Poachers in Shropshire

A great meal and a nice pub. Will definitely visit again.

Been to the Poachers a lot before it was ‘refurbished.’ It looks exactly the same but the food and service were much worse. We came for lunch and due to some confusion we ordered some starters and they believed that we were ordering off the lunch menu. This led to my daughter’s soup and some mushrooms which I didn’t want arriving without the rest of the food. I tried to clarify with the waitress that more food was due to come to the table and she said she’d check and literally never came back to me. One of the other waitresses asked if everything was ok and I explained about the mushrooms and she explained that was her mistake. We then waited for over an hour for our actual food to come being ignored by the waiting staff when I tried to clarify. I asked one of the staff sit staff to actually come over and explain what was happening as she was avoiding our table and we were being ignored and she was just overly defensive, rude and unprofessional, given she’d told me over an hour ago she’d check about the food and never came back to me. The food was bang average and not worth the wait. The wait from the ‘starter’ of my daughters soup and the ‘main’ of as over an hour. I had ordered the food to come all together and actually pointed on the main menu what I wanted but staff argued with me that it hadn’t gone through as that. I still think that’s an excessive wait between courses. I was told it was ‘busy’ but it wasn’t I think the correct term is understaffed. It used to be good there, but I wouldn’t go back, we had planned to go for a walk after lunch but it ended up being such a long wait we couldn’t.

Ordered on the app. Waited 25 minutes for drinks. Went inside and got them myself in end. Took 45 minutes for food to arrive. Was just going to go in and ask when it came. One piece of Garlic bread with cheese was overcooked to the point it was inedible. The kids burger was also overcooked. We were there that long we didn’t bother waiting for ice cream as our child was getting agitated and bored

Poor food, they were advertising for chefs, in fact anyone - students.. who could work in the kitchens and it showed. Very poor quality / prepared food.

We wait for our Sunday roast one and half our because in the end when we ask about our foot nobody take to the kitchen our order🤦no explanation for Us

Awful. Booked online for a Sunday meal 3pm - 5pm. Arrived and our table wasn't ready. Told to get a drink and wait. Ordered drinks at the bar and lost the top 1/4 of a pint of Guinness to the drip tray as it was handed over by staff. Had to ask if our table was ready only to discover they'd forgotten about us. Ordered our food and waited an hour between starter and main.Watched a member of staff put out cutlery on every table but ours. Had to ask. When main meal arrived, a beef Sunday roast, the food had obviously been sat under the lights for too long. Over crispy potatoes, over seasoned cabbage ( pepper?) and Yorkshire so dry it crumbled. My daughter who has ordered Beef got a slice of beef and a slice of pork?! By this time we were so hungry, we just ate it. Decided not to order a pudding as the service was so very slow. Pitied the lady who has just arrived on shift at 4 and did her best to pick up the slack. Overall shoddy sub standard service and food in a now tatty looking pub with only a couple of staff there who care. Even the water bowl for the dogs was empty! Don't bother going. Such a shame. We weren't the only ones who had this experience today. When you work really hard for your money to be able to have a treat with your family and this was the experience...gutted. Drive on by Folks.

Although they seemed very busy an potentially short staffed it didn't feel like we were waiting to long for our food or drink order. The table service using the QR code worked well and all the staff were very friendly.

Went there at 7pm and told food was stopped. At 8pm the bar was calling last orders. This was 16th Feb 2025.

Disappointed. Pre-booked a group of 18 in for lunch. Pre-ordered all meals on the Monday for Thursday lunch. Obviously didn't check and contact the organiser as one meal wasn't apparently on the menu and bought out a substitute without consulting customer. Left one order off and the person had to wait 20 mins before his meal arrived. Plates half collected. Pre orders of sweets took another 30 minutes to arrive. Managed to get substitute meal taken off the bill. But all in all very disappointed as a group we have used this pub before and we're well looked after but we won't be returning.

After we'd visited late 2024 we vowed never to return because the place was just chaos. There was no meet and greet, so people were just barging in and choosing whichever table they pleased. There were insufficient bar staff who couldn't cope and refused my discount voucher as emailed from Marstons and the selection of beers was dismal. In fairness our meal was acceptable, although marred by the "cattle market" conditions. However! When in the area on 12th March last, we thought we'd give it a second chance. The same absence of meet and greet existed and there was no sign of staff anywhere although the were several parties dining and drinking. We waited for a full 10 minutes, still no signs of either bar or serving staff, so we left. Sadly I can't comment further on our 'Poachers' experience, no food, no drink. Bitterly disappointed. There will certainly be no third visit until we hear the pub is in new ownership or management. With apologies, Paul M.

Stayed in our van. Nice pub, right next to the canal. Staff were really nice and smiles all round. Decent selection of beer for a Marston's pub and prices not bad either.

Both the service and the food was great, made to feel welcome

420 walking for a charity. We arrived at 11.30 am. 1 person behind the bar and not serving fod till 12pm. Didn't wait to be served. Won't be calling again.

The location is wonderful. I've had great meals with the family here. However, none of those have been in the last 6 months. They are incredibly understaffed and it definitely shows in the quality of food served. If you can wait an hour for food that is. The staff they do have are so friendly and such hard workers. After 4 bad experiences in a row now, I will not be returning. So many places near by that are much better. Very disappointing mother's day. I should have left when I saw my prosecco being watered down because she was too busy to open another bottle. I didn't say anything because she was truly working so hard to try and serve all the people waiting being the only person on the bar.

Was a lovely clean area with amazing food options, staff was very friendly - especially my server India who was an absolute delight and couldnt fault her :) 10/10 would come again

Lovely atmosphere, amazing food, friendly and helpful staff 🤩

Called past after a day out at the NEC , for a meal, looked half empty plenty of empty seats, and the girl said that they were not taking walk in meal orders, so I will not be going there again, one pub crossed off my list,

Lot of deep fried food ! Better when visited years ago.

We had to wait over an hour for food. There were only 9 chips on my plate.

Customer service is the worst my wife and I have ever encountered either here or abroad. However, I don’t blame the front line staff, who it would appear are consistently understaffed. Whoever actually manages this establishment, needs to learn some basic lessons in customer service and attention to detail. Thats assuming of course they are capable of doing both!

Staff were lovely. Food and drinks arrived in good time and starters and mains were really lovely. Pleasantly surprised as sometimes it can be very hit and miss. Will definitely be back again soon

Went here for my birthday treat in March 2025 whilst on holiday in Gobowen. We were greeted with lovely welcoming staff Nardia and Hollie. We go here because I am coeliac and they do a gluten-free menu. They are also very accommodating when there is something on the other menu to see if it contains any gluten. They even bought out my meal separately so as not to cause any cross contamination. This reassured me that they knew what it meant to be coeliac.

Ordered food at 19:05, which didn't arrive until 19:50. Food had seen considerable time under a heatlamp as veg and gravy had started to dry. Chips were dry and overcooked. Asked if we wanted a sweet, got the menu but nobody came to take the order, gave up went home. Very disappointing.

Excellent service, all staff were very helpful and friendly. Food was fantastic.

Friendly atmosphere and busy on a Friday night. Food is average and feels like it’s from a chain menu. Service needs to improve. Their app for ordering at the table didn’t work so we had to order at the bar. The food took at least 30 minutes to arrive and had clearly been under the salamander for a while. Food itself was okay but suffered from the extra time under the heater. Portions matched the price.

Only one person on bar - very slow. Beef overcooked, dry and tough. Service could be quicker.

Just had the worst customer service experience. Ordered two Sunday roast meals both came with no Yorkshire puddings I pointed this out to waitress who replied we've run out they should have told you when you ordered, "they hadn't "it was the manager that took the order then as I was tucking in I realised that we had no carrots also on both meals so I called a different waitress over and explained,I'll tell the kitchen know was the reply. We finished our meals still no carrots had arrived so I went to the bar and asked to speak to the manager tuned out it was the lady that had taken the order who said she didn't know at the time we ordered that they had ran out of Yorkshire puddings and hadn't been made aware of the missing carrots.I pointed out that she should have came over to the table and asked if we wanted to order something different off the menu and not just hope we wouldn't notice and the waitress was new who I had spoken to about the carrots and to be fair she did offer a refund on the meals. I refused to accept the refund as I feel some people do complain about nothing in order to get the meals for free I'm not one for complaining but felt I couldn't leave without saying my piece and letting them know it's not acceptable to just try and fob people off.I think Marsdens as a company need to do some serious customer service training.

2nd visit this year March 2025, 1st visit over an hour wait for any food but food was good, 2nd visit over an hour wait for any food, food was shocking, service was shocking, we definitely will not be returning, it wasn't even that busy!!

Very quick drink service, used the qr code very easy and straightforward. Definitely come here again and I love that we can bring our dog. All servers were polite and quick to get anything you need. It's was a really nice experience and the food was lovely and have enjoyed it.

Waiting to long for mains and the food when did arrive was overdone. The pie i ordered was so overcooked that I couldn't put a knife through it.

Pretty awful experience at Poachers today. And not the first time I've been where they're clearly very under staffed and have zero ability to communicate with their customers. We placed our order at 3pm and only received our mains at 4:30pm after asking where they were. Admittedly the starters were very nice. But the mains were subpar at best. Two of us had the roasts - we had to ask for things that were supposed to be on the plate and it felt very much like we'd been given the dreggs of the day. Dry meat, potatoes like cardboard, no real flavour. One of us ordered cheesy garlic bread which was as hard as nails. We all left feeling frustrated and disappointed. This place isn't cheap, and for £30 a head we'd expected a lot more. No offer to comp anything or even a free drink either. Staff were unfriendly and just seemed like they didn't want to be there. Plenty of better places to go in the area.

Urgent staff training required in positivity and manners

Excellent service from everyone, we were welcomed warmly and shown to our seats. We were asked by a member of staff if anyone had allergies even before we raised the fact my wife is coeliac. This was not an issue and it was dealt with courteously and professionally. Our drink order was taken promptly and we were given the opportunity to make our choices from the extensive menu. Our waitress was very warm and friendly and took care to make sure that she had our correct order, especially when she was dealing with my wife’s dietary needs. The food was fresh, delicious, hot and very generous. We were all very happy with our meals. When it came to paying both my wife and I are Blue light workers, we had asked if they were part of the scheme prior to ordering and we were told that they were, our discount was applied to the bill with no problem. In summary, what a wonderful experience and we will be back. I have already recommended you to friends and family.

We waited over half an hour for our order, which was just one prawn cocktail. When it arrived it was presented well, however it was tasteless and the bread wasn’t very fresh. The only saving point was the waitress did apologise for the delay but that was only when serving the order.

Lovely pub by the canal. Has seating outside, some of which is covered,do good in most weather's Food is good and the staff are friendly, patient and helpful.

It was a clean, well maintained establishment and the decor was up to date. The staff that we dealt with were helpful and were approachable, The food was as expected and our booking of 6 people were all happy with their chosen food items.

Seated in an area with dogs despite booking the dining area. Did not have one of the drinks ordered and did not refund the difference in price of the alternative. Took 45 minutes to come out and tell us they did not have enough of one of our food choices and another ten minutes after that to be served our food. Steaks and lamb were massively overcooked. Accompaniments were not as described on the menu and meat and veg looked and tasted as if it had been kept warm for a long time. Noone came to check on us to feed back so we left with our food mostly uneaten.

Having been going to the Poachers for many years, we had a very disappointing experience today. My mum and I were 12 minutes late for our booking. Admittedly we were late but when you are trying to help a disabled person, things don’t always run to plan. Mum having struggled in to the restaurant, we were told our table had been given away which, given how comfortable the other customers looked at our table, must have been done within minutes of our booking time. So no grace period - clearly just focussed on bums on seats rather than customer loyalty. Yet the online booking system was showing free tables all afternoon. Fortunately we discovered the delights of The Queens Head near Whittington and will be going there in future.

Carvery's were obviously warmed up on the day, burgers were frozen and cooked again and were very dry, since new ownership it seems it’s lacking, overheard a few complaints about food in the 2 hours we were there

I have been to this restaurant in previous years, and have been met with good customer service and well cooked food. However, today I have sat for a meal with 6 friends to be greeted with a bad attitude from staff. I have had to send my meal back on 2 occasions because they have not cooked my food to my request. I also was served food in a dish that had remains of previous food stuck to the side of it. I requested to speak with the manager, who then said ‘I can take the amount off your bill if you don’t want the food’. As if I was going to keep a poorly cooked steak, with dirty cutlery and crockery and then pay £22 for the privilege. This restaurant has dramatically gone down hill, and it is a shame. I will not return as I have done before.

I have eaten here on numerous occasions and could never fault it. But this time, the food was overcooked to the extent it came on my plate black. My starter of Halloumi fries consisted of 5 small fries at the price of £7. My main was cauliflower wings on a flat bread. The cauliflower was burnt to a crisp. And my chips were overcooked. We ordered our food at 5 and finally got it at 6 considering the place was very quiet. So disappointed 😞

Haven't been here for a while and was very disappointed today. All the food was cold. Ordered the roast dinner and had to ask the waitress twice for stuffing and then crackling which comes with the meal. Gravy was wishy washy and had no flavour. Knifes and forks dirty so we had to clean them ourselves I'm sad to say that I don't think we will be returning in the near future

Drinks are very expensive. Food average . Small portions but the place is clean and friendly, although not really busy they were turning people away if they hadn't booked.

It was a shame there was only one cook in the kitchen on the day we visited. An extremely long wait for food - party of 4 (we were advised of the 40 minute wait - but it was way longer) They recommend the steak medium rare which was ordered and it was medium well. It was returned and the replacement was perfect. The waitress/manager was extremely rude. No beer on draught. Only americano coffee (Coffee machine not working) Would I recommend - no. Would I visit again - no. To add insult to injury they overcharged us for the meal!!

Didn't get past the reception at the door. Asked if there was a table for 3 to eat was told no so asked if we could just have a drink. Was told no . There were no table free yet a whole room of tables at the back was empty.. good luck to you if you can turn away paying customers in todays climate. This was yesterday . 19th feb 1.45 pm

Great pub a food, cold day so were great full of a whisky and a sit down👍

Walked in - spoke with the lady behind the bar - walked out Not the most welcoming Took our custom elsewhere Shame really looked a nice pub and there were 3 cars of us in convoy

Terrible service, so bad we were due to re visit for Sunday lunch, didn't bother as didn't want to spend our hard earned cash in this venue

Excellent service good menu’s although vegetarian could be improved but still better than most

Celebrated our wedding anniversary here and everything was perfect. Juicy steaks cooked to perfection lovely desserts. Staff Sophie and Nardia really looked after us and made us feel special. We will definitely visit again. Thank you for making it a memorable evening. 🥂🥩🍨 xx

Service a bit poor but very small portions for the price they charge lager is over £6 a pint wouldn’t return

Daughter B'day lunch. Only two staff front of house, barman and a waitress (both great and coped well with steady stream of customers) where in past there've been two-three waitresses. No ales on draught which set my alarm bells ringing. Thankfully Guinness on tap. Food and drinks arrived fairly promptly. There was a wobble when 3 of our party wanted desserts which never experienced before, 'short staffed!' but we'd already sensed that. May revisit for drinks in spring/summer.

Looks lovely so thought we would visit! they seated the ones in front of us and didnt even acknowledge us and left us waiting by the door for another 5mins whilst he went to the bar to serve drinks… poor set up clearly understaffed !

Brilliant as-hoc visit exceeding expectations

Nice afternoon lunch but so so cold inside. Didn't ammage any hot water in the toilet either

We are regular customers and always think of you first when we want to go out. Fantastic food, reasonable prices, friendly efficient staff, beautifully decorated venue, thank you <3

Only had drinks. Friendly staff and nice atmosphere but the palce it's self needs a damn good clean!

Petty, pathetic and rude management regarding booking of tables and seating, by Lee......a sad little man. Waiting staff, mainly girls, were very friendly and attentive and food was fine. Had to ask for cutlery and when we all wanted coffee after our meals, we were told they had NO MILK ! ....not very good for a so called restaurant mid evening.....once again down purely to bad management, not the pleasant waiting staff.

We booked a table for 2 here at 6pm me and my.partner to enjoy a nice meal why we where caravanning without the children, When we arrived the front of house huy said he couldn't find are booking, we stood there he didn't say anything and it made us feel uncomfortable like we where a problem, Then we where taken to a large table in a corner (only 2 of us and lots of lovely seats we would of preferred, So to begin abit disappointing!!!! HOWEVER The lovely young waitress on the bar took are order for drinks and kindly asked if we would prefer one of the nice 2 people tables by the window PERFECT!! HER SERVICE WAS AMAZEING we had halluomi starters and 2mixed grills the food was absolutely beautifully we really did enjoy it and to end the evening we walked out happy !! Recommended but maybe abit more of a warm helpfully welcome would of gave 10 🌟

Very friendly staff. Helpful and not 'intrusive' (not TOO helpful!). Food was good and came in good time. Oh, beer (Pedigree) was good too. Plenty of space to move. I've been to the pub before and have to say that as a 'space' it's rather too open and airy for my own tastes, not especially 'cosy'. But I think that's not surprising with the general style of the building. It's not the sort of place I'd choose as a 'Local' but I'll go back now and then.

The pub is lovely. Food was great, if a little slow from time of order to the table. Had a feeling it was understaffed as there was only 1 girl doing everything, bar, table service, seating, clearing up and taking payment.

£5,95 For a Guinness. Cheaper in London. Had a roast dinner. No greens. Never seen a roast dinner with no greens. Not even a pea. 2 large Cold carrots took up a lot of the plate. 1 tiny dried up hard parsnip and roasts and purple cabbage and a yorkshire. Meat was nice. Was asked if I wanted any additions like cauliflower cheese. I replied as it comes. If your running short in the kitchen. Use something else. I did tell the waitress. When I paid nothing was said. Won't be returning. Wouldn't recommend it. Wasn't many in the pub and it was actually cold inside. They must rely on passing trade and walkers.

Enjoyed a lovely meal with the family. Food was delicious and from the welcome to the end of the meal staff were kind and attentive. Definitely going back.

Piping hot food on warmed plates, with great portion size and meals were very reasonably priced. Warm and friendly service. Definitely recommend!

Well where do I start arrived on time our table was not ready so had to wait in bar area finally we sat down after 15 mins we had to get our own menus finally got the attention of a member of staff placed order after an hours wait we had still not had our starters asking a member of staff and she was quite rude to me basically having a go saying we have to wait for nain course to come out as other people are ordering when I finally got a word in and said to not mains we want its our starters we have waited an hour she soon retracted and went on to apologise and would get our starters after there mistake starters came out and I can guarantee they had been microwaved the batter on calamari was soft not crispy the only starter that was OK was the pate 3 out 4 not good finally we got our mains which were very sub standard the chorizo truffle mac & cheese was dried pasta chorizo and no cheese sauce looks like this had been microwaved as well seabass was just awash with peas hardly see the seabass the table next to us also said they were served there mains and had not had there starters it was not ad though the place was busy plenty of empty tables and staff were turning people away at door we booked in advance as to have no disappointment we dined on Saturday 18th January and will certainly not be returning or recommending your place as we were very disappointed with everything victoria denson

Good service this time food was good but could do with a bit more variety

Lovely place next to the canal. Had a great meal with the gammon, egg, pineapple and chips followed by the cheesecake. Sorry, started eating before taking the picture. Then went for a nice walk down the canal to burn off any calories.

We went in for a few drinks and a snack. Can't complain, did the trick. Staff were pleasant.

Good but definitely needed more staff to take the pressure off the two guys working hard.

Booked a table for 4 in the restaurant. Had to wait 3/4 hour before anyone came over to us to take drinks or food order. Just seemed to be 1 waitress who although very pleasant was extremely stressed. Then had to wait an extremely long time for our drinks. 3 food orders arrived and 1 had been forgotten so 1 family member ate after we had nearly finished. Incidently this happened to me back in 2023 when my order was left off. Food was obviously frozen. On arrival we were told no steaks or fish meals due to delivery problem. That can't be helped but a phone call in advance would have been good as 2 family members are steak eaters. Definitely lack of staff and sitting opposite kitchen there were a few youngsters in and out, no catering clothes, beards, hoodie and joggers. No complaints re cleanliness though on table or food hygiene. What was meant to be a family reunion turned out a disappointment. I will not be returning.

Meals were missing items, the wait time was 50 minutes for the starter, two of the main meals were inedible and the starter plates were.left on the table throughout the main meal. When I complained I was told it wasn't their fault it was the kitchen staff but that unfortunately is the front of houses job to listen to complaints. They did refund the 2 meals however it spoilt the day as we travelled 50 miles to meet family and this was our 4th christmas here but unfortunately will be our last

Ok it was Christmas Eve but it was not busy. Lovely young girl seated us and took our order then we just seemed to be forgotten. Waited for a good 45 mins for food and nearly walked out at one point. I had to go and ask another staff member where our food was and she acted like I was being a real inconvenience, then it just appeared as if it has been sitting under the hot plate for ages. Food tasted good but we weren’t asked how it was, nor if we wanted a dessert, in fact, never saw the waitress again and had to go and ask to pay. Standards have dropped here so won’t be rushing back.

Booked a table for food weeks ago , drove 45 mins only to be turned away due to no food ! No prior notice even though I was sent a text yesterday to confirm the booking. Awful service

Gone rubbish Service poor Food average and miss represented

Just had Xmas diner today friendly greeting on arrival and shown to our table Starters were good Main course not so food was warmish roast spuds were under whelming microscopic ball of stuffing wishy washy gravy Xmas pudding just about warm so I left it . Service was not brilliant one table were asked to leave as there time was up yet they hadn't been served their coffees somewhat chaotic service . At £80 per head at least Dick Turpin wore a mask bitterly disappointed Would Not eat there again

Great Christmas Eve morning having fun with the family, seeing the grinch & Santa, then to finish it off with a little disco. The children absolutely loved it.

Christmas day lunch was expensive so we were expecting a high standard of service and we weren't disappointed. Lovely calm atmosphere from the moment we entered the pub. Very cosy feel to the place and all of the staff that served us were cheerful and helpful. Slow service but we didn't mind cos we had time to open gifts and play with the kids between courses. Starter was delicious...spot on. Main course was good especially the veg and roasts. My husband wished there'd been more meat and my pie could have been a little crisper but considering it was ngci and vegan (not easy to cater for i know), it was bloody marvelous. The pudding was lush. There was a coffee on the menu but staff didn't seem to know it was there... however they quickly rallied to make coffees for us all. We stayed for 4 hours in total, 12 of us. We've never eaten out for Christmas day dinner before but this will defo become a Christmas tradition for us and I'd recommend the Poachers to anyone. I also very much appreciate them providing a delicious ngci and vegan option for starter, main and dessert for me. Thank you

Travelled 3 hrs to visit my mum in Chirk on xmas day, pre-booked xmas lunch at The Poachers for us, waiting staff were very friendly but service was too slow, the dinner was an absolute disappointment and definitely not worth £80 per head

Hard as nails roasties No boiled potatoes, and pigs in blankets only served as a £4 side for 4 £1 per portion Expensive and poor value

Xmas meet up with friends and a traditional Christmas dinner.

Marsden's, food ok. Service ok. Not a drinking pub. Real ale drinkers will struggle

Unfortunately the food was a let down here. Ordered the cheese and bacon burger and I left most of it as it was not very nice. Staff were good but didn’t ask if everything was ok with the food as you would expect

Lovely food, very good service, friendly waitress. We were having a leisurely lunch after a long walk and weren't in a hurry. We notice some reviews say they had a long wait, ours was borderline but not a problem for us, the food was piping hot and worth the wait. We will return, thank you!

Had great food and really helpful staff

Lovely pub but very expensive Drinks never arrived and no staff available to order dessert so we left without Staff reported being over whelmed and that the manager had disappeared Waiting staff were lovely but just too busy to keep up

Large group of 9, very excitable kids! Staff greeted us and made sure we were all taken care of throughout our visit! We had fussy eating kids but they were all catered for! Our food was delicious and we even left the birthday cake that was left over for staff to enjoy after we left as a thank you. I will definitely be returning in the new year to enjoy more delicious food and amazing company!

A most pleasant evening with friends and good food. The Gammon steak dish I had was really enjoyable. My companions had the Rib eye steak and scampi and chips meals, both of them really enjoyed their meals. Recommended place to eat, which I have done now on two occasions

My waitress Sophie was so lovely, very friendly and helpful

Very cold inside definitely not a warm friendly inviting pub, food was okay wouldn’t return

Went for dinner. Usually great but a very weird vibe last Saturday. Obviously understaffed probably due to the weather. Table wasn't ready, and we were ignored at the bar. Just had a quick drink then went home.

Food and service very slow and food was definitely frozen.

Great food, great service, just what you want for Sunday Lunch, cheers x

Went to Poachers on Sat 30th with a bunch of friends from the local area. Last time I came here, the service, food and atmosphere was great! This time however.... completely different story. After walking in, nobody came over to seat us, we walked to the bar to get a drink. To which a young lady came and took an order of one of the couples with us. She then wandered off with no communication about where she was going, the manager then comes out and asks my friend to tap his card on the machine. No explanation at all, but essentially they didn't have the particular alcohol but just didn't fancy explaining that. Thankfully because the alternative order was slightly cheaper, it was somewhat redeeming. It was then mine and my partners turn to order, to which the young lady left again, no explanation, no communication, just left. Then the manager comes out and asks my partner what the alternative drink was, we hadn't even been told that there was none of the drink we ordered originally, so obviously we were a bit confused. But none the less ordered another drink. Bearing in mind that during each of these times where the lady leaves and then the manager comes out, there must've been a 5 minute wait. Now... Time to be seated, the manager asked another young lady who worked there to check the laptop for the bookings under the name of our booking. The face this young lady gave was the most cannot be arsed attitude I have ever seen whilst in a restaurant, anyway about 10 minutes later, after charging the laptop and then seating another group.... we were finally seated. This is where things got better but worse. They did come up and ask us if we were ready to order, to which we said no. They then come back about 10 minutes later, no too bad, palatable. Between the group sitting down and the starters coming out was 37 minutes. 37!!! My chicken tenders come out burnt to a crisp, the friends sticky chicken was burnt to a crisp. Some things were cooked well and looked nice, some things were cooked appallingly and were horrible. Anyway with the starters over, my partner and the other ladies in the group went to get another drink. To which my partner was then told that actually there was the drink she had ordered originally and they had missed a bottle in the back. There was no renumeration for even the slightest inconvenience. Anyway the mains started coming out. I was adamant that if my chicken burger come out as crispy and burnt as the tenders, I would've sent it back, which I am not one to complain normally but this is how atrocious this service and food was. The Sausage and Mash and Pie and Mash were clearly using "smash" rather than homemade mash. Food didn't come out hot. The only and I mean ONLY redeeming factor was the fries. Finally the cherry on top of this awful cake, was the manager shouting across the entire room whilst people are eating to split one table's bill in half. At least walk across the room so as not to disturb everyone eating. It was time to pay and leave, again no renumeration for any of the inconvenience caused at all. Thankfully one of the party member had a blue light card and discount was applied which made the price of this place stomachable. I would say that here you would be paying around 50 quid + per person including drinks for a god awful meal and service.

Great staff & service. Comfortable surroundings …& the food was wonderful! Three of us booked for a ‘girls day out’ lunch after previously visiting a few months ago & were again very pleased and will return. Many Thanks

Easy last minute booking online. 5 minute walk from my hotel, (more like a motel). Lovely looking pub from the outside that followed through to the inside.. it's right on the canal and is probably packed in the summer months. Booking in advance is advised. Greeted promptly and in a friendly manner on entry. I booked into the dog friendly dining bar.... I'm solo tonight and no dog. Lol I ordered a pedigree; well I am from Burton and it is a Marston's pub. I took the table for one I was given. Returned to the bar to order a Beef lasagne. The lasagne arrived in around 15 mins, nice and piping hot. A little green salad and a lovely looking garlic bread as sides. The food was lovely for standard pub fayre. The lasagne was rich, creamy and flavoursome. Only issue for me was the Pedigree. It was not the best, by a long shot but I've had worse. It wasn't that clear and tasted like we were near the end of the barrel. Next beer will be the Hobgoblin in a couple of minutes. Well that was worse than the Pedigree. It didn't even clear...... There's no excuse in my book for a pub with an eating focus to not serve a half decent pint, . Get both right and you're onto a winner. Beer was overpriced as well compared to where I live. Would I eat here again..... Yes. Drink, not so sure.

Friendly staff and lovely food, very enjoyable

I ordered fried buttermilk chicken burger...well it was burned. I ate the chicken in it but took of the burnt stuff. I have had this meal in other Marstons pubs and the same thing burnt chicken. Why? Marston, you need to check this out.

Awfull won't visit to eat there again slug slime on carpet said it all .staff scruffy dressed .you really don't want to know anymore

Fantastic place, food and staff. Not had a bad experience there.

Nice lunch but could have been better