The Woodsman

The Woodsman reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. L

   Laurie

   Lincolnshire2 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   We were welcomed nicely and shown to our table. Complimentary bread and butter came, which was lovely. The roast dinner was average; the roast potatoes were tepid and didn’t taste fresh and crispy, the cabbage had a mustard dressing on which meant my mum didn’t enjoy this part, and the gravy was very watery. The meat was beautiful and the Yorkshire pudding with braised beef inside was very tasty. We were not asked how our meal was during our time eating nor when the plates were collected. The dessert (Mille feuille) was really nice. There was a 12.5% service charge added on which made our bill over £100 for two people (no drinks, just tap water) which I felt was expensive for the experience.
   

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2. P

   Philip VIP

   London2 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on May 4, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   The food was decent but the service was very poor, one couple walked out as no one went to take their order after over 15 minutes, the waiting staff were standing around looking uninterested with arms folded, the manager appeared once and was then nowhere to be seen. If I was the Chef, putting out decent food I’d be livid at how the front of house were spoiling things.
   

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3. A

   Amy

   Bristol3 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on May 4, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Lovely restaurant, beautiful food. Service was excellent. Had to take home left overs from our roast as couldn't finish :)
   

   The WoodsmanResponded 6 days ago

   Dear Amy, thank you for taking the time to review your recent visit at The Woodsman. We hope to welcome you again soon. Kind regards, Abbigail
   

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4. AE

   AdamE

   Hampshire7 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on April 27, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great Sunday lunch, with the lamb special being a real treat. The veg to go with it was excellent. Venison starter, again was lovely. Make sure you go when hungry.
   

   The WoodsmanResponded on April 30, 2025

   Dear AdamE, thank you for taking the time to review your recent visit at The Woodsman. We are so glad you enjoyed your Sunday Lunch with us, we hope to welcome you again soon. Kind regards, Abbigail
   

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5. T

   Tim

   Warwickshire3 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on April 27, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The Woodsman remains the best place to eat in Stratford by a country mile. We went for a celebratory Sunday lunch and had an asparagus mousse starter that was to die for followed by the shoulder of lamb for two to share. The lamb was perfect - melt-in-the-mouth texture, full of flavour with a smokey tang that comes from the open fire cooking. It was a huge portion, so much so that we took what was left home and had no room for pudding. There was lots of good, well-cooked veg too, though my wife tells me I cook a better roast potato! We had a delicious Alentejo red wine to accompany the meal, and this went perfectly with the lamb. Service is attentive and cheerful and the final bill was less than I was expecting, so definitely good value for that quality of cooking. Definitely worth a detour, as Michelin would have it.
   

   The WoodsmanResponded on April 30, 2025

   Dear Tim, thank you for taking the time to review your recent visit at The Woodman. What a lovely review, thank you! We are so glad you enjoyed your visit and can't wait to welcome you again. Kind regards, Abbigail
   

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6. B

   Bradley

   Belgium2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on April 20, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Very good food and drinks. Highly recommend to anyone.
   

   The WoodsmanResponded on April 23, 2025

   Dear Bradley, thank you for taking the time to review your recent visit at The Woodsman. We are glad you enjoyed your visit and look forward to welcoming you again soon. Kind regards, Abbigail
   

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7. S

   Steve

   London1 review

   1.0

   Dined on April 18, 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 4

   Sadly our experience was considerably disappointing. It’s clear that The Woodsman has all that is required to be an exceptional restaurant however, complacency was its Achilles heel during our visit. From the moment we arrived there was no attention to customer service, we stood for 10 mins waiting to be attended to but staff ambled around and we were left to fend for ourselves. We then went the bar for a drink, service was slow but ok. We then eventually got to speak to a member of staff but they could not accommodate our request for a slightly earlier slot, that was no issue as the resultant busy and we were grateful we had a booking, but it did take 30 mins to establish this. We then sat down and selected the tasting menu and wine pairing options. It was from this point the experience was very poor, service was very slow and we were not offered a drink, even water, for over an hour, no staff checked on us and only the waiter who served the bread and the canapés came to our table in 1hr. We eventually walked out 75 mins after we sat down (2hrs after we arrived) and still had not got past the 1st taster plate and had been offered zero drinks nor had the 1st drink from the pairing. Not the experience you expect for £140 a head! The food that others got looked great and the ambiance and setting fabulous, but the Woodman needs to acknowledge that to be considered a truly class act they can’t take reputation, customers and a full booking schedule for granted! I am sure the place is great and hope our experience was a 1 off. But we truly felt complacency was evident as they are too comfortable sat back on their reputation and full booking schedule.
   

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8. D

   Dawn

   Bath1 review

   5.0

   Dined on April 18, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Wonderful food and fantastic service. Would certainly recommend.
   

   The WoodsmanResponded on April 23, 2025

   Dear Dawn, thank you for taking the time to review your recent visit at The Woodsman. We re glad to hear you enjoyed your visit and look forward to welcoming you again soon. Kind regards, Abbigail
   

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9. M

   Meggy VIP

   Tasmania6 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on April 17, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We had the tasting menu. The meal started off well, the first half of the dishes were very good and a lot of attention went into explaining the dishes. The chicken and main we didn’t like. The Chicken Liver Parfait was good, but not the rest. My pescatarian alternative ravioli, I didn’t like at all. Nor did my partner like his lamb. Service was in general really slow…. although staff were nice and pleasant. Overall cost was quite high for what we had.
   

   The WoodsmanResponded on April 23, 2025

   Dear Meggy, thank you for taking the time to review your recent visit at The Woodsman. We're glad you enjoyed the start of your tasting menu and appreciated the dishes. We're sorry to hear that some of the later courses and the pacing of service did not meet expectations. Your comments regarding the mains and overall value have been noted and will be shared with our team for review. We truly value your input and hope to welcome you back for a more seamless experience in the future. Kind regards, Abbigail
   

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10. V

    Vera Lucia

    Warwickshire1 review

    4.0

    Dined on April 13, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5

    It’s on of my favourite places to eat, but it’s a little pricey for me,we just going there for very special occasions, birthdays, anniversary, of course I can go more if I can 😊, the atmosphere is amazing, everyone if very friendly, definitely is a place to recommend 🤩
    

    The WoodsmanResponded on April 17, 2025

    Dear Vera, thank you so much for taking the time to review your recent visit at The Woodsman. It's wonderful to hear you choose to dine with us for special occasions! We hope to see you again soon! Kind regards, Abbigail
    

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