good service from the chef and kitchen staffs point of view and if I were the owner I would seriously contemplate sacking the builders labourers they employ in their kitchen establishment and concentrate on employing experienced staff that take a pride in their work and what they produce for the customers.

11 Mar 2012 13:46