The Eaton Hotel is located on Hagley Rd in Birmingham and it’s a great place to meet with family and friends to enjoy a Sunday lunch. Getting into the main entrance will be difficult as it has steps into it, however wheelchair users can enter through the rear entrance, which has flat access, first into the very nice beer garden and then into the main restaurant. I would just be aware as a wheelchair user is there is a slight lip and you may need a slight push. Personally, I didn’t see a disabled toilet, but I think they have one but is of standard size which doesn’t cater for every disability.
The accessibility and space around the Eaton Hotel is very good, I was able to move around it with ease, but it is dependant on the time you visit as the tables are positioned closely together and though I was able to get close enough to the table to eat and socialise, it may be difficult to do so if many people are dining and surround the table and the pathways are constructed.
On my own most recent visit, the staff member that seated us was a bit sharp with me and then spoke to the other people I was with, asking them if I could manoeuvre around in a particular way, requesting me to sit at a certain position at the table so I wouldn’t be “in the way” of servers and fellow diners. I get how my chair can obstruct pathways, but there was no need to being forced to sit in a particular place because I would be “in the way” and I really didn’t appreciate being made to feel invisible and being spoken about like I wasn’t able to hear and process it myself. Once we were seated, the waiter for our table changed and this person was very kind and friendly towards all of us throughout our dining experience, there were good customer service skills.
The restaurant operated on table service and this benefited me as the bar was quite high and I wouldn’t have been able to order my drinks independently; luckily, I was with someone else who could place our drinks order via the bar service if I needed too. Though I was able to get close enough to the table, I was unsuccessful in getting underneath the table to dine and I had to use a tray which I brought from home instead. This was a good thing as the food was so messy and I would have struggled with it if I had to arch my back towards the table.
The atmosphere at the restaurant was quite laid back and peaceful, groups of elderly people and families can come and enjoy a nice Sunday dinner. It was wonderful to be able to talk to who I was with without having to shout or project my voice to be heard and it was a great place to go and celebrate my graduation from University.
The Sunday lunch menu had a number of options, pork, lamb and beef and this was served with different accompaniments based on the meat you choose with a selection of vegetables to accompany your meal. I chose to have beef with Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes and lots of gravy, washed down with an apple raspberry J2O to accompany and sweeten up my Sunday lunch. It was really tasteful and flavoursome, and I was able to get a very big appetising portion which I was really happy with. I also had ice-cream for dessert which was really nice as it was the proper rich ice-cream which just added to the meal and overall experience.
Prices at this restaurant is a little bit more than I had hoped but no more than I would expect for the quality and quantity of food you have. I would for the amount of food you have. I would definitely recommend this restaurant, especially for a special occasion.
The Life of Sophie 