Looks like your typical British pub from the outside, but it seems The Oystercatcher makes a bit more of an effort than your run-of-the-mill Wetherspoons. It's worth mentioning that it's a drinking establishment that welcomes wee ones - I guess it fancies itself as more of a restaurant than a pub, but still (I guess I notice these things now that I've been spending a lot of time with my beloved and his two-year-old daughter). The outside sitting area is situated around a child's play area, so you can enjoy your food or drinks while keeping the kiddies entertained. Rugrats aside, I have to admit I'll always take notice (and remember) any place where a Slush Puppy is offered. I've never, ever in all my years seen a SP machine sitting behind a pub counter in all its glory, so major points for that. And there's an ice cream freezer and hot nuts container right by the bar (yeeeess!). To be fair, I haven't eaten here, but I'm a bit hesitant to do so, as the stench wafting from its outside walls smells like old frying oil that may not have been changed in a while. read more

The Oystercatcher - Pubs Near Me - Penarth, CRF

The reason why I have given this pub full stars has a lot to do with location as well as the chain of pub that it is. The Oystercatcher is superbly situated with views of the Penarth marina. Although I do have to drive to this pub, it is worth it, it's nice to have a stroll around the marina and then end up at the pub for some food and drink. Now Hungry Horse pubs are somewhat of a favourite of mine anyway, I love their menu, it's pretty cheap, especially on weekdays when you can get two meals for £8. I get the roast chicken with potatoes and stuffing most of the time as I find this meal great value and very healthy, the rest of the menu gets a little of the fatty side, but this is all good, especially if you can stroll it off afterwards. I love this pub, I only wish I lived in Penarth so I could experience this pub a lot more, it is a nice family pub scattered with younger groups that never get too rowdy. read more

Located with views across the Penarth marina, this is a very well facilitated pub. With a large car park, this proves a popular place for families and friends alike, particularly popular on Sunday afternoons during the summer months. There's a small park for children, with the outdoor seating area making this a pleasant setting for parents to enjoy a drink or two whilst their kids play in the park. Inside, the Oyster Catcher proves popular for drinkers, diners and those interested in watching sport on the numerous televisions. The food is very popular, with dozens of people eating here throughout the course of the weekend. The menu is quite good, although it's hardly spectacular when compared to most pubs. It's a very nice pub, which is particularly family friendly. There's a nice atmosphere and it's a welcoming place too. read more

Ergh .... Rubbish location, not in trendy Cardiff Bay, not in Penarth Marina, next to a Tesco .... Next to some scrub land ... The first thing you notice as you approach this place ... Well the first two things really ... Is the smoking shelter (nice first impression!) and the all pervading smell of burnt beef fat - yuk!! Inside it is depressing. If you like to sit amongst the legging wearing overweight sofa surfers, you will like this place. If you like to watch tattoo clad families ignore each other over dinner as they each play away on their I-phones, you will love this place. If you wear denim jeans, white trainers and gold chains/sovereign rings you will love this place. If you want ridiculously sized portions I food that are so big they are cold by the time you get Half way through them, you will love this place. The burrito is not like one you get in a burrito bar ... The "giant fish and chips" is an unnecessary size of fairly tasteless food. The batter will have gone soggy after you are one third through it and the fish will by then be cold. Cold soggy batter...yum ... The decor is worn and your forearms are at risk of sticking to a table. read more

The Oystercatcher's got everything you could want really, a great location a fabulous view of the Marina, is midway between Cardiff and Penarh and is very child and disability friend but I struggle to warm to it. I've been here quite a few times over the years but it's not somewhere I ever want to return to. I think the main issue is it's so big it feels a little impersonal. The varied menu means you can generally find something on there to eat but there's often a lot of other people who are sharing the space with you and that can mean both service and food can sometimes be patchy. I tend to avoid Sundays and Bank Holidays as a result which can be manic. When i have eaten there on a Bank Holiday weekend, the amount of people there can make it difficult to get served and also mistakes can happen, like food going to another table, meals not served together etc. If that does happen the staff are all fine and problems resolved quickly it's just the time it takes out of your meal. It's great for kids as there's lots of space to wander about in and there's an outdoor seating area when the weather's good and the parking onsite is ample and spacious. read more

This was my first time here with the family get together since lockdown nearly a year ago. My sister organised this because I have not seen my dad for nearly a year now. First thing we were greeted by was children running riot everywhere. Forgot it was half term. we were 5 and a young man greeted us ,showed us to our table, so he tried pushed two tables closer for us all to sit comfortably together. His boss came rushing over screaming at this poor boy not to move the tables, I was embarrassed for him. Now what you are all waiting for ( THE MEAL ) this was at least half hour to arrive , we all had fish n chips, or should I say fish & chip .It was cold. we had to wait further for salt ,pepper, etc to arrive. My Sister ,bless her had to send her fish back for being raw & hard. Personally I would have taken this establishment to the food standards agency . The manager who in 2021 during this horrid Pandemic should NEVER EVER speak to a member of staff the way this ,in front of people . Eat here at your own risk. read more

If you order food here, beware; you will have to have the appetite of a giant to finish the plate of food you will no dount be served. The portions are HUGE (and mostly fried from what I can tell). The pub is next to Tesco and on the fringe of Penarth Marina, but not really an ideal location as there are roads on each side. There is a oub quiz on Sunday nights, but the last time I went, the mike was on the blink and the quiz master (I use the term loosely) went round each table giving answers to people who 'weren't doing that well' even if they were in a group of six! Admittedly, they were mostly female and he was obviously a straight young man! Fair play to him, i guess! Not a great place, to be honest. OK for a quick pint and nothing more. If you've got ten more minutes to spare, i'd recommend strolling down into the Marina and going to El Puerto or La Marina, in the old custom house, which are FAB. read more

Cheap and cheerful. No kids allowed in the bar area, which is great. The food is cheap but the quality, in my experience, is a little too cheap. You can spend the same amount in weatherspoons and get better. read more

Rough patch a year or so ago when quality of food and service deteriorated - so gave it a miss for a few months. Very optimistic following relaunch in February. Environment - internal and external - significantly enhanced. However, seems I may have been overly optimistic. First return visit - 30 minute wait for food. Only 3 of 4 main meals arrived. Staff appeared irritated when asked to resolve the issue. Prepared to give them the benefit of doubt - new facilities / new staff / new menu etc etc,,,, Second visit - asked to book a table for 8 people in advance- weekday early evening. Told this was not possible. Due to new "Head office rules" bookings only accepted if 10 or more in group. 45 minute wait for food. Steaks overcooked with very high fat content. Complete indifference from staff when their routine equiry of "everthing alright" received negative feedback. We won't be going back anytime soon. read more

I have given this pub only 2 stars because of the quality of the food and value for money. The fact that our meals were only just warm enough to eat when it arrived was very disappointing, some of which were over cooked and dry - perhaps we should have complained at the time!! Also we ordered desert and paid for it and only when it was served were we told that a desert order by one of our party was not available. This did not allow time for another desert to be selected so that we could all eat our deserts together. The 2 stars are for the location and staff service which was generally good. Come on managers sort your food out!!! read more

Hi I have visited this pub for several years since retiring to penarth Marina and love coming to your pub as it is close to where me and my husband live. When you reopened recently I was very excited and think the interior is fantastic. I have visited your pub 7 times since the 10th when you reopened and have thoroughly enjoyed myself. However, that was until yesterday when I had the worst meal of my life followed by the worst customer service. We arrived at 11.30 in order to ensure we get a lovely seat as I know how busy you are and found a lovely spot over looking the water with a booth for my husband to watch the football. Me and my husband took our 2 daughters for Sunday dinner. I ordered the big plate chicken dinner, my husband and daughter ordered the beef and my other daughter order the lamb shank. All of which were the big plate portions, well, suppose to be! My chicken was gorgeous, but the veg were still frozen and the water from the frozen veg was very visible in the cold gravy. My husband and daughter both ordered the beef dinners and the beef was no bigger than the palm of my hand and just 1 1/2 thin slices each along with uncoiled veg! My other daughter who ordered the big plate lamb shank received a lamb shank which was full of fat with no more than 2/3 mouthfuls of meat and also frozen veg with just 3 roast potatoes! When approached by the lovely waitress we explained our problem and the deputy manager came over. I don't know is name but know that it begin with a 'm' and ends in a 't', Italian look to him quite large. We explained that we are regular visitors to the pub for meals and drinks and that we were unhappy with the meals we received. We explained that just last week we had both Ordered the regular size roast dinner and that we had the same amount of food if not more meat than these big plate dinners. Shockingly, his response was ' to be honest with you the regular size and big plate are the same size dinners but with different price' I asked why as we had paid for the big plate dinners and he just replied that the cook and him will get the sack because head office tell them to give this size portion. My daughter queried why they would advertise and charge more if they are exactly the same size and he replied 'because head office, the people at the top tell us we must'. She asked the deputy manager for a refund for the difference in price as we had clearly not received the larger portions and he said no because we had already started to eat our food! We had barely eaten anything as there was barely anything on the plates to begin with! He was very abrupt and unwilling to help us and continued to say that he cannot help us because 'my boss tells me' ' I don't want sack'. Absolutely disgraceful! I know any other establishment would have willingly refunded us for our food especially as the veg were frozen too! We did not want a refund but just the difference in price of roughly £2! He was very unhelpful. When we told him that we would be very reluctant to visit the pub for food again he just shrugged his shoulder and walked away! As I have already mentioned I have already visit the pub 7 times since you reopened and consider myself a regular loyal customer. To be treated in this manner was very upsetting for me and my husband and I felt embarrassed to take my daughters there as I had telephoned them both several times prior to my visit explaining how wonderful the pub and food was and we were all looking forward to a lovely meal. We both choose to visit the oyster catcher as it is close to out home and when visit tesco after eating our food and it is very convenient for us. We are very tempted to start visiting custom house instead as after finishing our drinks yesterday we went there for a drink and the customer service was outstanding. read more

I have been to the Oyster catcher twice in the last year. On the 1st occasion, back last summer just me and my husband went. It was ticking over but not busy, we found a table which was sticky and still had the last persons crumbs all over it. I found a cloth on the end of the bar and cleaned my own table. We placed our order and waited and waited and waited, 45 mins later our meals turned up. My husband had ordered the mixed grill medium rare steak. What he got was cremated and VERY well done and the chicken he couldn't even cut it with a knife it was so dry. He even banged it on the table, It was like a pebble, I've never seen anything like that before. I had ordered a salad which they had placed under the hot lamps as it was very warm and wilted when it arrived, so I didn't even touch it. I could see there was no point in complaining and plus we didn't want to wait another 45 min so we walked out. A couple of months ago we thought we would give them another go, so this time we took the kids too. It was the same again, we waited for 1 hr 20 mins for our food to arrive, the place was a shambles plates covered every surface the waitress's were delivering meals but ignoring the plates, The food had spent so much time under the heat lamps that it had dried up. And the meal that we ordered for 18 month son, the plate was so incredibly hot, that we had to tip his food onto the table so he didn't burn himself. People were complaining left, right and centre. So again we walked. but this time I complained to head office, they of course were full of apologies and then out of the blue I received a letter off the area manager. stating " I am sorry to hear about your complaint about the service you received at..........please take this letter to the manger who will give a complimentary meal" Yeah right I going to take a letter stating that I complained about him to get a free meal, Thanks but no thanks. But then I think they done that on purpose so we wouldn't claim the meal. My advice stay the hell away from here don't waste your money. read more

Can be very busy. Especially during hot weather and school breaks. Food may take a while. A new couple have taken over fairly recently. A new head chef is in place, things have generally improved. Including waiting times. There is an area reserved for adults just off the bar. read more

Decided to pop in on a thurday lunchtime as i really fancied a burger and had not been to the oyster catcher for at least a year. On entering the staff were freindly and ordered a Glamorgan cheese leek and red onion burger which sounded like a burger with the cheese onion and leek.This came with a coke and fries. On the waitress bringing my food she placed down a greasy looking burger which she then said veggie burger!!? To my suprise i replied no i ordered a normal burger. She thenbreplied " I get this all the time.The glamorgan is a vegetarian burger. I said Im sorry i did not realise, would it be possible to change it? She said I doubt it! I said could you ask the manager? In returning she said the manager said no as its been cooked!!!!" I then asked could I possibly speak to the manager? She went away again and the manager whos name was stephanie returned. Not smiling she said whats the problem. I said would it be possible to change the burger as I was not aware that it was a vegetarian burger. Her response to my suprise was.......I WILL DO IT THIS TIME BUT I WONT DO IT AGAIN BECAUSE YOU SAID IT WAS OUR FAULT!!! I repied i did not say that i only said that i was unaware the burger was vegetarian!!? In an abrubt tone and manner she then said which burger do you want so then gave her an alternative and my plate was snatched away with no apology or comment as to how long the food would now take and i was left waiting for a further ten minutes and on return the burger was changed but the chips were the samw that werw taken away earlier and now stone cold. The manageress put the plate down and simply walked away. Not once was I askes how my food was nor if everything was ok. On looking up during my meal was a square light full of dead flies and dust... disgusting! Overall one of the worst experiences of any dining and customer aervice i have ever witnessed. Food: 2/10 Customer sevice:0/10 Cleanliness: 2/10 Overall: 1/10 Absolutley never again will I eat or drink in that establishment!!! read more

I've eaten at the Oystercatcher many times, and I've always enjoyed until recently. I ordered the vegetarian burger- which is marked as vegetarian. When it arrived the burger had fallen apart inside the bun, when I opened to bun to replace the burger, I found a prawn nestled inside the pieces, I wasn't happy to say the least. When I complained to a waitress she took my plate and returned offering me a replacement. As the prawn had been placed inside my burger I assumed it had been cooked with the vegetarian foods. I said this to the waitress who confirmed my suspicions, but reassured me, she did not know this until now. I then asked if I could change my order, I was told I would have to wait for another member of staff to bring me a refund, and then I would have to re-queue to re-order. It was a busy day and it had taken over 40 minutes for the point of ordering to having our food any way. So if I had done this My food would have arrived well after the other member of my party. As it was it took them over 20 minutes to bring my refund, and this was only after further complaining, at which point my partner had finished his food, had his plates cleared and was told his desert would be out soon. So I chose not to re-order (can anyone blame me?) Fair enough they made a mistake putting the prawn in my food, but surely the burger shouldn't be marked vegetarian. I've had a similar experience in another chain restaurant where I was offered a replacement, a refund and money off my next visit. It really wouldn't have hurt them to change my order, or give me a refund without further complaining. read more