Eighteen The Cross — Restaurant in England

🌟 5 stars – A fantastic family lunch at Eighteen!

We had a brilliant afternoon at Eighteen The Cross in Lymm. From the moment we arrived, we felt relaxed and well looked after — our server Emma was warm, attentive, and made sure everything ran smoothly with just the right balance of friendliness and professionalism.

To start, we enjoyed a round of beautifully made cocktails — I had a crisp, refreshing Peach Bellini, and my wife Jess loved her Pornstar Martini (elegant and just the right amount of fun). We also shared a bottle of chilled Gavi di Gavi, which paired perfectly with the food and the sunshine streaming through the windows.

The food was excellent. I began with a vibrant heritage tomato and ricotta starter, full of fresh flavour and beautifully presented. My main — the sea bass with roasted new potatoes and tomato compote — was light, well-seasoned, and satisfying. Jess went for the cheeseburger, which was delicious — and the gluten-free options were genuinely impressive, clearly marked and thoughtfully prepared. It’s rare to see such care taken over coeliac-friendly choices, and it made a big difference.

Our boys had burger and fries, and fish and chips with mushy peas — generous portions, perfectly cooked, and not a chip left behind!

For dessert, the boys enjoyed ice cream, while Jess and I couldn’t resist the homemade sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream ice cream — rich, warm, and utterly indulgent. A real highlight.

Two more lovely touches that made the afternoon extra special: 🎶 The music playlist was full of nostalgic 90s bangers — a total mood-lifter and a real talking point. 👨‍🍳 The open kitchen allowed our eldest son, who loves cooking, to watch the chef at work — a quiet, thoughtful gesture from the team that made his day.

This is the kind of place that gets everything right — food, drink, vibe, and service — all in a relaxed, family-friendly setting. We’ll...

Had first visit last night as part of a table for 4, none of us shall be returning. Firstly, I never thought that any establishment could beat Egos in Stockton Heath for poor acoustics , wrong , this place gave us an almighty headache. Possibly a combination of the fact that everyone in Lymm SHOUTS and the time of year however , we could not engage in any form of conversation whatsoever. One particular table seated in touching distance of us Insisted on yelling constantly blissfully unaware that they were irking everyone despite the occasional and obvious glares. This however is not the reason for the negative review.

The vegetarian food options were slim to none. Other than a fast food style plant burger, left a choice of 2 pasta dishes . When the mushroom truffle pasta arrived it was a child size portion, exactly 7 pasta parcels with no sauce or extras , literally tiny when compared to other meals being served however the same price if not more expensive. When mentioned to the server we were informed that they were outsourced to a local Italian chef and handmade. Really ? It’s Pasta. Again , it was pointed out that the portion was so small that the party member had finished and everyone else were still only a fraction of their way through their choices, each meal was so disproportionate. No resolution offered other than giving the usual narrative , will let chef know.

Lastly, check your bill carefully. We were charged a double and requested a single Gin . The manager did however take that off the bill when pointed out. Will stick to Elmas across the...

The food was okay, but the service was pretty poor. The gentleman who took our ordered was clearly inexperienced, he got the drinks order wrong then knocked a drink over, and although apologetic, he left us to clear up half the mess. He did however, tell us that those drinks would beer on the house which softened the blow a little. Then... there was an extremely long wait for the food - it was obvious that they were understaffed and not coping well. When the food finally arrived, it was okay - no complaints there. However, after we had paid the bill, we realised that they hadn't knocked the drinks off after all (as promised)....