The Three Locks in Aylesbury Vale

Had Sunday roast today with a guest from South Africa. Experience was simply shocking and am really embarrassed. The UK is not known for service, but even by UK standards the service was beyond abysmal The place was not busy yet the bar tender could not have been slower or more unfriendly and the front of house staff inattentive and clearly not interested. A Sunday roast is pre-prepared so why does it take over an hour to serve three plates? It arrived just warm. Eventually two plates were cleared but the remaining empty plate was just left on the table. We advised that we would like some coffee when asked but were totally ignored thereafter. Finally the darned cheek to add a 10% service charge to the bill by default on the vain principle that there was service! There was grumbling when I advised that I was not paying it. There are many other places around that do a far better job - no wonder so many places like this are going out of business. If Three Locks wants to survive, an immediate and serious shake up is required.

Was recommended to try this place by a local. Barmaid was very welcoming. We were undecided about eating there but were persuaded by the "Specials" which were on offer - Sausage & Mash and Bread & Butter pudding. Both were delicious as was the generous Gammon, egg & chips menu,. All very nice. Pleasant location on the Canal. Decent beer selection. Will hopefully visit again when in the area. Prices - average but good value for quality of the food. Visited at 5.00pm on a Friday.

Came for dinner on Thursday evening and I couldn’t fault a thing. The food was delicious and well portioned, service from the waitress Kayleigh was fantastic and they had a great range of drinks too. Will definitely be coming back again.

This used to be a great place to go for a meal out with friends... But it has gone downhill! Went there on Sunday, and will NOT return. Had to wait well over an hour for a reasonable / average burger. Apparently neither the kitchen nor the wait staff has any clue what they're doing: "you should have said something after 20 minutes ". Uh, no, I didn't come here to run your restaurant for you. After "they're plating up your order now" several dishes for other tables came out of the kitchen. In the end, it took another 15 minutes to get our food. At least we were promised a complimentary round of drinks. Naturally some of those complimentary drinks ended up on the bill anyway. As was a 10% service charge. When we pointed this out we didn’t even get a “ sorry”; just an “ OK” and a shrug. The manager we spoke to earlier couldn’t be arsed to come and ask what was wrong, despite watching (and hearing) us complaining from a few tables away. Other noteworthy things: - we watched two hamburgers dying on the hotplate for more than 10 minutes before they were sent out. Luckily not to our table. McDonald’s does this better. - We ordered an Estrella beer. According to the waitress they didn’t serve Estrella. So we pointed out that is was on the drinks menu. “ Oh, we must have run out” . Yeah right. - A vegan burger was ordered, but apparently the vegan bun for it wasn’t available… - None of the wait staff seemed to be able to carry more than 2 things at a time. All this drama during a quiet time (we’d booked a table at 5pm). Given the above, it was easy to understand why, despite the great location, it was so quiet in there.

Popped in for a spot of lunch. Had a lovely sandwich and chips. Emma was my server and super friendly, smiley, very attentive and knowledgeable. See you again soon!

Wanted to go somewhere different with my wife for my birthday, opted for the 3 locks pub for lunch. Food was great, service was great. Excellent day out.

After a walk along the canal from Leighton Buzzard, we stopped at The Three Locks for a drink and a bite to eat. We assumed, because there were quite a few customers, that we would have a wait for our food but we're pleasantly surprised that our order was served in less than 10 minutes. The Chicken & Bacon sandwiches weren't cheap but they were absolutely delicious and generously filled. Loved sitting outside watching boats pass through the locks.

This is an amazing place to eat, relax and chat with friends after a long day of locks . The food was tasty and they managed to feed nearly 40 people in quick time. Thank you for a wonderful evening, you made us all feel welcome.

Sitting by the lock side watching a bloated dead rat float by We ordered lunch a fish finger sandwich and a ham and chips 55 minutes later we enquired to where it was ( it was being played up) It really wasn’t so after a hour we asked the manager for a refund on the food we didn’t get he had to check Food refunded no apologies offered waitress took offence to being asked where our lunch was Food apparently was devilered to the wrong table and the order was wrong This was a simple order at a not busy place I thoroughly understand why it wasn’t busy Will report to the Milton Keynes council for cleanliness We report to the brewery for customer service compliant handling Left Resturant with a refund on food which we didn’t recieve manager was shocked that I asked for a refund on drinks whilst waiting for the food In short avoid this Resturant

We had lunch here today. The setting is lovely beside the canal and locks. The waitress whose name was Emma was a delight. So helpful and attentive. The service was great. We had several different dishes. My small portion of fish and chips, as opposed to the large portion was quite greasy and the chips were so over cooked, it wasn’t easy to put my fork into them. However we had a thoroughly enjoyable. Not too overpriced either.

We had a great time as family dinner. Food was delicious and well presented, Staff are friendly and everything is done with ease. We had to wait a bit for food but that is expected considered how busy it was. Chicken Katsu is very nice with right amount of curry. Drinks were served quick and we really enjoyed our little family gathering. Will definitely come back.

Just the facts Family dinner for five , including a child On a Sunday From ordering to arriving took an hour Three roasts. Food was cold. We returned two of the dishes and don't want anything else. Not good and ruined a family birthday . Had come before and was very slow service but diabolical to wait that long for cold food. The manager was okay and understood and we didn't pay for the cold food, but would rather have just had a nice meal. Last time will come to this place, after being massively let down . Something wrong with the kitchen . Also at no point did anyone ask is your food okay. Took food back to the waitress and said was cold. And then no one came to apologise..heard the bar staff saying to the manager " that table returned their food " like it was our fault..manager didn't come over to ask why. Never again . An hour for cold food is insulting

After a bright spell of great fish specials and well prepared food the Three Locks unfortunately seems to have gone a little downhill. There are still highlights such as the scotch egg on home made piccalilli. When visiting yesterday there were no specials leaving only the rather limited menu. There were no steaks (they offer fillet or ribeye, bot 'sold out'), the only fresh fish dish was Szechuan cod, and that also had sold out. This wasn't after a busy service, it was 30 minutes into the lunch service. Having been disappointed with availability of dishes and quality of food recently (another recent lunch visit included a 'special' seafood risotto which sold out immediately I ordered and looked and tasted like it had been prepared the previous day) I will be giving the Three Locks a miss in future which is a shame when it has such a nice setting. Slow disinterested staff (they now add an 'optional' service charge irrespective of group size) only exacerbate the problem.

My boat had broken down just outside, which was handy. I have had two main meals and two breakfasts . Have to say, the service was great and food even better if I can say that. Love this pub, even if I am busy on the canal I will pop in for a chilled drink whilst passing

Great breakfast friendly welcoming staff relaxed atmosphere tasty food great scenes watching boats through locks

We went for Christmas Dinner with friends, at £95 a head its certainly not cheap but we work hard all year so it's a treat. I made the restaurant aware at the time of booking, about 8 weeks in advance, that I am wheat intolerant and was assured that's fine, they will cope. After all, it's 2023 and food allergies are easily catered for, you'd like to think so anyway. Starter, fine. It was a prawn cocktail so not much can go wrong. Main,a traditional turkey roast. It looked great apart from a huge yorkshire pudding on top. I assumed this was a plating up error so just moved it aside and carried on. We had a huge delay between main and desserts, almost an hour (I am pretty sure they forgot about us) during which I got some familiar gripes and had to excuse myself to avail of the facilities, twice. When we were eventually spotted twiddling our thumbs it was a rush then to get our pudding out, I had ordered cheese and crackers because its a fairly safe gluten free bet, what arrived was cheese, but no crackers, just some floppy insipid looking toast, and an apology from the manager. They didn't have any. I sent it back, cheese on toast or a cheese sandwich was not my idea of a suitable finale, I got brought some ice cream. While the manager described each flavour to me I asked him about the gluten free dinner, and could he be sure it had been? Was the bread sauce, stuffing and gravy gluten free? He didn't know! He passed me onto the under manager Jaz who was a real credit to the staff, and listened to my concerns, if not my rumbling stomach. He seemed to hint that the instructions had not been fed down from head office, it was hard to get really what he meant. Free coffees and a glass of wine were the solution to the issues. No response from head office when I raised a query with them. Suffice to say, if you are in any way intolerant or God forbid highly allergic to ingredients then I cannot say this is a safe place to eat.

One of the best meals out. Not precooked but found a table quickly. Good drinks. Good food selection. Timely service. Food excellent presentation, taste, quantity. Service personable. Ticked all our boxes. Not pricey. Thank you.

Christmas lunch at the three locks was the best I’ve had as a group booking. The service was exceptional the staff friendly… A lovely experience for our team get together thank you 😊

We have been visiting this pub again for the last couple of months after it falling out of favour and we have been delighted with the service and the food. Every week there is a great choice of specials (unlike our nearest local pub) and we are never stuck for choice. The staff are wonderful and make us feel special and remember we are (again, unlike the local ‘trendy’ pub where they couldn’t care less if you are a local or not) We have taken to visiting every weekend because it’s always a delight. Thank you to the staff and management - we will see you over Christmas - keep up the good work!

We brought my mum for her 89th birthday. There was 6 of us with 3 vegetarians, good menu choices for everyone. Food was very good, all food was hot with good size portions. Jonathan quickly came to welcome us when we arrived and gave us really great attentive service throughout. ( just remember to pre order if you want something off the festive menu)

Sunday lunch was superb. Lovely setting and super friendly staff. I would highly recommend this pub.

Visited the Three Locks yesterday evening and had an excellent dinner. The menu offered plenty of interesting choices; we opted for rib of beef and chicken and ham hock pie. Both were really good. The beef was lovely and tender with delicious veg and plenty of very tasty mashed potato. The pie was similarly first class. Along with really friendly and efficient service we gave the whole evening a 10 out of 10.

Called last weekend, third time in as many months, only cask ale that didn’t smell of vinegar & taste worse was ‘Tring Side Pocket for a Toad’, London Pride & Pale Ale had to be returned, twice, as Barman didn’t take them off-sale & I foolishly gave them a second chance. Previous two visits the beer wasn’t much better, again Tring was only drinkable one. How on earth this pub is in Good Beer Guide amazes me, I shall be writing to CAMRA Branch Chairperson asking they survey this pub more carefully for 2025 GBG, it really does not belong in such a usually good reference publication!

Nice ambiance, friendly staff and very tasty food. We were made very welcome and looked after very well.

We usually come here at the weekend and their roasts are great, there was a different menu today so I went for the turkey escalope done in a festive style. It took a while to order as they did not have a few things and...

I’d say up there with the best roast in the area. Nice welcome, all staff friendly. Just what you want on a Sunday. We will be back.

What shame the lovely Sunday lunch took so long to reach the table, for the food was delicious. Worse was that we had to chase the dessert and only then were we told some items we'd chosen were no longer available. When it did come...

Fantastic friendly service from all staff as usual, delicious Sunday roast, very generous portions. I’m glad we had booked ahead for Sunday lunch as it was really busy during our visit. Thank you to Emma who was so nice & did a little happy birthday...

Popped in on Tuesday for lunch, was offered a table in the restaurant or the bar. We chose the restaurant. Kayleigh was excellent, she helped me with all the questions I had due to my allergies. The chicken & bacon bloomer was huge, super tasty...

I ordered a roast beef sandwich. It was £10.50, but for a good cut of meat it could be worth it. What arrived was slices of something they must have found at the back of the fridge, previously cooked and now thrown on the grill,...

For a pub in an isolated area, there is a serious kitchen here. The popular dish the night we were there was the fish pie, but there is a nice menu of pub food, friendly service and a cozy bar. There is a large alfresco...

Just had a fantastic Sunday Lunch here really friendly staff credit to the pub they are. Great service, really nice to find a place that has got it right, Nice setting by the canal..can't wait to go back...

Great food, delivered quickly and an excellent price. Staff were really friendly. Nice relaxing atmosphere

Recently went for dinner at the Three Locks. Amazing food, quick service and friendly waitstaff. The chicken and ham pie was divine and brownie pudding the perfect size. The restaurant was nicely set out and sitting outside by the canal is peaceful.

What a lovely surprise. I hadn't visited this pub in over 10 years and the place is unrecognisable to what I remembered. We had Sunday lunch and everything was perfect. Would highly recommend it. The service we received from Emma the waitress was also top...

Lovely pub alongside the canal with great food at a reasonable price. We were served by Emma who was very friendly and extremely helpful.

Amazing roast here. Superb Yorkshire puddings .... Vegetables were very taste especially the carrots. Also the sticky toffee pudding was delicious. Definitely recommended coming here , best roast in the local area.

Had a really lovely lunch here. I had homemade lasagna which was superb. I am a bit picky about lasagna but this really ticked the box. Served with garlic bread and a beautiful well dressed salad. My friend had the Ferraro desert which sent him...

We had such a lovely meal here as a big family group in the restaurant area to celebrate our wedding. The customer service beforehand and during the meal was excellent and made everything very straightforward and relaxed. We pre-booked our meals from the large menu...

Stopped for a late lunch at the 3 Locks. Staff always friendly, food always great. Jonty made us welcome, very attentive and chatty. Lovely to just sit, enjoy our food and watch the canal barges drift by.

First Time back after 2 years. Lovely ambience very clean & bright. Table service excellent. Had Fish Pie and it was excellent, be warned it comes as large portion. Partner had a chicken dish with curry sauce which she said was also excellent. Broccoli Spears...

Thank you on behalf of my family for the wonderful meal and exceptional service on Sunday for birthday celebrations. Food was hot and still managed to all come out at the same tip. Lots of different bar tabs and food orders didn’t seem to faze...

Visited with a friend for lunch following a recommendation. Whilst service was good was bitterly disappointed with the quality of the food. Overpriced menu. Soup was only lukewarm and served with barely toasted bread. Not paying £18 for fish and chips at lunchtime in a...

The pub is located in a lovely position. Our Lunch was really nice and our waitress Taylor was extremely friendly and helpful. We were very impressed with all the staff there and look forward to returning again soon

Situated beside the locks on Grand Union Canal, this pub is ideally place to encourage lots of customers. It is very attractive old building very clean and bright. Outside there plenty of seating but everyone should be aware of the very deep locks….I noted that...

Had not been here for several years. It did not disappoint ! Food and service were excellent. Staff were very efficient and friendly particularly our waitress Emily. Would recommend to anyone.

Had dinner on a Sunday night - not busy, but a decent atmosphere all the same, largely engendered by a team of waiting staff who seemed to be enjoying their jobs (which is a great sign, and really makes a difference). Starter (stilton mousse) and...

This was our first visit since Pub taken over by Oakman Inns. Sunday night so not busy nevertheless great service from Emily. Made to feel very welcome.

Great food and service! Taylor was amazing, super lovely and friendly and made sure everything was well catered for.

Lovely food and beautiful location. Jas, the Assistant Manager, was very friendly and a pleasure to speak to. Would recommend and we look forward to returning.

Decided to stop for something to eat on the way home, lucky enough to get last table. Good service and good food. Thank you Emily.

I don’t usually write reviews, but we have just come back from having such a lovely experience here. The staff were so attentive and friendly. They were very welcoming to our puppy and baby and made a fuss of them but they were not intrusive....

The food was utterly delicious and the staff were warm and inviting and it had a great view of the lock.

We were running early and decided to stop somewhere for lunch. We hadn't been to the Three Locks for a long time and thought we'd try. Although we hadn't booked, we were greeted warmly and had a lovely lunch.

Amazing food, lovely staff , beautiful location - couldn’t ask for more Emily was our waitress, she was so helpful and kind

We were out and decided to stop at the Three locks for a spot of lunch. We were greeted by friendly helpful staff. Having chose from the specials menu the food arrived looking appetising and tasted just as lovely. Services was warm, attentive and swift....

It was a very wet August evening and we were moored on our boat above the locks. As we walked across the lock to the pub the sun was setting and it was misty; very pretty location. The first thing I would say about the...

I love the location, I find the menu not particularly interesting. And a little overpriced. To be honest a little disappointing.

Girls were busy behind the bar on entering both acknowledged us and said they’d be with us shortly 5⭐️ service! Seated orders taken swiftly looked after by lovely girl called Emma 5⭐️ We had 3 roasts & mix grill they were all absolutely delicious! 5⭐️...

So its a sunny Saturday lunchtime and the Landlord says "No More Food Orders" to the people in front of you becaeu "the kitchen is overloaded" you get the feeling that he has no clue, I've been here many times before and never got this......

This is a nice pub right on the canal. Based on the reviews we weren’t expecting much but were pleasantly surprised. The food and service were really good and really good portion sizes. I read a review that the menu was limited. No idea what...

Food was great. Not particularly cheap but portions were huge. Young waitress was absolutely charming. Desserts were lovely but order on arrival as started running out. Service was prompt with no delays

I came in for an early dinner yesterday, I was welcomed by Becca. Atmosphere was lovely , the food was really good quality and she recommended what I had and it was superb.

Very poor service - left me waiting at the bar for drinks for such a long time while the ey just ignored me and fiddled about with other things. We decided to sack it off and go to the Boot in Soulbury - what a...

A lovely pub, handy for our boat moored above the top lock. Menu was great, plenty of variety and food excellent. Service good as the place was busy, staff all cheerful.

Loved the gnocchi with mushrooms, blue cheese and spinach. Just delicious. Friendly, helpful staff. Bit pricey but not hugely so, for the quality of food. Great location by the canal and locks.

Came here while on a canal boat holiday. The pub is perfectly placed near a flight of locks so is a welcome spot to eat at. I chose dishes from the specials board, (pork belly and hasselback potatoes followed by passionfruit pannacotta), and my husband...

Starter was ok , here as a group of 4 , mains arrived two were cold, waitress said they are supposed to be Luke warm but lady on next table with same meal was blowing on hers at it was too hot, attitude of one...

Lovely pub by the canal side. I visited whilst supporting my husband on the Grand Union Canal run. There is ample parking at the pub and nearby. I purchased a bitter shandy and some nuts. I used the toilets whilst I was there, which were...

We have visited here for lunches and loved it,so we decided to take friends for dinner. Our service was extremely poor.After our starters,we waited 1hour 20minutes for main courses to be served, then that was only because we asked a passing staff member where they...

Perfectly cooked meals in a lovely setting. Watching the narrowboats deal with the locks, while I dealt with a delicious sea bass was just great. Fine dining quality meals, and will be back soon!

The pub was in a great location, very clean and comfortable. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Unfortunately we found the menu to be rather limited. If you didn't like curry as an ingredient then there wasn't much choice. I opted for the battered...

Lovely food and setting on a warm spring day. Stopped for a light lunch as it was so sunny and warm. Had grilled tandoori chicken and rump steak- both nicely presented and very tasty. Lovely setting overlooking the canal

A most enjoyable evening. All 4 us had a lovely meal. Warm and welcoming service from all staff, especially Emma.

Lovely setting with the option of eating outdoors or indoors. An extensive and intersting menu - with slection of roasts (it was a sunday). A good range of real ales. Staff very welcoming and friendly.

Great pub with friendly staff and lovely food. I was beginning to loose hope in pub food as I eat out regularly trying all different pubs and finally visit one where my parents and I all enjoyed our food .

We went here for dinner and was able to take our cocker spaniel with us. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. Food was great and service was good. The pub is in a great location. Highly recommend.

Food was tasty, but not sure if it was good value for money as was quite expensive for what you got. Fishcakes stated with salad, however it was more of a garnish. 10% Service charge added to the bill automatically, however it would be preferred...

Stopped here with my wife for dinner the day after enjoying the most delicious lunchtime ham and cheese toastie the previous day. The fish was obviously unbelievably fresh and cooked in house in their own batter mix. Make a point of visiting and if your...

I have just moved to the area & came across The Three Locks on a walk with my husband, we sat outside in the sunshine, its an absolutely beautiful location. Staff were so welcoming & friendly, we chose to just have a light bite to...

Came in on a Sunday evening for a roast, was so please they had roasts left, perfectly cooked roast beef & fantastic portions, service was so friendly & welcoming, staff are extremely helpful & recommended a delicious dessert which was sticky toffee pudding. Highly recommend...

Popped in for a quick bite to eat and wasn’t at all disappointed. The staff were great and were really knowledgeable. I am a big gin lover and they have a wide range of different flavours. Kayleigh and Gabi were both attentive and a great...

My Husband and I visited for the third time in as many weeks and again the food was fabulous, freshly cooked and presented beautifully. The staff were very attentive without being intrusive special mention for Jazz and Gabby who made us feel very welcome and...

Beautiful location, delicious food & exceptional staff that go above and beyond. Will definitely be returning 😊

The food was delicious and the service was excellent!! I will definitely be returning and would highly recommend that you check it out!

Went in for lunch and the service was exceptional! Would highly recommend and I will definitely be returning! Amazing!

We visited this pub on Saturday 14th January our first visit and we were absolutely blown away! the food was amazing and the staff were so friendly and went above and beyond! It’s the best meal we have had in a long time, we will...

Popped in on the off chance today for a Sunday roast. Pleasantly surprised! The food was very very good. The service was prompt and the staff friendly. We've eaten in many places, in and around Milton Keynes, this is one of the best and with...

1st time we’ve eaten since reopening. Everything was perfect - super helpful and efficient team, great menu options and food was so plentiful, beautifully presented and totally delicious. Well done The Three Locks

Had the most amazing pot pie here, atmosphere was friendly and welcoming. Would defiantly go back again

My friend and I just had a lovely leisurely lunch at the Three Locks. We sat by the fire and enjoyed a couple of nice coffees followed by a lovely meal. I had the beef bao buns which I highly recommend. My friend had a...

Fantastic food and amazing service from kayleigh who really looked after us ❤️ would highly recommend

Came for a meal with a couple of friends on Tuesday and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The food was absolutely delicious, it is a bit pricey but you most definitely get what you pay for. The portion sizes were pretty big. To top it...

We used to enjoy going to the three locks, drinks are good. However food is poor, one dish was fine but the chicken starter we had was overdone and the prawn Curry was disgusting and the rice was soggy. Very unapologetic, ruined our evening as...

asked for a childrens roast for an adult with small appetite and eating disorder ,would think we had requested the world. Very rude staff serving us who told us it was against company policy!!! and was very reluctant to help. Staff should appreciate peoples preferences...

Amazing food. We had delicious Sunday roasts with the best cauliflower cheese and a gorgeous sponge pudding and custard. Service was great as well, very friendly and welcoming. We will definitely be coming back.

Poor. Disorganised and overpriced. At £32 for a steak it should be exceptional. Mine was tough and distinctly below average. No response from venue or group owners to my complaint. The extractor fan in the Gents will tell you what you need to know about...

Enjoyed a meal for 5 whilst on the canal for a birthday break. The service, ( Especially from Taylor) food and surroundings last night were excellent. Our party ordered king prawn curry, fish and chips and chicken and ham pot pie all very tasty and...

After receiving good reviews from family we tried this canal side pub. it is now an Oakmans inn and the food and service has sky rocketed. It was always a disappointment to get reasonable food if you were prepared to wait. Service used to be...

I booked a table for 7 and were greeted with a pleasant smile from the bar waiting staff considering they were busy, well it was 1.30pm. The young lady who looked after us she was pleasant, had a sense of humour also nothing was too...