Bird in Hand in North Warwickshire

We booked Christmas Day lunch for three at the Bird in the Hand. On the day one of our party was taken ill, and I rang and asked if the Restaurant could convert our booking into something I could collect and eat at home. I would imagine this was a tall order on what would have been a very busy day and that they may not be geared up for 'takeaways'. despite this - Gareth's remained amiable and was nothing but professional and accommodating. I collected our three courses and finished them off at home. The food was really good too. When I did go to collect the restaurant was nicely laid out, the atmosphere seemed very nice and everyone was having a good time. Will certainly book next year.

Quiet inside, but busy out the front and in the garden. Food was superb and although on the expensive side the portion sizes were worth that little extra. Mains and desert were devoured and washed down with a couple of pints from a range of 5/6 handpul pumps, ciders and other drinks, overall a wonderful find.

Lovely food, good portions , very friendly and Ralf was good company. Will definitely be back with friends and family.

Lovely pub, friendly, clean, nice food. Food service is good, food is good pub food nicely presented, hot and does what it says on the tin. Lovely village position. Been several times and all experiences were great. Also, good music, not too loud and uplifting. Will be visiting again, often!

Had a lovely roast dinner here on sunday, fresh home cooked food, Great atmosphere, friendly and welcoming, with a nice garden area for the child to have a run around .

What a fantastic pub, never been before but will definitely recommend. Staff are friendly, clean and food is lovely, we will definitely return soon

Gareth....I see that you are still keeping your plates in the fridge. How can you prepare excellent pub grub and then spoil it all by serving on cold plates, by the time one is half way through it's all cold... shame. didn't spoil a great family experience, but take note and buy a plate warmer please

Despite my previous review raving about the food midweek at lunchtime, was shocked to see how awful the Sunday ‘roast’ dinner was. Decided to return after our last lovely meal and was expecting a proper Sunday roast. Potatoes appeared to be frozen, only veg was carrots, peas and green beans again frozen, and just a single big standard ready made frozen Yorkshire pudding. Meat was chewy, service wasn’t good and was totally embarrassed by the food served to accompanying family. Would have come here regularly and been recommending it to people, won’t be back, so disappointed ☹️

I hate giving bad reviews to small business, but well I was shocked at the quality, was proper looking forward to a nice Sunday Roast dinner but sadly it was a big disappointment, meat was like carboard (thank goodness the pub Labrador was on hand to polish it off) frozen Veg (really) and what looked like Aunt Bessie roast potato lovely old pub but no one hardly in it (that's a bad sign straight away) and cold.

Thought I’d try this lovely looking pub to take my mum somewhere nice for lunch. Lovely tranquil setting and very welcoming on entering. So lovely to see a traditional pub that has not been spoilt by modernising and becoming an awful gastropub. I had the fish sandwich and my mum had the steak and ale pie off the light bites menu. Good portion sizes, my 2 fish steaks in a bun were amazing and my mum ate all of her meal the pie had loads of meat in it. We did have an audience with the pub dog virtually on our laps after our food but we have dogs so are used to it. We eat out at different pubs at least once a week and we’re usually disappointed with the quality of the meals so it was such a nice day out to go to such a lovely pub with amazing food. Think we’ll definitely be returning!

I had a sticky toffee pudding with ice cream and in the middle of the pudding it was uncooked / cold i was not nice but u are a nice pub but u can do better

Booked for 30, as hosting clergy from across Birmingham for a study day, thinking about life in rural villages. So where better place to experience some of what makes our village special than the village Pub. We pre ordered most of the food to make sure no one disappointed and we wasn't. Everyone agreed the food was great, came out in good time - as in all together - no easy task when you are feeding 36, the staff also took in their stride the changes of orders as people were unable to attend and different people arrived, and those who weren't driving were able to sample some of the Ales - one of which was Vicars Ruin - how apt.

Again faultess food, service & very family friendly. Not forgetting Ralf the Black Lab 👍 We have been here & sampled various Sunday lunches, meals in the week & most recently the burger night. So, so pleased we have The Bird in the Hand as are new local. Please keep up the great quality food & friendly staff.

Visited bird in hand this evening.food was shocking. Pie was cold. The fish was burnt and dried out it was embarrassing for the company we were in who paid well over the odds for substandard food. This pub needs a wake up call Extremely disappointing food quality. After looking at previous reviews

Went to the Bird In Hand on the 21st June 2022 at midday after the sudden passing of my best friend. The wake was well attended. Gareth the manager of the Bird In Hand had been paid £600 in advance to provide food for approximately guests as many people had travelled long distances returning home that day. I must say Sam serving at the bar was great along with the other bar staff. What food? Dismal to say the least. The food ran out almost immediately & was not replenished served on tiny plates to make it look more substantial. Most guest had absolutely nothing to eat which was very strange & embarrassing & totally unacceptable given the amount of money Gareth had charged. Do not prepay if you plan on hosting an event at the Bird In Hand Austrey as I feel Gareth has taken advantage of my friends bereaved family. Better still I would not use the Bird In Hand unless my friends family are given an apology & some reimbursement on the £600 paid. If this is not the case I would rather spend my future visits with friends at The Appleby Inn. DE127AP

We went to the Ladies Day at the Bird. It was a joy from start to finish with prosecco and canapés on arrival with a little gift for the ladies. The area was decked out with lots of detail put into the arranging. Pig roast...

Just moved to the area & decided to try our new local. The food was fantastic! 4 seperate meals, all cooked to perfection!! Good quality food & will be returning for Sunday lunch May bank holiday w-end. Thank you.

After a visit to the zoo, we went here for lunch after seeing the sign on the road. We were thrilled. The food is fantastic and incredible value. We had the fish sandwich and the ploughman’s from the lunch menu. Real ales on tap- great...

Stopped of at Bird in Hand on way to Ashby, lovely old thatched pub with a bar and lounge, nice selection of real ales plus good pub grub. Well worth a visit if passing.

Seen on Facebook that the Bird in Hand in Austrey were doing burger nights every Wednesday and Thursday so thought we’d give it a try. Amazing!! Took us a while to choose which burger and loaded fries to go for but we went for the...

We have recently moved to Austrey and feel very lucky to have this wonderful thatched pub within walking distance. From our first visit we were made to feel very welcome by both Sam and the landlord Gareth, the selection of beers, gins and wine is...

Directed here from the M42 when looking for home cooked Sunday lunch. Excellent food and very hospitable staff. An all round good experience

Lovely thatched pub, rustic, cosy, good food, nice atmosphere, friendly service. Tucked in this little village. Just great that places like this still exist

Been a couple of times recently and enjoyed each visit. Food decent as well as the beer! The barman knows the varied beer on tap. Great they are now free of the Marstons regime

Lovely food at reasonable prices. Good beer, friendly staff and a fantastic atmosphere. They were busy and had a wedding too. It didn't impact the service at all.

We've now eaten a few times in The Bird In Hand, having moved into the village. We played "safe" initially with Cod and chips which was excellent, great batter. Subsequent visits we have tried the Scampi, best we've had for years, plus a Rump Steak,...

Once again the Bird in Hand proved what an excellent pub it is. We met old friends here several times before lockdown and have been looking forward to meeting them again. It didn't disappoint. Food, drinks, service and ambience all as good as ever. Thank...

Excellent food and great beer! Set in a village location next to the Church, it has a large pub garden with sheltered eating area, ideal for families.

Excellent lunch in a really lovely pub. The service was great as was the food. All waiters were really polite and helpful. It was incredibly clean which was reassuring in these times. It is now bookmarked as a pub to return to again as we...

This place is a magic find, the triple cooked chips are tasty. It's the people that also make this place great hosts and adorable Ralph the dog. Well worth a visit for food and drinks, definitely be going back.

My Daughter booked a table for 1pm today. She booked it via Facebook on the 10th April and the booking was confirmed as we wanted to be under cover in the marquee. We arrived and everything was closed. Imagine our disappointment as we had travelled from Pembrokeshire to celebrate our Daughters birthday with her. Have messaged and no reply. Even tried ringing.

We visited here today (moving to the area soon) Lovely food, great staff. Seated and served really quickly. Plenty of outdoor space. Happy to have this on our new doorstep!

My wife and I went to the Bird to eat for the first time since lock down tonight. We were really looking forward to getting back there as we visited regually before then and it didn't disapoint.The food was has great as always, cooked just right and a nice amount.On top of that they still do the Banks smooth.It was also nice to finally meet Ralph the new Lab . The only problem is I always leave wishing I could pick the pub and take it back to the near by village we live in. Excellent as always!!!

Had the 10oz ribeye, it was very nice, staff were all very friendly and welcoming, I would recommend a visit.

Fantastic, warm friendly pub who provide extremely good quality and value for money food with fantastic service and lovely friendly locals. Highly recommended after many visits throughout the year.

Good place, good food, good beer, good service.This restaurant has so many good reviews...and here’s another one. Had lunch there today... my wife had sea bream and I had blackened steak...both delicious. Finished with ice cream cake, also delicious...washed down both with nice wine for my wife and excellent beer for me.

Visited here on a Saturday evening after reading other reviews. Sat in the garden. Process for going inside is really clear and bar has screens. Staff were great, and wore masks when bringing food out. Food was good. Will definitely visit again.

Had a meal last night for 8 people, and the food and beer were excellent. We took advantage of the ‘eat out to help out’ scheme and even though the pub was busy, it was running nicely with plenty of friendly staff keeping it all together. The safety measures in place were also well considered, with a one way system and tasteful bar screen in place. Loads of drinks to choose from and the beer was particularly well kept! We’ll definitely be visiting again.

We haven't eaten at this pub for over 10 years. We went for lunch last week and the food was great. I had cod & chips and batter on the fish was delicious. The staff were friendly, service was prompt and food tasty. They were well organised with regard to adhering to Covid rules. Planning to return again in a couple of weeks with some friends. We will be frequenting this pub regularly to eat should we continue to be impressed. The pub offers outdoor seating for those wanting to sit in the lovely beer garden.

We visited this pub last night. The pub is trying really hard to comply with the covid guidelines and we felt totally safe. There is an amazing garden where it would be very easy to socially distance and relax. We chose to sit inside however and tables were well spaced and the bar area was covered by a screen. Bar staff were very welcoming and friendly. There was a good choice of real ales which is always a plus for my partner. We both chose to have a steak. They were excellent, very high quality and cooked to perfection. There was a good choice of accompaniments. Although it was busy our meals arrived quickly and everything was piping hot. There was also a very good selection of other dishes on the menu.It was the first time that we have eaten here as it is quite a way from home but we will definitely return.

This is my local pub and it is fantastic. So friendly and welcoming. Lovely bar staff and the food is also amazing. Recommended, try it out.

Friday evening meal was a real treat after 14 weeks at home, really good system for social distancing, excellent choice of beer, great food and friendly service. Locally sourced steak, well cooked and presented, in a wonderful thatched pub, doesn't get any better. Thank you.

Stopped by on a Sunday afternoon with friends who are moving to the area. Was met with a friendly Bar man who helped me choose a nice pint of mild (quite uncommon to get hold off nowadays) and the landlady even came out to have a chat with us about the local area. A lovely afternoon enjoyed by all. And also dog friendly!

I am in the process of moving to Austrey so have been checking out the local area and found this little gem ! Friendly staff, great food, lovely land lady Pam. Would really advise trying out the Sunday roast. I had the beef & ham combo was delicious and reasonably priced

Good service nice and friendly staff, great location very clean, opted for the braising stake for two with mash absolutely brilliant my partner even liked the plate when no one was looking ( honest ) very good.

We arrived on Saturday at midday just as the pub was opening and experienced a fabulous lunch. We were a large group and our two babies were seated in high chairs provided and changing facilities were clean. Lunch was great value, tasty with nice portions. Recommend the fish brioche (exceptional) along with the steak and ale pie. Lots of choices for the little ones and great value all round. Would return!

We visited here over the Bank Holiday, it’s in a lovely location just off the A444 and is a very nice thatched traditional pub.Whilst it was a limited menu due to the Sausage Festival; we found plenty of choice and the food was excellent with prompt and friendly service. This place has consistently good ratings for a reason, go there; you are unlikely to be disappointed!

Spent the day at the zoo, fading as the hordes wore us down. This lovely, traditional country pub was just the ticket.

The Bird in Hand, Austrey. Yet another excellent meal there for all of the family. Liver and onions par excellence, and a peppered steak that was spot on. My son was given a generous portion for a kids menu and was able to customise it as he likes salad. Friendly and efficient waiter and waitress. The pearl stout was amazing, though it was a tough choice with range of real ales on offer. The characterful barman, Sam, added to the evening with his wit and his knowledge of Bachman Turner Overdrive. I recommend this establishment for the quality of the food at a good price and the friendly, personable, nature of the staff. Top marks.

Came here tonight for a few drinks with friends (over 20 types of gin to choose from ) A qaint little place with a thatched roof . We ended up eating here and I had the pepper pork steak . Oh my goodness!! The portions were a good size and it was absolutly delicious. Will definitely return !!

Been here a good few times now proper village pub great choice of ales and gins good food too mixed grill highly recommended nice beer garden nice friendly pub

Myself and my family visited this public house on passing by... and WOW what a decision! The vegetarian options were top drawer and the beer was the best I have tasted in a long time. We were welcomed by a Viking! Sam made our whole experience a real pleasure from start to finish his professionalism and expertise made our visit such a pleasure from start to finish.

Was served by an ignorant man who took several goes to give the correct change. Food took an eternity to arrive and was luke warm and of poor quality. Staff seemed to have no idea what they were doing and were franjkly fluffing around. Needless to state we won't be going to this place again.

My boyfriend and I spontaneously had a chance to get together with limited time and so decided to find somewhere halfway between my journey home and his and accidentally found this place.

Saw the sign and diverted our travels to see what the place held in store. Quaint English country pub with thatched roof serving ales and excellent food. Generous portion sizes

We popped in on a quiet Saturday lunchtime. It was nice and relaxing, no horrible loud music and no shouting people.

Went on a Wednesday. Beware, Wednesdays are steak nights, so best reserve a table first.

We stopped off here for a couple of drinks, as the pub garden looked inviting on a glorious good Friday.

This is our local pub and we regularly drink here and occasionally have had food. Recently we had Sunday lunch and we were really impressed with the quality and quantity of food served to us all. The meats were good quality, the veg is supplied by a local Farm shop, and the whole experience was excellent value for money. Highly recommended.

We use the Bird in hand as a central meeting place to catch up with friends, half way between Loughborough and Sutton Coldfield. Good quality food at the right price. Good selection of cask ales and extremely friendly staff. Even the Labrador Freddy welcomes you. Can highly recommend it. Wish it was on my doorstep as my local

Just had a lovely gammon steak served with chips, egg, pineapple. Very nice pub grub. Very nice surrounding.

Found this Great little pub off the beaten track On a visit to Twycross zoo Great atmosphere with a lovely friendly pub dog ! A warm welcome with a great menu Great big portions didn’t eat again all day And very reasonably priced :-))

Went for drink with hubby sunday lunch. Had a pint and glass of wine hubby had a packet of KP nuts he said they tasted funny when I looked at date they were 4weeks out of date. When we left gave them to barman he just thew them in the bin no apologises or offer of money back lol good customer service

This is not a good pub for food and the reviews misrepresent the quality of its offer. It's just very basic pub grub, so it's hard to know where those who gave it five stars have been eating previously- Little Chef? KebabsRus?

Our group really enjoyed the food here. It was good English cuisine and everyone with our walking group thought it was excellent standard and value.

A lovely thatched pub from a bygone age. Frequented by villagers which is always a good indicator that it is a great place. Pub grub is really tasty and the staff are friendly. Look forward to an afternoon in the beer garden next Summer

Taken for a treat by my son and fiancee. They were very accommodating as it was rather late booking.we arrived to a very pleasant lady who had reserved a table for us. It was steak night specials. We had the 12oz rump the service was very prompt. And the food was excellent. His fiancée had the gormet burger she said it was the best burger she had ever had.they also stock a good range of gins. Although I'll stick to my britvic 55.someone has to drive !!

Went with some friends for lunch today. Great location and fantastic food.

My family and I try to get here has often as money will let us. Always a friendly welcome great food and good beer. Oh and Freddie the dog is always a favourite with my Daughter.Equally comfy in the summer or winter and continues to be our choice for special occasions such as Mothers and Fathers day etc. Could not recommend enough.

We had spent a lovely day with our family at Twycross Zoo and needed somewhere close by to eat as the children were hungry. We walked into this pub with three young children. We were greeted warmly and made to feel very welcome...not always the case with a young family. They do a special children's menu which was enjoyed by all and the men who both had steaks agreed that they were excellent. My chilli was also excellent. We will visit again when in the area. Recommended.

We visited this pub in 2015 and was blown away with the amazing look of the place and great country feel and welcome inside.

Really friendly landlord. Beer absolutely top notch. Unfortunately didn’t have chance to eat there, but if food is as good as the beer it will be great. What a local.

This is a great village pub, when you walk in you always get a warm welcome. There is always a good selection of beers on offer. The food is always excellent - can highly recommend steak night!

The food here is actually pretty good all round and we go here quite often. The Bird in Hand is the best pub within distance of Atherstone. All the other surrounding pubs we have found to be awful or average. The bar area is brilliant and this is a total gem for anyone to go to.

We visit the Bird in the Hand on a regular basis, the staff are friendly give amazing service, and the food is very good, freshly prepared, well presented, and very tasty. It is every thing you love and expect from our wonderful British Pubs.

We went for a drink here a week ago and liked it so we decided to book a table for this week as we were celebrating our anniversary of been together..

This what I would describe as a proper village pub with all the atmosphere expected in pubs of old. Friendly landlord staff and locals good pub menu, great quality food and value for money.

Four of us popped in for lunch after a visit to Twycross Zoo. We were warmly welcomed by the Landlord & our drinks were swiftly poured. We decided on 2 sandwiches & 2 Ploughmans . The granary bread was deliciously soft & fresh & the ploughman’s was just stunning. It was comprised of cheese, freshly carved ham, a slice of pork pie with pickles & chutney & either white or granary bread. The pub Labrador was equally friendly as he systematically worked the tables. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit & will definitely return when next in the area.

visited this friendly pub over the years and it remains a cozy comfortable environment with a friendly and inquisitive Labrador Freddie. The beer is excellent and has been for a long time but I hadn't eaten here before. I had the steak mushroom and ale pie and my wife had the Sea Bass all our meals were finished off and yummy. don't think it will be too long til we return. All the portions were generous and tasty.

I last went in this pub 12 months ago (only because I don't live in the country ) and asked for a Grapefruit juice which they did not keep. Went back last Thursday 12th April and he meet me with a bottle of grapefruit juice which they now keep. What an amazing memory and a true asset to this establishment.

From the roadside the pub looks tatty, maybe even heading towards derelict. (The collapsing wall fronted by Heras temporary fencing doesn't help). If you enter the pub from the front and turn right towards the lounge it's like stepping back to the 1970s. But! When you arrive into the bar the view from the rear windows are stunning. You can see miles over attractive rolling fields.

A nice village pub with a warm freindly welcome, good beer, decent food, and a fabulous view across the valley below.

Great British pub amazing food at a good price. I ordered the steak and ale pie, well it was nice to actually have a pie with meat in it, I probably had about 12 pieces of tender steak. Kids meal was great too. Highly recommend it

Today we decided it would be a good idea (like everyone else it seems) to go to Twycross Zoo. By the time we were within a mile there was an hour long queue (we were late because toddlers aren't known for timekeeping). So we though "err, no. We are hungry. FOOD" And found this lovely pub on our detour.

Stayed for a quick drink here on the way to Sherwood Forest. Pub is nice inside, and the beer garden is lovely, with a great view of the countryside. Would definitely return again if passing.

Booked (advisable) for Sunday lunch at this cosy and friendly pub - warm welcome, great atmosphere with open fire and frequented by a good number of locals - always a good sign.

Looking for a dog friendly pub I came across The Bird in Hand at Austrey and told that dogs were very welcome in the bar and snug. We were greeted very warmly by both the staff and locals who soon had us joining in with watching the racing on TV and cheering the horses home. The food was wonderful and Gareth, who was cooking that day. made us just what we wanted, the coffee was delicious and served quickly and very pleasantly. Think we have found our new local, we are going back next week. One more thing, I have seen a couple of comments about Freddie the Labrador roaming around and why not, it is his home. I do not understand any negative comments about the wonderful Freddie as he is the most obedient and well-mannered dog who politely waits at a distance to see if any titbits come his way. Yeah for The Bird in Hand.

Beautiful, home cooked, traditional Christmas dinner in a cozy setting. Staff were warm, polite and made our afternoon very special. Thank you

This was our first time here and we were really impressed! The pub was full of locals and we sat by a log fire. I had steak and ale pie and my friend had steak ("nice and tender, flavoursome)".

Lovely food, great atmosphere, shame there was a dog roaming around. Whilst we don't dislike dogs we failed to see why one would be roaming around the tables whilst we were eating. Totally off putting

Nice pub. Good food, good ales and great service. Nice in the summer too to sit outside in the beer garden

Thus lovely thatched roof never disappoints. Very homely, great food, lovely atmosphere. Probably my favourite pub

Visited today for lunch,although the bar was busy there was only one other party eating.We ordered lamb shank which arrived quite promptly,the meat was dry,potato was lumpy and the only veg was peas which were either tinned or frozen,the whole lot drowned in gravy probably to render it edible.

What a cute dog! He was at our table most of the night. We were told we could feed him, so that we did. He was the reason why we actually went to the pub after a friend had said about him.

The Bird in Hand ticks all the right boxes; whitewashed walls, thatched roof, low beams, varied selection of well conditioned cask ales, good Pub Grub, beer garden, even down to the welcoming and scrounging labrador.

Almuerzo en un pub agradable, personal amable y buena para comer. Se prueba este lugar de nuevo en el futuro.

We had been looking for somewhere to have lunch without success when we came on a large sign North of Twycross inviting us to go down the lane for lunch in a thatched pub.We did as invited and were warmly welcomed by the gentleman behind the bar and had a very good lunch. Not a very long menu but the food was very good and the portions large. My pork medallions proved too much for me but I received a nice "doggie bag" to take home. Very good selection of drinks and a nice atmosphere so we will call again.

Very welcoming friendly staff and resident pub dog Fred!! Good range of well kept beers and great menu reasonably priced. Freshly prepared generous portions. Definitely recommend.

We are annual pass members at Twycross Zoo and usually eat in the zoo's own restaurant during our frequent visits. During recent refurbishment of the zoo restaurant we stumbled across this quaint, authentic pub as an alternative. The food was delicious and the staff were very friendly. During good weather you can eat in the idyllic beer garden. Very impressed, we will never eat at the zoo again and will return here time and time again!

Pulled off the A444 for lunch today after seeing their sign and we were not disappointed. We both had the Honey and Soy Pork with Rice it was great, they have a good range of Beers and I think they are justifiably proud of their pub. We will be back.A very traditional old country pub and I highly recommend it to travellers on the A444 near to Twycross.