Smithy's Wine Bar & Restaurant

We booked a table larger than 10 people, but because it was near to christmas they made us pre-order our food a month in advance. When we arrived there were only two other tables except for us so seemed pointless that we had to order so far in advance - this also meant that everyone forgot what they ordered anyway and made everything confusing.

Even though it felt almost empty in the restaurant we felt like we were rushed to eat and leave. One of the guests even had a waitress standing over him waiting to collect his plate before he had finished his starter!!

Because the starter and mains came so closely together we had to ask for a break between the mains and dessert rather than stuff ourselves with 3 courses in a timescale of something like 40 mins. When the desserts did arrive they were cold (the chocolate cake was supposed to be warm), so we had the impression they were made when we were eating the mains and had been sitting out and getting cold when we had a break.

The service was poor, the waitresses were not particularly pleasant, they didnt ask us if we wanted drinks for the meal and we had to chase down a waitress to order wine.

When we settled the bill our party split the bill, we all put in an equal amount roughly split between us. Bear in mind there is an 'optional service charge' that was included - when all the payment was arranged, the waitress had the gall to come back ask for more money as we didnt pay the full service charge!

The only saving grace was that the food wasnt really really bad - it was just ok.

But for the price.....

Lets say, i'll never go back there again and i'll never recommend anyone else to go there either. £500+ could have been better spent elsewhere.
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2 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Sunday, December 18, 2011

What a gorgeous restaurant!!!!!!!!

Set in an old blacksmiths (cobbled floors and wooden booths) it's a total hidden gem. The Restaurant is split into two sections so you can have just a drink and nibbles or you can sit in the restaurant. I have eaten in the restaurant several times and the food has alway been excellent. I highly recommend the cote de boeuf (it's amazing!!!) and they also have a brilliant wine menu!!!!! They have lovely booths for you to sit in, so it's a great place to go in a group and it's gorgeously cosy and warm. The staff are really friendly and sweet, they knew lots about the wines and nothing seemed like too much trouble.

Everyone I've taken here has fallen in love with it, a great winter retreat!
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, November 16, 2011

I have been to Smithy's before and had fairly mediocre service. This evening, however, was absolutely awful. The staff were unable to deal with the pre-booked christmas parties which should have been easier due to everyone having to choose their meals in advance) and the manager was unable to even give an apology for cold food and slow service. We got our starters over an hour after we sat down, having not even been offered bread. Our main courses came 1 1/2 hours later, cold and the deserts were pitiful. They've lost a lot of customers today, simply because they did not have the ability to say a simple sorry and recitfy the situation. At every complaint all they had were silly excuses. I will definitely not eat here again
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0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, December 16, 2010

Went to Smithys last night, which is hidden away from the main hub of Kings Cross. The restaurant/bar itself is lovely, all wooden panelling and dark veneers. with a great selection of wine and spirits in a very relaxed and convivial atmosphere. Unfortunately however, that was as good as it got. Three of us ordered the rib-eye steak, and what appeared for almost £20 was nothing short of a disgrace. The meat was the cheapest cut i've ever seen, extremely tough, full of gristle and chewy beyond belief. In short, it would not even have massed muster in a Wetherspoons pub! Unsurprisingly we sent all three back immediately, and expected that it was a on-off. We were wrong. The owner then appeared and disdainfully explained to us that there was nothing wrong with what we'd been served and that all of the steak was cut that way. There was no point in serving us an alternative either, as it would be the same. Now, I have eaten steak all around the world and i can honestly say that it was the poorest i've ever been served and probably the worst value for money. The owner then proceeded tell us that we did not have a clue what we were talking about, had never had a complaint in 5 years and that I did not really have enough experience to complain about what i was served! It was unbelievably patronising, and really all quite surreal. I have never experienced anything like this in 20 years of eating out, and hope i never do again. The arrogance and supercilious attitude was just astonishing. Clearly the adage in Smithys is that the customer is always wrong ! Needless to say, we refused to pay for the food, paid for our wine, (which was very good) and high-tailed it to the nearby St Chad's which was excellent. All in all, a very unedifying experience and a real shame, because the location is a real gem.
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Paul
3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 1
Thursday, December 09, 2010

Good, tasty food, but pricey - soup and chips and 2 small glasses of wine: £18.

Service was patchy, and check your bill - the 12.5 % 'discretionary' service charge was mistakenly added twice...
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Retta
6 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, September 28, 2010