The Cross Keys in Lancaster

Worst tasting burger I’ve ever had the trio of fish was tiny for the price avoid this pub for food

We celebrated New Year’s Eve at The Cross Keys with a party of 8, and as always, the experience was fantastic! Special thanks to Lauren and Lewis, who consistently go above and beyond to make every visit special. They are always super lovely, welcoming, and attentive, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere every time we dine.

Excellent welcome and service from Lewis. Really engaged with the children and made their meal feel very special. Food was delicious, wide range and choice to cater for our group. Well done to everyone in the team.

Poor Service and Long Wait Time, Bad Food I am writing to share my disappointment regarding the service I received at your restaurant on yesterday. Despite placing our order promptly, we waited two hours before our food was served. It was only after following up twice that we discovered the kitchen had not even started preparing our order. The staff’s response to our inquiries was dismissive and defensive, with no acknowledgment of the delay or any apology offered. Instead, we were told that waiting was expected, even though it was clear there had been a mistake in the process. The key issues include: 1. Order handling: Orders were not managed by the sequence in which they were placed. 2. Service attitude: The staff failed to address concerns professionally and lacked empathy. 3. Communication: We were not informed about the delay until we repeatedly followed up. I hope you will address these problems by improving order management, providing staff training on handling customer concerns, and ensuring proactive communication during delays. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Service was exceptional craig was a legend and the food was delicious — highly recommend

We visited on Christmas day. There were three of us and we bought our dog along too. We had a lovely visit and thoroughly enjoyed it all. We received a very warm welcome and great service from all the staff as soon as we walked in. Everyone was very cheerful and helpful. The food was very good and there were also treats available for our dog which was a thoughtful touch. We thought it was good value and a good experience and we will definitely be back. Thank you.

Just been out to the Cross Keys with my Family for Christmas Dinner. The food was both nice and very filling, and the staff were especially lovely.

We visited this restaurant for a pre Christmas family meal (6 of us). We didn't have the festive menu, but it looked lovely. We had a really warm greeting from the lovely Craig and he and Lewis made sure we were well looked after during our visit. The food was really nice and the service couldn't have been better. The vibe was relaxed and comfortable and there was a lovely warm fire crackling away in the log burner. We all really enjoyed our lunch. Thank you so much!

Came last Friday night for dinner with my friend. Really good hospitality which I often find lacking in a lot of food establishments lately. All staff were attentive, helpful and came across happy to be there, so well done to the managers for creating a good working atmosphere. Special mention to Anna...top marks. Will be back. Thank you

Good welcome on arrival and great service throughout. Good food, only disappointment was vegetables for all of us were undercooked, although we like them al dente these were almost raw, and cabbage not charred as described on menu. Apart from the veg everything else was super. Will def try and come more often.

Had Chritmas Menu. Turkey dinner - frozen Brussels and roast potatoes parsnips not cooked, turkey was pre slices and red cabbage was terrible from a jar. For the price paid expected more. Shame as lovely place and staff.

Staff lovely. Welcoming and friendly. Menu varied. Great food and service . Warm, cost ,country pub

My God where do I begin!..birthday meal for 4 people on a Tuesday night, so pub was very quiet. My first crisis was when I asked for a festive drinks from the menu .they didn't know how to mix it?..we ordered our meals ,and didn't get them until an hour and a half later...and yes all of them were cold ,so they were sent back to be microwaved...the service girls were embarrassed but very apologetic. I complained that it was all a disaster..and got refunded £80. Thanks but no thanks.. needless to say we won't be back. My partner was very upset, not a good birthday gift, good job I'd brought her a lovely cake when we got home..but once again many thanks to the two girls that served us.

Main meal brought to me which was cold. When I complained, it was taken into the kitchen and microwaved, including the lettuce! I took the shriveled mess back and a new dish was prepared for me. My daughter ordered a pizza which was tasteless and looked like a budget pizza bought from Aldi rather than home made. Very disappointed and won't be returning.

Service very good but food was awful. Been under the heat lamp for a couple of nights I think

We had a brilliant time. The food was exceptional and the atmosphere very welcoming and nice. Our server, Craig, was brilliant. He was very welcoming and friendly and his recommendations were spot on.

We popped in today for Sunday lunch. I have to say it was one of the best roast turkey dinners I have had out. The food was 1st class.

Really good service and delicious food some really good craft beers too

Booked Sunday lunch. Waited 45mins for starters. After 45 minutes main courses had not come. Then told there was no sea bass which had been ordered 1.5 hours ago. Told meals would come in a five minutes but they didn't. Gents toilet closed because of blocked drain. Paid for what we had and left in disgust.

I was recommended to come here by a few locals I met when traveling through. I must be honest and say that the food was fantastic and the service was noting short of quality. Staff are kind and extremely helpful. Will certainly be back!

Lovely food, ( although veg and potatoes were only warm, we had them heated up.)

Popped in whilst driving past and ordered a couple of roast dinners at about 14:15 on a Sunday... by 15:30 there was still no sign of food . The tables next to us had been waiting even longer, and when their food did arrive it was cold. Didn't eat in the end - got a refund and left.

Wonderful home let atmosphere. Really delicious food, printed well with fresh and tasty I'm ingredients. We absolutely loved our servers who provided an exemplary service, attentive and prompt service Craig and Lewis, thank you for making our night so special x

Friendly staff, clean and lovely, great car park. Food was just ok, which was a shame as I really wanted to like this place.

Went for a Sunday lunch. Decent options and did like the inclusion of a three meat roast option which I chose. Food was reasonable and pretty cheap, but nothing spectacular. Service was good and the staff were on the ball, so I wasn't waiting long for anything.

Popped in for a quick bite to eat on our way back home. Staff were excellent (Nicole in particular was a credit to the team), food and drink were lovely. We'll definitely be back next time we're passing!

Excellent food and excellent customer service for family meal of 6 people. Special thanks to Craig for the great service.

Went to the Cross Keys for a meal tonight with family. We were greeted by Rob and Anna who looked after us for our entire visit. The meal was lovely and a fair price. Anna and Rob were very professional and friendly, absolute superstars the two of them. The food came promptly, was well presented and nice and hot. We are only visiting the area for a few days and sad we only discovered the Cross Keys on our last evening or we would have been back night after night. Will be back on our next visit to this area. I just wish the Cross Keys was closer to home so I could be a regular. Keep up the great work guys, it was a pleasure

Excellent service and lovely food. Thank you for welcoming our little dog too.

My friend, myself and my two children went to the Slyne Lodge for dinner on Sunday and although the service was great and very warm and friendly the food unfortunately was not. We had to send 3 out of the 4 meals back along with the gravy because it was cold so our friend ate ahead of us. I had the Lamb shank Sheppard pie and my children both had a burger, they both wanted cheese and tomato sauce but both were missing. It is a wonderful place and very lovely staff however the chef is questionable? I only had £10 discount after complaining quietly but I don't think this was fair. I'm not sure we'll be visiting again unfortunately

Great food nice people 👌 plenty parking

Great food, very good staff, my husband is a wheelchair user ,it was no problem for them getting the ramps out to get him in, thank you

Steak and ale pie amazing Fish pie horrendous for 18.99 tiny Table not clean Never asked how meal was But if go again has potential to be good Dog friendly lovely building

Stopped in whilst on a weekend away. Really enjoyed the food!! Service was spot on!! Highly recommend

Came here for a Sunday roast and it did not disappoint. I had the roast beef which was beautiful and my partner had the trio of meat which he thoroughly enjoyed and my dad had the pork which he said was also beautiful. Amazing roast potatoes and a nice selection of vegetables. We opted for 2 portions of honey and mustard chipolatas (should have only ordered 1 as there were lots) I also added the cauliflower cheese which was one of the nicest I've ever had out. Excellent service and a lovely atmosphere. We will definitely be back again.

Not been back here for a while and was surprised how good it was. The slow cooked rib of beef was delicious, fell off the bone. The Lamb steak was beautiful, service was very good asked if our meals were ok and very attentive. Went on a Sunday at 1pm, right time not to busy

Fantastic Sunday roasts. My husband had the roast turkey dinner while I had the roast trio (turkey, pork and beef). I struggled to finish mine as the portion was so generous. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals. The girls were all very friendly and attentive too. Excellent value for money and we look forward to returning.

Not sure what happened tonight but serivce was terrible 😕

I'm asked to write a review of a place I haven't been in for years, it's nowhere near home although I frequently pass it as a taxi driver. I must have waited for a job to come out in a nearby layby, and the algorithm has detected my proximity and lack of movement!. I suppose I could make something up but I prefer to allow the place to have genuine reviews!

Lovely atmosphere. Appeared clean and well maintained. The staff were polite and extremely helpful. The food was tasty only problem was ordered mash got chips but staff offered to put that right. No complaints will definitely be back

Went for lunch and enjoyed it would go again

Me and my family really enjoyed all of the food and the staff were helpful and friendly.

Great place, shame about the high food prices, Two people with, 1 shandy, 1 j2o, 1 main, 1 starter, £38, It's a pub not a high class restaurant, We followed with 2 cappuccinos £7+ So in total £45 On the positive, Staff were brilliant nice polite and helpful,

What a lovely little pub and restaurant. Food was excellent especially the hake on the special board with reasonable prices. Service was slow at times ie we sat there for quite a while with no one clearing our plates despite the staff walking past empty handed. However this did not deter from a lovely meal. Hope to return

The Sunday rib beef roast was the best I have ever had. We were 4 adults and 2 children and all had something different but couldn't fault any of it! Our meals were fabulous and more than generous portions. Lovely pub too. Staff were great .... wish it was nearer to where we live!0

Lovely surroundings, great staff, food was delicious, we all had steak sandwich which was cooked to perfection. So jealous as it will now be my brothers local but then we can always visit here when visiting my brother 😀win/win.

Meal ok, but don't like frozen chips and soggy roast potatoes

Always lovely here. Nice food, nice staff, nice atmosphere

Great meal and excellent service and value for money

After driving 300 miles And choosing to eat at this establishment Arrived @ 20.15 hours where they say food served til 9pm Only to be told we cannot order food / no real explanation We ordered drinks / ask for crisps/ again oh we don’t have any We asked if we could order pizzas and eat in Yes we can So we ordered another round of drinks/ food arrives we get told to leave in an abrupt manner Customer service training and a chef and maybe the hospitality industry wouldn’t be suffering

I went to this pub from Ipswich and got to there at 8pm they told me they wasn’t serving food anymore even tho it says on the website serves till 9pm also there was 2 guys working in there the customer service was very poor we asked them if we can order food from Uber eats and eat it in as they are not serving food and there is no where local and they said it was fine so I ordered pizza to the pub and as me and my 2 mates was about to eat one of the guys was very loud causing embarrassment saying we had to leave even tho we just ordered a round of drinks there happy to take the money but couldn’t let us eat in there even tho we wasn’t causing any harm to anyone. Also we asked to buy some crisps and bar snacks and they pointed to an empty basket and laughed and said we haven’t got any. I do not recommend this pub to anyone 😡

We always have a lovely meal when we come to the Cross keys. It's always tasteful and well presented. We were looked after by Caroline and she is very friendly and always busy but still has a smile on her face Thank you to the team at Cross Keys we will return when next at our caravan.

Great meal and great service from Rob and Caroline Would come again !

Service was bad from walking in, right until leaving. Waited to be seated but no staff available. Was sat down for a few minutes and the one member of staff who was then visible didn’t come over, so we had to go and look for menus. Went to the bar to order, only 1 staff member and he was busy doing another drinks order, so had to wait around 5 minutes for our order to be taken. Took 40 minutes for food to arrive, which isn’t too bad however in the past it has been much quicker here. Food was good and reasonably priced. No one came to check if the meal was ok and there were no staff available when we left either. Friday 26/07.

As always excellent food and service. On arrival it is lovely to receive such a warm welcome

Had brekkie sandwiches here and they were yummy ☺️☺️ asked for bacon once the order was done and Rachael was very amicable! Really yummy, we’ll be back!!

We cycled from Lancaster and were planning on going to the Hest Bank pub but they unfortunately stopped serving food. Luckily we cycled a little further up and had wonderful pies and pints here whilst watching the match. Jamie was so lovely, friendly and attentive, he made our evening meal! Thank you! ☺️

Amazing place, Great service and Delicious food, highly recommended. 😊

Called in on our way from from North Yorkshire. Greated by a friendly host who showed us to a table. The staff were friendly. Ordered our food. Steak & Ale Pie (the biggest pie I’ve ever had in a restaurant) with Roasted Carrots & seasonal Veg and gravy with a choice of mash or oven baked chips. I went with the chips. My wife had Barbers smothered Chicken wrapped in bacon & topped with melted Barbers of Somerset Chedder & honey & ale barbecue sauce. Served with onion rings, chips & salad. The interior settings were Country style. A nice refurnished dining area. We didn’t have any sweet as we were both full. Well worth a visit if your passing on the A6.

Went there with with UK family as we were visiting from NZ. Enjoyed lunch with approx 12 adults. Good food and reasonable prices. Would go back again next time we are back in town.

First time back in about 5 years, it's been refurbished since. Very nicely done out, food was good. I had crispy squid as a starter, could have done with just another couple of minutes cooking, other than that no complaints at all and very tasty. I've got served to be doing everything so service was a bit slow but friendly.

Well located pub, large dining areas and bars. However Very average, food is below average. Never fails to disappoint in food quality Has great potential. Staff over compensate in attempt redeem the service, unfortunately the food is so dire, they cannot.

Lovely hope to be down that way again ..

Food excellent, we all enjoyed our meals. Service a little slow. Food arrived quickly though

We visited with my elderly mother on Saturday 15th June - a lovely place - delicious food and the staff were amazing especially Craig and Rachael K.

We visited tonight for a meal. The starter of chicken tenders were really lovely and plenty of them. My husband had Pork Belly and he said it was delicious. I had fish and chips, the chips and mushy peas were really lovely crispy and hot, but unfortunately the fish was undercooked and a bit grey looking. But what made up for the disappointing fish was your amazing staff, all the lads were extremely friendly and attentive, a credit to your establishment.

Had lunch with a friend yesterday . Attentive staff . Craig was amazing and his recommendation of the sticky toffee pudding was perfect !

Lovely atmosphere at the keys. My grandfather owned the Cross Keys prior to WW2 and sold it to Youngers Scottish & Newcastle. Brewery left the original visitors' book with them as it was a hotel originally , Food could have been better vegetables undercooked, but the hake we ate was excellent Varied choices of menu for all tastes

Absolutely amazing service and excellent food. Chloe and her colleagues went above and beyond to make sure our visit was brilliant.

Three generations enjoy a Sunday lunch. Very difficult to please everybody, but they did. The vegans were very impressed with their pie, the traditionalist Sunday roast gang loved their food, clean plates all round. We even found space for a pudding. The elderflower and strawberry sundae was a delicious seasonal special. The service was very friendly, nothing was too much trouble. We will definitely return.

We visited the Cross Keys yesterday evening for dinner with family friends who travelled from the south. From the get-go, we were welcomed with a smile at the door and taken to our table. It was in the conservatory on a lovely big table. The pub itself is just beautiful - the decor and lighting is really cosy. We were served by the very friendly Caroline, who swiftly took our orders and brought our drinks just 5 minutes later! I ordered the garlic mushrooms and pork belly - well when the food came let’s just say the table went quiet! It was delicious, all piping hot and really tasty. Presentation was amazing too. Caroline checked that everything was okay and never let our glasses go empty. She was really efficient and attentive without being overbearing. The perfect service to complement such a lovely experience! Thank you to Caroline and all of the staff at the Keys… we will be back very soon - visit this pub you will not regret it…

Sunday lunch time my roast dinner was very poor the pork was bits and tough disappointed with the meal.The staff seem to have a competition to see who can bang the kitchen door the loudest perhaps a rubber buffer could fix it regards Mick

Lovely meal and atmosphere. Great for a couple or a family.

Kirsty was brilliant! Burger was good and pie was delicious!

Craig was incredible, service was amazing start to finish. Atmosphere was a little off at the beginning of our trip as a family (who ate most of their food) were loudly complaining to management - Craig's friendly demeanor and charming personality quickly made up for this, though.

Wish I could give no stars. We booked and we expected it to be busy as it was a sat. We turned up to loads of space in the car park. We went in and got seated. There were loads of empty tables inside and out. Drinks order was taken and drinks arrived quickly. So far, fab. Then it went down hill massively. We waited ages for our food order to be taken. The guy who took it apologised and said he had only just started his shift. Thats fine. We had our 4 year old with us and as those with kids will know, they get restless and grumpy when hungry. We are now at over an hour since sitting down. The pud is still mostly empty. Another table got their food. 5mins later they called a waitress over to ask about their food. Items were missing. Apparently they had run out bit hadnt told them. My husband then called the waitress over. She tells us they are really busy. Not sure where the full tables where. She said she would find out about our food. She went into the back and never returned to us. The gentleman who took our order then came over and again told us they were really busy and that our food would be another 10mins. We are nearly at an hour and a half. We said to cancel our order and left. To be fair, we weren't charged for our drinks but I just don't get how they could keep telling us they were really busy when we could see they weren't. Even outside wasnt busy. We guess the chef was new or staff hadn't turned up.

We took advantage of an offer for a free main course recently. The meal was very good and the service from Jamie was excellent. Good car park with electric car charging as well Will definitely go again.

Lovely large and spacious pub with excellent quality food and service. Really friendly and there are plenty of decent beers. Dog friendly with a dog station for water and treats.

Enjoyed our food but arrived about 4pm when the menu changes.. Up until 4pm scampi was available on the menu.. It was about 1 minute past when we ordered our food but couldn't have my original choice because the time overlapped by a minute or so.. Quite dissapointng really.

Crazy - 6.20pm on a Bank Holiday Sunday - Turned away - Absolutely dead but they could not accommodate any more customers due to no food - Not even able to sit in the bar - Plenty of room.

First time here and really enjoyed it. Lovely pub, great food and good selection of drinks. Staff were really friendly and helpful. Dog friendly too. Would definitely visit again.

Had a lovely family meal. Josh our server was very attentive, the cottage pie croquettes, halloumi fries and pulled chicken were out of this world guys, although I did think main meals were a bit pricey

Lovely pub, friendly staff and quality food

Love going to the keys great service great food highly recommended

Almost great, great staff, great food

We came today for Sunday lunch and three of our party of 4 had a roast. The roast potatoes were rock hard and greasy so obviously had been deep fried and no roasted. The veg were very dry. The roast beef was grizzly and fatty and the turkey was slimy underneath. Very very disappointed especially as this was our second visit.

Went there last night the food was below standard,the veg was cold stale chopped dry cabbage which looked like sweepings which put me off the whole meal.We weren't offered any condiments we had to find them we when we did they didn't have salt in.Wont be going again.

My friend and I came today 02-04-24 for lunch. We both ordered the pan fried chicken breast, the food arrived quite quickly, unfortunately it was cold. The staff member asked if he should take it away...yes. The food came back a few minutes later, I think it had been in the microwave!! We refused it, and we're asked if we wanted fresh ones, again....yes. In reasonable time the 'fresh' food arrived. It was certainly hot, the very small piece of chicken (not even close to half a chicken breast) was so over cooked, it was difficult to cut, and even harder to eat. The whole dish was very greasy, couldn't finish this small meal. Safe to say, we went somewhere else for dessert and coffee. Pretty disgusted to be charged full price for such awful food. On a positive note, the two members of staff who served us were outstanding, and it's a lovely place.

Very nice space for food, never a wait at the bat and the staff do a good job, decent enough pub food, worth a visit

Just had lunch today. A warm welcome prompt friendly service and tasty well presented food. And at a reasonable price. Well done team .

Fab bday meal on Saturday 20th April, great service, especially Craig, who goes above and beyond x

The Food was very good. The staff friendly and welcoming.

It’s a shame this pubs now part of a chain - it’s gone downhill since it was taken over! We used to love it here, but the food last night was very disappointing! The starter was tepid at best, and the burger for a main was poor. Definitely not worth the money, I could have made it better at home myself. Such a shame as it used to be ace and one of our favourites The pub inside is lovely!

Very disappointing. My husband and I wanted a special Sunday lunch and booked The Cross Keys because our last meal there was fantastic. We were really looking forward to it but were sadly disappointed. The waitress did not write down our order. This is always a worry as things can be easily forgotten. For example, having ordered 2 Cabernet Sauvignon we were given 2 Sauvignon blanc. The bar waiter was very apologetic and sorted it out straight away. The 7 hour rib of beef I requested wasn’t available (table was for 1.15 so either they ran out quickly or else it was listed on the menu when it shouldn’t have been. Certainly nobody had told us this before we were given the menus.) Instead I ordered seasonal special chicken, my husband the trio of roast. Long wait for the food (people who arrived after us were served before us). The food was brought by a different waitress who was not aware I’d also ordered a side of cauliflower cheese (2nd item forgotten by order-taking waitress). The food? 1. My chicken did not have a flavour of sticky honey and thyme as menu suggested. Veg were presented in a very small stack, and hidden at the bottom were a few tiny roast potatoes, all burnt yet strangely soggy. 2. The cauliflower was barely cooked and the meagre cheese sauce was thin. 3. My husband’s trio roast was terrible. The beef was so tough it was inedible (we took it home for the dog). Also the vegetables were dry and shrivelled. The gravy had already dried up on the plate and we had to ask for extra. 4. Both meals were only just warm. We suspect they had been reheated for whatever reason, but had definitely been sitting for a while, cooling down, before being served. Nobody asked how our food was until my husband went to pay the bill, and when he said the food wasn’t very good the waitress, who was very pleasant, apologised but didn’t know how to deal with it. You may ask why we didn’t send the food back. Simple. There were very few staff around, we had already waited a long time, we were very hungry and we are not natural complainers. On this occasion however we felt that a full review was in order. We have left generous tips on previous visits but left nothing this time. Sadly there was a distinct lack of care and attention and the food was poor . We will watch out for more positive reviews for the Cross Keys but will not be coming again for some time.

Meals absolutely beautiful hot and very tasty 🤩

Went today for lunch , only had soup of the day , but it was excellent , the service was great and the atmosphere relaxed highly recommended

I left a review about the awful automated booking system. Which is a shame as when you get to the keys the staff are fabulous and the food fresh and good value for money. Had the mushroom wellington which was great. Husband had the triple roast. Also lovely. Rounded off with a mini pud and coffee. Persevere with the chatbot and have a nice lunch OMG. The chat bot for booking is awful. How much more would a human cost???

We visited with a small group, the pub was very cosy and welcoming. Staff attentive and accommodating to our needs. The food was really good, quality and amount. Would recommend a visit. We also needed to use the electric vehicle charger which is a fast charger. Brilliant

Was my first time here, and most definitely wont be the last. I would highly recommend this place as I already have to friends and family. The atmosphere was warm, friendly and inviting. The decor is beautiful. The staff were all lovely, friendly and helpful. The food was amazing! Absolutely delicious and beautifully presented. I was so full after my main, but I love a pudding, and boy was I glad that I was tempted. The sticky toffee pudding was out of this world ! Will definitely be returning here. Ten out of ten .

We've eaten at The Cross Keys a few times now and each time has been outstanding. Foods delicious, staff can't do enough for you and the atmosphere is very homely and cosy. We will definitely be back!