The Croft Restaurant in Cotswold

Bad bad bad service and rude staff. Bar and kitchen operate at snails pace. Won’t be coming back. Took ages to just order and then ages to get two beers.

Sadly a tale of two visits…..and two extremes. As visitors to the town we had breakfast here on Sunday morning and it was good. I asked our waitress where I could buy a Sunday paper and, seeing I walk with a stick she asked what paper I wanted and went to the shop ( about 100 yards away) and bought it for me. A really nice touch, greatly appreciated. The following morning we returned and asked for toast and two coffees. The place was busy but our coffees were delivered quickly. Sadly they were finished by the time the toast arrived. I asked the waitress for another two coffees as the long wait for the toast had forced us to drink our coffee before it got cold. She came back to our table and said she had spoken to the manager and any extra coffee had to be paid for. I told her that was shockingly poor and that we would not be back. From the sublime to the ridiculous……

There were at least five tables waiting to order. I went and asked if I ordered at the bar and they confirmed it was table service. One of the girls that I asked, I could see she was drinking water/lemonade and looking at me for ten minutes after I asked. An elderly couple left as the service was extremely slow. We left about 15 minutes after I asked about the service. No one cared to come. In all, we waited 25-30 minutes. Three girls chatting at the till holding trays. Not interested in giving good old service to anyone waiting. We left and had drinks and crepes next door at the Venezia Restaurant.

We were served by one of the younger boys . The service was awful I would not recommend this place. We waited 45min for a quick lunch. We had to ask several times for an order when we did they forgot to put it through . When I asked for the bill he stood over me with a machine while I checked the bill which was odd. I even had to ask to see the amount on the efpos machine really? Management needs to step up and hire people who want to work. The strong looking fellow was very efficient and looked competent.

Had an excellent vegetarian breakfast, at the Croft it was very tasty one of the best veggie breakfasts I’ve had, especially the sausage. They were really busy but we got our breakfasts in good time and our servers were welcoming and cheerful. Would definitely visit again if back in Bourton on the water.

We went for a light lunch/cake, the chips and nachos we ordered came quite quickly and they were fine, however we never received any cutlery or napkins and our plates were never cleared away once finished - we were basically just ignored after our food came - we managed to order 3 pieces of cake after trying to get anyone's attention for a while, and 20 mins later still didn't have it, we asked another waiter for the cake and 10 mins later still nothing - literally all they had to do was put the cake on a plate and serve it to us - so after half an hour of waiting we decided enough was enough and asked for the bill. That came with the cake on it, so asked for that to be taken off and pointed out that we had asked twice for it and still hadn't had it - there was literally no apology or anything -and also the 10% tip is added into the prices of everything on the menu so very sneaky - not impressed with the service, yes they were busy but that doesn't excuse the poor customer service/manners - and looking at other reviews on here they obviously don't seem to care about the customer service side of things as nothing seems to be done about it.

Interesting to see how the reviews below swing between being mostly satisfied and very disappointed. I wonder what lies behind the difference? Anyway, I have eaten here on several occasions and enjoyed it. The breakfasts are very good, and my limited lunchtime experience has been good too (poke bowls). However, like so many restaurants they are suffering from "gratuity creep" where a once voluntary tip has moved through being a suggested gratuity to being automatically added to your bill. It puts you on the spot, if everything isn't right and is an unwelcome import from the US.

Lovely breakfast, but service was slow and food a bit pricey. Only one ladies toilet and one gents outside at the bottom of the garden and you'll have to wait in the cold outdoors if it's occupied! Watch out for the 10% service charge added to the bill (in tiny print at the bottom of the menu). You'll get a better deal at the Riverside Cafe nearby (closed on Wednesdays though).

Had 2 poke bowls that didn't come as stated on menu ( no avacado). Forgot bowl of chips and sneaky gits added 10% surcharge (small print at bottom of menu) over priced for mediocre experience. Had two pints as well £55. Shan't bother again.

Great service, drinks arrived quickly, order soon taken from friendly staff for lunch, and it was really busy. Food was good priced reasonably. Thank you.

Look and cleanliness was good. Food was OK. Correct food and warm at least. The service was just awful. Had to ask for cutlery abd napkins for both starters and mains. Brinks came out well after the starters. We asked 4 time for water for the table a d still didn't get any by end of the meal. Poorly organised and understaffed.

Their service is not great, in one word rude. Told us to wait outside to be seated when lots of empty tables inside, and it was raining. Staff just standing around and let us wait, when we had elderly people with us. We waited over 10 min, and decided to leave. Will avoid in future.

We were greeted promptly and then it all went downhill. We found a table inside as instructed and then, after 15mins, had to ask for someone to take our order. A different waitress came over and was very curt as if we were inconveniencing her by order coffee and cake. We ordered 2 Americanos (1 decaf) and a piece of carrot cake. About half an hour later we received one milky coffee - not what was ordered at all! Eventually we got 2 black coffees and the cake, which was delicious. We then asked for the bill and Waites another 15 minutes for this. Tldr: food and drink good, service appalling.

Ordered 2 coffees and 2 tea cakes, coffees came after 15 minutes luke warm, 25 mins later still no tea cake we had already finished our coffees so we paid the bill and left no apology shocking service wouldn’t return.

We popped in on Friday night for a bite to eat having visited Bourton on the Water and had a really good meal. My partner is gluten free and the waiting staff knew what was possible for her to eat and what they could swap in on certain dishes meaning she was free to eat from the majority of the menu. The food itself was tasty and the portion sizes were very good. The staff were also very attentive and the service levels were good. We were also very lucky to be able to get a table in the window meaning we could look out onto the town while in here. Its a beautiful spot to relax and enjoy the food in.

Fantastic breakfast and friendly staff with a warm welcome on a wet Saturday morning. Lovely decor and great food. First class!

We ordered two cream tea’s one with coffee we got our tea & coffee & we had to wait 45 minutes for our Scones & when we tried to eat them they had been warned up in the microwave & very chewy. because we had to wait 45 minutes we decided to order another tea and coffee. When we ask for the bill I ask if we could as a courtesy they could discount the price for the second tea & coffee because we had waited 45 minutes but they refused. not happy with the service at all

Drinks weren’t the best quality and the ice cream was poor. The only thing I can compare it to is ice cream that has been left open in your freezer for way to long. It was more ice than cream. Potion sizes were good and the waitress was very friendly and easy to speak to.

Asked to swap to eggs for avocado on a VEGETARIAN breakfast to make it vegan and the waitress said that won’t make it vegan as the sausages are cooked with meat. So I said the vegetarian breakfast then surely isn’t even vegetarian, so please could she check with the kitchen. She then came back and confirmed that they only have two fryers and everything is cooked together. Appalling.

Absolutely lovely breakfast, great service will return! We especially enjoyed the Jessie Smith Sausages they were delicious!

Visited just as it opened on a hot Saturday in June. Had a delicious breakfast of poached eggs, bacon, avocado on sourdough bread with one of the best coffees I’ve ever tasted. Service was excellent and friendly We sat outside by the river able to...

The young waitress who greeted us (and I use that word sarcastically) never got any better. She either needs more training - or to be sacked. There was no customer service from her at all. Her antipodean colleague however was lovely. Watch and learn is...

Ordered a beer and a Berry Gin Spritz. Service was slow and the gin spritz was awful as it had zero taste. A nice setting for a drink so it is a shame.

Monday morning for coffee. Plenty of outdoor seating and shade. Service extremely slow waited 10 mins for a menu, another 10 for the order to be taken. Waited ages for the coffee to arrive coffee was warm not hot, asked for sugar but it never...

Nice enough food but not a large menu to choose from. Service was fine. Sat outside to eat - metal tables and chairs and a bit hard to sit on but a cushion was made available. Good views from eating area. An optional service charge...

We called into the Croft for a drink and relax by the river. Nice friendly staff and we enjoyed the drinks we had. However, we ordered 2 Aperol Spritz,my fault should have checked first, £13 each. And if you are going to make a spritz...

The minute steak baguette was delicious. That is all that needs to be said! Would probably go back just to have that meal again.

Really lovely food when it eventually turned up. Had to ask for table to be cleaned and then waited approximately 15 minutes for someone to take our drink order. This was fine but food took almost an hour to arrive, we didn't know whether to...

Visited yesterday sat outside under the canopy as was full Inside, waitress dropped the menu on the table I sat for 20 minutes watching other tables being served a young lad said he would be back in a minute I waited another 15 minutes and...

Lovely cosy breakfast with good service. Veggie sausages were the potato filled kind, which I liked but might impact choice for others! Staff flexible to customise dishes. Quite busy even though it was out of season weekday.

Lovely restaurant and lovely food. Beautiful views of the river too if you have a window seat.

Very friendly busy but staff helpful and friendly nice location and food good quieter venue in busy tourist area.

Welcoming and friendly staff. Good menu choices, excellent quality food perfectly cooked. I had the pork belly, which was the best I'd had in a long - thank you. Would highly recommend this restaurant whether it be coffee, snack or full meal.

Staying in the Cotswolds for 4 days this is the first place we came across for Breakfast and it was fabulous. Lovely server don't understand the poor reviews about service our experience was great. Food was reasonably priced and delicious. Family of 4 we had...

Having read the reviews we were a bit apprehensive as to what kind of experience we would have. Well I called to make a reservation and was greeted with a pleasant and helpful person. After turning up to the restaurant all the reviews were unfounded....

We came here on the off chance, as a pub further up the river was rather shabby! So we came here, and we are so pleased we did! The waitress was so welcoming and friendly, and very helpful with our little girl too. Food was...

First class breakfast, in a beautiful setting. I adore the interior design. Each item on the full breakfast was incredibly tasty and my scrambled egg with smoked salmon was divine. Excellent coffee. We arrived mid walk with muddy boots and a reasonably clean, well behaved...

In such a beautiful setting we were expecting a warm welcome and a relaxing vibe. Instead we were greeted by front of house who gave the impression that, as customers, we were a mere inconvenience and from the first minute, we picked up on the...

Came for breakfast with family including my 18 month old and it was lovely, we didn’t actually book so was glad to have a table so quickly :) the breakfast pretzel sub was really good! I would only say that the hot drinks are a...

We stopped in for lunch on one of our days driving around the Cotswolds. The little town of Bourton on the Water is a touris favorite, even in chilly February! Luckily we were able to get a table for two and enjoy a warm cozy...

I was looking forward to my meal here but was very disappointed. My small plate lentil curry was loads of rice and a small slightly dried dish of curry. It ruined my experience. Thankfully won't be going again as just visiting Cotswolds for birthday.

A lucky find I guess - looking for a coffee, stayed for as good a breakfast as you are likely to find anywhere and at a price that was exceptionally good for such a tourist trap. Friendly staff and the use of quality ingredients, again,...

Visited on a Saturday night. Staff were friendly and attentive. Food was delicious. Will definitely return . Don't be put off by bad reviews about about unfriendly staff .

Visited here off the back of tripadvisor ratings, but which I’d gone elsewhere Order poached eggs on sourdough. Eggs arrived undercooked, the whites of the egg were raw when I cut into them. Explained to waitress who promptly took place away to have re cooked....

The most unwelcoming reception by the manager, what a shame, one of those places where you have to ask for everything: cutlery to eat the food Infront of you, butter for the toast that's getting cold, and never delivered with a smile or an apology....

Don't stop by here. They don't want your business, giggle at you from behind the kitchen counter when they proudly tell you there's no food served between breakfast and lunch and couldn't care less if you walked out.... "we can give you a piece of...

Visited on a wet and rainy day. Customer service was friendly though maybe oversold how many syrups they have for Coffey. But cake Coffey and view were delightful. Would come again.

Nicely located, with outdoor space overlooking the water. Reasonable selection of food and drink. Average throughout really, from service to food quality. The automatically added 10% service charge is a bit annoying. Probably could be a good restaurant, just not today.

Nice environment, staff were lovely and kind! Only popped in for a hot chocolate as visiting the area and was lovely!

Popped past in the summer and attempted to stop for drinks, the manager was sooo rude so we didn’t bother. Went for evening food this week and was really poor. We were told we wouldn’t get served when we arrived 10 minutes early, wernt told...

Really enjoyable meal with my husband and two kids on the first night of our half term break. The place was busy and had a good atmosphere. Food was good - we shared a couple of starters and then my husband had the poke bowl...

We waited a long time for our drinks. However, the table next to us had six German tourists who placed their order at the same time as us. Twenty five minutes later they complained they had not received their drinks. The waiter, who had previously...

Come across this place on Sunday, lovely atmosphere and brilliant location by the river and in the village centre, the staff were very polite and helpful breakfast very tasty and not overly expensive if in the area make sure you pop in you will not...

What a wonderful place. Although we didn't eat here, we came for drinks on 3 different occasions. Once for coffee during the day and twice for drinks pre / post dinner. The food looked fab and we would have eaten here if we had longer...

Came here for lunch on the spur of the moment - and as per usual, the waitresses are ever so friendly. It was busy but the food was served quickly and there was no problem going slightly off-menu (cheese instead of peppers on jacket potato)....

Absolutely shocking waited 50mins for a coffee when we were one of two tables in the venue. The staff were too busy socialising in the kitchen to serve.

Great location in Bourton-on-the-Water. A decent couple of options for Vegan's and all food and drink was tasty! Good service overall and a calm & friendly atmosphere. We ate outside but then had to move indoors due to being attacked by flying bugs! Have suggested...

Great spot for Lunch at a very busy restaurant. Staff are attentive and well mannered. We visited on bank holiday Sunday when the village was at it busiest. The manger secured us a table on the outside patio after a short wait. Food excellent

The best cooked breakfast ever, wonderful service, perfect setting, staff friendly and welcoming. Love this place!!!

Came in for a coffee and breakfast which were both amazing! The staff were super welcoming and very attentive. I’ll definitely be back again Xx

Just returned from spending the evening here (22nd August) after drinks in the garden and finishing with food. We had actually left to eat elsewhere but we found that everywhere else was eithervclosed or "fully booked". Pretty strange for such little volume of people.........anyway. We...

Came for breakfast….. very sticky tables (waitress agreed too!), service was ok but slow. Bacon was well and truly over cooked like bits of leather and scrambled eggs were watery…. Very Disappointing.

I had booked this restaurant on the basis of seeing it well filled with customers on previous nights as we walked by. On the day of our booking, I received a phone call telling me that they were “giving the chef a night off” and...

Terrible service. Asked for waters with our gins which never arrived. Waited a long time for a server to get a second drink, ended up going into the bar an ordering a single gin, to use the rest of a bottle of tonic we had...

I go regularly for breakfast, and occasionally for dinner. It's consistent, and they use good quality ingredients. Service is always friendly, just a lovely place to go to!

Had a lovely couple of drink and ice cream at the croft, my bae had an appletizer and said it was really really delisious, I had a elderflower and it was so thirst quenching. We served by the some really well maneured girls ,from I...

Nice view but overpriced and disappointing food. The waiter was nice but we waited over 30 minutes to get our coffees (this was on a Friday). My partner's vegetarian burger wasn't very tasty and seemed skimpy. I ordered avocado, eggs and tomato on toast but...

The food was excellent. We both had the Chicken club, which was tasty. The staff were friendly and helpful. Good food and good service would certainly recommend it.

The surroundings would appeal to all beautiful wooded walls, nice music and great service. Quality meats in the Croft Breakfast and scrambled eggs cooked to order!

Nice restaurant. Staff lovely. Great location along the river. Visited for lunch and breakfast, both times the food was really nice. Recommend.

Highly recommend the pop up evenings on Thursdays This week was a Thai evening. The food was piping hot and lovely and spicy . The portions were a good size too. Staff were friendly and very helpful

Ate breakfast here 4 days straight my favourite was the breakfast brioche but all was lovely. On our last night we had an evening meal here which was also nice. Lovely sitting outside on a nice day.

waited over 45 minutes for a chicken club burger which was rock hard and dry as a bone and its deep fried, so don't understand how they managed that one!! my partner had mushroom soup which resembled a black bowl of tar!! never seen mushroom...

Excellent lunch, really tasty and reasonably priced. Soup of the day was delicious and a brie, bacon and cranberry sandwich was excellent.

We managed to book a table for a late lunch and on arrival the staff were pleasant and friendly. There were no diners inside but only people seated outside and at the time we were eating (3pm) there was about 5 tables of diners at...

We were told to book early as the area gets really busy - we chose this restaurant for dinner the one evening and we were not disappointed, such a lovely vibe, full and the service was still amazing. Food was great and plenty of choice....

We popped in for a coffee and breakfast today and it seems like a nice place and dog friendly, we orded one full English one vegetarian breakfast and a croissant with two coffees and a child's hot chocolate. When the food came the full English...

There’s a nice atmosphere with a good selection of soft and alcoholic drinks available. We sat outside in the sunshine which was pleasant. The staff were polite if a little scatty (I’m pretty sure we were forgotten!). The kids food was half decent. My 5...

We turned up for dinner at Bourton without a booking on Sunday evening. The Restaurant was nice and lively, with great ambience and food. They even allowed my vegetarian only friends to get their own food and have it with us inside. The waitress was...

Went to another one of their famous pop-ups. This time Sushi. It was absolutely fantastic. The salmon sashimi was amazing as were the salmon and avocado rolls and tuna, soy and sesame poke bowl. We also did their fabulous Thai pop-up last month which was every bit as good. Next up Indian street food…..can’t wait!Great restaurant, friendly staff and we have honestly never had a bad meal here. It’s also dog friendly which is another major plus!

Five of us (locals) had a table booked for this particular evening, as we’d heard previously that the Pop-up Thai Evening was excellent. Well, we definitely weren’t disappointed!! The food was First Class - a great choice of meals, exceptionally tasty, great sized portions and...

We had a fabulous meal at the Thai evening , the food was excellent and the serving staff friendly and efficient, even though they were very busy. We can’t wait for the next ‘Pop up’ speciality evening .

My husband and daughter ordered burgers which were a little dry but acceptable. I ordered Brie, streaky bacon and cranberry sandwich plus chunky chips. The sandwich consisted of ONE small slice of toasted ciabatta which was rock hard. The streaky bacon was barely cooked and the Brie was non existent. The chunky chips were really fatty. For around £11 it was a joke. Staffing levels were fine if a little disorganised. When I went to pay I told the waitress of my disappointment and she kindly took off the service charge - how nice!!!! Won’t be back

My wife and I went here for lunch on 22/03/22. We only ordered a sour dough sandwich £8 and some fries £3. The sandwich turned out to be an open sandwich with bacon and brie and although tasty for £8 I expected more than 1 slice of bread with bacon and very thin slivers of brie, the fries on the other hand were disgusting they were dripping in fat and appeared to have been reheated by being re-fried. A young couple on a nearby table left and sent the food back. As well as another couple who having been sat for a while left after not being served. I dont know if it was just because it was busy or its the norm. There appeared to be plenty of staff. Its a nicely decorated place but lacking somewhat on the day we visited, as regular visitors to Bourton we wont be revisiting The Croft anytime soon.

I have eaten here regularly over the years. The food is always excellent with a nice range of options on the menu. Fantastic decor combined with great decor and friendly staff always make it a treat. My latest visit just confirmed that the standards are high as always.

I'm so glad we booked this restaurant. We were a group of 6, meeting for breakfast before heading to Cheltenham Races. We were given a lovely sunny table by the window and both the food and service were excellent. The staff were friendly and efficient. We had a fairly complicated order, the food was tasty and locally sourced. It was also served in a timely manner, which was a relief as we had taxi's waiting. A perfect start to a lovely day!

We had a booking at The Croft for 7 year anniversary, and had a lovely dinner! the atmosphere in the restaurant was amazing, we were greeted by a lovely young lady who sat us in window seat that had a beautiful view of the village. the food and drinks were lovely and overall had a really good night.

In such a beautiful town it’s difficult to believe there can be a cafe as bad as this. We arrived in the cafe which was only half full and nobody sat outside. Staff didn’t seem to know what they were doing. Our groups tables were not cleaned from the last guests that left food and sugar all over the table, and still hadn’t been cleaned an hour later when we left. How you can call two pieces of dried out toast with a slice of ham and two cheese single slices a croque Madame I don’t know, please try and understand what you are making before adding it to a menu. Such a disappointment, I don’t even describe the other food our guests were served. The hot chocolate barely drinkable with dried out marshmallows that cost an extra 75p!!! And an even further 75p! For a swirl of canned squirty cream. It’s simple just avoid the place.

We went here for dinner last week: Food was appalling! Restaurant desperately need to improve their food quality - Only good thing for the Croft is the Location.We ordered the vegetarian burger (aubergine) - which was uncooked - drowned in oil and bland! Chips (were horrible, drenched in oil too)and the worst item on the 'Sweet Potato & spinach & Cauliflower Tacos' option was that the cauliflower was raw and just grated - no spice/no flavour at all. Its unbelievable that any eating establishment can seriously just have this as part of the meal - a bowl of raw/uncooked/grated cauliflower?!!

Très bon accueil, il faut réserver pour avoir une table le samedi soir.Plats très bons et très copieux , la soupe brocolis Stilton est juste admirable.Service efficace et souriant

A very disappointing early lunch. Having arrived before an influx of customers, the service to order drinks and food was appalling. Customers trying to catch the attention of the clearly inexperienced staff who don’t know how to speak to customers and have no knowledge of the menu. Staff wearing gym shorts walking round to take your order is something I’ve never seen, never mind in such a beautiful place as Bourton On The Water is. Having worked in restaurants for a couple of years it was awkward listening to all of the young members of staff speak to customers. Ordered a chicken burger with chips and my partner ordered the avocado with eggs and bacon. Chicken burger was dry and over cooked. Avocado with eggs, bacon and bread was OK at best for the price but nothing special.Then needed the bathroom before a journey home, finding out the toilets were in an out building which needed a proper clean and a refurbishment. Shambles of a place and should really take a look at training their staff with the menu and how to speak to customers.As a young couple who eat out a lot and don’t usually complain, this had to be done. Hope it can turn it around. Luckily, the views walking around the village made the visit enjoyable.

Amazing from start to finish service and foodComments from the familyRight here right now this is the best crumble I have ever hadFrom the moment we walked in earlier until the moment we left they made you feel so welcome and could accommodate anything For the first time in my young sons short history he said he couldn't finish itLovely friendly place

We enjoy breakfast here. There is seating inside or outside. The food is always good and it is a great place to have a relaxing coffee or breakfast.

Visited the cafe recently with family for breakfast. The cafe is located perfectly in middle of the village but offers nothing exceptional for their prices. Expensive ! The portion size too does not do justice to the price tag. Staff was nice and courteous and very busy.

Called in for lunch on a cold December Monday morning. Very friendly service and food was really tasty. A good position facing the water so couldn’t ask for much better.

We had dinner on Mon 22nd Nov at 18.00 and we got a table next to the window as we requested in advance. Getting busy at 18.30... All staff were nice and friendly. The restaurant decor was beautiful with great atmosphere. We ordered Tempura Chicken Burger from Main Menu which was average and Braised Pork Belly from Special Menu was a bit chewy. It was 37.40 £ with 2 glasses of coke.

Nice place for a quick meal. Had chicken burger followed by Eton Mess. Was a Monday night and place was lacking customers and atmosphere but as I said ideal for quick bite. Service excellent

Stopped to have a coffee whilst visiting Bourton on the Water. Staff were off hand and informed us we couldn't have a table inside just to have a coffee without providing all our personal details including telephone number, as they had to book us into their system before we could sit down. When we adked why they needed all our personal information we were informed that people walk off without paying. We only wanted a coffee and had every intention of paying! It was difficult to see how anyone could not pay if sat in the restaurant, as you have to pass the staff to leave the building. So we left and went to another cafe down the road (Bakery on the Water- which was friendly and had excellent coffee and service). There are numerous cafes and restaurants in Bourton to choose from, this will definitely not be one that we return to.

Lovely breakfast and good service, do not understand bad reviews. I suppose eggs could have been hotter but poached eggs cooked perfect. They do add service charge of 10%.

Best breakfast!! Faultless, I really love this place…. Worth the drive from Cheltenham. Oh, great music too!