Eagle & Child Inn — Restaurant in Bury

I first reviewed this gastro pub about two years ago and gave it the highest possible praise. When we visited it subsequently, it continued to live up to our expectations. As it was our wedding anniversary, we decided to return. Sadly, this time, it was far from good.

It started off badly when my wife telephoned to book a table. The response she received was not the expected, “Yes you can reserve a table, when would you like to come?” but instead was, “Can you phone back after 7:00?” She put the phone down and then we reflected. We were trying to give a business some of our hard earned cash and instead of making it an easy and pleasant experience, they immediately placed an obstacle in our way. This should have been a warning sign. However, my wife phoned back and asked to speak to the manager, who booked our table. But we should not have had to do that.

When we arrived for our meal, which was a Friday lunch time, the pub was deserted. We had a beer and ordered our meal. As I did so, I asked for the wine list. The waiter did not return for my wine order and I had to go to the bar to request it. In the meantime, the starters arrived, but without the wine. I managed to catch the eye of a waiter and asked if I could have my wine order. He apologised and whilst we waited for him to return my wife’s meal was going cold. When he eventually returned, the order was wrong. So, off he went again to put that right and her meal continued to cool. At that point, I was glad that I had ordered a cold starter. By this time, there was only a smattering of people in the pub, so no reason why the service should not have been absolutely spot on.

I enjoyed my starter, although the edge was already going off the day. The wine should have been served before the meal and I should not have had to chase it up and they should have got the order right. So what should have been a pleasant dining experiencing was turning into a bit of an ordeal.

When the waiter came to clear away the plates from our starter, he asked if we would like any water. We said that we would.

It was then time for the main course. My wife had ordered, Chalk Stream Trout. When it came, she commented that it looked like salmon. She then tried it and said that it tasted like salmon too. We queried this with the waiter who went off and came back to say that they had run out of trout and served salmon instead. They apologised and said that we should have been told when we placed the order. Of course we should have been told. If I had ordered roast beef, I do not expect to be served with roast lamb, without any comment, in the hope that I might not notice the difference.

We finished our meal, but by this time, our dining experience had become anything but pleasant. And to cap it all, the water which we ordered never did turn up.

In view of our experience, they did knock some discount off the bill and we did have a free coffee. But that is not the point. We did not go for a cheap meal. We went for a top class meal with top class service and instead of coming away pleasantly satisfied, we came away sadly deflated.

Would I return? Sadly not. The Eagle & Child used to tick all of the boxes, but perhaps complacency has set in. If it had been just one thing, then I could have perhaps been more forgiving. But it was one thing, after another,...

I recently stayed for 2 nights and was given the 'Barn Owl' room, that overlooks the valley and Holcombe Hill. Situated on the A56, it is a restaurant and bar with a handful of rooms on the floor above. ||There is a car park to the side of the building and more space across the road. I parked across the road each night as the car park is fairly tight and is best left to the restaurant as it is a popular place to eat. ||Ramsbottom town centre is about 10-15 minutes walk away but it is a steep hill all the way. If you're in good shape then it is doable. I managed to walk back up at 11 o'clock at night after a generous amount of Bombay Sapphire and Jack Daniels all evening. There's also local taxis and Uber so no real issue getting around the place. ||Pros|Good size room with character.|Large radiator easy to control.|Incredibly comfortable super king size bed with thick duvet plenty of very soft pillows.|Bathroom very clean with quality towels, body wash and shampoo conditioner.|Fridge with some freebies and space for your own use.|Kettle, coffee machine and quality tea, coffee etc.|Good sized TV on the wall.|A56 is a main artery in the area that links the M66 about maybe a mile away, if that. |So quiet outside during the night. |The staff. Helpful in a relaxed way.||Cons|Can't think of any. ||Breakfast|I believe there is a full cooked Lancashire breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings but I didn't stay on those days. On Monday to Friday mornings, a breakfast hamper of croissant, jam, cereal and fruit is provided to your room. This was fine for me and happily ate it all. As I was driving into Manchester both days, I dropped into a Greggs on on the way at Pillsworth Ind Estate on the M66 for a sausage baguette to top it off, as it was so convenient to do so. There's plenty of places to eat in Ramsbottom too.||Bar/Restaurant|Had dinner there early one evening. It is a popular place because the kitchen creates great food and the atmosphere is warm and friendly. ||TLDR: It's a great place to stay and will go...

I sent this email but didn't hear back.

''This was our second visit in 4 months, and the service was achingly slow both times. Food portions are fab, food quality is excellent, no complaints there. I read all of your responses to reviews about the slow and poor service, still, things aren't improving. I'm wondering if fewer tables should be available? Find out what number your staff can cope with successfully and once you've done well with that number for a few months, then add a table for another few months and so on.

When complaints are made as I've seen from other reviews, or staff drops drink (which was our case a couple months ago), adequate apologies and replacements should be made. I was charged for the replacement when it was the waitress that spilled the drink all over me and my table.

You wrote about your young staff and care you put into your food, this is all fine. But you need to let people know this comes with a wait. If I knew my dining experience at E&C would take two hours from sitting down and perusing the menu to paying my bill, I would prepare for it. I like to be able to plan my day, especially with a toddler. Now I know if I come, I'd better get a sitter and not be starving. But other people may not know this and it is incredibly frustrating. One of the comments that keeps repeating is, "I feel like I was forgotten about." The reason people go out and pay to eat, is to be taken care. I can cook, and I can cook well, but I go out to relax and be fed without having to ask a million times. Believe me, I get to do that at home enough without paying for the pleasure like this afternoon.

You are transparent online, but the staff at the restaurant don't relay this same transparency. Customers are left feeling forgotten and hungry, which is not a good look.

My husand asks me to reiterate the food is very good. Duh. Otherwise, we never would have come back a...