From Across the Pond

Reviews 4

JA

Jamie MT

I really wanted to like this restaurant. I have Celiac Disease and saw that this restaurant offered a gluten free menu. I had not had fish and chips since I was a child, before my diagnosis, so my mouth watered at the thought of that delicious meal. Upon arrival, we didnt see a hostess or server, and werent greeted, so we seated ourselves. A server came along shortly and presented us with regular and gluten free menus. I noticed a disclaimer on the GF menu about the possibility of cross-contamination, including in common fryer oil. This is often found in restaurants as a CYA, because no one is perfect 100% of the time, especially when there are other foods being served. I asked the server if the GF items had their own frying oil. She said she figured they would, as it would defeat the purpose of a GF menu to fry things with gluten containing items, but she went to find out. She came back with the owner, who explained that they usually have one fryer for regular food and one for GF food, but when they are busy, they use both fryers for GF food. Apparently they had been busy that night and there was no dedicated fryer, but she assured me that her husband and son (who have Celiac Disease also) have eaten foods fried together without symptom. I was slightly offended, as Celiac Disease is not an allergy, it is an immune response; even without an outward sign, intestinal damage can still be done. I dont understand why an establishment would advertise a gluten free menu, substitute with gluten free items (such as beer and flour) and then proceed to cook it with things that those ordering GF would avoid in the first place. I decided against taking the risk in ordering fried items and settled with a Philly Cheesesteak. When the food arrived, I was terribly disappointed. Unknowing to me, the sandwich was served with fries, which were fried in the same oil that I was trying to avoid in the first place. After explaining why I wasnt having the fish (the oil) I would have hoped the server or the owner would have mentioned that the fries were included and suggested an alternative side. But I was trying to stay positive. I ate the sandwich and it was good; plenty of mushrooms, cheese and peppers mixed in, and served on a moist GF bun. It wasnt the best Cheesesteak I had ever had but it was good. My partner reported his lasagna to be "perfect" and the fries from my plate to be "ok." We had planned on trying dessert but halfway through the meal, the server brought us the check, which we took as an indication that our meal was over. Dessert was never offered, specials were never mentioned or recommended and drink refills came slowly. I could understand the poor service if the restaurant had been very busy (we were one of three tables in the whole place), but unfortunately, there was no excuse. The atmosphere was okay, with various English themed items on the walls, but not inviting. I wanted to really love this place, but I left still hungry and a little sad that the experience was not up to par. There are better restaurants in the area; try those first!

EL

Elaine Higginbotham

From Across the Pond is a family-owned and family-run restaurant in Colleyville. When you walk in youll immediately be greeted by either one of the owners, Lee and Emma, or another lovely member of their family. Soon after being seated, youll be served some of the most delicious bread with marinara sauce youve ever eaten. I know weird right, Italian bread at a British restaurant? Well, not so much. From Across the Pond used to be a pizza/pasta joint, so Lee and Emma decided to keep some of their delicious Italian food on the menu. Speaking of the menu, they have a wide range of foods. If youre in the mood for Italian, they have the usual fare - lasagna, alfredo, pizza - but you must absolutely try their pasta Michelangelo. Just trust me. Its delicious. If youre in the mood for British, they have phenomenal bangers and mash, and their fish and chips are delicious and authentic. Im British myself and have taken four generations of my family here and we all agree: this is authentic stuff. The menu is going through a bit of a transition now... you can order "off the menu" and get chicken tikka masala (which I have heard is fantastic), as well as scotch eggs and battered sausage. All things I cant wait to try. And Ive heard there are more exciting things to come. And finally, if you have enough room for dessert, they have the most mouthwatering bread and butter pudding. Not too sweet, creamy with a bit of a crunch. I love this place for so many reasons. The owners are so lovely and take time to interact with as many diners as they can. You can tell they have put their heart and soul into this restaurant. They have Thursday night Karaoke early enough to be kid-friendly. Its BYOB so I can save money and take my own bottle of wine. They have the largest gluten-free menu around (Lee and his son both have celiac disease). Add to that good food at a good price point, it simply cant be beat.

LE

Lee Herdman

Let me qualify, firstly, that, as an owner of From Across the Pond, I am more than a little biased :) I wanted to tell you about how we run a true restaurant, no Microwaved treats here Mr Chad Stowe, with 95% of our food cooked and prepared, by hand on site. Love goes into everything, from the FREE Garlic knot rolls, made from our house made Pizza dough, to the COD and house made beer batter, to the 500lbs of Potatoes that we Chip and Mash every week, to the sauces that we make daily. The care and love we put into what we do is what has allowed us to survive a huge recession, and grow our business, twice actually, in the wake of sweeping closures and losses. Consider that, when posting mean and, frankly, totally fabricated and incorrect information. Do we make mistakes? Of course. Will everyone love everything? Of course they wont. But it wont be due to lack of care, love or because of poor ingredients. It will be because of that old adage - you cant please 100% of the people 100% of the time. Especially those who dont understand your goals. So I would say, check our 155, 4-star average Yelp reviews (Pretty good) or our 58 5-Star average reviews on Find me Gluten-free (Exceptional) and then decide of one or two peoples motivation for venom in reviews. Sadly, some have an agenda, be that competitor, friend of ex-employee or simply someone looking to be relevant for 5 minutes. Regardless, we will continue loving on every, single person that walks in the door.. Enter as a stranger, leave as a friend

CH

Chad Stowe

Food was, to say the least, very disappointing. My first suggestion for the chef is to throw away the microwave or at least try and reheat the food slowly with the hope of giving the customers the perception there is fresh food in the kitchen...ie extremely hot rolls, then when cooled hard rolls! Fish and Chips....or frozen fish and soggy fries. Is it really that hard to by some fish, make a beer batter and serve fresh food? I lived in England, and Ive never seen fish the shape of hotdogs. The Menu says the fish is cod. Right, and the McRib is real meat! Sheppards Pie. Its been awhile since Ive had authentic sheppards pie, but I dont remember it consisting of ground beef, spagetti sauce, toped with (maybe instant) mashed potato, baked with cheese on top. Not to mention it took 20 minutes for it to cool down enough to taste the grease left from the abundance of undrained hamburger meat. For authentic English style pub food I would find another place, but I here the pizza is good!