The Cross Keys — Restaurant in England

Sadly, I feel like this place has gone downhill. I come here every year with my family and the standard of food and service were noticeably not as good as they used to be. The food was mediocre. I had a lamb shank 'cottage pie' type meal which literally was a few bits of lamb with a shank bone stuck into the side of the dish and it was obviously microwaved. We had booked a table and we were all looking forward to a Sunday lunch which they had ran out of(within 1 and a half hours of opening service)which didn't set us off to a good start. I understand they are busy at this time of year but if you want to stay busy, up your food standards.

I am adding on to this review as the manager has kindly replied, which I appreciate.

We were categorically told by 1.45pm that there was no meat left for Sunday lunch. I wanted to order the lamb shank and my family wanted beef(Sunday lunch) only then to receive, once ordered a 'lamb shank' cottage pie.🤷‍♀️ Like I said previously, we have been coming here for years and I have always recommended it to friends and family but I just think the attention to detail was lacking on this visit. I have been in catering for 30+ years and what I have learned is that presentation is very important. I no doubt will be back but here's hoping it's a better experience....

Had lunch here on a day out to the York Christmas Market. A traditional Victorian pub in a busy central location, it's really handy for the Minster and only a couple of minutes walk from Monk Bar and the city walls. The outside seating area has a great view of the Minster. Inside, there's a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, traditional decor and furnishings, log fires and Sky TV. Nicely decorated for Christmas. Clean downstairs toilets. There's a roomy bar lounge, but I had my lunch in the cosy snug at the back of the pub. The staff were hospitable and friendly, and although it was quite busy, service was quick and attentive. There's an extensive drinks menu with an amazing variety of gins, real ale, wines and spirits, and they also serve hot drinks. Excellent choice of starters and mains, more imaginative than your average pub food, and a wonderful selection of homemade pies. Opted for the wild boar and chorizo pie with clotted cream mash, thyme roasted carrots and a jug of rich gravy. Well cooked, hot, good quality ingredients and full of flavour. Had a nice Merlot to accompany the meal. The desserts looked really good, but I was just too full! The price was reasonable too. Would recommend this pub for lunch if you're...

After searching online for a 'dog friendly' pub to eat early on New Year's Eve I found the The Cross Keys and I reserved a table for four. whilst making the reservation I mentioned we would have our dog with us as we were visiting York over the weekend. When we arrived at the pub we found that we weren't eating with the other diners in the main area but instead had been shown into a back room and squashed into a corner along side a large party who were just drinking. We asked if we could move to one of the other tables that were empty to give us and the party next to us a bit more space particularly as we had the dog but this was refused as apparently due to previous customer complaints about dogs we had eat separately. Being New Year's Eve we didn't want to make a fuss so sat alongside the party and ordered what was probably one of the worst meals I've paid for in a while. I appreciate it was busy and the kitchen was closing shortly (7:30pm) but there's no excuse for undercooked food. I complained and to be fair was offered a free round of drinks which would have meant staying longer so I declined. In short poor customer service and poor food, needless to say we won't be going back nor we...