The Eagle and Child — Restaurant in Oxford

Edit: The holding manager replied to my review. I edited the original review in response.

I don't believe that I was very very wrong about the events. I understand the safety risks with the leaking roof and I am fine with that. I even found a table for my wife and me. The only issue I take with The Eagle and Child is the manner in which the holding manager was speaking. Not in what she said. But in how she said it. I am used to rough bars where good hearted insults are the norm. In these places I laugh and order my beer. But the demeanor of Giada was borderline insulting. At least at the beginning I stayed relatively polite. But I don't prefer to pay money to be treated this way. Living in Italy, I begrudgingly became accostomed to poor customer service. I was very shocked to find equally poor customer in UK, where I had previously thought, and anticipated, to be polite and proper.

Giada, I hope you can understand that it wasn't the situation that caused me to write the review, nor the words that were said, but how they were said. Specifically it was the short and dismissive tone at the start of our interaction, which degraded to obnoxious by the end. If this is the way that the eagle and child chooses to speak to customers, that's also fine. I just not the traditional English pub experience I had expected. And I can't recommend it to others.

Original: I chose not to patronize the Eagle and Child entirely due to the attitude of one of the bartenders. We were told quite rudely that we could not order food in the conservatory because it was raining and the roof leaked. After no luck finding another table I asked if there was any chance the conservatory would open. And I was told even more rudely that the roof leaking was a safety hazard. (which didn't answer my question). I don't see why the disrepair of the bar is need to speak to the customers in such a manner. At the very least a sign could have been posted so I could find another table sooner.

Once we found a table I ordered. When I asked her to repeat the soup of the day I again received the same attitude. At which point I decided to waste any more time or money here.

I am shocked and disappointed that such a famous pub would treat customers this way. After such good recommendations, I couldn't have been more disappointed. Very...

We went in at noon and ordered at the counter. It took more than 10 Mts to stay in line and order. The food didn't arrive for a good 50 mts. We ordered 3 chicken and hock pies one mushroom pie and a plate of grilled chicken and chips. The waitress brought 2 chicken pies and a steak pie. Although we eat any meat we still waited for the rest of the order. The waitress brought the chicken breast plate and another chicken pie who she gave to the vegetarian in the group. He rejected it and asked for vegetarian pie. Apparently they were out of mushrooms so the chicken was their substitute! 🙄😶😮😠 And the person who ordered chicken should eat steak!

We asked for the steak pie to be switched with the chicken pie and agreed for lentil pie for the vegetarian. Since they took so long for the food, I asked for a bowl of chips so one party eats something while waiting!

The door to all the bathrooms kept slamming each time somebody entered or exited. My husband said the male urinal was older than Oxford University lol it was one long shared urinal and younger son was in disbelief 😁 The food was delicious so I gave 3 stars but the time waiting and also the mix up for the food was not good. Two crowds at two other tables got up and walked out because they found out the wait was too long. Don't sit at the table go to the bar and order 😊 The owner contacted denying everything after this was posted. Gave the phone number to clarify it. We live in the USA and was visiting Oxford. If you read my other reviews I am pretty fair in giving good reviews unless there was something really unpleasant happened. The waitress was apologetic when they didn't have the vegetable pie my nephew wanted and the lentil soup wasn't really good.. This review was done after consulting the...

NB POSTSCRIPT ADDED BELOW!

Visited 21 October 2010 at 18:55. Tried to order a meal there with my wife, student daughter (18), and son (15). Manager came and IDed my daughter - which I thought was odd because she was at the bar with me trying to order our meal & soft drinks (we were all driving) - but she had her photo driving licence and he was happy with that. He then went to other room to ask my wife for ID for my son. Because he had no ID on him, we were all summarily ejected from the pub. When I protested that it was perfectly legal for a child to drink a soft drink in a pub with a meal with his (over 18) family, the manager of the pub insisted that his "insurance company", not he, made the rules. "Nobody under 18 was allowed anywhere in the building after 19:00".

There was no sign on the door announcing this policy and I can only assume the manager simply made up this "rule".

We went instead to another establishment nearby where we received a perfectly civil reception.

Although we visit Oxford frequently, we shall never be going there again. Their loss not ours I'd say. They must be doing well, in spite of the recession, if they can afford to alienate customers like this.

PS Had VERY apologetic phone-call from (higher) manager of this pub and have been offered free meal next time we visit (which we now shall) as compensation. Apparently there is no law or pub policy against serving food and soft drinks to children with families at any time of day in the pub and the chap who ejected us is no longer working for that pub. I shall report back here after...