Oswalds Cross is a Table Table pub restaurant located in the Shropshire town of Oswestry. It is located close to the Mile End roundabout and so is very easy to find.
I first visited Oswalds Cross two years ago on father’s day (specific memory I know - the reason I remember is because we had returned from our two-week cruise the night before, and so were feeling really ‘flat’ about the end of our holiday, and so decided to go out for something to eat - so we went to the Oswald’s Cross. Whilst the food was lovely, our first experience of the place wasn’t great - we were sat right in front of the door; so every time someone came through the door, the doors would ‘whiz’ wide open and we would be hit with a cold, gust of wind. It was very busy too and the service wasn’t that good -we waited almost and hour for our food etc. However, working in the hospitality industry myself, I understand that when it is very, very busy, the service can be affected and so I didn’t hold this against them as I could see that the place was absolutely ‘heaving’ with people etc.
I always said I would go back, and yet it has taken me two years to do so. I was out shopping with a friend the other day and we decided to go somewhere different for lunch, as we always tend to go to the Highwayman (a similar kind of pub/restaurant - see my review), and so we went to the Oswalds Cross for a change.
We arrived at around 1pm on a Friday; the place didn’t look to busy and there were loads of parking spaces available which was good as it meant that it was easy to find a ‘good parking space’ which was close to the door.
The Oswalds Cross building is very pretty to look at; very homely and welcoming looking with flower baskets hanging. It looks a ‘perfect little place’. In fact it’s so ‘cosy’ looking that it reminds me of an image on a jigsaw.
I couldn’t remember what the ‘system’ was here; I imagined that it was the same as all the other pub/restaurant type places, where you choose a table and go to the counter to order your food and drinks etc. Although when we walked in, it looked like a restaurant and so I wasn’t sure whether we had to wait to be seated or if we were to sit anywhere and so I asked a member of staff. I found the member of staff I approached to be very helpful; she told us to choose any table, and she would be over in a couple of minutes to take our drinks order.
We chose a table for two in a small section to the right of the door. There were around 6 or 7 tables in this little area consisting of tables of twos, fours and sixes. We chose a table of two in the middle - there was only another table of four people there.
The menus and cutlery were already on the table which was good as it meant that we did not have to wait for the menus to be delivered to our table. I had already taken a sneaky peak of the menu online the night before and so I was pleased to see that what I had already chosen was actually on the menu.
Studying the menu, I could see that there were plenty of choices available.
I am a vegetarian and yet I was still able to find something that I really enjoyed. They also serve lots of classic dishes such as; fish and chips, gammon, burgers, curries etc. So there is definitely something for everyone. My only disappointment (it’s only a little thing!) was that out of the side orders, there weren’t any new potatoes on there (I love them with lasagne more than chips). I didn’t ask either; although maybe they are available on request, I’m not sure.
The waitress came to our table to take our drinks order. I ordered a coca cola and my friend ordered a pot of tea. They were delivered to our table within around 5 minutes and the bar person asked us if we were ready to order our food - which we were. I ordered a Mediterranean Vegetable Lasagne with chips and my friend ordered fish, chips and peas.
Our food took around 20 minutes to arrive which I thought was great as it allowed us to ’absorb’ the atmosphere and relax a little before the food arrived. The atmosphere was lovely and quire classy. It was dimly lit which meant that it was nice and relaxing. The chairs; nice comfortable leather ones were great. We felt right at home.
The food came and there was plenty of it. The place were nice and hot which meant that the food stayed hot - I can’t bear cold plates which leave the food cold within a couple of minutes. The food was really tasty; freshly prepared and very tasty. My lasagne, a large portion was lovely and cheesy with a delicious tomato sauce and vegetables; the vegetables tasted very fresh. I asked for tomato ketchup to go with my chips which came in a nice little pot; so much better and classier than sachets. My friend agreed that the fish, chips and peas were delicious.
I always have to have a pudding and yet we were both too full to eat another thing. When I looked on the website the night before, I could see that a lot of the puddings were available for just £1.99 - although when I looked at the desert menu in the restaurant, the deserts were priced at around £4-6 and so whilst I was full, I didn’t really want to spend that much (being a poor student and all that!) on a desert. Although, on that occasion, the price didn’t really matter to me as I would have been too full to eat it anyway. However, next time, perhaps I would have a starter and a desert.
We found the service to be great; friendly, polite and efficient. They were really helpful too. We were waited on which was great; they took our drinks and food order, brought us everything we wanted, brought us the bill etc. It made such a huge difference compared to other similar pub/restaurants where you have to order at the bar and pay at the time of ordering etc. So I would describe this pub/restaurant as being quite classy.
Our bill came to £15.02 which I thought was good value for two mains, a coca cola and a pot of tea - so it cost us £7.51. We were really pleased with our experience; we thought that the food was lovely, staff were efficient, the prices were reasonable and the atmosphere was lovely and relaxing.
We would definitely return.
The toilets were upstairs; there were 6 toilets (I counted, sad I know, but it was for the purpose of this review) and they were all empty; great! The toilets were very clean and modern looking with a carpeted floor (there wasn’t a carpet bit in the toilet cubicles though . The sinks and tables were sparking and there were hand dryers and a full length mirror. I actually felt as though I was in a hotel and was curious whether there were any guest rooms up stairs but there weren’t.
~ * Extra Tips and Information * ~
Table Table restaurants are joined with Premier Inns (like Little Chefs are always joined with the Travelodge)and so if you wanted to stay the night, the Premier Inn is right next door. So this would be great, say if you were out having a meal and a couple of drinks with some friends and wanted somewhere cheap to stay for the night.
Children are welcome.
There is disables access.
They have lots of offers on regularly, so its worth checking their website before you visit.
For more information (including menus and prices etc.) please see their website at: http://www.tabletable.co.uk/tabletable/our-pubs/chester/oswalds-cross.html
Whilst there is no dress code and it’s quite casual. As I had been out shopping in the wind and rain I did feel a bit of a mess when I turned up, that when I walked in I thought ‘oh my gosh, it’s looks quite posh - like a classy restaurant’ and so I felt a bit underdressed. Whilst it’s quite classy looking it is casual. Although next time, I think I would dress smart, casual just so that I didn’t feel underdressed. I mean, nobody said anything or there was no dress code, it was just the way I felt.
I saw in the restaurant that if you went on their website and gave them some feedback on your experience, then you could claim a free starter next time which was great. When I went on their website when I got home, I was disappointed to see that we needed certain ‘numbers’ and ‘codes’ off our receipt. As we didn’t have a receipt (we rushed off quite quickly after paying) and so I won’t be able to claim my free starter next time which is a shame. So make sure you get a receipt if you go.
**The stars and ratings are based on my most recent visit and not the first visit **
I would definitely recommend the Oswalds Cross.
Thanks for reading!
June 2012
Xdonzx / xd-o-n-z-x
~ * Meet You At The Cross! * '~ 
