The Venue

Someone from this business manages this listing.

1,199 reviews

#1 of 36 Quick Bites in Thornton Cleveleys££ - £££, Quick Bites, Bar, British

+44 1253 852143+ Add website

Hours

Sun

12:00 - 21:00

Mon

12:00 - 21:00

Tue

12:00 - 21:00

Wed

12:00 - 21:00

Thu

12:00 - 21:00

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

4.5

1,199 reviews

#1 of 36 Quick Bites in Thornton Cleveleys

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

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PRICE RANGE

£5.00 – £25.00

CUISINES

Bar, British, Pub

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

meals, features

Location and contact

North Promenade, Thornton Cleveleys FY5 1LW England

+44 1253 852143

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Does this restaurant serve Romagna food?

Yes

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About

Located on the stunning seafront at Cleveleys is a privately owned, multi-award-winning complex of restaurants, bars, and a function suite; Spirit provides unparalleled wining, dining, and entertainment facilities for all age groups. In fact, it is the complete venue for any occasion. Open daily from 12 noon, The Venue offers a fabulous choice of meals, snacks, coffees, and alcoholic refreshments.

PRICE RANGE

£5.00 – £25.00

CUISINES

Bar, British, Pub

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Brunch

FEATURES

Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Validated Parking, Free off-street parking, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music, Gift Cards Available

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4.5

1,199 reviews

Excellent

804

Very good

200

Average

Poor

Terrible

Shannon Yates

1 contribution

Engagement party

Jan 2020 • family

Had an engagement party on the 25th January 2020 downstairs in the spirit function room and the venue itself was amazing, large function room, very modern, had the perfect night, the staff was so lovely behind the bar. One downside to the party which is a quite a big one is the DJ, who is the venues DJ himself so they supplied him for a price of £150, and I have to say he was not worth £150 and if had another event there we will be suppling our own DJ. Our party started at 7 and we got there for about 6:30 to which quiet music was being played from what seemed like a member of staffs phone. When it got to about 7:30 the room was getting pretty full and the DJ still wasn’t here, so we asked the bar staff and they said he should be here soon, so we gave it another half an hour and still no DJ, the music was very quiet as it couldn’t be turned up anymore as it was max volume on the staff members phone. Finally at 9pm, 2 hours after the party had started the DJ showed up, he did not say anything he went straight to the booth and started playing music. He gave no crowd interaction what so ever, did not speak to us once, and when we booked with him he asked us for a playlist so he knows what genre of music we like, so we spent our time creating this playlist and put over 6 hours worth of songs on there and throughout the whole night I think a max of 5 songs from our playlist got played all the other songs were songs we either hadn’t heard of, or were quite old songs and not our generation, considering it was full of 20-30 year olds the songs we requested on the playlist was mainly charts and a few others, the songs being played was more your typical party songs such as ‘YMCA’. We are highly disappointed with the DJ as a good DJ makes a good party and although we made it a good party and everyone enjoyed themselves the DJ was not worth our money and if there was a way we’d be getting our money back straight away. Other than that the venue is an amazing place to have any sort of party and would definitely recommend, and would definitely have another party there, just next time not with their DJ, we’d find our own.

Written 26 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.

TomasW129

Dear Josh and Shannon Thank you so much for your kind comments on our Spirit Function Suite and on our Team, I'll certainly pass this onto them. I'm surprised to read your comments about the DJ as when Josh came in on Sunday to collect your belongings he said everything was perfect and you both had a brilliant evening! We have reviewed the CCTV and can see that the DJ arrived at 7:50pm and was booked from 8pm being contracted for 5 hours of work. This is a very usual scenario as people typically do not have the DJ playing from the first moment that guests arrive as this gives the hosts time to greet guests and people to catch up whilst background music from our system iPod plays before the DJ starts at 8pm rather than walking into a full-blown disco as people's first stop is never the dancefloor. Of course, had you wanted the DJ earlier this could have been arranged. Our Duty Manager did spend some of his evening overseeing your Engagement party and found the DJ to be playing a lot of guest requests along with songs from your playlist so I'm sorry if you weren't aware of your guests requesting songs hence the busy dancefloor. I can see how the DJ came to be playing YMCA as your playlist did include a number of cheesy songs such as Cha Cha Slide by DJ Casper, Come on Eileen by Dexys and Boom Boom Boom by the Venga Boys to name a few I'm completely shocked that you didn't like the chosen DJ as he has been a firm favourite with so many Birthdays, Weddings and Engagements that people have rebooked him privately and has worked here for over three years! We would love to welcome you back to celebrate future events in one of our function suites and you are more than welcome to bring your own DJ, however, I must say I am disappointed you had to write this review rather than speaking to us when you visited on Sunday. Kind Regards Tomas Walsh

Written 27 January 2020

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

lexi9896

Blackpool25 contributions

Reliable friendly & ex food!

Oct 2020 • none

Have visited on a regular basis before & After the Covid lockdown. We have ALWAYS had an excellent meal provided with a professional friendly service. Always feel safe With the standard of hygiene implemented. When the 50% meal offer was available we had the fillet steak on several occasions and it was first class & cooked to our specification. Cannot fault the standard overall & will continue to patronise this ‘Venue’ !!

Written 29 October 2020

TomasW129

Hi lexi9896 Thank you so much for a brilliant review, it's great to hear you've always enjoyed your visits to us! We'll certainly pass your comments onto all the team. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Written 1 November 2020

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

KelD30

Nottingham101 contributions

Meal with friends and our families

Aug 2020 • none

We came here for a meal whilst visiting our friends who live nearby. We 2 fantastic tables near the window upstairs, fantastic views of the sea. We did have to wait for a while for our food to arrive. Usually we would have complained waiting this long before but with the 50% off we could clearly see the staff were working really hard. After reading other reviews I can tell you had issues that evening too. Our food was very tasty and hot when it arrived. Plenty of choice. Great that you have a big car park on site. Good covid safety measures in place. Hopefully we will visit again next time we are up that way visiting our friends. Well done for working so hard and keeping your staff and customers safe.

Written 30 August 2020

TomasW129

Dear KelD30 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us your feedback. We really appreciate your understanding on Wednesday evening due to the issues we suffered with our booking systems and phone lines. It’s great to hear our food was still to standard even during a busy period. Unfortunately due to the current social distancing requirements we are restricted to four members of staff in the kitchen at any one time so our team have been working extremely hard compared to the full team they are accustomed too so we couldn’t ask more of them. We do hope you’ll visit us again when your next visiting friends so you can experience a usual visit to us. Kind Regards

Written 30 August 2020

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

Lynn C

Blackpool89 contributions

This place Used to be good

Aug 2021 • none

We used this place a lot in the past but after last night’s experience I think we will be giving it a miss . First of all sat outside as it was a gorgeous evening and the table hadn’t been cleared or cleaned . I asked a young girl to clean it please when she had time and eventually she came , the spray went more over me than the table which she did just half of and never cleared the table of others sauces etc . I will say the table was hard to clean as they are new wood and not easy to clean . Anyway that was the first complaint. The second was when our dinner actually arrived the egg on my meal was as hard as rock and a funny colour of yellow it had obviously been sat under a heater before serving . So I asked politely if I could have another freshly cooked egg . It eventually arrived just as I was finishing my meal . The chips on the meal tasted of old oil the peas were dried up I assume from sitting under a heat lamp waiting to be served . The only thing that was ok was the gammon . When the young girl did eventually bring the egg to me she said she was so sorry we are very busy tonight . Sorry ….. that is not an excuse , they should employ more staff as it is a busy place . Sadly it was not a nice experience .

Written 3 September 2021

Hannah B

Hi Lynn Thank you for your feedback, we're sorry you did not enjoy your recent visit. I will pass on your feedback to the team. However, we are still dealing with the repercussions of the pandemic with staff either isolating or taking care of their children who may also be isolating. In addition to this, as what happens every year in September, we lose a large chunk of our seasonal team with their return to their education at college and university. Arrangements are in place to replace these team members, however this process does take time. We do hope this does not deter you from trying us again in the future. Regards

Written 4 September 2021

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

Lesley T

Bispham52 contributions

Lunch

Feb 2020 • family

Absolutely amazing here. Food is fantastic and a large selection. Excellent vegan and vegetarian choices. NEVER had a bad meal here. Staff are so lovely and very helpful. The back room is dog friendly. Water bowls are put out and treats are often given to the pooches. The main dining area and long sea view rooms are well away from guests that want to stay away from dogs. Can't fault anything at all. We love it and now come practically every weekend. Sometimes twice in a weekend. Definitely recommend a visit.

Written 8 February 2020

TomasW129

Hi Lesley Thank you so much for such an amazing review! I've shared your comments with all the team and we're glad to hear you enjoy your visits to us. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Written 9 February 2020

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

Ian B

Blackpool11 contributions

Family birthday meal

Aug 2020 • family

We ate at the venue for our sons birthday and we could not have had a nicer meal in an atmosphere that felt safe with amazing food and service. They are advising a reduced menu like most places but there is still a good varied choice and the quality is still the same high standard. When we booked we asked if we could take cake which they were more than happy for us to do. When we arrived, they put balloons on the table for our son. He really enjoyed this and loved playing with them afterwards. The staff go the extra mile to make sure that Covid social distancing, hygiene and exit/entry one way systems are adhered to. The tables inside are spaced out well there are plenty of signs telling you where to enter, exit, and in which direction you should go. The bar queue is well organised and they have shields on the bar for you to stand behind when you order and pay for drinks. They have managed to keep a very relaxed atmosphere, serving good food where you feel like every effort is being made to keep customers and staff safe.

Written 23 August 2020

JakkiSl

Dear Ian Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a great review! I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your recent visit to us to celebrate your son's Birthday it was our please to help your family celebrate. It's great to hear you found all our COVID secure measures comforting so you could enjoy a meal out again! I must pass on a big thank you from our team for the chocolates you kindly gifted us also! We look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Written 28 August 2020

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

Marie J

Manchester10 contributions

Excellent Service!

Feb 2020 • friends

We visited The Venue for lunch and was approached by a very welcoming friendly member of staff who said we could sit where we liked. We ordered the small Beer battered fish and chips and it was delicious! Honestly the best fish and chips I’ve ever had 👌 Clean plates all round! The service was second to none and our waitress Julie was a gem very smiley attentive and nothing was too much trouble. We will definitely be returning on our next trip to Cleveleys. All I can say is if you’re in Cleveleys then The Venue is well worth a visit.

Written 17 February 2020

TomasW129

Dear Marie I'm so pleased to hear you had an excellent experience on your recent visit to us here at The Venue. I will certainly pass your comments onto all the team especially Julie who I'm sure will be delighted. We look forward to welcoming you back on your next visit to Cleveleys. Kind Regards Tomas Walsh

Written 26 February 2020

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

Darangutan

Blackpool51 contributions

Disappointing meal

Sept 2021 • family

Enjoyed a few drinks here recently, the view is incredible especially at sunset. So today we thought we'd eat here, unfortunately found it very disappointing. We both went for the rack of ribs. Firstly, there was a big difference in the amount of meat on the two. They were slathered in sauce but the meat itself was pretty tasteless, it didn't taste like it had been seasoned or marinated before cooking Definitely didn't meet the boast on the menu that the chef picks the finest ribs and lovingly coats them in their signature sauce. It was served with chips, which were ok, corn on the cob which was awful... half of it looked manky and it tasted sour, it may have been bad, and finally the titchiest, tiniest amount of coleslaw you could imagine, in a plastic pot. I was hugely disappointed because they give the impression this is slightly more upmarket when in fact you get better food at Wetherspoons for far less.

Written 11 September 2021

A Smith

Dear 214darrellt Thank you for your review, and we agree our views at The Venue are spectacular especially the sunsets. However, I’m sorry but I have to disagree with your review on our ribs and I am very pleased you included the photo as it proves this. You can see the ribs are of a similar size are thick and full of meat, and the corn on the cob looks fresh and yellow and clean in colour. It is impossible for the meat to be tasteless, as not only do we season the ribs we slow cook them soaked in our chefs own West Indian Rum BBQ sauce for eight hours which allows the meat to absorb all the flavours. When serving we cover in the sauce due to customers love to dip our thick cut chips in it. I am sorry the coleslaw was a small portion but we would have happily brought you some more had you asked, and we have been recommended to serve all our condiments in single-use containers at the moment due to Covid. We do hope this does not deter you from visiting us again.

Written 13 September 2021

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

Helen S

Lincoln108 contributions

Wonderful hospitality

Aug 2020 • family

The 5 star review is based on value for money, helpfulness of the staff, quality of food. I am gluten free and they were very helpful towards this. They have a menu that is annotated to show what can and can't be made gluten free. I had the halloumi fries which were absolutely lovely. I then had the chicken and mushroom sauce chicken and chips. Large portion of both foods. Too full for pudding in the end. The rest of the family had the cheese pie and the mixed grill. Again very decent portions where everyone struggled to finish it all. All cooked extremely well. We were also allowed to take our dog in to their dog friendly room. The Eat Out Help Out was a good addition to the prices, but we would definitely go again when it's full price. We tried to book again for following night and they were booked up. Can't blame people. The staff were very friendly and helpful. We ended up going back the following lunchtime for coffee and a pudding. They offered berry crumble and brownie as a gluten free option. After having a few weeks where restaurants (big chains) have shrugged when asking about GF, it was nice to see people who didn't turn their nose up when asked. Thank you The Venue

Written 19 August 2020

TomasW129

Hi Helen What a perfect 1,000th review this is, we couldn't have asked for a better one! It's great to hear that you experienced exactly what we strive to provide here at The Venue. I'm glad you managed to make the most of the 'Eat Out to Help Out' Scheme. We'll also be offering 25% off all food during September so remember to come back soon! We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Written 23 August 2020

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

Salokin

Thornton Cleveleys5 contributions

Service and food

Mar 2022 • none

We’ve visited the Venue many times and always been happy, regrettably not this time. We booked for 5.45 and by 6.30 no one had come to take our order. The table next to us arrived some time after us and had their order taken, so we had to get up and ask for our order to be taken. When the food arrived, one in our party asked for the small steak pie to be changed to a large one and this was done straight away without question. All the meals were barely warm, especially chips and the vegetables were almost cold. Nevertheless, we didn’t complain as we had been waiting so long. When the bill arrived via the manager, we mentioned that the food was barely warm, but his response was that it couldn’t be as it was cooked to order. A pretty poor response given everyone in our party said the same. We went to pay the bill and after we had paid I said to the manager that we visited fairly regularly and normally everything was good, however, this time it was poor. I explained the wait for our order to be taken, which he dismissed saying his colleague took our order straight after the table next to us. I explained that they had arrived some time after us and that we only got served after we has to ask. I then mentioned the cold food, to which he said “and we had to throw away a small pie” I was flabbergasted, I’ve been in hospitality all my life and I’ve never seen a reaction like that and I told him so. Very poor customer service to argue with someone who was trying to help him improve. We won’t be going again.

Written 1 March 2022

A Smith

Hello Rossall113, We're sorry that you did not enjoy your visit. We agree, there was a delay in taking your order, this was due to the fact that the rest of your party had arrived 40 minutes after you, so we wanted to give them time to take a look at the menu. As requested we did exchange the pie immediately as one of your guests changed their mind once the pie had been cooked and made its way to the table, hence the manager's response. Also in your review, you have stated that you chose not to complain about the cold meals until you were paying the bill, therefore, we were unable to rectify any issues, as somebody who has been hospitality all your life surely you would know this. Having spoken to the manager in question, he does send his apologies for his dismissive attitude, however, he happened to be on the defence due to a previous incident with a member of your party. Regards

Written 6 March 2022

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

FyldeSeabird

23 contributions

That's Sunday Dinner Takeaway Sorted!

Jul 2020 • none

I always enjoy my roast turkey dinner at The Venue, but I have a busy life and it's more convenient for me to eat at home at the weekend. I have to say I was delighted with my roast turkey Sunday dinner takeaway this weekend. Beautifully presented in proper takeaway trays, piping hot and a coffee cup full of their delicious gravy. Mmmm heaven on a plate! My only complaint is that I wanted to follow it up with their super delightful sticky toffee pudding and custard. Apparently it's on the desert menu so that's what I shall be having next Sunday - after my roast beef! If you enjoy a proper, really tasty Sunday dinner and want it putting in front of you at home instead of having to cook, I can't fault this. That's our Sunday dinners sorted now!

Written 13 July 2020

hannahbN1104CA

Hi FyldeSeabird We cannot tell you how pleased we are to be back open and able provide our lovely customers with our home-cooked food, especially our famous gravy on a Sunday Roast! And reading amazing reviews like yours really does put smiles on our faces. We cannot thank you enough and we'll certainly look forward to seeing you all again very soon.

Written 11 August 2020

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

Peter C

Thornton Cleveleys223 contributions

Worried

Aug 2020 • friends

Visited here last night met by manager and shown to pre-booked table, he the explained the one way system and how to order. What a waste of time even the staff ignore the one way system coming out of the kitchen and straight through the no entry system, no chance for customers. Too many tables, too many people was very worried about social distancing. The food was very average just about worth the 50% think they are ripping off the government. Most of the staff had visors on but on top of their heads, waste of time!!! My turkey dinner was just like I bye from the deli at Morrisons.

Written 11 August 2020

TomasW129

Dear Peter Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback as your wife was just as happy to shout it across the room to other tables during your visit. All of which disagreed with yours and your wife’s views and we’re astounded when she then decided to swear at one of my waitresses as your party left. In fact at least four tables commented on this behaviour alone. Here at The Venue it can be seen by the countless other reviews that our social distancing measures are very well appreciated and received by many customers. These have all been independently accredited and are in line with Government guidance. My team all wear visors as you commented for when they are serving a table and this is then flipped down when a member of staff comes within the recommended distance of under 2-meters. However they are not expected to wear them over there face when away from a table and observing social distancing. I’m not sure how many places you have visited since the relaxation of the lockdown but many establishments do not use visors or indeed face coverings. This is also not a requirement under the Government guidance As you pointed out we do have a one-way system in operation however of our staff go against this one-way system to go outside to a table so the food is not cold by the time they get to a table they will put down their visors to mitigate any risk. All of our tables are spaced to 2-meters rather than the 1-meter plus that is the requirement. To accuse us of ripping off a government initiative to help our struggling industry is simply blasphemy and untrue! We are exceptionally grateful to Rishi for this amazing scheme and would never and could not ever cheat the system. We understand from your wife’s comments that you never intend to return and after your wife’s behaviour towards a member of my team are no longer welcome within our establishment as we will not tolerate verbal abuse towards our team. Kind Regards

Written 12 August 2020

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

Mike Pickles

Thornton Cleveleys1 contribution

What have you done!

Sept 2021 • family

The family and myself love visiting the venue, we visited on Saturday, the service was good, the staff friendly but then we started the ordering process. Our order was taken by a polite young waitress and I chose my trusty choice of the best fish and chips on the Fylde! Soon arrived my favourite choice and just one mouthful in something had changed this wasn’t to its normal standard but then you question is it me? No, the more I ate the less impressed I became the fish has been changed it had clearly been frozen and is nowhere near as tasty as the usual ‘whale and chips’ I’ve become accustomed too. In fear of sounding like a grump, for £13 I do not expect to be eating frozen fish! I don’t know if this is a supply issue with the lack of drivers in the world but please go back to the amazing fresh fish this is sacrilege it’s a sea front venue serving frozen fish! I did point this out to the waiting team and was told the chef was trying a new supplier, well Chef go back to the old one!

Written 5 September 2021

Hannah B

Hi Companion66135860012 Thank you for taking the time to post your review, and to be frank we do agree with you that the fish this week was unfortunately not from our normal supplier. We are encountering problems with delivery and supply issues as you have stated, but assure you this was simply a short term sudden supply problem. You will be pleased to know it has now been resolved, as we are a drive-to destination for our freshest and best fish and chips in the area. We hope this does not deter you from visiting us again soon.

Written 5 September 2021

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

Kmblancs

Manchester47 contributions

Lovely meal in an organised environment

Oct 2020 • family

What a fantastic meal in a friendly atmosphere. Tom and mark go above and beyond to serve lovely food ( the Italian meat ciabatta and flatbread as well as the steak pie and lasagne were all amazing) We have eaten at a couple of establishments during half term and the venue blow the rest out of the water. Thank you for a truly lovely afternoon x

Written 28 October 2020

TomasW129

Hi Kmblancs It's great to hear you enjoyed your recent visit. Our team certainly do their best to provide a great environment to visit and we're so pleased you enjoyed your meals. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Written 1 November 2020

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

Darren M

Bacup67 contributions

SUNDAY SOCIALLY DISTANCED MEAL

Aug 2020 • couples

Arrived in Cleveleys at around 12.30, saw the Venue from the car, so booked a table on there app. Shown to our table by a very professional staff member, ordered our food and drinks from the extensive menu. The meals we had were great, very tasty and hot and the staff can’t do enough to help. Definitely recommend to couples and families.

Written 9 August 2020

hannahbN1104CA

Hi Darren, We're so glad you found us! We cannot thank you enough for your wonderful feedback and I'll pass on your lovely comments to our team. Hope to see you again next time you're in the area.

Written 11 August 2020

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

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