Clock Tower — Restaurant in Cheltenham

Originally went to the Severn Springs on the outskirts of Cheltenham but it was closed so on the way home, we passed this Marstons pub and decided to try it out.

Initial reactions was that it was pretty empty and we had a choice where to sit. Choosing a window corner for a view. We decided on starters and main and went to the bar to order. Mozzarella and Croxton Manor cheddar bites and chicken wings (I opted for the devil relish) as a starter, and the Surf & Turf (ordered medium) with an additional dripping & Merlot sauce and Fish and Chips for main.

Ordering drinks, my friend wanted a latte but was told the machine had been broken since Christmas Eve and the only coffee was an espresso or Americano.

The cheese bites were supposed to come with rocket and cheeky devil relish with a sprinkling of chives but after almost an 45 minute wait (in an almost empty restaurant) we were given an enamel dish with 3 small cheese disks and nothing with it. The chicken wings came the same way with a pot of relish dumped on top. This is what presentation is?

Deciding that we were too hungry to complain, decided to shut up and eat. The food was tasty enough which was a positive factor and hot. Once finished, we waited for our dishes to be taken and our main delivered. After waiting long enough I got up and took the empty dishes to the bar myself while grabbing more drinks. The server looked shocked and quickly uttered that they were about to come over.

In the meantime there was a table behind a partition wall who had a loud speaker phone conversation. They obviously decided that the whole restaurant needed to hear both sides of the conversation. Not the restaurants fault but added to the mounting tickle of frustration that was building.

Waited another 20 mins and the fish was served. It looked like a great piece of fish that had obviously been hand battered just before frying. The mushy peas though was like a dollop of afterthought being the tiniest amount. Normally dishes would be served at the same time so was a little surprised when the sever said they were just waiting for my peppercorn sauce to be ready to bring the steak out, “I didn’t order peppercorn sauce” I said. “Oh BBQ?” was the reply “um no!” Was mine. “Bourbon?” Getting rather frustrated the answer again was No. “I ordered the dripping and Merlot”. The servers eyes widened and she turned and walked quickly away.

The surf and turf turned up about 5 mins later. Initially looking ok, I thought the steak was quite small even for an 8oz and looked very dry. I cut through the centre and it was as medium as the Sahara. I tried to eat a bite but it was so dry and chewy that my friend said I shouldn’t accept it. (I’m not one to complain so was feeling decidedly awkward at this point) but having already waited 90 mins from order, I wanted to at least enjoy what I was given so I took the plate to the bar and showed them. To their merit, they immediately apologised and took my plate to make another. The plate was back pretty quickly with a lovely cooked steak, perfectly medium. Sadly though my friend had almost finished their plate and my sauce was cold. Their tartar sauce was incredibly tasty though and definitely home made.

Once food was finished, we were initially going to have dessert but after already been there for almost 2 hours, we decided to not see how long dessert took.

We both needed to use the bathroom and both the ladies and gents were pretty under standard. The men’s (I was told) was like it hadn’t been cleaned for weeks with sticky floors and stained toilet bowls, while the ladies was clean to look at, also had sticky floors.

Our bill came to £56 which we paid and left. Safely to say, I don’t think we will be returning. It’s a Marstons pub, nobody is expecting Michelin meals, but considering there was only a smattering of other diners, it was slow and generally underwhelming even for a restaurant of...

I am writing to express my disappointment following our recent visit to The Clock Tower in Cheltenham. We are regular visitors to Marston’s pubs, particularly your site in Hereford, which we have always found to be of a very high standard — warm, welcoming, and consistent in both food quality and service. Unfortunately, our experience at The Clock Tower was far below the standards we have come to expect from Marston’s.

Upon arrival, we were not greeted with a friendly welcome. The member of staff who showed us to our table muttered something as he walked away, which made for a poor first impression. The pub itself was very quiet at the time, yet our food took over 40 minutes to arrive — which seemed unusually long given how few other customers were present.

When the meals finally arrived, one burger and chips were cold and had to be sent back to be replaced, which the team did. However, another burger was completely inedible — overcooked, dry, and tasting like cardboard. We spoke to a lady who offered to take it away and process a refund, but there was no apology, no offer of an alternative meal, and no goodwill gesture to make up for the situation. This left one of our party without any food and feeling very disappointed.

When we went to collect the refund, again there was no apology or acknowledgment of the poor experience — no “sorry about this” or “is there anything we can do to improve your visit?” The overall lack of care or concern from the staff was very disheartening.

What made matters worse was that we were not the only table raising complaints about cold or poor-quality food during our visit. You would expect the team to be more proactive in addressing issues, especially given how quiet the pub was at the time.

We have always enjoyed visiting Marston’s pubs, but this experience has left us questioning whether we would choose to return in the future. I hope you can look into the issues at The Clock Tower, as the current standards there do not reflect the quality and reputation that Marston’s...

Whilst staying at the hotel next door, my Wife and I decided to pop in to the Clock Tower for a drink. We liked the general atmosphere and decided to enquire about a reservation for dinner. We had already found ourselves a nice quiet table but when it came to our reservation, this proved to be a different table located by the bar where it was very noisy and had lots of people queuing at the bar and walking past directly behind us. I asked a male member of staff if we could return to our original table, this request was overheard by another member of your staff named Lisa, who without any fuss said yes that wouldn't be a problem, much to my relief. I felt the need to approach Lisa again and thank her for moving us back to our original table and went on to explain that the reason we wanted to move tables was because two of our group (infact three including me) are on the Autistic Spectrum. Lisa turned what could have been an extremely stressful and disasterous evening in to a relaxing and enjoyable dining experience. She looked after us throughout a very busy Friday evening when the restaurant was fully booked and the service she gave us was amazing, we could not have asked for or received better. As for the pub/restaurant, it has a parking area for customers, not too brightly lit, comfortable seating, music playing was nice to listen to and not too loud. All the staff we interacted with were nice and professional. Extensive menu, both regular and vegetarian. Portion sizes were reasonable, not big but we didn't leave hungry and the food was very nice. Our food orders, although from the menu were somewhat customised by adding or removing ingredients but again, Lisa delivered everything without error. I would like to thank Lisa again for working so tirelessly to make our evening such an enjoyable occasion and making the establishment so welcoming to us without it appearing to be an effort or additional fuss to...