Two Americans trying Toby Carvery for the first time were surprised by how "fancy" it was, revealing it was "classier" than expected.
Jeremy and Cara sold most of their belongings in 2021 to travel the world and are currently on a journey across the UK and Europe. So far the US couple have embraced British culture by trying out classics including a full English, afternoon tea, Greggs and fish and chips for the first time.
But one of their most recent adventures, documented on their YouTube channel The Magic Geekdom, saw them heading for their first experience at the iconic Toby Carvery. The self-dubbed "home of the roast" restaurant chain has 152 locations across the UK and has become a beloved destination for people to get their cheap Sunday roast fix.
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It's not exactly got the best reputation though, with complaints of lumpy mash and "inedible" roast potatoes. But Cara and Jeremy were undeterred as they took a train, followed by a bus, followed by a mile walk just to reach their nearest Toby Carvery.
On first impressions, it seemed worth the journey as Cara was pleasantly surprised when entering the restaurant. "It's so fancy in here. I thought it was gonna be like a Golden Corral or a HomeTown Buffet but it's definitely classier than that," she said, comparing it to the all-you-can-eat American buffet restaurants.
After fully inspecting the decor, she added: "I have to say, inside is very elevated from what I expected it to be. People talk about Toby Carvery kind of being like the cheap version of a Sunday roast but it is very classy in there, I was thinking it was gonna be like Golden Corral and it is not, it's a much classier experience."
Heading to the carvery, the couple struggled to figure out what all the food was so opted to get a "little bit of everything". They loaded up on gammon, pork, turkey and beef before moving on to the self-service side and "burying the meats" under a pile of food including potatoes, cauliflower cheese, peas, carrots, onions, stuffing, cabbage and of course a Yorkshire pudding.
The couple were particularly impressed with the vast potato selection. "There are potatoes and there's potatoes that have some kind of sauce, there's mashed potatoes, there's every kind of potato you could want," Cara said.
They chose a bench table outside and began digging in and giving their verdict on each element of the meal. Jeremy described the mash as "nice, smooth and buttery", the beef as "tender" and thought the roast potatoes were "pretty good". The couple noted how there was one American food available, mac and cheese, and said it matched up to how it's served across the pond.
Cara explained: "A lot of people think that cheese in America is just American cheese, like the processed stuff. We do have that but we do have real cheese too. However, this mac and cheese tastes like one of our famous processed cheeses, Velveeta, it's good."
They weren't keen on everything, though. The couple thought the turkey was a "little dry" while they said the stuffing was "interesting looking", with Jeremy going on to describe the texture as "spongy" before saying it's "not bad". Meanwhile, Cara wasn't a fan of the roast beef.
"I don't love the beef, that's gonna be a no from me dog, it's just too fatty and kind of dry," she said. But they both agreed the Brits do roast potatoes better and "there is not a bad Yorkshire pudding that exists."
They thought the star of the show was the gravy, with Cara adding: "This is quite tasty and I can understand why Toby's calls their gravy famous, I mean who knows if it is really famous or not but it is really tasty and I feel like it shines on the Yorkshire pudding."
The couple weren't quite able to clear their plates but said that overall, they thought the meal was "pretty tasty" and they'd happily return. While they admitted it wasn't quite as classy as other pubs, they felt with carvery prices starting from just £7.49, it was a good deal.
"Do I prefer one at a fancier pub or like gastropub? Probably, but also that would probably be at least £5 more than that so it's not a bad deal," Jeremy concluded. Cara added: "If you're knocking it I want to know why because there's nothing wrong with Toby Carvery."
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