The Cross Keys Inn — Restaurant in England

The delightful twin village of Cawsand and Kingsand has long been an ideal family holiday destination with it's quaint narrow streets, old architecture, little coves, local attractions and much more besides. And at the heart of Cawsand in the village Square is the Cross Keys Inn, my personal favourite place to eat and drink locally. It's an old established character Inn just one minute off the beach and the landing point for the Cawsand to Plymouth Barbican (foot) ferry service. The pub management has taken on board the stringent government rules and regulations during the long coronavirus period and adapted to the ever changing criteria. The seating arrangements, simple instructions, relevant signage and staff guidance have all helped create a safe and hygienic environment for all. It's a shame some other establishments I visited locally didn't follow suit and blatantly flaunted the coronavirus rules !!! The Keys has a fine selection of beers ales lagers and spirits which cater for most tastes. The restaurant food menu is a simplified version of the original ( introduced to adapt to strict social distancing requirements / staff levels etc throughout the various stages of covid period). It still maintains a commendable choice whether opting for a table meal or takeaway. A selection of meat, fish, and vegetarian choices and also children's portions available ( freshly cooked using local produce where possible). The tables are cleaned quickly after use and table service is available both indoors and outside if using the pub's dedicated seating in the Square. Well behaved dogs are allowed and water bowls a courteous offering outside for any thirsty canines. The legendary live Sunday afternoon music sessions are back (4.30pm), so join the locals in singing badly out of tune and chilling to some talented local artists ! Geoff Isobel and their fantastic team of attentive friendly and efficient staff contribute greatly to making the Cross Keys a great place to...

Truly terrible. Avoid for food.

Although it’s a nice place for a drink near to the beach. The service and food quality is dire.

We sat at 7pm and didn’t get our food until 8:45pm. 3 tables also chased their food due to severe kitchen delays (it wasn’t super busy so I’m not sure what happened).

Food: When the food did come; the chips were cold and it’d clearly been sat on the pass for too long. I spotted another table also sending their food back. A third table I overheard order the starter mussels and also a main course as mussels for someone else. When they came, it was exactly the same portion size and it’s safe to say they weren’t impressed with having to pay more. Food quality was average at best and disappointing overall.

Service: This was EXCEPTIONALLY poor. Some urgent retraining is needed for the staff here. I would assume that they’re new? We sat and got a drink / ordered, but this was the only time someone asked if we wanted a drink. We were in the restaurant for over an hour with empty glasses. There was a lot of standing around and chatting, and from 7pm to 9pm when we left, not a single glass was returned to the bar from any table. A table near to us left as we sat down nearby, their glasses were still there when we left and the table hadn’t been cleaned. One table had their main course without their starter plates cleared away, and the staff still didn’t take them as they put the mains down! No-one came to table check the meals after the meals were down, despite the noted issues. The staff seemed incredibly disinterested in their customers, not once did anyone apologise for the delays, and drinks / food orders were incredibly delayed.

I assume there’s been some staff changes, as there was a poster in the window advertising for “various” kitchen positions. I’d advised strongly avoiding until this has been resolved, exceptionally poor service and food tonight, and I know the whole restaurant felt the same,...

Empty restaurant, but the table we chose was apparently reserved because it had cutlery on it, we were informed by the disobliging and surly waitress, as if this (rather than, say, a sign saying 'reserved') was the usual method and we were idiots for not knowing. Not a welcoming or comfortable experience. Then the waitress was yelled at by some man, apparently a cook, for seating four people at a table with six chairs. Other reviewers praise the pub's local atmosphere, but there's 'local' and then there's 'inn where travellers heading for Castle Dracula stay'. However, don't despair; you can get excellent fish and chips from the shop literally 15 metres away, ready in five minutes and served with a smile, so it's all the more surprising that the Cross Keys makes no effort whatever to keep those customers unwise or desperate enough to pass...