Rochdale
Waggon Inn

Waggon Inn

35 Butterworth Hall, OL16 3PE, Rochdale, United Kingdom

Pub • Steak • British • European


"Small Cosy Restaurant, BIG on plaudits On the recommendation of a former dance partner, my foodie partner and I travelled to Milnrow, and a pub restaurant called The Waggon Inn. To the locals, this place is often referred to as The Back Waggon. I assume this may be because there is/used to be another place with the same name, but on the main road and close by. Besides the recommendation, I was told you HAVE to book in advance on ANY day of the week. And so Sunday was the day, and the Lunch with a starter (at a very reasonable price) was going to be the order of the day. And so, was pre-booked. This has a different ‘lay-out’ in design to any other restaurant that I have ever visited in the UK or abroad in the last forty to fifty years that I can think of. And it's different enough to add to the appeal of the place as a whole. The place itself is split into three parts, two dining areas with a placing capacity for between fifty and sixty diners. A ‘drinkers/bar section separating the two . This means the diners have easy access to the bar at any time. The concept works really well.. And on the Sunday we visited, the place was FULL with diners, really enjoying their food in this very cosy atmosphere. We both warmed to it straight away. We both decided to have the same starter and main course. Drinks: Sauvignon blanc with soda and ice and Amber lager. My partner commented (and I sampled) on the wine, it was full flavoured, you could almost ‘bite’ into the apple. Very nice indeed. Starter: 2x Homemade Chorizo Manchego Croquettes with a goodly serving of rocket salad Now, this is the first time I have tried Manchego (sheep's milk cheese) Croquettes, but my partner's eyes lit up with the plate before her. Having lived both in the Canary Isles and the USA, she was well accustomed to such dishes. And on first my bite … I have become a fan.. There was nothing left on the plates and that says it all. This wasn’t a ‘starter’ or quick snack as it was quite filling. Main: 2x Traditional Sunday Lunch and we both went for the Roast Lamb and mint sauce. Presented beautifully, this in itself was worth the price on its own. Cooked to perfection with absolutely gorgeous, hot thick gravy. The Yorkshire pudding was done in the traditional way, slightly rounded and very lightly overdone which made the outer crisp whilst the inner nicely soft (and went down a treat). No dessert/sweet this time, we were both too full. Including drinks, less than £35.00, which is excellent value, and first class service to top it off.. Would we come again, try stopping us. The midweek menu also looks far too tempting not to miss out on."

Hopwood Arms

Hopwood Arms

753 Road, M24 2RA, Rochdale, United Kingdom

Pub • Steak • Drinks • British


"My brother and his wife visited me from Co Durham and we called at this pub for lunch. The menu was limited but we all found something we could enjoy. I ordered Beer Battered Fish with the trimmings costing £11.95. When the fish arrived it looked a bit overcooked but as I ate it I realised that it was fish which I could have bought very cheaply from Iceland, and definitely not Beer Battered. My sister in law ordered Steak and Kidney Pie, this arrived rather obscured by the pile of garden peas, but as she moved the peas she discovered the smallest collapsed pie which had very little meat and was mainly gravy. The cost of this was about the same as the above described fish. My brother ordered the Beef burger. When this arrived it looked quite spectacular. The presentation was very good. Unfortunately the burger, according to my brother, tasted like a burger you would buy at a fairground or at a burger van at a car boot sale. Again this cost £11.95. When the waitress came to ask if all was ok we told her we were disappointed and she said thank you. No one came to see what the problem was. We did eat the food as we were all hungry but the only good thing about the meal were the peas. The chips were cold. The pub is in a lovely position, the décor s very nice, the bar staff were friendly and helpful. The food completely lets it down. How can they describe the fish that I had as Beer Battered ??? How can they charge top dollar for very low quality food?? One star for decor and friendly staff."

The Royal Toby

The Royal Toby

Manchester Road, OL11 3HF, Rochdale, United Kingdom

Full • Steak • Dining • British


"Dissapointed sorry. I feel that the restaurant is not as good as it used to be. The whole experience is somehow lacking now compared to what it used to be like. Todays meals were a starter of ribs and also prawn cocktails. They were nice and we had great expectations for the mains. Steak had to be sent back as we ordered medium rare but it was more medium well, the replacement was better cooked but found it to be to fatty, my missus did not finish it. Found the house special burger to be too dry, that’s both the burger and the bun it was served on, as well as lacking in seasoning, nope I never finished it. The main ribs for our friend was only half eaten too due to it being too fatty. In the past the Toby had been the place to go. You do seem to have lost your way unfortunately. The staff were attentive though and Carried out their jobs very well. The plates and left over food were cleared away and we were asked did we enjoy our food! We politely told them it was ok and not like it used to be, we were asked if we wanted deserts to which we said no, then within a couple of minutes the bill was placed on our table (we hadn’t asked for the bill though) but a lovely gesture from the front of house who came over and spoke to us and told us he’d given us a reduction on our meal as he had noticed that the ribs were fatty too. As the bill did arrive with out us asking for it then the royal Toby had lost Out on us ordering more drinks. So we decided to just go. Hopefully the next time we visit we will see an improvement and that Todays visit was just a minor glitch"