The Rainbow

Very disappointed, looking forward to last meal out on Christmas Eve.
Very chilly as near door opening all time. Young staff more interested in themselves than customers, no one asked whether we enjoyed our meal
Food was awful, my small piece of sea bass was very salty & came with large underdone carrots & Brussels, leftovers from lunch?
My sisters burger was burnt & topped with a smear of blue cheese & cranberry sauce,
Mostly inedible.
Shall not be returning unless they improve the food & service.
Also will be posting negative review of a TripAdvisor
M HENRY

Ambiance cosy on Christmas Eve, staff attentive.
I have one gripe though, my dinner was cold and i was so looking forward to my usual standard of cuisine at The Rainbow.

A brilliant Christmas Eve was had by all. Such a great ambiance and atmosphere in the garden although it was slightly chilly. The service was exceptional. The pizzas were very tasty although slightly expensive. I’d recommend the Rainbow anytime.

Given the conditions that they are working under,l have to say that the food was good, the staff were friendly curtios and efficient, l would definitely go back again.
Although they have made a great effort to make it comfortable outside
the heaters aren't up to the job on a windy cold day, a job well done overall

We had a lovely lunch with golf buddies - so great to meet up in a lovely setting outside with heaters

Fantastic service from everyone
Food lovely
Fireside seating gorgeous

Really poor food, such a shame as the surroundings (particularly in current climate) could make for a wonderful eating experience. This pub has missed a trick. The food was very poor, and all appeared cheap bulk buy quality. Service also leaves a lot to desired, and they appear to need proper restaurant manager to oversee a troop of young people with little experience, or front of house ability. Unless significant changes I wont return as this was a second attempt, in the hope that there may have been initial teething troubles.
Shame....

Great food, the chap organising outside was awesome, service was great and Covid rules were adhered too.

Had a lovey evening at the Rainbow even though we were outside. Had great service from Joe and Martin. The Christmas dinner was excellent. Thank you all

We booked outside as 2 friends sharing and requested a booth if possible. Unfortunately they had apparently all been reserved ahead of us but the waiter was so helpful in finding us the driest seat, it had been an awful day! When later a booth became available he kindly helped us move. The service was excellent, food good and the whole place so well adapted for Covid

Amazing! so nice given the circumstances, would definitely recommend

Really tasty food, love it

Tables could of been further apart in places, but as no one sat on the table beside us, it didn’t disturb our meal

Service was great but apart from that I felt it was all show and no substance. Garden looks lovely and booths were good idea but the food and drinks were very poor and over priced. Sad to say it was a disappointing experience.

A lovely, friendly, relaxed environment.
Perfect to meet outdoors. The children enjoyed the play area too.

Ordered quickly but we were placed next to bar when requested to be by fire.. lots of staff standing around but was served quickly.
Food was awful.
1 burger, cold and a small portion of chips. Could have done with salad, coleslaw etc for money.
Turkey roast was awful, bland, dry, flavourless. Gravy was like water & other than red cabage everything was tasteless... I expected so much more. I wish I had read other reviews before going. Previously had a sandwich at lunch time which was very good so had high expectations!

Lovely atmosphere- especially in the garden. Food choice limited but acceptable under current restrictions. Would definitely go back

We understand that it was busy but a lack of staff was not the problem. The service was slow-the meal came before the drinks & was not of a high standard.
We were a table of 6 & none of us would rush back!

They are taking too many bookings and they can’t cope. We were told we only had our table for 2 hours. We waited 15mins before being allowed to sit, then didn’t get served for half hour. Then didn’t receive our first drink til almost an hour in. We were just ordering our pudding when we were told we would have to vacate our table. The ‘host’ was rude and dealt with it badly. Wouldn’t go back.

Your staff are annoying apart from one person he was nice

Upon arriving for my booking it was very busy and very noisy.
Our table wasn't ready and clean. I asked for the WiFi code and the girl serving said she didn't know and I'd have to ask someone else which isn't helpful when you're not allowed to get up and roam about the place.
There was clearly too many people to each table and didn't feel too safe in the circumstances.
I'd still go back, I understand its so close to Christmas and people are meeting up before the big day. And I like this pub.

The pork belly was amazing, we didn’t have time to order dessert as our time slot was over. We will visit again.

Disappointed. Had a lovely meal here at the beginning of December but this meal was not good. Burnt burger in a tasteless bap followed by the smallest bit of tasteless stodgy stuff advertised as Christmas pudding. Not good at all and will not be going back.

Food was fine but confusion over how many drinks we could have wasn’t great.

Food very good, service good to start, our request to move when our heater wasn't working was granted quickly. Had to ask to order dessert after waiting ages, had to ask for a spoon to eat it with twice! But overall I think these were just teething problems and I'm sure with a bit more training service will improve.

I went with my wife and we didn't feel rushed, the staff were all very friendly. The food was amazing which went down nicely with a few pints! Nice to have a bit of 'normality' in the current situation

I have to admit to being rather disappointed, as I think the concept of all the outside space is just the right idea at this difficult time. We had wanted to be in a booth. Meet and greet person was very off about how this was decided. Cannot see why one cannot book these - as we were a 5 and saw groups of only 2 in them. As a result will not be returning in the cold weather as Tepee was ineffective at keeping us warm on a cold evening and heaters kept going out. Menu was too limited and no fish main course was offered although there were vegetarian/vegan options, although one choice was a burger. Most main courses were enjoyed except for the Roast Turkey where the meat was dry and the potatoes looked and tasted as if they had been cooked and then reheated too many times. The team did offer to replace this but it was too late, and should have never been sent out from the kitchen. Personally I thought both the food and the drinks were overpriced.

Overpriced, kitchen clearly cannot cope with demand. Overcooked burger, underwhelming presentation. Service was pleasant but we were forgotten about. Would have ordered dessert but no one came to take our order. I understand what they are trying to achieve but feel they need to be at it a bit longer, until then reduce prices because they are over promising and underdelivering. Have heard similar from others. Lovely interior, good job. Hope things improve, and the business flourishes. Be great to have a new eaterie in Old Town just price it right.

My second visit. The first was poor. 6 of us. We ended up not getting the food we ordered and an hour and a half late, because apparently they lost the ticket in the kitchen. Beware, the kitchen closes at 6.00pm some days even if you have booked a table at 6.00pm and you haven't ordered until 6.45pm!
On the second visit they had totally run out of any red wine, couldn't do mulled wine either! Waiters want you to order food and drinks (I know covid rules etc.,) but before you've even looked at the menus. No wine menu on this occasion as they hadn't got any red! Not enough vegetarian choices. No pizzas in the afternoon! Sharing plates expensive considering what you get. Presentation poor. It is such a shame as they have made the place look very inviting, and the outside space is the best Covid friendly in town. Concerning the question below, yes maybe but with warnings attached.

when we pre booked, we expected to be welcomed and given a table with a working heater. After 3 changes of table, the server finally found a heater that was working some of the time. The wine list was reduced as many wines where out of stock. Why not walk over to Waitrose and plan for customers ? You refused to serve by the glass and getting a second beer for one guest became a major issue,
The food was adequate but needed to be hot and served with adequate sauce and salt and pepper are expected on the table.
The final bill seemed high especially as so many items where not on offer,
We appreciate that you are working under very difficult conditions but you need to have sufficient competent staff for the numbers who have booked.
I tried to telephone to talk to the owner, rather than leave this poor review but you failed to even use the answer phone for a call back.

Lovely refurb, great idea being outdoors. Heaters provided just enough heat for those sat furthest away. Booths were nicer but booked up.
Poor waitresses were run off their feet - seemed too busy.
Ordered food, asked for them to remove something - came out with that and the wrong meat. Friends asked for burger without Brie and cranberry..arrived and you could see it had been scraped off, good job none of us had serious allergies!
Didn’t complain whilst there as you could see how crazy busy they were.
Don’t think I’ll return for food for a while, would definitely return for a drink outdoors when restrictions are relaxed

Lovely outdoor seating area and although a wet evening we were able to stay dry under the canopy, if a little close to the next tables.
Food is average and somewhat overpriced for what it is. Although lovely pub and vibe particularly given the Covid-19 restrictions everyone is having to abide by.

Not applicable due to Covid 19 restrict
Inside is good outside has heatets

Our outside table had been given to someone else, the gas heater stopped working where we sat, the coffee machine broke before got the drinks, food quality was average, the service was the best part.... Maybe things will be better next year

The Rainbow was awful, advertises outside heating which is why we chose to be warm and have a nice meal with friends. Heaters all had no gas - not sure why they couldnt have been topped up! Food was small portions and looked like it had been thrown at the plate. Service was slow and lacked any enthusiasm from staff - perhaps they are fed up of complaints as sure there is alot!!
Couldn't order nicer wine from the glass as they were running low?! Could only have house.
Pretty sure its only busy as groups can meet in the garden! Would not recommend !

First visit since refurbishment. Very impressed, COVID precautions in place so felt safe, food delicious and comfortable surroundings.

We sat outside as in a group of 6 in tier two (covid) in December. It was a bit chilly and we had to keep our coats on but we all expected this. The heating was a push button system which needed someone to press the button every 10 mins or so which was a bit annoying for the person sitting next to it. The food generally was good except for the pudding, not much choice and would not recommend the Pavlova, no sign of any cream, very small portion size and didn't look very appetising either, meringue flat and not the whole dish was not a pleasant taste. The other deserts were ok. We also had to pay every time we ordered a drink or course of food, ie used my card 4 times, which i suppose was for security reasons because we sat outside? but again this was a bit annoying. Overall I would go again but not have a dessert.

Great ambience, lighting, seating fabulous with tents and alcove seating. They provided heaters which was great as we opted for outside seating, I would recommend taking a hand warmer and blanket with you to make the experience more pleasurable, as even the warmest heaters don't abate the winter weather. The food and drink was first rate and plentiful, overall we had a great experience and I wouldn't hesitate to go there again. thanks

Great for social distancing lots of room around you. Food was good and very enjoyable Service was very slow but everything eventually arrived

One of our group had risotto that was just a glutinous lump of white rice and hence very disappointing! However, her fish was good!

The staff were very helpful and attentive and we were warm enough at our table with the heater.