Golden Pheasant

Someone from this business manages this listing.

1,068 reviews

#15 of 69 Restaurants in Knutsford££ - £££, Bar, British, Pub

+44 1565 722261+ Add website

Hours

Sun

12:00 - 20:00

Mon

12:00 - 20:30

Tue

12:00 - 20:30

Wed

12:00 - 20:30

Thu

12:00 - 20:30

Fri

12:00 - 21:00

Sat

12:00 - 21:00

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.0

1,068 reviews

#15 of 69 Restaurants in Knutsford

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Food and ambience

Local cuisine, Bar, British, Pub, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options

“My partner had the crispy duck pancakes which were also just right & not too...”

“Had the lamb which was cooked to perfection and the vegetables too.”

“... was the prawn cocktail starter, the mushrooms with Stilton and the sea bass.”

“We shared three starters which were all tasty, especially the Duck pancakes.”

Location and contact

Plumley Moor Road Plumley, Knutsford WA16 9RX England

+44 1565 722261

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Can a gluten free person get a good meal at this restaurant?

Yes

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Details

Manage this business?

PRICE RANGE

£5.00 – £20.00

CUISINES

Bar, British, Pub

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours

FEATURES

Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Validated Parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Playgrounds

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4.0

1,068 reviews

Excellent

514

Very good

253

Average

124

Poor

Terrible

Tony M

Bembridge539 contributions

A reasonable evening meal

Jan 2020 • none

Three of called in for Dinner and had a good time, it was cheery in there, clean and tidy, conformable and reasonable choice and value. I had the Gammon for my main course, and I'm pleased to say that it was a proper 'wedge' of Gammon and not the usual thick slice, and it was cooked and presented nicely. My wife had the 'Duck' which she said was the worse piece of Duck she had ever had, so fortunately she's not writing this review...... All in all we had a good time, but clearly you have to watch what you order.

Written 18 January 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ZachGF

Thank you for your feedback, I am delighted you mostly enjoyed the visit and will take on board your comments regarding the Duck. This is a big seller on our menu and so we need to get it right every time! We hope to see you again soon - kind regards Zach & The Golden Pheasant Team

Written 22 January 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

hubbz72

Cheshire692 contributions

Average and we expected so much better

Aug 2020 • none

Average and we expected so much better after previous visits. We took advantage of BoJo’s dine out offer and took the whole family plus our Daughter and family so 8 of us dined. Booking was great and easy and it really is a lovely place, beautiful garden and outdoor area with play area (temporarily closed due to covid). We sat outside under cover on a big round table with wonderfully comfortable seats, but sadly the service was really poor and the food very average, not as we received in past visits sadly. Thankfully at the 50% off offer that made it fine considering, but if it had been the full £250 I would have been very dissatisfied and probably said something. Won’t be rushing back unfortunately.

Written 22 August 2020

ZachGF

Dear hubz72 Thank you for visiting us recently and for taking the time to leave some feedback for us. I am sorry that the food and service were not as you would expect and will look to see where we can improve looking forward. I would love you to return and feel looked after properly again in the future. Kind regards Zach

Written 25 August 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Chris A

Heath Charnock535 contributions

Disappointing

Jan 2022 • none

Along with several other couples, we stayed overnight as we were attending a wedding close by. We were given room 1 which was a good size but freezing as the radiator was turned off. The temperature outside was just 3 degrees so it would’ve been thoughtful for someone to put the heating on before we arrived. We paid extra for a noon check in &, including breakfast, the cost was £140. Sadly the breakfast was a let down. The dining room was cold meaning most guests sat with their coats on, and from taking our seats it was 45 minutes before our lukewarm breakfast arrived. It was the same for the other guests. One of our party ordered a full breakfast with scrambled eggs & received just scrambled eggs! The staff were pleasant but for £140 we expected better.

Written 30 January 2022

Zach H

Hi, thanks for visiting us though I'm sorry you did not entirely enjoy the stay. I have taken on board your comments and will work with the team to make any appropriate changes. Kind regards Zach

Written 16 March 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

James S

Altrincham17 contributions

Awful microwaved food

Mar 2020 • family

We visited the Golden Pheasant on Saturday the 7th of March. We chose to go because it sounded like a lovely venue (200 year old coaching house) and the menu looked nice. How wrong we were. The "tempura prawns" were microwaved in some sort of stodgy, soggy thick batter (i.e not tempura). The grilled bury black pudding was pretty poor too. The black pudding was dry (and probably microwaved too), and the bacon was like breakfast buffet bacon.. like it had been sat in warm oil for a long time. They also messed up the mains order. The duck was ok, but I ordered the tower burger and was originally brought a chicken burger. Was then told there would be a 6 minute wait for my actual order which i was fine with, but the burger that arrived was poor. Tasteless burger patties, REALLY greasy pulled pork, quite a nasty sweet chilli BBQ dip thing on the side and the chips were disgusting. Finally the baked salmon salad was ok, but took a long time to arrive "because the egg needed cooking through". It wasn't like we ordered and the food arrived 10 minutes later.. if you know you need a hard boiled egg, put it in sooner! Will not be returning. Such a waste of an amazing coaching house.

Written 9 March 2020

ZachGF

Hi James, I am really sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your recent dining experience with us at The Golden Pheasant. Customer feedback has been very positive recently (and indeed on the day you visited us) and I can assure you that 95% of the food we serve is made fresh at site. I'm disappointed that we were unable to give you the experience you were looking forward to and did not receive this feedback on the day, when we might have been able to rectify the issues. If you wish to discuss the matter any further please feel free to contact me directly at the restaurant. Kind regards Zach Hardman General Manager

Written 9 March 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Pam B

1 contribution

Overnight stay

Nov 2021 • none

Booked a night's accomodation with a table in the restaurant for the evening meal - all went well with good food at a reasonable price and attentive service. However upon returning to our room (no .2) there was an unbearable noise (equivalent to a vacuum cleaner and a hair dryer going at the side of our bed) and after 3 hours my wife gave up trying to sleep and went downstairs to attempt to change the room or to spend the night in our car. She met with a rather rude member of staff who did at least know about the noise and did her best to reduce the volume.Basically do not book overnight accomodation!

Written 16 November 2021

Zach H

Hi, thank you for choosing to stay with us though I am sorry that it was such a poor experience for you. I have fully investigated the matter and taken actions where possible to ensure it doesn't happen again. If you do wish to stay with us again, please contact me directly and I will look to offer the best rate possible and upgrade to our best room - kind regards Zach

Written 22 December 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Chloe

Cheshire57 contributions

Poor service, poor food

Mar 2022 • family

Visited here the day before Mother’s Day. I work at a restaurant myself and I am aware of how busy this time of year can be. I actually couldn’t get a table online so called up and managed to get in at 15.30. The pub was practically empty with only a couple other tables having food for the entire time I was there, showing no turn around on the tables so I’m going to assume the online booking system is faulty and hasn’t been looked at. We looked at menus and decided what we wanted to eat to then be told that a lot of the items on the menu were not available. This was after we had already decided what we wanted, and then we received no apology for the lack of items available on the menu. Personally when I’m serving customers I tell them what is not on the menu when they first sit down with menus to avoid this disappointment and I always make a point of apologising. Furthermore, Mother’s Day weekend I don’t know how a kitchen hasn’t ordered more food to prepare for this. I know that where I work the head chef places an order every evening to arrive the next morning to replace what we no longer have in stock. The food we then chose was not up to standard. I ordered the piri piri chicken burger which was mediocre at best and was served with cold chips. Somebody else ordered the tandoori chicken which was full of water and was served with uncooked rice and flavourless potatoes. One person had a steak but was not given a steak knife even when mentioned and didn’t receive an apology for the mistake. When a member of staff did a check back we told him the food was not great at all and he basically didn’t know what to do, this shows that the staff are rather untrained. Another member of staff then heard about this and got the assistant manager to come over. He didn’t really know what to say but managed to come up with an apology before walking away seeming unbothered. It wasn’t until someone with me said “I hope you’re not expecting me to pay for this uneaten food” that he turned round and said no I’ll take them off the bill. Again, in my hospitality experience the first thing I say is that I will be taking the food off someone’s bill if it was not up to standards and I always heavily apologise. Luckily for the golden pheasant I’m not a mystery diner, but this is something I would keep in mind if I was them. You never know when you’re going to be pulled up on these faults so if I was them I’d be brushing up on my standards.

Written 26 March 2022

Zach H

Hello I am really sorry to hear about your recent disappointing visit to The Golden Pheasant at Plumley. I have checked the online booking system and can confirm it is working correctly. It looks like there was a rush of bookings early on the day and then from 5pm onwards, so it would seem you arrived in between peak sessions. As our new Spring menu was launching a few days later, we were unable to get some of the menu items that were to be discontinued, which did result in a few menu items being unavailable. I understand this was a disappointment and although our menu is quite extensive, it was frustrating for you on the day. This absolutely should have been explained by the server when you were seated and I will ensure this is followed up with to the team. I also apologise if you felt the meals were not to our usual high standard, which again has been discussed with the Head Chef and his team. I have discussed your comments with the duty manager, who has asked to pass on his apologies and assure you he did not intend any offence. Myself and the team pride ourselves on our standards and local reputation, which has gone from strength to strength over the past year. While your bill was discounted on the day, please get in touch with myself directly so that we can invite you back to try the new menu and have a more enjoyable visit. Kind regards Zach Hardman General Manager

Written 31 March 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jane S

1 contribution

Disappointing meal out

Oct 2022 • family

Went to The Golden Pheasant on a quiet Thursday evening and was very underwhelmed by the whole experience. Service was slow, food mediocre at best, with some being inedible (too long in the warming oven had left it dry and chewy), waited 20 mins from being asked if we would like the dessert menu to catching the waitresses eye to remind her we were still there...... A couple of pounds was taken off the menu for the cold, dry, hard fries, but we ended up leaving without dessert regretting having paid almost £40 for one starter, a dried up chicken burger, a microwaved chilli and a drink. Will not be returning and recommend you take your custom to one of the other lovely local eateries.

Written 16 October 2022

GKTravellers

Harrogate1305 contributions

Spacious and attractive dining room

Oct 2022 • none

For our first ever visit we were impressed by the large spcious and attractively furnished restaurant with numerous partioned-off areas giving an element of privacy for many of the tables. There were plenty of staff resulting in no wait get served. For Sunday lunch we chose the roast of the day (£14.95), fish and chips and the Brewery Tower Burger (£14.95). The roast gammon came with a yorkshire pudding, pig in blanket, red cabbage, carrots, roast and mashed potatoes and overdone broccoli. The burger with 2 beef patties, bacon, chedder, chips, relish and coleslaw was excellent. Fish and chips was offered in two sizes. The small portion (£12.95) proved plenty big enough with beautiful fat chips. The roast however dissapointed being submerged in lots of gravy making the mashed potato liquify and the yorkshire soft and saturated. I suggest asking for gravy to be served in a jug on the side.

Written 2 November 2022

James W

Knutsford1 contribution

Slow Service

Sept 2021 • none

The restaurant waitresses appear to have had little or no training on the menu and its contents - especially regarding allergens. A 4-year old in our party is dairy intolerent but we couldn't find out if some of the items on the children's menu was safe for him. Very slow service, we won't be going back.

Written 5 September 2021

Zach H

Hi Thank you for your review and choosing to visit us. I am sorry that the service you received was not as you'd expect on this occasion. We have recently completed more service training with the newer team members and also made adjustments to our allergen menus, so that it is really clear which foods may contain which allergens. I do hope you decide to visit us again in the future. Kind regards Zach & team

Written 9 October 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

GehrysWhale2

14 contributions

Extremely disappointing

Jan 2023 • none

We were very disappointed by our lunch. My companion chose to start with black pudding fritters, which turned out to be a slice of black pudding cut into four and deep fried, and its chili salsa was just bottled chili sauce. My prawn cocktail comprised a small Kilner jar lined with one mangled lettuce leaf with some prawns plonked on top and a spoonful of bottled Marie Rose dressing tipped on. Nothing else. There was no flair or style whatsoever; putting something in a jar just seems a pretentious attempt to make unskilled preparation look sophisticated. The granary bread was basic white sliced. Worse, though, were the main courses. My companion’s risotto wasn’t made with risotto rice and he said it was of the grainy consistency of a biriani, not a creamy risotto. The chef forgot the Grano Padano cheese and the waiter had to go and fetch some, which she did willingly and with a smile. I had requested the pie, which was said to be beef and stilton. It was terrible. Alarmed by the sensation of my first couple of mouthfuls, I prised the pie open to find that the filling consisted of sliced roast beef cut into pieces in some gravy. It was not tender casseroled beef; it was tough slices. I sent it back. No-one disputed my suggestion that it was leftover beef from the Sunday roast; if so, how many times had it been re-heated? How long had it been kept warm the previous day? Was the gravy also left over and if so had it been reheated? None of the waiting staff disagreed and no-one returned with an explanation from the chef. The waiters were apologetic and seemed genuinely concerned to put things right by offering me the opportunity to choose something else, which I did, though by this stage my companion had almost finished his meal and we were both depressed by the whole experience. I have no criticisms at all of the waiters, who were friendly, smiling and hospitable. I feel very insulted that someone in the kitchen thought that creating a pie in this way was a good idea and that customers would be either happy with it or unable to tell the difference. I was taking my companion out for lunch and to be served with this substandard meal was really upsetting. To make matters worse, an hour and a half after leaving the pub, I began to suffer a very upset stomach. I have drawn my own conclusions and filled in the brewery comments form. We will never return here.

Written 1 February 2023

Rebecca H

2 contributions

Customer service is awful

Nov 2021 • couples

Upon arrival we were not greeted and staff were all stood around chatting. Went to the bar and were told to take a seat wherever we’d like and come to the bar to order, this was fine until other people arrived and they received table mats and cutlery and table service - we had none of this. The food was actually really lovely so props to the chef, however once we’d finished our main course we sat around waiting for over half an hour for anyone to even acknowledge us or take our plates away. Once the plates were finally taken we waited another twenty minutes and being told numerous times that our desserts were going to arrive. Awful customer service and not even an apology. Won’t be returning.

Written 6 November 2021

Zach H

Hi Rebeccah, I am sorry that you have had a bad experience with us. I have spoken with the team to ensure they are clear to communicate with customers upon arrival and also throughout the experience. Please be sure that this is not the usual level of service our customers receive and I am sure that if you do decide to return you would feel this. I apologise on behalf of us all - kind regards Zach & team

Written 22 December 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

bleachershane

Glasgow84 contributions

Great Inn for an Overnight Stop!

Jun 2021 • couples

We were on the road and looking for an overnight stay between London and Glasgow and after a lot of searching came across The Golden Pheasant. Knowing that we'd enjoy a stop with a restaurant and bar, it seemed ideal so booked direct as it gave the deal, and left a little message to make sure there was parking as some sites had been a little ambiguous about this. As we were driving I was in and out of phone signal but later recieved a voicemail to confirm that there was lots of parking, great that they called. In a few hours we arrived and were told we'd been upgraded, obviously due to COVID things were still relatively quiet but the room was very spacious, well equipped with great tea and coffee facilities (Teapigs tea bags too!). We went down to the beer garden where we sat and enjoyed a few pints. Later went into the restaurant for a meal which was superb, very generous portions, no space for dessert! Back up to the room to watch a Euros match and settled in for the night. Next morning had a great breakfast and departed an hour or two later. We will be earmarking this one for future stops, especially if the weather is good because the beer garden was great.

Written 20 June 2021

Zach H

Hi, thanks for choosing to stay with us and for taking the time to leave such a good review! We're delighted that you enjoyed your visit and hope to see you again in the future - kind regards Zach & the team

Written 21 June 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

helenaDevon

Sidmouth32 contributions

Super friendly

Jan 2023 • couples

Booked online for a night on our way back from Edinburgh & didn’t really know what to expect. From the minute we walked in we felt so welcome. All the staff were super friendly, and the whole place had lovely vibes. When choosing the wine for our evening meal we had the bonus of being told it was “Wine Wednesday” which meant if we ordered 2 large glasses we would get the rest of the bottle free! So a lovely bottle of Chilean Pinot Noir accompanied our delicious meal. Thought I would try the porkless wontons as our waitress told us that another guest had loved them! They were totally yummy - crispy filo pastry with delicious tofu mixture inside, so much nicer than meat! My partner had the crispy duck pancakes which were also just right & not too filling. We both then had the ‘lamb shank with bubble & squeak & rosemary gravy’. The lamb was beautifully tender but I have to say the bubble & squeak was sadly lacking (just mashed potato under the lamb with a little bit of broccoli, and also we couldn’t taste the rosemary in the gravy) but that is my only criticism! My chocolate & hazelnut brownie with local raspberry ripple ice cream was truly the best brownie I’ve ever had, & I’ve tried plenty! Partner v much enjoyed his Affogato and we rounded off the meal with a lovely glass of Limoncello. A very comfortable night in a large room overlooking the garden which in the morning was covered in snow! Good breakfast with everything we needed. A big thank you to all the staff for a very pleasant stay. If we need another night en route to or from the North we will definitely come again

Written 20 January 2023

Chloe

Cheshire57 contributions

Standards recently dropped

Aug 2021 • family

I visited on a quiet Sunday afternoon with family. We often come to the golden pheasant and have found that recently standards have dropped and as someone in the hospitality industry I have definitely noticed this, as much as I hate it I can’t help but watch. The staff clearly need more training and someone to manage them better, I found that they didn’t know anything about the menus or what was going on, they could barely manage to sit us at a table without asking each other for help. They were also not particularly attentive, I watched multiple members of staff continuously walk past and having chats with each other having seen that we’d finished our starters for a bit. When it came to getting the bill it actually had a lot of the wrong things on it and was a bit all over the place, again I think this is just lack of training. However, the food was really lovely and and came out in good time. The menu always has a good range of seasonal options. The drinks were also brought over quickly and empty glasses cleared promptly and most of the staff are friendly polite people.

Written 26 August 2021

Zach H

Hi Thank you for visiting us and for your feedback. I have shared this with the team and we will strive to make appropriate improvements. We hope to see you again in the future. Kind regards Zach

Written 9 October 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

agecroft

Manchester10 contributions

Good Location- Great Team

Sept 2021 • family

We arrived late due to a motorway closure for a wedding reception at another local venue but were treated with a helpful and calm response by the manager and his team. As a family we had 5 rooms booked and we left our baggage and went off. On return our baggage has been looked after and placed in our rooms. The rooms were adequate and had good facilities including a fan ( I would expect in the summer they would be warm). The breakfast had a good selection and was served at the table - the food was tasty hot and hearty. The reason for me taking time to write this was the way we were looked after by the duty manager who took time to talk to us and offer advice she was fairly new in the post but had a great attitude and personality and that was the same for our waitress who unfortunately had locked herself in a dark out building and had to be rescued she took her ordeal with fun but you could see she was a little shook up. Great location in the Cheshire countryside great service and food and relaxing tidy rooms. Thanks to everyone.

Written 27 September 2021

Zach H

Hi Thank you for choosing to stay with us and I am delighted you had a great visit & wedding! We appreciate your positive feedback and hope to see you again soon in the future. Kind regards Zach

Written 9 October 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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