The White Cross in Lancaster

Fab real ale pub in a great location right on the canal in Lancaster. I counted 10 cask ales on tap. My Titanic Plum Porter was a beauty. Even on a drizzly Halloween evening it was a delight! 🎃

Wanted to share a nice meal when visiting my daughter at university. Unfortunately, this did not happen. The Thai curry was mediocre and the garden salad states it has goats cheese. There was no evidence of this and when asked, the bar staff said ‘it’s mixed in’. There was no goat’s cheese. No one checked if the meal was ok until they collected the plates. I told the lady it was awful and she laughed at me. I had to say that I was not joking but she continued to laugh. Thoroughly disappointing and ruined our whole evening. Do not recommend and will not be back . No recompense or true apology offered.

Lovely canal side pub with friendly service and great drinks selection. Food has gone downhill recently though, is now overly fussy with everything having to have a 'twist' that invariably makes it less appealing. Hopefully the chef will go back to basics again soon.

Absolutely brilliant place and Harley is th3 hostess with the mostess!!! Highly recommended

Great place to eat fantastic service really good food

This was a last minute booking whilst staying nearby. Had read some reviews, which we're mixed. From my point of view, it was a lovely experience. Called in advance, upon arrival, the young waitress could not have been more helpful. Attending the table multiple times to check if everything was ok, if we needed anything else, further drinks, desserts etc. Which is very much lacking at other locations. Sadly it was raining, so didn't sit outside to enjoy the lovely view. Would happily visit again if in the area.

Fantastic customer service Mia was amazing

Excelent real ale pub in Lancaster plenty hand pumps on good staff does do live music This pub is 5 minutes from the water witch on the Lancaster canal again re visited this great real ale pub Today, a plethora of locally brewed interesting hand pumped ales on Good outdoor drinking area on the Lancaster canal There is a great long interior drinking area with great staff and canal walkers frequent this fantastic real ale pub. This is an essential visit for real ale when in Lancaster Tuesday 2nd October 2024 Today, this pub on Lancaster Canal was again visited This pub still served a plethora of real ales, and the pub and outdoor drinking areas have not changed 1 apath. This pub is an essential visit for real ale drinkers when in Lancaster drinking

Amazing vegetarian Sunday lunch - possibly the best I have ever had.

21/09/24: Sour with shandy? I hear you say! Yes it works! TikTok #doesitshandy

First time back since pre pandemic. Excellent canal side pub just a short walk out of town. We made the mistake of sitting by the pool table which wasn't being used when we ordered. Back again for lunch. Lovely meal in pleasant surroundings.

We have been to the White Cross several times recently. Food quality is good and portion sizes generous. The one thing is that the same dish on the menu will vary from visit to visit. So, for example, the Thai curry was more spicy yesterday than at our previous visit. Not massively hot but noticeable. Overall though, good food, good portion sizes.

A regular for us on walks along the canal with the dog. Always great drinks and friendly service. Perfect spot for when it is sunny outside but lots of seating inside too

Great pub.Great staff and drink

Huge pub on the canal side. Great service from the bar staff and spotlessly clean. Very highly recommend.

First time at this pub and very impressed. Had the shoulder of lamb for Sunday lunch and my friend had the nut roast. Both were excellent. The staff were incredibly friendly and looked after us well. Overall it was a great experience. Highly recommend.

The pub it's self is nice, but the menu has a small selection of choice, and the price is way to high for the standard of food, fries where probably from a £1 bag of fries from farm foods, the chicken burger was OK nothing special the bun had a bit of grass from what looked like it was from outside. Wouldn't come again

Great spot on the canal side. Some interesting beers and a great quiz night.

Incredible historic location, canal side seating as well as wonderful and attentive staff who are brimming with local knowledge and very clued up in regards to the food and alcohol menus. Dog friendly and staff offered to bring water and snacks for the dogs. Cheese board and starters are always a favourite of mine and I also love bringing family here for special occasions! Also a huge fan of the "does it shandy" videos on tiktok which I believe is filmed here! And just to add, the toilets are always lovely and clean, fresh smelling, well decorated and maintained and dont make you scared to sit if you know what I mean 😆

We had an excellent meal there with friends! Food was delicious, the setting, on the canal was perfect. We had rose wine, Hunter’s chicken, and chicken ham and leek pie and scampi. All excellent!! We would highly recommend this place!

Had an afternoon/tea with a large group of family, moved some tables to accommodate us all, lovely food to share and great service. Lovely outside seating when the weather is nice, canal side bar/restaurant minutes walk from city centre.

This is really 4.5! On a long weekend away with friends on a very wet Sunday. Phoned when 10 minutes walk away and was found a table for the 4 of us and very friendly and helpful. We all had the Sunday roast and delicious ... .must mention the cauliflower cheese, which was exceptional! The level of service was superb, being both friendly and professional. Would highly recommend.

Decent food & great choice of cask ales at time of visit.

Food seemed overpriced for food that clearly had been cooked a long while before it was ordered. Staff fine and maybe my fault for eating lunch at 4pm!

Good dependable pub with a great outdoor seating area on the canal. Great destination for a cold beer on a hot day. Food is standard, little overpriced if I’m being honest, and the staff are friendly and polite. I’ve been coming here for decades and it’s always worth a look.

Wonderful on all counts. Definitely worth a visit. Great atmosphere, friendly staff and an excellent selection of food and drinks.

I did a delivery there and the staff were very friendly and welcoming.

We came for dinner a couple of weeks ago for a birthday. Our waitress (believe her name was Mia) was so incredibly lovely and an all around ray of sunshine. She truly made our meal so incredible. The other staff that served us were also so friendly. The food was lovely. Recommend the roast beef brisket and the veg curry!

Great place to sit and watch the boats go by. Nice touch that you can buy some Duck food.

A lovely pub by the side of a canal. Food was tasty, fast service, and super friendly staff.

A great spot with excellent food! 👌

Terrible service. Booked a table for two, on arrival was told they had no tables for two so a table was reserved next to the door opposite the bar. Sat and waited for someone to take our order no one came . Surely if the pub has overbooked and customers are seated elsewhere they should still receive the same service as in the restaurant. This was a meal for our anniversary so it was ruined. We left and ended up with a takeaway. Emailed The Whitecross no reply.

I had a wonderful time at the bar and eatery. The atmosphere was great, and I will definitely visit again.

Consigliati da un amico che vive a Lancaster abbiamo provato questo Locale. Bello, comodo, magnifica posizione, ottima birra, buona Cucina Cucina. Personale cordiale prezzi corretti

Amazing food, service, value, interesting menu. Best fish and chips ever and the mushroom parfait was out of this world! Recommend unreservedly.

The food I ordered was absolutely delicious got to say . I really don't each much but I did that day . Beautiful thankyou .

Great everything 😁 Pork belly dish and seabass plate , perfect!

Great cask beer choices. Lovely setting next to the canal. I didn't have any food.

Great food and drinks, brilliant staff! Lovely location.

Excellent sandwiches! Nice canal side pub with very friendly service.

Hello, We celebrated the graduation of my daughter at this pub in the middle of July. The stuff was very helpful even we had to change the booking three times because of various reasons. We sat inside, the atmosphere was very cosy, quiet - not like in other pubs when you have to shout to let someone hear you. The food was excellent as well, we ordered a few starters and main course, then dessert. Didn't have to wait long time before it was served. The service was spot on! Starting from when we were welcomed at the entrance and the waitresses looking after us and our guest during all time when we were there! Even to the point when the waitress was apologizing for the service charge included and was emphasising that it was voluntary and could be taken off. I didn't mind, I think the stuff deserved the tips and even a bit more on top of it. Definitely great place to have a dinner, enjoy a time with friends and family and and eat some excellent food! Best regards, Rustam.

Absolutely beautiful..food worth buying..perfect delicious...service 100%

Great food had the roast lamb it melted in your mouth but pricy but worth the money not been in awhile but it was lovely. Friendly staff too

Brilliant service good food and a catch up with friends

Nice pub by the Lancaster canal, popped in for a cheeky pint on Friday afternoon

Great pub dog friendly nice food good ale

Had the potted shrimps for starters and the chicken, ham and leek pie for main. Probably one of the best pies I've had in a long while.

Superb canal side location with outside seating for good weather and spacious indoor seating for less warm days. Excellent food and beer.

Let me just start by saying, the pie, the Chicken and ham pie was THE best pie I've ever tasted, the gravy was perfection and the staff are just amazing. Absolutley loved every minute and worth every penny. Be back again soon to try more tasty wine and dishes!

The food was lovely! Had three courses each and I think it was reasonably priced, the food itself and the presentation was brilliant! The service was great, really attentive and had no problems at all! The atmosphere was really nice! Not too loud or quiet!

Lovely pub with seats right next to the canal. Big sitting area inside. Good selection of drinks and food. Friendly staff.

Excellent service above and beyond! Thank you Harley!

Great food, especially the special soup! Very busy so took a little time for the food but that's to be expected. Lovely friendly staff.

Lovely food staff are super friendly and it’s a nice clean pub right by canal as well

Super evening. Pub next to the canal. Perfect

Really nice place, found it on maps while visiting the city, food was lovely, best colleslaw ever! Staff was friendly and overall nice crowd enjoying a sunny sunday afternoon. Outdoor sitting by the canal is a plus.

An oasis for a great range of well kept, properly pulled Cask ales. Service is timely and with a smile. Great choice of ales on tap. Food is always good quality, well prepared and presented. Great location next to the canal but handy for town. Spacious pub, with plenty of seating inside and out. Worthy winner of Camra awards and will no doubt feature in future polls. Highly recommended.

Great food and atmosphere, beautifully set along the lake when it's sunny.

Guy behind bar was abrupt and spoke to us in an offhand manner . Manners cost nothing.

Wide selection of beers canal side location lots of comfy sofas

Food and service were good, however for the price it was a bit expensive. You'd get a similar tasting burger in weatherspoons for half the price.

Nice food, good service. There were some drinks put on the bill that weren't ours but I pointed it out to the server amd it was resolved.

My first visit for some time . All as good as ever.

A jewel in Lancaster. Came here with my friends for a Sunday roast. Each Sunday roast is £19. Roasted meat is tender, also has many kinds of vegetables, and they are sweet and juicy. I especially like the purple cabbage among the vegetables. The Yorkshire pudding here is the best Yorkshire pudding I have ever tasted! Lovely place! The staff's service is very friendly. Will definitely come again!

The service was amazing, all the staff looked after us so well and with a proper smile and welcome. Food was great but it was the service that stood out. A great night out.

The food got to us at a reasonable time and was never late. It's got 4 or 4.5 stars from me and my family.

Met up with a group of friends, and enjoyable experience had by all. A vast range of beers and lagers to choose from.

Good selection of beers, wasn't expecting Marble brewery in Lancaster. Dog friendly, spacious venue if not particularly interesting looking. Outside seating by the canal though.

Called in for a drink and ended up staying for lunch. food was amazing had the chicken and ham hock pie which was the special that day husband had a burger . The atmosphere in this place was lovely and the service and food was great .

Only stopped for drinks. Sat outside.

We had issues with our car but the manageress couldn't have been more helpful in what was an extremely stressful situation she was calming and understanding. Can't say enough but the staff really restore your faith in humanity. The owners should be extremely proud of their team there and do everything they can to ensure they don't loose anyone. From one very happy and satisfied customer.

Expensive alcohol pint of coke and a pint of beer £9

I love it here and the food is gorgeous but on mothering Sunday the waitress brought us cauliflower cheese with our meals told her we never ordered it , took it away and then brought it back and said we can have it at a discounted price ! We didn't want it and didn't eat any of it and was still charged for it. The only reason I didn't say anything is my daughter suffers social anxiety and it was mother's day and didn't want to spoil it. Unacceptable to pay for something not ordered and not eaten.

Excellent meal for mothers day. Great service, lovely setting.

Visiting Lancaster and popped into the White Cross on the recommendation of my partner who frequented the pub as a student. It was lunchtime and so decided on a gastro pub staple of fish and chips. The meal arrived with what I can only describe as a small battered whale on a plate lovingly rested on a bed of crunchy homemade chips. Good start. Alongside it's impressive size, the fish was perfectly cooked, flaking beautifully and coated in a light, impressively crunchy beer batter that retained its crispiness throughout the whole meal. The fish, by itself was review worthy but the real star of the show was the accompaniments. The clearly homemade tartare sauce was deliciously creamy and loaded with capers. The flavours danced on my tongue. The mushy peas were unlike the mushy peas you'd find in the local chippy but fresh and vibrant and loaded with mint and other flavours I couldn't identify. Put simply, I didn't realise that tartare sauce and mushy peas could be so delicious. I had to ask for second helpings of tartare sauce as one portion was not enough. I am the son of a trawler man for whom fish and chips was a thrice weekly meal. I am from Anglesey, an island with a fish and chip shop roughly every 100 yards but this is, by some measure, the best fish and chips I have ever had. Brilliant food leaves a lasting impression and I have thought about this meal for the remainder of the day. At £16.50 for a gargantuan portion, I found this very reasonably priced in comparison to other gastropubs I have visited elsewhere. The only downside to this meal is now I have to return to Anglesey knowing I'll never again enjoy fish and chips locally as much as I enjoyed this. Kudos to the team at the White Cross.

Popped down for a couple of drinks with the dog, as usual a good atmosphere, good service.

We have been coming here since 2011, at least twice per year, but we have never been disappointed with the food, beer, cider and service. Would recommend at any time. This time had the gooseberry crumble, fantastic.

After seeing some good reviews for Sunday Lunch at The White Cross we decided to try it out. We both ordered roast dinners - I had the striploin of beef and my partner had beef brisket. Both were lovely - probably the best roast dinner we’ve eaten out. The roast potatoes were crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and Yorkshire puddings are huge! The service was excellent too - all the staff were very friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend.

We always call in at the White Cross if passing through Lancaster. Great range of proper ales and a superior pub menu. Service was a little slow, but it was a busy Saturday, to be fair. My Dad and I enjoyed exceptional sausages and mash and washed it down with a Northern Monk IPA. We love the location by the canal too. We'll be back, Jack!

We had a lovely Sunday Roast lunch with all the trimmings. Lean Roast beef red & white cabbage, carrot parsnip, mash and roast potatoes & gravy . Very tasty My grandson had Tempura Prawns and a Brownie with icecream too!

Great food. However, they are not a friendly dog welcome as they advertise, I booked a table on the bar and I didn't have a service table as I had been told on the phone. The manager told me, you can leave your dog in the car if you want a service table.. unacceptable. Thanks to the general manager who seems a nice person but in general, our experience was awful.

This was honestly the best experience I have ever had in a restaurant. The staff were lovely and attentive. The food was flawless and on par with Michelin star food I’ve had in the past for a fraction of the price. It is such a lovely building with amazing sensory. I would highly recommend visiting. I will definitely be returning

THE BEST SUNDAY ROAST EVER. Absolutely delicious. Excellent meal. Helpful, thoughtful staff. Great atmosphere. We’ve been many times and it never disappoints. Dog friendly; they love it too, they get a bowl of water and treats 😊

We went to the White Cross last night for my Nephew's 30th Birthday Party. A large family party. The service was first class and the food was amazing . We had preorderd and we all got served together . Everyone enjoyed their meal.. The hotpot was delicious and the creme Brule which I had was so good The staff were extremely friendly and helpful whilst being very professional. The gentleman and young lady whom looked after us all evening were the best.They deserve a pat on the back and all credit to them .Very well organised and nothing was to much trouble. We will definitely be back. Most enjoyable evening was had by all.Thank you.

Had a fantastic night last night my sons 30th birthday celebration the food was amazing & the staff were brilliant they couldn't do enough for us excellent service & a wonderful night

We visited The White Cross last night .A large family party for my Nephews 30th Birthday. The service was first class and the food was Amazing. Very well organised friendly staff. The gentleman and young lady that looked after us all evening were the best. Nothing was to much trouble .Everyone got served together and we all had amost enjoyable evening . We will definitely be back. Thank you to the great team at White Cross...

If you're eating out in Lancaster and not eating here you're doing it wrong

Fantastic service, the staff could not have been more helpful or friendly. Quick service and delicious food. My son commented that the burger with charcoal cheese was the best he had ever had. We both enjoyed our meals and will definitely be back.

Wonderful food beer and great service

First class meal experience, staff exellent , food was delicious. Host Hurley incredible and her knowledge of the beers available is first class. Thank you for one of the best pub meals I have ever had. Party of 7 for sunday lunch.

Absolutely wonderful roast dinner here today. The lamb and beef both were so tender, beautiful flavours. The service was very good, the young lady who was our waitress was excellent. The wine was very good and at a good temperature which isnt often the case at some places. Thank you so much we definitely recommend the Sunday Roasts.

Had an enjoyable meal/birthday bash, friendly helpful staff, reasonable prices.

Excellent food, lovely atmosphere, the service was with a smile and Mia and Athina were helpful and so polite.

Twixmas, bar staff great. Selection of ale. Larger and cider spoilt for choice. It was not a great atmosphere, considering it was midweek after Christmas. I would imagine it would be good another time.

Lovely food and a bonus it's very dog friendly xx

Visited The White Cross a mid week evening while in Lancaster catching up with our son who's at the university. Sadly, we had limited time due to a busy schedule but the very efficient staff following our food order served us very quickly. Beer battered fish and chips along with sausage sandwiche, and chips were top draw. The locally brewed beer was excellent as was the hospitality. My only regret was not being able to stay for longer. Next time we're in Lancaster I've no doubt we will be paying The White Cross a return visit.

We came to the White Cross for our Christmas meal with a party of 11. Food and service was outstanding. Incredible value for money. Thank you

Simply the perfect venue for the ideal balance of great food, wonderfull polite staff, and friendly atmosphere. We are already planning to return in the new year.

A fabulous meal. Delicious roast dinner with Yorkshire pudding. Great service and lovely staff. The dog was even treated to biscuits. Thank you guys.

Came here for a Christmas work meal, everything was perfect from start to finish. I had the truffled celeriac soup, very moorish! The beef brisket was to die for, so moist! And very large portions, I didn't have room for dessert! But I had room for beer! Excellent range, particularly the bitter and twisted! Service from Harley, Morgan and Graham were exceptional. I will be visiting again.