Duke Of Wellington in The Vale of Glamorgan

We took our family out for Sunday lunch and as we hadn’t been before we decided we would try it…. And I have to say we will not be returning. Our 2 grandchildren had meals from the kids menu and is adults had the set Easter Sunday menu. Ordered our starters and asked for the little ones food to come out same time..starters were lovely and the one child’s meal (chicken nuggets and chips) was also great however, fish fingers and chips for the other child was not. Chips ok but the batter on the fish fingers was so dark and rock solid. There was no way she could even eat them (she is 4). On raising this to the attention of staff they were quick to cook another portion. . The waiter (colourful shirt & trainers) brought the new lot out by which time the chips from the first plate were cold . He said and I quote ‘it’s the oil hit these are done they are not overcooked’. They were darker and more rock hard than the first lot. How on earth he had the cheek to even bring it out of the kitchen beats me. He knew that he should never of let it leave the kitchen. Thanks to the common sense of the waitress who took the price of the meal off our bill and agreed and apologised for the fact that it was over done in oil I might add that was too hot and not fresh fresh. We ordered them 2 ice creams in a bowl to be served with our mains. Mains came… flat and so dry and overly crispy, beef which we 2 of us had… very dry and hard to chew…veg… one carrot baton and 1 parsnip baton, handful peas and surprisingly mange tout… the latter is a new one on me with Sunday lunch. Then said waiter brought my grandchildren their bowls of ice cream… he just in a nutshell pushes it in front of them… how dare he. Another waitress came over and was so sweet and she said let me take them and put some choc sauce on them and get them a wafer. I have to say it was so disappointing… every 2 mins I had to call one of them (and was so embarrassed that I had to keep doing that)…waited a while to have our drinks order.. I had to ask in the end for some service…needed another placement (we were a booking of 5 but only 4 laid up.. more napkins, asked for horseradish sauce with roasts… had to ask for that to be brought out, were told that little ones could have colouring and crayons to keep occupied… had to chase that. I get that they may have had a really busy day… mistakes happen… but whoever cooked our food needs to be given some more training or be shadowed because their standards seriously have slid. Very obvious everything is cooked and reheated.. most things rock hard, dry or mush. The male waiter who may be a manager ?.. was so clearly miffed by the way he just dumped the ice creams in front of a 4yr old and a 3yr old with no sauce or waiter or even a spoon. He needs customer service training as his certainly was amiss today. I have had training with Marston’s in kitchen, restaurant and bar. I will not be returning.

The Duke of Wellington has always been a favourite when visiting Cowbridge but today was different. Our starters were fine, but the main courses were poor. My vegetable tart was obviously pre-cooked and the re-heating rendered it almost burnt. The other meal was just average. There was a shortage of staff and those working were clearly unhappy. Finally a dog was allowed up to the table and spread itself onto the table and remained there for the duration. No-one advised the owner to remove the animal. Disappointing.

Had an evening meal had 2 of the vegetarian tarts with roast vegetables. It looked really nice on the plate and the tart was nice. The veg wasn't very warm also the roast potatoes were very hard on outside as though cooked early and then just warmed. Should of complained but just didn't bother and nobody came to see if it was OK. Not really exceptable to warm the leftover veg from lunchtime when could of easily made fresh mash which was on menu with other dishes. The meal could of been so much nicer. It has probably put me off from having a meal here again unless ordering a different meal that's cooked fresh. Your paying for a meal I would expect it to be nice I feel i would cook better at home. Would call in just for drinks as it is a lovely old pub.

We've been coming to 'The Duke' for a while now, and without exception the welcome is always warm & friendly, in an inviting setting, with fabulous food and great service. I cannot recommend it highly enough! A pleasure to come to.

We come here regularly and always find the staff to be very friendly and welcoming. They are always polite and helpful, greeted with a smile and ever since the first visit we have been welcomed by name, made to feel like they truly do care. They take a pride in their food and customer service. There is a good variety of food and everything that we have tried has been of a very good standard, plentiful and tasty. Today I had pork belly which was a special and it was delightful, perfectly cooked and coated in maple syrup which gave a sweet and salty flavour. Would highly recommend the pork belly and the Duke of Wellington in general.

Booked a table for an evening meal Staff were very polite and friendly and the food was exceptional; lovely flavours and well presented.

Good honest quality pub grub. Super convenient for locals with a menu that caters for everyone. It's pub grub so you know exactly what to expect helped with a great choice of beers. Staff were lovely and service was excellent.

Tried to get a table Sunday Evening. They said no more orders. It was 7pm. Apparently they close the kitchen after the last booking. I had to go to the Bear Hotel nearby.

I was in for lunch yesterday I was served by Jackie she was fantastic so friendly and helpful and had great knowledge of the menu

Had a lovely Lunch today we was served by the lovely Jackie, couldn’t do enough for us will definitely be back.

A warm welcome and we were shown our table which was already prepared with menus laid out. Regular checks that we were happy with our food. We didn’t feel rushed and had a very pleasant meal. We will definitely be back.

Popped in before visiting friends, the first night of the 6 nations. Such a great crowd, friendly atmosphere. Only had to move and the bar staff were there. Definitely worth a visit next time

I was looking at my options before deciding on the DoW for my wife’s birthday meal. And I can categorically say that I made the right choice, all five of us who dined had a different dish and we all equally enjoyed it. The staff are excellent, this is a well run pup and it’s also very good value for money. The ambience is positive.

Excellent service, friendly and approachable especially the young lady who I believe is called Cara ? Nothing too much trouble for her .

Lovely traditional pub, welcoming and inviting with reasonable priced good food Excellent service friendly and approachable staff especially the young lady who I believe is called Cara? Nothing too much trouble for her

Thanks to all the team for a great night! Had lovely service and food!

Just had a lovely meal at the Duke today food couldn't fault. The staff and service was one of the best we have had for a long time. Can't wait until next time

Always love eating and having a drink in this lovely pub, BUT on the last two occasions its been pretty disappointing due to one member of staff, Cara . Rude, disrespectful, absolutely no customer of service and obviously doesn't enjoy her job. A face like thunder and unapproachable. A person who shouldn't be front of house.

Popped in here as our go to the Vale of Glamorgan were not doing food today. Barman really friendly. Food took a while to come but the atmosphere was nice, with the open fire roaring and it was busy. My mum had scampi, my hubby and I had gammon, egg and chips, we really enjoyed it. My dad had pie, mash and green beans, the portion was really small and he was still hungry when we left, which is disappointing as it was £14, shame. We will return as the meals were great apart from the pie and mash.

Hello, I came for lunch today and what a lovely experience. Thank you to waitress Jacky who made me most welcome. A delightful lady for whom nothing was too much trouble, busy as she was. I enjoyed fish and chips with a crumble dessert at reasonable price. Will definitely be coming again and telling friends. Thank you very much Jacky.

We were a party of 6. Staff were helpful and service was efficient. We all looked at the pub menu prior to arrival to save time for eating and relaxing. Two had starters, one was the Bruschetta comprising a piece of lightly toasted baguette topped with sliced cherry tomatoes and cubes of feta (?) and a drizzle. The person eating it enjoyed it but it looked like a very basic open sandwich and quite expensive given the contents and minimal preparation involved. Also, two of the group opted for steak and chips. The steaks were modest in size, perhaps overcooked or not good meat in the first place, the sirloin was tough and supposed to be well marbled. Definitely not either. Other steak was to be 'medium' but was well done. Moreover, while the menu offers sides at extra cost none was requested by those eating the steak. Both meals were served on large (mixed grill) type plates with a paltry serving of chips and one mushroom! The feel good salad: some green leaf, roasted minimal pepper slices and courgette with a drizzle and a 'side' of chicken - a small piece of chicken breast was £15.50. Although we are aware that these are tough times for catering 3 out of 6 meals were disappointing.

Christmas lunch for our family. The pub was understandably busy for Christmas Day. The maitre d' was keeping an eye on things, the young blonde man wearing a Christmas hat and serving us was delightful, the dark haired chap served with a side of compere good humour, the older guy wearing a Christmas jumper was jolly, the blonde waitress in black was sullen, bordering on rude. The food was great, all three courses, the ambience excellent, overall super, thanks. We'd come again!

Staff were friendly and efficient, food and restaurant set up were also very good. No problems at all thanks

The Xmas menu was great value and the veggie xmas lunch was delicious Staff lovely

Service and staff were amazing. All meals but one was perfect. Son had first ever steak and was a touch to fatty but perfect apart from that. Would definitely return. Thank u for a great night.

Very welcoming and the table looked lovely. We had excellent food too so will definitely return and recommend.

We loved the setting. It was very cosy and nice and warm. Table service is always a plus. The food was very nice. We were very well waited on.

Lovely atmosphere and although it was busy the staff were attentive

Lovely food and good atmosphere!

Really really enjoyed! We will be back

We booked lunch for 12 pm . On arrival at 12 th front door was locked so we went around the side entrance.on opening the door we found ourselves I a corridor with toilet sign on wall . The interior was grubby and unkempt and we didn’t know where we were meant to go . We decided that due to the uncleanliness of what we saw we really didn’t want to eat there if the general hygiene of the interior was that bad . We left a message saying we won’t be eating there after all and left .

We booked a table for Sunday lunch for 2 people and a dog. The place is supposed to be dog friendly and we have been here in the past without any issues. The bar manager had a bit of an attitude from the start. Very unwelcoming and just stated you'll have to see if there is a seat in the bar even though we had a confirmed booking. After waiting for a seat for 20 mins and no sign of people getting ready to leave, I went back to the bar manager and said that we were struggling to find somewhere. He said what do you want me to about it with continued bad attitude!! I responded with something like that's a bit rude and gave him the menus back. The verbal abuse I received back was shocking. We left immediately and will never return. He will probably respond to this review and say something different but this experience has been reflected accurately. Work on those customer service skills!

The staff are always cheerful and helpful, we all enjoyed our meals and our friends said they are looking forward to visiting the hotel again in the new year.

The food and service were very lovey, Jackie who served us was extremely welcoming. We would definitely come again!

Fabulous place to eat and drink, very attentive staff members and really great prices.

Jackie was very efficient and helpful. She found us a table straight away, and took our order before a big party. HannH was also really helpful, with my phone and Internet. Great service all round

Lovely lunch service was great… pre ordered our food as big family lunch ….. all enjoyed… would recommend…. And return x

One of the best Sunday roasts we've had (made our top 3). Lovely atmosphere and real fire. Will definitely return.

The Ham Hock was very good but the Hunters Chicken breast was small and came with an unimaginative salad.

Food excellent, staff very attentive. Really enjoyed

Good evening, varied menu with plenty of choice. Enjoyed food and staff very efficient and friendly. Very busy, but all very good.

Hello, I came for lunch today and what a lovely experience. Thank you to waitress Jacky who made me most welcome. A delightful lady for whom nothing was too much trouble, busy as she was. I enjoyed fish and chips with a crumble dessert at reasonable price. Will definitely be coming again and telling friends. Thank you very much Jacky.

Waited about 15 minutes to even be spoken to on arrival and then seated with "be quick though, the kitchen shuts in 15 minutes" which made us feel quite unwelcome. The food was limited choice but it came out hot and tasted fine. Standard pub meal on a weekday.

Stopped off for a lovely lunch food was great and reasonably priced lovely atmosphere and staff were friendly would definitely call in again if I was visiting cowbridge

The surroundings were warm and comfortable, and the service friendly. A good choice on the menu and our meal (pie of the day) was very tasty.

Anniversary dinner with my wife. Menu a lot better than last time and really good service from staff

Lovely Sunday roast and friendly service! Me and my mum had a lovely

Went with friends for Sunday lunch. Absolutely delicious and plenty of it Clean plates all round. Definitely worth a visit

Lovely place, lovely people, lovely food! Stumbled upon this gem by accident and glad we did. Had a beautiful steak cooked to perfection. Atmosphere was lovely and the staff couldn't have been more friendly. Excellent wine menu & a fabulous pinot noir.

Staff very polite and friendly service excellent will call again with our friends.

My partner and I went for lunch today. Our second time in this restaurant. I will say that the food is fantastic however we were disappointed with the customer service. The waitresses friends were in the pub and she was more interested in talking with them than providing service. We waiting over half an hour for dessert and not once did she come over and check on us or provide us with a update with a delay. Disappointing service.

A great experience which started with the booking service, so easy!! On arrival our party of five were shown to our table by the excellent Zoe. We were given time and space to plan our order and Zoe was very accommodating when some our group decided to try and have three main courses. We all had so much fun and a great evening was had by all. The food was amazing and the portions were generous, so much so that we couldn’t manage the three courses. We were grateful to Blair for leaving the kitchen to enable us to thank him and his staff, especially Zoe, for making our visit so pleasant. We’ll be back!!

Words fail me ...the Welcome I get every time off Hannah is just electric.... this is why we all keep going back there. Simple.

We popped down to Cowbridge for some shopping and decided to go to the Duke of Wellington for lunch. The pub / restaurant was spotlessly clean and the menu was extensive with lots of choice. Hannah and Jacky were absolutely amazing. Both ladies were friendly...

Tool my elderly mum and her friend out for lunch. A bit of a treat for them both. The manager Jackie couldn't have been more friendly, very attentive to all their needs. The food was amazing. We ate of the lunch menu. We chose 2 courses mains and dessert. Would 100% recommend this public house-restaurant. Our every need was catered for. Superb afternoon out. Thank you so much Jackie and obviously the incredible team she teams

Always great food, friendly service and a pleasant atmosphere. Five stars all the way!!

What a lovely pub. Took my elderly mum and her friend out for a drive and stopped in Cowbridge for food. Jackie the manager could not have been more helpful. Totally friendly and approachable. The food was amazing. There was no rush for us to...

When taking our food we were told half of the menu wasn't available. Not ideal but I don't mind changing my mind so we ordered Calamari & a bruschetta to start: My calamari was alright, can't really go wrong with it it's just fried squid, but my partner's bruschetta was just completely anaemic, the bread had hardly been toasted/grilled at all, it just looked like a slice of white bread, with the most crazy amount of pesto spread on top. We love pesto as much as the next person but nobody needs about two tablespoons of pesto spread on untested white bread. That is not bruschetta. On the menu the tomatoes were described as "marinated", with what I do not know as they just looked and tasted very much like shop bought cherry tomatoes cut in half. The mains: x2 Homemade kebabs, chicken&chorizo for me, halloumi and pepper for my partner. My partner's halloumi was completely dried out, rock hard, and cold. Which is strange considering it wasn't burnt to a crisp. This can only mean it's not that it was cooked for too long, but that it had been dried out and left to sit there before service. Both of our flatbreads were cold and hadn't looked to have been cooked in anyway. Like the bread for the bruschetta above: anaemic. The seasoned skinny fries tasted nice but I'm not sure either one of us had a fry longer in length than 3cm. It looked like the scraps had just been served to us. Tasty, nonetheless. I myself hate onions, both in cooked form and raw. I ordered the kebab thinking there would be no onions on it considering, you know, it's not listed on the menu with all the things included on the kebab. The kebab arrived with 3 (three) different types of onions: grilled red, grilled white, raw red diced. Had there only been the grilled onion on the skewer I could've just picked them off and all would've been fine. Due to the raw red onion scattered all over the kebab it was rendered inedible for myself due to the raw onion liquid&smell having permeated the entire kebab. Even my partner, who is a fan of onions, commented on how there was no need to have three different types of onion in the dish. I fear this is turning into a rant against onions at this point so I'll end the mains review with this: Please list onions as an element of the dish on the menu so that onions lovers&haters alike can be fully informed on what they're about to spend £15 on. Side: Probably the low point of the meal. We shared a cheesy garlic bread. Visually it actually looked quite appealing. The taste & smell however confirmed to me the one major sin of shambolic garlic bread: the garlic was raw. This was unfortunately inedible. I'm not sure who's at fault as in the food industry it could be any number of things: Underpaid chef Overworked chef Undertrained chef An owner skimping on cheap ingredients who knows? Despite all this: it is a lovely venue it must be said. The interior is nice and the beer garden I can imagine is stunning on a warm day. The bones are definitely there for a lovely eating experience, it's just a bit disheartening when you spend north of £50 on genuinely terrible food when anyone can buy their own ingredients and cook a better meal at home with nothing more than a YouTube how-to video. It's hard for people to support local businesses and eat out when that's the experience they get, sadly.

Try the pie of the day - simply delicious

Menu has improved in these Brains pubs recently

Service was fantastic, waitress was a credit! Nothing too much trouble, I’d have her work for us for sure, food was great 😊 very reasonably priced & big portions! We’ll definitely be back soon, highly recommended

We were able to take our dog into the beer garden or bar for our lunchtime meal. Very pleased with the food and service. Plenty for us especially at a lunchtime. We were offered a gluten free menu as well. Will go again.

Lovely food, excellent service and a pleasant ambience.

Fabulous Sunday lunch, beef and pork which was oh so good with surprisingly good veg including mange tout with a crunch. Classic grub with wonderful service with a smile from Michelle. Will be back soon.

A lovely meal cooked by TJ with excellent service from Zoe who provided a birthday cake as we hadn't brought one with us. A lovely finish to my birthday.

Nice pub and most people at the table thought their food was ok to good. But I ordered the hunters chicken and was super disappointed with my meal :( I didn’t want to wait for another meal as I knew I’d be waiting as everyone...

Prompt friendly staff and good food

Attentive service from the start of our arrival. Knowledgeable about the menu. Food was served quickly for all three courses. Lunchtime menu was good value for money All meals were eaten completely. Chicken and belly pork was gorgeous.

'The Duke' give all round excellence. I organised a dinner in their amazing medieval hall. The service and food were excellent and, when things went wrong with the proceedings they could not have been more helpful and understanding. Special thanks to Manager, Blair, and Andy....

Staff are so accommodating. Food delicious. Mocktails fantastic. Thank you.

Staff really friendly. The food was absolutely beautiful. Had pie of the day and hunters chicken. Then the biscoff sundae and brownie sundae. Perfect sized meals and just perfectly cooked! In the area visiting for a few days would drive here just for that pub!

Dropped in for a quick pint, lovely atmosphere

Every good experience,the waitress was polite and patient..all of my group were very happy..

Lovely food, lovely pub with a great friendly service! Mine & my wife’s Sunday dinners were fresh, tasty and yummy and definitely a winner on a Sunday afternoon! Compliments to the chef and team!! Jai & Sarah

Used as venue for a wake. Extremely suitable with plenty of room for mingling.

Dining area at the rear of the pub. Good, young serving staff. Good food.

I’ll start by saying that the food was ok , felt staff could have been a little more involved , left waiting at the bar for quite some time for drinks and not told that we had to order food at the bar so again...

Lovely food, great atmosphere, good hospitality. thoroughly enjoyed the visit we will be back.

Pleasant atmosphere and good food. Always enjoy going there.

The food a Signature Sharer plus Calamari and fries was good. The service however very poor. We ordered a bottle of wine and water and had to ask after ten minutes if we could have them only to be told they had run out of...

Excellent service from Michelle. Food great as usual. Lovely atmosphere in this old coaching inn in the heart of Cowbridge.

Jackie was fab, went over and above to make sure our kids were happy - as well as us mums! Fab. Grateful for a lovely afternoon. We’ll see you soon!

Family lunch and food was terrible...chicken and bacon with avocado salad whereby the avocado was grey and slimey...definitely not fresh!! Sausage and mash whereby sausages had been over cooked so they were inedible ...Very poor portion size too! We have eaten here many times but...

The veggie fair was definitely fabulous, and the chicken tikka was the best I've had in a very long time. I was so pleased to go there as a surprise for my birthday and the staff were amazingly accommodating as we had to put our reservation back an hr too (darn sheep's and mountain roads). Such lovely service. Could only have been made better if we'd been able to eat in 'The library' snug, though maybe that's because I'm a bibliophile.

Sunday lunch is incredible. Ham hock is ginormous, definitely enough for about 3 meals. Its served with new potatoes, green beans and peas. The meat is just perfect and honestly the best Sunday lunch I think I've had for a very long time. Service is spot on and so friendly, the pub is unassuming from the outside but wonderfully atmospheric and "oldy worldly" inside. Firmly recommended for a light snack, drinks or the Sunday lunch.

Beautiful food, great service. Thankyou!

Great service ; friendly staff ; great food ; Great atmosphere

Superb service and food was goid

A lovely table as requested by a window. Great service and delicious food.

Haven't been here before. Definitely coming back. Truly great home made curry and wild rice. Great friendly service.

Lovely food. Great staff. Decent prices. Highly recommended.

Lovely place. Super waitress who worked so hard alone in restaurant. Our on line booking did not register on your systems although I had booking confirmation but she still fiund room for us. This happened to another couple on this event too. The waitress remained unruffled and accomodated us all. The service was, understandably, a little slow to start with, but she was always polite and wirked her socks off. The food was good and prices reasonable. Top marks go to the waitress, I am so sorry ai didn't get her name.

Visited on Sunday for a late lunch, very polite staff who sat us at our table in good time, our food order was taken and food arrived in great time. The food we had was delicious! We even made room for the fantastic dessert, thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Would totally recommend! Thank you for a great meal, we shall see you again soon!

Appalling staff with no idea of the menu, pie of the day, what sides accompanied the dishes! Simple change of requirements not met(asked for no peas and no carrots as stated on menu) Had to ask 4 times for basic condiments as in vinegar and...

We waited quite a while for our food and service could have been a bit better but there didn't seem to be enough staff as it was a busy Sunday. We had to ask for drinks rather than be asked if we needed anything. All staff were very friendly and hospitable though. Food was hot and delicious.

Waited ages even for a drink. People who arrived after us received meals before us. Meal turned up, cabbage ‘glazed over as been standing, roast potatoes were carbon- I asked the waiter to have one replaced and asked how the kitchen thought it was acceptable...

Staff very attentative food lovely

Disappointing Sunday roast today. First time there - 1.15pm seated, food arrived at 2.15. Advertised as coming with seasonal greens, braised red cabbage, maple syrup coated carrots, parsnips. Only received peas and one parsnip. Two roast potatoes. My partner had the trio of meats -...

Lovely décor, friendly attentive staff, food was amazing. The outdoor seating area was large and well kept. We are returning next week with family, can't wait.

Old pub and a popular haunt in Cowbridge for many years. A friendly local serving Brains and Marstons. Good value food available too.