April 2023 by Maggiecmg
We don't go out much but decided to treat ourselves as we have no kitchen atm due to a burst water pipe in the house. So, so disappointed with our decision to choose the City Hotel's restaurant, Thompson's. Should have known when it was empty on an Easter Sunday. Arrived at 5.30 and best part of the meal was the view across the Foyle to the Peace Bridge. Service slow and staff seemed thoroughly unhappy and unhelpful. Food that came was very bad: small portions; the basics like chips and burger were rotten. "10oz" steak was tiny and "lamb" was 3 small strips of fat ....for £23. Total meal for 4: mains, plus 2 desserts and drinks was almost £140....4 small cokes: £11.37!!!!! Mens toilets were so bad you wouldn't see the likes at a festival...needed Wellies to get in...disgusting. I live in Derry and if THIS is what we are offering people both living in and visiting the city, God Help Us. Complete rip off ...buck up or sell up cos it is NOT the hotel it used to be. NEVER AGAIN!
April 2023 by 966ciaram
Very expensive "meal" that took almost an hour to serve, waiting staff were apathetic at best and very slow to serve..food was rotten, burger and chips were the worst and if you cant get chips or a plain burger right, there is something wrong. "10oz steak" wouldn't fill your tooth and the £23 lamb was so small in size we had to stop at the chip shop en route home. Seriously disappointed as we rarely go out so this was a very expensive excursion that was not so much a treat as a trauma. Decor and furnishings were worn and tired and men's toilets absolutely disgraceful. Never again
March 2023 by 839emrysd
The food was really good and the service was excellent. They make you feel welcome and the food is really good. I had the feather blade beef in Bourginion sauce and it was moist, tender and full of flavour.
July 2022 by Chris79nottm
Eaten here a couple of times when staying at the hotel. Always faultless, friendly and efficient service from the team. Food is good too. Always my first choice when staying in Derry. Comfortable surroundings and ideal location. Highly recommended.
July 2022 by P230CBjohnd
Very disappointed with the meal, Staff were not in a rush to serve, and our meals had a lot of salt on the chips/burgers, on telling them about this they said, we will mention it to a chef. Avoid this restaurant as the food was very basic/disappointing and the prices were inflated for what you get. I wish we had eaten elsewhere.
January 2022 by denisemL8969QP
We ate at the restaurant as part of a hotel package, after reading reviews i was a little worries about eating here but the food and service was exceptional. My husband and I had different meals and loved both off them. The portion size was generous and nothing was to much trouble for the staff. Great service all around! we will defiantly be back!
November 2021 by Tommy O
We ate here as part of a hotel package. The food is sub par, portions are terrible and prices are way over the odds. We ate two nights and there were 12 of us. We have stayed here before and the deterioration in standard is unbelievable. The menu was on a badly photocopied page with very limited choices. There were several supplements for no valid reason. Salt and chilli squid £2.50 extra, Lamb £5 yet on the normal menu were similar prices to everything else. Pork belly main was barely bigger than a postage stamp and all twelve of us did not enjoy the food because of the portion size, quality and lack of vegetables. One of our party ordered Salmon but without garnish and got a tiny Salmon fillet on a large plate. The second night was exactly the same limited food with the same cheesecake of the day (Baileys) which I am fairly sure was bought in rather than made. Breakfast had sausages that were full of meal and tasteless. A number of people picked up the bacon to eat it as it was impossible to cut. I made a complaint on the Sunday that was passed on and got a phone call Monday 08 November. This person was only interested in a future booking rather than responding to my concerns and issues. She told me the restaurant had went upmarket as some way of explaining the limited menu and lack of vegetables. Our group stayed here three years ago with fantastic food good portions and no complaints. I told the person that rather in going upmarket the restaurant had gone through the floor. At all times staff in the restaurant were courteous although timings were haphazard. I cannot see us using the hotel and restaurant again. Complaining directly did not work.
August 2021 by Anita K
Visited here with friends on August 1st . We were seated and then waited for ages to be served and the young man who eventually took our order seemed to think it was alright to have no knowledge of what he was serving because as he told us he had just started working there! We had to spend the evening going to the bar to look for assistannce even though the place was very well staffed. Another young lady who eventually took our dinner order had no idea what was on the menu and indeed seemed to have no interest and seemed to think it was OK in fact she was a bit arrogant! Our thoughts were that it might be a good Ídea to train the staff before setting them loose on the public. We won't be returning again in a hurry.
July 2021 by Beauhare
Salt and chilli squid - was fine. Would have liked a really crispy batter but was reasonable. Soup was ok just. Caesar salad was cold meat and tasted like a prepacked salad lacking flavour. Mains - kids chicken goujons good, fish goujons ok just, steak itself was nice and cooked well but lacked seasoning. Burger was good. I asked for an alternative to pepper sauce as it's not really my preference. Was told yes but steak came doused in pepper sauce. We were hungry so ate and didn't complain. Wasn't overly expensive. Was fine but wouldn't be rushing back - plenty of nice places to eat in Derry.
July 2021 by Rimante Milvydaite
Lovely staff and food was great ?
September 2020 by themadtraveller7
My Dad and I went here for dinner on a quiet Saturday night. The food was mediocre, menu limited and the prices inflated. Additionally, the service was all over the place; we had a different server each time and a number of things were forgotten during the meal. The only pro that comes to mind is the central location and decent view. There are much better places to eat in the city!
July 2020 by Q7450IApetert
We had dinner there last night i had the steak one off the nicest steaks that i have had in a long time my partner had the pork belly again delicious, We both had the panna cotta and it was outstanding, the service was excellent. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are visiting Derry
February 2020 by niamhd644
i?ve been sitting in the restraint for well over an hour and i still haven?t received my food. this had happened to me and my friends multiple times and i don?t think i?ll be back. i am absolutely starving and have been a loyal customer for many years but the service has gone down hill recently.
January 2020 by MaryBScotland
I would highly recommend this restaurant within the City hotel. The food was delicious and the service lovely.
January 2020 by 12345DB
I visited The City Hotel on new years day for a family dinner and I was very unsatisfied with the service we received. First of all, we arrived earlier than the time our table was booked for and went to the bar to get a drink for the fella behind the bar to lie to us saying that the blender was broke as when we went into the restaurant we spotted the same man bringing down cocktails to a table near us, when we went up to the bar again to try and order one he lied again saying that it was broke and we then said to him how come we have seen you selling them to other customers then? He then told us that we couldn't order them at the bar, we can only order them at our table even though the drinks were being ordered at the same bar either way. It was clear to see that your hotel was understaffed so we thought that going to the bar ourselves for the drink would be better. The waiting time for the food was also ridiculous, we had been finished our main course for around 20 minutes before anyone would come near us to lift our plates, then when they did we had to ask 2 members of staff where our deserts were as we were waiting a long time and other people who were sitting less time than us were being served. The first fella we told just nodded his head and walked on, then the second girl we told said "I will go and check if they are ready now" we were still waiting 20 minutes later before they brought them out and the fella didn't even apologize for the wait. We were so close to walking out and paying for the 2 courses instead as the waiting time was ridiculous. This was unacceptable for a 4 star hotel and it's safe to say that I will not return !
