The Red Lion Castle Eaton — Restaurant in England

Worse customer service experience ever, if 1 could score less than 1 I would... On arrival we were seated next to some sort of island that had a rusty wheel next to my chair, that and the whole thing was covered in cobwebs so I asked if it could be wiped down, a staff member came and wiped them with a dry cloth that really didn't do much good... We ordered the lamb burgers, I couldn't eat mine as it was very pink which I wasn't expecting, my friend didn't mind hers that way but the very centre of hers was actually raw and cold 🤦🏼‍♀️🤮... I actually spat my second bite into the napkin as it made me feel very queasy, I asked to speak to the manager and she said "well you've had a good go at it" I literally ate 5 fries and only ate the first bite... She asked if I wanted something else but it was a very limited menu and I was feeling quite sick as the bite I had was very greasy as well as being undercooked so I politely refused... My friend said right away "oh she didn't like that"... When the bill came they had deducted £10 from the bill as a "goodwill" gesture but the manager said it was my fault as I hadn't specified how I liked my burger cooked. I was gobsmacked and responded that it was their duty to inform customers that the burgers were cooked medium rare as how were we supposed to know 🤔 I said as I'd hardly touched the food I expected to not have to pay for it. She had already been very curt and dismissive towards me and next she started to hurl abuse at me, calling me rude and obnoxious, whereas it was her acting that way, she then told me to get out of her pub (Peggy Mitchell style) This is when I took out my phone and started to record her, my friend said she had never seen anyone act that way and was disgusted with her behaviour... On video I asked her to repeat what she had called me but she wouldn't and very sarcastically said she "didn't remember" calling me that. She also said I was very intimidating despite being a disabled pensioner with a walking stick...All this aggression and rudeness because I made a complaint, outrageous disgusting customer service... She really shouldn't be in a position dealing with customers... She told me not to ever go back there which we had no intention of doing anyway... I'm still in shock at her reaction and I pity her staff if that's how she treats customers I dread how she treats them... I told her I had taken photos of the cobwebs etc and also of one of the rugs that wasn't just threadbare but had big holes in it, a definite trip hazard, she just laughed and shrugged her shoulders... I have to say that in all my 66 years I've never seen behaviour like it, my friend is 70 and she has lived all over the world and said it's the worst service and behaviour she had ever witnessed... I will be posting this on social media along with the photos I took, I just wish I had taken pic of the food to show how awful it was... I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone, in fact I would advise them to avoid it like the plague... I've been home 2 hours and still...

Thought long and hard about this review.

... Firstly the pub is gorgeous. (See Photos) set by the Thames and with willows and cute shepherds hut in the beer garden with huge undercover area Its a short drive out of swindon in quaint village. Garden has veg patches, fruit and flowers; interior of pub is subtle, modern but slight trad twist with arty sculptures.Great atmosphere and great attention to detail. Simple menu and the food was fab, loved it. However : service was a bit confused.

We called first to check we didn't need to book as it was Saturday lunchtime and (after some doubt we were told it was OK no need to book). We were shown to a table and placed our drinks order. About 20 minutes later we were asked if they could check our drinks order, as they had forgotten one(!) and 10 mins later the drinks came... Then we placed our food order. By this time it was 40 mins after we'd arrived... Then someone (the manager?) approached us as said we couldn't sit at this table unless we were eating ??? We said we'd ordered, so he let us stay there... Eventually the food came.about 1 hour 10 min after we arrived. We'd ordered snack type stuff - Pizza was lovely and salad fresh ...chicken, and sausage starters tasty The table next to us (6 people?) wern't so lucky - apparently their order was lost and they left after an hour with no food!

So: lovely atmosphere and setting - all the hard stuff was correct, and staff pretty polite however they all seemed confused about the orders / booking process etc. Such a shame cos it could of become a favourite haunt...great atmosphere maybe we'll just have a drink...

Ok this is a difficult one. A pub in a great location, first pub on the Thames with Gardens that reach down to the river. However the weather wasnt so good so we couldnt take advantage of the aspects available. We sat in side the quirky but spacious main building, there is a great looking tented outside area with it's own bar, but we didn't get to check that out. The staff were very welcoming and attentive but the menu was disappointing, very small and restrictive for fussy eaters. Perhaps a little pretentious. The men were ok but the two ladies struggled a bit. My mate and I chose the Barbrcued ribs and to be fair they were excellent, served with skinny chips and sweet corn cobs. The ribs were fresh and massive, tender and with a home made sauce that could have been a little more generous. The ladies struggled to find something they really liked. Given that this is a pub with a great reputation the real downer was the loos, the gents was disappointingly uncared for, no cold water and scalding hot water. Also a warning to turn off the taps or the loos wouldnt flush!!!. Our friends wife said the ladies were disgusting. I really cant understand eateries that out in massive efforts in to attract customers only to neglect the basic facilities. Absolutely cant fault the staff, but given what we had heard it was disappointing and pretty...