The Chapel

We were nearly put off this restaurant because some of the reviews were so negative. I am delighted to say we decided to go anyway - it was a delight! All the staff were helpful, friendly and attentive. The food was excellent, and what an amazing experience - eating in the beautifully restored, historic building. Would thoroughly recommend and will definitely be going back.

This is an amazing restaurant. 😋Food is excellent, staffs are friendly. Atmosphere is cosy and romantic. Interior decorators is impressive. 👍🏻 Highly recommended restaurant if you are visiting Cromwell 🐳🛳

+2

I'm not sure why there are low ratings here?! Our stay and dinners at Bodmin Jail were incredible! Our 3 course dinner was delicious! I had the pork starter, beef fillet main, and the cheesecake and it was the best meal I've had in a long time. I don't know why people have said portions are too small? They are a decent size and we were fully satisfied. The wine and cocktails were also 👌 The service was fab, everyone was so friendly and attentive, particularly the maitre d who we had at dinner and breakfast, he made us feel special which makes all the difference on a little holiday. Breakfast was also brilliant, so much to choose from on the continental and a delicious cooked breakfast, even with little extra sweet treats thrown in by the chef! Again, the breakfast service was great, we had a really friendly waiter who had us chuckling throughout breakfast. We'll definitely be back, thank you!

Filet was cooked to exactly the way I asked (btwn medium & medium rare) and was so delicious! As was the shellfish-cake starter and rhubarb dessert! We were very happy with dinner here.

A very pleasant experience in a fascinating setting. We were guided through to the bar for a glass of Champagne and then onto the restaurant for a lovely meal, delivered by friendly and attentive staff. The whole prison experience was different, imaginative and wonderfully presented. I loved the lighting which created a lovely ambience. The sizes of the courses meant you could enjoy a full menu without feeling over full. We wish you all well in this venture and hope to return soon.

We chose The Chapel Experience Taster menu which was absolutely fantastic! It was a treat for my husbands birthday. We were welcomed and seated, offered drinks and then shown the two menus. The atmosphere was nice (took a minute for the lighting to settle 🤣) and it had a lovely feel. The features of the Chapel were definitely a talking point! Overall we were delighted with our experience. Made all the more special with a lovely surprise Happy Birthday treat for my Husband.

Booked in for Sunday Lunch for 2 and on arrival we were able to park easily. We were greeted by 2 receptionists who guided us to the Chapel restaurant. On arrival to the restaurant we were shown to a lovely alcove table, it was very comfortable. The service was very good. Initially the waiters and waitresses were distant but once service started we was served quickly and efficiently. Our food was delicious and well presented. Red pepper soup was so tasty and the crispy breaded egg was superb. We had lamb for roast and everything was tasty and the meat was so tender. It would have been nice to be offered mint sauce when meal came out but we had to ask whilst eating our roast but it came promptly. Also salt & pepper not on table and I didn't feel I wanted to ask for this too so went without. The desserts were amazing, I had bread & butter pudding and my husband had pannacotta.. We had a virgin experience voucher and due to minimal experiences available in Cornwall we decided to use it at Bodmin jail and so pleased we did. We are local people and was really pleased with our lunch at Chapel restaurant so much so we are going to try the breakfast soon. Looking forward to trying the champagne bar too and I want to have a guided tour of Bodmin jail soon. Overall experience was very good.

Stayed in the Bodmin Jail Hotel overnight and sampled both the evening meal and the full Cornish breakfast experience the following morning. Well, what can I say. A truly amazing dining experience and one that I will be repeating, staff were friendly and attentive and professional. The service was excellent and the meals came excellently presented and were truly delicious. The truffle butter was superb. The desserts were recommended by the manager and they didn’t disappoint. The wine was first class, if not a little pricey - a bottle of the Guvnor was excessive, you expect to pay over the odds but 6 times the price in the local wine shop is a little disappointing. Also beware, they will ask you if you want water when you get to the table and they will charge you £4 for it, most places provide table water free - but that is at best one of my only gripes. A fully immersive dining experience and one that I will be repeating. Breakfast was incredible and cannot be faulted. A great all round experience!

+1

We went for our 16th anniversary, great service from the star. Champagne bar to start with the bar man was very welcoming and friendly what a great guy. He showed us to our table in the restaurant. The servers were brilliant. Food was excellent.delicious! Other half had the scallops I had the venison for starters and we both had the beef for mains. Could not complain! Thank you to every body!

We arrived as they were about to close for breakfast and they agreed to stay on and serve us (we were a table of 11). The food and service was second to none and nothing was too much trouble. Definitely will be coming back next year when we visit Cornwall.

My husband and myself went here for dinner and I have to say by far the best dinner either one of us have had. The food was so tasteful and presented so beautifully. I have an allergy and the staff went above and beyond to make me feel comfortable with everything I ordered. Everyone there was so helpful and polite. If I could give more then 5 stars I would. Bonus stars for so many gluten free options!

What an AMAZING evening! They went above and beyond! From first going into the chapel champagne bar were Matt and Tom ensured your comfort and drinks were perfection, Matt them took us to the restaurant, we are greeted by the hilarious Reece he really lightened the mood, explaining the menus. Nina came with a beautiful smile and took our orders, and when I had an issue with my meal she swiftly sorted it with Megan who could not do enough to rectify the problem which was so small but the effort they went to was phenomenal! And then there was Callum who was so friendly and helpful, and a lovely person to talk to he delivered our amazing little taster caviar dish explained it very well and held a meaningful conversation with me from a very astute observation! They all need a pay rise! Just sayin! Haha. Highly recommend never felt more special and even when it started to get busy I felt like the only customer! They are exceptional at customer focused care! Oh on a side note the food is to die for!!!! The steak was like butter, the flavours were so complimentary and I was not left with the heavy food feeling you can get. I was comfortable! Thank you all So much for an epic evening!

Myself and my GF came here to visit the jail and decided to eat in the restaurant after for her Birthday. Drove from where we were staying in Bude and it was worth the drive, food outstanding, staff fantastic, lovely chilled atmosphere and the champagne bar was excellent. They even made a special mini cake with Happy birthday written on the plate in some kind of icing it was lovely. Will come back as we want to experience staying in the hotel next time too.

Superb fine dining. Food was high quality and perfectly cooked with great presentation. Staff were efficient and polite. Venue has a great atmosphere. If you are staying at the jail, make sure you have a meal here, it's absolutely worth it.

Myself and my husband had a lovely meal for our anniversary. The chapel itself was stunning and the staff were really accommodating - especially our waiter Callum who made some good recommendations and was really friendly

Popped in with the family this afternoon! Leanne served us and she was fantastic! Although rather busy!! 2 men in suits were behind the bar. Just seemed in the way and didn’t help the team even though they were running round clearly busy! No acknowledgement to their guests! I’m sure someone tried to approach them and were just dismissed! I’m guessing managers! Clearly not team players! Food quite good!

We ate here at 7.30 on a weekday, but the service was so slow we didn't leave until 10.30pm. Most of the time there were no staff present, and the kitchen took forever too. The restaurant wasnt even a quarter full, yet all the guests were seated close together along 1 far side so it was... Odd. Everyone was really quiet because of it, which affected the ambiance. Despite not being busy, they had run out of a main, a side and a wine - all by 7.30pm on a weeknight. Given the limited menu options, this was significant. The food was not as tasty as it should have been, which was very disappointing for the price. Tiny portions so even after a 3 course meal and side we didn't feel satisfied. Staff were slightly unprofessional, and no one seemed confident or like they really knew what was going on. Lovely place visually, but very much let down by the wait times, absent and unsettled staff, and the food. Unfortunately that means we won't be returning, but I hope this feedback will help The Chapel improve.

We recently dined at The Chapel to celebrate our wedding anniversary, hoping for a memorable evening. While there were some highlights, the overall experience was somewhat mixed. The Positives: The chef clearly has a talent for fine dining – the food was well-prepared and beautifully presented. The manager kindly offered us a free drink to mark our anniversary, which was a thoughtful touch. The Negatives: Unfortunately, the service fell short of expectations. Dinner service felt unorganised, with staff struggling to match the high standard of the kitchen. Portion sizes for the price were disappointing. An expensive fillet steak turned out to be a small medallion of beef, which felt underwhelming given the cost. This was especially noticeable as it was on the menu alongside what appeared to be a much larger burger priced at two-thirds the cost of the steak. The overall value for money was not as strong as we had hoped. Overall has the potential to be excellent, but better service, more generous portions, and improved value for money are essential to match the calibre of the food. Would we return? After 2 visits - No. But I hope that the service and portion sizes improve for future visitors.

We ate here on our firsts nights stay. Disappointing, we where guided to the champagne bar and where told we would be collected by a member of staff tobtake us to our table, 40 min past and nothing. We asked at the bar to be told the lady who does this has gone home, so we should make our own way up. It was now 20:45, bit late to eat. The food was expensive and bland, veg was extra, service felt rushed as it was late, overall experience was not great. However I've starred accordingly as breakfast everyday was fantastic, great service, lots of choice and very tasty. Overall highly recommend getting the breakfast included in your stay, but eat out as we did, which is cheaper and nicer.

The cooking here is outstanding. Really great - the tomato butter and the chive butter with home baked bread, crab mouse, pork cheek, turbot - all just insanely good. The only single issue was mange tout that had been cooked and left to go mushy. But apart from that just amazing food. The strange thing comes with the service. It felt like the restaurant had just opened, maybe 2 weeks and was training staff, understanding the till system as we kept getting things we hadn’t ordered arrive, stuff we had ordered didn’t, and all the staff bar the manager seemed uncertain of what to do and when - took 20 mins to get the initial wine and then he forgot the corkscrew, they didn’t have glasses in the bar, and he filled glass to the brim. The wine list was 3 reds and 3 whites, which for a place of this quality was off - they had more choice in the soft drinks than they did wine. So overall, amazing food. When I asked a waitress, she smiled, as they all did, and said no we have been open 3 years…… Go prepared for a warm but chaotic experience and you are sorted. Everyone smiles…..

My partner and I weren't staying at the hotel, but enjoyed a 3 course meal at The Chapel. The jail itself is really impressive and I left wanting to know more, so would definitely visit the tour if I'm ever in the area again. The Chapel restaurant is a good sized open space with artworks projected on the ceiling and windows, although the window projection was quite misaligned. Atmosphere-wise for dining, I would have liked the background music to be louder, as it was almost non-existent. The staff were friendly enough, but there were some inconsistencies with the tone that the restaurant is trying to achieve, for example our waiter's footwear had holes/tears across the side of the shoe. Get the guy some new trainers. Also when taking our order, he seemed to opt for the 'memorise' route, and then forgot everything and wanted to double check our order. There's no shame in writing the order down guys. Our first order of drinks didn't arrive until our main course, which is odd. Was the order forgotten, or is the service too slow? My starter of the crab was presented in the shell atop a large bowl full of seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, pine). I didn't quite understand what they were trying to achieve, or what happens to the seeds after (hopefully not reused, but surely too expensive to simply throw away?) The taste was okay, I'm not a fan of eating out of a shell, it's too awkward. Forget the seeds, and the shell, add a rocket salad. The mains and dessert, presentation wise, was incredible, like something out of MasterChef. The staff who bought our food out poured gravy atop it, with no real flair, and the awe in presentation quickly went away. Taste wise, it was nice but overly sauced. The beef shin was extremely small, like a very large scallop, but cooked very well. Equally the dessert was delicious. £50 pp for the 3 course dinner which is probably about right. The menu didn't have individual dish price points, so be prepared to have a 3 course dinner only.

We stopped by for lunch after the jail experience and the server that greeted us was very friendly and lovely, once we were seated though no one came to take our order for ages. We ended up moving outside in the hope we would have a different server who might be able to take our order. The scones we had were nice. Then it took ages to get the bill after asking because the servers were too busy chatting to each other. I'm sure the food is fine but the service left a lot to be desired.

Our food was undercooked, the ample meat (beef) portion disappointingly so. My wife wasn't able to get her knife through the parsnip on her plate. Oddly, for such a well presented restaurant, there was no bread roll with the soup starter and no condiments on the table. I would have liked some horse radish with my beef but none were offered. All very disappointing. It would have been so easy to do so much better.

The food was largely bland, and the bread had a strange taste. The main fish dish had a taste of soil. I did however, enjoy the desert and the cider, but for £72,75, it was shocking. I did enjoy the full Cornish breakfast the following morning, that was lovely.

Had a champagne afternoon tea here, fortunately bought via at a discount via travelzoo. The sandwiches were miniscule and lacking in filling, the sweet offerings poor with the cheese cake not solid, and no where near enough jam or clotted cream for the 4 scones supplied. I have eaten in this restaurant before and was impressed, but this was expensive and parsimonious

I have pondered this review for a couple of days… on arrival we met Jo at the reception, a great start, she was very professional! The place was gorgeous, we had high hopes. However, it went downhill straight after we walked into the champagne bar… ordered 2 soft drinks, never got them, the chap behind the bar was like a rabbit in the headlights when a few other people came in. We sat and waited. Eventually another chap showed up with a clipboard asking what time our table was for. We told him we hadn’t had our drinks, he went straight behind the bar and brought us two drinks, not what we ordered, but by this point we knew the kind of night we were going to have so we settled for them. I had a coat on my arm, a bag, a glass and a bottle as we headed up the stairs, the chap looked back but didn’t even offer to help carry the drinks, so my husband took what he could manage along with his own glass & bottle. As we sat down we asked for some olives and bread, the same chap said “dunno if we have any olives” then shouted over to the bar to ask, then said “we’ve got more now”… we had the bread and olives, ordered our mains, by this point my husband had finished his drink, he never got asked again if he wanted another one, for the entire meal!! Food was mediocre at best, the chef has potential but seems to miss the spot with flavour and texture. Service was horrific for such a lovely looking place. The staff didn’t look like they knew what they were doing the French maître d' didn’t acknowledge us once, not even a smile. She was stressful and actually held her head in her hands shaking her head at the till at one point like a scene from Fawlty Towers. People were having to go to the bar to ask for things because no one seemed to know how to interact with the diners! And it wasn’t even busy! 5/6 tables. There was one professional attentive female (we didn’t get her name but she was tall with a high ponytail) she should be running the place. People were starting to come in just before we left and were left stood with no acknowledgment for quite sometime, not even a ‘we will be with you shortly’. We had to actually ask for a drinks menu at the end of the meal so we could choose a coffee… what an absolute shambles of a service and very sad that this seems to be a theme with reviews… it needs an overhaul! We would not recommend and certainly won’t be back! Very overpriced for a poor experience.

I was really disappointed in the service we received, didn't stock the wine I wanted and felt pressure to chose a more expensive wine, I decided against the server stood there making me feel uncomfortable. I expected more from the food the presentation was okay but the chicken was dry and hard to cut, my partner had hangmans pie but served chicken gravy, it tasted awful, the sides, dishes we got 5 chips for £6 they were nothing spectacular very greasy best bit was the deserts. Breakfast 25 minutes wait for coffee also to take our food order it was good with a good selection of fruits, food served luke warm. Staff show no interest, no welcoming smiles not a nice atmosphere, we wont be back

We had the jail tour and 'sparkling' afternoon tea. The tour was better than expected and enjoyable. However if was downhill from there. When our afternoon tea came out we noticed none of the sweet items were what the menu claimed they were supposed to be when we booked (a shame as they sounded better than what we got ). The sandwiches were a joke. The 4 different fillings were mostly butter sparse is an understatement. The jam and cream came out on a separate plate that was hot for some reason therefore the 'cream' was warm and melting, I say 'cream' it was more like butter and certainly not like any clotted cream I've ever had. ( I am Cornish ) Plus there certainly wasn't enough for 2 people, although we did get extra when asking, this was still only a passable amount. The sweet items as I said werent what the menu stated and werent great. 1 tasted burnt, the cheesecake was so soft you could barely pick it up and was almost liquid when you bit into it, however the macaroon was ok. The tea was a fairly generous amount and the scones were ok but that's the only positive. We also had to ask twice for our prosecco and feel we wouldn't have got it at all if we didn't. For £78 this is a complete joke.. luckily we had a Groupon so it was cheaper but if it wasn't for the jail tour it would have been a complete waste of money.

Fine dining doesn't justify this overpriced and average fayre- obviously a tourist trap and the wine vastly overpriced. Unfortunately a once bitten experience! The surroundings don't justify this costly experience.

We had to wait over 30 minutes before anyone took our order – even though the restaurant was almost empty. The menu is very limited, and one of the few dishes, labeled as a “classic,” wasn’t even available. Overall disappointing and not recommendable.

Very odd experience here the other night. Booked for a birthday celebration, so maybe wouldn't have bothered us if we had just walked in one day. Seemed to be a major decision as to whether we were allowed to sit outside, even though both sections were extremely quiet. Booked for 6, then had an extremely odd conversation with the waitress about not being allowed to order till 7 because of one of the mains we picked, not even our starters. That was resolved. After another wait, had to ask if someone could please take our order. We're then told we could not order wine under 125 a bottle because they'd run out, and could only have wine from the Champagne Bar. That was then resolved but still cheapest was then 35 so declined. 3 drinks choices later, as everything had run out, even a dash of blackcurrant for a cider, we finally just got 2 gin and lemonades. Food beautiful but pricey, my main was a whole plaice which was lovely, but came with absolutely nothing, not even a salad garnish, so then had to pay 5 extra for potatoes. Asked for water for the table during the meal, it never arrived. Had to ask for the bill at the end. For such a large restaurant and it being so quiet that night you would expect really attentive service, but it just wasn't there. A supervisor did apologise about the lack of beverages, they'd been busy and had 'just run out of everything', but it was half term, beautiful weather had been forecast weeks ahead, this really should have been anticipated. We live locally, but unfortunately will not be rushing back.

We were really looking forward to this lunch. We had a wowcher deal thank goodness. Yorkshires were not homemade, beef not very hot, roast potatoes were soft, and wine was very over priced. I would not have paid £40 per head for the 3 courses. However soup very tasty (but no roll) and so was the pudding even though very small. Sadly I will not return

Travelzoo voucher which at reception was almost frowned upon and asked to book with more than 48 hours notice. My husband then called and was booked a table for next day. We treated ourselves to a glass of Champagne (£33 x two glasses) and then went on to our Afternoon Champagne Tea. Initially served Prosecco and had to show our vouchers which clearly stated Champagne The tea overall looked very impressive but actually in reality very mean and mostly butter filled. The cakes/petit fours were not really of matching in size or quality. The service was slow and chaotic- so in honesty would not have paid the full price whatsoever.

Really unhappy! Second time I I have come here and let down again. Food not fresh, cod had strong smell of fish, clear indication that is was NOT fresh. My parter could smell it and put him off too. Ate half but couldn’t carry on. Addressed this to the staff and got a half hearted sorry and thanks for your feedback. When I got the bill nothing had been done so again I asked if I could have a reduction on the bill. The server had to ask the kitchen and they said no. Chef you should be ashamed and need to check the quality of your fish before cooking or even sending it out. Never coming back, poor service and attitude. Be warned, my first experience was just as disappointing and now looking on past reviews it makes sense.

I booked for New Year’s Eve by phone and checked twice during the call that New Year’s Eve had been booked. Out friends from the Midlands had travelled down to stay with us in Helston for new year. We arrived at reception on 31st and there was confusion about our booking. The receptionist spoke to the manager and we were told we would be served food - they would sort it out. We were invited to order drinks in the champagne bar and told this is where we would eat. About 5 minutes later the receptionist asked to see my reservation, which I showed her. It actually said 31/10/24-not 31/12/34 as I booked on the phone, specifically for our friends visit. I accept that I did not notice the confirmation error. Within another 5 minutes the manager arrived at our table and said he had spoken to the chef and they only had enough food for 50 gala meal guests and had absolutely no food to offer us. We left and were absolutely fuming given I had booked for a special occasion and we travelled more than an hour to the restaurant. The manager did not offer even a free drink or discount off a meal. God knows what happened to the guests breakfasts and lunches on 1st January because this prestigious hotel did not have enough food to offer us even a sandwich after totally ruining our new year. Avoid this place

Sadly 3 course Sunday lunch took nearly 3 hours start to finish. Servers did not know menu. Starter returned twice and eventually settled for another. Main meal cold. Dessert only saving grace. 2 others diners refused to pay saying that because they had prepaid (virgin red letter days) they had been served durge. Would i return, No, should I have paid , no.

We came here with an experience voucher for a three course Sunday lunch, like everyone else in the restaurant from the looks of it. First off the atmosphere was very odd, a large near empty room with lots of staff but none of them particularly friendly or welcoming. They then got our drinks order wrong, and the waiting staff left too quickly for us to point it out. The menu said there was bread and butter, but we weren't brought any and I didn't see anyone else get any (even people who had ordered soup). To start I had the tomato salad, where they took the name very literally... It consisted of various tomatoes quartered in a bowl, with 6 cubes of mozzarella. That's it. No salt, pepper or olive oil in sight. It was incredibly bland and boring. The main was no better- I opted for the road beef, with the main positive being that the beef wasn't overcooked. The potatoes and roast parsnip were undercooked, with everything else well cooked but again incredibly bland. Did they forget to season everything??? The Yorkshire pudding was awful, Aunt Bessie's would've been better. They were also incredibly stingy with the gravy- we weren't given enough and I saw several tables ask for more too. The pudding was very disappointing too. I ordered the chocolate bread and butter pudding, and it was a tiny portion. There were two little chocolatey bits to it, but the rest of it was very stodgy and again bland. The clotted cream was completely wrong for the dish, and didn't go with it at all- custard or single cream would've helped combat the stodgey-ness, but the clotted cream did nothing for it. We left thinking that had we paid for the meal, we would've felt incredibly ripped off considering it was £50 per person. I've genuinely had a better roast at a Toby Carvery. The only positive was that the service was very quick, meaning we left after an hour.

Recently visited Bodmin Jail for Afternoon tea, I booked this in advance & advised staff on the booking it was a birthday celebration. We were greeted at reception who promptly escorted us to the Chapel restaurant. It was completely deserted, lots of staff coming & going, but no other diners. I must say I was expecting a higher standard, no choice of tea & a very disappointing spread. No mention of a birthday celebration which was unusual when you are asked on the booking. The afternoon tea was OK, nothing to write home about. Service not brilliant, had to call the staff member over to get an additional drink. The restaurant was constantly used as a thorough fare for guests to access the champagne bar! Countless staff coming & going. All in all would not recommend. The champagne bar was fantastic, staff extremely attentive & a great atmosphere. Afternoon tea appeared to be an after thought.

We booked a table (lunch for seven people) early in the morning. Not a great experience. Receptionist looked put out and hacked off by our arrival (told us she was eating her lunch). We were then invited to eat in the bar instead as they were not using the restaurant that day. We were encouraged by a staff member to have afternoon tea not lunch. We didn't book the bar or afternoon tea. Turns out the restaurant was being used for a photo shoot. A complete disorganised mess with poor communication at every level. There were so many opportunities to get this right throughout the morning and on our arrival. Perhaps they didn't care enough to. The only positive in the whole sorry affair was the staff member who was left to pick up the mess. Long and short they lost our trust and confidence. We didn't hold up much hope for the quality of the meal....and so left without ordering any food. So can't vouch for that one way or another. Hugely disappointing.

Coming down from London for a wedding, I have some experience of fine dining elsewhere. Unfortunately, ‘main’ portion sizes were very small, equal to a starter in many restaurants. A few days previously, I had been to Goodman steak house in The City where the steak was 25% more expensive but 3x larger, do the math! Disappointing experience overall