Reviews in St.Helens

The food was outstanding. Like nothing else in or around St Helens and long overdue in our town. The restaurant itself is beautiful and cosy and certainly not pretentious, which is exactly what we look for when we eat out. The service was faultless. We had a minor issue with one of our dishes which was rectified immediately and the cost of the dish removed from our bill without us even asking. The only small complaint I have is around value for money and more specifically value for money of the main courses. I ordered the fillet of beef which was delicious but £28 for 2 small pieces of beef, a small stack of potato (pomme anna), a small oxtail Bon Bon and a smear of onion purée was a lot to pay for not a lot of food. I appreciate fine dining but I would not expect to pay over £100 for 2 people and go home hungry in any restaurant. I would suggest that simply including a small dish of vegetables as part of the cost of the main meal would make the whole thing more substantial and feel better value without a significant additional cost to you. We had to order extra vegetables after the meals had been served and we saw how little was on the plates. If the veg had been part of the base cost of the main meal I would have scored you a perfect 5 for value too!!

This is an absolutely stunning venue with welcoming and attentive staff, and it is nice to be able to see the chefs working in the kitchen. The positives outweigh the negative comments made in other reviews and the negatives which will be touched on are mainly little points of preference, however, in summary: The food is well presented, flavoursome, and amazing quality. The restaurant is bright and nicely decorated which gave it an air of elegance and class. The staff are attentive, friendly, welcoming and nothing seemed too much trouble. We enjoyed our evening and first visit to The Dean, and would be likely to return at some point. Our visit was on a Thursday and we happened to be the first customers there when we arrived around 7pm, it was a relatively quiet evening with maybe 4-5 other tables occupied as we were leaving, although we would expect it to be busier maybe on a Friday or weekend. We were offered little tasters of tuna tartare which was a nice touch, however had we have not seen the menu prior to these arriving we would not have known there was wasabi on them. It may have been nice to have been told a little more about the appetiser other than what it was called or been asked if we wanted it prior to it being brought to the table to only be wasted. There wasn’t much on offer at the bar in terms of lager on tap so the alcohol options were reduced to bottled beer, spirits or wine as we were informed that there was no lager available on tap that evening which was unfortunate, however bottled beer was sufficient, and the gin was also very nice, even though there were what appeared to be dehydrated crushed raspberries in one of them which were difficult to avoid whilst drinking and although asking for a new drink was considered, it was decided to say nothing and drink it anyway. In another glass of gin was what appeared to be a dehydrated slice of grapefruit. Thoughts are that fresh fruits would have been better in the drink in our opinion or to be asked whether the fruity bits were wanted prior to making the drinks. The menu was small in terms of options and we settled on starters and main courses which were beautifully presented on arrival to the table. The food was amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed our meals, however we felt the plates were large compared to the portion size so the food was felt to cool faster than expected, the fillet of beef was cooked to perfection, the truffle chips were nice but far too chunky for our liking as there was about 4-5 per portion in the separate bowl they arrived in, and for the price, £28 and £4 respectively, we felt that it was a little steep. The staff were attentive but not overbearing, and all were pleasant and polite, however we did find it confusing that three different staff members had tended to us and had all asked us how our meal was within the space of approximately 10 minutes, but that was because we didn’t realise they were different people as we were engrossed in conversation or eating so not focusing on who exactly had spoken to us, but they just happened to ask as they were passing the table. The pianist arrived whilst we were mid-meal and although he is a very talented man and the music added to the ambiance and relaxed atmosphere, we felt the music played was too loud at times which forced us to speak louder and isn’t ideal in such an intimate setting where the other diners on tables sat near to us could have heard should they have wanted to. Overall, although the points made are set out in a larger format and are more detailed than the summary of our experience of the visit, which would appear to be contradictory to there being more positives than negatives, the scale and relevance of these are merely personal preference for us, and would not prevent us from returning in future, nor would it prevent us from recommending The Dean to others.

Despite having an email of confirmation when we arrived Rioja was closed. No reply to my phone calls. Thanks for spoiling my best friends birthday!!!!!!

Absolutely first class dining experience. The food has been exquisite whenever we’ve visited the Dean. The cuisine is complemented by fabulous service in beautiful surroundings, with the mood set by the fantastic pianist. Can’t recommend highly enough.

Dined out at the Dean for the first time Saturday 2nd November, but will not be the last, the setting , ambiance ,food and service first class . Highly recommend

Absolutely amazing!!! Great food and a fantastic dining experience

Visited with my wife on Saturday evening. First impression was quite positive, nice furnishings and a welcoming host. We had cocktails at the bar and were then shown to our table. The major positive about this place is the friendly and helpful staff, but it's a little bit like close but no cigar. I asked for a Bloody Mary but was told they had to use all the tomatoes they had in the kitchen, so I couldn't have one? We ordered our food and were enjoying pleasant conversation and listening to the singer/pianist when a waitress presented us with our main course, which was meant for the adjacent table. Not a huge problem, but noteworthy in an expensive establishment. The food was good, I particularly enjoyed my scallops and the steak was tasty and cooked how I liked it. Overall though the portions are very small and dessert was hidden under a scoop of ice cream I enjoyed it but felt a little underwhelmed when we left having read so many positive reviews. I also think the lighting could be improved, bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling don't shout out quality in a fine dining restaurant.

Celebrated our anniversary on Friday with steak night it was superb!! We ate tomahawk steak an all the sides! Food, service and atmosphere was awesome! The live entertainment was superb, cant wait to visit again!

This was our second visit to the Dean , we went on opening night so felt I couldn’t comment really as you always get a few teething problems , so we decided after 7 months to give it another try well we weren’t disappointed the staff were fantastic friendly polite and the food was delicious and presented beautifully all six of us really enjoyed ourselves the flavours in the food was so different in a good way we all came away and said we will all be returning so much I booked for my mums birthday well done to all the staff the puddings are to die for !!!

This was our eighth visit to The Dean, and every visit is better than the last. Went for the steak extravaganza night, the Asian tuna tartare was out of this world and the fillet steak was hands down the best I have ever had. All staff are really friendly and helpful, nothing is ever too much trouble. The owners Eddie and Vicky are now like friends we have known for years. Can’t wait for New Year’s Eve

Excellent food and staff couldnt fault x

My wife and I frequently have sunday lunch in/around St. Helens. This was the best sunday lunch we have had for a long time, dervice was friendly and helpful, atmosphere was very friendly and enjoyable

Visited The Dean for an evening meal with friends recently. We were surprised how bright it was in there which did not help with the ambience of the place. The menu was surprisingly small (but not as small as the meal!) and over priced. Service was quite good but I’m afraid we were disappointed overall, especially because the prices were so high. Sorry.

What a beautiful restaurant. The atmosphere and ambience is spot on. Service is fantastic, the staff are very friendly and attentive. The food was phenomenal, we had the lunch menu and it was very reasonably priced. We will definitely be back.

This was our second visit and did not disappoint, Went on Saturday night for double birthday celebrations, food and service was outstanding, the flavours from a simple starter of goats cheese and beetroot were indescribable, hats off to the chefs for all the food was perfection, drinks were delicious. Pianist and singer were really good, created a lovely atmosphere.

Our meal was lovely,staff was nice and ready to help when needed can highly recommend.

Nice meal. Efficient service and friendly staff. Will visit again.

Nice restaurant. We went for the first time on a Thursday which is possibly the quietest night. Only 3 couples in there but there was a chap on the piano which was pleasant. Here’s to the most important bit, the food. Very good, faultless in fact. I had scallops followed by belly pork. My wife had goats cheese followed by fillet steak. All presented very well and very tasty, nothing less than what you’d expect in a high end city restaurant. Staff were very good too, humorous, informative and attentive. Wouldn’t hesitate to go back, will try on a friday or Saturday next time. Probably the nearest thing you’ll get to fine dining in St. Helens so long may it continue. A credit to the owners and all the staff.