Ponsonby Arms in Denbighshire

It was very shut during my week long stay in Llangollen last week. What Pub has it as "Temporary Closed, reopening 2021" and as we are now deep into 2022 in the height of the holiday season when you would assume if it was opening at all it would have done it for the holiday crowds, I guess we can assume this one has gone for good. Real shame as LLangollen is not overly blessed with good real ale outlets.

Ok with Covid it might have killed this place. hopefully not. with there sister pub The Sun both have the best beer in llangollen. Just wish it was open

Mu fave pub in llangollen . Why ? Great owners who know their beers. Great staff ....lovely lot Great customers, none of your teen yobbos in here. Just locals enjoying a natter over good beer. Oh and if you like music . Tue..its ladies choir Wed .... acoustic get together Sunday....folk jam All free you can even bring your own instrument in and join in. Very friendly

not bad pub food in a decent setting in the lovely little village of llangollen. Close to the village's amenities

The owners here have kept a balance of the Ponsoby Arms a traditional boozer, combined with food, whilst Imdid not eat here what was on the table for another customer looked good, as I was here for the beer !, the choice was well kept , a good price considering it’s in a tourist belt.

We arrived on Sunday afternoon for the highly reputed roast dinners but were told by the manager the food is not available due to building work. They are refurbishing the kitchen and putting a wood floor down. But we were told about musicians playing at the bar later, so we went back and thoroughly enjoyed an evening of traditional singing, guitar, banjo and saxophone. Lots of British beers to choose from and a few Scotch Whiskys and gin. The lady behind the bar was polite and efficient. The bar was clean comfortable and relaxing. Thanks very much.

This is the third visit to thePonsonby and were in beer heaven again while listening to music. Food was not served this time but roast lunch was outstanding. Nicely greeted by a bubbly chap and told all about things to do nearby. The Elland Porter, Silver king and Landlord were our highlights, thanks for the great hospitality.

We called in here for a bite to eat one evening and had an enjoyable time. The food is tasty and reasonably priced and there is a good range of decent beers. The member of staff was lovely and the place has a friendly ambience. It seemed a little quieter than some of the pubs even though it is only five minutes walk from the bridge in the centre of town. Would visit again.

The food at Ponsonby Arms is absolutely delicious. It is all freshly made and made with superb quality. It is an absolute must for anyone who visits Llangollen.

We stopped here for a pint and lunch whilst visiting a friend in North Wales (having never been to the area before). We were warmly greeted by the bartender, had a fantastic choice of beers and wine (would highly recommend the Ludlow bitter!), and lovely hearty food - quite possibly the best chips we've had! Would definitely visit again!

called in during a few days in LLangollen. Food was amazing all ccoked fresh, they do a small plate for fish & chips which was idea for people like me who hasn't got a large appetite, The fish was very fresh & tasted lovely. The other half had steak pie it looked & tasted amazing.

What a feast - such a lovely selection of vegetables, the Beef melted in your mouth, and the Turkey was very tasty. Friendly service, and a relaxed atmosphere. There were three of us and we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Would definitely recommend having a meal here, and the beer was a great bonus.

We went at a quiet time. Only a couple of people in there. Nice friendly people behind the bar, good atmosphere all round. Not being that hungry I went for Soup of the day and a hot pork sandwich. The soup bowl was the size of an olympic pool and the sandwich an inch thick! Handy hint. If you're having the soup of the day, ask what it is first. I didn't ask and it turned out to be cauliflower and stilton. Strange but interesting. My first, (and last) experience of such a combination.

Great choice of beer, friendly staff, good food, fab “jukebox “. Ideal all round and perfect for a meet up with friends

We tried to book a table to eat earlier but couldn’t due to it being busy. The pub is comfortable, reasonable and relaxed. If you want good food, proper portions and no fuss, this is a good option. I had fish and chips, batter crispy, mush peas and home prepared chips. It didn’t disappoint.

My wife and I popped in for a drink. We were very impressed by the large choice of real ales. The very friendly and helpful landlady gave us some tasters to enable us to make a decision. We were not disappointed.

We had been to River Active for the White Water rafting, and had stayed the night there in the motorhome. Went to the town, about 15 minute walk, for Sunday lunch. Found this great pub! Excellent Sunday Roast. Good Value, and will go back again! Great beer garden, as we had dogs with us!

A super pub with great beer, great pub grub and great staff. Impressed with renovation and maintenance achieved since we visited last year

Thank you Alicia for allowing us to stop over in our MotorHome. A great friendly pub very welcoming staff, lovely food served and a fab selection of real ales. Highly recommend and will be visiting again.

Thanks to Alicia for letting us park in the pub car park. Great beer! Basic menu choices and really great real fish and chips. Big portion, couldn’t eat it all. Ideal spot to park up close to the village centre. Highly recommended, will come again.

Stayed at a B & B close by so on the advice of the owner we decided to have a meal here. Was surprised how small it was inside (Have since found out that there is another room closed off for refurb)

We were 5 adults, 2 children and 2 dogs, and we were given a very warm welcome. The pub is basic but the food is lovely. Excellent value, and clearly cooked by someone who knows what they're doing. We didn't expect a lot, we were just looking for somewhere wheelchair-accessible where we could sit inside with the dogs, but we had a great meal served by friendly staff.

Stayed in a B&B; close by, and went there for a drink, decided on having food and was not expecting much for the cost of the meal, however it was fabulous , we did have to wait a bit as it was quite busy but was given a complementary starter because of the wait. We upgraded to hand cut chips and highly recommend this. Food was delicious and wish we could visit again.

Called for sandwiches for lunch....added chips and so glad we didn't share!! The bread was incredibly fresh and the chips were to die for!! Very quiet and can't believe it wasn't packed! Can only think it must have recently changed hands or word hasn't got out yet??

Popped in as part of my little canal towpath bike ride, just the right time for great beer ( Timothy Taylor Ram Tam and a good sized bowl of excellent Veggy Bean stew, plus the bonus of a local choir rehearsing in one corner of the bar room!

The Ponsonby is doing food again so we decided to go for Mother's Day

Ate here with friends, 10 of us in total. The Pon has recently started serving food again here. Great menu, proper pub grub that is locally sourced and not expensive! We were all very satisfied with the big portions, all meals between £7-£11. Fresh handcut chips, lovely battered fish, wonderful grass fed beef burger with PROPER sauted onions to. The 3 vegetarians in our party well happy with the Linda McCartney burger... they are pretty fed up having to eat vegan food, which seems to have taken over everywhere... a proper veggie burger! Lovely selection on the menu so will definitely eat there again soon. All the food was piping hot and cooked fresh. Great beer selection too, best real ales in town. We all left feeling full and satisfied with our meals. Highly recommended.

Our of season so we did not expect anything special. 9 beers were on, all of them in excellent condition. Decided to eat there rather than go to the chippy, good choice as the food was very good.

We were spending a night in Llangollen and slowly drove past this pub on the way in. It looks great from the outside, freshly painted, great name sign and promises of cask ales and a great expectation given.

Yesterday, the staff were extremely kind to me as I was in a bad way after kayaking in the very cold River Dee having bad cuts, bruises and I was freezing cold. They kindly made me a hot coffee and let me warm up there. A very big thank you to the staff there. It was very much appreciated!

Called in today as we are celebrating a 50 th birthday

When myself and my partner entered for drinks and food just as the doors opened we asked to see a menu.. and I was astonished to be practically yelled at by a scruffy landlady (who looked liked she just climbed outta bed) who said “you’ll have to wait I’m just setting up” surely you would do this prior to opening the premises, reluctantly we walked out as the state of the place very much resembled the landlady!!! Clean up and look like you take pride NEVER AGAIN STEER CLEAR!!!

The Ponsonby is a public house which would be classed as one of my 'local pubs' as it is very near my brother's home. At 12 noon today me and my wife arranged to meet my brother there for a drink. We arrived on time, the outer door was open so we duly entered to be met by a woman whom I am informed is the landlady. She greeted us by abruptly telling us that the pub wasn't open yet. I reasonably replied by asking what time she was opening. She simply repeated herself and added that she had 'staff problems'. I again asked when she would be open adding is it going to be an hour or more. She again very abruptly stated that the pub wasn't open yet to which I replied ok, goodbye upon which she latterly slammed the door in my face!! (no contact was made). Don't worry Mrs Landlady we will NEVER return to your establishment I expect to be treated civilly and with respect and I will spend my money where I am welcome. I would not speak to a dog the way you spoke to us today

A group from us from the LDWA stayed over in Llangollen for the weekend. After a meal in the Dee Side Bistro (see seperate review) we all went to the Ponsonby Arms for a 'night cap'. A good selection of cask ales and a lovely atmousphere rounded off the night nicely.

Had lunch at the Sarah Ponsonby yesterday after a walk with our group around Llangollen area. I really enjoyed my meal of venison pate, then burger. Delish!!! The service was good, pub and toilets clean. There was a large display of gins to choose from. The lady gave us a free parking ticket, which lasts all day, bargain! Highly recommended!

Best pub for good beer in Llangollen I really enjoyed the long Hop

Wonderful welcome, great ale and superb food. A classic Welsh pub! Highly recommended! Lisa and Paul are so laid back and make you feel like you belong. The classic jukebox plays wonderful blues and classic tunes. Brilliant!

The Sarah Ponsonby, this used to be the name of this public house, The "Ladies of Llangollen", Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, were two upper-class Irish women whose relationship scandalised and fascinated their contemporaries. Eleanor Butler died in 1829. Sarah Ponsonby died two years later. They are both buried at St Collen's Church in Llangollen. We have visited this pub for years when passing and is still top notch for good food and fine ales, beers and now different types of cider! a must visit.

A busy Friday early evening. A good range of beers in top condition. The food - curry and burger - was excellent quality, tasty and plentiful.

Used this place a few times while camping at Wern Isaf Farm. Cracking find. The locals and bar staff were very friendly with tips about where to go and what to see. The town crier drinks in here and one of his suggestions was to take the steam train one stop along, walk across the chain bridge and look at horseshoe falls before walking back to town.

We gave our orders in advance and the lone chef cooked them all for our arrival! Great tasting food, lovely waiting staff and massive choice of beers on tap! We all thoroughly enjoyed our visit and will be returning again. Thank you!

Visité hoy aquí con mis padres, mi hermana y mi hijo de 6 años. El jardín es precioso y da a un pequeño parque que lleva hasta el río que se puede acceder a través de una puerta. Había un castillo hinchable que mi hijo...

A good range of beers small bar next the river Dee. Soft music. No non-alcoholic beer - really bad in this day and aged of responsible drinking. But it has a genuine local atmosphere and if it was near me I would spend time there sampling beer and conversation.(Please note: The pies are not proper! Naked of pastry on the bottom and a flimsy almost transparent top barely covering the shame of it beneath - very tarty in fact. These are not pies they are imposters, stew with a frozen flakey pastry lid!)But as said a great little pub.

Called in for a few beers on Friday afternoon and having looked at the menu, decided to go back to eat. Good call!A varied menu and good price range. I must say that I had one of the best steak & ale pies I've ever had.Fantastic choice of ales and wines - also gins! The White Prussian was particularly pleasant.We will be back - still got a lot more tasting to do.

This pub restaurant has an extensive choice of drinks, we like beer and we weren't disappointed. My wife likes darker beers and I prefer something pale which they had plenty, and it was good. The food was excellent too. Generous portions, reasonably priced, good choice. It's pub grub, my wife had a burger with home made chips and I had a Welsh steak, lovely.

Went in here ostensively for a beer and ended up having lunch. I was not filled with positivity, but I was happily surprised at the quality of the food and presentation we received. We shall be back if in Llangollen again soon.

We didn't eat there, we didn't spend much money, but the warmth of the welcome from the bar and the pleasure of sitting in their garden on a hot day made this a memorable ending to our all too brief stay in the area.The offer to make a sandwich for us was very much appreciated and that Ginger Beer and Ice got me through the long journey home. Thanks

traditional pub. Friendly lady behind the bar and great recommendation on the lamb shank. 1 of us had the burger which looked great and HUGE! 3 of us chose the lamb shank which was cooked to perfection fell off the bone and fresh cooked veg! As there was a wait for the fresh cooked veg the chef sent olives chorizo bread and oils out which was a lovely added touch!

We called in this pub hoping for a good choice of real ales. And they were six different ones unfortunately from my taste buds everyone a summers Lenore one decent bitter the world's leading gone summer ale mad. And a lot of Otis poor fare indeed. Having said that we had averynicemeal my fish and chips were very good

We had lunch here. A very lovely greeting from the bar person. We wanted to eat lunch in the garden and he took our order and set up a tab. Such professionalism we were happy to wait for our meal. Garden was being tidied up at the time but when our meal arrived it was lovely and the female cook brought lovely meals to our table.So even if you want a well stocked real ales pub, you should try the meals.

Despite being advertised as open. We visited this place while in Llangollen, as it had good reviews, and found that it had closed down. Very disappointed

Didn't eat here but popped in a few times to have a drink and make the most of their lovely pub garden, over looking the river and watching the free range chickens run around the well tendered garden.

great pub with live entertainment.great for lovers of real ale;we had a great time in here 28th may .good drinks ,cheap and live music.

I didn't eat here but had a few drinks. My friends I was with are big ale and cider drinkers and they were spoilt for choice. Very friendly staff and a lovely garden overlooking the river make this a lovely place to stop by.

Had a great pint of Twister and the meal of beef burger and hand cut chips was lovely! Best burger I've had in a long time. Wide range of cask ales too.

This pub has some great ales and if you are an ale lover, make this your first stop when in town.We had a light lunch of soup and a sandwich each which came to £10 altogether - bargain. The staff were really nice to talk to and couldn't have been more helpful.You can leave your car parked in the pub car park and wander up the road into town - it's really close. Such a pretty place

Stopped off for a quick warm drink whilst visiting Llangollen. Hubby was impressed with the beer on offer & I just had a tea. Lovely views towards the river.

One of the best pubs I have been to for a long time, some great beers which are really well kept, staff and locals are very friendly too! Will be back

Visited this pub looking for the haunted juke box only to find a great evening of live music. Food was on offer too.

Visiting Llangollen recently via the canal we were looking for a venue with a good range of real ales. Some disappointed...but not the Ponsonby. A very good range of beers, well kept and well served. The interior is tired and in need of some update..but the landlady was talking of exactly that for the future. BUT....the beer & the range is not to be faulted.If you are looking for food & an updated stylish interior...then try other establishments, but if you are looking for first class real ales..then the Ponsonby should definitely be your only destination.

Third visit to the Ponsonby and great real ale selection, spoke to the landlady who told us that they no longer serve food. There are plenty other places to get something to eat so call here before or after and you won't be disappointed with choice of beers on offer, will eventually get to visit the other pub The Sun. Only downside was that my other half was not impressed with the ladies toilets.

ランゴーレンのホテルにチェックインした時間が遅かったのと、雨が降り出してきたのとで、夕食は近くのパブで済ませることにしました。いわゆる「パブ飯」ですが、侮ってはいけません。メニューは少ないのですが、地元のエールと相性のいい食事を提供してくれるのです。ダークマイルドなエールと一緒に、牛肉の煮込みをいただきました。美味しかったですよ。天気が良ければ、ディー川を眺めるオープンテラスも使えます。

We've visited this pub before when we've been in the area and it simply cannot be faulted for the selection and quality of its real ales. Always a great selection of around 8 different beers and always excellently kept. Information boards on the wall with accurate descriptions help with choice.Love that the place is dog friendly too... however a once over with a hoover each day, especially on the sofa seats, might help with the doggy smell and mean customers don't leave with thick dog hairs all over them!!The place is a little tired and dated, which I guess adds to it's "charm" and keeps the "chav fraternity" out, leaving it for proper ale aficionados - however the ladies toilets do leave a lot to be desired - the broken sink bodged up with expanding foam spray really isn't appealing at all and is the sole reason for me not giving 5 stars!. I know the management are working on improving the facilities but as they own 2 pubs in the town this is a slow process... Having said all that, we'll definitely be back when we're next in the area as the beer is just fantastic!!

really like this pup had sunday dinner all home cooked will be back again defo..,really nice staff very welcomming to all...and lots of good ale to drink...

Came here as it holds the Llangollen food assembly, and was amazed by the great selection of beers and cider on offer. All well kept, and very nice friendly barman.No food is being served at the time of visit, and the dog was allowed into the bar area. This is a good, old fashioned pub, so no flash decor, just good beer.

Seduced by the prospect of both good ale and a good meal we attended having checked by phone that there would be food on the night in question. It soon became apparent that there was no food and the welcome was distinctly underwhelming. While the beer was good enough it alone would not justify visiting a place that still needs a lot of restoration and in parts wasn’t terribly clean. Indeed, I do wonder what the state of the kitchen is like.

Excellent seletion of real ales but the rest of the pub leaves a lot to be desired - poor decor throughout

We had not visited Llangollen before and made use of the very positive reviews for this pub to help us choose a place for lunch. We were not disappointed. Really friendly welcome, great range of real ales on offer and a nice range of main meals. The food ticked so many of the boxes that are often missing in pub food - home cooked fresh ingredients, very generous portions and served piping hot. We were also served complimentary tapas while we waited for our main meals. We did not wait long, but long enough to know that the food was prepared for us with care. The only negative is that I live too far away to visit more often! Highly recommended.

Popped in here with the wife after seeing the board outside saying they had 12 ales on offer.It looks nothing special outside and is quite plain inside but the owner and staff are great.We found ourselves to be the only people inside so ordered our drinks and found a seat.Then the locals started to arrive and we were bowled over by how friendly they were. One who we had chatted too came back over to our table and gave us two pies. He had just bought from a local lady that makes them at home for the locals and some pubs, they were amazing. At 6pm happy hr started and the pub filled up with more people all enjoying themselves.

Bank holiday loomed,and looking for somewhere to visit Llangollen came out of the hat.Being of a somewhat fussy bent food wise,ie anti frozen veg and plastic meat,I turned to trip advisor for inspiration.Oh boy did I hit the jackpot! Please ignore the decor just remember,you're eating the food and not the wallpaper.On Sunday's they only do roast dinner from 1pm onwards but well worth it. I'm not a big eater but I practically licked the plate of my lamb dinner,while my husbands beef was worthy of any 5 star establishment.Every morsel is beautifully home cooked,right down to the stuffing,by alovely lady who should be very proud of her skill,(and her fab gravy lol).The staff are so delightful and genuinely happy to help.This place deserves more visitors but because it's on the edge of town its undeservedly overlooked.We will happily travel the 1hour journey to eat here again

Friendly staff. The food here is cooked fresh, so you have to wait a little longer than other food outlets. It is not a fast food place, but so worth the little wait, you are given tapas whilst you wait, delicious!! The quantity is very filling & reasonably priced, The hubby liked the local selection of beers too. I would recommend a visit!!

We visited this re-opened premises for a meal on 30.8.15 and the meal was stunning so tasty and in abundance. I hope the re- building of this business goes well as the owners have a lot of physical renovation to complete but 10 out of 10 for our visit

Never been to Llangollen before, but went today and went to Ponsonby Arms for Sunday Lunch , had soup as a starter followed by Rib of Beef with Roast Potatoes, Roast Parsnio and all the trimmings with Yorkshire Pudding - the food was well presented and Hot when served , accompanied by a glass of real cider and great company - it was definitely worth the 50 mile drive there and will be sure to return in the near future.

Enjoyed our return visit to the Ponsonby arms. Sat in the garden, beautiful day, delicious food and drinks. Fed the chickens, most enjoyable. The owners have done a nice job here. Seems to be improving all the time. Many thanks to the friendly staff who looked after us again.

This is very welcoming pub with a great beer garden and a large selection of beers, it is also dog friendly , a good place to stop after a walk , this must rate as one of the best pubs in llangollen with its sister pub the sun inn.

Great service with great beer selection. Very friendly staff with good pub grub. Would go again. Parking is free, and prices very good.

If you enjoy real ale and good home cooked food, look past the faded decor and give this place a try. We spent 2 evenings here. The staff were all very friendly, as were other customers, and the beer and food were excellent. We had curry, which as others have already said was delicious, home cooked, and followed bread and olives, and popadums and chutneys. Good juke box too! We only gave a 4 rather than a 5 because the place looks very tired, but it is being refurbished. Thanks very much to all the staff

I have been in for few drinks and noticed customers receiving complimentary freshly baked homemade bread, olives & dips, and I thought is that due to the food running late? Nope that's how its done there, which is lovely. Also I thought the portions looked great the spag bol smelt delicious, and good detail to the presentation. So after noticing all this we decided to go for a meal, We both had curry's, and it was delicious! I had king prawn curry I have never seen prawns so big ever! absolutely fantastic, before our curry's arrived we where given some olives, then a massive pile of fresh warm poppadum's came with 4 dips which tasted either homemade or very high quality (and this is not a curry house so i was surprised at the quality of curry beats the simla & the other indian house in Llangollen hands down) All complimentary! overall lovely meal very good prices & a fantastic selection of Ales a whole 8 different ales & two scrumpys, rare to see so many. thanks.

A group of us ate here last night. The food was awesome. Lots of nice touches like appetisers.The service was great and we all enjoyed our meal.The icing on the cake was the selection of cask ales.We will return and will be recommending this pub to friends and family.

We ate here as part of an organised tour of dancers. The food and beer were excellent the pub itself is a bit scruffy but the welcome more than makes up for this.

Great pub great choice of cask ales barmaid let me sample a couple before I made my choice. The food unbelievable far to much I hate leaving food but rather leave and enjoy than stuff ourselves. 10/10 pkease visit.

Cask ale pub that does nice food. We did wait a long time, but were warned, but we're happy drinking the fine ales on tap!. they were busy. I had steak & ale pie, the group had giant fish and chips, prawn curry, chilli and some burgers, it's what you expect from a trad pub grub but nice to be brought some fresh bread and dip before the meal and water, which filed the gap when we waited. Highly recommend this pub rally excellent.

On a stop off from a visit to the North Wales coast we decided to eat in Llangollen, having visited the Ponsonby before we knew we would not be disappointed. The pub is under refurbishment but don't let you put that off. The beers were as phenomenal as our last visit and were served by the very friendly lady Sam. The landlady Lisa is responsible for all of the cooking and she is an amazing chef producing tasty home made meals at a very good price. We had the steak and ale pie with fries and veg of the day, it was an amazing gravy and the beef melted in your mouth. My dining partner had the spicy pineapple dhal which came with naan, rice, poppadoms and homemade raita, mango puree and lime pickle. It was HUGE!!! Delicious and as good as any indian curry house produces. We were given a tapas of chorizo, olives and manchego cheese whilst we waited in the beer garden on a hot summer night , for it to be cooked freshly. The beer garden now has rabbits who are highly entertaining! Cassie, the faithful dog was very happy I shared my pie with her! I was beaten by the huge portion!! We will certainly be back and please to see a pub maintaining a decent pub food standard and not reliant on cash and carry off the shelf food as so many pubs churn out these days! Thanks for a lovely meal.

We just stopped for a quick bite and a couple of beers. The owner also owns the Sun in town, and their committment to providing fabulous local beer deserves support. Food was typical pub food, but this place is all about the beer. It was great to return for the first time in 35 years. Thanks for the hospitality!

We chose this pub to have lunch initially because we were able to take our little dog in with us. Really glad that we took the dog on our day trip as we enjoyed the best Sunday lunch that we have ever had in any pub!The staff in here are lovely and the food is gorgeous. Beautiful roast meat with fresh vegetables and trimmings. The chef cooks exceptionally well. Will definitely return and would highly recommend.

My wife and I called in here for a quick pint in the afternoon whilst visiting on rare child free afternoon.The young lady behind the bar could not have been more helpful and even gave us a coupon for our car parking.The pub is everything you would expect from a UK pub and has loads of charm and character.Thanks for the experience and the lovely afternoon.

Not able to give a fair view as half of the bar/dining room was under refurb, but the food was very good. Down side was that as we eat early and arrived at 12.10 being the first customers not everything was prepared including the roast beef, we had the roast lamb which was very good. Camilla who served us was very friendly and made us most welcome, as we didn't have the soup starter we were given a free drink. The chef also popped out of the kitchen to make sure all was well, another plus was the large boat of gravy served with our roast.Will go back again in a few weeks to give it a fair try. Note if you arrive by car if you go to the bar they will give you a ticket to park for free, although the fee is only £1 for 4 hours.

A great place for real ale and cider. Sat outside in the beer garden with the pubs own pet rabbits and chickens. Children will love it.

I have been told about the food in the pon for ages and one Sunday I called with the family for food. Well we did not go for the Sunday dinner but went for the fish and chips instead. Wow fish more like whale and chips what a size. The food was fantastic and the beer as always I'm the pon was spot on. Will defo eat here again in the future. And as for the beer. On Friday night they have happy hour which they call hoppy hour as there is a pound off all real ale. A great place to start your weekend and if you still can manage it go to the sister pub the sun for hoppy hr there to. Great pubs, great times.

Dropped into the Ponsonby on the off chance and were VERY pleasantly surprised: quality real ales on tap with a good choice, and really high quality home cooked food. The tapas were a taste explosion, my wife's pate with home made bread was fabulous, I had a lifetime first eating char which was perfectly cooked and tasted wonderful, and the wife's gammon steak would have satisfied Desperate Dan! Add to that good, friendly service, free parking and gardens overlooking the river, and 5 stars doesn't seem enough!!

Popped in for a quick dinner with no preconceived expectations.Service was more like a fine dining experience than pub. And the Vegetarian Chili was delicious.

What a lovely pub - really friendly staff, great beer and tasty freshly cooked food served in generous portions.

As we were walking back along the canal towards town, we cut down onto the main road and came across this foodie pub. We had bess tied outside didn't even intend to stay for a meal and a lady came over and said bring your dog inside. Great to find a place you can eat where dogs are welcome and we were bought a bowl of water. Nothing was too much trouble. We got complimentary tapas starters while we waited for our meal. I had a roast dinner, the rest of the family had fish and chips and lamb shanks and kids nuggets and chips with drinks at no extra cost, everyone thought it was great. Kids had ice cream for dessert too and they split the cost of an adult portion so they could share......... Lemon wet wipes supplied in the toilets great idea, really thoughtful for families and kids were entertained outside with the rabbits. Thanks very, very much!

Ate here with my parent’s and sisters yesterday. Glad to have read Chris J review that stated not to let the exterior put you off as the food and beer inside would be amazing. Totally agree as the food we had was great value for money. The hosts were amazing; nothing was too much trouble and were made to feel welcome. Real ale selection was brilliant, shame I was driving! Three in the party had Icelandic Chard which herb crusted over a coating of Brie, tasted divine. I had the whale of a fish cooked in Elephant beer batter, not for the faint hearted. Father had a gammon with egg fresh from the free range eggs outside. Free tapas to boot whilst waiting, highly recommend this establishment. Would eat here again without hesitation next time we visit.

Best Sunday lunch I have ever had out in my 34 years of living in and around Europe. Was a bit dubious at first as the décor is a little dated and unfinished. Service was a little slow but so worth the wait! For £10.99 I got a delicious home made carrot and coriander soup and fresh home made bread. Then my main which included a side plate of cauliflower cheese and seasonal steamed veg. Meat was a choice of beef, turkey or lamb. Service was very friendly and the chef brought us our main course which was a great touch. Kids Sunday lunch was a good size also. Just great all round.... Go there!

Called in for Sunday lunch after a walk over the aqueduct. The choice of ales is really good and all in great condition, they do 1/3rds so you can sample them all. I had the roast lamb and others had the fish and chips all well presented and excellent value. We will definitely be back for more!

We have been visiting this pub for some time now, dont let the exterior put you off as soon it will be as amazing as the food and beer inside, a mixture of locals and tourists visit this place and the fact that many locals choose to drink and eat here speaks a thousand words. The owners are re doing the interior bit by bit, but this will take a while as the money tree outside has not flowered this year. We find the place very homely and the bar staff knowledgeable and friendy. The food has not seen the inside of a microwave and the meat is top quality and cooked to perfection, the range of beers superb. As you can tell we like the Ponsonby.....lots......so go there.

Really enjoyed our meal and drinks here. We had long hop ale Recomended by a local. Delicious. We had various meals between 6 of us. I had large battered prawns and a Welsh steak which was great. Everyone enjoyed. We were served by a charming Turkish lady who made us feel very welcome. Many thanks! Five stars!

We called in for lunch and ordered three fish and chips and a vegetarian Sunday dinner, the food was fantastic especially the fish cooked to perfection. We would all highly recommend this place to eat.

Was here with my partner an daughter . We came in for a drink as we were passing through . We ended up staying for food an we were pleased we did , the food was very good . Everything fresh , service was great staff were friendly , we will certainly pop in again .