Lakeside Pub & Grill in Milton Keynes - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

The staff are great, the food was nice for the price and the atmosphere is fine for families with young children

The hygiene of a pub was very poor and the worst thing is people using their own plate to give food to the dogs that was disgusting dogs should never be allowed inside of the pub people having kids and getting allergy from the dogs inside the pub dogs to stay outside with the people not inside I will never visit again or eat in the Pub🤮👎

Only offering the lunch menu, not advised this on booking. Rude staff and no stock, would avoid. Have been to this chain before, but this was far more substandard

Disappointing!!!! Very limited menu and half of that had sold out. Overpriced drinks. Ordered food (after deciding from the poor choice), to then be told later that some of our order had sold out. Asked for refund and left. Won't be returning. Shame as it's a prime location but clearly badly managed. Needs a good clean too!!!

Ideal spot for a nice cold beer Infront of the lake

Dreadful experience. Went to the Lakeside after working up an appetite around the lake. Wheelchair accessible and dog friendly. However, we were met by the one member of waiting staff to say there is only one chef. There will be a 45 minute wait minimum for lunch menu only. No desserts. No hot drinks. Coffee machine broken and no milk in kitchen. We went elsewhere needless to say.

Great place for a relaxing brunch! We ended up staying till past 6pm!

My granddaughter and I received great service from Poppy last week.

Good overall,but a couple of menu items sold out..

We had been to the lakeside pub a few other times, and it was okay so today, we decided to go again as we wanted to indulge in a lovely Sunday roast and check the fair out. Biggest mistake ever. No Sunday roast was available until the end of the summer (no disclaimer anywhere at the time of booking or when we got seated. I had to get up and ask for a Sunday roast menu and only then they said they weren't going to do any Sunday roast). In the end, we decided to go for the main menu rather than the Sunday one and there comes another disappointment. Half of the menù was not available which for a Sunday at 12pm in a very busy location is just not what you'd expect. We ended up getting mac and cheese and the same for the kids. The kids' one didn't even look like mac and cheese, more like mashed potatoes. The adult mac and cheese was a tiny and cold portion without the crispy onion as stated in the menu and barely any cheese at all. Also the garlic bread that came with it was soggy. Not worth a penny of the money we paid and unfortunately we won't be coming back which is a shame because the location is a 10.

Had a great lunch at Willen with family, service was quick and Poppy our waitress was very helpful and friendly, will definitely recommend!

Nice place to have a drink on a hot day but stay away from the Food

I had a mixed grill on placing order asked for no black pudding yet it came on in the plate the chicken was barley warm the Onion rings was cold the stake was over cooked from what I ordered would not recommend this place sad to say great location poor food

Food and Service varies from time to time. Service is the Same. Cozy Family vibes brings you back everytime.

Beautiful place and the food was amazing however the menu is quite limited and fairly expensive

We had a family meal after a day at Gullivers, food was very good but the service was excellent. Aliyah was our server and nothing was too much trouble, I have been in too many places recently where the servers just aren't interested so it was a breath of fresh air to have someone that actually really cared and was on top of everything at all times. If there are pay rises or promotions going around, this is your girl!!

The pub had a lively atmosphere and was clean even though it was busy. Our server Poppy was so friendly and helpful and nothing was too much trouble. She kept smiling even though she was rushed off her feet! The food was lovely and well presented and we would definitely return

We had a family meal after a day at Gullivers, food was very good but the service was excellent. Aliyah was our server and nothing was too much trouble, I have been in too many places recently where the servers just aren't interested so it was a breath of fresh air to have someone that actually really cared and was on top of everything at all times. If there are pay rises or promotions going around, this is your girl!!

Great restaurant. It was very busy and the staff were efficient and courteous. The food was really tasty the menu is varied. Highly recommend the steak. We will certainly be returning soon.

5/5 the service is brilliant I would definitely come back again even with not enough chefs the waiting time was good and food was perfect

I'm extremely disappointed with the customer service I've received. Despite booking my reservation well in advance, my booking was canceled due to overbooking. To make matters worse, they've taken my money, and now I have to wait a week to get my refund. This experience has been nothing but stressful and frustrating. I would not recommend booking here—it’s simply not worth the trouble or the cost.

I'm only giving this rating for the new female staff member that was doing all the serving while the manager and other staff were ignoring the bar at 8.30 getting the close done instead..

We're here for drinks only. The ambience was quite good, but the toilets were out of order. The menu looked good, but we were not looking to eat either time we were there on 02/08/2024. Staff wise, they were always attentive in particular one bar member who was very helpful, small, dark hair and very chatty. The price of drinks, however was variable and one staff member deemed to think that Whyte and Mackay was a premier whisky. An enjoyable day but could have been better

The staff were very pleasant and friendly I felt we were well served, however when it comes to cleanliness of the gents toilets it was absolutely piss poor. The heavy smell of stale urine also no soap in the soap dispensers and the urinals were in very poor condition, also we were sat fairly close to the gents toilets and every time the door was opened we got a waft of sale urine. We did enjoy the food and the service, however disappointing there were no roast dinners left at 2:30 in the afternoon. Regards.

Great location, friendly helpful manager and staff, good food, big selection and well priced. Will def be returning

Broken toilets; rude employees; sticky tables; and high prices-nuff said 😂

A great place to eat, or even just drink. Nice atmosphere and fantastic views. Our server, Poppy, was lovely. She had great suggestions, and she was very attentive and friendly. A great asset to the place!

I wondered why I hadn't been here for a long time, and I was quickly reminded why. Filthy every where especially around all the outside tables. It was a hot day and very busy and they had 1 person serving at the bar. The tables were sticky and dirty. The staff were unfriendly. Finally when I went to use the toilet, there was a sign saying out of order. How can a bar and restaurant have no working toilets???!!!

Excellent service! Can’t wait to go back.

Visited a few days ago, food was excellent and the service was great considering how busy the pub was.

Popped in for a quick afternoon drink and food, great service and decent food, nice atmosphere inside and lovely views overlooking the lake, will definitely be back

The staff were very friendly even though it was a busy time .

Lovely food and fantastic friendly staff! Will definitely be heading back!

Nothing says summer more than sitting outside a pub at a filthy table drinking overpriced warm beer out of a plastic cup because you can't be trusted with glass. Didn't eat here but did see some poor souls who did. Best give it a miss.

Lovely location. We had a really great meal. The servers were friendly and welcoming. The food is great with a good variety too. Will definitely be returning to enjoy the sun.

Had lunch here, lovely location and was served by a really friendly and professional member of staff named Aaliyah. She advised on food choices and was really helpful. Will definitely return.

Sadly it was absolutely awful. Would not recommend. Went there last year and had a really lovely meal so decided to go again this year. The toilets were out of order, we were told there would be half an hour wait for food which we were happy to wait. After an hour still no food! When we did get our food it was far smaller portions, very poor quality, cold some of it was burnt. Long wait to order drinks and some staff were standing around not doing anything while others were rushed off there feet. Very disappointing and spoilt the day.

Such a disappointing experience. Great place by lake and that would be it. First we had to clean table from people before us ourselves as we have been told staff is too busy. We have ordered 4 drinks, 2 portions of fries, nuggets for our doughter, ice cream, and share nachos. Ordered online through app as queue at bar was taking forever with only one person serving. It was supposed to take 45minuets. We waited 45 minutes for our drinks to find out they were staying on the bar left and we have to take them ourselves. After one hour, we asked how long left is for our food to hear rude answere back it's 45 minutes wait. Waiter was very rude when I was trying to explain to her it's been one hour already. After 1.5hr I went to bar asking for refund as we are not waiting any longer. I heard food is on it's way, 5 min later we finaly have received nachos and nuggets only, and been told fries and ice cream are coming. They never did, we just left after another 20 min wait. We are aware it's summer and high season but while we were waiting there was half of tables free at time and we could see people who came after us receiving their food quicker. Also the attitude of staff takes away the appetite. Never again.

Lovely service Molly was amazing in sorting out cake or my partners birthday. She was genuinely all round really good.food was really nice also, would highly recommend for a meal out.

Great restaurant ideal location

Went here yesterday. I last went there 25 yrs ago. The limit to menu was disappointing. On leaving noticed a lunch menu mon to Friday which was not offered to us but everyone else was. Main menu only were offered to us. Today I'm absolutely doubled up in abdominal pain, dirahorrea and sickness due to food poisoning. ..... never ever again!

Food was very reasonably priced. Would have been much better with warmed plates as some items arrived a little cool. No fish and chips at lunch, still on paper menu but to be fair was replaced by salmon on the online version. Would have been nice if the salmon had been mentioned. Bathrooms could use a bit of refresh. Nice views over the lake. Update: Ladies toilets much worse than men's.

Beautiful Amazing place for families.

So disappointed! Firstly, Greene King pub, no Abbot on draught! Out with friends, 2 had steak which they said was good. 3 of us had rainbow salad with chicken. There were no grains, beetroot or peppers. The onion was not chargrilled. The salad leaves were on the turn and the spinach had wilted to slime. I couldn't decide whether the chicken should be hot or cold as it was somewhere inbetween. I think I'd basically been served a house side salad with chicken on top. I told the waitress imediately that the grains were missing and the salad was not perfect. She said she would get us a bowl of grains and offered complimentary drinks but these neither arrived. We were not even offered an alternative meal, it was like the staff had given up! I told someone who looked like a manager who explained it had been busy and they had run out of stuff, so I said we only got half our meal. She was very apologetic and gave us a round of complimentary drinks and took 2 meals off the bill which was something, but it spoiled our eating experience. If you haven't got all the ingredients then tell they customer and not try to con them with half a meal. My only positive is that the staff were polite and friendly.

Came here yesterday for a drink, while waiting to be served I witnessed one of your staff (Chantelle I think) put up with such an idiot of a customer. She had the patience of a saint and it was also nice to see her management back her up after and say she didn't do anything wrong, as a former retail manager I completely agree. The guy said he was gonna complain so thought I'd get in here first!

First time here and it was a glorious Sunday evening and Willen Lake was alive and buzzing. We decided to sit in as it was quieter. The service was somewhat slow and our drinks didn't arrive until after we were eating. That said we couldn't fault the waitress who herself was pleasant, polite and friendly. The food was the usual fare and was OK, not nothing special but fine. We both had onion rings and found them overcooked to the point of ultra crispy and the onion inside all but gone. The ladies toilets had an issue as well from what we gathered. Overall it was a meal and drink but probably won't visit again.

UK pub eateries alike, only very few choices available, this one has only breakfast as lunch.

Booked a table with email confirmation but on arrival they couldn’t find it, was told there would be a wait as they had a few large tables in which was fine. However, after 25 minutes we did not even get drinks, then we were told no food available at all, despite booking. Astounded at the situation and the servers ‘not my problem’ attitude who did not even offer an apology.

Booked a table to celebrate and arrived earlier than the booking time. The lady at the front seemed very stressed and told us to order soon. We took roughly 7 minutes and went to order and waited in a queue, only to be told there is apparently no food left by a very rude employee when we got to the front. What a ludicrous reason. How did they suddenly run out of all food? How did the people in front who ordered food magically order the only item of food left? Sounded to me like some staff made the decision to stop making food for the day. There was no talking to the bar man he was very rude. It didn’t just affect us but others also and the staff member behind the bar was dreadful. If you go to Willen lake make sure you take a picnic.

Booked a table, were told half hour wait on food, which would have been fine. Went to order, told there was no food left, and server had a foul attitude. Would not recommend.

I recently visited the lakeside pub and it was a thoroughly disappointing experience. To start, the food was absolutely terrible. Everything we ordered was either overcooked or lacked flavor entirely. It was clear that no effort was put into the preparation or presentation of the meals. The staff was equally disappointing. They were rude and inattentive, acting as though they were doing us a favor by serving us. It was difficult to get their attention, and when we finally did, they were dismissive and unhelpful. The most off-putting aspect of the visit was the state of the pub itself. The place was filthy and looked like it hadn't been cleaned in weeks. There was grime on the tables and an unpleasant odor permeating the entire establishment. It made for a very uncomfortable and unappetizing dining experience. Overall, I would strongly advise avoiding lakeside pub. There are plenty of other places where you can enjoy good food and friendly service in a clean environment. This pub, unfortunately, misses the mark on all fronts.

The food was very good i got the Crispy Chicken burger and it was very good, our server was Lucy and she was lovely and made sure we had a very good experience. We will be back and the food exceeded my expectations.

The food was lovely and we were served by the lovely Lucy who was so kind and so patient will 100% be back !!

This restaurant leaves much to be desired. Despite the nice view of the lake, the decor feels very used, and the staff, though youthful, seem inadequately trained. The menu promises more than the food delivers, which is substandard, reheated, and served in the smallest portions. Even the salad was brown. Both the quality of the food and the service are lacking. It's not a place I would return to.

We've been twice now with a large group with young kids and I don't think we'll return unfortunately. You get the overwhelming feeling that the management are coasting on the appeal of its location and view, and there is little to no care felt elsewhere. The interior feels thrown together and tired. The food is sub-Wetherspoons for twice the price and a far more limited menu (I hope you like lukewarm, overcooked chips!) Staff were completely inflexible on substitutions to any menu items, even when it would have cost them less, refusing to swap peas for beans for an infant or chips for a salad for a diabetic pregnant woman. The whole experience was underwhelming, with nobody at our table of 12 reviewing their meal beyond "it was fine." An expensive experience completely devoid of passion, warmth or effort. I take no pleasure in saying this, but I left hoping our friends wouldn't judge me too harshly for choosing this restaurant.

Only visited for a short time but seemed OK.

Nice selection of food. Plenty seating, in or outside. Although the outside seats can be uncomfortable for longer periods. Plenty drinks on offer including cocktails with a lovely view across Willen lake.

Great restaurant good service food is exellent and reasonably priced and friendly staff. Only slight negative is the womens pub toilets need some tlc only one door locked some had lights not working or flush broken or no toilet roll but if you go to the restaurant end toilets they are lovely and well maintained.

I haven’t had a chance to get a table even though the place was empty. Apparently all tables inside are pre-booked online only the ones outside for drinks. The staff was rude when asking for the table , I noticed the place was empty so was surprised wouldn’t be able to get a table and put me off how the staff approached to this. Would not recommend even didn’t get a chance to try to food.

Manager explained that service was going to be slow and it was! Food was standard pub grub and beer was fine. An enjoyable meal with family.

The service needs an immediate upgrade! A prime location and amazing view needs service and food to go along with it!

Assistant Manager was very helpful, even thought it was quite busy.

Lovely atmosphere and fantastic staff ... Lisa is the assistant manager and went over and above to service our needs for a lovely lunch.

Poor quality of food, sticky table, and just zero enthusiasm from staff.

Come to the lakeside pub and restaurant for the first time with a friend and unfortunately will be the last. It took more than AN HOUR for our Mac and cheeses to come out.. they even forgot my friends drink..🫤 Get more staff in to make it more efficient for your customers you will lose customers like this! It wasn’t just us waiting either plenty of others. I understand it’s lunch time rush, but none the waiters even told us kept us informed nothing it was like we were forgotten. You charge people prices like that and the customer service is non existent? Ridiculous. Believe other reviews when they say to avoid. They are correct! Disappointed to say the least 👎

Really awful experience this lunchtime So got seated, ordered food and drinks, while waiting for our food a guy came out to deliver the food to the table next to us and I'm not joking when I say, he was dirty, his hands and clothes were filthy. Our meals came out over an hour of ordering them.The cheese on the pizza had not even melted and stone cold then the other meals came and again stone cold not even Luke warm. We did complain and the manager said "I've only been in for 15 mins". The guy that served us was very apologetic but the manager couldn't give a dam. We said we would pay for the drinks but they did say not to. Absolutely shocking place to eat. Shame because the guy that served us was so nice.

Stood at the bar and ignored by staff member who was making coffees. Other staff member was washing up. Two of the toilets don't flush, one has no lock and the other no light so in complete darkness. Owner should be ashamed.

Fantastic place to go for a carvery

This place needs a good revamp. The young lady Aaliyah was very polite and well mannered, really appreciate her ability to pay attention to detail, and found her to be very warming considering the circumstances. As for the host, not very pleasant, tall, large guy in a pink shirt, found him a bit scruffy and intolerable. Think he might need a holiday as well as a customer services course. Not to mention, the food took a very long time to arrive. As well as the order wasn't what I wanted. Aaliyah attempted to correct the order which I can very much appreciate but I ended up just eating coleslaw and cold hard chips. It was cold and barely anything on the plate, compliments to the chef. The toilets aren't clean, and the food is terrible in comparison to the Green King in Tooting (South London) As for the atmosphere, coming from London, I found there to be a lot of nosey people, quite a bit of staring, which was a bit uncomfortable. I will say, having been placed by the window, the views of the park are nice, it's ashame out the front looks a bit shabby and run down.

Beautiful view of the lake, delicious burgers, always quite quiet. Caring staff (there are bowls for dogs, they warn that birds can only be fed with special food). We've been a couple of times and the atmosphere encourages us to come back again.

Pretty poor overall! Good venue with a nice view of the water but the food was okay but it took nearly 45 minutes to get 2 sides which were fine. The tables / glasses were dirty and the overall vibe wasn’t amazing. Worth going for a drink on a summer’s day other than that leave it.

The fish was slightly undercooked but the ambiance is cosy

Well...firstly thank you Vicki and Rachel for a great welcome....once again on a day off you have made it worthwhile..these girls are an asset to your business...thanks

Amazing service and the staff are always so friendly . We will be back

this review is for Aliyah what a great character and attitude we love you girl. the place smells but shes great

Great meal (very well priced) and excellent service to Lucy. She has served us twice this week and she is absolutely phenomenal!

Not great. Kids vegetables were brown and well over a day old. Also they ran out of cheese so no pizzas. Ordered one starter which was inedible. Staff very nice & doing best they can. I'd advise drinks and very light snacks only. Wasn't nice nor worth money.

Great meal .... Great service from Aaliyah

Had charcoal grilled chicken with salad the day before, and it was divine. So I went back the next day for their grilled skewer with chips and it was amazing. Friendly service and excellent atmosphere. Thank you Chris and Jake.

Great food with a breathtaking view of the Ambleside lake & pier. Service is very quick and professional. Great ambience as well. Though the price is on the higher end but it's worth !!

Nice place and a good aiming point for walks around the lake. Parking is relatively expensive.

The atmosphere was okay. Staff were not polite. The food is not good, my chips were overcooked, drinks were very plain. Not recommended.

Lovely location but terrible food. Worst nachos I ever had! Will definitely not come back a second time

Great experience at the pub a couple nights ago, big thanks to Chris who provided great service and ensured we had a cracking night. Great pub

Amazing service from Vicky and Lucy! The were both lovely and chatty with a friendly service. The food, was amazing, rump steak cooked to perfection and literally melted in our mouthes. We will definitely be back.

We came here on Monday afternoon to have some lunch and what a big disappointment. The staff told us that the kitchen is closed event though people were ordering food all the time. It looks like they are picking up who to serve and who is not good enough.

Very difficult to place an order, and just one waiter for over 40 table, in a full sunday! waiting more than one hour for my order. Strongly recommendation to avoid that place

What a venue, loved everything about it, we will be back!

I wouldn’t give this place a 1star booked a table for half 6, took over 45 mins for food. Asked if we could sit outside they said yes then a snotty waitress comes to tell us we can’t and to come inside to eat as others will think they’re doing table service outside. Ridiculous place.do not come here unless you have a long time and can deal with snotty teenagers for staff .

Despite being extremely busy on a sunny Saturday, Chris who served us was very efficient and helpful.

Vicky and Louise and very welcoming good food and coffee ☕️ 😋 ♥️

Beautiful location, loved looking out at the lake. Full breakfast didn’t look great but my husband said it was okay. My pancakes were very good - bacon and maple. Lovely pancakes and just the right amount of syrup and bacon. Cappuccino very cold - should have complained but didn’t. On the whole not too bad, and definitely made better by location.

Over priced cold food staff are lovely but food let it down

Manager stormed towards us and told us that we couldn't eat because of kitchen problems (understandable) however the problem was her aggressive tone and telling us she couldn't refund us due to us ordering on the app (staff member on bar managed to refund us with no problem). We apologised for ordering but even then the manager seemed to take an irritated tone and said 'there are signs everywhere saying this' - for reference we hadn't seen the signs as we were sitting in the outdoor area as it's easier for my partner in a wheelchair.

Had a lovely lunch here today. Our server Lucy was fantastic! Very friendly and cracking a couple jokes. Food was quick, hot and delicious. When we asked for some extra peas Lucy was more than happy to help with an extra portion, no questions asked. Great view for a quick bite or a big family meal. Definitely one of our new favourite spots.

Really friendly quick service with a smile. Helpful with dogs. Will come again

Awful food ,dirty and run down surroundings needs complete face lift.

Aaliyah was great. Always on hand to help us and quick with service. A lovely girl. Super service. Food was lovely. Def come back again.

Beautiful setting just had coffee. Friendly staff.

Nice location, however the food was far below the standard I expected coming in. I had the burger and my wife had the chicken skewer. Both of us couldn't finish. The biggest issue was with the burger, I ordered the Tex Mex burger, and the beef burger itself was pink and mushy. Unlike any burger I've ever eaten before, McDonalds puts it to shame. The only reason I didn't complain at the time was because it was my daughters birthday and I didn't want to kick up a fuss and ruin the day overall, especially as the staff didn't seem to happy there either. Also, I thought it wasn't very good having a restaurant where dogs are allowed in, it felt unhygienic and also there were 2 separate dogs yapping constantly which got annoying and ruined the atmosphere. I won't be coming back, I normally give places a second chance but with the experience overall I will just avoid in future. Cannot recommend as a restaurant, but it might be alright for a pint rather than for food.