The Gateway Cafe — Restaurant in Cotswold District

We visited Sat 25th just after 11, we looked at the menu and thought it looked great, with the prices on the menu we thought, wow this will definitely be good, however after entering everything went downhill very quickly. We spent £56 on brunch for 2 of us and a toddler, and I’ve had better breakfasts at weatherspoons pubs. We went in and were told they had space which was great news, we were told to find a table and that was it, I asked if they had any highchairs with my 2 year old in my arms and was told ‘there’s a few scattered around’ so after we found a table I went on the hunt for a highchair, usually restaurants would bring one over not expect you to go looking for one (well maybe in a weatherspoons) but I thought that they must be very busy so went and found one.

We were sat for 10 minutes looking at the menu and deciding what we were having before going to the till area and asking to place an order as assumed it was order at the till as no one had been over to say hello or offer to take a drinks order, we were told at this point that it was table service and someone would come over, again usually this would be explained when you enter somewhere. A young girl came over who wasn’t particularly friendly and loving her job, took our order, asked for payment upfront, we paid and our food came out fairly quickly after our drinks arrived, the tray that drinks were bought over on was filthy, it needed a good soapy wash and looked like it hadn’t been washed in weeks, if not longer.

I had high expectations of the food for the price, £15 for 2 poached eggs with salmon and hollandaise sauce on a muffin, it was fine, but nothing special, the hollandaise sauce was VERY salty, when usually it has a buttery taste, definetly not what I would expect for the price. We had chips on the other meals and these looked like they had been cooked the day before and re-fried that day, they were dry and tasteless and mostly left as no one wanted to eat them, they didn’t look particularly appetising. We paid £8.50 for 1 sausage and baked beans from the kids menus as the chips were inedible, no one came over to ask if our food was okay or to ask us if we wanted to order another drink. It wasn’t even particularly busy as probably a third of tables were still empty.

We left really disappointed, service was poor, food not high quality or cooked to the standard you would expect for the price. We wished we had gone elsewhere and won’t be back. If you are thinking of visiting here, take a short drive into Cirencester, there are so many lovely restaurants and cafes who are friendly and serve great food. Or even the pizza place next door as they serve...

I took my mother here for lunch. We were really hungry having tried many of the local pubs for food coming to no avail. First impressions the girl at the entrance didn't really register we were there, and the first thing we were asked was 'do you know what you want?' We hadn't even walked through the door properly by this point. Thought that was a strange thing to ask.

We sat down to problem after problem. I ordered a 'Henry' - orange and lemonde. I was brought a bottle of orange juice and a bottle of sprite, no glass. So I asked for a glass, I was brought a little glass which I had to have changed to a pint glass. No ice either, on a hot day.

We weren't brought any cutlery for the food. I had to constantly ask staff for things at this point getting quite frustrated. The food was average, I feel its pricing for a particular type of person or people but the quality of the food and service just doesn't match. All the staff were young girls, there didn't seem to be any 'leadership' or 'experience' in the waiting staff.

I ordered the burger it wasn't anything special, not much flavour although it states its from a local butcher's. My mum ordered a jacket potato and she said it tasted like it had been re heated, from frozen perhaps? Then the wrong sauce for the food was brought out. All little things just added up to a generally disappointing experience.

I wouldn't normally leave a review like this but after countless issues during our visit I thought id write it. Just an...

Our first visit since Lockdown. No more queueing as table service is now implemented. The staff were attentive and helpful.

The tables felt a bit regimented, and we thought the tables looking over the lake could have been positioned more imaginatively, so that the both occupants had an option to see the lake. Suggestion: Change the seating for alternate tables, so the chairs are parallel to the window; this means both diners can look in and out.

My partner ordered ham, egg and chips. We live in a part of the country, where this dish is a 'standard' on the menu. The ham was exceptionally dry, and when I tried a bit, I thought the Heimlich maneuver may be required.

I had a very underwhelming chicken burger, that didn't include chips. Sadly, the crockery wasn't particular clean, either.

Payment at the table went well. I can only hope the breakfast is still good.

Next time, we'll probably stop at the new Costa at Hullavington, before visiting the area. The pizza stand next door may also be an option, but we weren't sure whether the seating was 'open', inside.

On the upside, we got two pairs of walking boots from Cotswold Outdoors, so mission accomplished.

Disappointing cafe visit, salvaged by buying a bag of Burt's crisps, on the way out.

I'm sorry my review is negative, but we eat out at cafes and farmshops regularly, and this just didn't meet our expectations, based on pre-Covid...