please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Cellarbuoy is correct - it's crap
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Closed down for a refurbishment and after a change of ownership. It is soon to re open under the Chef and Spewer name. This means they will probably maintain the appalling standards of service and food as before.
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Oh dear,
This pub is now being run by the spirit group. Prior to this it was a reasonable pub serving basic but edible food at reasonable prices and a choice of ales usually just about drinkable.
It has now been revamped and the first thing noticable is that they have managed to cram in even more tables into what was already an over crowded area. This means you find yourself sitting right next to fellow diners who might pleasant enough but probably wont be.
The beer was sour and undrinkable, as if the lines hadnt been cleaned for several months, even though the pub is newly reopened.
The menu is confusing and the food itself absolutely revolting, just about everything coming from the deep fast fryers, and catering for the greedy and obese; truly down to the standards set by wetherspoons.
And if you think that at least it cant get any worse, consider this: Spirit group have just been taken over by green king, so yes, it can and certainly will get worse
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Nothing wrong with Northern hospitality or beer you ignorant southern t**t!
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Re previous post, it was actually closed down having been sold to "Fayre and Square" pub co which is a northern company with all their pubs up north )Manchester mostly) except for 2 in Somerset.
Fayre and Square sounds like a rival to Hungry Horse or something of that nature. No doubt they will introduce their northern hospitality to the place which will be worth avoiding, and I guess but hope I'm wrong that they will also introduce northern beers and all that that entails
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Closed at 10:30 on a Saturday night; how poor is that. I guess the staff were just too lazy to serve honest hard working punters who want to buy a drink at this hour.
very poor
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It's okay but to many children on sugar for me. beers very good, service pleasant if a little hurried just not my style of pub I guess
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Been back here again good food can't moan at value it's good will go back again
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Went in with the wife for lunch good value with the 2 meals for £12 food was decent must admit I didn't get a chance to try the good selection of ales as I was driving but never mind still a very enjoyable lunch with some very good service from the young lady who served us will be going back soon.
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Open again after the flooding, but no better than it was before (i.e. poor) OK for people who live nearby, and there are plenty of houses being chucked up around here, but not much use for the discerning eater or indeed diner
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CAMRA award awards (?) if the beer is good, they don't take account of kids, toilets, food, decor, carpet...............
By the way its still closed due to the flooding in November
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Came here today as its on the Somerset CAMRA pub trail. CAMRA need to understand that just because a pub has half a dozen ales on, it aint neccesarily a good pub, especially when none of the ales are worth drinking and the place is awash with kids running amok
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Cant say I agree with the previous posts opinion of the new manager (not landlord) I found him unpleasant and more interested in talking to his mates than serving other customers. This pub always promotes itself as being a real ale haven, but in truth the beers arent always in good enough condition, and youre lucky to get anything like a full pint. Really not good enough for a pub on a busy road like that.
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As a regular family user of the Cross Keys, the newer landlord Nathan & team have turned the place around big time, cosy, friendly, good atmosphere, very good range of changing real ales & value for money good food ! try it, you wont be disappointed.....always busy with the locals from Norton itself, well worth the short walk.... Cheers Malcolm...WSR
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A party of six adults and two kids we deciced to eat at the cross keys general appearance of the pub is very nice clean and relaxing. The table service was polite and efficiant. Most of our meals were average typical pub food.
I and my grandaughter both chose a meal containing mashed potatoe as our usual favourate!! It was very disapointing to find that the mash tasted reconstituted either from frozen or powder. So disapointed i asked to talk to the manager to complain about the mash. He didn't introduce himself by name,only by his title! he defended the mash saying that it was freshly prepared, and that he had never received a complaint before. Our meal was spoilt, and the children didn't eat, the manager did not deal with my complaint effectively, no attempt to compensate us was made, so the meal was spoilt.
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A newish landlord, I believe. Made us feel very welcome and was very friendly. And the real ale was top notch.
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The Memsahib insisted on going here for lunch, so we toddled along there and gave it a go.
Four ales on handpull - O'Hanlons Dragon (Excellent).
Marble Brewery bitter - Didn't try this, as the Dragon was so good.
John Smiths (Yes, on handpull! Not yer actual fizzy stuff)
Cotleigh Commando (Obviously to attract the RM lads from the nearby RM base) - My son pronounced this to be OK.
Lunch Me - Steak Cooked OK, but quality of meat nil points.
Lunch Herself - Fish 'n' chips = fish and batter fine but crap chips.
Lunch Son - Stacked burger thing (Soggy).
So I reckon the beer's improved, but the food is best avoided.
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i popped in after work in the week i had fish n chips i have to say the fish was very nice n was quickly done n i was eatting in next to no time i also had a pint of topsail ale now i am always a fan of bays n this one didnt let me down great condition, overall a nice little pub just perfect for my dinner n pint.
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It is exactly the same as before. Even the daily specials on the blackboard remain the same, as they have done for several months.
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You may be correct Chelseajay. However, I was in the pub around 2.30 in the afternoon and, as I say, there were two beers on, the topsail not being one of them.
As for being completely transformed, are you out of your mind? It looked exactly the same as when I ventured in a couple of weeks ago.
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Chelseajay is another example of someone connected with the pub posing as a bone fide customer in order to leave a favourable comment.
Only one comment left on BITE semms strange for one seemingly so enthusiastic about beer as he /she seems strange.
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As a frequent customer, i must disagree with everything Miss Hilton has stated. I was in the Cross Keys at tea time on friday and there were 4 real ales AVAILABLE!! The BAYS Topsail was Brilliant. The Landlord is a very friendly person and the pub has been completely transformed. I can't wait for the 2 4 �10 menu!!
xx
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Almost dead on a Friday afternoon.
On enquiring I was informed that two of the four beers being offered were not available, I thought I had mistakenly wandered into a 'spoons!!
Moor Illusion and Theakstons Old Peculier WERE available. The Illusion was ok.
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The new land lord is certainly a social chap; seems to prefer chatting to customers than serving them.
The good range of ales previosly mention was limited to 2, both from micro breweries and neither worth writing home about (although worth mentioning here for reference).
PARIS HILTON whose posting are usually spot on seems to have got it wrong about the cellarman, who may be new but is no better than the previos bloke (who hadnt a clue)
Maybe worth a return visit as I may have gone on a bad day, so we'll see.
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Now with a good new friendly,social landlord Natham & team, the pub is improving all the time, now the old unsocialable, misery andrew has gone....
now has a good range of Real Ales & good food all day ! unlike Nortons unsocialable ring o bells ex pub ... no real beer... most local Norton people are now regularly using the Cross Keys .....try it ! you wont be disappointed I am sure.....
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New landlord and cellarman - better.
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I must admit that I went back here, hoping to enjoy the fish and chips as I did last time, but as it was after 2-30 (they advertise food all day), I was informed in a somewhat brusque manner by a rather snotty young man that the kitchen was "closed because tomorrow is mothers day". WTF? I must have caught it on a good day before. I shall not return. I made a special trip of quite a distance, but no more.
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The guy who looks after this pub is a dork don't know how to run a pub, rud to all.
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Well, maybe it's changed! Went there with the memsahib yesterday and everything was ticketyboo. I had a couple of pints of Rev. James, and herself had their equivalent of a J2O with the fish pie, whilst my solids were fish and chips, but the fish and the batter on it was the best I've had anywhere. The mushy peas were very nice, and the chips were OK. Three drinks and two meals @ �19.62. No complaints from me.
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bland!
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The little Chef on the 303 was never this bad.
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sorry its a nice looking pub but just been in there for food with the wife and all i can say its the worst place i have eaten in since the little chef on the 303 nr andover about 10 years ago. Shocking place.......
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Barrywilliamson seems to have just about summed this place up; very concisely too
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My wife and I walked in to give it anoter try after a previous disappointing experience. We were the first people in on a saturday early lunchtime and we were absolutely starving as we had been walking for some time. The first person we noticed was the manager sitting at a table reading a newspaper, as we walked in he didnt even lift his head to say hi and he radiated a distinct hostility to anyone bothering him and his red top rag! We sat at a table for 10 mins in and felt we had to whisper so as not to disturb his reverence. The menu was the same as before- not great, so we decided to leave feeling totally unwelcomed and walked passed the manager again who was in the same state of indifference as when we had walked in. I took my wife and her cousin here a few years ago for a evening meal and we had a lovely time, cosy atmosphere, good food, warm service, nice pint. It is now like walking into a war zone with the dictator the only survivor surveying the carnage he has created. Clearly this man has got to go he shouldnt be let near an industry where at least cordiality is a bare minimum.
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VILE, just give it a miss, these guys just should not be running pubs, they haven't a clue
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Called in with the children after a day on Exmoor. Great welcome from the Staff, pub clean and tidy even though it was busy. Empty tables were clear and bar service was swift. Good basic munu and a diferent childrens menu - not the ususal chicken nuggets etc. All food served at the same time, well presented and hot. The children enjoyed playing in the garden. All in all a great visit will be back.
Tried another pub on the way down from the moor, walked out because of the attitude of the staff. Despite a play area outside the "family room" had no windows and was stuck in a 70's time warp - plenty of chicken nuggets on offer though.
Give Raleig's cross a miss and use the Cross Keys!
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Personally speaking that comment from IGB is a little suspect, are you a friend of the manager to know him so well??
I have left the cross keys now, but feel it is important to say don't tar them all with the same brush, the staff and chefs are trying really hard to get the cross keys back to the pub it once was and unfortunatly this became difficult with the arrival of the new manager. I will not lie, a lot of the comments about him below are true, however despite him, the staff are friendly and chatty and the food is lush, so go on in and support your local pub and i'm sure you will have a good time x
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Interesting that i'm not the only one searching online to complain about this particular pub. I wont argue about the beer and the food comment from IGB, although the food is not to a high standard, I do enjoy a light snack here or scampi or fish. Though what an interesting and i feel defensive comment from IGB 'for those that moan about food go to a restaurant' funny as this is a pub/restaurant and if you offer food you should have it cooked properly. Otherwise take it off the menu and get rid of the kitchen, the cross keys is more of a foody pub then a drinking pub! and there really is no excuse for such a basic menu, of which i can imagine half was bought in for there to be any room for complaint, its not rocket science.
However complaining about food was not my intention in fact it is the the manager that i wish to complain or rather warn people about! He is not approachable at all, to say that he is reserved is laughable talk about sugar coating it!!! and what an excuse, should a reserved person be a manager in what was a busy pub?! I have never known someone with such bad manners and so physically unable to talk. His communication skills are awful demanding things rather than asking. Talking to his staff like crap in front of customers. Its rarely busy and you can tell, he loses it very quickly, running all over the the place and giving poor and slow service. He is obviously in the wrong field. I used to be a local but now try not to go in, its sad to see what was a happy bunch of people so miserable, because of a rather small t**t!!! It has always been a pub with a family run feel to it, until Andrew took over, he has driven out the majority of the original staff, staff turnover has become high and no doubt its because no one wants to work for this man, this became apparent after witnessing him verbally abusing staff on a regular basis! Laughably it says on a notice 'welcome from Andrew and the team' he is certianly not apart of 'the team' and 'the team' seem to be hanging on by a thread!! sometimes you can get lucky because he seems to disapear and leave his staff alone, which has been the case on many occassions, despite the fact he leaves people stranded they seem happier for it! He certianly fails to work a full shift, fails to open on time and is constantly drinking on duty in the evenings, his then sexist and rasict comments become a part of a rather tipsy conversation with some unfortunate locals. I find him lazy, offensive and impolite, a word to describe him would be ... PIG! In such hard financial times why is he getting paid to do the job he does? which is very little, his staff seem to be doing all the work. Dont cut the staff orchid group!! get rid of the manager!! The cross keys has been a successful pub and finance worries didn't stop anyone before, believe me the reason the pub has no customs has a lot to do with the manager. If he was to leave i would come back and so would half of my neighbours. Do the right thing and move the ignorant t**t to the next unfortunate place so that we can all go back to a happy and fun pub!
And to you sir if you do indeed read these comments why not explain yourself? i have never known so many people hate one person so much are you not concerned that you are this disliked and so bad at your job?? Why not refresh your managers course or in fact just book in that surgeory to remove the stick from your arse!! You owe your staff the biggest thank you, if it was not for their hard work and dedication there wouldn't be a customer left and maybe suck it up sir and appologise for being so awful!!
Good bye Cross keys and Good Luck you really are going to need it!!!
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Good beer, well kept. Landlord a bit reserved but approacable. For people whinging about the food, why not go to a restaurant and leave pubs to the drinking classes who would welcome your absence?
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Appalling in every repect. Poor beer, food and service. all very amateurish
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Food crap, staff non existent, landlord rude and shouldnt be allowed anywhere near a customer industry. This place was ok before the refurb, now ghastly
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Was taken here for a business lunch by a customer on the Trading estate (or should I say the demolition site!). OK as these sort of pubs go. Nothing there that would take me back of an evening.
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me and my partner have been to this pub quite a few time for food, and found the service to be very good the staff are always polite to us and the food is very nice and never takes to long to arrive, the staff always have a smile on there faces and are never impolite or rude. It is a small and quite pub resturant perfect for relaxing and enjoying a night out i would recommend this place to any1 who enjoys a quite peaceful evening in a comfortable welcoming atmosphere. posted by syra houlston
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Less than an hour after having a spot of dodgy lunch here (see previous comment) I now have dioria..? diahri..? dhia.?
I now have the shits
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They have a blackboard outside to recruit staff, which asks "Enthusiastic? Smart? hard working? customer focussed? etc."
On entering the place it was obvious that none of the existing staff seemed to have any of these qualities, and I doubt if anyone with these qualities would want to work in this place.
I ordered a steak roll ( they call it an "artisan baguette ) which took over 30 minutes toarrive and consisted of some pieces of gristle in a stale bread roll, garnished with one lettuce leaf and two slices of tomato.
Beer was ok ish but nothing special, service was abysmall and food revolting.
I noticed that the crab and chilli tagliatelli that someone on this site had complained about was still on the specials board, so the managers obviously do not read this site which is a pity, they might learn something.
Cannot recommend this place to anyone. Not quite shit served in an envelope by Ghengis Khan, but not much better.
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Customer service non existent. Use to be a Chef and Brewer, doesn't seem to be now. Menu choice very depleted. AVOID THIS PLACE!!!
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This pub was part of some pubco's "Chef and Brewer" concept. It was corporate a bit phoney, but they did keep 4 different ales on, and the food decent if a bit overprice, and fires going in the winter. But sometime in the last few months they a did refurb changed the look from country food pub to Big Estate Eatery. Hundreds of houses within walking distance are going up and I guess they don't want to pub to be too upscale.
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What seemed like a fairly pleasant pub to eat turned out to be a hole staffed by sour-faced trouts and an incompetent chef.
We booked for a large party to celebrate a family birthday, not knowing any better and we were all very disappointed with what arrived at our table.
Two of us ordered crab and chili tagliatelli from the specials board which arrived so overcooked that it appeared as mush in an over-sized bowl. Very far from special. We gave them another chance and it came back exactly the same. Needless to say, we both lost our appetites.
Basically, the food was bad, the staff were miserable, very unhelpful and I'd rather shit in a envelope and have it served to me by Genghis Khan.
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Went in here on a Sunday night a few weeks before Christmas as it was the only place to get a meal. It is a bit of a barn of a place and had little atmosphere. Generally staffed by youngsters but they were quite friendly and the service was acceptable. The food was mediocre at best and the ales were nothing special (not sure how it is in the Good Beer Guide). OK if desperate but not much more.
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not bad for a drink but give the food a miss! never cooked right and the head cheif looks like a big issue seller from the high street, could do with a wash!! run by kids! and miss fits!!
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It's very pleasant inside with two fire places, low ceilings and traditional pub furnishings. This pub does a lot of business being on a busy road, the A358, and puts the emphasis on food. The staff is friendly but not chatty as they are always busy serving customers. It doesn't have a local feel to it, but it is still more personable than many roadside pubs.
The menu is varied and interesting, if a bit expensive. You will find traditional pub food as well as something different.
The cask ale selection is always changing so this pub is always worth a stop to see what is available.
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Well, all I can do is disagree with the previous comment. Hadn't used this pub for a couple of years and then rediscovered it a few weeks ago. Nearest pub to take some friends for a decent evening meal. Great food, good beer and very friendly service. Don't know what the previous reviewer was doing to get such a cool reception but I couldn't fault the staff. At the moment the Timothy Taylor 'Landlord' Ale slips down a treat. We were there last night and standards still good.
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Strangely, this pub claims to be 3rd in the camra pubs of Somerset table. The beer's O.K. but the service can only be discribed as poor. They are big on special occasions with such events as: Valentine's day, mothers day weekend, st. patricks day, st. Georges day, chocolate fortnight, british week, pub week,jazz weekend. You name it and they'll celebrate it. One bar man, a grumpy sod with a grey beard seems to be in some kind of position of authority. He talks a good pint but can't serve one, and is incompetence personified.
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