Percy French - Down

My family booked this restaurant more than a month in advance for my mother 's 80th birthday. Clearly a very special occasion with family arriving from around the globe to celebrate the event! Only to be told upon our arrival that the table was not yet ready and having to wait for more than an hour before being seated! This was just the beginning to a diabolical evening of horrendous non existent service! The waitress allocated for a table of 18 people had no clue whatsoever and could not cope! Guests had not been offered any starters nor any deserts! We received our meals in drips and drabs from the kitchen along with some waiting for almost an hour for their order! Empty plates were not cleared from the table and just left for the duration of the evening! The meals were a disgrace for the prices charged! A complete 'rip off ' evening with no acknowledgment nor apology from management! The disappointment and frustration was immense and felt by everyone concerned! Avoid this restaurant at all costs!

Really disappointed with the sirloin steaks.. Ordered the £35 Sirloin Steak.. Received a Really thin cut steak that was definitely not what I was expecting.. Then they automatically add 10% to the bill ,, USA style.. You will not get away with this in N Ireland... Especially when the food is not up to the standard required.. Very expensive and not a great menu to pick from.. So disappointed

I dined at Percy French's restaurant while staying at Slieve Donard recently. I requested water and was served a 750ml bottle of Tipperary Still water for one person at a cost of £6, €7, $7.50. Three slices of bread were priced at £4, €5, $5.50, making it a total of £10 for just bread and water. I ordered a medium rare sirloin steak, but it arrived well done with no hint of pink. It took me five minutes to get a staff member's attention to fix it, although the staff were otherwise pleasant and friendly. The replacement steak, priced at £35, €41, $44, was blue and unappetizing. I decided not to complain again and reluctantly ate it. The quality of the steak was very poor, weighing no more than 5-6oz and as thin as a minute steak. I don't mind paying for good food, but this was far from good quality and felt like a rip off. Unfortunately, despite wanting to enjoy my experience, I cannot recommend Slieve Donard to a friend.

This bar was once a fantastic spot, but lately it has undergone a not-so-great redecoration. The new layout of the tables is not an improvement for the bar, as the comfortable seating has been removed. The prices have also increased significantly, with £41 for just 4 drinks being very expensive. Overall, it was a disappointing experience.

Nestled in the grounds of the beautiful Slievedonard Hotel lies it’s outpost restaurant, Percy French. It’s just inside the entrance gates and, in all honesty, if it was lifted by a magical ‘air-crane’, placed on the the other side of the entrance, it would have been put out of its misery years ago. Because, no one would go. It’s that bad…. However, because the Slievedonard keeps linking their stay-packages to this gastronomic ‘repeat-offender’, Percy French doesn’t HAVE to improve, as they have a fresh batch of diners trudging in and out for their inclusive package meal nightly. I said, ‘repeat-offender’?…I’ll explain; I’ve been twice, the first time was awful and the worse dining experience of my life, but on Saturday they beat their own record, it’s got worse!!… The ambience in the restaurant is that of an empty school dinner-hall, the decor is woeful, and lighting as subtle as a low winter sun. Gastronomy here is amateur hour: An uneatable lentil soup that didn’t even taste of lentil!…I still don’t know what it tasted of but it had the emulsive quality of paint. How did they do that?! Lentils are lentils, surely?!? This pushed-aside starter was followed by a chicken and mushroom tagliatelle. Sounds nice? No. Percy French add the uncomplimentary ingredients of sundried tomato and artichoke. It doesn’t work, it was awful too and I gave up half way through. My partners steak was a cinder-fest and managed to make her mouth feel like a sponge as the ribeye desperately tried to retake its lost moisture equilibrium. I told the staff it wasn’t good. They did ask. They looked like they hear this all the time, and offered no resolution but winning smiles. The staff were really nice though.