Bel & The Dragon - Cookham Reviews Summary

Atmosphere & Ambience

Pros:

• "This is no ordinary pub. A very special venue and ambience."
• "One of the oldest coaching inns in England. Cosy venue with low wooden beams, roaring fire."
• "The ambience is Gorgeous with a capital G!"
• "The decor, ambience and staff are fantastic."
• "Nice garden for the summer and a nice little bar with a fireplace in the winter."
• "The outdoor space is also beautifully done up with lights et all."
• "Bell &The Dragon is a wonderful old world inn with fantastic ambiance."

Cons:

• "However our waitress here was dreadful. Made a mistake on every course, and even with the bill."
• "The only thing that I found a bit off putting was being able to hear the person who was running the bar talking about his and everyone else’s social life in quite a loud voice with his colleagues."
• "Rooms are small and the rooms above the pub do stink, so ensure that you are staying in the building next to the pub."
• "The 'Stanley' room needs to come with its own ear plugs due to the noise of the traffic from the road outside."
• "Garden infested with wasps also."

Service

Pros:

• "Service amazing with a big shout out to Daisy who looked after us all day and night brilliantly."
• "The staff were friendly and the service was good."
• "The service we received was brilliant for the class, friendly and informative."
• "Staff are attentive and professional."
• "Staff were super helpful in giving us a table, despite the restaurant being busy, and attentive throughout the meal."
• "The staff are really lovely and work hard."
• "Staff amazing, decor & vibe great but the food is horrible."

Cons:

• "A little bit slow too."
• "Service is good, but can get quite busy and cramped at the bar."
• "But especially at the weekends it can be a bit slow."
• "Perhaps the waiting staff were short-handed but it took a while to order drinks and food."
• "Service is way too long."
• "We had 1 drink all the time we was there as the waitress never asked if we wanted another."
• "Lovely food but really poor service. Our server was surly and rude, never once cracked a smile."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Food was really good."
• "Lovely ambience, great location, and mostly great food."
• "Brilliant gastro pub - superb food, delightful atmosphere, good service."
• "The food was excellent value: only slightly more than you'd pay in a normal pub but a far more inventive menu and very well cooked."
• "Delicious meal here tonight - we really enjoyed the food which was beautifully cooked and presented."
• "The food was superb some of the best I have ever tasted in restaurants."
• "Food is spectacular, the service est amazing, inviting and charming."

Cons:

• "The chicken dry, the veggies poor, the Food slopped onto the plate."
• "Order of food was wrong."
• "The roast beef was quite fatty, lacked flavour and the roast potatoes were quite soft."
• "All of our food was tasteless and obviously reheated."
• "The foods were all extremely greasy and lack of flavour."
• "Horrific. Embarrassingly poor menu choice with terribly prepared food."
• "Simple dishes were obviously beyond the chef’s capabilities."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "We had a splendid Full English breakfast which we thought very good and also fairly priced."
• "Highly recommended. And great value for money."
• "Fab food, yes it is expensive, but for a celebration it is worth it."

Cons:

• "Problem is the value for money is poor."
• "Expensive for what you get."
• "It's definitely on the pricey side with a meal for 5 coming in at just over £350."
• "Including wine £137 for two is not vfm."
• "Value for money here is terrible, especially with so many other great places to eat within a few miles."

Family & Child Friendliness

Pros:

• "Our children were absolutely fascinated by the chefs' herb garden."
• "They also had a selection of children's books so I would assume that it provides a good experience for young kids."
• "The children’s menu went down well, particularly the messy, but fun and tasty, ‘decorate your own cookie’!"

Cons:

• "They also took away the kids cubby house and replaced it with a herb garden!!! Not kid friendly anymore with no little space dedicated to kids, so very unimpressed as a local."
• "However, not advised for vegetarians/vegans."