The Eliot Arms - Cotswold

We had a delightful Sunday lunch with our large family group. The staff were polite and made us feel appreciated. The roast dinner was delicious, with a variety of tasty vegetables.

The restaurant had a very appealing ambiance, excellent service, and a diverse menu that resulted in a pleasant lunch with friends. While I wish there were a few more vegetarian options available, everything we tried was delicious.

The staff at this restaurant clearly enjoy their work, as they engaged in friendly banter and made us feel very welcome. The interior was lovely, creating a peaceful atmosphere. However, I must share my disappointment with the food. We ordered two calamari starters for four people, but each person only received two pieces, which felt like poor value for money. Moving on to the main courses, while there were many options available, we were all underwhelmed by our dishes. One friend ordered a fish pie, expecting it to come with green vegetables but it arrived with cauliflower instead. Despite being offered beans as a replacement, we were charged extra for them. Another friend had a risotto which was average, while another friend had a salad that was nothing special. I cannot even remember what I ordered, but I left feeling that the meal was entirely average, especially considering the £140 bill. Overall, I felt disappointed and would not return to this restaurant.

Terrine still had Cling-Film around it. The bread required butter but was unable to request it as no staff asked if everything was ok. A brace of duck eggs was in fact two chicken eggs. The Delice was underwhelming. It was ok.

The recent refurbishment has been a success resulting in beautiful surroundings, the food is excellent and yet quite expensive and the staff are lovely, however, the management have now lost control totally in relation to a group of young males who display a constant disdain towards basic manners, norms, values and acceptable behaviour. In just two nights recently, I witnessed members of the aforementioned group drinking in the beer garden without shirts on, upsetting fellow customers within the bar with extremely loud antisocial behaviour including the regular use of offensive language, rudeness towards members of staff and finally directed verbal crude abuse towards myself whilst I was ordering at the bar. I have appealed to the management on different occasions for control measures to be implemented in relation to this group, but they are clearly Ill equipped and/or far too intimidated to offer any support. It is with regret that myself, my partner and a number of close friends will now be taking our loyalty (and money) to alternative establishments. We wish the Eliot Arms good luck for the future with their ‘chosen’ clientele!