Rafters - Cotswold

We had a wonderful dining experience at the Crown Hotel on a quiet night in the restaurant. While looking for a place to eat in Blockley, as the village cafe restaurant was fully booked, we decided to try the Crown Hotel. Despite having a small menu, the food was fantastic. Two of us enjoyed the delicious duck salad, one had the smoked salmon, and another opted for the prawn cocktail – all of which were generously portioned and fresh. For mains, three of us savored the steak in mushroom sauce, with perfectly cooked steaks, great chips, and tasty mushroom sauce. Our fourth party member delighted in the spinach and ricotta tortellini with pesto, another generous and superbly prepared dish. We left the restaurant full and satisfied, with smiles on our faces!

We stopped by this restaurant for a pre-dinner drink with the intention of possibly dining there, but ended up leaving after just one drink and eating somewhere else. The pint we ordered was average, but we were surprised by the staff's lack of familiarity with modern drink trends, as they were unsure how to make a spritzer and didn't have any non-alcoholic beer. The lack of a warm greeting or friendly service from the staff also left a lot to be desired. It seems like the owners need to provide better training for their staff, starting with a basic module on how to welcome customers with a smile and eye contact. Overall, we were not impressed and wouldn't recommend this place.

The drinks order was incorrect and the prawn cocktail roll was as hard as a rock and served without butter. The rib eye steak was actually a rump steak with a small pot of oil from the pan. The berry meringue with cream was the worst dish of all as the cream was not just off but absolutely rancid. The waitress did not wear a mask properly, as she had it under her chin. My advice is to stay away from this restaurant.

Ate here on two nights and had delicious, well cooked meals on both occasions. The waitress was very attentive, helpful and friendly.

The table d'hote was ok. Not brilliant value for money though. We were staying in the hotel and the menu remained unchanged for all 3 days. No specials. The bar menu is more pub grub style and probably more my preference.The staff were working very hard but there was not enough of them. 1 person in the bar run off his feet. 1 waiter in the restaurant. No obvious co-ordinator though.