Toby Carvery - Harlow

This seems to be a very popular carvery, the food is reasonable, the prices are good and there is ample parking. The building itself could do with some TLC. It has a bit of a tired/well-worn feel to it. The toilets need attention, both in cleanliness and in ensuring there is adequate toilet roll. The person serving our table was lovely, very attentive, and helpful.

Had a lovely lunch. Was served by Dee. She was lovely and attentive and was always smiling, definitely hope to be served by her again.

The venue was rundown, the section we were taken through the carpets were absolutely dirty filthy they were ruined and desperately need replacing. The cutlery given to us had previous food stuck on them so I asked for another and again had previous food stuck on it, Only after the third attempt did I get a clean set. Some yorkshires had fallen off their tray at the serving area and were resting on the side surface and against the side wall. Thinking they would be thrown away, to my horror the chef just grabbed one and put one of those onto my plate. These things alone just made me feel uncomfortable with the whole dining experience. My wife was glad she went to the toilet after eating and not before as she said they were either filthy or out of use. More care needed in this area too and more frequent checking? Just these few things are enough to spoil a dining experience and it did It feel like I had entered a back street run down restaurant and regretted making a booking. I would have been happier to pay an extra couple of quid and gone to a nice pub restaurant somewhere instead. Waitress was very helpful but clearly rushed off her feet , so her employer Toby is letting the side down rather than the staff who were really nice. Maybe the staffing levels are too low? The building definitely needs some urgent maintenance for sure. This last visit was really disappointing I have to be honest. Venue 1 star. Extra stars earned from the staff to save the score a little.