The Cartford Inn in Fylde

Great food great service probably the best gastro pub restaurant in Lancashire it gets my vote anyway.

Lovely inn, great staff, excellent food. Rooms have no refrigerators

Had a fabulous weekday lunch with excellent service in lovely venue

This is such a little gem of a place. The decor is fun and really well done. The people who work here are all so friendly, professional, and fantastic with their service. The vibe is just right and the food is absolutely delicious. I have been so impressed with my short stay here. It’s all extremely well managed and I’d definitely like to visit again, should I be so lucky.

The Food was amazing! Great quality, fantastic service. The food was bordering Michelin quality, worth a visit if you are a food fanatic!!

Anniversary meal, fantastic food and service. Lovely environment, friendly and helpful staff.

I took my wife here for our wedding anniversary dinner after reading good reviews about it. It definitely lived up to what I had read, absolutely delicious. We will be returning again.

A fabulous afternoon lunch. (Would recommend booking, we didn’t but luckily we had a table for a couple of hours!) Staff very attentive and service was outstanding aswell as being window seated with a lovely view outside. It was busy with all tables taken, so glad we got a table as the food was fantastic. The roast dinner was a solid 10/10 and thoroughly enjoyed the sour dough bread, pig cheek and pigeon! Never visited before so was a truly beautiful experience and has been allocated highly on our list for dates :) was too full for dessert but I would’ve had it if not. Can’t wait to visit again and stay in one of the pods. The nature around is lovely too. Thankyou for such a great first time dining experience.

Beautiful location, pretty dining rooms but tonight mediocre service, Pleasant enough staff but..... Poor meet and greet and general hospitality. Tapas were just so so and expensive.

Utterly fabulous food, in a stunning location. Staffed are fabulous and the place is just so gorgeous. Very slight slip in the timing of our mains, but it's how you respond that defines you. Would throughly recommend a visit, lunch or dinner. And I will be a repeat customer.

Drove 40 miles on Monday to see what the Inn of the year could offer at lunchtime with two of business colleagues travelling a similar distance. Some patrons were eating inside but we were turned away by the host saying they were shut ! Apparently only open to hotel/ inn guests, not outside walk-ins . Very strange to be honest there was obviously a chef on site to prepare food for hotel guests. Must be making too much money to be able to turn customers away . Had a great meal instead up the road in Great Eccleston village instead

We stayed just for one night. The room was spacious with lovely decor. Service was excellent in all areas and impressive to see a skilled bartender. The food was fantastic. A good variety on the menu with some quite different dishes. Plenty that I wanted to try. Will definitely return.

We had a meal here Saturday evening, The place is amazing amazing, staff Amazing and food Amazing. Definitely somewhere for a special night

Stunning Inn, beautiful rooms and excellent food. Couldn't fault it.

Just a warning for people who receive a gift voucher for use here. My son bought me this for my birthday end of March and I have just rung up to use it to be told it has expired! The voucher is only valid for 6 months which was 26/09/24. The lady on the phone just said sorry you can’t use it. Ok I get they have to put a time limit but places I have visited before with vouchers such a Gilpin hotel have 12 months. Left a sour taste but just a warning for others to use it within 6 months.

Went for lunch and had 3 courses for a birthday treat. Absolutely beautiful. Probably my favourite place to go and eat. French onion soup…… that good I almost ordered it twice. Exceptional 👌👌

Lovely food but tbh slightly overrated and very overpriced....watch out for the service charge and pricey drinks....yes it's a Mitchell star restaurant but I have better food...but that's just my opinion

We dined at Cartford Inn last night with high expectations, but unfortunately, it fell short in many areas. While the ambiance was pleasant, the overall dining experience left a lot to be desired. the food was quite underwhelming. Dishes that sounded exciting on the menu were bland or poorly executed, with flavors that just didn’t deliver. The portions were surprisingly small for the price, leaving me feeling like I didn’t get my money’s worth. For a place that charges premium prices, I expected much better quality. Moreover, the service was overbearing. The waitstaff were overly attentive to the point of being intrusive, constantly hovering and interrupting conversations, which became more irritating than helpful. While I understand the importance of good service, this felt more like they were trying too hard to impress rather than creating a comfortable dining environment. With overpriced, below-average food and service that verges on irritating, I left feeling disappointed.

Fantastic food and well priced for the quality. Don't like the 'discretionary' service charge as it should be up to individuals. Warranted a tip, but actually ended up with less as I just went with what was on the receipt

Spectacular, so good that I have recommended it to all my colleagues! Lovely walks in the area and the food is stunning ! Just an all around ace place to stay !

Fantastic place with excellent food

Amazing spot on the riverside. Sunsets and calm. Best food. Friday night specials are always a treat. A wonderful saxophonist playing last night. Dreamy and perfect. And the signets have so grown since I was last here, almost swans now!

Managed to get a table yesterday evening. Great service, tasty food and good wine/drinks options

What a wonderful place. The food and service were impeccable. I would personally like to thank Sakis one of the chef s for his kindness shown to my friend and myself. Will definitely return, Thank you to all for making our visit unforgettable.

Very slow service as they forgot our meal. Its really expensive for what you get. We've eaten in good quality establishments and paid less and recieved a lot better service the food wasn't even that great. Drinks are way over priced. We will not be going back again.

The Cartford had been recommended to us. So we arrived after a good walk only to be told we couldn't purchase a drink as we were not residents! Very disappointing 😞 won't be going again.

Dined here for a birthday meal. Lovely canal side setting and quirky greenhouses to dine in outside. Eclectic mix of old and new inside. Little nooks and crannies. We had a lovely table. The menu is not big but I prefer it this way. I chose the mussels for starter which were delicious and for main I had the lamb which was quite Mediterranean with olives and feta absolutely delicious. Only one of our party had a dessert which looked delicious. It was nice to see other diners dressed up which made this restaurant feel that bit special I didn’t see anyone in jeans which made a nice change. Apparently there are rooms to stay over in which is a lovely idea. We will definitely be returning soon as we had a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

My first time here and it was fabulous. The atmosphere is great and the pub has an interesting eclectic decor. The staff were lovely and very attentive without being overbearing. The food and drinks were excellent. I have not enjoyed a dining experience as much in ages. Everything was done with care, attention and style. This pub is very highly recommended.

Had a very enjoyable evening. Lovely menu, great service and wonderful food. Afterwards we took dessert in the large outside seating area. Ample parking and lodges available if you wanted to stay over (not on this occasion).

Wow! Our friends had been before so we had high expectations on what to expect, and the Cartford Inn did not disappoint. The food was amazing with really great service (thanks to Ollie).

Staying at the Cartford to visit friends in nearby Poulton we dined on Saturday night with our friends. The food is excellent throughout the menu whether starters, mains or deserts. Book in advance as the restaurant gets busy and you can see why when trying the food. We are already looking forward to returning to the Cartford both to stay and dine.m

This is the second time we have eaten here. Both times we had the seafood platter, which is a masterpiece and worth the journey. NB you have to order it ahead and they get the seafood in fresh that day. Other food on the menu is excellent, very high gastropub standard. But the seafood raised it above that.

We had a lovely dinner here for our wedding anniversary- we also stayed the night in the Robin’s nest. Just a great experience- fantastic oysters, the cod’s tongues with curry butter were absolutely delicious and something different. The menu was adventurous enough to make me want to try everything- none of the usual boring pub grub. The fish was well cooked- my only niggle was that my panzanella salad wasn’t panzanella- it was a tomato concasse and that was a wee bit disappointing. Told waitress who didn’t really know what to say! The pig cheek taco was delicious with really authentic South American tasting taco. Service was good and the experience was such that we will definitely return- perhaps for the seafood platter which looks amazing.

There is no denying it this place oozes style in such a beautiful setting. We booked a late lunch on Sunday and asked for a river side view which overlooks the beautiful Lancashire countryside. The menu is a’la carte with Sunday roasts which is just right. The portions are generous, we chose some nibbles, gordal olives these were as good as anywhere and Lancashire cheese beignets delicious. Our mains were calves liver with creamy mash and onion gravy and harissa roasted lamb also delicious together with a lovely Portuguese red , we declined dessert as we were full up . The only issue was noisy children screaming completely ignored by the selfish parents ideally children should not be allowed in such a lovely environment.

Poor experience and won't be visiting again. We were told there was "plenty of roast ham" left. It came to ordering only to find out they had no ham and by plenty they meant only 7 portions... It took ages for the food to come. When it did come, the portion of risotto was absolutely tiny, not even a fistful, and there was more kale than actual risotto - £19 for a bowl of tasteless kale essentially. Had to ask for table water twice as they didn't bring it. We paid £63 for 2x miniscule and tasteless portions of risotto, 1x scoop of ice cream, 1 cider and 1 lemonade - shocking price. Don't waste your money.

We have dined at the Cartford many times over the years and it continues to maintain fantastic food service and ambience This is our first choice restaurant on the Fylde coast

This was an experience which did not disappoint in any way. We opted for the gourmet seafood platter, shared as a starter between three, followed by selections from the menu. In freshness, quantity, value and presentation this was the best we have had anywhere in Britain or France. It should surely be the restaurant's signature dish. It alone is worth the journey. The other dishes we had from the menu, which included having starters as a main course, were very good. The service was excellent: informal, friendly and efficient. The atmosphere was great, not least because everyone was clearly enjoying their food. The decor of the restaurant was, well….. imaginative. But happily it did not detract from the food or the atmosphere.

Called for Lunch on a Sunday light bite on the way to Lytham . Ordered couple beers , bread with olive oil , Crevettes, salt and pepper Squid and the worst Mussels I’ve unfortunately had served absolutely tiny mussel meat , poor quality when I advised the staff of this nonchalant uncaring attitude as I left some mussels for them to see. Look after customers and they return . Safe to say off my list now . Had Mussels in Lytham Monday and Oysters 👍👍👍

Great food very well presented ... Hard to fault.

Reserved a table for two and for my wife's birthday. Booked in The Main Inn section of the restaurant and we loved it. We had a table for 2 in the bay window overlooking the river. From arriving to leaving, out overall dining experience was excellent. A very warm welcome from all the staff and service was prompt, professional and friendly. We will definitely book again for food and recommend to all our friends and family to pay a visit themselves. Thanks to all the team at The Cartford Inn

The worst welcome of any establishment we have ever visited. The staff are arrogant and rude here and do not allow visits for drinks only. We were shocked at the arrogance of the manager. We would not return for a meal on any occasion. Avoid at all costs ! Try the Farmers Arms at Great Eccleston for a drink or excellent food .

My partner and I went for a walk in the area and thought we’d have a quick drink with our dog at the Cartford Inn. We were also thinking it would be a nice treat on Fathers Day! On arrival the majority of the outside seats had reserved signs on them and being polite I asked one of the staff if it was ok to sit on them as they were vacant and we were only staying for 10 -15 mins. The staff member said no as they were reserved for people who were eating or staying and MAY want a drink outside….. not actually reserved for anyone in particular. I asked what his suggestions was for having a drink outside to be told that basically I should go somewhere else in the area!!! Obviously we will not be returning and not visiting for Father’s Day… As a previous reviews says not good customer service….

Visiting relatives in the area who had dined here before so we decided to head here for Friday night dinner and were very much looking forward to it. To keep it simple and not waffle on too much, food was good but not exceptional and probably not worth the hundress of pounds we paid. Calamari was worth a shout as this was lovely as was the French onion soup. Asked for a standard cocktail not on the menu to be told he could not make a drink not listed which was very strange. Service very slow at times. For the money, you expect extremely good things but it was just average unfortunately and the inpersonable service and unfriendly welcome was a dissapontment. Wanted to love this place but was just underwhelming sadly.

On entering the venue with my partner and small dog we was approached by a man casually dressed holding a baby saying we don't allow dogs and what was it that we wanted, we replied just a drink and thought we could have that outside to be told you can't just have a drink here. Very rude and unprofessional especially in the outfit of what I assume was the owner.

We visit here a good few times per year and adore everything that’s captivating about the Cartford…. Always re-inventing, from the menus, to added decor and staff. Tonight was sax/ramen and both were equally fabulous!…. Special mention to ‘Alex’ who accommodated for us to purchase from the store we love!….he specially opened up for us. and was charming in his approach to us purchasing several pieces. Very friendly, professional and a credit to the ‘cool Cartford’ ….Bravo!…👏

We booked the private dining room for our Golden Wedding celebration lunch. All through the process the staff were extremely helpful. The room was perfect for our group of 21. The menu choice was extensive and covered everyone’s tastes. The food was excellent from starters to desserts and the portions were very generous. Drink orders on arrival were dealt with swiftly with 4 members of staff making sure that everyone was served. The TOTI (house) wines that we chose to accompany lunch were very good value for money. Service was fast and food was hot on arrival. Very pleasant staff in a lovely location. Highly recommended and we will be back.

Nice atmosphere, excellent food & helpful staff. Food accommodated GF & DF too 👍🏻

Easter Sunday lunch. Absolutely delicious. Staff are great and the location is so pretty. Great little shops too. Loved it!

my wife and I can the french onion soup and fish pie. both where excellent. The service was also excellent. We will definitely be going back

Great food super clean rooms quirky decor.

Just in for food on a solo business trip but the it was excellent as were the staff. Oliver was super friendly and very helpful indeed. Great atmosphere and decor too! Would highly recommend.

Lunch. Fish pie was delicious. Team were very friendly. Lovely table overlooking the river.

Well what a great find this place is. YES absolutely brilliant great food great selection of wines and spirits and beers just excellent

Booked on the last minute on our way back from The Flower Bowl. All the staff were great, very friendly, helpful and polite. The food was delicious - starters, mains and desserts. The ambience of the place was great too.

I was bought a gift voucher for the value of £150 from colleagues I didn’t look at the expiry thinking it would be for a minimum of 12 months. I saved it for a special occasion and on booking I realised it was only valid for six months. I explained my over-sight & was told rather abruptly that six months is six months. Having issued vouchers myself I’ve never known a six month voucher or any company who would not honour this amount. Really disappointed that the voucher system is not for the customers benefit.

Top notch every way.excellent food service and ambience.

Just wonderful. Beautiful setting. Quirky lovely decor. Great food. Helpful staff, particularly Julie and Craig. One of those places where you feel valued and looked after. I just wish it were closer to home!

Great food n service, but only disappointment was literally being asked “how long you gonna be? We’ve got another booking for this table” within seconds of my sister putting her dessert spoon down and settling a bill of £400+ and the fact I’d already spent 40 quid on beers at the bar whilst I waited as I turned up early. Been here loads of time, always enjoyed it, but this time felt like a McDonald’s counter number. It’s not the Savoy, it might be the nearest thing we’ve got but I’ll be trying farmers arms next. Steak was done to perfection I might add. Food is always magnificent I might add, just don’t like feeling like as soon as I’ve finished my last bite, they’re gonna swab the seats n table down for the next few hundred quid

Excellent food and service. The Barrow-in-Furness black pudding is next level.

We loved our overnight stay here, we had a riverside room with a lovely view. Place was spotless. Nice Ren toiletries in the bathroom. Food and drink was top notch. The staff are attentive and hard working. Would definitely like to revisit if I was in the area.

Brilliant every time we go Can’t fault it The ambience ,the Staff, the setting Excellent food Would highly recommend this family run Inn

Absolutely superb. Not a cheap place to eat out but worth every penny. Highly recommend.

Had Sunday Dinner. It was a really delicious Rump of Beef.

Great food and superb service. We’ll be back for sure.

Just to be clear - I rarely post reviews on Tripadvisor but I was surprised at some of the negative reviews that I have seen appear recently. We booked the option with the Robin's Nest cabin + 3 course dinner @ £30/head. Check in was simple and quick and we were shown to our cabin overlooking the River Wyre. Spacious, it was decorated with thought and originality. Great sound system operated by an iPad + a vinyl record player. There were lots of tasteful ornaments. A balcony with heating and sheepskins topped it off. Definitely not an anonymous business location! Full choice was offered for dinner. Not, as you usually see, a stripped out version that you can sometimes see when you prebook on an offer. By prebooking, we saved at least half on the final bill. Like the room, the food was original, thoughtful and delicious. All of this was served by a team of charming team of waiters that were professional and efficient throughout. Breakfast, the next morning was equally delicious. All in all, this was a perfect stay. Thank you !

Very nice place food is very good.

Something's changed at the Cartford Inn. We've eaten here lots of times and it was always our favourite place, but today everything we ate was average. For the prices, it needs to be top quality cooking but today all 3 courses weren't great. Very disappointing. I'm guessing there's been a change of chef along with the new discretionary food charge. It's a real shame.

I booked a ground floor room. 31March/ 1st April 2024. Taking advantage of a Sunday evening offer, on their website. I pressed the direct link, again on their website, to that exact same offer. The offer was confirmed. A couple of days later, Jean, emailed to say that offer, on that day, couldn’t be accepted. It was Easter Sunday. I knew that. Cartford booking system clearly didn’t, as it allowed me to book. It allowed me to receive confirmation. Jean offered me an alternative booking , same Sunday evening offer, for 24/25 March. 2024. I reluctantly accepted. Making Jean aware I wasn’t amused. That my partner was keen to accept the offer. I was further advised the room I had booked, 31 March/April 1st, couldn’t be booked. It had to be another ground floor room. Again I verbalised, not using foul language, that I was less than amused. That my vibes were , at best , negative. What could I expect next? Our evening table reservation cancelled? No food, left on the menu, at the time of our restaurant booking? I heard no more , until this evening, Saturday 20th March. From Julie. Part owner, I understand. Saying they had cancelled my booking altogether, because they didn’t like my negative refrain. It was they who changed the booking. It was they who changed the room. Rich to expect me to accept either/both changes, without concern. Cartford terms/conditions make no mention that they can cancel a reservation, because their customers, me, have the temerity to express, robustly, not rudely, that their enforced changes, are beyond the pale. That their booking system is imperfect. I will be seeking legal redress. Whilst I’ve not paid anything for this booking, breach of contact comes into play, I feel.

Bougie...very bougie. If oysters, snails and the like are your thing then you'll probably love this place. Fantastic decor in a great location. One star off for a frosty reception - it seems I'm the first person to ever walk in and just ask for a drink at the bar.

I often eat here and meals have always been excellent for everyone. Very helpful bar and waiting staff nothing too much trouble

We booked the Penthouse for an overnight stay with the dinner included. The Penthouse was a lovely room, with full amenities, which we loved. I'm sure on a warm summer evening it would be idyllic, but in December during the cold and rain, the balcony went unused. The food was good, really enjoyed the tastes and the cooking of the food was spot on, with good choices on the menu. The ambience of the place was great, with a duo playing that evening, with the staff attentive and there was nothing they wouldn't do to help you enjoy your meal and stay, excellent service from arriving to departing.

Nice place, although not advertised it has an electric charger in car park. Nice coffee and cakes, put next to a warm Fire.

Very very nice food, we took our dog so sat outside and it was lovely.

Absolutely stunning food and venue.

The Cartford is a regular in the family. We went there before Christmas and the food was superb, the staff friendly and accommodating as always.

Business lunch meeting took some clients out. Food was good but the service doesn’t match the price tags. Waitresses offering a service level you would expect from a cafe on Blackpool prom not when the starters are £12 and the steak is nearly £40 Drink was wrong - no apology Cleared half the plates only I had to ask them to clear the rest and provide a dessert menu Asking us to pass to menus to them instead of walking round the table to collect them Just get the impression staff feel customers are inferior to them

Wasn’t a proper French onion soup

Fabulous Food and Service. A Fantastic meal this evening. The steak was to perfection and the Calamari was delicious. Highly Reccomended 5 Stars !

The food here is excellent. We have visited a number of times and always had a great experience. The menu is unique and changes with the seasons. Highly recommended.

I’ve eaten in the Cartford arms a number of times, always pulled back by the look and feel of the place but to be honest have never been blown away by the food. After my experience on Monday I honestly can’t think I’ll be going back. I’m a huge fan of belly pork and have had it every which way you can, so as it was on the menu it was for me a go to. It was described as being braised pork belly, my understanding means it should melt in your mouth. It couldn’t have been further from reality as unfortunately it was basically a few slices of belly that looked like and had the consistency of something that had been flash fried to the point, I mentioned this to the waiter, that it was inedible. I had a mouthful and left the rest. When we got the visit to the table to ask if all was okay I explained it was very tough and he said straightaway that a few other people who had it also said the same and said it wasn’t crispy or cooked enough. Also when ordering, I wasn’t sure what to order, surely if they had already had complaints they should have encouraged me to have something else?! In attempt to appease me the waiter said I could have a cup of coffee almost as a way of brushing it away. Appalling on all counts, the food was inedible, the waiter’s response to my comments was to offer me a coffee and then to top it all off the coffee, I exchanged for a pint of beer, was then added to my bill which I had to point out to him…. Sorry I don’t care how good everything looks if you can’t follow it up with at least cooked food and decent waiting staff you won’t be getting my business anymore…. A very, very poor experience !!

Wow! Amazing food on every plate. Oysters, cod with dahl, black pudding. The food we did not want to end. Staff were very attentive. Love the eclectic feel of this place too. One of my faves

First impressions were good, lovely situation by he river, quirky decor… expectations were high …. 8 adults and two children who are used to eating out and very well behaved. We were squashed into a space by the bar not in the restaurant… felt very...

Fabulous lunch. Fish pie and fried rice pudding yes fried rice pudding. Delicious

This establishment is unique and as a colleague of mine used to say 'Top Dollar ' it exceeds expectations and overdelivers in EVERY way from the immaculate appearance inside and out the friendly and warm hospitality and service from the professional attentive upbeat hosts to...

We've visited numerous times over the last few years and always been impressed, the food at the Inn was good and TOTI was a great addition for coffee/cake etc. Overall it always seemed a well run business with diverse offerings for a range of customers,...

Review Me and my girlfriend arrived for a booking on a Sunday afternoon, our table wasn’t ready so we were told to take a seat at the bar whilst we waited, that being said, the wait wasn’t very long. After ordering some drinks we were...

Our visit was on Sunday 27th August and the table was booked for 5pm. We were taken to the bistro and when the waiter arrived, he presented us with the menu and advised they had no roast dinners left. This isn’t particularly good planning for...

We waited an hour after ordering our food before it arrived. We ordered 3 suet puddings and stressed that one of the diners could not eat beetroot and to not put it on the plate. Meal arrived with beetroot and it had touched the pudding...

This used to be our favourite place to meet for dinner. Not been for a while and was very disappointed with the change of menu . Ordered the special , sea bream , which was nice. However we sat down at 6pm and the food...

Not our first visit to the Cartford Inn, but none the less the food was excellent as usual, most of the family were visiting for the first time and we had no complaints, always a pleasure

Top quality food, pleasant surroundings.

We had a fantastic stay at The Cartford Inn last Thursday. The staff were friendly, with great customer service. The evening meals were superb; really good choice of good and well presented. The rooms were stunning, and featured lots of quirky items, as did the...

I came here as a writing retreat and I can honestly say it was absolutely the perfect place for it. This beautiful family run jewel is so welcoming and I stayed in the Ziggy Cabin, which was amazing. The food was excellent and the service...

My husband and I booked for Afternoon Tea at this venue. We used a 70th Birthday gift voucher which was near expiry to book. Unfortunately my husband was ill and we had to cancel the day before. We had a call from a staff member...

5 Stars, the perct hotel, I have absolutely no idea what could be improved

Called here for a drink at 4.30 pm Friday as it was raining hard and we were very wet, when we tried to order drinks we were asked if we were residents, we said no, it a sorry we only serve residents between 3pm to...

We called in to have a drink and possibly a snack. We were told we could not order a drink even to drink outside unless we were diners or residents. We were embarrassed that we had to leave without being served. This is no longer...

I stopped at the Cartford Inn for a quick coffee but I was told they don’t do takeaway drinks. I explained that I’d happily sit outside in the empty beer garden with a drink. But I was told that all the tables are reserved. I...

We rented the small private room for a family lunch, 16 people. The food was outstanding, the service first rate. The owners organised for us a singer/guitarist for musical background, he was superb. The day was just perfect Thanks so much

My family used to love the cartford inn but it seems like it just doesn’t want to cater to its regular customers anymore. I am aware the menu does change, but now the classics are long gone, no moules frites or fish and chips !...