The Old Bridge Inn — Restaurant in Great Britain

Very sad as could be a really lovely place for Tourists but unfortunately was very clear it is a local pub for residents as treated very poorly by what appeared to be manager. Welcome was cold, yet was very chatty with local people in bar thus feeling uncomfortable as first time visitors. Had slight accident with red wine and the response when I ask for small amount of white wine to counter act spilage was buy one!!!!

Also no Covid rules adhered to, we asked the day before if they were showing football, they advised yes but only 25 seats available. We arrived 2 hours before to guarantee seat, by 8pm there was approx 100 in bar shoulder to shoulder!! Did not feel safe!!!

I would NOT recommend this bar/restaurant as there are some lovely other places in Aviemore that are far more welcoming and safe!!

In response to your response; My review was honest and factual! As for you calling my review inaccurate is the same as calling me a liar, therefore proves my point about you as Manager (unprofessional and rude).

To address some of your points;

a. The local lads we sat by at 6.30pm (as they were also told 25 seats only) when we arrived were lovely and friendly. My review about friendliness was about your interaction with my husband and I which was zero. A good Manager and host at least makes and effort to smile and say hello!!

b. Covid - yes you had a one way system and extra facilities but my point was about the area we were sitting in which absolutely NOT Covid adhered to. I did not mention anything in my review about inside your establishment only the area where the football was being showed so you knew exactly what area I was talking about!!! When we arrived the tables were all moved to the back space and were showing reserved!! When I asked to reserve a table the day before I was told first come first serve (no one was sitting at those tables till 8pm kick-off!!! (staff and locals). The chairs that were available hadn't tables and were in rows so we were sitting next to people not in our household shoulder to shoulder (no 1 metre distance)!!! As previously stated at least 80 people not 25 seats at tables... I'm not a liar!!

c. As for red wine spilage, yes was my own fault which I never denied but you gave me 1 centimetre of white wine (a splash) not a full glass so that's why I asked for a tiny bit more and it was not the response of your colleague who said buy one but you again The Manager shouted very aggressively "she can buy one"!! As for not knowing that white wine enzymes neutralise red wine and your in the restaurant/bar business is quite odd!!

Your sarcasm in your last paragraph has confirmed to me you are rude, unfriendly and...

I’ll preface this by saying that I’ve been a visitor to the Aviemore area for years and I have often visited the Old Bridge Inn. I remember it being a place with a high standard of service and food. A few years ago I had a meal with my husband and expressed my unhappiness with the pork belly (thick, tough fat, no crisp at all). The waiter argued with me and told me that this was how pork belly is cooked. This has now happened a second time to me in the OBI, so I will not be passing its doors again. Today, I ordered a burger that cost £18, with extras like a slice of cheese costing £2. I expected the burger to be homemade, but instead it was a processed butcher’s burger. I maybe should have sent it back, but I was so starving and dealing with a 3 year old. I ended up leaving about a third of the burger. The chips were yum, and my husband enjoyed his fish. The waiter asked at the end of the meal if everything was okay, and I just took the opportunity to feedback that for £18 I would expect a burger to be homemade. She said that they were homemade and asked me to explain what I didn’t like about it. I explained that the texture, taste and juiciness were not like a homemade burger. She said she would speak to her supervisor and then came back and said that I should have raised the issue when a waiter asked in passing if everything was okay. True, I should have. I knew then that she was suggesting that I’d eaten a meal and didn’t want to pay for it, which is not a nice feeling. She said that costs reflected the average in the area. In so many words, the waiter said that my feedback was wrong. My husband even cut in to say, “This is just feedback.” We didn’t expect freebies, as I’d eaten it. I mentioned my previous experience of being told I was wrong in the OBI and she questioned me about it. The waiter just kept at me to the point where I just said, “This conversation is over. I was just giving feedback. We’re going to pay and leave, and we won’t be back.” If the OBI just wanted to cut costs and fleece tourists like everyone else around here, I’ll leave them to it. I gave feedback because I would like it to be the place it used to be, but they’re running a business in a hostile economic environment so standards have to...

We were a group of eight, looking forward to a nice local dinner, in a super good mood. What we got instead was one of the rudest and most unpleasant restaurant experiences any of us have had.

From the moment we arrived (just 10 minutes late, and I had called ahead to apologise), the staff made us feel completely unwelcome. A dark-haired woman with what seemed like a Spanish or Italian accent was particularly rude – not just unfriendly, but actively hostile throughout. Another colleague of hers nearly refused to give us a high chair for our two kids, and we had to insist. We were also told half of the menu wasn’t available with very little choice!

We were spoken to sharply, with no patience or basic courtesy. Plates were never cleared. When we asked for advice on whisky at the end of the meal, we were brushed off with a cold “just go to the bar”. It almost felt like a joke at some point.

As for the food – the burger was terrible, the meat was weirdly prepared and strong and tasted unpleasant. And yet, the prices were shockingly high for what we received overall. Such a disappointment.

This was meant to be a relaxed, happy evening. Instead, we left upset and frustrated. I would strongly advise reading the negative reviews before booking – they’re accurate. I don’t think the amazing Scottish people would want visitors who’ve travelled from so far to be left with this kind of impression - awful And it’s not even high season . This place has no sense of hospitality. change the staff, or close the restaurant to families or groups of...