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RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

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CUISINES
European
Special Diets
Gluten Free Options, Vegetarian Friendly
Meals
Lunch, Dinner
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meals, features
Reviews (210)
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210 results
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57
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21
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LanguageEnglish
Traveller rating
83
57
26
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21
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All reviews pudding ribs beef baked potato cheesecake the pub sunday lunch specials board booked a table great food and service ouse ploughmans bedford
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Reviewed 13 September 2023

I’ve been working in the area for a few weeks and I came a cross this very nice pub and beautiful canal views so I thought it would be nice to take my partner there to get her out of the house for a breath...of fresh air due to I’ll health and her not leaving the house for the last few weeks. I think it was on the Thursday the 10th or 17th of august 2023 we got to the pub just before 3pm and the polite bar man at the time said that we closing at 3pm and reopen later on, I told him if it was ok to get a couple of drinks and would be ok to sit and drink outside, he said no problem and served us a couple of drinks, before we left I didn’t see any signs saying that we wasn’t allowed to drink by canal inside or outside the pub or any other signs by the canal or green as the views by the canal was lovely which had seating there too, so went both went across the road and sat on the seats near to the canal, after about approximately 10 minutes this man came over to us and introduced himself as an EX policeman and said he had been called by the pub to have a word with us about us drinking at the canal as we was the only two there drinking by the canal at that time, he was polite and he said that there was issues with the pub and the church very close by about the public drinking by the canal from the pub, I told him that there was no signs in or at the pub or at the canal green about drinking and I had seen other People from the pub drinking on the green at the canal whilst I was working in the area and if this was a problem why didn’t the manager or member of staff come out and tells us or even warn us so that we was aware and why did they call on you the EX police man, he said that he was called by the the pub to talk with us and he did acknowledge that there was no signs put up or in place, me and my partner found this very very strange which put a dampers on our day, so rather than cause any argument my partner said let us go as she had enough. So we put back the glasses on the outside seating at the pub whilst the Ex policeman watched us leave with his dogs. We both admitted it was a lovey pub and location but our experience tells us not to come back again.More

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed 4 September 2023 via mobile

Overall this was a nice visit. Nice village pub, good ales particularly the IPA, good location. The food is good and reasonably priced, better the pub chains. Good for families and a nice location. Service was very good, swift and friendly, the young ladies and...gentleman there on Sunday were doing a top job.More

Date of visit: September 2023
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Reviewed 22 June 2023 via mobile

Got turned away at 15:05. I was just looking for a quick drink of coke for me and my dad. Don’t mind being turned away, just in the manner I was turned away. Very unapologetic. If I ran a pub, then I would not turn...down business. Just off to another local for a drink. I might hold people to the same standards of behaviour as myself, but then I can vote with my wallet. Coming up to the river on Saturday, will not be visiting the pub for drinks or lunch Very disappointing.More

Date of visit: June 2023
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Reviewed 15 June 2023 via mobile

Despite the great position the pub has across from the river, and the friendly bar staff, the meal I ordered at lunchtime whilst with my family, was disappointing and substandard. Paying £9 for a baked potato which comes with some tuna mayonnaise, salad and a...modest terrine of coleslaw, I was expecting a lovely meal as not much can go wrong with its simplicity - or so I thought. I was wrong. The potato served was misshapen to the point that it had its own ‘stubby finger’ protrusion, which was inedible anyway because the whole and rather small potato was over cooked to the point that even the knife supplied could not cut the skin as its was as rock hard as Kevlar. The actual potato body was over cooked and of corresponding texture, the salad was limp and the coleslaw was suffering from anaemia. It was only the fact that my family members would have had to wait for me that I didn’t ask for a replacement, and instead waited to be asked how our meals were when I paid for them at the bar. I wasn’t. No-one was interested in our experience because no-one enquired at any point, so it was a decision made for me in that second - I would not be going back to this pub for food and I would share my experiences with friends and family who might be. That was £9 wasted and I was left with a bad taste in my mouth - both literally and metaphorically. Not to be repeated.More

Date of visit: June 2023
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Reviewed 19 May 2023

A great meal with friends. A great menu including light bites to full courses (try the ribs - very nice). The staff were friendly and approachable and the view perfect.

Date of visit: May 2023
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Reviewed 1 May 2023

Hi food was great service good Reason for low score is they DO NOT take CASH and was very shocked when had to ask my guests to pay for the meal Will return when they take cash again

Date of visit: April 2023
Helpful?1  
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Reviewed 21 April 2023 via mobile

Disdapointed, food was very poor, jerk chicken skewers were out of a packet, very small plain chicken with a brown sauce put on top. My starter had a couple of prawns and a piece of salmon. Rack of ribs, again out of a packet, hardly...any meat. .... ploughman's with some old dry stilton. We won't be returning I'm afraid.More

Date of visit: April 2023
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Reviewed 2 March 2023 via mobile

Consistently Good Food We live in Bedford and visit The Anchor on a regular basis. They do really good home cooked food and I genuinely have not had a bad meal. It’s a lovely location in a quaint village and the pub is on the...banks of the river. It’s such a great spot on a summers evening and in the winter they have a cosy fire. They have a varied menu from light starters and snacks to comforting hotpots of beef and chicken stew served with crusty bread. Also on offer are paninis and baked potatoes. Just a note that they are cash only after covid, but that shouldn’t be a problem for most folks these days. Finally I should mention the gorgeous riverside location. They offer suitable containers for your drinks and you can take them across the road to sit on the banks of The River Great Ouse. You can take a little stroll across the weir and the fields and back across the bridge to walk off your lunch or dinner.More

Date of visit: March 2023
Helpful?1  
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Reviewed 26 February 2023

It had been a few years when I tried a meal here. Which I had not enjoyed. However what a pleasant experience I had. I enjoyed the beef spicy stew and it was exceptional and every mouthful was a delight. It came with beautiful rustic...bread. I then decided to try a desert and I settled for the lemon curd cheese cake. It was also very good and a great change from a generic brought in puddings. A few places try to serve up to you. So to those of you working in the kitchen - thank you and well done . The serving staff also done an exceptional job. It was a very pleasant and enjoyable meal. I wish I had taken photos . So maybe next time I will remember. But I just got lost in how delicious it was.More

Date of visit: February 2023
Helpful?1  
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.
Reviewed 7 February 2023

Went for a special birthday meal with my wife and won't be going back. They always say don't write a bad review why didn't you say anything at the time and we could have done something. Well the food was average and it took ages...to arrive and when it did arrive they'd got my wife's order wrong. By the way, it wasn't overly busy. So I ate my "birthday lunch" alone and then finally (after 45 minutes now) my wife's now corrected lunch arrived. I said to the head waitress who took my payment that the service was not satisfactory and ... is there anything they could do ? Maybe a discount or a free pint or coffee. Nothing! Not even an apology. Bearing in mind the current problems for hospitality and pubs closing everywhere here I am trying to spend my money and help local businesses and this is the kind of customer service I get. As I said - will not be returning.More

Date of visit: February 2023
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Reviewed 6 January 2023

There was an excellent choice on the specials board, from which we chose the venison casserole which was both delicious and filling, and at a tad over £10 good value for money. There was also a reasonable selection of wines at sensible prices, and the...service courteous. We will return.More

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed 13 November 2022 via mobile

We had long since wanted to stop here having passed this place several times. Imagine our surprise when nothing but rude waiting staff, unwilling to serve or understand customer service, made us feel incredibly unwelcome. It is a very anti-dog to the point of disgust....It’s a great shame as the craft beers on tap and the views are nice. We won’t bother to return.More

Date of visit: November 2022
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Reviewed 27 October 2022

Drop anchor here and enjoy a great meal. Excellent food , large portions, the best desserts. Easy access and parking. You can’t go wrong.

Date of visit: October 2022
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Reviewed 22 October 2022

My wife and I went for lunch. We did contact the pub to express our disappointment but they failed to respond to our complaint. The quantity of food was so small. The Hunters chicken I ordered for £12 plus was a small breast and a...few chips plus one lettuce leaf. We ordered two coffees which never arrived as the barman forgot us and on payment we had no itemised bill so didn’t know what we were paying for. With regard to the portion sizes the couple behind us ordered a ploughman’s and went back and asked for more ham and cheese so obviously portion sizes are an issue.More

Date of visit: October 2022
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Reviewed 6 September 2022 via mobile

Wanted to have lunch here, but they have no wheelchair access. Seems they had a wheelchair ramp, but it broke.

Date of visit: September 2022
Helpful?1  
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.
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ANCHOR INN, Great Barford - Updated 2023 Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Anchor Inn

Anchor Inn is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 4
  • Value: 4
  • Atmosphere: 4