The Old Custom House

Had a beautiful lunch there today. Sitting outside, nice shade, pleasant breeze. Service and food were spectacular - we felt very looked after.

Well, what can I say? The Old Custom House is an absolutely spectacular experience. Everything was perfect, everything. Last night I had one of the best meals of my life, and I’m 66 years old! I just want to say thank you to everyone that runs and works there; last night you all made it look so easy, but it is anything but that. I also want to say that you get what you pay for in this business, and yes it was expensive but it was worth every single penny. We’ll be back!

We've dined there a few times, at both the El Puerto and La Marina restaurants. The restaurant offers excellent-quality, fresh, locally sourced produce, and the seafood has never disappointed us.However, I think they could do better in terms of service. There is an army of waiters, yet you still have to stand in a queue to order in front of the food display. This can feel uncomfortable, as the queues are sometimes long and you end up blocking the path to the bar. Furthermore, it feels like all the waiters do is nag you every five minutes to order more drinks.The staff also lack knowledge of the drinks menu. They didn't know one of their more sophisticated gins existed on the menu, nor did they know which tonics they had available. It is a huge wine and spirits list, but it lacks beer options, meaning you have to ask the waiters directly—though us beer drinkers often feel like a bit of a pariah in many restaurants.Lastly, some attention to detail is missing for this price point. Simple things, like the bread not being the greatest quality and the chips tasting rather odd, let down the truly excellent main produce.

We'd like to start by saying how wonderful Darren was. He was incredibly friendly, informative, and attentive, and he genuinely made our dining experience. Unfortunately, we were disappointed by the behaviour of the older male server. We found him quite unpleasant, and he came across as judgemental in his manner. It really put a dampener on what had otherwise been a lovely meal.

Very good 👍

Really good Tiger prawn! I’m impressed by the size of it!! I have missed having fresh seafood so much! An excellent good experience, especially we met the waitress Sammie, who is also from hong kong! Very friendly and nice to chat with.

Strange, no food menu, you have to go to the food area and select the your meal from boards😏😵‍💫 Food impressive, service attentive. Atmosphere, on the terrace, coraled Into a small area when there was plenty to room?

This is a difficult review for me to write because I’ve been coming here for over 15 years. I visit at least once a month, know some of the staff and management, and have always considered this one of my favourite places to eat and drink. The food is consistently excellent, the atmosphere is great, and the vast majority of the team are friendly, professional, and welcoming. However, today’s experience left me genuinely disappointed. I was sitting in the outdoor bar area with my family and my one-year-old daughter. Like any toddler, she was standing and walking around near our table. At one point, she briefly wandered into the pathway when a waiter approached. Rather than simply walking around her—which he did anyway—he made a very obvious and exaggerated gesture of shaking his head as he passed, as though my one-year-old child had caused him a major inconvenience. It wasn’t subtle, and it was noticeable enough that I immediately picked up on it. What makes this even more frustrating is that we were in the outdoor bar area, a relaxed, family-friendly setting where children are naturally going to be present. My daughter wasn’t causing disruption or putting anyone at risk. She is a one-year-old child who momentarily stood in a walkway. The reaction from this waiter was completely unnecessary and not something I would expect from someone working in hospitality. When I said I didn’t appreciate the gesture, rather than apologising or explaining himself, the waiter (the shorter gentleman working in the outdoor bar area) became confrontational and repeatedly said, “Come speak to me then. Come speak to me if you’ve got a problem.” I was honestly shocked. What disappointed me most wasn’t even the initial head shake—people have bad days. It was the attitude afterwards. A professional member of staff should be able to handle a concern without immediately becoming defensive and confrontational towards a loyal paying customer. The reason I’m still leaving 5 stars is because one employee does not reflect the quality of the restaurant as a whole. The management, food, venue and the rest of the team have given me years of positive experiences. That said, I sincerely hope management take this feedback seriously. In all my years of visiting, I have never felt the need to complain about a member of staff. Hospitality is about making people feel welcome, and no parent should feel judged because their one-year-old child briefly stood in a walkway. I rarely complain, which is why I’m taking the time to write this. Unfortunately, this individual’s conduct completely overshadowed what should have been another enjoyable Father’s Day visit, and I hope the matter is addressed.