Dilraj in Ribble Valley

Great food, great service, reasonably priced. Would recommend. I ordered the ox cheek pie and husband ordered the fish and chips which were both lovely, being really picky the mash were a bit on the dry side, but I would still recommend.

Turned up at about 8.50am on Easter bank holiday Monday. Had checked the website before hand. It said open at 8am. So we went along. 4 of us. Three adults and a 2 year old. Got to the door, which was open. Was told “we open in 10 minutes” we asked if we could sit inside for that time (because it was a bit chilly outside) but the dark haired girl said she was doing the cashing up so no we couldn’t. I was there with my daughters and a 2 year old. We were hardly going to rob the place. Plus, it turned out when we got inside that this was a building with a very open communal seating area which she could have let us sit at for 10 minutes. We ordered our food. I asked if there was any juice for kids (the 2 year old) - the dark haired girl working said “only what we’ve got in the fridge”. I said “don’t you have any orange juice or anything like that?” The reply being - “only what we’ve got in the fridge” which was those pretentious glass bottles of 1930’s fizzy pop (the brand that does stuff like dandelion and burdock). I bought two bottles of “Orange and Mandarin” thinking they weren’t fizzy. They were. More fool me. Basically Tory Fanta. Anyway. I went and sat down with my older daughters and my 2 year old son. My daughters ordered avocado on toast with salmon. I had a full English being the uncouth soul that I am. I asked if they have a kids menu for my 2 year old. The answer was no. I ordered him beans, one sausage and some scrambled eggs. I was told this could be done from the side menu, that alone cost £7.50. The beans, sausage and eggs came out on the same plate as one of my daughters breakfast. We had to guess that was the case (not mastermind but still ridiculously daft that they’d do this) we had to ask for a plate for my 2 year old who was in a high chair. Anyway. Another family came in about the same time as us. Low and behold another of their staff bought out two huge glasses of orange juice for them. So they did have other drinks available. My full English was ok, but it wasn’t great. The bacon was burned. It wasn’t crispy like the menu says. It was burned. So if the proprietor/owner wants to reply to this with a clever comment. The bacon was burned. Also, the poached eggs were COLD. And I don’t mean not quite warm, they were cold. We were the first people in, the place wasn’t busy and somehow I was served cold poached eggs. I’ve re read through the menu tonight before writing this review. Whenever I choose a place to eat again I’m always going to look for the word “Artisan” because that to me, on the whole means not very good. The “Artisan” toast I received was just sliced bread, but toasted. They even claim to have an “Artisan” Brioche bun If you look up the definition of “Artisan” in the dictionary it says. a person or company that produces something (such as cheese or wine) in limited quantities often using traditional methods —often used before another noun artisan breads I don’t think that you can claim that obviously pre sliced bread or even a Brioche Bun is “Artisan”. There’s too many mediocre cafes/restaurants who have latched onto this word and used it. The company website claims “We focus on quality and sustainability above all, which extends to everything we do. From our suppliers to takeaway packaging, we carefully select each element keeping you and the planet in mind. We support local, and well-being of the community is at the heart of what we do.” This is nonsense. My daughters asked for some tap water, they were pointed towards one of those fancy upside down glass water bottles, and plastic cups, plastic lids. Lots of plastic. They had paper straws. I don’t know about you, but if you want to be really sustainable, if someone asks for tap water, give them a glass of tap water in a glass. Zero plastic, zero waste. To finish up. Pros - pretty pattern on the coffee. Cons - Really incredibly gormless staff; bad cook who can’t even cook bacon or keep a poached egg warm; rude; not child friendly as no kids menu even at weekends/bank holidays (although there was a couple of high chairs). As you can imagine I will never be going back to this place. I’ve given them two stars because my daughter liked the swirly pattern on the top of her Flat White.

This was not our first visit to the Calf’s Head but it has to be the best meal we have ever had. It was a large family gathering and despite the size of the party the service was friendly and efficient. Looking forward to a return visit, hopefully not in the too distant future.

Never had any issues with these boys. Service top notch. Their Parm with Pepperoni and Jalepeno is the best meal I have ever had. Keep it up. 🫡

Had a meal with my 12 year old Grandson on 7/9/24. Both meals were great, as were the staff, and good portions too . Will definitely be back !!