King's Horse in Stafford

Terrible, we were sat at the table not told where what we needed to do. We had not been before, think the lady presumed we had... After 10mins I said to my husband I'd better go and see what we need to do... Saw a queue asked someone and they explained how it worked.. It would be better if you could get drinks in the bar and a queue for food because folks were getting an gry when people were getting served sooner in the bar than in the bigger queue!!! Lack of communication...not a smile off any staff, didnt leave a tip!!! 😳🤬😡

Nice place. Good parking space. A very nice indoors playground for kids, not too big but fun enough. A small playground outside. Enough tables outside also. Carvery plate is large enough and the food is good. Menu food not the best.

I know it’s closing tomorrow but took family out for dinner limited choice on menu. Had to opt for carvery. Paid for pigs in blankets never arrived. No choice in drinks except alcohol. Very hot inside. I hope the hickory’s is nothing like this. Overall unsatisfied.

BEWARE!! Some bright spark built a pub with a private car park. If you stay over 2 hours you will receive a £100 fine. So if you're thinking of having a family get together, don't bother. Find a pub who actually owns their own car park. If you miss the sign on entering the car park you've had it. There are no notices in the pub whatsoever. The experience isn't good either, just read the other reviews.

They ran out of deserts, and if it was only 3.45pm, I was not impressed at thats Now, the second time we've had that done to us

Visited with my family of 6 today, sat on table 33 around 15:30pm. The lady on the bar didn’t know what they had in stock and didn’t, so my daughter had to have a microwaved mini pizza as they didn’t have anything that she wanted. My 11 year old son wanted a carvery, and came back to the table with a plate of absolutely vile looking vegetables, black potatoes.. rock hard dry roasters.. and the very end of the gammon which was the same consistency as the table we were sat at. Which didn’t fill me with for my carvery.. which was as equally as disappointing. Shame I was so hungry as I would have walked out. My wife had kayak curry.. and the whole thing was served on top of a nan.. which was soggy. The chips have 100% been sat under a hot lamp for ages, dry and chewy. I live about 500 metres about, so as a local. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone.

went their today at 28/7/24 table 53 table was sticky knife and forks were dirty ordered hunters chicken spicy chick burger stack kids roast chicken peas and mash 2 cokes 1 pineapple juice mash was hard and yellow chicken was deep fried and it was caked in grease and garden peas was burnt and this was a kids meal had one mouth full vile no offers of a refund nothing, chick burger stack again deep fried swimming in grease the mac on top was disgusting and couldn't cut into the chicken absolute vile the pineapple juice is what you buy at farm foods absolutely vile ultimate ice cream not in stock the lady with the green eye shadow just arrogant looked like she didn't want to be their some one came up to see if the meal was ok i told them what was wrong showed him he even said he wouldn't eat it and this is a member of staff waste of an afternoon definitely not going back

Terrible food and terrible service, got a fine for parking having a meal and didn't care when asked that we spent over £500 on a birthday party. Won't try and help void it considering we spent so much

I just wish I had read the reviews before we went. On a long journey decided to come off the motorway and head to a trusty Greene King. Never have I been so disappointed. Sunday 7pm. It must have been busy but we went for a quick carvery only to be told there was no meat left. My daughter chose to have the carvery without meat- still paid full price! No white wine, in a pub! I had fish and chips with a slice of bread and butter, the fish was edible, the chips left a lot to be desired, the bread at an extra £1 was stale and I had to ask for the butter. Husband had lasagne, see photo. He ate it, but he would eat a death row prisoners last meal. No cutlery on the table, had to hunt some down. Tables were piled with food and empty glasses, it seemed only one young lad was trying to get round and clean them all whilst serving- he needs a pay rise! Toilets were disgustingly filthy. Safe to say I am glad this is not my local Greene King!

Foods alright soft places nice. Always needs a good clean.

The small platters were very good - tasty & well cooked. What was a disappointment were our drink glasses, completely covered in water marks, looked awful..

Great local pub. Such a shame they are changing companies.

Tried multiple times to call but unavailable?

Food bland and mostly unedable vegetables not fresh potatoes powdery to many extra purchases available the Yorkshire puddings need to be fresher and included in the price of the carvery not added as a extra same applies to the pigs in blankets overhaul not a good enough meal

Great food and service from the staff. Will definitely be returning.

My family and I went for a carvery on Wednesday evening. The highlight of the visit was the staff, especially Maggie behind the carvery and Ashley behind the bar. They are both a credit to the company. Thanks for making our visit so enjoyable 😀

Went for breakfast with friends on Sunday morning after a night out in Stafford. We ordered 3 full English breakfasts, one eggs Benedict and unlimited toast. On ordering we were told there was no hollandaise sauce but I still ordered the Benedict anyway. While waiting at our table for our food a member of staff came over to tell us there were no mushrooms. After a long wait the breakfast arrived, the toast was cold and hard, the butter was off and I would say the food was not freshly cooked. Also, the poached eggs on the Benedict were hard, which was disappointing because without hollandaise sauce it made the food dry. Will not be visiting again. I would say this is one of the worst breakfasts I’ve ever had. On leaving we noticed other tables had leftover food on their plates just like us. Now we know why..

I love there carveries, never fail to disappoint. The icing on the cake is if we get served by Maggie. She's a star. Well done keep up the good work

Our 2nd visit to the Kings Horse. Not disappoint either. Service was Swift considering the amount of people there. Good again was excellent Another visit soon

A great place to meet & eat. Carvery is the best. Mega shame some misinformed idiot is closing it to make it a Hickory Smokehouse. Totally wrong & expensive plan. Locals are loosing a friendly place for families & pensioners to relax & eat. No alternative venue in walking distance. Hickory smoakhouse menu is horrible & expensive at least 20% higher than HH.

It's OK. Staff are friendly. Carvery was disappointing.

Veg very disappointing, Yorkshires like thin cardboard with same taste. Very mean with the meat. Helpful and pleasant staff.

Sadly this pub has really gone downhill over the past few years. I know it's closing in August to become a Smokehouse but that's no excuse for so many dirty tables at 7pm on a Sunday night. The food was ok but if the large portion of chips was what I got with my steak, I dread to think what a small one would be. Disappointed

Had a drink in the garden. Nice pub.

It's a great place to eat when you have been out walking ,

No checkbacks done after food was brought out. Burger was like cardboard. Chicken parm came out with what looked like a tin of tomatoes chucked on top so cheese wasn't melted. Bit into it and the oil that came out was disgusting. Manager said she checked everything was at the correct temp then offered a free dessert. After we turned down the offer, she kind of shrugged and walked off. Sooner this place closes the better

Maggie was great. As were all the staff we met.

Long wait very untidy Food carvery arful it was like a pigs sty arful

Okay so where to start? Firstly, I haven't seen a staff member in 10 minutes of being here. Secondly, there's plates and glasses all over the place. Thirdly, the baby change table does not have a strap to secure your child and the drop to the floor is easily 3-4ft. The food is never much to shout about, I don't enjoy coming here, but with the way Stafford is at the minute, it's the easiest play area to get to after school. Finally, when this place closes for a refurbishment, I hope that for their own sake, Greeneking find some staff that are not only present, but actually have some idea as to what they need to be doing.

This was our first visit here and we loved it . Food was beautifully the roast beef we had was cooked to perfection and all the veg and side trimmings were lovely highly recommended if anyone is thinking of going . Thank you to you all

Did not enjoy burger dry as sticks. cheese sauce not smooth.chips ok. The food does not look like the menu photos.just looks very bland and tasted bland . Staff were lovely .don't think I will rush back

Been many times it's a local for me and I want to give this place the benefit of the doubt because I do like it but before the refurbishment the food was diar and when it re opened again it went massively sky high food was brilliant but now that's it facing closure and becoming a smoke house they've just given up and the foods diar everytime I've asked for a medium rare steak it's well done which I'm not a chef but cooking steak isn't difficult and the sides that you get with meals chips potato's onion rings aren't cooked had a steak today which was well done about 3 chips on the plate were actually cooked and for desert had a simple 3 scoops of ice cream with strawberry sauce it arrived with a massive hair told a waiter and she's just gone back shoved what was left of the ice cream in a new bowl and it was terrible I hate writing like this because I loved this place only thing its decent for now is a pint

On arriving there was a group sat outside who was very rude and disrespectful, Food was amazing and some of the staff were polite and friendly apart from one lady who came to us around 15 mins of being there asking to clear the tables when she could see we were still eating she looked at us and stomped off not very professional at all, there was a young blonde girl who was very nice and polite so in all food was up to standard the staff need work on their manners

Good food, good prices with large portions

Absolutely filthy place....food all over the floor..toilets are dirty...staff look dirty...food abysmal...

This place has gone down massively the last few months. Thought we would go again last night but....the carvery had no beef, the vegetables were gone past redemption and I had to wait 15 minutes for gravy to be brought out. No apologies for the wait, in fact nothing. It's a shame, it was our preferred Greene and King in Stafford. We won't be going back 😞

Amazing value. Fast efficient service, ordered via the app. Staff were friendly and helpful. Did was very enjoyable and excellent value. Good atmosphere too

Shocking....deserves 1 star but only getting 2 stars because they brought me a pie to replace the worse carvery ever which I recieved and ate after my family had all had and eaten there food....it was nice watching them eat then them watching me eat

Had a meal @ hungry horse today amazing service from Cam & Daisy.Will definatly return 10/10

Daisy is amazing , we want to say a massive thanks to Daisy. She is so welcoming and is such a nice person. She knows her regulars and is welcoming to everyone. Amazing job. Thank you for everything you do

The beef on the carvery was dry, paper thin, cold and inedible. The turkey was in small dry lumps. At the carvery a chef was told that the meat was not acceptable- he just walked off and ignored us. Had to speak to 2 members of staff before the manager came to the table. He agreed the food was unacceptable- and offered a replacement, pudding or refund- I was so displeased at this point that I accepted the refund. I will not return.

Always a nice place to eat and drink.

Awful. Sunday carvery- beef was dry, paper thin, cold and inedible. The chef was told at the point of service- ignored us and walked away. Had to speak to 2 members of staff before the manager came- he agreed- I was offered a replacement, puddings or a refund. I accepted the refund. I will not return.

Unable to use tesco vouchers although website still says we can. But pub has changed hands which is not easily seen. Staff uninterested. Mixed grill came without egg. When questioned staff told run out of eggs and not at all bothered. Did we want pineapple, said no. Manager walked away not interested. Dreadful menu. Boring and food tasteless. Wouldn't go near the place again

Came here a few times for a carvery and must say the very nice lady behind the carvery was exceptional in service, politeness and attitude. Offered me extra Yorkshires. Meat etc And made me always felt appreciated there as a customer. Most of the time the carvery was exceptional especially when this lady was involved. I also noticed a great attention to detail in preparation and cleanliness behind the carvery and if walking past. She would usually be busy wiping down sides, removing plates etc and keeping the food and sides incredibly clean. I came in on a Sunday a week or 2 back and the place was absolutely rammed and the carvery had a massive waiting queue I was impressed a few years back this place was a ghost town. Guess word of mouth does go round and exceptional attention to detail and tending love care in cooking and customer service goes a long long way!!! I can't believe I heard they have sold the place and fully renovating soon and cooking steaks and burgers now?? Who wants to pay £30-70 for a family to have a steak or burgers when we can all cook that at home easily and cheaper? Doesn't make any sense? Guess now they want to take more money off customers serving over priced american burgers that people will only come down for once every few months? When you already had a carvery that people came back to weekly? I just don't see the maths behind it all. Let's hope the new HICKERYS delivers 100% from day one and offers value for money, speed and customer service? Cause the first time the horse opened word of mouth got round that it was 3/5 joint and stafford stopped going there as it was average. Good luck anyway I won't come back when it changes over, if there isn't a carvery now? Who wants an American dinner? The last few in stafford went bust? Who wants to pay £50-100 per visit per family? You end up reducing your customers visits and in turn reduce money on drink sales. Snacks, desserts etc weekly and monthly? All american dinners went bust in stafford as over priced. One off visits, its a bold move. These customers your staff built up last months or so will just go other carvery places in stafford and there are plenty and spend their money elsewhere. Good luck Hickerys, best deliver from day one or word of mouth and prices will end you?

The last 3 times we've been here, we have had a carvery and the food was absolutely beautiful! The meat melts in your mouth, potatoes have a nice crunch outside but hot and fluffy inside, veg is soft and enjoyable with onion gravy on the side or normal gravy aswell as mint/cranberry sauces. The staff serving us were lovely, smiling and always went that extra mile for their customers, honestly we go between 4:30pm - 5pm and it's piping hot and easlily the nicest food i've ever had at a carvery. The only shame now is that we were informed that it's been bought out by "Hickorys" which is horrible news because we love to frequent the Kings Horse for birthday meals, catch up with family, you name it, this is out go to place and we love the atmosphere so this news today was so saddening but i hope the staff have a bright future ahead whether it's with the new owners or on new adventures and Thank you so much for the lovely meals you have served us and look forward to coming as much as we can before August. Thank you!

Sharing platter. 5 plates for £17. Gorgeous! Lillies cider...amazing. A bit of sunshine...what more could you want? 😋🍺🍹🌞

Great food good beer and very friendly and helpful staff. The carvery was superb couldn’t fault it. We will certainly be returning soon.5*

Good service at a great price point. Maggie is the wizard of the Blades Cannot believe we are going to loose this family friendly place.

Very poor food on the carvery since the new owner took over and staff on bar very snide confrontational and uninterested in severing anyone other than people they know

Brilliant place for the kids. Nice play facilities to keep them busy while the parents can chill with the brats in view. The food is standard pub grub...but the carvery looked good. Friendly staff.

The food and service was brilliant.

Was served tonight by Maggie. She is a credit to the company! She has always been nothing other than helpful, polite, friendly and nothing is too much trouble. Food was excellent as always

Went for a Sunday carvery and the service by Maggie was brilliant. Nothing was too much trouble for her and she is very friendly and helpful. 2 of us had carvery which was lovely and 3 ate off the main menu which was also lovely. Finished off with desserts. Service was good.

Thankyou to Chef Maggie. She's always really pleasant, helpful and more accommodating than we could ask for. 10/10 based on her alone... The food is also amazing.

Visited here for my birthday with my family. I ordered the bacon cheese burger and requested no tomatoes, the hun was rock solid like it was left out to go stale and there was tomato on it, the burger was like warm so the cheese didn’t melt. My daughter had steak and chicken fondue, there was nothing oozy to the sauce, it was thick and gloopy. Don’t think I will return very quickly.

Maggie is very welcoming and can’t do enough for you on the carvery counter. Food was lovely. Well worth a visit! Keep up the hard work Maggie!

I just had the worst experience ever. My child was seriously hurt - a child was pushing my daughters head onto the floor and then holding my daughters head down until she couldn't breathe. Thankfully I ran and got my daughter away but after an argument with the mother of that child where she was screaming at me because I sweared, they got the manager that told as to leave and banned us from there. My daughter could of been seriously hurt and I got told to leave. Really disappointed as I loved kings horse

Great food and staff. Very clean and welcoming including dogs.

Having recently moved to the area and left our favourite carvery behind we decided to give the King's Horse a try. It appears to do a busy lunch trade and we were hard pressed to find a table, but the carvery had three choices of meat and a good selection of vegetables and sauces, all of which were properly cooked and hot. Good value for money. Will definitely be visiting again.

So shocked that the food was so bad, the only thing 'nice' on my plate was the chips and onion rings, my fiance and i both had burgers, his was slightly burnt, the cheese meltdown burger that I ordered was so dry the beef was like sand, the cheese sauce can only be described as vomit looking, I have included a photo I took, and of what the meal is supposed to be ( not the pubs picture however but something similar) and this was the second cheese sauce as I sent the first (even worse looking back) i did not eat it for fear of getting a yeast infection from it!!!! My mum had the 'chick and mix' and the chicken breast was dry as a bone. Absolutely will not be returning again.

Met up with some retired work friends for a lunchtime drink

Was passing and thought we’d pop in for a carvery. The carvery had finished unfortunately. Usually drink Guinness but couldn’t see it at the bar so had a San Miguel, only to later realise that there was Guinness just someone had put a menu in front of it so I didn’t see it was there. Whilst waiting for our food we noticed how dirty the menus were and how there was a hole in the wall next to us. The food wasn’t bad but it wasn’t anything special. Fair to say I won’t be rushing back here for another meal.

Had a carvery today and got asked to review however will only post an honest review. Lots of choice however the food was below standard. The lady that served us was lovely however the turkey was dry so kept breaking up when being cut so was falling around off the plate, but was picked up and given to us anyway. The Yorkshire’s were flat. Roast potatoes were hard. Veg was ok. Gravy had lumps in it. Got to our table and we had no cutlery so had to wait for this for 5 minutes. We wouldn’t recommend or go again. What service we did receive, was good though.

Excellent. Service, set up and food all top drawer. Maggie and Steve put on a perfect carvery. Maggie was so friendly and made my two daughters feel right at home. Vegetarion options were greatly received. May go for a medium plate next time instead of the large as I’m still full 4 hours later. No room for desert unfortunately. Suggestion: please put all potato options close together on the hot plate as I overloaded on roasties before seeing the new potatoes further down the line.

How refreshing to be served by someone who was so pleasant, helpful and with the biggest smile. Maggie your customer service skills are amazing and this time this review is from that lovely family. High 5 my lovely!

Went todayfor tea kids had finished there's I had mine wife was still waiting I at to ask a member of staff about the wifes then bar man came back and said I remember taking order but you're not paid so I paid for wife's thinking i ve already paid he said it would be out soon he then came back with receipt and showed it was not on we waited a bit longer then it came out so we had to wait around as she finished her meal did not order dessert food was havrage shame it was a great place when it was the hungry horse

Where do I start went today for a carvery might as well ordered a kids meal had more meat on a sandwich and veg selection was rediculous Price has gone up 20% since Covid and portions have gone down 50% I get the fact that the owners were trying to recoup there losses but it was years ago now stop ripping us off Hope enough people read this and boycot restaurants until they realise they can’t mug us off anymore

Slow service orders completely wrong din’t bring food out to correct table items missing from what we did receive Lukewarm forgetful staff no one seemed to care table next to us received some of our order so there’s was wrong would not recommend paid for a complete farce avoid will not return money not well spent when complained couldn’t of cared less .

The member of staff who greeted us when we arrived was obviously very tired but she was extremely happy and friendly, very attentive. The bar staff were very busy but really efficient. Starters, were okay although for £6 I expected more than 6 prawns and 1 piece of lettuce with stale bread. The carvery on other hand was brilliant. Loads to choose from, all hot and fresh.

Had a carvery meat ok veg looked and tasted like it had been stewing all day roast potatoes like concrete blocks cauliflower cheese just a mashed mess pigs in blankets limp bit of sausage with bit bacon that would not even wrap around the sausage... Used to be a good carvery now very poor wont go back again

Food good sticky tables & furniture & noisy kids in the eating area uncontrolled by parents who do nothing but sit & look at their phones

We loved the Kings Horse in Stafford until this morning when I received a parking fine in the post for £100. We go to this pub at least once a week, always eat and always purchase quite a few drinks. On this particular day we had a table booked, then my daughter & partner decided that they was going to join us so whilst we waited for them, we had a few drinks, purchased a carvey and as the queues were quite long stayed longer than we usually would plus the Liverpool v Man UTD match was on so we watched that too as my son in law is a Liverpool fan. In all the time we have been coming to this pub, I can honestly say I have never seen signage re parking....we wont be going again.

Popped in for food after a long drive. Excellent carvery served up by Maggie, the mash was particularly yummy. Good choice of meat and veg. Good service also by Ashley who checked we were happy with the food.

Lovely place for a Sunday lunch with the kids, they loved the play area. Maggie on the carvery was really friendly, made everyone feel welcome and gave excellent customer service. We will be back.

Had a carvery with the family, food was lovely also served by the lovely Maggie who was more then happy to help with everything

Stopped for food whilst travelling past. Good food and great service from Maggi.

To start with the older lady at the bar(too much eye makeup), had no customer service at all, barely cracked a smile when we ordered our food. We approached super friendly. The guy serving the carvery was very pleasant and friendly(the only one who was among the staff). We ask a girl (blonde hair, massive ear piercing) politely to clean a table for us, met with a disgusted look, even after I thanked her, she looked at me like I said something horrible. To me, that's really bad customer service. THE FOOD. the carvery was medium, everything was cold, the beef, the turkey, the roast potatoes, the stuffing, the yorkshire pudding, all cold. It tasted OK. I asked for both turkey(64g) and beef(150g), but It wasn't even at all, not even close. The Yorkshire pudding was hallow and super crispy, not the standard style. The roast potatos was too hard and seemed stale, like they had been put there for hours, could have broken a tooth on them. We ate at 1.15pm, they is no reason they should be like that, unless they were from the day before. Some veg was slightly was. I will never eat this food again. Would definitely not recommend it at all, not even for someone's pet dog.

Really good again. Calvery staff was excellent. Thanks

The best carvery in Stafford! Full of flavour. Friendly and welcoming staff. It's become our regular Thursday family tea night.

Not been here since covid times. Thought we would pop in for the carvery today. (Sunday) We had a lovely meal. Really enjoyed it. The Staff all very welcoming. The new look looks good as well. Thank you

Popped in here on our way back from Stafford, and will definitely be back! Maggie the chef made us feel so welcome, having staff like her really make such a difference. The food was also amazing, so thanks also to John the chef!

Love the carvery here, best by far and good price too. I like the fact the play bit is free too but it could do with more supervision. With older ones taking over and running too fast can ruin it for shy little ones

Staff are wonderful so is the food and Maggie on carvery was so helpful and kind The carvery was impressive, with a variety of meats and sides to choose from. The gammon was lovely. The accompanying vegetables were delicious.

Went here for a carvery the poor chef was frantic someone had gone along the line and touched all the veg dishes. She coped amazingly apologising to the queue trying to get rid of contaminated food and swapping it out for fresh. Still apologising she started serving the queue. I believe this lady deserves much praise for doing her job under such pressure. She was wonderful and its lovely to know this pub really does follow food safety to the letter. Great job. P.s. the food was fab. Thank you

Once again another lovely and excellent service by Chelsey Watkins, Cloe, Daisy. My son and I had the steak and it was cooked to perfection.

The lovely Janet went above and beyond to make to make us feel welcome. To the point she cleaned my wine class and even asked if it was ok. Nothing was too much trouble for her. Even changed my wine colller after 30 mins. A lovely friendly pub. Janet has made this a pub I will return too. Everyone needs staff like janet

Went to King's horse today with lunch with a friend and the kiddies, the food was hot, came out quick, the staff were great with the kids and they loved the wacky corner, would highly recommend

Second visit to this place, food was great this time as it was last time. Would recommend and definitely visit again.

After being unable to get a table for Mother’s Day due to it being last minute we picked up a takeaway carvery.as always it didn’t disappoint great variety of veg and great choices of tasty meat.our go to for a carvery.server was so friendly as...

Would not go here again. Generally dirty and messy from not cleaning the areas around the tables or under between bookings. Food was sent back to the kitchen. All the meat was over cooked. Sauces were powdery and stodgy (definitely not freshly cooked) portion sizes...

Tried out this pub and it didn't disappoint, the food was lovely and the server Ellie gave excellent service, she was polite and everything we ordered was delivered quickly. Will be back in the future

First time here, came with family members and a little one. We had a Carvery which we all enjoyed. Maggie that served us was lovely and friendly. The little one enjoyed the soft play. Over all a lovely afternoon. Would have had 5 stars if...

Had a family ‘get together’ there the other day and I must say it was a real disappointment & not ‘on a par’ with Green King normal standards. Dirty tables, forgotten food orders and staff with an attitude. What I also didn’t understand is that...

Carvery is much better! Reasonably priced. Ideal for loud, horrible families.

The hygiene of this place is highly questionable. As you can see from the images below we got our tickets for carvery then went to sit down and confronted with this. We tried to complain to the duty manager it was not dealt with appropriately and no action appears to have been taken we were offered a complementary drink or desert which we declined as we did not want to sit at a dirty table to eat more food of which we didn’t eat much of our carvery in the first place. We just wanted a refund and to leave of which we did not get. We shall not be visiting again. Please photos below

Awful. Cold and hard veg, not cooked fully. Worst carvery ive ever had certainly wont be returning.

Poor hygiene complained to duty manager not dealt with appropriately. Filthy environment health hazard. When we complained were offered drinks or free desert of which we declined as didn’t want to eat anymore in that environment. Shall not be visiting again

Absolutely shocking experience here today. Filthy tables & menus. Grumpy staff, and forgot 2 of our 6 desserts. I’d recommend you avoid this place at all costs.

Bit too loud for me, but we went at 6 so was going to be busy on a Sunday, thank you to John and Jacob