The Gravel Pit in Bedford

Very simple lunch menu. Sandwiches, pizza and burgers. Not much choice but the food was superb. Really tasty! Only drops a mark because it’s also very expensive!

I have been here a few times before they rebranded into "The Gravel Pit" and a couple of times since. Its always been a bit pricey but a good selection of food which is usually very tasty. So I revisited it today for lunch with some friends. I was very shocked at just how small the new menu is. Basically 2 salads, 3 pizzas and burger/fries, oh and a couple of sandwiches. That was it. I was very much looking forward to fish & chips, but no sign of that. I dont think ive ever been in a restaurant with such a small selection of food! One item of note was a duck pizza complete with spring onion & hoisen sauce! I was tempted but didnt! As it started raining (great british summer time again), we were reluctant to move so stayed and I had the "Pit" burger. Would have liked bacon on top but was not given that option. Drinks & food arrived timely and the food was good although I could have quite easily eaten another. But at nearly £20 for a burger I couldnt afford it. Once food & drinks were delivered we were then totally ignored by all staff. No table check, no extra drinks, no desert / coffee offerings, nothing. The restaurant was pretty empty so they were not busy. In the end after waiting for 45mins we walked over to the bar/counter, paid and left. Its also worth noting that the place is card only. Im virtually 100% a cash only person but luckily knew this before I went so took a card with me. All in all I wouldnt rush back and I would recommend the "Highway Man" pub just over the roundabout as its a fraction of the cost & a much bigger selection of food. Their burgers are also pretty tasty & a lot cheaper.

Located mid-day between ourselves and family, it serves as a good meet up point for lunch as it's just off the A1. Set in the hotel and spa and overlooking the lake, the inside is large and smart in style. Staff are friendly, and the food is good. We did not have any long waits, the menu is small, but plenty for what we were fancying that day. It definitely caters for business meals, as there were plenty of working lunches occurring. There is free parking on site. We had newborn children with us, and we did not feel overlooked, neither did we appear to disturb any other guests (babies cry every so often). The staff were very accommodating and I would say this place is breast feeding friendly as we had no issues.

Limited menu with mediocre pub grub being served at high end prices. A brasserie, it is not! Slow service by the end of our meal, meaning we had to ask for our bill. Nobody checked in on us during our meal to see how we found it. Cheeky 12.5% service charge added on too. Really disappointing experience in comparison to the rest of the hotel and spa.

We visited the Gravel Pit for lunch, being a good midway meeting point with our friends. Decor of the venue is good & it’s lovely to sit by the lake. On arrival the restaurant looked empty, but despite that we waited a good 10 minutes before we were shown to our seats. I have to say the menu was uninspiring, with just basic bar food of sandwiches, burgers & and a couple of salads. Maybe my fault for not checking online but I did expect more from a hotel restaurant. The food served was ok. Nothing fancy. I chose the minute steak ciabatta which was ok but presentation could have been better, with maybe some salad or slaw to help dress the plate would go a long way. My friends had burgers. Again nothing added to dress the plate. Just a burger in a bun with chips in a silver pot. The dishes lacked something for their £18 price tag. Taste wise the food was ok but nothing to shout about. The restaurant automatically added 12.5% to the bill, which we did think about asking to remove but decided to pay as don’t feel it’s the staff fault the meals lacked presentation wise. Ww would visit again but for drinks only. Food is uninspiring & overpriced.