The Waterside Restaurant Garden & Cabin — Restaurant in Rochdale

As boaters passing through on the Rochdale Canal, we were delighted to secure a last minute Saturday night booking here for 7 people. When we arrived, hungry and dishevelled from a day's locking, we discovered why. This was not the usual humble canalside pub, but rather a fine dining restaurant with the average main course at around £25. The prices were eye wateringly beyond what we had expected - not the restaurant's fault of course - we should have checked beforehand, or even left without eating but then we would have little options for finding an alternative. We decided instead to stay but just have mains and one round of drinks to soften the blow.

Positives were that it was exquisite inside and had a beautiful canalside veranda (though we didn't take advantage of this) and they were very accommodating for the youngest and most fussy of our party, providing a plain chicken and chips that wasn't on their menu.

Negatives were that mistakes were made and some meals did not live up to their high price tag:

After ordering, staff first arrived offering a steak knife. A few confused exchanges later, we explained no one had ordered steak and the knife was left with the person ordering lamb. Minutes later, another member of staff arrived with more condiments for a steak - again we said no steak. Finally, the steak meal arrived and, yet again we had to say, NO steak ... which had got quite irritating.

The pasta dish arrived with a piece of plastic in it which they first suggested was onion skin, then took away to check before conceding that it was in fact plastic. We did receive an apology and the meal price knocked off the bill, but no offer of a replacement meal. The lamb dish with swede mash arrived almost cold, including the separate bowl of vegetables that accompanied it. The restaurant provided a new meal, which was generous of them, but they couldn't have checked it beforehand as the swede mash on the replacement was equally almost cold. They also failed to replace the separate bowl of vegetables so most of these were lost, having been placed on, and removed, with the original plate. Thus leaving only a cold piece of cauli and broccoli to go with the replacement meal. Two parties ordered the chicken with Todmorden cheese dish, one loved it and one very much did not. The cheese is very strong and worth taste testing beforehand if you are not a strong cheese fan. Other chicken dishes were reported as lovely meals but lacking a little in quantity, and the chicken chips provided for our fussy youngster came with one of those baskets that carries only a few chips, so he was still hungry at the end of the meal and ate again as soon as we returned to the boat. Having said that, three of us did decide to order desserts which were all delicious.

To conclude, I possibly would come here again for a fine dining treat but I would not recommend it as the average evening jolly for passing boaters, and they need to do better to justify their...

WOW... WHO COOKS LIKE THAT..... 10/10 Vegetarian SUNDAY ROAST DINNER, Including a portion of beautifully prepared and sliced Roast Beef for our baby Chihuahua Ted! From walking in requesting if I could take Teddy into the garden area, to paying the EXTREMELY reasonably priced bill for what I would say is EASILY Award winning food ... It was effortless, a dream and nothing was too much trouble for the lady behind the bar, owner Lisa and her team. I have been visiting this beautiful, boutique, stunningly decorated restaurant for years, But THIS PARTICULAR Chef EXCEEDED ALL THE REST! Blown away and would highly recommend a visit. Rain or Shine they have covered EVERY angle including outdoor heaters and stunning blankets and cushions for those grey days, uncovered areas for the sun seekers and a stunning inside restaurant for the evening's where you want a little cosy but elegant experience. A beautiful magical cabin seats private parties of which today a Baby shower was happening and it looked like something out of OK Magazine! Lisa has maintained such a stunning eatery and menu, with friendly, welcoming and soul warming service, with a Chef that exceeds all expectations. You can tell he was born to cook! Can't wait for next Sunday... Don't even think about...

Bank Holiday Monday. Out on a drive and couldn't decide where to go for food. Checked the internet for places close by and stumbled upon this beauty. I rang to check if it was open and if they could accommodate the 2 of us. Boom...the answer was yes to both

From the minute we walked in we felt very welcome, we chose to sit outside at the back of the pub as it was a glorious day. It's a beautiful area, done out very nice and what a way to enjoy your lovely meal.

We was seated by a very pleasant lady, (the owner) she had top notch customer service. We where also served by a young guy. Again, customer service was spot on

We had a starter and a main course. The starter, We both chose King Prawn and s Scallop in a tasty salsa sauce. It was to die for. Out of this world. My main I opted for Sun Blush Tomato Beef Fillet. Cooked medium rare and it was cooked to perfection. Very filling indeed. My partner ordered steak medallions, medium rare, again cooked perfectly. I finished off with a delicious French martini .

All in All, a fantastic find.

Will most definitely be returning.

Thank you to all at...