The Travellers Rest — Restaurant in Wigan

We came here about 7 years ago and it was fabulous, so I was expecting great things. When we arrived, the bar area was packed. It was a friendly atmosphere and the lad who served us was as jolly as his suit.

We were taken through to a very busy restaurant, it would have been nice to have crackers, but again it was a friendly atmosphere and we were enjoying ourselves, so it didn't really matter. There seemed to be a mix up with the amount of chicken breasts that had been ordered (2 instead of 3). A waitress (who will remain nameless, although the manager mentioned her a few times) practically demanded that I hadn't ordered it and thrust her list in front of me to sort out the mistake. Luckily, our organiser keeps a list with names (as we always forget what we order) and we quickly found the problem - too many turkey dinners! I told the waitress. She told me I was wrong and took the list of names to sort out. Our organiser had offered it when she booked and they said they didn't need it. It might have saved some issues if they had.

I had soup to start and it was delicious. I didn't realise it came with pancetta (my recurring issue) but it was a really tasty surprise.

My main was the chicken breast and what I thought was red wine and rosemary sauce and unfortunately I poured it all over my food. I took a bite and thought 'this has a kick'. After a couple more bites, I saw a slice of raw chilli and called a waiter over to ask if it was supposed to come with chilli and he said yes, although he asked if I wanted it changed. Not wanting to cause a fuss, I said no, but after a few more bites I enquired again. The waiter went to check and we looked ourselves to find out that I'd misread the menu again. I apologised, but asked if it could be changed anyway as I couldn't eat it. The waiter said no problem and took the plate. Next minute, nameless waitress comes out with a menu in her hand and says that it's on the menu, the chef is having to make a new one and the manager has told her I will be charged. Taken aback, I asked for my original plate back, as I hadn't been told, I wasn't paying for a new one and would just not eat it.

A long time passed and a 'new' dish came out. I say 'new' as there was a pool of water under the chicken. A little shocked, I asked the waiter if I was being charged for it. Moments later, the manager came and said "we are not charging you, but do you see where we're coming from?" I replied I was only asking because I had been told I would be charged. She responded with "it's on the menu, it's your fault, but we are not going to charge you for the new dish." I said the attitude I was getting wasn't very nice, and my sister pointed out that regardless the sauce was inedible. She replied that she would speak to the other waitress.

When it came to paying, the organiser said she would round her bill up to £22. Without asking, the manager was willing to do that for everyone and seemed taken aback that I asked to pay the actual price of £21.95. When I said I would have given them a bigger tip if it wasn't for her attitude, she again seemed confused.

I believe the manager takes the responsibility of her staff and at no point was she apologetic about the way I was treated. It tainted what was a lovely evening. The food was lovely, apart from the sauce that overpowered the whole dish, but it was ruined by that experience. Some of the staff were lovely and I hope for them that the management...

21ST MAY 2025. Wandering Wednesday’ took Hubby Neil and I, just a few miles down the road in Lowton to…….. ‘The Travellers Rest’, there are so many places we have passed over the years and never ventured in side, as we’ve always tended to eat on our door step or simply returned with the pubs we liked….. this is definitely one of those pub ‘Gems’ that we have missed out on over the years….. inside the decor is tastefully done and the restaurant was pristine. Our servers today were Destiny, Dylan, Catherine and Kay, they were all very polite, smiley, professional and attentive, they gave a great all round service….. also a big shout out to the chefs in the background, your food presentation was perfect, all the dishes were delicious and piping hot….. Thank you, you are all massive credit to this establishment.

Staters: We both had the same, which was Crispy Black Pudding & Bacon Stack, served on a Bubble & Squeak cake and drizzled with a creamy peppercorn sauce, garnished with pea shoots….

Entrée’s: Neil had a fillet of Salmon, with asparagus, lay on a bed of mixed salad, along with hot new potatoes and all drizzled with a creamy dill dressing….

I had: Homemade Pie and Chips….. Chicken, Bacon & Vegetable pie, served with triple cooked chips, accompanied with seasonal vegetables of tenderstem broccoli, sliced leek, green beans and proper thick, rich gravy…. The pie was filled to the brim with big chunks of the filling and again everything was piping hot…. So tasty. We shared sliced white bloomer and butter, even the bread was light and fluffy! So the question is? Would we go back???? At the drop of a...

Had a drop lunch last Sunday and really enjoyed everything so decided to go again today to see if it was a one off. The young lady at the front of house greeted us and recognised us from the previous week which was really nice. We sat in the outside seating area which is very tastefully done with fresh herb plants on each table giving off a lovely aroma. We ordered drinks from the table which were delivered by friendly waiters and waitresses in good time for us to peruse the menu and order when they arrived back. We both had a starter and the two Sunday lunch options. The starters were lovely (fish cake and the pate) and they tasted as good as they were presented. Shortly after two wonderful Sunday lunches arrived and a cauliflower cheese to die for. Veg cooked to perfection and the ham was very tasty and seasoned enough. Only thing that upset me over the lunch was the fact I’d found someone who does better Yorkshire puds than me! I went to pay the bill at the bar and was greeted by the member of staff who was equally as polite and courteous as the lady at front of house. Two professional pieces of service deserved a review. To cap it off I had left a £20 bottle of suncream on our table and was caught before I left . Fabulous food and atmosphere a great place to visit if out for a walk or bike ride with a good sized garden with sun shade if required. Only thing I’d genuinely say to improve would be to give the waiting staff a nicer top as they look like they should be watering plants in a garden centre (sorry if that’s harsh) but a massive thumbs up to the chef, staff and lady at...