The Barn Bistro- Italian Restaurant and Take Away

Went for my birthday. Delicious food, excellent service. Very accommodating with gluten free alternatives as well

Tried here for the first time tonight. A warm welcome and then shown to the only table for two that wasn’t laid up properly. Staff knowledgeable about the menu and what options were available as gluten free. Wine list isn’t great and for a supposed Italian restaurant, there’s no explanation as to where wines are from or their vintage. Arancini felt as if it was frozen and brought in… however beef carpaccio was good. Nice balsamic glaze. Crab ravioli was tasty (albeit served on a chipped bowl with greasy marks on it) and a gluten free pizza seemed to hit the spot. Desert menu had pictures, which for me, is always a no, no. My main issue is the atmosphere, there was only one table when we arrived, the lighting is very bright (even with some bulbs removed) and the music is piped through a tinny speaker. As a suggestion, some tealights, the lights dimmed and a quality speaker for the music would really lift the whole place. Someone with a rucksack and hoody was working on a laptop at the back, staff were sitting down at tables and then someone arrived with bags of laundry (I’m guessing table cloths and napkins). Not a great look. Two starters, two mains and a bottle of Pinot Grigio was £73.00…. I’d like to try a panini and coffee at lunchtime but certainly wouldn’t rush back for dinner.