The Halfway House, Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley

I think the writer of the 'poor quality' review was talking through his or her head! My husband Bob & I have had nothing but excellent service in the bar & restaurant, and lovely meals every time. We usually stay at the Travelodge hotel next door, & we always look forward to a very pleasant evening at Dantes, Halfway House. We have got to know Tracy & the staff quite well & it's always great to see them again.

I have eaten twice at Dantes over the last couple of years. On the first instance the service was appalling, we had to wait over an hour for the first course to arrive and this was only after prompting the staff. The food was satisfactory but not worth the price charged.

I went for a meal there last October for a 50th birthday party and both the food and service was poor. Depsite us having pre-booked the choice of meal, the service was slow and my main course was not as ordered. This was rectified but the risotto I was served was poor quality. Several other members of our party were unhappy with the quality of their meal and upon pointing this out the charges were reduced.

I would not visit Dantes again and would not recommend it to anyome else : the food on offer is sub-standard for the price charged. It may be said that I am being unfair in my opinion, as I prefer to eat at more up-market establishments but it would only appeal to those to eat banal take-aways and cheap super-market meals.

There is always good attentive service at The Halfway House, the food is always freshly made and the Tapas menu during the day is excellent value for money. Every time i have visited I have had excellent service, good food and there has been a brilliant atmosphere.

Good atmosphere throughout with well thought out entertainment on the weekend.

The decor and layout was good but that's as good as it got in my experience. Not good, this is the third time in 12 months we've given this place a go. Got the order for food wrong on two occasions, waited for too long for a starter to arrive, nearly 20 minutes after they'd brought the last starter to a table of 6. Service seems mixed and depends on which waiter/waitress you get. Surroundings in the dining rooms are a little cramped/confining with little or natural light and nothing to look at other than the walls or your fellow diners. This place reminds me of those similar type restaurants in the Canaries, Tenerife style. I think the menu is overly expansive, and they should really concentrate on deciding what they do best and introduce a daily or weekly specials board. I could also tell there's a travel lodge next door as an element of footfall in this place can be attributed to one-off trade never to return and I feel the pricing structure for food and drink reflects that, expensive.

Overall, I believe there are numerous places far better than Dante's in the surrounding area.

This is my first visit to The Halfway House since refurbishment and initially I was impressed by the decor. We thought the price of the pint of bitter and a gin and tonic was slightly expensive at £6.10 but the bar staff were pleasant.

The menu was extensive and represented good value, however the prices for some bottles of wine were in my opinion rather expensive. I ordered halibut with mediterranean vegetables and found it slightly overcooked, the vegetables looked tired and appeared to have been cooked and kept warm for some time. We had pudding and coffee, the staff were quick to remove the dishes and kept returning to the table to clear side plates etc. I felt that we were expected to vacate the table and eventually asked the waitress if we had booked the table for the whole evening. The bill was £60 which was expensive for what I thought was a very average meal.

It is very rare that I would go out of my way to write a review but after a recent visit to Dante's we were so disappointed I felt the need. The waiters were rude and unhelpful and the food poor (though the wine was very good). My smoked salmon pizza was covered in white fatty bits of what I can only assume was salmon!

Throughout our meal the bright security light shone in through the window into our faces. This was something other customers also commented on to us. We were over charged and when we brought this to the attention of a waiter he said he could not understand what our problem was and would not sort it out. Eventually he came back and asked what was wrong with it. We pointed out that they had put on 2 extra main courses. After waiting for the corrected bill for 15 mins we decided to go to the desk and pay. Here we were met an even ruder individual. We explained what had happen in a jovial way to then be asked 'What do you want me to do about it?' 'I'm sorry sir but I don't really care'. Although Dante's is a budget restaurant I still I expect a small degree of customer service and unfortunately that was not provided. Sadly, I do not recommend Dante's to anyone and be sure to check your bill!

The Halfway House is experiencing a renaissance thanks to the new Dante's Restaurant, which combines Mediterranean cooking, plus live evening entertainment.

Elegant chairs and neatly presented tables set amongst the cheerful decor, with star lit ceilings, gives the restaurant area a feeling of clear cut glamour. A great setting for the delicious offerings on the menu. Don't miss out on the tempting starters, including the tasty bruschetta garlic bread, fresh olives drizzled in olive oil and basil, individually stuffed mushrooms with fillings of seafood, chorizo, cheese or garlic. Got your taste buds going? Leave room for the choice of main dishes, which include a range of authentic Italian pizzas to more exotic offerings such as Lamb Kleftiko, Fiorentina and Calamari baked with garlic and herbs.

Dante's offers the perfect surroundings to enjoy such wonderful Mediterranean cuisine, and with the promise of a hot summer, take the opportunity to dine al fresco on the new outdoor dining terrace. Once you taste the food you'll be looking for your Euros. No wonder there is currently a three day booking period for a table at the weekends! So book now if you want to get in.