Axe & Cleaver in Trafford

Paul and Kassie were excellent servers. Food was lovely.

Booked a table for 5 as a Mother’s Day treat, arrived early but we were soon given a great large round table in the window. The pub is well staffed and the service excellent, had a little wait for our meal but it was busy and the food is proper stuff so that was no problem. Great variety of meals available at reasonable prices, good portions & vegetarian options, we all enjoyed them! There was a big car park and picnic tables outside, we’ll have to come back in summer, cheers!

Lovely food, friendly staff good atmosphere

Arrived for a meal on a Wednesday evening (walk in, no booking) and we were greeted by Paul who gave us a warm welcome and made us feel at ease. Food (a rump steak and a mixed grill) was great quality, cooked to order and there was a lot of it which was great. It was a tasty meal that my wife and I really enjoyed. Thank you to all the team 👏

Lovely friendly atmosphere with great staff who make you feel welcome from start to finish . The Sunday Roast was excellent 🙂

Thank you so so much Alison ,Neil and Paul absolutely amazing appreciate everything you guys have done ! food amazing !Service outstanding ! Todays Celebration 🎉 of our Johns life you made such effort. Can’t wait to visit again for a meal . Mary Jane & Family

Came here after a funeral. Food and service excellent. Would recommend.

Wonderful pub Got.pulled in her by two dear friends who are regularly in here Wonderful service from all staff, lovely setting and the Sunday lunch was worth every single penny I cannot recommend enough

Not visited in a long time, staff very friendly and helpful, Food tasty

This is my favourite country pub! It’s a beautiful establishment and has been my choice for many birthdays. We went in today and the two front of house staff were amazing. Really appreciated their service and non gluten menu!

Very nice little pub with amazing customer service. Went there for a family members wake and the environment was very calming.

Great Sunday roast, service was fantastic! We’ll be back again. Thanks Paul & Leah

Alyson looked after me and my wife this afternoon, the food was exceptional and atmosphere was great. She was very helpful and assisted us with our choice of food and puddings. Great job Alyson

Excellent food. Great service from Paul & Kassie

We always love coming to the A&C. Great food and service in lovely surroundings. We like to linger over Sunday lunch and always end up having the third course which we never intended but the diet had to take second place! Thanks to all the staff and we will be back.

Always enjoy the food and service. Highly recommend . Thank you Paul and Alyson

This is an update on my previous review - I had nothing other than praise earlier but like so many things that are too good to be true something always comes along to spoil it. We booked a table well in advance for a birthday treat for my sister in law. We turned up an hour early so that we could park and walk the dog before eating. A rather aggressive character (turned out to be the bar manager) stormed across the carpark and told us the we couldn't park because it was only for customers. When told we had booked and would be customers in about 45 minutes his response was "well you can't bring the dog in because it is not dog friendly". At no stage did this self important character ever apologise - if we could have found somewhere else quickly and easily there is no possibility we would have actually eaten here. HOW THINGS CHANGE - PLEASE READ ON Certainly we can describe this place as a very successful find. Having searched wide and far for a pub capable of catering for a small group of both meat eaters and vegans we found the Axe & Cleaver - a great success. We had been on the point of despair and began to believe it would be better to stay at home. Given the extensive menu which was hard to believe existed providing meals for vegan, vegetarian and meat diets there were also a number of dishes marked as gluten free. We can only say we all had a feeling of disbelief and a suspicion that it was all too good to be true. However, the food quality was excellent, served piping hot, with good sized portion control and nicely presented. The pub decor appears a little dated but is clean and tidy. Toilet facilities also were clean and reasonably fresh. Overall a worthwhile trip out with a lovely walk from Dunham Town along the Bridgewater Canal and back through Dunham Park - on one of the few warm, sunny and dry days all year. Many times it is so much easier to find things to criticise but that is not the case here. We can only provide compliments and say we hope that with so many pubs closing all around that this place continues to be a success. These 2 reviews demonstrate how experiences can change!

Food was excellent we had absolutely no complaints though we did wait 45min - 1hour (Sunday). The only let-down for us was slow service, we had to get up a handful of times and ask for drinks, desserts and the bill (twice). Further, the mood of who we got served by wasn't 'bad' but it certainly wasn't friendly. While it wasn't the end of the world and again- the food is excellent- atmosphere is important and it simply wasn't great.

Great breakfast selection and food was amazing. Service was excellent, friendly and interactive staff. Definitely recommend.

Dropped in for breakfast.Staff were very polite and knowledgeable about the menu.Food and drinks came promptly. Three breakfasts ;all delicious and just what we were after. Been before but not for breakfast ; will be back.

Called late lunch time on a Friday, excellent friendly service and quality food very helpful and efficient staff Kassie & Lace they made it excellent value for money, we will be returning soon as we can

We were looked after really well by Alyson and Paul!! Food was fantastic. Will definitely be back and highly recommend.

Thanks to Paul for a really enjoyable evening and Sam for serving us. Great food and drink and we appreciated the 2 meals for £20 offer. Will be back again soon.

Friendly staff, reasonably priced comfortable environment. Unplanned visit and called in on the off chance to see if we could get a table. The guy who spoke to us upon entering was very helpful and found us a table but did advise us we needed to vacate after about 2 hours. This wasn't going to be an issue as we already planned on having a Sunday lunch. I had beer rump, my wife had the roast turkey, we had a side of cauliflower cheese. The food was very good, and they did provide an extra mug of gravy when requested. If I was picky, I thought the roast potatoes could be more cooked, but that is my preference. The portions are good and we both felt full afterwards, this resulted in us sharing a desert. We had the bakewell tart and custard, which again was very nice. Looked like a reasonable selection of beer, I stuck with my usual Guinness, my wife had shandy due to driving. Overall, a nice experience and the staff are good. One thing we both noticed, we weren't asked about allergies, which is unusual. This is something that will improve the business if they make it something the integrate into the greating, we have a family member with a severe allergy so this is why we noticed it. This is not a criticism, more an observation as we really enjoyed this place. Thanks

I absolutely love the food and staff here! It’s definitely my go-to spot for brunch on the weekends. Servena and Paul were the staff members who served us today, and they are both so lovely. They always make us feel very welcome! Highly recommend!!

Really impressed with the great quality food, clearly made with fresh ingredients. Pub was gorgeous and top notch service from Servena, Kassie, and Alyson, all really welcoming and professional. Top notch Guinness and all, can’t go wrong!

This was a return visit after a previous one which was really not very good 5 months ago. Having decided to return I bkd on line and mentioned we had been before and were hoping this time it would be ok. We visited as a party of 3 like last time for Sunday lunch. We all ordered the turkey Sunday dinner. All the meals were lovely and nothing was missing from the meals we requested extra gravy and this was not a problem and a jug of gravy was brought out. We were too full for desserts. We were served by Servena who was pleasant and friendly. She came and asked if everything was ok and so did Paul. Paul later came to speak to my mum and I as he remembered us from our previous visit when we had problems. He wanted to check everything was ok . This time the experience was really good the staff were attentive and the food was great. Thank you for making our return visit a memorable experience. We will be back soon.

A wonderful Lunch with 15 old work colleagues and to celebrate an 80th Birthday of one of the guests on Wednesday 12th February. The booking process was straight forward and whoever I spoke to was so helpful and obliging with helpful advice on how to deal with a large group. On the Day, a nice touch of a "Happy Birthday" Banner for the Birthday Boy. The food was fantastic with the Pie and Mixed Grill very popular. The two young ladies serving were exceptional, dealing with a bunch of OAPs and retirees efficiently and in a kindly way. Settling up was easy following advice prior to booking - this can be difficult with a large group as to who had what!! I can't thank the all the Staff enough who made the Lunch so wonderful and made the organising of the event so easy - they were all exceptional. Everyone had a great time. Thank you so much

Met here today for lunch and it was delicious as always. We received a warm welcome from Paul, and excellent table service from Servena. Thank you.

Fantastic service !! Alyson and Paul served us. As always, outstanding

Held a funeral buffet here today. Would highly recommend as a venue for any event or just a meal out. No room hire fee if you use the area just as you go inside. This is slightly raised and separate from the rest of the pub. Really good buffet and was reasonably priced. Staff very attentive and even though it was obviously a sad day, it went very well. Thank you.

We visited here for my mother's 70th birthday last Christmas, and it was truly a memorable experience. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted by Paul, the manager, who was incredibly friendly and attentive. His warm hospitality made the whole visit feel extra special. The pub itself has a classic English country feel, warm and cosy. As for the food, it definitely lived up to the reputation of good pub grub. A fabulous hearty menu with something for everyone's taste. It was a great place to celebrate and we could not recommend this place enough to anyone who happens to be in the area. Again, thank you so much to Paul and his wonderful staff for a brilliant evening.

Called in on a very busy afternoon and the pub was clearly full. Lovely front of house / waitress named Serrena quickly attended to us and managed to find us a seat. She was so polite and attentive throughout our whole meal. Server Kassie was lovely too, checking if we wanted sauces etc .. Food excellent and bonus if your a blue light card holder as they offer 15% off food. Great place to call in if you’ve been for a walk at Dunham Massey. Will defiantly return .

This was the best WI Ladies Lunch for some time. The food was delicious, the surroundings were comfortable and clean and the serving staff, Kassie and Servena, were wonderful.

Wont be back here ! Lunch visit today, unhelpful , arrogant female staff member informed us if you haven’t booked you’re not sitting down! and then she walked off .there was several empty tables we could have used.

Visited with the family at the weekend for a light lunch. The service from Paul and Alyson was excellent from start to finish, they were flexible to our request for our kids food and I ordered the coronation chickpea sandwich which I would highly recommend. Lovely atmosphere with a fireplace warming the place.

Lovely post run meal. Very tasty burgers. Great service from Paul

Spent several hours on a Sunday afternoon, relaxing with the wife over a fabulous bottle of Malbec. Although we didn’t eat here, the plates of food being served looked amazing (particularly the enormous Yorkshire puddings) and the host (Alyson) was super friendly and helpful. We will certainly be back in the near future !!

Came here for Valentine’s Day with my partner, food was absolutely lovely, however £25 for the lamb shank in abit of gravy (was suppose to be in a shepards pie) was extortionate. The picture attached is our food untouched, that is definitely not in a shepards pie. My partners mixed grill was lovely he really enjoyed it.

Great Sunday lunch, and great service from Paul!

Great food as always, service was amazing as always, managed to get a last minute table on Sunday, thanks guys.

Highly recommend. Was visiting from Canada. Great atmosphere and great food.

Such a lovely warming atmosphere to this hidden countryside gem.

Great food and team, well recommended

Lovely roast dinner. Service was top notch, super friendly and service was quick. We booked for a friend’s birthday and they went the extra mile to make us feel welcome and for him to feel celebrated. Would recommend and visit again.

A lovely gastropub, full of atmosphere, with great food, wines and service. Highly recommended.

Basic. My pie was very expensive for what it was. Almost no accompaniment except for a few leaves. My wife's steak was lukewarm.

We went for breakfast on a recommendation and so pleased we did. The food was amazing (full cooked and Chef and Brewer Benedict - gluten free option). Sat near the open fire which was lovely after our walk and service was spot on (thanks Neil) Would definitely recommend.

Lovely food, very helpful staff

Huge car park, nice pub and friendly staff. Food was great too. First class

Couldn't really fault the staff/service but food very mediocre. Portion sizes rather stingy, particularly chips, veg, salad etc. Cutting back on these things makes little business sense. Also £4.45 for a coke is extortion, even the draught beer is cheaper. Not the worst meal out I've ever had but won't be back anytime soon.

We dropped in solely for a quiet drink. Lovely pub and beautiful surroundings. Sat by the open fire and had a fantastic evening with friends

First time at this venue-- and very pleasantly surprised. Very ' oldie worldly' and full of charm. Had a birthday meal for three-- food was exceptional and beautifully presented-- WELL DONE TO THE CHEF👍 coffee just right as well! Also important-- the staff were very professional and friendly!! Well done everyone-- and definitely be visiting again very soon. 😘

This was our first visit. Really lovely and attentive staff. And comfortable and welcoming surroundings. Food met expectations, nothing spectacular, as only typical chef & brewer fayre. But as a party of 7, we all enjoyed our meals and drinks and left feeling it had been an enjoyable experience.

Really enjoyed visiting the pub, Great steak sandwich and felt well looked after

We came for a Birthday meal and weren't disappointed the staff were welcoming and friendly and the food was excellent with a great choice of food and dessert hope to be back soon

Lovely cosy pub for a cheeky midweek dinner, with a warm welcome from Paul and Alyson.

My first visit here after 9 p.m. on a Saturday night. No cars, no customers, staff was preparing to leave for the night. The young Stretfordian at the bar said we were more than welcome to stay, while she prepped for the following day. She offered us a seat in an area that was not being used for Sunday and kindly served us, telling us it was not a problem for us to be there. She even offered us a second drink in an empty pub. That is customer service! Wonderful building and clean interior, cannot wait to return with a few more people. Thank you.

Really nice breakfast by the crackling fire after a nice walk

Had a lovely breakfast. Beautifully presented and tasted delicious. Service was fantastic and it was lovely and cosy near to the open fire. Would 100% recommend.

Nice quiet country pub. Only stopped in for coffee and a snack but would consider returning.

Not dog friendly walked 4 miles to this this pub I was feeling hungry though would stop at this pub told no dogs

Always very cosy and great home cook food, our Sunday roast rivelled our christmas day dinner!

Delicious lamb shank, lovely drinks, and fun service. Thank you xx

Staff and food always fantastic. Great location and venue for a family meal

If I could give more stars I would. Absolutely fabulous, have been coming here for years with my family always wonderful. Big thanks to Neil and Paul

Had a very relaxing family meal at lunchtime. The service provided by Paul and Kassie was excellent, and the food was good and very reasonable. A very enjoyable experience as always at this lovely pub. Thank you.

Came for Sunday lunch and was not disappointed. Huge portion of meat, roasties were fresh and crispy, veg nicely done. No complaints at all, the offer of a mini pudding was a good choice after such a huge roast; would highly recommend

Great food, great service, great settings. We’re very lucky to have this pub on our doorstep, it’s always a pleasure. Thanks guys, see you soon

Fantastic service, as always although Alyson was especially kind, warm and friendly today. What an absolute asset! Paul is always so nice too. He always leaves a great impression and is clearly a great guy. My personal view is that the food here is generally pub food, hence the 3* review; I don't think the prices make this higher as I think the same price can get much nicer food elsewhere, but please don't let this take from my review of thr service, which I would give 5/5, especially led by Alyson and Paul

Fabulous New Year's Eve meal. Excellent choices. Excellent food. Even better service.

Had a really enjoyable vegetarian breakfast here after a walk down the canal. Altrincham has many breakfast choices, but at £10 this is a really solid option that is a decent in quantity and quality for the price. Bonus points for a roaring fire on a cold day

Had the steak. Nothing special. Food 7.5/10. However, hey did squeeze us in on NYE not booked. Which was unexpected. From there, the service was outstanding. All humans 5 Star. A relaxed English country pub. With heritage and history. Full of relaxed people and attentive staff. What more could one ask for. Worth a nip in.

Truly wonderful New Years Eve meal with family. Normally we would expect sub standard food and service over the Xmas period, but not at this place. Food was really gorgeous and service superb, no rushing to get you served and out. We haven’t been here for a while but rest assured we will definitely be frequenting it more often. Highly recommended ( the Sunday roasts are scrumptious) give it a try you wont be disappointed

We came as a group for a Christmas dinner, but they were unfortunately sold out of the vegetarian options! They substituted it for the mushroom pie from the main menu, but it was one of the worst pies we’ve ever had. We also payed the Christmas set menu price (so it actually was more expensive than if we’d chosen from the main menu). The atmosphere and service is fab! And the team were great. It’s a shame the food was disappointing!

Really enjoyed it. Great food, service and atmosphere

Fantastic service but food leaves a lot to be desired, especially for the price. Further, the Christmas menu listed various things that weren't on the actual dishes. We also had to proactively ask about whether we needed to prebrook. My view is that the Christmas menu as a whole was poorly facilitated, save for the friendly staff on the day

Came here tonight for meal , the manager met us and was lovely , talking chatting lovely man, paul our waiter was so chatty made us laugh so much we loved him.. we all had the festive menu absolutely scrumptious turkey melted in your mouth and tastes delicious, highly recommended.. and trifle omg i was dribbling , smells were spicey and mouth watering. Overall lovely atmosphere great food .. nice manager .. just lovely and paul so so nice highly recommended thankyou from the golden youngies . Merry Christmas see you all again

Wonderful place to visit. Very friendly staff and excellent food for very good price. Few times being here

Lovely atmosphere and the staff were very friendly! The meats for the Sunday roast was great as well, the only thing that wasn’t as up to par was the roast potatoes and one the desserts in the trio! Otherwise I would highly recommend this place and come back.

Really nice cosy pub, delicious food and top service from Alyson & Sophie. Went for my girlfriend’s birthday and they put out a banner and brought out a slice of cake. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a great meal.

Lovely food amazing service thank you

Where do I start !!! I booked a meal for 2pm for 15/12/24 with my wife and her two sons the first time we’ve managed to get them together in the last 6 months due to everyone’s work commitments. We booked the axe and cleaver as I’d ate there in the past. When arriving I was greeting by not friendliest have you booked to which obviously I had. We arrived at around 1.55 pm so 5 mins early we were told to wait at the bar as table wasn’t ready. We stood at bar ordered 4 drinks and waited till around 2.05 even though there was 2 empty tables for 4 people were set and ready. When we were eventually seated my sons youngest said to me his coke was flat I spoke to a lady and told her this and made a joke out of it saying it’s probably because he went out last night the lady returned and said we’ve tried it and it isn’t flat and nobody else has complained!!! This made me angry and embarrassed and my wife in particular left feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable. Our meals then arrived which were appalling my potato’s on my sea bass were luke warm my wife and her sons parsnips were not just luke warm but actually cold I wanted to tell the lady but my wife’s exact words were don’t you saw the reaction to the coke I just want to finish and leave which we did. My self and my wife often eat out in Manchester at the ivy and tattu and we were treated far better there and with much more respect and warmth than at the axe and cleaver. My last comment is the only positive a gentleman who worked there called Paul treated us as you would expect to be treated with warmth and humour but our day was awful after spending over £120 it was a waste of time and money

Lovely meal out for Sunday lunch. Huge portions, nice decor and good food. Good kids menu for little ones. The servers Paul and denise were very friendly and made the experience.

Excellent meal in lovely surroundings. Really nice Sunday lunches which we all enjoyed. Our servers Paul and Denise looked after us well. Recommended, we will be back. Very handy for Dunham Massey.

Paul took our order & sorted the bill. He was extremely pleasant & conversational without being over the top. We had Sunday dinner with turkey. The food was well cooked but for us the balance was wrong. A very large amount of meat & insufficient amount of vegetables. There were no roast parsnips which was disappointing.

When first walked I thought it was dead in there, but turned out to be a wake. Went through to the other half with a nice fire. Was pleasantly surprised by the quality of food for a Greene King. All courses were flavoursome (baked camembert, cod loin in bacon, truffle). Host was very pleasant to.

Average for the price, avoid the burgers they taste strange

Brilliant food and excellent staff couldn't do enough for you. Excellent with children. I will be coming back with the rest of the family. Alyson & Sophie amazing service better than what I have experienced at Mitchelin star restaurants. Thank you

We booked at short notice. And it was a very good experience. We would recommend it Tremendous D & S

Paul and Sophie looked after us perfectly

I don’t usually write reviews, but this experience was so awful I feel I need to warn others. I booked this place for my 30th birthday dinner, expecting a festive and enjoyable evening, but it turned out to be anything but. From the moment we arrived, the service was unwelcoming. The waitress, a woman with red hair, didn’t smile once the entire evening, which made the whole atmosphere cold and uncomfortable. We were rushed right away with questions about how long everyone would take to arrive, making it feel like they just wanted to get rid of us. The food was even worse. The Yorkshire puddings were like rocks—completely inedible—and the sausages in the pigs in blankets were barely cooked. For what should have been a festive meal, everything was poorly prepared and lacking in quality. What should have been a special occasion turned into a huge disappointment. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone looking to celebrate—or even for a regular meal. Avoid at all costs.

Nice pre drink before the Paul Heaton concert. Nice atmosphere and decor.

Our second time enjoying a family meal before visiting the light trail at National Trust Dunham Massey, which is just a few minutes drive away. Excellent in all respects. Lovely staff, we had the same staff member looking after us all evening. Food is delicious and good value. Recommended.

Booked a large party in for a family gathering, from making the booking to paying the bill service was above and beyond, thank you. Food was excellent, everyone in our group really enjoyed their meals. Would not hesitate in recommending the Axe and Cleaver. We will definitely be returning.

Thank you for the lovely visit and warm soup, Paul and Kassie made sure our visit was welcomed and warm 🤗

Fantastic evening: good food, good value, plus the friendliest welcome imaginable, (with outstandingly congenial service too) by our host, Paul. Highly recommended!

It's a lovely country spot here. Comfortable, great food great service. A cosy warm haven when we popped in for a spot of lunch with a friend on a cold wet midweek when we wanted to avoid town. The smaller lunch menu was great, service from Paul spot on. Keep doing what you do Axe & Cleaver!

Lovely food, warm inviting setting

What a hidden gem. Warm welcome on arrival and another from our server, Paul. Food available from either the standard and/or the festive menus, I was spoilt for choice but decided on (with Paul's welcome insight) on steak & ale pie with chips and mixed greens. It was delicious and oh so filling, I had to decline desserts. All in all, great venue, great food, great staff and competive prices. Highly recommend.