Bistro on the Square

Review summary

1. S

   Stuart

   Brighton

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Having come up from a hick town in Sussex, my initial reaction was “ ooh this is a bit pricey “ but then I remembered that in fact I was in a very beautiful tourist location where the restaurant had to compete with numerous other top quality establishments. I chose the Popcorn Mussels with lemon alioli for my starter and was rewarded with a large ramekin full to the brim of perfectly juicy mussels that had been deep fried in a very thin beautifully seasoned coating and a lovely little dish of citrus touched alioli that proved to be more than enough for the amount of mussels. My main course choice was the venison suet pudding which was a good sized rustic parcel of just the right thickness suet pastry, packed full of amazingly moist melt in the mouth venison that had been cooked long and slow to take on all the flavours of the herbs and vegetables it had been cooked with, served with a very smooth and buttery mashed potato. For dessert I chose the most unusual thing on the menu, a parsnip creme brûlée and I have to say that it was one of the best brûlée’s that I have ever eaten. It was creamy and sweet with a lovely crunchy top but you were left with a mild taste of parsnip on your palate, which at first was a little confusing but as you work your way through the dish actually marries beautifully with the taste and texture of the creme and leaves you wanting more. Very different yet very tasty. It comes with a spiced macaron, possibly one of the fattest macarons I have ever seen thanks to the generous filling and definitely one of the most delicious. With very friendly servers that didn’t “hover” but knew how to play their role well, I have to say that this is a bistro that you should definitely check out if you are visiting the Cotswolds. My initial thoughts if you remember were that it was a bit pricey? No, it isn’t, it’s really good value for money as the food is first class.
   

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2. D

   David

   Bristol

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on November 12, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We stayed at the hotel so ate here for two nights, with our dog. Lovely service. Lovely ambience. The starters on both nights were absolutely amazing. Well created and presented, with perfect balance of flavours. The first night we had the steak which was also fantastically cooked and presented. Had the burger the second night which was a little dry and underwhelming. My wife had the battered cod which had a lot of batter but not much fish. This was dealt with well by the team. Lots of other options on the menu. Would absolutely go back to try more starters! The staff were great!
   

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3. J

   Jessica

   London

   26 reviews

   vip
   1.0

   26 reviews

   Dined on November 2, 2024

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 1

   Food left alot to be desired, it was a simple chicken ceasar salad, which had overwhelming and overpowering amounts of dressing. Taste was greasy and chuncky chips seem to have been fried in old oil and was not good either.
   

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4. K

   K L

   London

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined on September 23, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   A very pleasant experience! Friendly, discreet service and very good food - frankly better than expected. Would definitely eat here again.
   

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5. G

   George

   Orange County

   79 reviews

   vip
   4.0

   79 reviews

   Dined on September 17, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We’re visiting for the first time and ran across this gem and decided to try it. We had the maze trio (taramosalata, tzatziki, humus) with lovely wam pita bread. We also had h beetroot salad and thy were both great starters but a bit much for the two of us😬 We soldiered on and had the Mousaka and the cod cheek in tomato sauce. They were both ok, would probably not order the Mousaka again as it had squash instead of eggplant. The cod cheeks were ok but not as flavorful as we would expect. We finished with the Greek orange cake and it was delicious! We would come again and we would recommend it as it has a nice menu and we would order something different next time. The service was attentive and very helpful.
   

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6. S

   Sandra

   Gloucestershire

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on August 24, 2024

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   We booked the bistro but on arrival it was hosting a very noisy wedding and took 10 minutes for us to be acknowledged and heard. We were then unsure round to the Fig resturand where we were not even offered drinks. Menus was a limited fine dinning option instead of the one we were expecting and above the price range we were expecting. Having said that the food was good but service was appalling for the high price tag when all we wanted was to be in the bistro. To top it we then had to go back to the bistro which was still extremely noisy and wait for someone to take our payment as they could not do it at the table. We were unimpressed with the whole experience and feel they have let us know upfront the bistro was not available
   

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7. CA

   CathyA

   Warwickshire

   7 reviews

   2.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on August 18, 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   Very slow and inattentive service despite there being only a handful of customers (and the restaurant was empty). Limited menu (although the choc brownie pud was delicious). Had to keep going up to the bar to get menus, order drinks & food although. Overall v. disappointing.
   

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8. MA

   MALB

   Edmonton

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on July 18, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   A bit pricey, but food was amazing. We especially liked the duck they were serving the night we were there.
   

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9. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Gloucestershire

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on July 11, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   We pre-booked a table at The Bistro as my husband and I were staying at The Cotswold Hotel for our anniversary (first trip away from the kids). However on arriving at the Bistro we were told we could sit anywhere apart from the " reserved" table. Our first choice of table was covered in crumbs, eventual choice was sticky. Not much choice on menu. Husband ordered steak but was not asked how he wanted it cooked. I had to advise the waitress of this plus ask for a steak knife when meal was brought out. Waitress also spilt my drink (and swore when she did so) plus she couldn't pronounce the desserts when we asked. Very slow service bearing in mind only 2 other tables were occupied (2 hours for a 2 course meal). Was also confusion over the bill as we prepaid within our hotel package. I've given an extra star as the food was lovely but we were really disappointed that we chose here fer our first anniversary night away. Would not recommend or visit again.
   

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10. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Gloucestershire

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 1, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4

    Had the beef striploin which was excellent and my dining partner and I both had the soup - tasty. Lovely staff, responsive and informative.
    

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