Wild Duck Inn in Cotswold

Walked two hours to this pub to find it boarded up and closed. No notice on the website, and no update on Google. Even called and not so much as an answerphone message. Appalling.

Walked two hours to this pub to find it boarded up and closed. No notice on the website, and no update on Google. Even called and not so much as an answerphone message. Appalling.

Can’t believe this has closed - get in touch I’ll buy it 💜 my parents used to go there when they were courting in the 60’s

Can’t believe this has closed - get in touch I’ll buy it 💜 my parents used to go there when they were courting in the 60’s

So sad to see how they've butchered this place. Listed Buildings not doing their jobs correctly. Conservatism and the aesthetic of England must come second to 'the economy' in this consumerist anti-nationalist control state

Please appears to be closed and has been for a long time. Not helpful for those on the Thames path, the ones staying at the local b&b or the local residents. Shame on the owners for not getting it back up and running!

Closed for refurbishment. Please get our pub sorted soon.

Traditional 16th-century inn offering rooms with free breakfast, plus a microbrewery and dining.

It is closed for renovation until the autumn 2019. See their website.

Amazing oysters at this place. Love the atmosphere in this beautiful place too. Definitely worth a visit but make sure you book up as it gets very busy

Lovely Sunday lunch. Good prices, good drinks.

Popped in for a drink, post carnage of the Sunday lunch rush. Pleasant enough place, something about it didn't quite hit the mark though so won't be rushing back.

We visited with friends and our dogs for lunch a few weeks ago, we were made welcome, not rushed and had a lovely meal. We were impressed enough to return this evening for my father in law’s Birthday and were equally impressed. We had to wait for our table but enjoyed a drink in the warm, friendly bar while we did so, and only for 15 minutes or so. Our meal was fabulous again, the staff were warm and attentive, but we discovered that they close tomorrow for 9 months for refurbishment. We will return when it reopens and hope that the character and charm of this beautiful old pub is not lost. My father in law told us tales of how his Aunt Liza lived there in the 1950s before the building became a pub.

Called in early evening midweek with friends without prior booking - place was busy but we were accommodated. First impressions were pleasant as the bar area is characterful and welcoming, with a roaring log fire. First impressions of the menu were that the adults menu was quite lean, in terms of choices - and we were informed that one of the more attractive options, the bream, was down to the last fillet.The meals arrived, and my wife tucked in to the sea bream with gusto, only for the waitress to apologise and state that she'd served the meals to the wrong table. The meals (apart from my wife's) were whisked away. This left my wife eating solo for some time, and she'd virtually finished by the time the other meals arrived.Eventually had the lamb, as did one other. I like my lamb quite pink, but this was very pink - would have been OK as quite tasty but the meat was not the finest cut, and difficult to cut with regular knives. My friend sent hers back for a little more time on the grill. The main courses are ambitiously priced, and whilst portion sizes were reasonable though not generous, it was disappointing to be charged an additional £4.50 for modest portions of potatoes or fries to accompany main courses priced just shy of £20.Puddings looked promising on the menu, though two of the more attractive options (from a total of six) were off. Bear in mind this was an early evening meal, which suggests that the kitchen aren't very organised. All in all, the experience was a bit disappointing. I had quite high expectations as I'd heard good things about the Lucky Onion pub group, who have also just bought the Crown Inn in Minchinhampton, and I trust they do a better job there, once this has been refurbished and opened. Interestingly I gathered from the waitress when paying that the Wild Duck is due to close in a few weeks for a nine month refurbishment, so perhaps I will give them a second chance then - in the meantime, the very reliable Potting Shed in Crudwell will more than suffice.One thing however I would compliment the Wild Duck for, and that is the children's menu, which is essentially adult food in smaller portions (options included lamb meatballs, sirloin steak, fish with peas and spinach, Chicken Milanese & Penne Pomodoro). Not a chicken nugget in sight! Well done for that.

We walked to the pub and took a soggy dog. We sat out in a pleasant courtyard. The guys loved the beer; vegetarian food brill and kids happy too.

Excellent atmosphere and really good gastro pub food as well as traditional offers like white bait etx. Will definitely come back.

Lovely old building ... nice range of beers ... the restaurant was a bit disappointing... Not quite good enough for the price.

We phoned and asked if there was availability for 2 people and said we were a 20 minute drive away. We were told that would be fine so we raced to get there and when we arrived were told they were ‘Completely full, absolutely no room,” and were turned away. Really disappointing way to end a lovely weekend - if they were full, then they should have said so and saved us a 20 minute drive in the wrong direction!

This pub is off the beaten track but worth seeking out. Good food, great range of beers and wines and good accommodation

Le Wild Duck inn est un vrai pub traditionnel anglais, perdu au milieu de rien il vous apportera une bonne dose de dépaysement. Les produits servis sont de bonne qualité et la cuisine est maison. C'est à mon sens un endroit parfait pour découvrir la vraie cuisine de pub. La cheminée et l'atmosphère cosy de l'endroit sont également très agréables. Je vous conseille les scotch eggs ainsi que les sausage rolls au haggis, ils sont tout simplement delicieux... Thank you

Great pub...the best Guinness in the Cotswolds! Bloody decent scotch egg too!

One of the best blue steaks I've ever had.

Beautiful old inn, good service and good food. HOWEVER, when it came to paying the bill, I was hurriedly presented with the card machine and told the amount. Against my better judgement, I completed the transaction. As i did so, the manager slipped the bill - hitherto unseen by me - into a folder and placed it on the bar. When I saw the bill, I was most taken aback to see a service charge of £4 added to the bill, with no mention of it being discretionary or otherwise. I have never experienced this before. Even Michelin star restaurants, state on the bill that the service charge is discretionary and so it should be. Thumbs down for the Lucky Onion Group on this matter.

Without our daughter for the night we booked the Wild Duck on a Friday night. The bar was full of early evening drinkers while the Restaurant was quiet to begin with. Service was good and the food was hot and tasty . Only quibble was the door to the garden kept being left open by people going out to the garden to smoke so there was a cold draft. ask for a table eaway from the garden door.

Normally one of my favourite locals. However today one staff member in a chequered blue shirt served 3/4 of a pint to my friend then proceed to serve the customer at the end of the queue instead of myself. The place was practically empty and it seamed to be a clear act of passive aggression that I found very rude. Having lived locally for 7 years I hate to see when the ducks standards slip. (Other members of staff were lovely though)

Nice pub with quality food and good lively atmosphere.

Delusions of grandeur. Nice pub food and wine with an unjustified price tag.

After booking online for our 8th wedding anniversary, asking for something special, arrived to what was a lovely place, however couldn't find our booking( took about 10 minutes ) sat down to a table, menu was lovely, rarebit was lovely, however pork cracking tasted like out of a bag cold n bland, oysters ok, pigeon bland not cooked all the way through, steak was mostly fat, and garlic butter was a tub of grease with hardly no favour,to finish ordered chocolate pudding with ice-cream, the chocolate pudding was put to long in microwave that stuck to the side of the bowl and the ice cream tasted of powdered ice cream. To spend £102 on this menu at this place was a complete waste of money and left the restaurant highly disappointed.....

Very good food combined with a nice atmosphere and winning service make this one a favourite!

Excellent food and a great atmosphere. Stunning, traditional pub.

So, let’s get the good stuff out first. Lovely bar, warm fire, nice cider, good beer and gin selection on arrival. Food was generally very good; smoked haddock gratin and Welsh rarebit with mushrooms were delicious. Pork chop with porcini was very good. Sirloin with béarnaise slightly disappointing; charring led to bitterness, steak was dry despite rareness and béarnaise was more custardy (and under seasoned) than saucy.The real problem was with the wine order. We ordered 2016 Valpolicella. When 2017 was presented, I pointed out the discrepancy and was told that the younger “better and fresher” version would be served for the same price. We challenged this and were offered a taste of the 2017 which we declined. We were then offered an “off menu” Nero D’Avolo which was “much better” for the same price of £33. There was an on menu Nero D’Avolo for the same year at £21. We were observed documenting this by the sommelier and the bill - perhaps fairly - only included £22 for the wine. However, by this point, we’d lost all faith and trust. Instead of acknowledging the discrepancies/unavailability and offering alternatives, Richard sought to tell us that we’d been offered ‘better” choices and was aggressive and patronising. He did take off the wine and service from the bill. This was appreciated, but sadly only confirmed the sense that we’d been “had”.This was a real shame because we regularly enjoy lunches at the Tavern and are long term fans of the Wheatsheaf and 131. It seems a shame to associate such dishonest service with such great places.Regards,Paul

We attended without a booking and were able to be seated for lunch (7 people). The food was great, and there was a wonderful fire roaring in the corner. The perfect country pub/restaurant/gastro.

Service pretty prompt, staff reasonably attentive and food ok. Food itself was quite overpriced however as we aren’t from round here it may have been seen as reasonable. Place could do with a bit of a refurb and a bit of modernising. Not the most child friendly either.

As we called in on spec there was no table available in the restaurant but one available in the bar (not a problem).

We had a wonderful dinner on Xmas eve at this lovely pub during our stay at Lower Mill Estate .. food was thoughtfully done. Could have done with few more veg options . staff were pleasant and attentive.. In all a nice experience

Very natural relaxed atmosphere a real pub

Very nice Sunday lunch. Belly pork was lovely. Fish and chips enormous and the roast beef was really tender. Beer was very good too. Stroud OPA was really good. A little pricey hence only 4 stars but couldn't fault the food really.

Lovely food in a beautiful setting and a great selection of beers

Despite it being the Wednesday before Christmas and fully booked restaurant we had an excellent meal. The service was quick and efficient, the menu selection was interesting but included some good pub standards. Very old worldly with a welcoming open fire. A thoroughly good old style English pub.

My partner and I arranged this venue to catch up with his mum before Christmas so we were looking forward to a relaxed, tasty, unhurried dining experience. First impressions were excellent. Ambience proved very promising. Real fire, candles on tables. Then we were shown to our table. In very close proximity to a large family party complete with pram, babies and dogs. I had requested a quiet table. The dogs noise, the cramped space and people pushing past my chair throughout the meal to placate their toddlers or waitresses taking orders or delivering food and smokers going in and out through the door leading to the rear (next to our table) patio blasting cold air in. This was not the relaxed Sunday lunch we had expected upon our arrival. The food was good, not the best meal I've eaten but not the worst either. We felt a little rushed through the meal. Chairs were quite uncomfortable so I'm assuming it is designed to get as many sittings in as possible. It's a shame, we had heard good things but for a more relaxed experience will go elsewhere.

Classic Cotswolds charm and grub! Tasty food with a welcoming smile. + steeped in idyllic charm + tip notch food + great drink choices + very friendly staff who were willing to assist - was absolutely rammed on a Sunday so be warned. - book ahead and expect to wait!

Best Scotch Egg I ever had... Accompanied by a great pint in a country pub setting. Recommended.

Been looking forward to trying this place; based on experiences at other venues in the group. Very welcoming and attentive staff. Good food. Menu wasn’t as good as I was hoping for but will definitely try it again and again but with lower expectations.

Had the most amazing meal in this out of the way traditional country pub. So glad we found it. Every course was just superb. This was a family celebration and it couldn't have been better

Perfect food, beautiful fire on entry, good select on ale and wine. Perfect after a cold walk for a meal or just a monster session

Excellent service. Sunday Roast meal was superb. Wine menu choices fab. Would definitely return and recommend.

Great atmosphere, warm fireplace, huge inner dinner space and nice other courtyard . Warm and friendly hosts, very good service , and great food. They have their own aged steaks , very good.

Another delicious dinner at the Wild Duck. Andy & Shane run a wonderful country pub, just outside Cirencester and are returning it to its former glory!

we booked well ahead to ensure there were tables available, I dont think the managing team expected 20 of us and we were separated. OK so we did not all arrive in one go, possible a good thing, service was sporadic and disjointed, we had pre-ordered starters and mains and some arrived cold. the chicken was enormous, as were all the mains courses, these should be reduced by 30%, we took three doggy bags home just to show how much might get thrown away. the meal was average, a shame as the atmosphere was good and drinks OK but expensive

5 of us had a wonderful lunch today. The food and service was 5 star, and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. All the mains were well cooked and delicious, and the desserts were "to die for". We had our 4 year old grand daughter with us, and there was a special menu for her, and it was also a colouring and quiz sheet. She was fully entertained for the 2 hours we were there. This was a very special end to a few days at the Cottswold Water Park; we were well set up before our trip home. Thank you.

Had an excellent dinner here along with many locals. The atmosphere was what we wanted and the food was great.

Love it. Great food. Does get a bit busy a peak times so service can be slow but still worth it

Food was nice enough if a bit pricey. Slow service. Good atmosphere.

Este lugar solía ser el pub 'ir a' en Cirencester y sus alrededores. Ahora es una seria decepción. Aspectos positivos: una camarera amigable y un administrador servicial, más allá de eso también puede conseguir un sándwich en Tescos.

Had an evening meal here-fair value and good menu and the place has some atmosphere including an open fire and a smattering of country style clad locals!

Estuve con 7 amigos que se quedaron en Cotswolds durante el fin de semana y queríamos reservar una mesa para el almuerzo del domingo después de un paseo por el Parque Acuático de Cotswolds. El pato salvaje está muy cerca en auto al centro de información del parque acuático, perfecto después de una larga caminata.

Después de una fantástica visita a principios de año, decidí traer a mis padres a almorzar a Gales.

Booked for a Cotswold Sunday lunch and had beef, followed by cheesecake, got chocolate pudding and port. A couple of ales..... was simply beautiful and the cheesecake was amazing. They’re advertising Xmas lunch for £95 per adult which looks amazing... well done Wild Duck!!

Lovely place and really nice staff

Dirty plates, very lacklustre service and average food. Never again.

Absolutely delightful, great atmosphere and exceptional food.

Food over priced £9.50 for a very small prosecco disgusting staff not attentive

If you call in for a drink at this handsome establishment, you would probably think that an admission fee is included in the cost, check the prices on their website first or go somewhere else with more reasonable drink prices, there are plenty of delightful hostelries to choose from. People we know who live locally regard this as a place that needs a reality check and plays on its reputation, wish we had have been told first.

We’d booked but the pub was quiet when we arrived for lunch and we got the pick of the tables.

A popular spot for locals and out-of-towners alike, this Lucky Onion-run gastro pub serves a hearty menu that gets the best out of mostly local ingredients. The pork, the lamb and the Chalk Stream trout were perfect exemplars of the attention to detail that the kitchen puts into both sourcing and cooking. The pigeon salad, with the meat juices used as dressing, was an exclamation mark.

A good old English pub serving great food and beer. What more could anybody want?

Very pleasant, good food, we enjoyed an evening there.

The Wild Duck Inn is a very quaint atmospheric pub in the Cotswolds which looked promising. We travelled from Australia to meet up with family for a meal here and we had booked in advance. Sadly, the menu was very short, but enticing or terribly exciting.....not even wild duck on the menu. I would have opted for a three course meal, however nothing shone out for a starter so I had calves liver which I ordered pink. Whilst the food was OK, it was not exceptional; the liver was over-cooked and the service was slow and average which was odd as they were not busy. I would not go back again

Expensive but the food was good

We decided to book lunch to fit in with a bank holiday walk in the area and an anniversary. Beautiful setting and great feeling to the pub. A relaxed family pub lunch with atmosphere buzzing with young families. The menu was just to our taste and the food was delicious. It was rather pricey though for the portion sizes and sides and with 2 glasses of wine came to just shy of £100.

We pre booked for lunch on a Sunday with 2x couples ( 4 seats) arrived and had a drink as we were early. Shown to our seats and we were wedged between a high seat table of 4 people who were on an all day “drink as much as you can be as loud as you can” session and a table so close behind my seat and our seats touched. No room to get in or out. We asked to move tables and initially told ‘not possible’ then later we were moved to another table. This was better but still very cramped. Best of a bad situation so we went with it.

Romance, tradition, quality... all this can be found in this lovely pub, which for me summarises the best of British food! Will go back if in the area! recommended!!!

I have been here quite a few times and loved my first few visits. I always recommend to people too, but each time I've visited recently it has got progressively worse.

Lovely country pub - we stopped off for lunch on our way from Kemble to Cirencester. Food was great, nice service and lovely setting. Highly recommended!

Sumptuous Sunday lunch, very tasty, quite a lot to get through for the smaller eater but couldn't leave a morsel. Awesome day, Thank You, keep up the perfection.

We were b&b-ing; in the area and the Wild Duck was a short stroll away, but what a good find. The building is simply stunning and at 6.45pm, the car park was rammed. The pub is laid out so that there are several inter-connected areas which create a lovely ambience, especially with the dark red painted stone walls, so the contents of all those cars were able to be well dispersed and so nowhere appeared overcrowded. There is a slight issue with lighting, in that some diners were startlingly spotlit, but luckily neither of us was. The food and wine are really good if a little expensive, and the staff rather young and inexperienced, but very friendly. They all sport Superdry shirts as a uniform and this is because the owner of the Superdry clothing chain also owns this pub.

The food and setting was nice, but having spent a few days in the region we reflected that the Wild Duck was expensive by comparison.

had a wonderful lunch with my brother, we sat outside, food was good even though i would of liked more duck in my pie,really good young waiting staff, all with smiles,loved it.

Absolutely delicious food served by delightful young ladies. I shall definitely be back

Nice pub, food is good, service is good but prices are quite high.

Fantastic food. Excellent service. Great experience. Try the Lamb rump with a Staropramen beer, you won't go wrong.

service was slow and the staff seemed disinterested. We asked for a few minutes more to discuss our food and after about 25 minutes we had to ask to order. The menu has errors on it and is written poorly. The food was bland/poor. I had the cheese pancakes and my partner had fried chicken covered in green beans (sides are £4.50). The scotch egg was lovely though. The beer garden is stunning and we would go back for a drink, but we will not be dining here again.

Part of the Lucky Onion portfolio, therefore brilliant. They seem to know how to deliver exactly what is required every time; utter professionalism with supertanker sized charm & character. Truly wonderful venues, all of them.

Lucky Onion stuff. Outstanding.

Staff were very friendly but were slow and not attentive. We tried to order a lime and soda twice but it never ended up arriving and it was still on the bill. The scotch egg was nice aand warm as was the bread, but the Chicken Milanese was very dry and not nice to eat.

Poor quality food. Bar man wiped glass clean on his shirt before trying to pour wine. Tables outside dirty with old food. Bowls for washing arrived five minutes after the mussels arrived. Ricotta filled pancakes a huge disappointment but expensive. There are much better local pubs around the area.

Had a lovely meal. Kids had a childs roast and me and the wife went for the roast to share. Cote of boef. Really couldnt fault it. All enjoyed. Really good.

Our group of 6 had a fantastic meal at the will Duck on the 27/7/18 ,food was supurb ,and the saff were very good and well manered nothing was to much trouble ,we will definatley return when visiting to well . the area again .

This is the first time we feel we need to write a review about a pub/restaurant.

We visited on a Saturday evening for a family meal, there was 9 in the party. The pub is very old world and gives you that traditional village pub feel, the menu was varied with nice local produce.

We visited here on a Tuesday evening and had booked in advance. Restaurant was very quiet, we were quickly seen to and offered a good choice of tables. We ordered from the specials menu, Cote De Boeuf to share (1kg!) and it was incredible, well worth the money. Cooked exactly how we’d asked with a great selection of sides and sauces. We enjoyed an after dinner cocktail in the lovely garden too. Service and setting was lovely and we cannot recommend the food highly enough.

Too many negatives for this pub, which will stop me from going back..... coming into the bar area, we saw 2 staff behind the bar. One walked off and the other (young guy) just stood there. Didn’t greet us, or offer to get us drink... no dialogue at all. Assumed he must be training but then he decided to chat and serve drinks to his friends who came in after us. Bad start. Eventually the other member of staff came back and said we could sit anywhere- as there were only two of us, she recommended a table which was impossible to sit at, as the chairs were too high and you couldn’t get your legs under. We asked to move to a table of 4 (after having the same issue with the other ‘2 seater’)! After admitting she herself, couldn’t fit under the table- she proceeded to show 3 more couples to the same table throughout the evening! They all had to move- ridiculous!! We had one good waitress who seemed to care, but no one else did and when you’re the type of place who adds on a service charge to your bill- need I say more. Food was mostly good (although expensive) and the menu didn’t match what they had online. The vegetarian option was very poor (lacked in any flavour, very bland). Also if you’re a non smoker, be careful where you sit, because the smell of people smoking drifts into the pub. Overall, wouldn’t recommend and will not be returning.

I had the duck shepherd's pie with cabbage, and it had a rich flavour which I really liked. Would go back if near Ewen again.

Essen sehr gut, aber auch gehoben im Preis.

Enjoyed a really good steak and chips. The service was good and a friendly atmosphere. Not cheap but worth a visit as a treat. I was there in the summer and the garden was perfect for a sit down with friends.

Delightful garden excellent food and a pub with real character Will definitely return

Great food and service and the beer was pretty good too.

On holiday in the Cotswolds we spotted this ancient chocolate box pub nearby our rental. Looked it up on TripAdvisor and decided to take a punt even though the reviews were a bit patchy. The interior is made up of a rabbit's warren of little rooms, old worldy and lovely. So far so good. We entered the bar area and didn't see any staff but could hear them chatting in a room of the bar. Called out and a gentleman let us know we could sit anywhere we liked. We thought it rather strange that a 1 pm on a beautiful day in June in the Cotswolds that the place was virtually empty. We soon figured out why. There were three staff on, one of who was clearly being trained so given how quiet it was the service should have been spot on. I always think that the most likely time for bad service in any restaurant is when it's slow. Staff are more likely to go off there game and that certainly happened here. We were brought menus and asked straighaway for our drink order. Again so far so good. This was however, when things started to go downhill. We asked for a bottle of sparkling water while we decided on wine. This did come straighaway but was served at room temperature and we were not offered any ice. We then had quite a wait before anyone came to take our order, even though we could see the staff standing in a nearby room and hear them chatting away. When we finally did order the food came out quickly but was disappointing overall. They make a big deal of their beef here, displaying it ageing in a cooler behind the bar. I figured the carpaccio would therefore be top flight. Sadly, it was extremely fatty and tough and no discernible dressing on the rocket. I had to ask for lemon even though I had requested it when I ordered. My heritage tomato salad was equally sad, the tomatoes overripe to the point where they were getting that mushy awful consistency and to make matters worse they were ice cold. Again, didn't taste any dressing. My husband's Sole was a large fresh fish, cooked very nicely but absolutely swimming in a pool of butter that filled the large plate up the the rim! Now, I love butter but.... The wine I ordered had not come by the time the food was delivered so I had to ask for that as well. The staff was pleasant enough, but seemed to just be going through the motions and pretty unengaged. We were with our 3 dogs. Every other pub we have been to in our month long road trip around southern England have brought out water for the dogs straightaway and almost all have then offered treats for them. Not here. I wasn't surprised to learn this was part of a chain. It just feels like there is no one at the helm and no real care is given to the overall experience of the customers. Shame, so pretty, but all front show really. All those little missteps add up to a lacklustre experience. Would not return.

Great food, with fantastic beers on tap.

On first impression it looked good, staff were friendly, until a roudy lot of hooray henreys came in very loud spoilt a familt night out, food the steaks very tough as old boots, very over priced, will not be returning here again. Brian Bray