Woody's Bar & Restaurant Ingoldmells

Most of our meals were lovely, besides the chicken curry as the chicken was too dry. However the children's meals, the steaks and the hunters chicken were perfect. Unfortunately one meal arrived missing onion rings, however this was quickly rectified. The gluten free meal was plentiful and again, very tasty (I also had the steak), and the menu was also clear on which meals were gluten free, dairy free or both. Again with the vegetarian/vegan menu, it was clear to read and several options available. The free soft play and outdoor playground were loved by our children, and the entertainment was very good. The downsides are that you have to order your food from one till, but then need to queue up again to order drinks as they will not allow you to order them with your meal. Further, one of the entertainment staff was rather short with us when we attempted to speak to them. We simply wanted to ask if they could say happy birthday to my daughter, and we did not approach them whilst they were busy or performing etc, however she was very short and dismissive. Even a polite "no" would have been acceptable. Overall, we would gladly visit again if we were to be in Ingoldmells.

We went on a weekday, late afternoon during term time for dinner. There were 5 of us, two adults and three children. We sat inside on the raised section near the play area. I really like that the play area has such a large viewing window, as you're able to keep an eye on your kids easily. We did notice that the age limit was 8 and under for the play area, so kept our eldest son from entering, although there were some older children playing roughly around much smaller with no intervention from parents or staff, so took ours out until they settled down (it is nice to see older kids playing though). So just be mindful that you do need to be responsible and watch for your own kids, which as I say, is easy thanks to the huge glass window. There is also an outdoor playground that is suitable for older kids. The service was great, the waitress was able to check about allergies for me, as my daughter has numerous allergies and intolerances that weren't listed on the allergen menu. Ordering is at the bar, and was straight forward, although it would have been easier to order food and drinks as one, instead of separately. Food arrived promptly and freshly cooked/hot. For the style of food (think Brewers Fayre etc) it was really tasty, the chicken burger had a nice crunch to it, the burger was juicy and the sausage and mash was really good. My only preference would have been branded sauces, as the off brand version used tasted very vinegar-like (both mayo and ketchup). The only thing of importance to note food wise, was that regular butter was sent with our daughters allergen meal (dairy free, soya free, gluten free and oat free), thankfully it was in packets, and I didn't mention it at the time as she doesn't tend to eat the bread anyway, but this could have been a really allergen risk if not noticed. After the meal, the waitress cleared the plates quickly and efficiently, checking that we'd all finished with them too. (She really was brilliant, efficient and friendly). We will definitely return again!