The Boat Inn — Restaurant in Cherwell District

We came here for my mother's 75th birthday last weekend, and decided to look at the menu online before coming. To begin with, we were disappointed with the their lack of vegetarian options. Soup or nachos was our only option. They didn't even do baked potatoes - only at lunchtime, for some bizarre reason There was though lots of vegan options - but we're not vegans. This seems to be endemic now that pubs and restaurants cater only for vegans and just lump us vegetarians in with them. It was also a waste of time looking at the menu online anyway, as when we arrived were given menus that didn't correspond with what was online. In fact the ones we were given had Winter Menu on them - that's Winter Menu, in July. Speaking of menus, they don't have a drinks one. They're "not big enough to have one" apparently. So we just had to guess what they might have on offer. Having been unimpressed with the vegetarian options, I was pleased to see Spinach and Butternut Squash Curry, with Naan bread and wild rice on the specials board. So I chose that - sounded good. What arrived though, wasn't. I received a lukewarm, very small portion of some sort of curry with four huge pieces of squash in it which I then needed to dice myself. The 'wild rice' was in fact plain boiled long grain rice - I say 'boiled', probably mircowaved. I asked the waitress where the wild rice was. She said "that's rice". I said "No, it's plain boiled rice - it says wild rice on the board." Her response? "Oh I don't know, I wouldn't even know the difference". We explained the difference but it wasn't worth taking it any further as she clearly had no idea what I was on about - despite advertising it as part of the meal. As for the naan, it was a rock hard, egg-shaped type. You know, like the ones you get in a vacuum sealed pack from Sainsbury's. And do you know how much I was charged for this treat? £11.95!! For a small portion of plain rice, a supermarket naan and lukewarm lumpy curry! I could go to an Indian restaurant and get a real authentic curry with all the trimmings for less than that! Absolute robbery! As well as this, the people on our table having veg just had a plain frozen peas and carrots chucked on a plate. We also had to ask twice for cuterly, plus a waiter was rude to us about the wifi, telling us that he had no idea what the password was and wasn't allowed to know - which is rubbish as I was given it last time (5 years ago!) and my phone automatically connected. He also told us to log in to one that didn't even appear, so quite how anyone is meant to do that I've no idea. He also made out he'd already told us this - he hadn't. So quite why he needed to add "as I've told you" to it I've no idea. It wasn't just us having bad luck. One couple next to us were told they couldn't have decaffinated coffee for some reason, another couple had their drinks order mucked up. One of our party works in a Greene King pub and when we tried to use her staff discount we were told we couldn't as they're not a Greene King pub. Should probably take the massive 'Greene King' lettering off the front then. Overall, it was cheap food at expensive prices and I would not recommend coming here at all. They like to make out they're a posh place to eat in idyllic surroundings, but it's anything but. Oh and the toilets were meant to be cleaned regularly but when I went at about 9:00pm, they hadn't been cleaned since 11:50am. And you could tell (photographs available...

So I wasn't going to post my review on here, thinking that maybe the owner was just having a bad day, a bit overwhelmed by a full house on a beautiful summer afternoon. Then I saw his response to another review from my visit which was littered with lies - complete self protectionism and not just simply admitting they gave a terrible experience.

To summarise our visit: We were a group of 10 on a stag do, dressed as sailors We specifically moved two tables outside to be in the far corner to make sure we weren't a spectacle This pub lunch was actually our FIRST drink of the day, and 3 of the 10 weren't even drinking (the evening before had been a main stag do night). We ordered food with a warning of "there is a bit of a wait" 8 of the meals came after more than 90 minutes 2 came another 20 later and had clearly been missed off the order In the 2.5ish hours we were in the pub, between 10 of us, the drinks bill was circa £120 indicating that on average 3 pints over nearly 3 hours was all that was being consumed - some might say this is weak for a stag do! We sent 3 of the group to talk to the manager to let him know of the service and he claimed "we aren't a michelin star restaurant, we can't discount" - does he think that because its a pub it doesnt need to treat customers well? In the end we got £30 off the food bill, but no apology. During the conversation other groups were also complaining, which is why he asked to settle outside, out of ear shot.

Here are some quotes from the owner's response on here:

"So about 10 drunken yobs fall off a narrow boat and want food." As mentioned - all completely sober and hungover just looking for a pub lunch to get ready for the next evening. LIES

"They went into the garden swearing and being loud, shouting at staff" There was no shouting at staff, any bad language might have been amongst the group but as mentioned we went out of our way to move tables into the corner of the garden. We even had other eaters wanting photos with us - clearly not causing a disturbance. LIES

"Take no notice of the timings, unlike them we were sober and the orders are timed." When we complained that food had been 2 hours, the owner got the tab and made a big point that it was "only 1 hour 50" - this is what is in the review. LIES.

"had much much more to drink" as per the tab - the drinks bill was circa £130, between 7 drinkers (and 3 on diet cokes) - this is not "much much more to drink". LIES AND HYPERBOLE

"This wasn't good enough so with the drink fueling his anger he decided then that the food was terrible and he made such a scene that I had to take him outside." The other group complaining that they had been waiting 1 hour 45 for food actually commented that we had been a very quiet group for a bunch of lads in costume. You took us outside so that you weren't overheard offering discount and generally being rude back. LIES

"home cooked food" If you call heating up a frozen balti pie after a 90+ minute wait home cooked food, fantastic.

"Please read between the lines of this one!!" Sir, your response to the review is an embarrassment. It is obvious that the majority of your trade is one offs and for that reason you have no concern for customer experience.

This was a huge downer on a fun and memorable weekend. The response from management on an honest and if anything conservative review is a shambles. AVOID. There are several pubs further down the canal. Do not...

If you are looking for a venue for a small private function then I would highly recommend the Boat Inn. Location wise it is situated in the picturesque hamlet of Thrup, next to the canal with it's moored narrow boats. The pub itself is a mix of old and not so old, with thick walls and in places low beams, giving it a charm of it's own. The Morse Room, especially so and it was this room, with it's pictures on John Thaw and Kevin Whately a fantastic nod to the fact that Morse and Lewis sat and drank a pint in the room. The pub also has a fantastic beer garden with a covered section and a beautifully maintained garden with tables, if you wanted to sit out. Having sold the pub and it's location, I have to tell you that the hot and cold buffet we had for a party of 20 was possibly one of the best buffets I've ever had. Great value for money, Grace and her team did us proud with unexpected canapés, that were simply amazing, to a selection of sandwiches and hot samosas, duck spring rolls, sausages rolls and onion bhajis. A lively side and dressing and potato salad. The service was excellent and we were well looked after with the food replenished as needed and a selection of cakes to finish off. We asked if we could have crisps, nuts and olives on the table and Grace took all our requests...