The Caldecotte - Pub & Grill in Milton Keynes

Why isn't there anything online about you closing soon until March 2025?? Reopening as an American diner apparently Update: Not the best response from the owners 🤦🏻

I have eaten here on a number of occasions and also enjoyed the food and thought it to be good value, however I was extremely disappointed to be told on a Thursday evening at about 7.30 that I could not order any food as I hadn't pre booked. We had dogs with us and were going to sit outside which I explained, but was still refused to be able to order any food. This seems totally ridiculous as the kitchen was clearly open. This place is obviously making too much money to be able to turn customers away and therefore sadly I will not be visiting this pub again

During our recent stay in Milton Keynes, we decided to visit The Caldecotte Pub & Grill located on Bletcham Way. Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by a charming and friendly young lady whose collection of tattoos made her stand out. Her welcoming demeanor set the tone for a pleasant evening. Our server, Samuel, was efficient and took our order of two wholetail scampi dishes with ease. We were seated at table 86, and despite the pub being moderately busy, our meals arrived promptly within 15 minutes, which we appreciated. The scampi itself was cooked to perfection, with a crispy coating and succulent seafood filling. The chips were generously portioned and perfectly golden. However, there were two areas where the experience fell short of being a full 5-star outing. First, the portion of peas served with the meal was disappointingly small, especially considering we had requested no salad or tartar sauce. We were expecting a bit more to balance the plate, but unfortunately, there were only enough peas for about three forkfuls. The second point that impacted our overall enjoyment was the state of the decor and furniture. While the pub has a cozy atmosphere, the furniture was visibly worn down, with some seat coverings peeling off. This detracted from the otherwise comfortable environment and left a feeling that the place could use some updates. In conclusion, The Caldecotte Pub & Grill offers good food and friendly service, making it worth a visit. With a bit more attention to portion balance and some refurbishment to freshen up the space, this could easily be a 5-star venue. For now, we give it a solid 4 stars.

Last minute visit, table for 5 available and good food and service. Thank you

Lovely lakeside setting, excellent food and drink, good prices, and plenty of room inside and out.

All the staff were very nice and helpful. It was nice to walk around the lake and see the swans and rowing boats.

Very nice restaurant and Pub, just ashame short staffed, so the only food option was the lunch menu, but this was more thst acceptable, very nice chicken and bacon ciabatta sandwich. What does make me laugh (not just here), sandwich with no tomato, happy days, but the house salad still has them in it. You would think the chef would realise. (BUT NO). Short staffed, but that didn't affect the service. No Draught Traditional Beer. Only larger (BOOO). Great location right on the Lake. Thank you will come back soon.

Very disappointed 2 of the 3 main course vegetarian options unavailable on the day. All that was on offer was a vegetarian burger. Left without ordering.

Sooo upset, I had very unpleasant situation, had my friends over from Cornwall to celebrate my baby’s 1st birthday and we did a walk around the lake so we could have a lunch at the pub , sat down as every time visiting this place but once I went to ask for the menu got very shocked as a member of staff said there’s no food being served at the pub are which is new, okay then I asked for the table at the restaurant ( which it was at the time at least 5 empty and also one big family about to leave but been told there’s no space !!! How can be no space if it’s lots of empty tables, then later on spoke with the lady which she introduced herself as a manager and she explained that it’s only booking without explanation why is Emory tables and we can’t have a lunch, never felt so unwelcome and uncomfortable in my life!!! Honestly there’s the way to explain booking changes as it never been like this before

Average chain pub, but nice location on a sunny day.

This used to be a lovely place to visit, always busy in the summer, now it's dead. And I can see why when the staff are awful and they charge £4.10 just for a soft drink! Great location and that's about it.

All good the food we had was tasty, all the waiters were friendly, helpful and polite. The interior was well decorated and the tables well spaced out. The outside is idyllic with the lake.

Last orders advertised as 10.30 pm. Wandered down from hotel at 10.08 pm for a beer only to be told last orders was at 10.00 pm!

Nice place with a very nice lake view

This could be such a good place but customer service was poor. The greeter at the door who was seating us told us that he didn’t know if carvery was being served as he had been on a break so we should go ask at the bar rather than doing this himself. Toilets were a bit wrecked but the food wasn’t too bad.

Stopped for coffee following a walk, machine broken, could only offer decaffeinated. Lovely spot, should be better, not impressed, would not recommend.

Didn't eat this time, just met up with some family. Nice place and easy parking. Not my type of food though.

Food expensive not good. Tables left with plates and food on them had flys all over them. Bottle of cake £3.85 soda water free soda and lime £2.85 = £ 2.85 for a shot of lime. Suggest all you have is a bag of crisps and a soda.

Dirty toilets no running water food burnt table's dirty

The food was perfectly acceptable for a pub meal. No issues there. We were staying at the attached Premier Inn so are here 2 nights. The 1st night staff were friendly enough but more interested in chatting than actually serving. Service was slow for both food and drinks. The second night was far more attentive. Overall the standard of cleaning is ok but some of the chairs are in a dreadful state, dirty and torn. We asked what kind of brandy was stocked and the young man serving thought it was the same a whisky? The toilets were not kept clean at all. Both nights they were unclean and smelly. So 3 stars because the food was reasonable and staff friendly when we saw them.

Large beer garden perfect for summer, food is so so

Not great....should have realised when there was sticky tape holding the floor together! Drinks were poor in addition, and no would not visit again

For the time we were there, there were long queues at the till and no singn of opening the 3rd till. Annoying. Reasonable food quality. Update: visited again on 22/7 and disappointed. Many items in the menu were not available. Stink of cigarette smoke from outside,guess it is not in their control but we did not like the atmosphere, especially kids. Food was below average some sent back to replace. Untidy tables and menu cards were really filthy. Felt the prices were expensive for the quality of food we got. I think the place is going downhill rapidly.

Just popped in for a quick drink, lovely surroundings, very clean and tidy, menu looked good

Food was great for some of us, there was a group of 6, alot of things people wanted were out of stock. Lots of confusion on what sauces people were meant to have which we were charged for and didn't think we actually got the right ones. It doesn't have a huge menu and it is a little pricey for what we had. But generally most of us enjoyed!

Not really to my taste but likely popular with families with children

The pub is very nice in a very good location but it was very disappointing when we got outside to the beautiful terrace and next to the lake to have the staff running after us to swap our glasses to plastic cups 🤦‍♂️

Very disappointed floors sticky loose floor boards taped floor boards dirty cutlery generally shabby appearance inside and outside such a shame as beautiful location drinks very poor food ok staff unprofessional we will not be returning

I had a beef burger last Monday and had stomach pain since then. Clearly the beef was in bad state. I couldn't even go to work for a couple of days and I still feel unwell. I have never had such a bad experience in any other restaurant I had dinner in.

Shame it’s open later now. Missing quite a bit of trade Sunday morning.

The place is very clean and tidy. With beautiful views.

Disgracefully dirty and unkept Unbelievable disregard for such a perfect setting!, Rubbish of all sorts outside Dirty windows and cobwebs and filth inside Toilets especially ladies a complete disgrace Bins not emptied in ANY areas Rubbish not collected in ANY areas !, Shameful disregard for this environment Sad

A wonderful place, a beautiful lake, and all services

13.20,Friday No fish & chips - run out of fish. No mixed grill - run out of gammon. If I wished to drink on the terrace, I had to have a flimsy plastic glass. Voted with my feet!

Nice place to visit and enjoy superb lake view

Lovely food ,Friendly staff. Good place for families. Lovely park and walking area too.

As someone who stays in premier inns week in week out working away I have an allowance for my food and I found this pub to be very expensive as they didn't offer a meal deal with premier inn also nearly £7 for a pint of peroni....not for the working class man but more aimed at the high flyers 👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼

Food we had was nice, only problem was not a great choice just usual standard pub foodand that was basic No salads or mash Potatoes mainly chips .

Bar staff happy to let other customers jump the queue at the bar if you’re waiting at the wrong side because apparently they only serve on one side of the bar. Not sure exactly how you’re supposed to know this as a customer; a bit pathetic that the bar staff clearly can’t manage their space or a queue properly. When I was finally informed of this the member of staff was needlessly obnoxious about it. The place was also a complete tip. Literally nothing to recommend.

First visit on a rare outdoor summer evening. Lovely location and friendly staff. Although I wonder if it’s Green King’s policy to lock punters out at 11pm without warning whilst some of our party had items inside the pub? At 10.30 pm the barman popped onto the terrace to advise last orders. That was it. By 11pm as the group was breaking up to leave we found the doors locked. Anyone needing the facilities or wanting to collect their belongings was out of luck, including an adult with special needs. I get that the staff are worked hard (as one told me towards the end of a 10 hour shift) but there’s no heed to treat customers with such disdain, given that we also collectively spent A LOT of money. There’s a crisis in hospitality (and our group knows that all being restaurant staff themselves in the area) but some problems are simply brought on by the industry itself. One is treating customers with such disrespect. We weren’t a rowdy bunch of Gen Zs but a genuine mix across the ages. Greene King, don’t be the problem, instead be the positive outcome because that is possible and it’s certainly what I’ve recently experienced in bars and restaurants in Portugal where staff have it a lot harder than their UK counterparts. Disappointed we still can’t get it right here.

Great place to taste a pint or have some delicious grilled food.

Food was ok. I had fish and chips. The portion of fish was average and child portions of chips and peas for an adult. Would not go again. Table service poor even though they had staff. This Restaurant had slowly declined and nowhere near like it used to be. I should of asked for a refund

Had three really enjoyable meals here. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful.

Lovely views, banging brownies. Staff are very friendly and the service is fast. Plenty of parking and outside space to sit or go for a walk.

Went for a late lunch after a walk around the lake. The service was great and the food was lovely will definitely recommend and stop in next time im passing by .

Food very average, staff good especially Sam who looked after us the 4 nights we were there for the Grand Prix weekend

Poor quality food extremely stale salad left most of it on the table. I think the lettuce was liz trusses. Ignorant a poor service. A terrible eating experience, but what can we expect of post brexit britain.

Reasonably priced for the quality, service was excellent (young lad called Sam, credit to the business)

Good service and good quality food. Steak sandwich was a bit chewy and over done. Otherwise great. Hunters chicken was very good.

Biked over to meet some work colleagues. Peddled round the car park looking for bike racks to no avail. Asked at the bar, to confused looks, until a helpful member of staff admitted they didn't have racks, but did let me bolt the bike to one of their gates. He did say they should have them. Incredible when we are meant to be going green that a large pub by a scenic lake and on a cycle route, can't accommodate cyclists.

Nice, little overpriced place with one big disadvantage, absolute prohibition of consuming food in the garden. Guests are allowed to enjoy the weather and scenery only through the glass of the window.

Had the steak sandwich, the edges of the bread were slightly burnt and the sautéed onions were just chopped raw red opinions, pot of gravy barely enough for two dips of the sandwich. The rosemary salt chips were underseasoned and the scampi very pale.

Diabolical! And this is aimed at GreenKing, not the staff. A large white wine and soda, a small white wine and soda, some £15+ Then ordered a glass of soda water alone £2.50! Told the young man it was free in Spoons. How dare you charge such a ridiculous amount for fizzy water??! Sort it! P.S. the service is still very uncoordinated and slow and no clear direction which part of the bar to wait at

My partner found a piece of glass in his food. Toilets were out of order. Tables and floor were sticky. Other food was about Wetherspoons level. They did refund us, so credit to the staff, and it is a nice location by the lake. Wouldn't come again.

Very poor pub. Booked a table for dinner, sat down with the menus then they said they'd stopped serving food at 6:40pm on a Friday. Very poor service. Place to avoid.

The tedious queue at the bar was the least of my worries. Firstly, I was told that I could not have the food which I wanted on the menu as it was not available on weekends (why the hell was this not made clear on the menu??), so ordered something that I didn't even want to eat and ended up chewing on a bit of glass which was hidden in my food!!! Very painful! Examined my food further to find hidden bits of glass. Returned the food back, demanded a refund, and received a lazy apology. Never ever going back there!!

Sticky tables and well worn seats with staff constantly taking food to the wrong tables. Shame really as its a lovely location.

Mediocre recreation of an old English pub with food to match. Milton Keynes is struggling to catch up with the rest of Briton. Please stop. A landlocked area with no real history with the exception of the wonderful Bletchley Park. The landlady is a chav or of Irish descent . Not that the Irish community isn't valued, they are far better than what's being portrayed. Wake up England.

Awful. My burger was cold and the contents were soggy. The chips were cold and oily. The restaurant is dirty and shabby. The menus were filthy. Even the cutlery wasn’t clean.

Not sure if we arrived on a bad day but as soon as we walked through the door we felt really unwanted. Part of the seating was fenced off for an event which is fine, there was lots of other seating available in the resturant. We were told to go and find something in the bar and she walked off. There were no tables big enough so went outside, all the tables were dirty and I asked if they could clean one so we could sit, was then told we couldn’t have food if we sat outside… Anyway, we then managed to finally order food and it took ages, when the food came out 1 of the meals was missing, we went to the bar and was told it was our fault? The food that had come out of cold and stale. We tried to speak to someone about it but all the staff were just having their own conversations and some even just stood there with Bowles of icecream? The toilets were so dirty and smelt really bad. We couldn’t wait to leave.

Environment is unique. Rainbow salad Missing a few colour's and chicken was sparse. Gangly goul beer wasn't served but said was available on the app. Had to ask for sauces and cutlery from a waiter. But overall a good meal. Very tender buttermilk chicken starter. Lovely walk around the lake afterwards.

Highly recommended. We had a glorious family meal out at the Caldecotte. Beth took excellent care of us, the various dietary requirements of our group were well catered for, and all ages had a lovely day out, with a fun play area and the lake to walk along. A great venue

Served by cerys and she was brilliant and very friendly she gave great service. Food was good and the drinks was nice! Couple of minor things why this isn't a 5 star but still great and again very happy with the service. Really enjoyed my seafood mix grill.had another visit here and the food was great again I had the mix grill was cooked very well was served my Charlotte she was very friendly and helpful. Would say another 4 star service very enjoyable

Only nipped in here for a coffee and a pint, but no coffee, the machine was broken! Got the wife a wine instead and, she got indigestion so, it wasn't great. The menu did look good, but it's one of the expensive Greene Kings. There looks to be a very good walk around the area with good weather conditions. Premier Inn next door, I would consider that and the pub, plus the walk another time. There's a train as well, needs checking what that is, I expect for kids. All in all, worth a visit for sure

We visited The Caldecotte for dinner as a family and had a wonderful time. The pub itself is in a beautiful location, looking out over the lake. Our children enjoyed the varied play park and watching the geese with their goslings grazing on the grass. The food was varied and tasty plus reasonably priced. The service was good. Despite having been fully booked in the hours leading up to our visit (due to the Take That concert), all staff members were polite and friendly. A special shout out to our waitress Beth, who really made the evening. Our kids were very interested in what she was doing. She engaged with them, and involved them in helping clear our table which they really loved. We stayed for round 1 of the Disco Bingo which was good fun. The DJ was engaging and friendly and the kids loved a boogie. If you are looking for a child friendly nice dinner in a pretty location The Caldecotte Pub is a great choice.

was served by Beth, lovely waitress. very polite and made sure we were okay with everything. thanks Beth!

Unfriendly staff & unprofessional service

Popped in on the off chance, pub was nearly empty with lots of uncleared tables. Seamed to be a lack of staff available. However, we waited until someone asked if we had booked when I confirmed we were walk-ins they told us they had no availability, so we left. Back in the car park, I checked availability to book a table online. They had lots of available slots in 15mins time! Quite pleased we tried another pub close by what was excepting walk-ins, we won't be visiting again.

Rude, unfriendly staff. Dirty and chipped mug. Waited over 15 minutes for 2 soft drinks. Refused to serve food for walk-ins even though plenty of spare tables and middle of the day. Broken coffee machine with no alternatives. Worst Greene king I’ve been to in MK so far.

The food was dry the egg was raw and the chicken was pink in some parts of it its the worst mixed grill I've ever had also when the camembert came out it came with only 4 peices of pathetic sized bread for a whole camembert and the waitresses couldn't care less and made you queue up when the pub was less than half full absolutely shocking

Beautiful place with great surroundings. Parking was good, as is accessibility. Menu isn't that big and prices are a bit high so we did go else where as the kids didn't want what was on the menu 🙄

Beth is lovely great food good experiences

Nice pub & location. I've visited here quite a few times, the only problem is the service; on my last two visits they only had one person serving, so I waited about 10mins just to get a couple of drinks, but other than that it's a nice place to visit.

One of the best pubs and restaurants I've been too. Food was great very quick service and the staff were lovely. Great views from the garden. The perfect place on a sunny day.

Not a great experience we had here. Didnt have hardly any of the menu available, when we did get the food it was awful and then the whole family was poorly the next day. Wont go back here.

Very nice food and friendly service!

Had a server called Beth and she was absolutely fantastic! Great service and would definitely come again

Had a lovely meal here last night. However, we had the last bottle of a red Rioja wine, the last two filet steaks and there was no scampi or fish available. I could understand on a Monday evening but a Thursday evening?!!! Those last two filet steaks were really good though!!

Nice meal wasn't to bad cheap enough

A lovely experience enjoying a meal in a windmill by the lake.

Avoid the steak sandwich at all costs as its as tough as old boots.

Inexplicably wouldn’t serve food upstairs and wouldn’t let me take it upstairs myself. Extremely inconvenient. Didn’t bother staying.

They were having a quizz night and all the tables were reserved. The waitress were quite rude and unwelcoming. We ordered anyway and more than half of the tables were unoccupied during the quizz and they had to remove the reserved from the tables. Food was very basic., nothing over the top

I had a great well cooked meal. The staff are really friendly and the atmosphere is good. Recommended.

Great location with beautiful view. Unfortunately food not the best. And service needs improving. Great place to enjoy drink :-)

Nice surroundings, great atmosphere, would recommend 👌

I can only give a 3 star because we wanted food at 8.30pm but the kitchen was already closed. They had been super busy all day and the staff were very nice and friendly. So I'm sure if the kitchens had been open there would have been more stars. A big food type pub attached to a hotel in a lovely lakeside setting, great on a sunny day.

Pretty underwhelming experience. The ladies behind the bar were clearly struggling due to what appeared to be staff shortage to keep up with the long queues at bar to get served. Burger lacked flavour, chips were semi decent. Felt overall place lacked clear management

Lovely pub overlooking the lake. Great food and service

Unfortunately there isn't any food allowed outside at present. Until a license is issued.

The Lake is a stunning setting by this pub. Reviews here are generally really poor , and when you get in there you can see why. Very tired looking , staff are dishevelled and not bothered. No one in there. Kitchen was closed earlier than advertised. They need decent staff and build a quality level of service abd a good atmosphere. The garden out back is nice. But people eating pizza out there all over the place says it all. Such a shame as the location is stunning.

Lovely setting. Chef did a great job with the freshly prepared food. Nachos & steak was delicious. Jenny our hostess was FANTASTIC, and a credit to the restaurant. Was warm welcoming, gave us recommendations, was just so pleasant. A real down to earth warm lady. Will come back. Matt & Natt

Cool atmosphere, lake with birds, delicious food

The triple roast trio and the roast potatoes were really yummy. The grain salad had a great dressing and hood green leaves, with nice ingredients. I will only suggest to try smoked salmon rather than salmon fillet for it. They had good real ale and had an allergy and intolerance tablet with the menu. They had soya milk for me tea. Our server, Becca, was friendly and helpful. The only let down was the ladies. It needs redecorating and a good clean.

The service in this place couldn’t be any slower. They have four people behind the bar and one of them is serving when she’s not talking to the other three.

Jordan pours an absolutely exceptional Guinness !

From start to finish, worse dining experience ever. Bar staff couldn't care less, gave no receipt for cash payment. Food took an age to arrive from ordering. When it did arrived didn't even look good. Chips looked as though they had been hanging about for ages & just warm, peas stone cold, gammon was burnt to a cinder on reverse side, egg done to a crisp & cold. No one enquired if meal was OK, but wouldn't been able to reheat because already dried out & burnt. Wasn't even busy. Sign on wall saying 'we're hiring bar staff & chef.' Certainly needs a chef that's for sure!! If this is one of resturants affected by the announced closures, it will do the public a favour.

Not going to win any Michelin stars for food or service, but adequate.

Beautiful pub, amazing menu, great food, beautiful lake to walk around to burn off the calories, mini steam railway open on weekends and school hols for the kids, right next to a cheap Premier inn,

Love this place. Been there multiple times with friends and work events. Always happy with the service. The lake is my favourite place for a walk after enjoying a good meal.