The Pelican

Review summary

1. D

   David

   Hampshire

   2 reviews

   4.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We met our friends after a dog walk as we do every few months. My wife & I both had the fish & chips, after which we all had a mini dessert & a drink which priced at £8.00. We all had this before, and we were looking forward to the crumble & custard as the crumble was served in a ramekin dish, to our amazement the crumble portion was TWO mouth fulls, I understand it was a mini dessert, but I didn't know it was going to be miniscule in size. As a result, in experience, next time we meet with our friends, we will be taking our custom elsewhere. Sorry, Pelican.
   

   Is this helpful?

2. P

   Pat

   Buckinghamshire

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 1 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Lovely birthday meal for my father in law. Only one little thing, myself and my husband had the chicken burger which was yummy but very little Asian slaw and not many chips compared to the other meals
   

   Is this helpful?

3. E

   Eileen

   Berkshire

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined on 31 January 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Lovely pub, beautifully furnished and very comfortable. The service was very good and the staff were polite, helpful and friendly. Unfortunately the food was very disappointing. There were four of us. I ordered the open steak sandwich on sourdough with chips. The small steak was overdone, although I ordered it medium. I could hardly cut through it. The sourdough bread was tiny and very hard. My chips were dry and burnt. My husband’s ham, egg and chips was cold and the ham (gammon steak) was hard and dry. The chips were cold, hard and burnt. The top of my friend’s pie was burnt. This may have been a one off, perhaps we were unlucky. It’s not a regular venue for us. I hope others have a better experience. I did not complain or send the food back as it was a birthday celebration and didn’t want to spoil the occasion. The bill was £116 and was definitely not worth it.
   

   Is this helpful?

4. H

   Holly

   Oxford

   5 reviews

   3.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on 12 January 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Service was nice warm and welcoming, food was pretty good - mains better than dessert. We were however disappointed to be charged extra for gravy (which was not made clear and seemed a bit mean considering there was little on the plates) and we were also charged for a dash of coke because one of the party didn’t want ice. Those two things made the experience just a bit tainted.
   

   Is this helpful?

5. A

   Alison

   Gloucestershire

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on 4 January 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   Slow service, poor food .. my lamb cottage pie was awful… stringy left over roast lamb, gloopy packet gravy .. probably Bisto, tasteless mash, and very little if it, sprinkled with with what tasted like ready grated Parmesan cheese…this all came with raw slices of cabbage in some sort of mayonnaise with three tiny pieces of bacon in it which was inedible… eventually got the bill, when waitress returned for me to pay was invited to pay an extra 10%… very bad form to ask that at that juncture rather than put it on the original bill. Many would feel obliged to do so.. I didn’t. I rarely pay extra %s but leave a decent tip.. I left no tip. A sorry performance on your part .. extremely disappointing. Both I, and my granddaughter and family, had driven just over an hour to meet half way between us… not sure we’ll try your place again …
   

   Is this helpful?

6. S

   Sarah

   Gloucestershire

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 1 January 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Booked a table for New Year’s Day with husband. I’m a lover of good food. Not fancy food, just good food. The service was prompt and friendly. The food was exceptional. The cook knows how to cook. I had just a simple fish and chips. This is a funny dish, sounds so basic yet easy to get wrong. The batter was light and crispy, the fish was fleshly and fresh tasting. The chips were skin on and perfect. Husband had a char grilled burger which he really liked. I highly recommend a visit. My only wish was that one of the fires had been lit but that is asking too much of staff on New Years Day. Maybe next time.
   

   Is this helpful?

7. I

   Iris

   Gloucestershire

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on 26 December 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   A little disappointed with the venison pies- all pastry and very little meat. One person in our group preordered steak but was not asked how he would like it cooked or what sauce he wanted. Another person preordered a plain burger but it came with lots of other bits so the waitress had to take it away and bring just a plain burger. The desserts were mostly straight from the freezer. I had to query the bill as I had already paid a deposit but it wasn’t taken off the bill. Having said all that it was Boxing Day it was lovely and warm in the pub and we all enjoyed the company
   

   Is this helpful?

8. S

   Sally

   Berkshire

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on 25 December 2024

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   Very disappointed. Very slow service, other tables being cleared whilst we waited for our food. 3 out of 4 didn't enjoy the mains. The fourth only had 1 type of vegetable on the plate, generally a lack and choice of vegetables. We have dined there once before and thought it was very good hence booking christmas day.
   

   Is this helpful?

9. M

   Maureen

   Gloucestershire

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 23 December 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Such a lovely pub , great service and food, would highly recommend the pelican .
   

   Is this helpful?

10. G

    Gavin

    South Wales

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on 22 December 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3

    The quality of the food was not great. We have visited the Pelican a few times over the years, with excellent food and service previously. The food on this occasion was very poor. The vegetables were bland, the meat was poor, and the roast potatoes left alot to be desired. A stark contrast to our previous visit over a year prior where it was outstanding. Perhaps there has been a change in ownership or management. Will likely avoid moving forward.
    

    Is this helpful?