The Spotted Cow — Restaurant in Waverley

Came here for lunch after a visit to Alice Holt. We sat (and ordered) outside the entire time so can’t comment on the interior, but the garden seemed nice. The garden was fairly large, but tables were sparse - it wasn’t particularly busy so I guess they only set out more tables/benches when it gets busy.

We sat in the upper garden area, but it is not wheelchair or buggy friendly so my husband and I had to lift the buggy up through 10 steps or so. No high chair was offered, but that wasn’t a problem as I was happy to keep my baby in the stroller anyway. Unfortunately the outdoor pizza oven smoke will drift across the entire garden, so there’s no escaping the smell. Quite off putting to be honest, but we didn’t want to sit indoors (covid) and couldn’t be bothered to find another pub so we just quickly ate and left.

They use a QR code ordering system, so you don’t need to order inside or wait for someone to take your order. Signal is poor around there, so you’ll need to log into their Wi-Fi to get on the internet. No instructions were available, so if you’re not particularly tech savvy then you’ll have to wait for someone to come take your order or go inside to order..

I ordered their burger and fries. Very basic burger - a bun, burger patty, slice of tomato and slice of lettuce. It came with tomato relish and fries. The fries were delicious and seasoned well, but the burger was a bit of a let down. You’ll need to pay extra if you want cheese. You would have thought cheese was basic and should be included!

Customer service - we didn’t really get to experience it to be honest. One guy came up to us after a while because we hadn’t ordered yet and asked if we know to order via the QR code. He then brought the food over and that was it. Service wasn’t bad at all, but it wasn’t particularly amazing either. A smile and a quick ‘how is your day going?’ would have made a difference.

Overall, I wouldn’t say it’s a terrible place, but there are better places out there with nicer food and...

We booked our table a few weeks in advance as there were a group of eleven. We were told we would be in the conservatory and asked if it would be cold and was reassured it wouldn’t be so went ahead with our booking. On arrival we asked for a highchair and waited twenty minutes for our f order to be taken we had to ask for it to be taken in the end and the waitress rudely said ‘in a minute’, asking for the kids food to come out at the same time as adults starters. When the adult starters arrived, I asked again for a highchair and it finally appeared along with a very slow dribble of the kids food - one of which we did have to chase! Once we had finished starters, mains were slow to come out. Throughout the course of our meal the sliding door was constantly being opened and sometimes being left open by the waiting staff, making it very cold! Perhaps they need a sign on the door to say ‘keep closed’ in the end I ate my roast in my coat! We asked for the gas fire to be popped on, but they didn’t have a gas cylinder! The final poor level of service was when we asked if we could order dessert and were told with no apology that they had another table coming in in 15 minutes and we need to go so they can clear it. Wouldn’t of been a problem if we had booked short notice, or been told when we arrived - perhaps if we didn’t have to wait so long to order food and it came out promptly it wouldn’t of been an issue. All in all rubbish and rude service, food not bad but eating a roast when you can’t feel your feet is...

Severely disappointed last night by the inattentive, forgetful and generally poor service my partner and I received. I presume the heat of the hottest day of the year had the staff flustered.

It's a shame, as this venue is gorgeous and clearly well cared for and a lot of thought has been put into the ambience and style.

Our starters were forgotten about. They brought the mains out and asked 'haven't you had your starters'?

Now if they didn't have 5 different waiters serving a section, they may have been able to communicate and keep a consistent flow of service.

My partner got her garlic bread...but I didn't get my starter until 40 minutes after my partner had hers... and then my wings were burnt and flavourless.

We eventually got our mains. My partner was happy with hers, but regrettably my cod was also overcooked and I could not finish it.

They removed the cod from the bill - but spending upwards of 80 quid on a meal out - having spent good money to get there by taxi, the evening just felt marred.

The only redeeming member of staff was a very apologetic and genuine Albanian waitress who I believe was called Eri.

Would visit again...but only if the service and...