THE OWLS

I took a couple of American friends to the OWLS on Monday night. What has happened to the place??? At one time you couldn't get on the car park. When we arrived at 7.15 pm there were only 4 cars on the car park.. The atmosphere inside the restaurant was like a Morgue. No SPECIAL 3 course Menu. Meager portion of chips i.e. a small bowl probably 3"dia £6.50 for soup!!! No wonder there was only 4 cars on the car park. I wont be going again.
I am meeting another of our 'Colonial Cousins' next week Who is coming over to research her Wigan Ancestry. Any suggestions to take her for an evening meal????

Gallimores was always reliably decent.

Any where bar the OWLS

Posted by: J3mbo (91)

Gallimores was always reliably decent.

Replied: 15th May 2024 at 16:33

Is there anything on the menu you would recommend? I'm going for the first time shortly.

It's been quite a few years since I was there. It's petty standard English food. I think I had steak and chips last time.

Admin:

Is it The Owls at Standish you're talking about?

Last time I went there was many moons ago and you couldn't move for people crowding the place. We hadn't booked so had to find a seat to wait for a table, which was fine.

The meal was very nice. I had chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots, cabbage and gravy and there was enough for me, but I'm not a big eater.

It's a pity if it's gone downhill, but lots of places are pricing themselves out of business.

How about The Fat Olive in Upper Dicconson Street? I've never been but it looks like a nice place, and the prices aren't too bad either, or how about a Chinese buffet? Depends on what your visitors like.

Monday Night….come on…not good anywhere

Except for Papa Luigi’s…..brilliant

Take them to a carvery it would be an experience there don't have them in the US....

Good old fashioned fish and chips. Typically English. Haven't been myself but no doubt someone will have.

Seven Seas Fish and Chip Restaurant

"Take them to a carvery it would be an experience there don't have them in the US...."

??????????????????

The Fish and Chips at a Seven Seas should be good when they are charging £11.90 for a Fish (Cod) and a large chips when our local chippy is only charging a new incresed price of £9.00.

As for the Owls, we have not been ever since we went about twelve months ago and had to wait ages for our meals and found the attitude of the staff, a lot to br desired.

Having said above, the lovely building would make a good Beefeater, Chef & Brewer or a Vintage Inn, none of which we have in Wigan!

The Venture do 2 main meals for £12.49 Monday to Friday including Fish Chips and Mushy peas and they are excellent (£6.50 per meal) and piping hot

I've heard the Vale on Gathurst Road in Orrell is very good.

tonker What are Experiences? A new experience, something we haven't tried before. Something which opens our senses and mind to new adventures !!!! my wife loved the carvery just found it a bit heavy....

Peter, when you posted ........

"Take them to a carvery it would be an experience there don't have them in the US...."

I posted ...........

??????????????????

Because they do have them in the US and I was questioning why you said they don't.
They don't call them "the carvery"? No, maybe not, they call it a "buffet", but they do have a "carvery table" in many "buffet" restaurants, all over The World. You've been there. You should know.
They don't have a "bonnet" on a car in the US, they have a "hood". How daft are they!
In Wigan, they have a "toot" and they have a "toot" in the US too, but they need a horn to experience the thrill of "the toot".

In a nutshell, it's all down to what you call something. Which brings me onto another one.
Is McDonalds a restaurant? and is it "a la carte"?

Anyroadup, Admin., Limewood Farm, in Haydock, is reputed to be good. So is Primrose Farm (same set-up) in Goose Green and The Waterside, on the A580 at Carr Mill (it's close to a WN postcode and right next to Winstanley!)

PS: What's the difference between a "split" and a "mixture"? (and that's two things they definitely don't have in the daft US!)

PPS: Or "scraps wi' pey-wet on"!

I bet they don't have 'Pee Wet' either

If Italian is your bag I would totally agree Papa Luigis. The food is excellent, very well priced and Anna and her Staff are brilliant. Always an enjoyable experience, we go there most Monday Nights.

Posted by: hollyH (17)
"I've heard the Vale on Gathurst Road in Orrell is very good."

Holly, do you mean the Vale Royal? I only ask because I thought it had closed down to make a residence for asylum seekers.

Now they had a brilliant, and cheap, carvery. Lots of choices of vegetables and three different meats. Deelish!

Yes mollie m that's the one. It's now called the Vale Restaurant and Coffee
House. I've just checked their website and there are reviews from this month. As far as I know it hasn't ever been used for asylum seekers.

Thanks, Holly.

I can't remember where or when I heard it had closed down, and I thought it was such a shame. We used to love going there on Sunday evenings. Do they still do a carvery, do you know? If it's changed hands it's probably just an ordinary restaurant and coffee house now.

Molly.
It did close down for a while and I thinks it's a family run business now. Don't know about a carvery but the menus should be on the website.

Why as nobody mentioned Francos, easily the best restaurant in wigan?

Admin

Your friends may be interested in the superb Wigan Historical Society, a courteous fount of knowledge. I found them very helpful and a source of further leads.

The cemeteries of Wigan, available though this site, can also be informative. And touching.

Holly, I've just looked at the menu for the Vale and there's no carvery now, and most of it appears to be Italian. It's the same with the Dicconson Arms at the bottom of Parbold Hill. Won't be going to either place as I don't like Italian food. Not that I'll get a chance to anyway.

There have not been any carvaries at what is now The Vale near the John Rigby College since the chain called Crown Carvaries closed what was then the Vale Royal.

After lying empty for a while, the present family owners who renamed it The Vale altered the inside and made a coffee house in one part of the premises providing a lunch menu during the day and in the other part, a restaurant in the evenings serving a mixed menu.

The Dicconson Arms now trades as one of the Pesto Italian Restaurants and has a tapas type menu where you select a number of different small courses for a set price.

Hope this helps.

I was chatting to someone at work today and she was telling me that she and her husband regularly go to the Bowling Green at Charnock Richard. It just serves traditional English meals, but is very old-fashioned inside - the kind of place I'm sure Americans would enjoy.

I don't know the area in which Admin lives, so it could either be a long journey, or a short one, but it wouldn't have been recommended if it wasn't any good.

Better to go to the independant pubs for reasonal priced meal rather than the chain ones as they tend to have a more varied menu in addition to beefburgers and Pizzas'.

Local examples being the Boars Head at Standish, Rigby Arms at Wrightington, White Lion at Mossy Lea etc.

If you want a more expensive meal for a special occasion, the Cherry Tree at Blackrod, Ewe at Westhoughton, Miller & Carter at Lowton and Parbold etc.

Hope this helps!

Broaden your horizons Todge.
Give the pub-grub chains and their mass produced, dark kitchen, boil in the bag, warmed up meals a swerve.

Bus/Taxi/car to Wallgate
Train to Manchester Victoria.
About £8 and 40 minutes later........
You will be surrounded by dozens of high class independent restaurants covering every cuisine imaginable.

A particular favourite of mine

stardelta

I was only trying to help people with suggestions about reasonable price dining in local independant restaurants without going to Manchester and paying a silly price for a meal with the expected high tip of 15 to 20 % (in some cases added to the bill) which might not be any better than in a local independent restaurant or a local Miller & Carter where the prices are lower than what they are in a city.

Only surprised that you are not doing your regular Manchester dining at the Riverside Restaurant in the Lowry Hotel!

I am try to help people too Todger

Incidentally Todge you are making a few assumptions there regarding price tipping and quality

I have not been out for a proper meal in years, only places like McDonalds, Burger King, KFC and a few Pizza's, that sort of stuff, but if I had to give a restaurant a go, and I am doing it blind, no idea of where is good and where is bad, where you find that your freshly cooked carrots, are out of a tin, because we live in 'Rip Off Britain' but if I had to have a go at the old going out for a meal crap, and back in the day I went to quite a few restaurants, and one of my favourites was the lowly 'Little Chef's'

But I like a nice steak, a nice chunk of cow, and I would give this place a try LINK

Tommy Two Stroke

Good steak, but far better at a Miller & Carter and The Cherry Tree.

No tin stuff there and both with a beer garden and plenty of parking!

Posted by: Owd Codger
"Better to go to the independant pubs for reasonal priced meal rather than the chain ones as they tend to have a more varied menu in addition to beefburgers and Pizzas'"

Miller & Carter is owned by a pub chain, it is not an independent run restaurant. It is just an overpriced version of its siblings.

I like to go by reputation, Howard Gallimore who owns 'Gallimores' has a good reputation around Wigan, I knew him back in the day in 1976, when he was a Scottish chap, who seemed to be OK, but each to their own isn't it, we all have our favourites don't we

Chesh?

He makes it up as he goes along

Cheshire Cat

I know, they are called Mitchell and Butlers.

I only mentione them because where steaks are concerned, the chain is on a par with with good local independant restaurants like the Cherry Tree and Ewe.

Now be a good pussy and drink your milk!

Are you a restaurant critic on top of everything else’s Todge?

Not a restaurant critic, just a regular diner in the better local restaurants!

If you are not a critic how do you know they are `better`?

Give it a rest and stop hounding him

If a person uses a restaurant then uses another in their opinion one could be better than the other.That does not make them a food critic but they prefer one establishment more than the other. The last time we went to the Wiggin Tree we thought the food was terrible Steaks full of gristle and cold Minute potions of chipsWhen you read the reviews(tripadvisor) people either like/hate the place

Agree Peter

Posted by: Owd Codger
"Now be a good pussy and drink your milk!"

Only recently you were chastising members for typing silly, sarcastic, childish replies to your posts. And here you are doing exactly the same!
You are perfect example of a practicing hypocrite

Cheshire Puss

I thought that the "drink your milk" remark was unnecessary, and in any case none of our cats have ever drunk milk, they prefer water

The food over here (Spain) is excellent. It knocks spots off England for quality. It’s like England, 50 years ago!

"You are perfect example of a practicing hypocrite "

But its not what gets said......its who says it

Isn't that right NJ?

Nanajacqui

The hounding by him is one the reasons why less are posting!

Yes I agree this site is awful & I just wish he'd vanish

I disagree totally Todger.

Ask me why

The truth is there is no really good places around wigan to eat that doe's not just take from a tin or box and just heats the food up they can't even make a good salad......

Nanajacqui

Some time ago, I suggested that he should follow the example of the Oozlum bird who vanished up his own backside, but it has never happened.

Perhaps his head was too big for the hole!

Some of the gourmet stuff tomplum has posted previously Peter I.

Come on Todge, take me on instead of hiding behind the girls.

stardelta

I don't need to hide behind any girls!

May I suggest a bit of WD40 for your problem of getting into the hole?

Oh dear

Oh My!

We never called it 'The Owls' we called it Th'Owls