Merlin Alderley Edge in Cheshire East

We had a family event in the glass box. The room was prepared beautifully. The food was exceptional and the service was amazing from all the friendly and capable staff. It was the perfect evening and we are so grateful. Thank you! RECOMMENDED

Pleasant, quiet but busy pub. Food was excellent for all 12 of us, loads of parking and friendly staff

Went for Mothers Day and the welcome was pleasant. Taking the order was OK couldn't order a sauce for the steak as they didn't do them despite being offered 3 options. Starters were fine, the wait between courses was 40 minutes, couldn't get a drink ( accept its busy as Mothers Day) and orders were coming out but the person serving wasn't sure for which table. Mains Fish and chips was good, rib eye steak was average at best, asked for rare got medium and the meat was quite chewy. The sharing roast was OK, but the chicken was bone dry. Waited another 20 mins to be cleared and offered desserts which we substituted for cocktails. Overall the place looks pleasant and the staff were too, it just seemed chaotic and slightly disorganised. The meal though was a 6/10 at best with the steak and chicken not that good.

Had a fantastic experience for early mother’s day. really great service from brad, scott, james and especially lydia who took our orders. she was quick and helpful. great service lydia! thank you.

Visited The Merlin for Sunday afternoon meal with my friends...our roasts was fabulous, tasty and prepared with care , desserts same...our server Mags was wonderful. She didn't mind doing extra miles to make that time very enjoyable. For sure will visit soon again.

Sunday sirloin of beef and Sunday roast trio was amazing, same our server Mags...she made our Sunday afternoon magical...

I had a lovely roast dinner, chateau briande. Highly recommend. Lovely atmosphere, with good food and service. Would definitely recommend and come again.

We had a lovely meal, Mags Tilly and Jazzy were really attentive and friendly. We will absolutely come back!

Came in for breakfast as we were in the area and it was great! Welcomed with a very friendly face, Vicki. Breakfast was delicious and handled my husbands allergy well thank you Greg!

Vicki was our server and looked after us from the moment we arrived, she was an absolutely pleasure and dealt with our dietary requests efficiently.

Really enjoyed our afternoon get together at The Merlin. The service was great and food delicious. Lots on the menus to choose from and the staff made a birthday celebration extra special. Thank you for a lovely afternoon! I'll definitely be going back.

Really wonderful staff and delicious food we had the lamb rump and lemon sole thank you 🤩

I had a courtesy call to say it was quiz night on the Monday of our visit & would we like to sit in the restaurant rather than the bar, which we did, this was very considerate. Food & service was great, our party of 4 all had the Panzanella salad which was delicious. The wine menu is very expensive, would be good to have a few more lower priced choices but the one we chose was lovely (lowest priced rosé) & it would not put us off visiting again

Attended mum club brunch, super service and very helpful staff

Great service from Tilly, she was lovely.

Absolutely love The Merlin. Bar staff are brilliant. Speedquizzing on a Monday at 8.30ish is a regular feature in our diary. The food is amazing! Pizzas and fries are always a winner. Chateaubriand is to die for. Both my mum and ex-mother-in-law have had the sea bass and loved did. Honest, delicious food. Really good value for money.

I went to the Merlin yesterday for my birthday and ordered a sea bass. Today my penis has swelled up and ejaculated while I was at work. I went to the doctor and said it was a food poisoning. I ate the sea bass at 20:00 last night and haven’t ate anything but coffee until I ejaculated. It was very embarrassing for me and I would not recommend going here

A great venuenfor a get together. The staff were very helpful and accommodated us a large group at short notice. Food was very tasty.

The food here is absolutely incredible, we booked in for food (not staying here) and were blown away by how tasty the meals were. I had the pork belly with scallops and my partner had the harissa lamb. The service was faultless and the atmosphere was perfect. We will definitely be returning to try more of the menu. Thank you for a lovely meal

We were a party of 13 for New Year's Day lunch and provided pre orders of our food choices by email in advance. Despite this we waited for an hour and a half for our starters. The soups were not very hot. The 3 courses involved very long waits, the meal lasted 3.5-4 hours in total, which prevented our planned walk afterwards. Despite several requests to increase heating the room remained cold and no one lit the fire. This was not a satisfactory experience for a meal costing in excess of £500.

We visited The Merlin for the first time today and we were really disappointed, we booked a table for 1pm, and we didn’t even get our drink order taken for over 20 mins, we then ordered one starter and 2 mains, we were told that there would be a 20 min wait for our food, our starter arrived and you could tell that it had been sat under heat lamps as there was a skin on the sauce. We then waited another 45 mins for our mains to arrive, my husband ordered the lamb which he said was tasty, but I order a halloumi panzanella salad, which you could tell had been sat for a while as it was very soggy. When we went to pay, there was another customer complaining about the service and the food and the bar maid told her that they were short staffed. Communication is everything in the hospitality industry and it would probably have been nice to hear an apology for the delay? And we paid £60 for the privilege.

beautiful building interior desperately in need of a refurbishment food very average

We had a lovely in between Xmas and New Year family meal at the Merlin Food was great and service with Jess and Lydia looking after us was top tier Definitely recommend it if you are in Alderley Edge area

Anna Tilly and mags were fantastic. Honestly the food was amazing! Xxx

Ambiance, decor, attentiveness of the staff, drinks great - food excellent, really nothing to fault at all. Very impressed and didn't know they did a brunch, should advertise it more.

Stayed for a weekend. Sizeable room. Lovely food (especially the steak and Malbec pie and atmosphere and excellent service from Tilly, Vicki and Mags!

Staff were brilliant, friendly and approachable. Warm comfy atmosphere, food was delicious, just the right portion size

As a large group we were looked after well,the staff couldn't have been more helpful.

Lovely bottomless brunch, great food and great atmosphere

We had an event in the Asahi cube & it was perfect! Such a wonderful venue, seamless organisation, and the staff were lovely - special shout out to Magda who was there on hand for all our guests, she was brilliant

Amazing service from Tilly and lovely food. Would recommend

Lovely pub, great hosts for my friends birthday.

I have ordered 2 roast dinner last night. Beef was chewy and cold. Yorkshire pudding like smashed bread. Gravy like water and cold. Plus cauliflower cheese wasn’t even same amount portion in two containers for that price. I have been charged £50 for 2 roast. It’s a joke. Thought Toby carvery is bad untill I wanted to try this place for once Definitely not worth and never again

Wonderful welcome & service from the lovely Mags! Friendly & enthusiastic, & really knowledgeable with regard to the menu & recommendations, she made sure to be there when we needed her. She's a credit to your team! Wonderful food, and a great atmosphere - homely & special. Thanks for a great evening 😌

Great service from Debs and Mags. Lovely food and drinks

Lovely pub, lovely food, and a great quiz night on a Monday evening

Stayed overnight for business. Lovely comfy clean room, great food and the best scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast. Great service.

Good selection of drinks. Full English breakfast superb! Great value at £10.50. Spacious ensuite rooms.

Birthday treat with my daughters. Amazing food super friendly helpful staff who went that extra mile to make my birthday so special with a banner and a staff birthday card on our table. When we ordered desert they bought it to me and all sang to me and my beautiful desert had a birthday message written on it. Perfect place for a celebration, thank you for making my birthday so special.

Lovely pub/ hotel. Nice location and friendly staff.

Really disappointing. Inedible food that tasted very boil-in-the-bag and a lifeless, exhausted atmosphere. Looks great from the outside but it’s really nowhere near good enough.

One salad on the menu, it was interesting and delicious. Fish and Chips done well, crispy not greasy.

Fabulous food and stay over with my wife.

Meal was mediocre, overpriced and not good value for money

Had a wonderful night her Friday through til Saturday. Celebrating husbands birthday. The staff were fabulous, friendly and super helpful. They made us feel welcome and helped celebrate hubby's birthday lovely little touches to our stay. The food was delicious! The room was gorgeous. The breakfast was also lovely, fresh and beautifully cooked. Clean and reasonably priced. Thank you The Merlin for everything! Treasured memories of a lovely birthday night away.

It was a lovely atomosphere. Staff were very friendly and the food was delicious. Lots of choice.

Bottomless bubbles from my friends birthday. Lovely place, great value for money, tasty food. Will definitely go again!

Visited for Sunday lunch . We were not disappointed. Party of 3 , all thoroughly enjoyed our starters 👍 unfortunately they’d run out of seabass so had to have fish and chips instead . Very generous portion and plates were clean on finishing . The three roast Sunday lunch was delicious too . Creme brûlée for dessert was also good . Attentive service from the Merlin colleagues . Would definitely recommend.

We went to a 70th birthday meal there on Saturday, 17th August 2024. It was held in the conservatory at the front, it was a beautiful setting for what turned out to be a lovely afternoon. The food that was served was piping hot and very tasty. Well worth the price. Beautiful place and the staff were friendly, helpful and couldn't do enough for us.

Delicious lunch served by James Gary and Annie, so much on the menu to chose from so I definitely will be back!

Welcoming ambience, food is specially creative, pricing reasonable for quality overall one of the best - never been let down after many visits.

Before the pandemic, Merlin was always a go to place. Either to go for a meal with friends or just for a few drinks - the atmosphere was amazing, with reasonable prices and great service. I can’t say the same from my last visit, Sunday 28th 2024 at around 3pm. The food and the service were appalling, I was very disappointed. My wife had Olives and Linguini with seafood and chorizo – She said that her pasta was okay but not special, lack of flavour. 10 washed Olives in water for £4 (that’s crazy), at least put a bit of olive oil and garlic to flavour up, show some care. I had the SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS for starter (£7.95) and a PLANT-BASED BURGER (£16.25) for my main meal. The food wasn’t fresh at all. The mushrooms were like an appetizer and microwaved, the croutons were old and with a funny taste. The burger was served with plain salad in a cup (never saw being served that way before), but that’s okay I suppose, the problem was that the burger had a bitter taste, I only had 2 small bites, something was off. It taken over 30 minutes for someone to come over, but it wasn’t to check how was everything, it was to ask if we had finished. I had to mentioned to the server that I didn’t enjoy the burger, that the burger was unpleasant, a bit off and with a bitter flavour. She asked if I wanted something else. We mentioned that we been waiting for over 30 minutes, and no one had come over to check on us (She had passed over us 3 times and saw me look at her, she choose to ignore us – she could see that I wasn’t eating the burger). She than went to speak with the manager and returned saying that the burger would be taken from the bill. The manager never came over to check what was the issue or if there was something it could be done. Obviously, there’s something not quite right in the Merlin. My concern with this latest experience, isn’t the lack of service and care from the server and manager but that the food it seemed to be off. It’s a shame, I used to love this place. Will not be going back and would advice anyone going there to be careful with the food. I end-up eating at home.(picture in garden)

Very disappointed! First and last time. Will not be visiting this place again. Been recommended to visit the Merlin, but the service and food below average. A bit pricey for what it is, do not recommend.

Wonderful staff , happy and welcoming, couldn’t do enough for us ! A real credit to the resturant. Thank you Vicki and Adam

I’ve been to a surprising number of wakes here and it’s always nice. Staff are lovely and the menu has lots of great mocktails. I also still regularly think about a delicious crumble I ate here a few years ago.

Absolutely lovely place. Food was fantastic especially my seabass dish and sauce. Vicki and Gary really looked after us...thanks guy. Defo returning soon

At a wedding there but food was really good

Food wasn’t great, service was rubbish. Staff rather slow and seem a bit lost in running a restaurant.

Had a lovely meal here tonight, we were served by Debs who was absolutely lovely, very attentive to our requests and the food was great also. Thankyou !

First visit as it was recommended. Honestly, it was an awful meal. It tated like it had been sat in the kitchen for a very long time, it was warm, over cooked and dry.Even had plastic in icecream no apology discount or anything. Was happy to pay and get out. Certainly won't be returning

The food and service were excellent. Polite and friendly staff and service speed was just right. The roast dinners were a very reasonable price for the size and quality. We could only manage a main roast but if the quality of that is anything to go by, the starters and mains would be well worth it. The price of the roast was only within a few pounds of nearly every other eatery we could find. I would highly recommend a Sunday roast here and will be visiting again

I went here for lunch today and liked it very much. If you're in the mood for a casual spot with loud music, this might not be the place for you, it’s a classic, posh pub for families. While the prices are a bit higher than your average pub, the quality of the food justifies the cost. I enjoyed the pepper squid with Gochujang aioli and the sea bass fillets, both of which were delicious. My husband ordered crab for a starter (picture missing) and it was really lovely too. The service was also excellent. Definitely would like to come back here in the near future.

Excellent service and food! Gary and his team have accommodated every single request, tolerated our delayed arrival, and made sure that every guest was feeling comfortable despite the language barrier. We cannot recommend this restaurant enough! The ambience of the cube is fantastic, despite the exceptional heat of the day. Thank you so much for another wonderful experience at the Merlin

My Mum and I love dining at The Merlin, such a lovely ambience and the staff are always so warm and friendly. The food is divine and very reasonably priced. We will be back visiting again very soon.

Fab meal with friends and very dog friendly

Food and service was very impressive would highly recommend. We had the 2 for 100 pound menu. Was lovely had the rib eye wow awesome. If any negatives the place could do with a bit of a tlc. But don't let that put you off.

Three of us came for lunch today. We were served by Vicki and Adam who were great. They made us feel really welcome. We all enjoyed the food and will certainly come again. Thank you 😀

Great experience food was amazing 👏🏾 got served by Vicki and Annie and both was polite and lovely

Service was exceptionally welcoming and attentive. Food was perfect as usual. Comfortable ambience. Pleasant decor. I would like you to put the crumble back in the menu and get some bottled Belgian beers available.

Came in for dinner on a Monday evening and had a lovely meal followed by an exciting quiz! Service was brilliant, Jack, Lydia, Adam and Brad were friendly and helpful and the food was spectacular. Will be back next week for sure :)

Went with a group enjoyed it, staff friendly, service good. Sea bass was nice. Although I didn't like the poached pear dessert.

The staff were extremely nice and accommodating, the service was fantastic, the food was amazing and the atmosphere was so nice, me and my partner will definitely be coming back again, this was our first visit to the Merlin and we will most definitely be back again very soon and be making regular visits here

Gorgeous food, will definitely be visiting again. Thank you to Debs, Annie and Scott for great service which was excellent from when we arrived to when we left. 100% recommended

I was ill for 3 days with food poisoning after having the scallops and calamari

This was a lovely experience. The Sunday lunch was first rate and the service was lovely. Debs served our table and she was fantastic! Our daughter is disabled and they did everything they could to make her comfortable.

Thank you to Brad for sorting out flowers and a card + bottle of moet and glasses with heart shape strawberries in them! great experience 100% recommend. Thanks Brad and the rest of the team!!

The place is in need of a revamp as it is very shabby - chunks out of wall and tables were not clean. My chair had stains on it which was very off putting Food was average;Sunday roast was nothing special at all and afterwards I was I’ll with an upset stomach

Best Sunday roast in the area!! Food is top notch and service is great. Would return!

Called in for a light lunch. It's a really nice place. Staff were friendly and attentive. The carrot and coriander soup is really good. It was served really hot and has a great taste and nice consistency. It is definitely worth a visit. Will try to call in next time we are passing.

Lovely Sunday Lunch ,Great Service,perfect Table

Amazing service from Vicki, very friendly

Great nights sleep! Rooms are clean and homely. The shower is good with decent pressure. In the morning, I accidentally ordered the wrong breakfast because I was tired. The waitress just put it right straight away and made me feel better about my tiredness! Would recommend.

The dog friendly shelves in the entrance says much, friendly staff and beautiful building and interior

There needs to be a big review of the menu. CARBS CARBS oh and more CARBS. It’s all chips with virtually everything. The vegetables are none existent and if you do ask for them you get 4 little green beans and 4 tiny pieces of broccoli. No fruit on the menu No fruit at breakfast not even a banana or apple ! No yoghurt. Menu is Great if all you want to eat is carbs! Don’t get me started on the prices they are extortionate for the amount of food you get.

Nice place. Decor very tired, in need of decorating!

Great Sunday lunch. Offers gluten free options.

Lovely welcome, professional attentive staff, great food and service.

Pleasant environment and attentive staff. We all ate dinner, everyone eating the seabass, which was very nice.

Fabulous visit. On my way to holiday and found this great place. The staff are excellent and the chef really does know his stuff. Excellent steak and dad enjoyed his burger. Also as I rate a place on this too, the toilets are superb

Lovely food and friendly helpful staff

We went to the Merlin restaurant to celebrate my birthday. The service was and ambience was good, but we were disappointed with our mains. Both of us had Fish, one seabass and fish & chips. Both were very dry with the fish being over cooked, but given the mussy peas seemed over-cooked it must have meant the food had been sitting under a heating lamp for too long. Perhaps we had spent to much time eating our starters! The restaurant was pretty empty so I have no idea why the rush to cook the mains.

That has got to have been my best pub lunch experience I’ve had in years, friendly staff, quick delivery from order to table and the food was absolutely gorgeous. Tip from me, try the roast trio, it’s fantastic and the Yorkshire pud is massive! Thanks guys :) Craig & Emma

We had a large booking of 18 on Sunday in the Camelot suite and everything was perfect. The food was all hot, on time, and all the meals were correct which sounds like basic things but for a big group it can be hard. Everyone enjoyed the roast dinners. It was just an easy, seamless afternoon which made it relaxing for us as it meant we could catch up with family and friends without any stress. Thank you so much!

Lovely ambience Great service Tasty food #RecommededbySollyDj This place has a lovely vibe. Perfect for occasions. Food was very tasty. The bowl of greens had many flavours that combined to give a great taste. The chef special lamb and the roast beef were excellent quality and a good experience. Loved the sticky toffee pudding at the end. The service was really good. Lots of parking and a great glass cube up front for parties. (Disclaimer: This review is by an Indian who can eat and appreciate most kinds of food)

Once again food and service excellent and waiter Brad very attentive and polite

First time at the Merlin. Lovely birthday breakfast! Recommend the eggs benedict with golden yolks from heritage free range eggs.

A brilliant and lovely place to have a private 60th birthday. The private room was perfect and big enough for our group. The staff were lovely and accommodating and the food was superb, everyone enjoyed their roasts and the pork belly I had was fantastic. Highly recommend.

We held an event in their cube. The communication from the beginning was poor. The amount of food we received for the amount we paid was quite frankly disgusting. The quantities didn’t seem to match up with what we were told. Staff were rude to myself and a few of the party did this to me also. No one came to see how we were. We had to ask for glasses and food to be cleaned away. Then at the end we were summoned to pay but never asked how we had found the time. I would not and will not recommend this to anyone. Which is an absolute shame as the cube is a lovely space! Shame about the service.

Upon arrival the staff were brilliant. We received a warm welcome from Brad who was working in the restaurant and James who was on the bar. Their service continued to be first class throughout our visit. In fact, Brad had helped from the very beginning to book everything in and make sure all requests were met. The food was served efficiently and everyone commented on how delicious it was. A brilliant 2 course lunch menu with lots of variety for all different dietary requirements. Fabulous setting, sublime food and amazing staff. Thank you!

My family and I recently celebrated my daughter's birthday at The Merlin and were thoroughly impressed by the exceptional service. From the warm welcome to the meticulous attention to detail, every aspect of our visit was remarkable. The staff's dedication made our celebration not just enjoyable but truly unforgettable. Their professionalism and kindness reflect outstanding management, making The Merlin a true gem in hospitality. We're already planning our next visit and will be recommending this place to all our friends and family. A heartfelt thank you to the entire team for making our occasion so special.