Anchor Inn in Bedford - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

This pub is cashless. Lovely location by the river. Decor a little tired inside.

Very nice lunch on Saturday. Going again shortly.

We arrived at 1:30pm on a Sunday. Surprisingly it wasn’t too busy. I spoke to the barmaid and said we had a dog, she said we were welcome to sit outside, and as there were no tables at the front of the pub there were some down the side and she would bring us some menus. She didn’t, so I went and collected them after a 10 minute wait. As I collected them she apologised and said she would come out to collect our orders in a few mins. 20 mins later I went back in and asked if she could come and collect our orders, as she had led me to believe it was table service. She again apologised and said she would come immediately. Another 10 minutes passed and I went back in. I asked the barman if someone could please come and collect my orders. He was so rude (I note this has been others experiences of him too). He insisted no one would have told me they would collect my order at the table. Anyway I gave him our order. When the food came out it was passable but not worth the ridiculous wait and rude man behind the bar. I think he may be the owner and I’d never return as he does not deserve our custom. He was a truly vile man with no customer services skills!

Don’t take cash !!! What pub refuses cash !! No wonder they closing left right n centre. Even tho i took a sip of my drink b4 paying they quickly took them back when I said im paying cash , so obviously they were going to resell my drink to someone else !!! Won’t go back !! Don’t trust !! But u can bet when the internet goes down they will b accepting cash !!! Double standards!!! Keep ya beer , All the other pubs around take cash and they will be getting mine ( and alot of it )

Nice little pub by the river. Be wary that during times of hot weather it can get busy due to people across the road catching some sun and swimming in the river.

This used to be one of my regular places for lunch - good honest pub food but haven't been for a while due to a couple of poor meals last couple of times I have been there. Decided to give it a try again. It was not particularly busy Ordered two steak and onions ciabattas. When food arrived the steak was just about warm. Steak was chewy. Quite disappointing. Good selection on menu to choose from and some daily specials on the board When I went to pay the bill at the bar I was asked if I wanted to add a tip. I have never been asked if I want to leave a tip by staff anywhere that I have been, usually the card machine asks if wish to leave gratuity or customer leaves a tip if they want to. It was a disappointing meal, which is a shame as the food was always decent. Will not rush back. It was disappointing that the food was not as good as it used to be.

A nice place in a by a water location. Food well cooked and presented and of good quality providing a little better than a basic menu and with daily specials. Very popular in fine weather so booking is probably best and accept that if busy there might be a longer than normal wait for food.

Had lunch on a Thursday, cheese burger chips and salad, burger was excellent with real cheese good quality food highly recommended.

Quick and easy food ordering Servers polite and friendly

Lovely meal fish was huge. Waitress was friendly and efficient, very enjoyable venue.Downside was they do not take cash.

Did not eat here, but the setting next to the river is charming.

Nice place. Just about overlooks the river. Great on a sunny day 😎

Very noisy bar, lots of shouting of people talking over one another. Restaurant area very small in conservatory area. Bar ladies appeared to also be responsible for serving in restaurant as well as behind the bars. Which made for very long waits for service, they didnt do a food check back at all. My partner and I had sea bass with crayfish, on bed of crushed potatoes and seaweed. I have never had seaweed nor seabass before, they were delicious. The crayfish were tiny pieces, size of peas, extremely rubbery !! Very unpleasant. Bigger pieces, gently cooked would have been a better experience, and probably better tasting. Key part of that dish, totally wrong. On a positive, they do serve bottled coka cola, and they adapted my main for no cracked pepper (allergy). Price wise, quite expensive for the experience that it gives. £55/£56 for 2 people. We had x 1 drink each. Not sure what their lounge bar was like, but 2 areas we saw were quite cramped and small. The service and food quality alone were reasons for the 3 star scores.

Great pub, food and service great, fantastic location, went for a swim in the river today in a beautiful part of England then into the pub.

Very good, highly recommend, maybe allow dogs in, and maybe better facilities for cyclists, there are many around this area and it would be great to have somewhere to park up!!! . perhaps open early for coffee mornings, Great Barford has no cafe!!!!.

Moored up right outside for lunch. Nice place for lunch. Staff helpful.

The Anchor is a friendly inn with kind and caring staff. The food is home cooked, well presented and there's always too much to choose from.

Food very good , and at a good price. Service was not so good, asked for water told to help yourself from the water on the bar. Girl in charged was chewing on gum all the time, order for food just about taken, food served well. Then had to wait to pay. Do not think I will be going back, although the pub and location is very good

Ok pub, tables close spacewise and place a little tired & lacking atmosphere. Passing trade cyclists & people using the river area. Very nice views outside, but not good views from the windows inside. Great outside tables if weather allowed

great local pub with good food and fantastic staff.

£3 for a blackcurrant and soda.

Good selection of food and drinks. Lovely sitting outside overlooking the river.

Visited today met up with friends nice village pub , we all had the the Sunday roast which was nice enough , however the portion size was very small in fact I went for Sunday lunch.and was still hungry afterwards , still the pub made more money on the fact I needed to order a dessert Other than that nice enough place

Beautiful little pub with great food and wonderful service! Right by the river.

A nice pub lunch of burgers and Scampi. Table by the window in sunshine with a nice view. Thanks

Great food and beautiful location

Nice pub but shutting at 15:00 and card only which I thought is ridiculous,need to keep cash going so should be a choice,and whilst we were there the card Machine had problems.

Stopped off for dinner on the 17/02/224 The chicken starter was delicious. The peppered beef stew was lovely . However I think their spicy stew is my favourite. For desert I tried the strawberry mouse & Prosecco .

Went here for lunch with friends. Excellent, friendly service. Food was good. It was a quiet lunchtime, so there was not much atmosphere. They shut at 3 on weekdays, so we didn't feel we could llinger too long at the table.

I came here with my family. We had Anchor House Sharer first. Buffalo cauliflower bites were my favourite! I then had Chicken and mushroom stroganoff while others chose roast partridge. I really liked the chick stroganoff with rice. It was flavoursome. For puddings, their cheesecake was amazing 😌

Booked for a Birthday Lunch on the 12th of Jan, Food as always fantastic. Neil and Team on standby, 5 star service thank you.

Went to this pub on Christmas Eve to meet my brother , who lives locally for drinks. Thoroughly enjoyed it, and we will be making it a new Christmas Eve tradition. Great atmosphere and warm welcome with good beer.

We had an excellent 3 course Christmas Day lunch here. Everything was very well organised, staff pleasant and the Chef served an excellent meal where attention to detail was clear with they had clearly gone the extra mile to make the meals delicious. There was a great gluten free option too. We all really enjoyed our meals and look forward to returning again soon. No photos taken as we were too busy enjoying it!

Very nice food and friendly staff. Nice riverside pub.

Lovely lunch. I was a bit cold but my friend was warm

We went there for lunch and so was quite quiet. Food was nice and reasonably priced. Service was OK. We will certainly try there again.

I chose this for a birthday dinner with my daughters. I've been here several times over the last 20 years but only for lunch; this was a first for dinner. Luckily my elder daughter had booked as the pub was busy. Found our reserved table, got drinks and looked at the menu. The bar staff were very helpful answering queries regarding gluten free burger buns (yes, they have them) and various other queries; all answered in the positive. The menu was varied but of a sensible size for the location. Our meals were a cheeseburger with salad and chips, gammon with salad and chips and a hunter's chicken burger with salad; all were well cooked and quickly demolished. I bypassed the dessert but my daughters enjoyed theirs. All in all a very pleasant evening. Although the beer was good I would have liked a pint of bitter (amber ale) but this is a very minor personal point.

Very pleasant experience again with friends for pre-Christmas get together

Friendly service good food and reasonable prices. Also by a canal so you can take in a view.

Lovely warm and inviting pub with friendly staff good food and a beautiful view

Great service. The landlords son was super friendly. Great food. Would visit again.

Chef was extremely helpful regarding my allergies. He came to explain what was in my meal, and also checked that everything was ok. First class. Pity we do not live in the village now.

Great food, lovely atmosphere, and friendly staff. Cosy pub in a lovely setting right by the river.

A nice drive through the countryside to meet friends for a Friday Lunch at the Anchor Inn. The pub is Traditional, as some might say, with rustic wooden flooring in the bar area. This is probably very practical with people coming in at times from the river bank. There is parking on both sides of the pub and a garden area across the road towards the river bank. The food was very tasty and looked good. It was well presented and I would say of lunchtime portion size. I think some of the meat in my steak and kidney pie had dissolved into the ample gravy-which was nice for dipping the chips in. The vegetables tasted fresh and cooked to my liking. My soda and lime was nice and good to wash the food down with, so I can’t comment on the beer but I’m sure it’s good. The atmosphere was good and conducive towards good conversation with friends . We couldn’t help notice the clientele on our visit was rather senior, like our good selves. A very nice experience enhanced by friendly staff. I expect it’s busier in the summer months with those using and enjoying the adjacent river.

Food was lovely, fresh cooked vegetables. Well done

Lovely little pub, really nice food. Excellent service.

Good beer, sunny day, next to the river

Lovely Sunday lunch. Would definitely come back

Great pub opposite the R Gt Ouse where canoeists and paddleboarders take to the water, interesting range if food and beers.

Food was very good, Burger Stack and Fries. Lots of it. Service with a cheeky smile.

Great place..we had a lunch and have. Nothing but good to say..food was excellent.good quality and decent portions..Great choice of drinks and very friendly staff..Will definitely re visit.

Staff very friendly and helpful. Food was good

Great location & will visit again

No longer except cash , staff extremely rude and need dunking in the river

I’ve been working in the area for a few weeks and I came a cross this very nice pub and beautiful canal views so I thought it would be nice to take my partner there to get her out of the house for a breath of fresh air due to I’ll health and her not leaving the house for the last few weeks. I think it was on the Thursday the 10th or 17th of august 2023 we got to the pub just before 3pm and the polite bar man at the time said that we closing at 3pm and reopen later on, I told him if it was ok to get a couple of drinks and would be ok to sit and drink outside, he said no problem and served us a couple of drinks, before we left I didn’t see any signs saying that we wasn’t allowed to drink by canal inside or outside the pub or any other signs by the canal or green as the views by the canal was lovely which had seating there too, so went both went across the road and sat on the seats near to the canal, after about approximately 10 minutes this man came over to us and introduced himself as an EX policeman and said he had been called by the pub to have a word with us about us drinking at the canal as we was the only two there drinking by the canal at that time, he was polite and he said that there was issues with the pub and the church very close by about the public drinking by the canal from the pub, I told him that there was no signs in or at the pub or at the canal green about drinking and I had seen other People from the pub drinking on the green at the canal whilst I was working in the area and if this was a problem why didn’t the manager or member of staff come out and tells us or even warn us so that we was aware and why did they call on you the EX police man, he said that he was called by the the pub to talk with us and he did acknowledge that there was no signs put up or in place, me and my partner found this very very strange which put a dampers on our day, so rather than cause any argument my partner said let us go as she had enough. So we put back the glasses on the outside seating at the pub whilst the Ex policeman watched us leave with his dogs. We both admitted it was a lovey pub and location but our experience tells us not to come back again.

I was trying to find great barford bridge when I stumbled apon the Anchor pub. What a find.Real ales my favourite London pride and many more.Your right on top of the great river Ouse which has a really nice green opposite the pub.Always quite busy but plenty of room. I'm going to visit this pub quite often it's a real gem. I did not try the food as it was a quick visit but I'm sure it's great .

Another cashless over priced tat pub. Avoid.

Friendly warm and comfortable. Ideal after a swim in the Great Ouse. Wonderful burger complete with deep fried jalapenos. Lush

Great food, right by the river. Ideal for swimming and picnics.

Overall this was a nice visit. Nice village pub, good ales particularly the IPA, good location. The food is good and reasonably priced, better the pub chains. Good for families and a nice location. Service was very good, swift and friendly, the young ladies and gentleman there on Sunday were doing a top job.

We visited one lunchtime on a lovely sunny day and thought the location for this pub was spot on, next to the river Ouse! Car parking can be a bit tricky here as only about 6 car park spaces up the side of the pub. The only downside to our visit, was the long wait having to queue up at the bar to place our food and drinks order. We started queuing up outside the front door, it was that long! We hoped a long queue, meaning they were busy, was hopefully a good sign and thankfully we were right! The food came relatively quickly once ordered and was tasty too. We enjoyed the location and the overall ambience of the pub. Staff were friendly too. 👍 Worth checking out if you are in the area.

Have been here a few times...each time the welcome and service very cold and unwelcoming, the food very good but because of the unfriendly atmosphere doubt if we will go back as often as would have liked.Also as we live in England we prefer to use cash and not be controlled by having to pay by card .

The young staff were a credit to the organisation polite,helpful, and very friendly

We haven't eaten there yet however we plan on this soon. Bar staff were very friendly and customer service was excellent. ( which is main reason we are returning)

One of the nicest pubs I've been to. Location is superb especially considering its right on top of a crossroad. Beautiful river and old bridge opposite. It's a little expensive but they are all going that way. We shall be going for food next time

Superb buffet meal put on for our walking group

Fantastic friendly attentive staff , warm friendly atmosphere and the best seafood sharing platter I’ve had for many years . Ample moorings across the road for boaters too !!

Reasonable pub lunch in an idyllic location

Nice staff prompt and polite food was excellent

Quick Monday evening drink in front of the ouse. Good looking place with friendly staff. Plastic cups for the outside river seats but worth it in the sun.

Pleasant pub by the river. Nice food & good service. A bit tired but has parking.

Food was great. Good selection of beers and cider

We had a Sunday roast which was very tasty but nowhere near big enough. I left the table still hungry.

Please lunch spot with take away food and ales. Handy if you are kayaking or swimming in the river 100m away.

We love this pub, specially when the weather is good to bike there from our home, and it's a friendly, fun and relaxing place to spend time chatting whilst enjoying some cold, yummy drinks and taking in the beautiful surroundings. Equally nice in the cold, rainy and wet days/ nights too!

Got turned away at 15:05. I was just looking for a quick drink of coke for me and my dad. Don’t mind being turned away, just in the manner I was turned away. Very unapologetic. If I ran a pub, then I would not turn down business. Just off to another local for a drink. I might hold people to the same standards of behaviour as myself, but then I can vote with my wallet. Coming up to the river on Saturday, will not be visiting the pub for drinks or lunch Very disappointing.

Lovely to sit outside and watch the world go by. Nice inside as well. Enjoyed a Cheddar Ploughmans which was great.

Lovely local pub situated on the river Ouse at Great Barford just outside Bedford. We had a really warm welcome by the staff here, we decided to stay for food and the menu was brilliant. Couldn't recomm this location enough and will definitely be back again soon.

Despite the great position the pub has across from the river, and the friendly bar staff, the meal I ordered at lunchtime whilst with my family, was disappointing and substandard. Paying £9 for a baked potato which comes with some tuna mayonnaise, salad and a modest terrine of coleslaw, I was expecting a lovely meal as not much can go wrong with its simplicity - or so I thought. I was wrong. The potato served was misshapen to the point that it had its own ‘stubby finger’ protrusion, which was inedible anyway because the whole and rather small potato was over cooked to the point that even the knife supplied could not cut the skin as its was as rock hard as Kevlar. The actual potato body was over cooked and of corresponding texture, the salad was limp and the coleslaw was suffering from anaemia. It was only the fact that my family members would have had to wait for me that I didn’t ask for a replacement, and instead waited to be asked how our meals were when I paid for them at the bar. I wasn’t. No-one was interested in our experience because no-one enquired at any point, so it was a decision made for me in that second - I would not be going back to this pub for food and I would share my experiences with friends and family who might be. That was £9 wasted and I was left with a bad taste in my mouth - both literally and metaphorically. Not to be repeated.

Biked along the river Great Ouse and decided to stop for a pint and some nibbles. Really nice and tidy place with fantastic atmosphere and really inviting and friendly staff. Will come back next weekend to try Sunday roast and a pint!

Nice place, good food, excellent staff. Will visit again when in area.

Disappointing for me. The location is great and the pub looks the ticket and was busy for a Thursday lunchtime. The bad bit: food was distinctly underwhelming despite an interesting looking menu and some different looking specials. I do have to report that in this case appearances were deceptive. My meal was very average and the description of "spicy beef stew" was a long way from what I was presented with. Another of my group of cyclists reported some of our party were swiftly overlooked when a group of regulars arrived so another reason to be dissatisfied. A pity as this place, from the outside, ticks many of the boxes you'd expect from a country/village pub.

Good selection of beer and food exellent experience.

A great meal with friends. A great menu including light bites to full courses (try the ribs - very nice). The staff were friendly and approachable and the view perfect.

Very pleasant experience just had a snack and a pint sat by the river and watched the paddle boarders.

My husband and I shared a platter for starters, then shared a full meal which was more than enough for the 2 of us, good pub grub.

Hi food was great service good Reason for low score is they DO NOT take CASH and was very shocked when had to ask my guests to pay for the meal Will return when they take cash again

Disdapointed, food was very poor, jerk chicken skewers were out of a packet, very small plain chicken with a brown sauce put on top. My starter had a couple of prawns and a piece of salmon. Rack of ribs, again out of a packet, hardly any meat. .... ploughman's with some old dry stilton. We won't be returning I'm afraid.

Always have this place as a yearly treat near fathers day but have made it a bit more regular! Its a simple restaurant with pub grub and then some. I do like the sizzling combos! Decent service as well, lovely setting by the river and you always know what you're getting. Regularly see one of the chefs who must've been there years, keep up the good work!

Only popped in for a drink but this is a classic decent pub. Nice pool table and a fruity, looked as if they do decent food and there is alot of parking. Beer prices were a bit steep at nearly £6 a pint as I have lived in London and paid the same for a pint but pretty good! Would like to return and have some food with the family.

Best pub for traditional casseroles, I cannot recommend this place highly enough.

Went for lunch mid week and it was lovely. Staff are great and the food was really good. Definitely going back xXx

Popped in on Mother's day whilst on a Riverside walk expecting it to be busy but it was OK. Got beers almost straight away and they were able to do us bowls of gluten free chips. The menu looked good but we didn't have much time to stay. Freindly staff. Plenty of tables inside and some outside overlooking the road and river. They have a car park and there is also street parking.

Consistently Good Food We live in Bedford and visit The Anchor on a regular basis. They do really good home cooked food and I genuinely have not had a bad meal. It’s a lovely location in a quaint village and the pub is on the banks of the river. It’s such a great spot on a summers evening and in the winter they have a cosy fire. They have a varied menu from light starters and snacks to comforting hotpots of beef and chicken stew served with crusty bread. Also on offer are paninis and baked potatoes. Just a note that they are cash only after covid, but that shouldn’t be a problem for most folks these days. Finally I should mention the gorgeous riverside location. They offer suitable containers for your drinks and you can take them across the road to sit on the banks of The River Great Ouse. You can take a little stroll across the weir and the fields and back across the bridge to walk off your lunch or dinner.

A nice light pub lunch and pint. Plenty of choice. Staff busy but attentive. Good as a stop before a walk along the river.

It had been a few years when I tried a meal here. Which I had not enjoyed. However what a pleasant experience I had. I enjoyed the beef spicy stew and it was exceptional and every mouthful was a delight. It came with beautiful rustic bread. I then decided to try a desert and I settled for the lemon curd cheese cake. It was also very good and a great change from a generic brought in puddings. A few places try to serve up to you. So to those of you working in the kitchen - thank you and well done . The serving staff also done an exceptional job. It was a very pleasant and enjoyable meal. I wish I had taken photos . So maybe next time I will remember. But I just got lost in how delicious it was.

Not dog friendly, Limited outside for options. 3 tables. Gets very busy along there with traffic on warm days

We popped in for a quick drink while riding along the 51 cycle route. We received a warm welcome when we entered the pub. Beer selection looked good, however a couple of the cask beers were not available. I tried one of the local brewpoint beers that I found to be very drinkable. We didn't eat. However, the food being served looked very nice. Maybe next time we visit, we will grab a lift so we can try a couple of different beers and some food.

Went for a special birthday meal with my wife and won't be going back. They always say don't write a bad review why didn't you say anything at the time and we could have done something. Well the food was average and it took ages to arrive and when it did arrive they'd got my wife's order wrong. By the way, it wasn't overly busy. So I ate my "birthday lunch" alone and then finally (after 45 minutes now) my wife's now corrected lunch arrived. I said to the head waitress who took my payment that the service was not satisfactory and ... is there anything they could do ? Maybe a discount or a free pint or coffee. Nothing! Not even an apology. Bearing in mind the current problems for hospitality and pubs closing everywhere here I am trying to spend my money and help local businesses and this is the kind of customer service I get. As I said - will not be returning.

Nice food. Had the venison pie and it was very tasty and very large! Veg was a bit overcooked and chips were a bit undercooked but all very edible and enjoyable. Good price too. Shame there's no real fires and the place could do with warming up before you open as it was really cold even though I was hogging a radiator! Good, strong WiFi. Excellent service and overall a very enjoyable visit.