The Botanist Bar & Restaurant Cheltenham Reviews Summary

Service Speed

Pros:

• "Our order was very delayed, which was acknowledged by the manager and a discount was offered without us complaining."
• "The team at The Botanist in Cheltenham are incredible! Allergies were taken into consideration every step of the way and nothing was too much trouble."
• "The staff and management were so accommodating, especially after my slight error in timings."
• "The food was great and the service was also really good."
• "Very friendly staff regularly checking if everything is okay."
• "Great night good service good food."
• "The service was 5/5 our waiter Jordan was excellent."

Cons:

• "Sunday Evening. Not many people about, so didn’t expect the service to be as slow as it was."
• "We were very cold in the restaurant - asked to move away from the door, but still sat in our coats."
• "We had to ask for a jug of water 3 times before it came."
• "The acoustics were awful, it was loud and busy. My cocktails were awful but they had taken so long to arrive we just drank them."
• "We had to wait ages, and had to remind our waiter three times, for our drinks."
• "Nice puddings. The main issue was the slow service."
• "Starters were lush, main courses - 2 curries had to be returned as they weren’t hot and the chips with the kebabs were warm not hot."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The starters we had were the best part of the meal. Tasty."
• "Great coffee, smooth. Food was good (awesome veggies) but the meat was a touch overdone."
• "Great food and service, the scotch eggs are excellent."
• "The Botanist is an above average venue for your typical pub style food."
• "Fabulous place - had a delicious lunch. Great menu selection, starters were superb."
• "Food was really good, great selection on taster board."
• "Visited with friends on Saturday night. The main course was very tasty."

Cons:

• "My cocktail was extremely sweet, where I couldn’t finish it."
• "The food itself was nice, although with a little effort could have been even better. The chips for instance were as greasy as I have ever experienced."
• "The food was fine, it was hot and came quickly (before we'd got our drinks) but it had the order slip from the kitchen somehow underneath the bread which was off putting."
• "Unfortunately the dessert had been hanging around and was cold."
• "The food was average but not worth the money. They forgot our garlic bread and still added it on the bill."
• "Food wasn’t terrible but very disappointed by the portion size of the “curry” (pork belly swimming in a north sauce)."
• "The quality of the food was very disappointing. We were a party of 5 and ordered 3 festive soups which arrived in a cup and although the cup was warm the soup was cold."

Ambiance and Decor

Pros:

• "Very large place but beautifully decorated and divided up into different areas."
• "What a great place for drinks and entertainment - popped in randomly, and they had a great acoustic set going with a female singer from the Rhondda."
• "The atmosphere in here is very vibrant, helped by all the greenery which is spread out everywhere."
• "The restaurant's design is fantastic, in my opinion. The area is appealing and spacious, and there are even plant pots inside."
• "Loved the plant-filled decor, reminiscent of early/mid 20th century greenhouse gardening."
• "The Botanist is a fun and lovely place to go when in smaller groups."
• "Great atmosphere - it was nicely busy for a Sunday lunch time and they had a live singer present."

Cons:

• "We had a table booked but it took ages to get met at the door and seated."
• "The acoustics were awful, it was loud and busy. We enjoyed the live singer when we could hear her."
• "We were initially not sat where we requested (when we did the reservation online) but this was quickly resolved by a member of staff."
• "It was very busy I get that …. But to have our waitress take so long in just taking the order meant that we didn’t have pudding."
• "Having requested a quieter table we were seated right next to a party of 11 having a loud celebration."
• "The live music was great on Saturday, though the rest of the music was a little bit loud to hold a conversation and we were in the far corner."
• "I love live music, but was a bit too loud and therefore struggled to hear the waiter/waitress."

Price and Value

Pros:

• "Great experience but nearly had heart attack when the bill came to £40 for two drinks. Obviously the bill was wrong. When pointing it out the bar tender sorted it."
• "The food was great and the service was also really good."
• "The food was amazing, wish there was a bit more of it! Service was quite slow, our drinks and food came out at almost the same time, 30 minutes after we'd ordered."
• "We have been to places way less impressive than this that have charged more."
• "I booked the Botanist for my birthday dinner with the girls and it didn't disappoint!"
• "Excellent and amazing food and service, really loved the atmosphere and decor."
• "Fantastic place! The food and cocktails were absolutely delicious and very different from the normal eateries!"

Cons:

• "Once we had eaten, we ordered our bill for it to come to nearly £80!!! Absolutely Outrageous pricing for what we had consumed!!"
• "The food was average but not worth the money."
• "We had a table of 8 for a hen do and the server only came over once to take drinks order."
• "The food was okay - small portions. I ordered the sharer kebab and definitely not enough to serve 2 people."
• "Very expensive for the quality of food on offer."
• "The food was warm and was not value for money and a service charge was added even though the service was appalling."
• "Food OK but highly priced £5 for a side of corn on the cob......"