Waterfront Café | Bar | Bistro — Restaurant in South Oxfordshire

★★☆☆☆ A Disappointing Visit – Based on My Own Experience

I want to preface this review by saying that I understand some people enjoy Waterfront Bistro in Benson, and this feedback is based purely on my own experience during a recent visit.

Unfortunately, the evening left a lot to be desired.

From the start, things felt disorganised. Our initial drinks order was chaotic, with some drinks forgotten altogether. When food was brought out, one member of staff didn’t know what was on the plates and began guessing — incorrectly. This same waitress later seemed more focused on watering plants than attending to guests, which felt odd given how much was going wrong in the dining area.

A particularly frustrating moment came when one of our group was ordering and was told, “Well, is there any more of you to order? Our kitchen is already supposed to be closed.” This felt unnecessarily abrupt, especially for a pre-booked table. I would have expected staff to proactively check if everyone had ordered, rather than placing the responsibility on guests.

Other issues included:

No check-back on our meals once served.

Salads arriving on plates that were specifically ordered without.

The conservatory seating area was very cold, and the patio heaters weren’t working. Several of us had to put on jackets just to stay warm.

To be fair, the food came out quite quickly, which we appreciated — but speed doesn’t fully make up for the overall service issues we encountered.

I’m sharing this not to criticise for the sake of it,but because the experience didn't reflect the care or quality we were hoping for. I hope this feedback is taken in the constructive spirit it's intended — there’s real potential in the venue, but the service and attention to detail on this occasion...

Great food with a fantastic riverside view.......That was a few years ago, but today May 2024 things have gone downhill: Sad to see that this cafe has gone downhill! Although it has recently been renovated/refurbished, I was very disappointed that they have removed all the outside comfy sofas that used to be there. I was really looking forward to relaxing on one in the sunshine while having a light lunch, but instead they have provided some very small 2-seater sofas, with no cushions. They are VERY uncomfortable & if 2 people share one, you can't avoid sitting on each other. We decided to use 1 each, but then so far away from each other across the tables that we needed to shout to have any sort of conversation. Service was slow, even though there were only a few tables occupied. We had to wait ages for anyone to clear & clean messy tables & I had to ask twice for this to be done. Drinks were good, with lots of ice for me, which was great in such warm weather. Then we were brought some one elses food order, which we were nearly tempted to eat as we had already been waiting some 35 minutes for ours. Menu was very limited & overpriced. I refused to pay £16 for a salad, so went with the goats cheese tart. The cheese itself was lovely, but the pastry very hard & over cooked. In many places these days people forget to serve hot food on hot plates; here it was the reverse. As my tart was served on a bed of salad leaves, it was unfortunately served on a very hot plate, that the lettuce had totally wilted. The main saving grace was the Ben & Jerry's ice cream @ £2 per scoop.

Please bring the comfy sofas back & improve the service & food quality at a reasonable price so that we can continue to enjoy our visits here, as we used to...

It is OK, but nothing special. It has recently expanded the outdoor seating area to what looks like 300 covers. Order your food at the bar, which might take 20 minutes of queuing when it is busy. Then sit at your table for 30-60 minutes waiting for your food, again depending on how busy they are. The food is OK. Not many vegetarian choices but the menu is predictable and uninspiring. The chips are pasty and flavourless. The salad garnish is minimal and lifeless. The Theakstons Best is really very nice indeed. When we left, we felt glad to be away from the crowd in there. There's nothing else for miles and the location is wonderful.

Edit: Some time later, we have been back. This time it was not so crowded, we didn't have to queue to order, the drinks came almost immediately and the food soon after. Food was good. Really nice hummus sandwich on a rustic roll, although everything squeezed out at first bite. The vegetarian nachos looked excellent. I've upgraded the stars and we'll certainly return!

Edit: a further visit and more disappointment, sorry to say. It was a grey and damp day so no outside seating. Inside it was not very pleasant. No ambience. The floor bounces every time someone walks past and there's a lot of people walking past. In fact, we chose to go home for lunch instead, the menu being uninspiring. I think it would be fine if we'd arrived by boat or in a bunch of motorbikes or bicycles out for the day. But, today, we just didn't like the atmosphere or the menu. The people that work there are lovely and the greatest asset to the place. I just wish the menu and the ambience were a bit better. But what can you do with such...