The Cross Keys in Milton Keynes

Very poor, had starter and waited over 30mins for the main course, ( had to ask for it and then it arrived instantly) Christmas dinner was two pieces of turkey (which was cold) one half slice of a carrot ( which was rock hard and cold) one half slice of a parsnip ( again cold and hard ) four halves of roast potatoes, good news here, they were hot and ok, four Brussels sprouts, again hard but they were warm (at least not cold) and that was it ! £32 per head ! Poor service, poor food. Won’t be going there again

Excellent service & delicious lunch. Staff couldn't have been more helpful. Had an elderly lady with us, who was in a wheelchair & didn't want too much to eat. Staff happily provided child's menu for her & then exchanged the chips for a salad to go with it. Nothing was too much trouble, they were courteous & kind. Well done to all.

Cross Keys was a fabulous discovery. Exceptionally delicious food, wonderful service and great value. I’ll be back!!

Post theatre early dinner - lovely food, excellent service and by the time we left buzzing atmosphere! Very pleased with our choice of venue - out of towners with us very impressed

Our server, from Romania - poss via Manchester (he’ll know who he is) - was a delight: professional and with a quick sense of humour.We met half-way with friends from Cambridge: we will be back!

Lovely Sunday roast this evening. Cooked perfectly & plenty of it. We had the mixed roast to share & it was delicious...veg cooked well (not al dente) the only thing i would like to have had is some greens (broccoli, mange tout) but just a personal preference. Service and ambience spot on too. We will be back!

We had a lovely meal at The Cross Keys, the food was delicious with generous portion sizes and very good value for money. The service was also excellent, really recommend.

As usual the standard of food and service at the Cross Keys was amazing. Fri the minute we walked in we were made to feel welcome. And what they don't do in most pubs and restaurants we go to is ask you immediately what you'd like to drink. Here that's not the case. As soon as we sat down our waiter took our drinks order, and he was equally as attentive throughout our meal. The food was absolutely top class and all our roast dinners were fantastic Thank you for making my wife's Birthday meal a great one

This is a great place for lunch or dinner the food is very tasty and the service is very good indeed. I think I have eaten here at least half a dozen times this year and the meals are consistently good. This place never disappoints and the restaurant is very well laid out with good comfortable dining chairs. We were able to enjoy a leisurely lunch today which was perfect. We had the chicken supreme and the vegetable pasta both of which were delicious. We will be back soon as this is always our first choice for lunch when we are in Milton Keynes. Very well managed and advisable to book as they get busy.

On the outside this is a fairly idyllic British pub. Thatched roof etc… Inside isn’t bad but lacks the charm of a real old pub which is a shame as this place dates from around 1600. Think of it like a person who has had too much surgery! Sometimes there is something deeply appealing about age and imperfections. The menu is OK but you need a deep wallet! I went to the other pub close by for dinner!

Two recent visits - first a group of 6; second occasion, our wedding anniversary. Visited early for the first meal and really weren’t ready to leave when we were asked to vacate our table - two hours never seems enough. The bar area was full so we called it a day. Everyone enjoyed their meal and said they’d definitely return. Our WA fell on a Sunday so was mainly roasts (I was really looking forward to the beef wellington not realising the main menu is not available Sundays - good excuse for another visit). The roast however was thoroughly enjoyable and substantial. Great restaurant and excellent customer service - highly recommended.

I went for a meal at this establishment The Cross Keys in Woolstone on Saturday 3rd August at around 6.45pm. My husband and I, walked in and sat on the tables outside on the concrete area. We waited for around 15 minutes while many staff walked by but nobody acknowledged us. Once we were able to get the attention from your staff and ask for a menu she simply pointed at the outside bar and said they're over there very dismissive and walked off. We had seen this lady take menu's to the table in front so was confused to why we would be any different? I then asked A boy who was passing by on his first day, who said we needed to order at the bar. I asked if there was an outdoor area where we could order at the table as we were out on a special occiasion and he said it didn't open till 8pm (this boy was the friendliest and helpful of all of your staff). I went into the restaurant to see if it was possible to sit inside or outside where we can order at the table and we was taken to a back seating area where a few others were. The table we were seated on was filthy, it looked liked it hadn't been wiped down all day, let alone all week! The table and chairs were covered in leaves and the table was also grimy and sticky (please see photo attached) the waiter also didn't attempt to clean the table or wipe the chair! We asked to be moved to another table and once again the table it was filthy/sticky again and with a wooden skewer from someone else's meal left on the table! The staff didn't make any attempt to clean the table until I asked and the only reason we stayed outside is because I asked the waiter if we could move inside and explained we would eat and leave and he said no all tables were fully booked, however throughout the whole time we was there not one customer sat on all the empty tables there was. When seated was only given the menu for the food, when the staff finally came back I asked for the cocktail menu and wine list however because we already had the food menu we decided to order the food first, the staff member brought the cocktail list and wine menu however didn't return to take our order so for the 3rd time today I had to ask another staff member to come back over to take our order. The food itself was nice, we went for the 20oz Chateaubriand the meat cut itself was tasty however the end was very over cooked seen as we asked for medium rare and we enjoyed the drinks when they finally arrived. As mentioned above we was out for a special occasion and wanted to stay the evening at this venue however after our experience we left as soon as we finished our food. It made me and my husband feel very very dismissed and we felt as if your staff couldn't care less about the service let alone us as paying customer's. This pub is fairly local to us and we left extremely disappointed.

Booked for my son's birthday, didn't tell them but they must have over heard us saying so when the desserts were delivered they put a candle in our son's choice. This was a very kind gesture. Thank you. Would like to say thank you to Isaac our waiter certainly very attentive to our needs. The food as always was amazing. Will definitely be back.

We have always had great food and service from this pub/ restaurant but yesterday evening was a bit of a let down. The lady who first attended us was really nice and provided good service. However, one of the guys who took our order and delivered the food was really miserable; there was another guy who brought some drinks who was fine, but the main person looking after us was having a bad night or in the wrong job. Then there was the food, which has been really good in the past. I ordered the beef pie and the pie was excellent but it was accompanied by masses of cabbage, a carrot and some mash, all of which were bland. My wife ordered the veggie pasta and it was tasteless... Others in our group enjoyed their meals so it wasn't a bad night overall but me and my wife (who made the recommendation for the evening) were quite disappointed. I will go back in the hope that this was a one off...

Lovely cosy pub and restaurant. We had a very tasty and well prepared lunch served by a friendly Julian. Will definitely return!

A wonderful restaurant and pub to enjoy a great range of drinks and extensive menu, in a relaxing venue that provides outstanding service.

A friendly welcome, a lovely atmosphere, and a great location. The service was fantastic, but the food was just amazing! Hats off to the chefs/kitchen. Prices were reasonable and especially for the area. This pub/restaurant is a standout example of how to manage through a crisis, how to emerge and how to be stronger. I came here pre-pandemic and the place was not in the same league. I can only conclude that some very smart ideas, and a lot of hard work has resulted in the best venue for staff, food, atmosphere, price, cleanliness and quality & variety of menu I have frequented in a long time. Other venues in MK need to take a hard look at their product & service offering post pandemic and during very hard times. You CAN do better and what may have been acceptable before must be improved upon now. I highly recommend The Cross Keys and will regularly be back.

Always amazing here we live across the road have been coming for years and can't stay away! Food is amazing and staff are so friendly really make us feel like family. Thank you to the beautiful girl on the bar with amazing eyeshadow didnt get her name but the service was great! We will be of course next week 😂

4 of us visited and had Sunday roast. Lovely meal, great portions and huge yorkshires. All very tasty, although the only downside was that the potatoes still had skin on and were a bit hard. (I can’t knock it down a star for this though)

Stunning food, full of flavour and expertise. Fabulous service, the staff couldn’t be more helpful! We visit a convention each year, and it always involves at least one meal here.

Fantastic roast dinner. I had beef my husband had half a chicken, really plentiful portions, the beef was really delicious and so tender. Desserts were lovely, sticky toffee pudding and fruit crumble. Service was really good and friendly. Will definitely return in a heart beat!

Angela was so friendly yet polite and very efficient. The Pub was busy but warm and welcoming. The food and service were fantastic.

Totally our go to place if we’re in MK and need decent food. We visited several times over the summer and when warm enough we thoroughly enjoyed sitting outside on the new furniture. Although inside is lovely too. Never had a bad meal, favourite dishes include the veggie burger and the pesto pasta.

We visit The Cross Keys frequently and after another spectacular Sunday lunch it’s no wonder why! We arrived at half 2, someone came over within a few minutes to take our order. We had our drinks a couple of minutes later and our mains took about 15 minutes. Everything was cooked to perfection with melt in the mouth roast beef. Super apple and pear crumble to finish. And you know everything here is cooked in house. Great staff, great venue, amazing service and food.

Chilly reception, chilly pub and barely warm food. Went for lunch and was very disappointed in the service and the food. For what they are charging, it should be so much better. We will not be returning.

We visited The Cross Keys this week for lunch. I used to go to the pub a few years go when it had a bar which had a few tables for food, and a small snug around the corner. When we arrived and said we wanted lunch we were told the restaurant was down a small passage. Restaurant I thought, what restaurant. When we went down the passage we arrived into a lovely large room which resembled a conservatory- it was such a surprise. We were shown to a large table and immediately felt relaxed and comfortable. The two staff on duty were very friendly and helpful. There are dishes to suit everyone on the menu, and we eventually decided on spicy wings and soup to start followed by a steak burger and the pie of the day. The wings were huge and there were four, covered in a spicy marinade with fresh chillies. The cost: £4.95 ! The soup was home made and delicious. The steak burger came with chips, coleslaw, gherkins etc. It was all very nice but I prefer a beef burger as they are juicy and not so firm. The steak and ale pie was excellent and came with mash and various vegetables and a jug, not a small dolls house size jug, of gravy. The staff really were great and interacted with every table. There are four ales to choose from which is unusual nowadays and a good choice of wines. We were so impressed with the meal and surroundings that we booked for dinner later in the week which unfortunately we had to cancel, but we’ll will certainly visit again very soon.

Came here for dinner before attending show in Milton Keynes. The most lovely pub!! All staff so amazingly friendly. The food blew us away. Such good value and cooked to perfection. Would definitely drive the 45 minutes to come again. The nicest pub I have been to in a very long time.

Had a fantastic meal and the atmosphere was amazing Came for my step mums birthday and Michelle looked after us, she was so lovely and friendly and made our experience really great Thank you, we will definitely be returning x

The staff is friendly, and the food is good. The menu could include other items for those preferring a lighter option. As for the decor, I think that the main building looks slightly dated. While keeping a traditional atmosphere is welcome, I still think this should not come at the cost of style. I would change the carpet for a starter!! Great parking facilities, as well as a great place for private and village venues.

We had a lovely evening at the cross key everything was really good 👍 Our glutton free family member was able to have any on the menu 👍 our roast dinner was great we all enjoyed it. The staff was helpful definitely will go back 👍

4-5/5 stars for all the staff, however the food fell short. We came in for Sunday lunch, the menu was limited which is understandable, but upon the food arriving it really was an average meal, especially as it’s quite pricey. The mushroom on the sirloin...

What a fabulous place, amazing food with so many gluten free choices and everything cooked to perfection. Lovely friendly and efficient staff. Beautiful building with a welcoming beer garden with outside bar. We managed luckily to get in with one day’s notice. Highly recommend and...

The food, was outrageously amazing, from start to finish, absolutely amazing, cooked to absolute perfection. Great menu, so much to choose from. Our waiter Alex was top class, always checking in with us. Highly highly recommended for food.

Went for a birthday celebration Sunday lunch. Fantastic food. Generous portions. The sharing plate could have served three but it was so good with three different meats two managed to finish it. Our waitress Michelle was lovely and made us feel like family. She was...

Went here for a Sunday roast. Great food, no issues at all. Great service by Michelle. Highly recommend

A lovely country pub with excellent food + service what more could you want? It's been a while since we visited but decided to have lunch here and it didn't disappoint as you will be assured of a warm welcome. All the lovely staff are...

I visited Cross Keys with my wife and cousins on a Sunday lunch time. The restaurant looks very nice indeed and on the way to our seat we passed the kitchen hatch, noticing a very organised and industrious kitchen staff. The front of house staff...

Really good meal in here tonight. Lived in MK for years and never been here before! Only downside was that the ladies only had loo roll in one of the toilets

We hadn’t booked but visited on the off chance of getting a table for two for lunch. Luckily they fitted us in; I had the red pepper soup which was amazing and hubby the steak and Stilton pie which he thoroughly enjoyed. As always, excellent...

I have been taking my family to the Crosskeys regularly for two years now, and we have noticed a decline in the service to the point obviously as they are very busy they have become ambivalent to the needs of there customers.On previous occasions staff...

Went here for my 60th birthday meal. I cannot fault one thing. An amazing experience from start to finish. My family had put some balloons on the table and ordered some champagne which was chilling on the table in an ice bucket when we arrived....

A lovely place for something to eat or a drink. Food is out of this world and the staff are very friendly and willing to accommodate for every needs. There is also a beer garden to eat outside.

Seafood platter, oh my god, absolutely to die for, had it for the first time in June and have been desperate for it ever since. Came again today and it was exceptional as expected. Thank you so much to all the chefs this is my...

Came here for a catch up with a friend and we had a lovely meal. Great service no delays at all and great food which we really enjoyed. Duck salad with noodles was tasty and filling and I had the chicken salad with couscous and...

Very rude male host thinks he's it with his comb over and being in charge of outside area. Wouldn't let us sit outside despite their being about 5 tables free ! Very arrogant Brunch however was lovely but prosecco horrible as its £6 per bottle...

Fabulous Sunday Roast, tender beef/lamb, delicious veg and huge portions. Staff attentive, friendly and efficient. Recommend

We were a table of 6, we all had Sunday roast, we all had different meat and one vegetarian. i have to say everyone enjoyed there roast dinner. service was excellent, nothing too much trouble. i would recommend to anyone.

Great lunch with friends, we visited herewith a group of 14, service was very attentive with delicious food with large portions. I have visited their sister pub The Dolphin at Stoke Hammond the menu is very similar, we ordered steak salad at both, absolutely delicious,...

Very nice meal at a reasonable price. The Cross keys has a thatched roof and is in the middle of a very nice estate of expensive houses. We were really looked after and enjoyed our evening meal.

Lovely atmosphere wonderful staff and fantastic food. The burgers are amazing and staff are happy to change if required

Wow a fantastic pub. The service for the food brilliant and the food was even better. Great find a easy drive off M1 for a quick pit stop. My Sunday Rost was very nice.

Excellent food and service, great value too. We have been for lunch as well and it is nearly always very busy, I would recommend book to avoid disappointment.

We had a tasty meal from the varied menu which was well presented. The service was excellent. Both waiters who served us were efficient, cheerful and pleasant. A very enjoyable meal, marred only by the large, rowdy group on the neighbouring table!

My wife and I shared the seafood platter, and olives, and sweet potato fries. More than enough and top quality. Staff were super friendly and helpful as well. My beer, DNA was perfect. First visit, not local, but very highly recommended. We will go again...

We made a return trip to the Cross Keys for our wedding anniversary, having previously had lunch here in January. Last time, we filled up so much that we could not manage any dessert (tragic!), so we were a little more conservative this time with...

Lovely quaint pub serving good food and friendly staff. Great independent pub doing its own thing a rare breed these days.

Traditional English pub with fantastic food. My partner had leg of lamb and I had a burger. Cannot recommend this establishment enough.

Visited with family for a roast dinner, we all really enjoyed it, amazing food and lovely atmosphere. Our waitress Lili May was excellent, very professional and knowledgeable. Well done Cross Keys!

Excellent food and service. Well worth the visit. Will return. Booked due to trip advisor rating. Vey accurate.

The Cross Keys has a good reputation and good reviews on Trip Adviser. Overall, they are well deserved! It has a good atmosphere in a quiet area of Milton Keynes. The service was great - a younger server who was happy to chat about their...

Never had a bad meal here. The fillet steak salad was delicious followed by rum and raisin and pistachio ice cream. Service was great too. Very friendly and welcoming as always..

This place is incredible. I'll be back time and time again. Food was beautiful and the wait staff knew exactly what they were doing. Thank you

Great food, great service, and lovely looking pub. The steak burger was amazing. I will definitely be coming back for more

Jack (Jach) was not only efficient but very charming and friendly. His colleague, not sure of her name but fab eyebrows was also amazing. We took friends who were equally impressed with the service. The food was wonderful and we will definitely go back and...

Excelente food, staff and a pleasant environment. We had a lovely time and certainly will come back soon.

We didn't book and it was very busy, but they squeezed us in. I had the 16 hour lamb which was nice, but a bit crumbly, the veg, yorkshire pudding and gravy were great. I also enjouyed a sticky toffee pudding. The serving staff were...

Dinner Sunday with friends....limited menu due to ' lots of people dropping in for food' earlier we were told. Table had been booked for 1 week. Missing yorkshire pudding and not told til we questioned it...' none left' we were told. Would have ordered something...

A last minute visit and staff were extremely accommodating seating the four of us. Ordered drinks which arrived very quickly the ordered main meal, which only took 13 minutes to arrive and was very tasty. Service 5 start ( thank you Jack), meal also 5...

Food good service poor especially when the manager and staff were caught talking about our party and not being very pleasant with their comments but when confronted were not even apologetic!

We went for a Sunday roast in March still think about it now, beautiful great quality food and service, highly recommend!!! :)

I have wanted to try The Cross Keys for a long time and decided to take my Mum for her birthday lunch at the beginning of April. I had seen so many good reviews and photo's of the food that looked out of this world....

Superb Sunday lunch at the Cross Keys. The roast beef was perfectly cooked, soft and nicely pink; the accompanying vegetables also well cooked. Service was prompt and courteous. No surprises that they were fully booked. We will be back!

I went with friends on a Friday night, we didn't book and fortunately they were able to fit us in. The restaurant was quite busy but not full and had a great atmosphere. The waitress was lovely, just the right mixture of helpful, attentive, good...

A highly enjoyable weekday lunch. Everything was excellent, food, service et atmosphere. Another great visit and we cannot wait to return

Went for Sunday lunch and it was superb. Service was fast and efficient, staff were lovely and the food was amazing. You will not come away hungry.

Very clean restaurant and surprisingly modern interior. Staff very well presented, pleasant, polite and attentive and service very quick. Wine very good quality and good value. Lamb sadly was over cooked and going dry, roast potatoes didn’t have much exterior crunch and no flavour and...

This is a lovely pub. Great atmosphere. Staff very attentive and food was delicious. Well worth the visit

So pleased to be able to write this review. Yesterday, 19 of my family from across the country, met here for a meal. We pre-ordered our food but I was still expecting some hiccups. I was so pleasantly surprised when all good was delivered to...

We were staying in Milton Keynes for the Tattoo festival in the MK Dons stadium so wanted somewhere fairly Close by to eat. Found the Cross Keys and messaged them on Facebook to book a table, they replied straight away and said it was booked....

I never have a bad meal here, the roasts are especially amazing, everything is so tasty! Will always return

Full family dinner, 5 adults and 3 children and we had the most wonderful meal, everything we ordered was amazing, such good quality food and generous portions. Definitely recommend and come back.

Went for a meal this afternoon 14th February food was good Jack served us very polite and friendly took the time to have a chat with us. Would rate his service 10 out of 10

Treated my adult kids to a ‘treat’ 3 course meal here, what a treat it was, food excellent, service excellent, will recommend to friends ect and definitely going back, we want a Sunday lunch there.

We shared some moules, the daily pie dish and a very generous portion of sweet potato fries. They were all excellent and my wife thought that her moules were the best she had ever eaten. The restaurant had a good ambience and the staff were...

First visit since covid and was very pleasantly surprised. Food quality surpassed expectations especially for my wife who has very specific dietary requirements which were met without any fuss or bother - she was very pleased to get both a starter and main that were...

The food and service (from Jack) during this midweek lunch was impeccable. Relaxed but efficient service. The guys in the kitchen require mention as well. The fish platter and honeycomb cheesecake particular favourites. Well done to all involved.

The company, venue and the food all great! The ambience in the restaurant was so very friendly, the food top notch and the service was impeccable.

I was recommended to The Cross Keys and went there for dinner with my wife, and it was absolutely excellent. We chose Padron peppers and pork crackling as starters, followed by Chateaubriand, and all were first rate. Sadly we didn't have any dessert because we...

Came for my mums birthday and start to finish it couldn’t have been a better way to celebrate, we were able to amend our booking slightly at late notice and nothing was too much trouble. Food was amazing and super generous portions, plenty of gluten...

Celebrated a colleagues leaving do with a large group of 20 people. The staff couldn't have been more accommodating, taking the booking at last minute, and nailing the service we were provided with. The food arrived in a timely manner and was delicious. Would happily...

We came as a family to celebrate my dads birthday. I’ve eaten lunch here a few times and always found it delicious. They were very accommodating of our groups needs. The food was delicious and the service was really very good.

Arrived with a large group of friends including many children for a lunch over the Christmas period. Was greeted with Adult blow up dolls in the beer garden. Children then asking questions that I really did not want to have to answer! When I sent...

I booked for a client lunch for 12 and was so impressed with the communication beforehand from Hannah, nothing was any trouble. The service was perfect, we were tight for time so ordered some delicious nibbles for the table as we arrived before our mains...

Party of 13. Meal excellent. The pie of the day was done to perfection. Service excellent. Went without a hitch.

First visit yesterday evening - lovely restaurant, warm and inviting. Attentive but not intrusive staff. Excellent food. Not the cheapest but worth every penny.

I picked this restaurant for an Xmas lunch venue for our family get together and was really pleased with my decision. I had booked some time in advance (early Nov) and requested a table appropriate for my elderly mother and uncle which was duly organised...

Thoroughly enjoyed our visit here for our works do Christmas meal. The mushroom Tart was to die for - everyone was jealous as I was the only one that ordered that for my starter. Beef nice, red wine to match delicious. Lemon posset was good...

Had never been here before, but liked their Christmas menu for our works meal out so decided to book for a table of 10. We had an amazing meal! Despite the fact that the restaurant was packed, each of our three courses arrived promptly and...

Have eaten here twice in two days. Had the set Xmas menu last night with friends and ate from the regular menu for lunch today with a different set of friends. The food was fabulous and the service second to none. All the waiting staff...

We booked the Cross Keys to celebrate my wife’s Birthday, which was earlier in the week. We just wanted a nice meal in a nice environment that felt comfortable and the Cross Keys has all that in spades. We’d like to express our thanks to...