Cricket Inn

Went on Mother's Day with my family. Was easy to get a table and the food was lovely. The atmosphere was friendly and cosy. Had facilities for babies. Would go there again.

After hearing rave reviews about the Cricket Inn me and my partner decided to take out my in laws from Australia to sample the delights. Never again!

We phoned on a Monday to book a table for the Friday and we were told we didn't have to book. When we arrived it was busy, with a wait on food. When we asked the young man how long he said 20 minutes maximum! An hour and a half later we were finally taken through to a quaint dining area were we waited another twenty minutes for our order to be taken.

The food came out pretty quickly but unfortunately went back to the kitchen pretty quickly, too. The pie was cold in the middle and our steak was like shoe leather - it was supposed to be rare.

The whole day was a disaster, and yet no one seemed to be bothered or pay us any interest at all. We have been once more for lunch after our disappointing night and it was just as bad. Never again. Needs a whole new shake up.

Great food but a limited menu even for one that makes a point of specialising in good pub food.

I had a steak and chips, which were excellent, and the price was reasonable. But a meal out is not purely about the food; it's about the basic atmosphere and service. The maitre d' was brash and loud, and service was rushed and slipshod - we had to ask more than once for cutlery with which to eat, for a clean glass because a dirty one was brought, and when my unassuming mother sent her coffee back because it was 'so bitter she really couldn't drink it' another equally bad cup came out. My tea was not hot. These are not extravagant demands - just simple things that should have been done right. Must try harder.

Excellent food, good service, and nice surroundings. Will definitely revisit.

After reading the other rather negative reviews left for the Cricket Inn, I felt compelled to write one of my own.

I probably visit the Cricket once or twice a month and I haven't been let down yet with a bad meal or rude staff. The atmosphere is warm and inviting in this traditional style pub. The staff are friendly and smile because they want to, not because they have to, the food is superb and complimented by the large variety of real ales (I recommend the Thornbridge Jaipur). They also have live music on throughout the year to look out for, so take a gamble, you won't be disappointed.

Visited Sunday 10th February for my fiance's and my daughter's meal. This is the first visit since the refurbishment, which has been done very tastefully. That is where for me the pleasure ended, I am sorry to say we were very disappointed with the speed at which the food came to the tables - so slow!

When my risotto arrived one felt it may have been left on the side for a while as it had turned to a mushy rice pudding with no hint of the promised chilli & crab flavour mentioned on the menu. The homemade chips that I used to rave about were no more, I got a portion of luke warm, thin chips, the thinnest being well overcooked.

Members of our party had the set Sunday meal menu and they enjoyed the starter and their mains, although I do think the long periods of waiting for them to arrive made them more appreciative when they finally got there.

However, the wait we had for the desserts of rhubarb crumble was too much at this stage. After a good 45 minute wait and having been told that they would be with us by various members of staff with ETAs of 20 seconds, 2 minutes, 5 minutes...by this time we were quite fed up, paid the bill getting the desserts deducted off the bill.

We left disappointed and will not be returning for any future celebrations as the experience left a dampener on the whole occasion.

Rang to enquire whether a table could be booked - quick answer NO - and before I could make any further enquiries the young man had put the phone down and off he had gone.

Disappointed, but will not be trying again, as I wanted to take someone who is visiting Sheffield from out of town next Saturday and needed to know we could get a meal. I imagine it would have been a very good meal, we will now have to rethink our night out.

What happened to good old British manners?

Very good food and efficient staff. The restaurant part has been altered sympathetically and has a really nice relaxed feel to it. We really like it.

The only comment we have, and we have been twice in the past month, is that you are not encouraged to stay behind for a drink, even to the extent of the floor being mopped and chairs put on tables well before 11PM, which is a shame but we now walk down to the Crown, so you gain some and lose some!

The Cricket Inn gastro-pub at Totley has been included in the Good Food Guide 2009. The pub is run by chef and restaurateur Richard Smith, who also runs Artisan and Catch at Crosspool.

The Cricket Inn at Totley has now reopened under the ownership of Thornbridge Brewery. The pub stocks four cask ales and serves a variety of food.