Crows Nest Beefeater in Aylesbury Vale

I went in first and didn’t get seated for 15 mins even though there was no customers yet staff mingling about. Left and came back hour later. Paid 17 pounds for the worst burger I’ve ever eaten. This is the first time I’ve ever left a review somewhere because it was that bad.

Always a great breakfast here, friendly service and good value.

The man serving us was lovely and accommodating. No person was there to greet us and regardless of the quality of the restaurant, it is a prerequisite to have that. The space around the area we were eating was really not nice with cobwebs on the conservatory roof and crumbs on the floor and was generally unclean. Food was decent and the plant burger I had was nice.

On entering, we were immediately informed that there was a long list of items that were not available due to an issue at their distribution warehouses. This included most Christmas items and virtually every other item worth eating on the menu. We had the steak, and it was full of gristle. A wasted visit.

Dreadful meal, so many items not available due to circumstances beyond their control, but not pre warned even though I had had several messages reminding me of my booking. No effort made to compensate for lack of menu, ladies toilet smelt dreadful and then attempted to overcharge. Terrible experience

I have never been to the establishment before I can see where the ratings are so low, Here is my experience. Sometimes we decide to have Christmas dinner out, we reserved a table at this establishment a few days ago For Christmas dinner. All seemed well. This morning we get a voicemail telling us if we don’t go into the establishment physically and pay in full our reservation reservations would not be honoured.. What kind of a bone dry establish is this? Apparently, we can’t pay over the telephone because they don’t have the systems? Once again, what kind of establishment is this? No, we won’t be driving all the way to your restaurant just to pay you cash because your payment systems don’t work over the phone. And if yours is the kind of restaurant where many people don’t turn up, then obviously something’s wrong. But let me tell you about us we’ve been on this planet a good 55 years and we’ve never ever been treated like this before. It’s not once in any of those years have we ever been asked to go to the restaurant to pay upfront?! And then go back there on Christmas Day? Utterly ridiculous. Poor management, this would’ve been the first time we ever been to Beefeater, alas We haven’t even made it to the restaurant without being put off by ridiculous management and customer service. Seriously, who has ever had to travel all the way to a restaurant to pay for the meals in full For a later date. I mean, it’s bad enough having to pay for the meals if over the telephone in advance, but the fact they can’t even take telephone payments and they Demand you actually travel all the way to the restaurant pay for all the meals upfront to return on Christmas Day? Once again, what kind of management has been employed to run this gaff? We have now made Reservations elsewhere, except this review as a cancellation of booking!

Never have we been asked to leave the table because they wanted it for another group of customers for breakfast and we hadn't even been an HR and still drinking breakfast. Food was just about warm and some items missing from the self service area. Toasters not even plugged in which we had to do. If they had more than one coffee machine they wouldn't have people blocking the way for the waiting staff to negotiate. Won't be returning anytime soon.

Lots of food not available due to distribution issues!

Popped in for an early dinner, the place was empty pre Christmas!, probably due to half the menu being unavailable, stuck with it and wished we never, greasy overcooked everything, hunters chicken was dry with no sauce and looked like it had been deep fried. Burger stack too much in it. Most of which was inedible just keep it real, bigger is not always better dump the burnt onion cluster and brioche buns

Great food, great atmosphere and a wonderful waitress Maiya who exceeded all our expectations. Excellent service and very kind staff. If I could leave a better review I would!

The steak I had tasted good and had the right level of cooking as requested, the supporting mushroom and tomato were underdone and the peas were overdone. The overhead light was harsh. The service was good and not too slow.

Our bowls team decided to celebrate its Xmas Dinner here. Two members, of eight booked, in November, to have lunch, and to book the table for the team's dinner. They had already obtained details from all team members what each individual wanted to eat. When they tried to book, asking specifically for a round table, situated in the main part of the restaurant, they were told that it was not necessary to book, and neither was it necessary to give in the list. The same couple, feeling uneasy with this negativity, they returned to attempt a booking again, but their request was, again refused. On our arrival last Saturday evening, we were told that the round table was already occupied, but a second round table was available. However, it was not situated in the main area, which had been traditionally decorated The area we were in did not, and we even had to ask for Christmas Crackers to be brought to the table. Our Waiter arrived and attempted to hand out menus. However, Sandra still had the list of the group's food requirements. The Waiter took our list, only sy that had we left the list prior to this evening, they could have ensured all was ready for us .Imagine the group's reaction to this comment. We were anything but amused. To add fuel to the fire, after having read through our list, he went on to advise us that four of the eight people could not have what they had ordered. We could not believe what he then revealed. Turkey, the most traditional of Christmas meals, was no tavailable. They could offer chicken as an alternative. Three very reluctantly agreed to have the chicken (which was of very ordinary quality), and one ordered another alternative. Fortunately the sweets were more palatable, but, after having had to wait nearly an hour for them, it came as a bitter sweet ending to the evening. It has to be said that our Christmas celebration dinner was ruined for us all, and we shall most certainly not be returning.

Food was cold, veg tasted like it had come straight out of a fridge, gravy was also cold. When we pointed this out to the waitress she just said she would let the kitchen know. What you should have done was offer to replace meals with hot ones! Then you would have avoided a bad review. The restaurant was very quiet too. We usually come once every 2 weeks, but will not be back, as unfortunately past few visits the food has been getting worse

I would avoid at any cost. Re-heated food, cold starter, steak ok but the 15 peas on my plate were insufficienty cooked, tomato cold, mushroom cold. I don't know what the reason for this was, was there a recent change of management and or chefs??

Always a good feed. Service could have been a little better. Place could do with a refresh inside, however we went for the food and the food was delicious! 😋😋

Good food, service always fast.

Overcooked deep fried food but gastropub prices. Wasted our money on 3 starters each. Would have been acceptable once upon a time but competitors have significantly upped their game.

Overcharged for set Christmas meal which realised when we were home. Rang The Crows Nest and was told by a very unhelpful man to go back for a refund, but we live over an hour away. Steak Diane fillet steak hardly edible and hardly warm. Ditto with one rib eye. Have eaten here before and it was excellent. Today it was very poor so won't be returning.

A nice pub in a great location with views accross the countryside, but unfortunately let down by the very slow service and food quality seems to have really dropped since our last visit.

Didn't have half the menu. Portions incredibly small. No decent beer. Toilets dirty. Not a great experience.

For a major restaurant chain, the food was luke warm and tasteless. The portions were measly, the salad was 1 lettuce leaf, 2 slices of cucumber, and half a tomato. The mashed potato portions were miniscule and the corn on the cob was about an inch long and about the size of a 50p. For the pleasure of no table service, very poor tasteless food and very diluted drinks was over £50.00. Not going to a Beefeater again!!

Just come back from another great night at the Cross Nest. Love the management and staff here.

Each time we have been the chips have always been over done.

Friendly staff reasonable food at reasonable price. Nice looking garden

The service was slow. Food took 1 hour to come out, 1 meal was wrong and some were warm not hot. The toilets were dirty. We were seated by a fire exit that children kept running in and out of and leaving the door open, I may as well have been sat outside it was that cold. We didn't even bother asking for the desert menus because we didn't have time to wait another hour. What a waste of money! We will definitely not be returning anytime soon.

Food was very average not very warm, service was ideal

My starter was cold but remedied quickly.

All you can eat breakfast was amazing, great customer service aswel. We have a new born and the staff went out of there way to find us suitable seating to feed baby. Had a great time here and would recommend to others 5/5

A really enjoyable meal with friendly service looking forward forward to our next visit

we went here tonight for the first time in a couple of years. wish we hadn't bothered. the decor is old, tired and scruffy. the overall cleanliness of the restaurant left a lot to be desired, with marks on the menus and awful brown staining on the chairs. we left almost immediately. they definitely need to clean the place up.

The guy who served us was brilliant,he was very attentive and kind and able to have a laugh with Well done Samuel

Lovely meal with my 2 boys. They had Gammon which they really enjoyed. I had Chicken Cobb Salad which was really nice. Also had some sides and desserts .All food was great and served promptly. We were served by Katie who was really friendly and regularly checked into see if we needed anything else. Highly recommended!

I didn’t even make it to the restraunt They offered 25% discount on their website. Signed up for it and didn’t receive the code. They told me it takes 48 hours on the phone. Didn’t show for my booking. This wastes time and wastes your booking spaces. I will always advise people not to go due to this experience.

Great Unlimited breakfast however it did take a good 35 minutes to get to the table from ordering (as it's not buffet) however there is continental breakfast included if you can't wait. Unlimited drinks including juices too, nearly everything tasted spot on apart from the black pudding was slightly mushy but still can't complain. The view from the upper dining area was amazing really recommend and will go again.

The service was good, and the server was pleasant. The atmosphere of the restaurant was ok, with great views. Unfortunately, the atmosphere was spoilt by one group of about eight people where one chap seemed to think the whole restaurant needed to hear him. Another family of about seven came in, and three of the older children were running up and down between tables. The food was hot and OK, but not more than average. It was a shame, really, as we used to live in the area and eat there quite often.

Had both breakfast and an evening meal here and was not disappointed at all. Very attentive staff

Awful experience. My partner and I came to have some food to which we were told there wouldn’t be any availability for a further three hours when there were so many free tables. We checked online prior to arriving and it said we could reserve a spot anytime. So we did and waited half an hour to be turned away again because there were some bigger groups coming in later and they didn’t have enough staff (which is not our problem). If that is the case then there shouldn’t be availability on the website which we checked before coming out and you should cater towards being able to manage with bigger groups. Extremely disappointed and now hungry, thanks not very much. Will take custom elsewhere

2 adults & 2 kids breakfast Food was nice, server was lovely and everything was well stocked and tidy

Considering the restaurant was virtually empty, the service was too slow. My rib-eye steak meal served up like warm . My partners' salmon was done to a crisp. I was offered a re-heat but as we had waited for ages and I had not eaten since breakfast at 7:30 that morning (we arrived in time for our 2 o'clock meal and were not served until 3 o'clock), the thought of another wait and finishing my meal when my guests had finished theirs did not meet with my approval. Some birthday treat this was !

Been out for an evening meal the restaurant is freezing no heating on had to sit in my jacket to eat . Ridiculous.

Having stayed in he Premier Inn attached to the Crows Nest and enjoyed the breakfast, we decided to try dinner. It was very disappointing. Slow service, food literally thrown at us across the table, my breaded mushrooms almost jumped off the plate, and my husband's apple dessert only stayed on the table because he caught it. The area is generally clean, and the food is at the standard of any Beefeater pub. However, the doors into the toilets need a good clean. They are grubby and sticky. I can't help wondering what else needs cleaning and what the standard of cleanliness is in the kitchen. Unfortunately, we had a noisy and vulgar group of 4 people sitting close to us , not the pub's fault, much spoilt our evening.

Horrible food horrible space , first and last time visiting. Worst food ever!!! Avoid!!!

Came on a Sunday, Roast dinners had sold out by 3pm so went for a mixed grill which was all overcooked unfortunately, had to send back. Chicken & ribs - not flavoursome at all. Chicken was super dry & chewy. Used to be complimented with a lovely salad with dressing but now the plate is so beige. Didn't look appetising one bit. Kids Roasts were available but only with a chicken breast piece but again they didn't really eat it as was so dry. This place was always our go too for food but the quality has really gone downhill. Thankfully we had a fabulous waitress, Beverly, Who was always on hand to help with all our issues & nothing was too much for her to try & resolve for us. We just felt bad always explaining issues every time she checked up on us. She's a credit to the chain. Shame about the food though. Probably won't be returning anytime soon due to it being so poor.

Called to ask if I needed to book, told no when I arrived was told no table have yo wait about 45mins to see if one became available. With a disabled 86 year old father and a child with me declined and left, went to 5 bells in weston turville who not only accommodated us a short notice provided an amazing breakfast.....

Only had a drink. More a place to eat in rather than meet to drink.

Staff nice, food utterly dreadful

Great food,Katie gave us plenty of time and attention, thank you Katie. View was special too.

Really poor breakfast and super slow service.

I guess not all Beefeater’s are created equal…

Good food. Busy. Seated near serving hatch showed some tension.

Desperately in need of a refurb or a lick of paint. Food was good, service was good, but very quiet for a Friday night.

Goodish experience,service bit slow but, overall ok

We went out to dinner on Saturday 17th. I was so disappointed with our meal. The steak was not cooked to how they asked me. We sent the plate back to be re cooked and still came back full of blood for a medium steak. I'm sorry but if your chefs can't cook a basic steak they shouldn't be working in a steak house.

Staff were so welcoming, friendly and helpful. Always on hand to help and always had a smile on their face especially B. Food was good, service was in good time and good price with a discount as we were staying in the Premier Inn next door.

Very average chain pub food and dreadful customer service. The ribs had a very spicy taste, not what you expect from BBQ ribs.The dining area has a raised area with a lovely view and behind it is a lower level area where the only view is of other diner's knees. We were seated in the lower area and asked to move to an area in the raised area. We were told no because it was not clean (two glasses on the table). The table remained empty for the whole time we were there.

Poor food and awful customer service, avoid this place! Ordered BBQ ribs which were spicy (not BBQ as per the menu) chips were cold and corn on the cob mushy as was so overcooked. On top of this we were seated on a dingy table, I asked if we could move to another empty table (which remained empty throughout our visit) in a nicer position and was told 'no because it needs to be cleaned' I asked if it could be cleaned so that we may move and was still told no. This is not good customer care in my opinion. While we were in the restaurant we saw a number of meals returned to the kitchen with various problems, so our experience is not a one off!

Always slow service, food over priced

Popped in tonight as had been busy all day and had received a 2 for 1 voucher so it worked perfectly for us. Food was good as you'd expect from a beefeater. Joff behind the bar was cheery and friendly ... thanks Joff

good food friendly staff nice n clean plenty of parking wheel chair friendly well worth a visit see you soon 😊

Had a mixed grill meat and chips where okay, but peas and tomato had been dried out like they were last week's

Nice food. Friendly staff. Nice views with ample space. Nice little place

Appaling lack of customer service and manners from staff. We were left standing at the front desk for 5 minutes before someone was directed to come and speak to us. He ambled over and we asked if they had a table for 2 available? His response was a flat 'no'. No apology, no indication of wait time, nothing. Just stood there looking at us, arrogantly. If the restaurant was full, then surely there should have been some kind of message to this affect left at the check-in point so we weren't left hanging around only to be rudely turned away? This restaurant had been recommended to us by close friends so to be dismissed in such a manner has left us quite angry, actually!

Went for breakfast felt a bit rushed and food wasn't hot but ate it as hungry

Did was ok and filling. Only thing is that we were over charged. Ordered fish and chips. We did not ask for haddock but was charged extra nearly £3 each for this. Didn't find this out until we got home as the receipt print was so minute and had to get an eye glass to read it. Had to go back to venue, which did refund the overpayment. Also a sofa and lime was charged at £2.50!!

The sausages for sausage n mash are never cooked Properly always light brown and be very white not professionally Cooked cook them on the griddle for longer

Lovely service from Katie, who seated us right by the windows for the fabulous views. Food was fine and came in a timely fashion. Will definitely return

Always fantastic service from Katie and the food was excellent as well

Katie was her usual self, amicable and friendly and efficient.

Katie was wonderful service great

Kt was great, thanks for your amazing service she called me sir and not special like everyone else in my family 👌

Great Location. Our server Katie was fab. Great breakfast, Food is good for the price paid.

KT is a great lady. Always looks after us well. So helpful. And lovely too.

Years of memories and laughs being looked after by Katie!!!

Neither manager or barman mentioned the need to register the car on arrival, or get a parking fine. Apparently there is a machine just through the door. We didn't see it or any signage for it. We had two elders and one disabled in our party. Food was good. But disappointed with lack of direction re parking.

Very good food and friendly waitress

Dinner was ok..chips sent out rock hard and cold..they did bring us more after we raised the issue but by that time we had finished the rest of the meal.. Breakfast the next day was awful,everything tasted of days old oil..sausages weren't cooked properly. Won't be visiting again

Ignorant and argumentative chap who was so arrogant, actually pleased to hear we were leaving mid order.. too many steroids ..no manners or character.. an embarrassment.

A little appreciation for our lovely waitress, Beverly who served us this afternoon. We had a great afternoon, fab roast dinner and enjoyed the lovely scenery. We look forward to coming back very soon 😀

Love this place! Great views, not bad food but loved the waitress Beverly. She was clearly busy but made sure she was attentive, friendly and kept the drinks coming! Will definitely go back.

The whole experience of my lunch at the crows nest Tring today was an absolute disaster! The table booking had been cancelled u nknown to the 8 of us regular diners. The service of all staff was dreadful,they were all demoralised, and disinterested. On the good side,when thefood

You know what you're getting at a beefeater but the staff are always really lovely and helpful, and the views can't be beaten.

Everything was really good food was fantastic and the service was excellent from Kate. The only down side was the toilets, they really could do with updating very tiered which in turn makes them seem unclean my toilet moved as I sat on it and again as flushed it

Food is just over priced pub grub that's all it is I got mix grill and it all just tasted bland needs big improvements as same as I went there 2 years and still the same

Have eaten here many times and both the food and service are great. On my most recent visit the service was outstanding and special thanks to Paul who patiently helped me trying to sort out my reward points.

Beverley made our experience by being professional, cheerful and informative. We hadn't visited The Crows nest for a few years and it had not changed. Thank you

The food was mediocre at best. The shocker was the filthy toilets. I did report to management. So concerned the kitchen is cleaned with the same lack of care.

Excellent breakfast, with kids eating free, making this incredible value for money and tasty decent food. Service from Katie was fantastic!!! We will be back!

Had a nice meal of there cheaper menu and with a lovely view

Wonderful environment,perfect location for me but I think they need to just slightly improve in the food. I enjoyed the other beefeaters more ,which I visited before .(I.e the Dunstable and Kent branches).

Went there today for Sunday lunch as they have lamb on the menu. However, when we were shown to our table the member of staff informed us that the lamb was unavailable which was unfortunate. The drinks menu had Carling on it & when I asked for a pint was told they don't have it anymore. Therefore drinks menu needs to be updated.

Seems I’m not the only one complaining about the cleanliness… We had breakfast booked through premier inn at 08:15. When we got there we were the only customers. We were given a table right next to the pass, looking directly at the disgusting floor. It had food, tissues, receipts, all sorts all over. There was also general mess everywhere. I said to the one staff member I wasn’t happy. He didn’t seem bothered about the mess, and just said the cleaner hadn’t turned up (still, I don’t understand why in an empty restaurant you choose to sit the only family next to the messiest area, unless you’re oblivious to it?!). I said the cleanliness didn’t fill me with confidence the kitchen would be any better. He told me it just needed a quick hoover (not sure why he hadn’t done that before opening up, they weren’t busy…). We decided to leave and I was told to go to premier inn for a refund. They told me it would take 35 days… so here goes the countdown…

The food looks great when you read it on the menu but didn't taste of much. Perhaps that is because we ordered from their meal deal menu and not the main and more expensive menu. We went there because they give 25% off of their "Main Meals" if you have a blue light or defence discount card. Again, that's only if you order from the main menu, not the meal deals. They didn't mention that at the start when I told the front of house guy.

Beth was absolutely AMAZING!!! Such a great customer service - my little girl loved her. We will definitely be coming back, just because of her.

Came here for a special occasion.! Our server was friendly and cheery but they obviously were understaffed as it took an hour for our main course to arrive. One of our party had the fillet steak..........not only was it doubtful that this cut of meat was actually fillet, it was extremely "stringy" and overcooked! Was surprised that any chef would send this out on a plate! The chicken was burnt at the edges, pretty flavourless. Two of the four meals were "ok" but nothing to write home about. One of the seats was less than clean and the place had an unkept look. Was disappointed that the special occasion was not matched by the meal.

A consistently great meal out! Great service, even when busy! Kids favourite restaurant... Nothing more to add...

Friendly staff, quick service. Food was ok. They have a big garden with a terrace where you can relax and a park for the little ones to enjoy ❤️

Great Sunday lunch roast. Good menu as well. Lots of parking. Book to ensure you get a table weekends. Great staff, lovely food.

It's a beefeater and not a particularly good one. Food is bad. It does have a pretty good garden with some great views but not enough is made of that space.

Food was usual pub chain quality. What gave this a wow was the fantastic waitress. So friendly and helpful. Ladies toilets, although clean, had no toilet paper at noon in a Saturday and smelt damp. Carpet was filthy!

Came in for my birthday and Paul made it very special for me, he had the table made up with balloons ready for me when I arrived and his service was amazing, very friendly, welcoming, cheerful and very wonderful, will definitely be coming back again ! The food was amazing!!!