Astley Arms in Northumberland

We dined as a group of 4 and were disappointed with the food and service. The restaurant wasn’t busy, and yet it still took 55 minutes for our food to arrive and when it did, it all arrived at different times, rather than together, so each person on our table ate separately to each other. For example, one of our group ordered 3 starters as their main and each part of their order arrived separately. The beef burger patties were cheap and thin. On the online order, you had the option to remove onions and burger sauce which I did, and the burger arrived with both. No attention to detail. Avoid!

Excellent customer service by Sharon!

Someone has changed my last review you all need to take a leaf out of his book what a polite person with manners good banter with the customers well done David hope the rest of the staff take heed there will be a pint in the pump 4u next time I'm in again thank you David 👍👍

Pizzas are top notch, Meat feast calzone is the best. Cheers david.

Food was lovely, we had the carvery and the service excellent

Good food in cosy venue.... Friendly staff and good service we attended from 12.30 15/09/2024

Very large place. Reasonable food, not expensive. Good staff. Carpark opposite, just tap in your vehicle reg, and no fees to park. Would recommend and return.

Sharon most friendly and helpful explaining the menu to me. Pleasant and obligation. We will be back

I came here a few years ago and did not think much of the carvery. But yesterday i returned with family and it was the worst carvery i have ever had, the only thing that was nice was the turkey. My gammon was mostly fat, veg was all hard,the cauliflower was so hard i could not get my knife through, i know some veg people like a bit of a crunch but not raw. There was no potato left in the roasties as they were over cooked. Usually i wouldve said something but because i was with family i did not. But i would not reccomend the carvery to anyone else, im not sure what the other food there is like.

Haven’t been for a while and has totally gone downhill! Meat and veg were all over cooked dry and hard. Not even a salt sellar on the tables had to hunt for one. Flat lemonade. Had to take 2 drinks back to bar. Not the cleanest now either. Food all over the floor. Won’t be back

Great service, good value and a special thanks to Lucy our server today,

Been today for a carvery and got talking to one of the staff- Sharon. Absolutely lovely, so friendly, cheerful and bubbly. Loved her singing/ dancing whilst clearing tables and her enthusiasm when talking to us about our upcoming wedding. She’s a credit to the place- loved her!

Yesterday, my family and I visited this establishment, and while we encountered an unexpected issue involving a faulty pepper shaker, which led to pepper getting into my child's eye, the staff's response was nothing short of outstanding. Sharon, in particular, went above and beyond to rectify the situation. She promptly acknowledged the issue and made an immediate gesture of goodwill by offering the children complimentary ice cream. While the gesture was greatly appreciated, it unfortunately led to the children refusing to eat their carvery meal. Additionally, there was some disappointment when the dessert we initially ordered was unavailable. However, Sharon's commitment to excellent customer service continued to shine through. She and her team not only refunded the cost of the child's meal but also upgraded our dessert to a sundae and even allowed us to take home the refunded meal. Sharon's ability to turn an unfortunate event into a positive experience was remarkable. Her professionalism, attentiveness to the children, and swift handling of the situation left a lasting impression on us. Should we find ourselves travelling back up north, we will most certainly return. Sharon and her team exemplify exceptional service, making every effort to ensure their guests leave satisfied.

Sharon is Fab, so bubbly and chatty, if anyone deserves a bottle of wine as a treat she does, well done sharon & everyone serving and cooking today !!

Food and service great. Will be back 👍

I came out for an evening meal with my family, I was served by a lovely lady named Sharon. She was very friendly and had great customer service skills, she met all mine and my family’s needs, she was very helpful and kind, she made mine and my family restaurant experience incredible, I would highly recommend this restaurant to friends and family.. and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to Sharon, she was an amazing host 🙂

Absolutely amazing carvery beef melted in your mouth and the mash potatoes were great compliments to the chef Huge portions of brownie and ice cream Thanks to Sharon for great service and being welcoming as first time visitors and definitely will be back

Lovely food and great service. Restaurant was really clean and Sharon was fab and friendly.

Sharon was great! Food was delicious lovely day out! Xx

Lovely Sunday carvery made even more special by Sharon!

Never any fresh eggs when you want them but other than that nice scran. And of course Shanell is a legend 🙌

Sharon was very friendly and helpful

Service was lovely from Sharon very smiley and chatty Food was nice :)

Great afternoon in the garden in the sunshine Fabulous service by Grace Definitely will be returning

Had a lovely dinner, Sharon, Callum and Lucy were brilliant and really friendly. Especially with my son and dog. Definitely recommend ☺️

The lady who helped us was Shanell, really helpful and very pleasant. We had my grandson so she was lovely with him

Lovely food and good atmosphere. Service was excellent, served by Shanell who was very friendly and professional. Definitely recommend a visit.

Great place, great atmosphere. Shanell and Lucy alway's go above and beyond.

Lovely food great service from Sharon was really helpful, good prices 👍

Although it was evident that they had been exceptionally busy it didn't impact on the moods of the staff as they were still friendly and helpful. Carvery was very nice. I had turkey which had just been brought out and it was yummy, not at all dry.

Havn't been here for a few years so decided to try it out again. Met on the carvery was lovely but yhe gravy was disappointing, very watery with no flavour. One person ordered something from the main menu and we had waited ages to find out the meal was put on the area next to the ice cream? Not brought to the table? Strange.

Great service by sharon very friendly

Had a lovely visit today , food was gorgeous , loved it , Sharon took our order and waited on us , couldn’t do enough , so bubbly and helpful , chef was also lovely and friendly, fantastic place , with a great atmosphere . 5* from me .

amazing service off sharon child friendly great atmosphere

Sharon fabservice great with kids and a scream Lovely service from her

Lovely and friendly place. The carvery was absolutely lovely couldn't fault it. I would go back again and totally recommend this place for a good Sunday lunch.

Lovely food, friendly staff, looked after by shanell.

Went there a week earlier great but last Sunday we went got told to grab a table on the left as you walk in my wife and daughter went to bar ordered some drinks and good the we got told to move as 15 people were in and moved us so we left no reserve sign either

Lovely food and staff, specially shanell who went out her way for us😊

Wonderful service and a good time. With shanell and Grace, I will call again.

Went with family and dog, ordered pizzas which were half price on Tuesdays, all delicious, Shanell our waitress was brilliant too very friendly and helpful, all in all a great meal plus a dog friendly place, definitely going back.

Went with family and dog. Ordered pizzas which were half price on Tuesdays. Served by a lovely lady called Shanell who dealt with our order. Pizzas came were very tasty and delicious. Shanell was very attentive and very pleasant.

Hi guys got served by Shenelle and I couldn't wish for a better service well done love her to bits xx 😍

The food is always amazing and stagg are nice and helpful. Can get quite busy but there is generally just a small queue for carvery if there is one at all.

we came tonight and the service and food was wonderful, big thankyou to our server grace she was lovely and ensured that everything was perfect/safe for us as we also had someone with a allergy with us couldn’t be more grateful thankyou

Really amazing food- would highly recommend the crispy BBQ chicken burger. Everything was served nice and hot, and the portion sizes were great! We were served by Grace who was super friendly and very accommodating of my friend who has ARFID (an aversion to food). Big shout out to her! Would definitely recommend this place to anyone.

Brilliant service, lovely food. Very attentive service by shannel

Lovely pub right on the beach. Nice food and reasonably priced

Absolutely lovely, happy and helpful staff. Sharon and Grace you are both wonderful. You both went above and beyond to help us with all our little quirky needs. Thank you. Food was gorgeous too x 😋 elaine and ann x

The food today was fantastic, the chicken fajita pizza is delicious. Our server, Grace, was wonderful and understanding. We had a few issues with burger toppings and she handled it perfectly, very polite and kind. I definitely recommend the place, the menu has plenty of variety!

Lovely breakfast, Grace was an excellent waitress looking after us.

Fab service by Sharon thank you ⭐️

Great dog friendly pub with plenty of food and drinks to choose from. Our server was Grace and she was really kind and engaging, often checking up on our table and bringing treats and water for the dog. Overall amazing experience and will definitely be back!

Was met with a smile and excellent service by a waitress named grace the food was top notch would highly recomend

We love the carvery at the Astley, and the staff are fabulous, especially Grace 👑

I was served by Grace, and one her colleagues. Some of the best service I have had in a long time. They were so friendly, and great with my dog. A credit to the place

Lush buffet breakfast surprisingly had bacon and mushroom pizza included which was a bonus, grace looked after us well 5 ⭐️

Good carvery, nice staff, but the seats desperately need either cleaning or replacing. They were pretty grim.

Just been in for a carvery, lovely food at a reasonable price and we were made to feel very welcome by Sharon

Sharon was very polite, friendly and helpful whilst we were here. First time here will definitely come again.

Great carvery, staff are always friendly. Lovely place to dine.

I was made to feel welcome as soon as I walked in. The staff were very friendly. I was looked after by Sharon, who is a credit to the Ashley Arms. All the staff are friendly and go out of their way to make sure you have a good experience

Had breakfast here this morning. It was lovely as usual and good value. Very friendly staff. Sharon made sure we had everything we wanted. She was so helpful. Thanks again

Grate value for your money and good choice of food - hope you get your bottle Sharon

Great food, shanell is lovely, would recommend.

Lovely atmosphere and very kid friendly too, opposite a lovely park so it’s a great stop off for some lunch after some play time and lots of variety on the menu - will definitely be back

Food was excellent - although the pub was really busy nothing was to much trouble food was lovely and the staff made sure we all sat together - lovely food - great staff and great atmosphere we will be coming back!

Never had any complaints about the Astley. Lovely staff and lovely food. Thanks Sharron for making it special.

We had to move 2 times as 1, seats were dirty and tables and furniture had food marks and food crumbs everywhere. We also had to pay £3.75 for a pint of lemonade. Staff are friendly but more of talk rather than wiping and cleaning tables and furniture. We have waited roughly 40+ minutes for our food but rather than that its friendly and some laughter all around. When we got our food it was a big portion but very greecy for a pizza "i had to use a tissue to take it a lot of it off". After finishing the food. The staff was quick at taking the empty dishes but not cleaning the table. Overall 5/10 for a first time experience.

Been a while since we have been here and after seeing a lot of negative reviews was unsure about visiting again. I must admit , we were so pleased we visited again. No complaints from us about the food. It was spot on. The veg was cooked just how we like it and the meat plentiful. We were looked after by Lindsay and she went out of her way to make sure we had everything we needed. Very friendly and attentive. We wont leave visiting again so long next time.

Absolute outstanding service and food. Sharon and Deb couldn't have done more to make our evening wonderful even with a full venue they made time to ensure our experience was great!

Bought three dinners on Sunday £28 i literally had the shavings of fat off the top.we explained what we had then we were brought a bowl of beef gristle. When we complained we received £12 for one cavery not the other 2 I asked where to complain and we were told to complain on here. I’m really sad to do this as we have been going for years and I can’t believe how bad it has got ! Zero food zero service stay away

Popped in with kids for a carvery, this place never disappoints on the dinner front, kids also had puds which came really fast too, its nice and relaxed and we came at 4pm on a monday so it was nice and quiet which was perfect for my boy who is neuro diverse so struggles in busy places. The staff are pleasant and friendly too (especially sharon and kirsty) 😊

Came here tonight with my partner and 3 children, ordered 4 main meals and one kids meal, the kids meal came quite quickly, then 5 minutes later along came another meal, which we overheard was meant to go to another table but as it was the same as what was ordered on our table it got left on ours, then came mine and my partners meal meaning we were waiting on one meal for one of the children, we were told would be a couple more minutes, mine and my partner started on our food which we found was stone cold in the centre, we told the waitress (Karen/carol I think I overheard) she couldn't apologise more, very helpful very friendly alongside the dark haired lady on the bar, at this point it had been about 10 mins and still missing a meal, complained that not only was our food cold we had expected to eat a meal together not for it to come in dribs and drabs. We did get a refund for our food and the staff were very apologetic, we have been here a few times for Sunday lunch but not for a while and very disappointed in how downhill the food has went, we won't be back. The service we had at the bar and by the waitress was great, just a shame about the quality of food

First visit for a couple of years. Had family visiting and I booked a table for a carvery telling everyone how lovely it was. However the food was lukewarm and tasteless 2 of our party ordered burgers which seemed to take forever to come (we had already eaten our carvery) they were dry and overcooked Won’t be back

We had our daughters 9th birthday meal here yesterday 17th july and we couldn't fault it the food is delicious, the staff are really friendly our servers were callum and immy we had our daughters cake at the end and they all came out to sing with us i highly recommend this place we will be coming back

Friendly staff, lovely food, would recommend.

Lyndsey is brilliant at customer service , known her for 7 year +

Just returned from a hugely disappointing visit. I visited using a Wowcher 2 course for 2 voucher. Ordered fried chicken, average, Ordered a Veggie Delux pizza below average and a Margherita pizza, how can you get this soo wrong, 2 toppings, not enough sauce and barely any cheese making it as dry as sticks, tried to make it bareable with mayo, but had to call it quits. Absolutely horrible. I'm not sure how you can charge someone the best part of £10 for this. Told the server, who said I will tell someone, the cleaner perhaps? No one came to follow up on our complaint, got the impression that they couldn't give a F@#k. Followed up with bottomless ice cream, 1 Portion partly eaten was enough! The strangest looking ice cream and with zero flavour. So if it's a dry as sticks pizza and yellow tasteless ice cream you're after, then this is the place for you. I used to love the Astley, this will be my last ever visit. Stonehouse, more like Sh#thouse! I don't recommend and will never return. Sent complaint to Head Office to see if their response is better than the staff at the Astley. ****Response from Astley Arms**** Attached is a response from The Astley Arms...See Image. And my response below Hi Callum, Thank you for your reply. However, your explanation doesn't really fill me with hope for improvement. You talk about specs and weights rather than talking about the quality and expectations of the customer. The amount of Sauce and cheese for the price point is far less than an £0.99 pizza from Aldi or Lidl (which I've had in the past and can say were far more superior in taste and quantity of ingredients). You may think I am being picky or precious in my expectations for the price point? I regularly visit Miller and Carter (a part of the the same group) and they will use the same metrics to ensure business is profitable, but I know if I have every had the reason to complaint at POS (once previously) someone had the courtesy and professionalism to speak to me at the time and rectify. You talk about specs, etc. I think you need to train your staff on basic customer service and how to deal with issues correctly. As I stated I won't be back to the Astley or any other Stonehouse branded Inns, based purely on quality, price and now your email, which you didn't even attempt to address your staffs staggering lack of customer service and yours due to the lack of a cursory 'Sorry' in your email. I will update my online reviews with your response. Regards Peter Shepherd

Carvery is excellent value for money, the deals where you have a starter & main or main & dessert yummy, pizzas very tasty xx

What a horror! Booked table for 5 people. Upgraded to big meal on the carvery. Stood 10 minutes for the chef to come out and carve the meat. He gave the tiniest portion of all 3 meats, then threw the Yorkshire puddings on the plate! He was obviously having a bad day. I asked for the fat to be cut off the slice of pork, but when I came to eat it, it was pure gristle! Mashed potato was very very peppery and tasted like dried potato. Frozen Carrots! Cauliflower Cheese was so raw I couldn't cut it with the knife! Gravy thin and tasteless. Table was sticky and the chairs had horrible stains on the upholstery. I will never come back here. It was awful. Food was luke warm too. Eugh. Used to come often and it was good quality value for money food but not now.

Staffs uniforms are dirty. Food cold and only served beef today. Bar staff couldn’t even smile. Won’t be back

Had a run to the Astley Arms today with my daughter nd 2 m8s. Food was much better than last time, everything nice & clean nd the lass behind the bar was very polite. Didn't get mushrooms as I don't know why you'd pay extra for 1 item, also think drinks should be refillable like Toby Carvery. But all in all a decent breakfast, will definitely go again.

We cone here quite often normally love it but tonight was such a disappointment, the food in carvery had obviously sat out for hours the mash, Yorkshires and and roast potatoes were rock hard, I couldn't eat them, left feeling really disappointed

Had heard good reviews about this place but must have been from a long while ago. Food very bad service even worse. Veg undercooked gravy ran out then so did we. Don't go there.

We went for the Quiz night on Wednesday the 26th June 24, they must be very difficult as know one else turned up

Unfortunately we were overcharged for our food and didn't realise until we got home. The toilets were also super dirty so this was pointed out to staff, but nothing was done.

Decent food for decent prices, could do with a bit of a refresh on some chairs

Definitely not great for breakfast anymore. Waited 20 mins for everything other than sausages but in that 20 mins only black pudding and waffles and 3 eggs cooked. When the bacon beans, potatoes, hash browns came out they were gone in seconds as everyone was waiting. One table asked for money back and we left underwhelmed and hungry.

Very disappointed with today's lunch and so surprised. I go to the astley arms a lot and have never been disappointed however today decided to try take away and won't do it again I'm afraid. I ordered two carvery and one vegetarian lunch. There was no option to request gravy for the vegetarian lunch so I called and asked if I could have onion gravy (which has been available every time I have visited) I was told no there is none. I collected lunch and took them to 3 old ladies in their 80s who were so looking forward as i always raved about how wonderful it was and explained about no veggie gravy only to discover there was no gravy for anyone. As I was 5 miles away I quickly dashed to a shop to solve the problem. My main issue is not the fact the gravy was missing these things happen but more the fact I have rang several times today without reply and when I did receive a response some 8 hours later the only response I got was oh sorry!

Came with partner and son on Thursday evening for tea , I had beyond burger which came with chips and onion rings , son had crispy chicken burger, chips partner opted for carvery beef and honey glazed gammon with pigs in blankets , all enjoyed our meals , lovely friendly staff

Had not been for a few years so decided to try again. Sadly it was disappointing. Appreciate that it’s a Sunday and always busy. However placed our order at 1pm and one of our party ordered the carvery. They got that and did enjoy it. However they had finished their meal well before the rest of the party had even got theirs. One of our party had ordered a Hawaiian pizza only to be told half an hour after we placed the order at 1.30pm that they didn’t have any pineapple for the pizza. Two of the party ordered scampi and chips and these sat on the counter for a while before being served to the table so some was cold. The other party had also ordered a pizza that came out which they did enjoy and as the other pizza had to be changed this was served later. So out of the 5 of us, apart from the two that had scampi all meals were served at different times.

Went there with my husband for our lunch he ordered the burger and chips it looked absolutely awful like cheap tinned burgers they didn't looked cooked properly I told him to complain but he wouldn't I had the southern fried chicken burger and that wasn't much better we would definitely not go back what a waste of money the service was fine but food is a big no no

Warm welcoming place Lovely food Excellent staff Excellent service couldn't have been more helpful The chef no name gave Excellent service and was friendly even gave my daughter and granddaughter an extra Yorkshire pudding 😀 Would recommend this place to eat relax and just enjoy the atmosphere

Me and my wife had a meal here 23rd May and great as usual I had the fish and chips and my wife had the carvery which always likes ,the service was excellent definitely go again

Have read some very mixed reviews about this place so wanted to try for ourselves. Pub was quite quiet when we arrived, so we easily found a seat and had a look at the menu. Although it was very clean it was a bit shabby in places however looks as if it’s been getting a bit of a face lift. There’s a good range of veggie options available and we choose a ‘chicken’ and beyond ‘beef’ burger along with some drinks. Everything arrived quickly and piping hot and was most importantly, really tasty! Staff were friendly and helpful when asked about further bookings and Xmas, bringing dogs etc, checking the availability for us. Will definitely visit again! PS parking is across the road and you can get it free when you go in and use the screen at the bar! NB We’ve now become regulars here as the food and welcoming atmosphere won out! There’s a nice range of veggies options including Sunday dinners as well as the usual burgers. Team here always make us welcome

Very friendly and helpful staff carvery is definitely value for money nothing a bother to them for helping you

Went today for lunch spent 45 min waiting to get food that did not match what we ordered and what we paid for. When this was brought to the attention of the staff she stated she would bring our refund over. We were there a further 30+ min she passed us a number of times no refund and even had time to stop and make conversation with her friend at another table. We left without a refund and to top it off some of the food was undercooked we weren't offered sauces and coffee did not come with the option of sugar. Would not recommend

I went today for some dinner, I ordered a chicken burger and paid extra to have wedges instead of chips on the app. Drinks came quickly but the food did not, it took over 45mintues and it came with chips instead of wedges. I told the lady who bought the food over I upgraded and paid extra for wedges and showed her proof on my phone she apologised and said she just came on shift and someone should of been over to tell us they had no wedges. I can confirm nobody came over to tell us they had no wedges. She said she'd sort a refund and bring it over to me and for me to go get my food while it was hot I said OK thanks and returned to the table I was at to eat the food I purchased. After 30mintues the same lady walked past 3 times and even came right next to us to clean the table and didn't say word. No refund was given. The same lady also kept going to another table near us to complain about other people to her friend. Burger was lovely I must add but birdseye food is nice, chips weren't cooked properly and needed to be left in the oven for longer . We won't be returning in a hurry.

As soon as we walked in we were made welcome and shown to our table. We went to the bar to order our carveries and drinks. There was a problem with the App and Katie went out of her way to help us. The venue was clean and spacious. The food was well cooked, well presented and there was a good choice of potatoes and vegetables. We both enjoyed our visit which was made easier by the car park across the road from The Astley Arms. The Astley Arms is to be credited for the excellence of its Customer Service such as we received from Katie. Thank you.