The Botanist have a growing number of locations, the big majority of them are in Northern England, this is one of their newer restaurants which opened towards the end of 2019 in Warrington.
The decor inside is typical Botanist style, it does look good and the staff are pretty friendly (although some of them don't seem to be wearing a uniform which meant I didn't even realise someone worked there when I was waiting for a staff member!)
It can get pretty busy at peak times, especially in the run up to Christmas, I did originally try to visit on a Sunday afternoon and this place was full, I do recommend making a booking if you can, they do require a credit/debit card for this but they only charge you if you fail to attend, which is a flat £5 (pretty fair, especially considering they can only run at limited capacity to follow government legislation).
I was offered a free bottle of prosecco as part of their loyalty scheme which can be redeemed two weeks before (or after) one's birthday, I feel this is a nice gesture, I don't really like prosecco so it's a shame it couldn't be swapped for anything else other than a soft drink, especially considering most of their cocktails are much cheaper anyway - that is an issue with Head Office and it's still a nice gesture to offer something for free.
I ordered the gluten-free chorizo and chicken kebab, it seems the recipe has been changed slightly, there seemed to be more garlic butter actually on the chicken rather than pouring it over (which has been replaced by a paprika oil to give it a slight kick), it gave it that extra flavour and tasted really good, the chicken was cooked and seasoned perfectly, the chorizo was just OK, and the fries on the bottom were good.
My friend, who ordered the fish and chips was also pleased with her dish, she mentioned: "It was almost perfect, however, the curry sauce was a little watery."
I also like how they now have a digital bill, not only is this better for the environment but it means I can have a receipt emailed to me and also fill in feedback on the tablet which they serve it on.
4* - The food was really good, and this is one of my favourite locations in The Botanist chain and I will be returning. A couple of flaws mentioned but all in all a pretty good place to grab some food. read more