The Crystal Palace - Dacorum

This restaurant experience was extremely disappointing. We had booked a table for 9 people, with an early reservation at 6pm due to one child in our party. Unfortunately, there was no table service provided so we had to order food at the bar. To our dismay, 6 out of the 9 dishes we wanted were not available. When we inquired about other options, we were told that even more items on the menu were unavailable because the restaurant had been busy. The bar staff did not seem concerned and simply said it was not their fault. We can only imagine that those with reservations at later times would have had similar issues. Overall, we were left feeling very let down, especially since this was supposed to be a special family birthday meal. We ultimately decided to leave and dine elsewhere. We would not recommend this restaurant for its food availability.

The experience was extremely disappointing. Nine people had made a reservation for an early table at 6pm, due to one child in the group. There was no table service, so we had to order our food at the bar. Unfortunately, six out of the nine dishes we ordered were not available. And when we inquired about other options on the menu, even more dishes were not available. The reason given was that the restaurant had been busy. The bar staff seemed uninterested and simply said "It's not our fault." It was a pre-planned family birthday meal, but we ultimately decided to leave and dine elsewhere. Overall, we were very disappointed and would not recommend this restaurant for its food.

I usually do not write reviews, but I feel compelled to do so on this occasion. I enjoy going to the CP for drinks by the canal, but I have consistently found the meal service to be lacking. This time, for example, we ordered two beef roasts, only to be told after we had paid that they had run out. We then agreed to have pork roasts instead, which were cheaper than the beef. When my partner asked the waiter to refund the price difference, the waiter hesitated and did not follow through. Despite mentioning the refund earlier, my partner did not want to cause a scene over a small amount of money. Additionally, when I inquired about desserts, I was told they were all available, but minutes later I was informed the kitchen was closed, causing confusion as the website indicated food was served until 9pm on Sundays, and it was only 6pm. It was frustrating that the bar staff did not mention the kitchen closing when I asked about desserts. This has happened before, where we were told the kitchen was closed before the scheduled time, giving off the impression that the staff were not willing to accommodate our orders. There was also no clear reason given for the lack of table service. Furthermore, two of my friends received desserts with custard instead of the expected ice cream, without any explanation. To top it off, an hour and a half later, at 7:30pm, one of the staff members sat next to our table with a dessert for themselves.

Poor service, poor food, expensive prices and lackluster experience. We arrived for the England game and some food (the website says food served until 9pm on Sundays) and managed to get some roasts ordered. This, however, wasn’t without its challenges. Food wasn’t available and it took the bartenders around three visits to our table to finally tell us what was. Despite friends paying for a roast which they were told was available, they then had to had the cheaper meat when it transpired the beef was not available after all. They were not refunded the difference. In fact, they were made to feel awkward for even asking. Shocking stuff. When the food did arrive, it was mediocre at best. A far cry from what it used to be. Half of our table then managed to order deserts at 17:59 and the other half were not allowed to order any at 18:02. This, despite the website saying that food was served until 9. When I questioned this with bar staff (no table service at all) I was met with a “So what? What are you going to do about it?” attitude; which was delightfully rude! My partner had the delight of having to use blue roll as there was no toilet paper in the ladies. No bar snacks available. 4 beers off of tap. What happened to the old beers on tap!? Just bog-standard rubbish you can get in any boozer now. Really poor. It’s not the first time we’ve had a poor experience with food and service here but it will be the last, as I won’t be returning for food again. Such a shame that what used to be one of Berko’s best places to go has fallen into such a miserable state of affairs.

What a fantastic place. We arrived hungry and disillusioned after having been to The Boat down the road who couldn’t manage to put together a meal for four. We couldn’t have been treated better by the staff here. The roast beef dinner was lovely and we can’t say enough about the crumble and custard. We will definitely be back this pub has a smashing atmosphere and great facilities. Thanks for retrieving a potentially bad day