The Rosendale

Quite simply one of the WORST pubs in London! It really is that bad!

After our company moved it's offices to West Dulwich we were initially excited to have such a good looking pub on our doorstep. Visually it looks appealing with nice decor and trendy "gastro pub' menu offerings. But don't be fooled by looks. I have visited this pub 15-20 times now (no more I might hasten to add) and I can say all but 2 of these visits had serious 'issues'

We usually visited the pub during lunchtimes and on EVERY occasion there was never enough staff to deal with customers. If you sat down and waited to be served you'd be there for 20-30 mins and no-one would offer you menus or ask if you would like a drink! So, you'd end up either waving your arms in the air to get attention or go to the bar to order drinks and pick up a menu yourself!!

Then to the food! To say it is poor would be an understatement! Even if you order the same dish on different occasions it can come to you looking (and tasting) completely different each time!! Crab Linguine was hot and spicy one day and completely bland and tasteless the next! Chips were like bricks, and if you mention anything to the staff they unbelievably say "that looks O.K to me!!"

Today on visiting we again waited ages for service at our table so I went to the bar and ordered drinks and grabbed a menu. (normally when you eat here you don't have to give your credit card before you order) but the one time I did get service was the 'manager' saying as we ordered from the bar rather than the table he would need to take our credit card! What!? Because they were too lazy and slow to serve us at our table we now have to supply our credit card in advance? I don't mind giving a card but its the principle of the matter!

Anyway, one of the meals we ordered was a Fish Finger Sandwich. Easy enough you might think, but what we got was Fish and Chips! SO we said that this wasn't what we ordered and they took it away. What we then expected to get was a fish finger sandwich (i.e what we initially ordered) but what we got back was the previous fish (From the fish and chips) broken up and stuck in a bun!!! Totally unbelievable. How any Chef could do that shocks me to the core.

This is an horrific pub that portrays itself as a cool place. Its not. It's REALLY not.

The staff are so poor and unenthusiastic its a joke. Don't bother to ask them what the specials are as they never know. Don't expect service to come to you as it wont. And if they send you the wrong meal you're very likely to get it back re hashed as something else!

Do yourself a favour and go somewhere else! We won't be returning
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Greg Watson
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, December 20, 2012

I live locally to The Rosendale and had noticed how good the place looked after the recent management change. I read reviews on here and other sites which revealed a very mixed bag of opinions. I decided to try for myself and really hoped the positive reviews would reflect my experience. Went with mum on a Saturday evening around 6:30pm. It was quiet with a few drinkers and one other table dining. Service was pleasant and efficient except for receiving our bread and olives after our starters. The food however needs much attention. None of the dishes were hot as if they'd been sitting for a while. Mums egg for the haddock smokie was virtually raw, the white still swimming. When mentioned we were sent a rock hard boiled egg instead. Cauliflower soup had flavour but was just about warm. Mains of Monkfish was very rubbery and so overcooked, poor mum could just about cut it. Seabass, a thin fillet was overcooked, therefore dry. Dessert was nothing special. House red was good, lots of wines to choose from. Overall I'd never return here for food. Bill came to £75 and a big let down. I had hopes for this place as people want somewhere local and reliable. The Rosendale must take note of such issues with the kitchen. It wasn't even busy! My search continues...
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DN
5 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Monday, December 19, 2011

So relieved the Rosendale has changed hands, it was truly terrible and now it has been transformed into a lovely pub. The food is good, and so far I have found the staff really attentive and helpful. I took my one year old son in for dinner and the waiter who served us made me feel really comfortable and made sure he was happy.
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8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, October 18, 2011

I'm delighted with the new Rosendale and I wish the new team there all the best hoping that they can maintain the momentum which quickly petered out under the old ownership. I love the new pub feel which is what the former owners never achieved. It feels like a place you can go for a pint and meet friends without it being just tables and food.

With regards to the food I think this has really improved. I particularly liked the ham-hock and piccalilli croquettes and the steak, which, contrary to other reviews has been cooked to perfection on three separate visits where I have chosen this. The basic desserts of toffee sticky pudding, Eton mess and banoffee pie are all superb.

I find the staff attentive although it is variable and one one of our 10+ visits since it re-opened this was all too apparent. On this occasion it seemed that the waitress wasn't able to manage the stretch of attending to a full restaurant better than others. There were also missed orders - i.e. not bringing the vegetables with my main course (in fact they never arrived) and serving flat lemonade to my other 9 year old nephew. The outcome of this visit was that the service charge was removed. I guess that is fair but often its not just about the bill, I would like to think the staff would take on- board the experience and adjust the way they respond.

That one occasion aside where three things went wrong, my other visits mean that the restaurant scores above average overall. I recommend booking because it does get a little busy on a Friday evening. This is a great place that should only be a pub / restaurant combo and I think if the management and the team of staff can sharpen up some early mistakes this could be a real gem. I hope it is, its a 1 minute walk for me and I sincerely hope it gets the success it has long deserved.
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Will - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Friday, October 07, 2011

We live locally and have visited about 4 times since this place relaunched under new ownership earlier this summer 2011. A lot of trouble has been taken by the new owners to create a stylish and relaxing restaurant and bar. It is a real pity that the food and service just doesn't match with the new surroundings. Good manager when you see him but otherwise unprofessional service and variable quality food which is expensive for what it is. First and foremost the kitchen needs to be sorted out. With the right management and kitchen this could become one of the best places in the area.
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3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, August 23, 2011

My husband and I are very local to the Rosendale Pub and have visited several times since it has opened and have had varying experiences, but unfortunately none of them have been good!

The menu is very limited and by 8 0’clock the special dish of the day had run out – very disappointing! The food is overpriced and not value for money. The Squid and Cuttlefish Rocket Salad was very unappetizing – the chorizo was totally uncooked which I am surprised by as I thought the whole idea of having chorizo was to cook it so that the flavour of the sausage infuses into the salad? Instead large chunks of raw sausage were served with totally anaemic squid with no flavour. The Orkney sirloin steak, chips and salad was poor – my steak was over cooked, the chips undercooked and the salad was a miniscule serving of tired looking rocket leaves. A replacement side of salad was provided which again looked tired as if it had been sitting in the kitchen all evening and had no flavour in the dressing. Chaotic service which was very very slow - we had to wait for over an hour to receive our starters and no apology until we complained.

The house white wine was un-chilled and no offer was made to serve a different wine (every single time we have been to the pub we have been served warm white wine – either there is a problem with the fridges or the staff are not re-stocking them frequently enough)?

I love the decor and interior and general atmosphere and really want the pub to succeed. But the Pub needs a Manager that is visible and is overseeing the tables, and staff that are properly trained.
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Mrs Carpenter
4 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, August 23, 2011

I live around the corner from The Rosendale and really want it to succeed but fear it will fail again because of awful service. Tried the food the first week it reopened after refurbishment and the service was terrible. Went back again last night hoping they had sorted it out. When i ordered my food I asked for it to be served with vegetables instead of potatoes I was told the chef said he wouldn't do that, a request I have never had refused anywhere previously. I asked to see the manager who said he would sort it out. We then sat for 30 minutes without food appearing. We asked a waitress to see if the food was coming and she came back and said it would be with us shortly. After another 10 minutes it arrived, stone cold. The food would have been delicious if it had been hot. When i asked the waitress to take my food to be reheated she was unapologetic and returned after 5 minutes with the food only marginally warmer. When clearing the table the waitress was so unskilled she could only carry two items at once and so had to return to the table and interrupt us about four times.

This pub has the potential to be great, it is a fantastic building, but they really need properly trained staff with a focus on customer service.
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Susan Burton
3 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 4
Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The Rosendale looks beautiful - fantastic garden out the back, sumptuous seating indoors. All let down by some very disappointing food. Stale chips cooked in rancid oil; dry and tasteless burger with very sad looking salad; and a chicken Milanese that had to be sent back because it looked (and tasted) like a piece of burned carpet.

Did complain, and waitress told us the food is usually "brilliant" and that a new chef was in the kitchens.

What a shame. Maybe fine just as a drinks venue, but for eating, it's a no-no in its current state.
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2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, July 19, 2011

This place has crashed to an all time low. Do not go to this pub until it changes hands again - should be happening within the next couple of months. A truly terrible experience the last few times I've been there. Bad food, rude staff, slow service, over priced food, few drink options. Lovely building though!
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Dan
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Sunday, May 15, 2011

Good changes.

amazing food, will be back soon
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john
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Friday, January 21, 2011