Shoal hill tavern in South Staffordshire

A very good place to go for a bit of refreshments after a good walk over Shoal Hill. We only went for a drink which the price was very reasonable.

ANOTHER comfortable well presented service

I didn't eat here but the other people who did said their food was lovely, and it did look delicious.

We have noisy dogs so sat outside

Very ordinary, but nothing wrong.

We've lived in this area for 34 years but this was my first visit to The Shoal Hill Tavern. First impression was that the place neede some updating as it looked a bit tired...but it was clean and tidy so no real issues. Staff were friendly and efficient and service was excellent. We came for an evening meal and were not disappointed. We decided to share a fish platter for starters...the dish was awesome! Great selection of fish, well cooked and the portion size was really generous, in fact so generous we were not sure about wanting our main course! Our mains; classic 14oz gammon steak and a hunters chicken were exceptional...unfortunately we couldn't do them justice and did leave some...consequently we did not have pudding! I thoroughly recommend the Shoal Tavern to all. Might suggest that you book for an evening meal as it was very busy even for mid-week possibly due to being on the edge of Cannock Chase so attracts people come back from walks Loved the place

Went for breakfast. Good food and service

Lovely place for a family meet up. We all had a delicious breakfast. Staff were very helpful & friendly. Recommend a visit.

Food was lovely great portion sizes for the price! Love the fact we can take our dog in too

It took almost 10 minutes for me to be looked at whilst waiting at the bar. (I was the only person there).

Friendly place. Good choice of beers.

Food was nice, service really good. Decor dated

Came from Grimsby to see a friend and we went out to eat something. Sure I.m not gonna come here again. The only thing good on the table was the beer. Neither me or my friends ate what we ordered. You can see the products are from tesco or even worst, and then just fried. We only ate the fries. The staff was lovely.

Very crowded men standing swearing at bar whilst people and families eat

We have been here several times but never again. This was the worst visit ever. The food was very very disappointing. The pork belly was pure fat it wasn’t cooked very well and the flavours were all very bland on all meals. Very disappointed.

Breakfast was absolutely amazing and staff all superb and friendly

Found this place after a nice walk around Cannock Lake. Fantastic food - a really good, succulent chilli with garlic bread - and service, and I like the outdoor seating sheds (with all mod cons). Perfect place to shelter from the rain while enjoying the view, and fuel up both myself and my phone for the way back.

Very friendly impeccable staff. Unfortunately we had broken down, as a diabetic needed lunch. RAC wasn't particularly helpful so walked back to shoal hill tavern, leaving husband sorting things out. Explained my situation to a member of staff who immediately showed compassion and concern. Ordered food for me straight away fast tracking knowing I was diabetic. Said take a table as you have had a long walk with back problems. I was prepared to sit outside as it was busy.Two ladies befriended me making me feel easy . Then the member of staff came to see how things were going was fully prepared to drive me back to the car. How thoughtful was that. I cannot express my gratitude to all concerned for coming to my aid.HUGE THANKS from both myself and husband. You all deserve recognition for your thoughtfulness and kindness shown. Nothing was too much trouble and went above and beyond your duty rescuing a damsel in distress.

Nice place food usual microwave pub grub no better or worse than everywhere else. Good value beer prices bit ott

Called here with family on Sunday morning. A very pleasant welcome as we arrived and were shown to a suitable table by the front window. Immediately our drinks order was taken while we looked at the menu. 3 full English with toast arrived in a short time and was extremely tasty. Very pleasant and attentive staff, and a lovely atmosphere. Will definitely return, was well as recommend to friends and family.

Friendly staff and lovely food. Nice atmosphere. Meet friends there about once a month. Usually go for lunch and order from the lunch menu

Fantastic breakfast and coffee after a very cold dog walk on Cannock Chase. Very dog friendly with a specific seating area.

We have never had a bad meal here, so long may it continue. Our favorite is the steak and ale pie. There is a range of real ales on tap as well. So food, ale and service is really good. Well worth a visit if you have never been. It is right on the edge of Cannock Chase, so some good walks to walk off the calories, if you want to. Recommended.

Lovely honest food, warm welcome and attentive staff. Food arrived piping hot and fresh. Good roast dinner. Staff very friendly and ready to help.

Considering the price, Sunday lunch was very, very disappointing.. The place needs an urgent face-lift and the quality of the food needs serious attention to justify the cost. The most gutting factor was the service. It's clear that some of the staff have no interest in being there. We were given abrupt, even downright rude service. The Shoal used to be great. We will not be returning.

We were regulars to this pub however we won't be returning. The table was dirty on being seated (this was the beginning of food service. Sunday lunch is overpriced and very poor-frozen veg for the high price is unacceptable. The pork Yorkshire was sour and clearly gone off. We reported this to the waitress who didn't even have to the courtesy to come back to us. So reported again when we paid to have a number of the waitresses argue with us. I was concerned that the pork Yorkshire was off and that they should check before sending anymore out. We were just dismissed and given a mouthful. Shocking service and poor food. It never used to be like this. What has happened here recently to let the standards slip so much?

Lovely food and a nice, friendly atmosphere. We visit often. Highly recommend.

Went for a family meal , food was excellent very hot and plenty to eat.

Very nice pub food great and generous portions. Staff are very efficient and friendly

Lovely place, the food was wonderful, and service was equally as good.

Waited over half an hour to order food , was not overly busy . Received our food over an hour after arriving . Wasn't worth the wait chips were dry and cold , peas were like bullets . No sauces had to hunt round for them ourselves . Just generally very poor service and terrible food would not reccomend .

Great staff and great food dog friendly too 😁👍 outside sitting area nice spot too 😁👍 will be going bk great prices too 😃

Ordered Fresh Fish absolutely disgusting 🫣 batter very soft and soggy .Fish hard chewy couldn't eat absolutely terrible would not eat there again.

Nice restaurant Pub. Lots of parking and food was very good.

Nice family meal although had to wait a long time but for the time of year it was acceptable. Any to the food, in which I can only say one word, delicious!!!! Enough said.

Booked this for Boxing day Breakfast what a nightmare my mother is Gluten free having told the waitress thiz her Breakfast still came out wrong. No choice of herbal tea's and the biscuits with the coffee we ordered were out of date .worst of all one of the male waiting staff seemed only interested in flirting with a female staff member which is totally unacceptable when at work .i would not recommend this place to eat at all very disappointing and spoiled our family meet up.

Friendly atmosphere, great staff and great food the pizza was fantastic pizza ,

The food was ok. Had a few issues with the wrong food coming out and some food not coming out at all. So wasn’t great this time but have been many times and it be much better outside of the festive period when they have less pressure of so many people in.

The food was lovely and well worth the money

Popped in for breakfast with some good friends. The staff were very friendly and polite. Our pooch was welcome too. We had a mixture of breakfasts ranging from poached egg on toast with extra bacon, a small & large breakfast plus a sausage sandwich all accompanied by freshly made coffees and teas. The service was good. The food arrived in good time with all of our meals arriving together. The large breakfast was £8.40 ish with four sausages, 3 rashers of bacon, scrambled egg etc; all very good and cooked just right. Despite being relatively early in the day, 10.30am, the pub was nice and warm. Level 9 Google reviewer; 900 plus reviews, 1.4 million views and over 11,000 photos with around 43 million views and still going strong 💪. Check out my other reviews 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟.

Had a great lunch at the Shoal Hill. Food was very tasty and generous portions. Staff were helpful and friendly.

Went on a walking group for a hot drink and mince pie..service slow. We asked if tgey could put Christmas music on, they forgot. Mince pie so tiny. No atmosphere..

Another excellent meal, served by friendly staff.

Overall not a disaster but some points to consider for the food ; - more toast with pate please. - The mains were VERY hot , maybe warmed in a microwave ? The potato had more than a hint of packet smash , the roast pork and the belly pork were very tender . The whole course was flavoursome but was adequate rather than outstanding . On a Sunday in December the pub was very busy and as a result it was very noisy. The time for delivery of our desserts was also unacceptably long. Overall not an unpleasant experience but not one which will top our list of Sunday lunch choices.

Staff lovely and friendly food highly recommended great service

Lovely lunchtime meal, good menu, lots if choice. Good value for money Service was great, staff very friendly. On the edge of cannock chase. Great location fir a pie and pint after a walk

I popped in for coffee with my dog before spending a couple of hours in the forest and then again afterwards before I left for home. The staff were brilliant, friendly and helpful, excellent service! I didn't eat there but wished I had an appetite as the food that was coming out of the kitchen looked amazing!

Typically average. Meal poor, although husband enjoyed the pie he had. Drinks mega bucks for shandy and cider. Overall, very,very average, expensive, and disappointing.

Nice food polite staff and a nice little pub

Did not eat l, but great pub and location

I visited on Sunday the 19th of November 2023 I decided to revisit this pub and this time I was very disappointed after the lovely review I gave it underneath I have changed my star rating . The food was lukewarm. This time the Yorkshire was warm on top and freezing on the bottom and very chewy. When I mentioned this I was told the chef said well they shouldn't be warm anyway. Well they had always been in the past. I thought this was quite rude. I asked if there was water for my dog. Normally they bring your bowl to the table. I was told I had to go outside and get one myself. I don't think I'll be going back even though it was wonderful in the past . This was my previous review underneath. I went on a Sunday and it was very busy. The staff were very busy but that didn't stop them coming to me straight away and finding a table for me. It's a dog friendly pub which I like. The food was delivered so very quickly which surprise me considering how busy they were, and the food was lovely and really good portions. If I had one criticism, which is only a small one the dog water bowls were very dirty and green.

Good honest pub food decent prices lovely staff

Staff are friendly and attentive, service was quick and the food was mostly great. Mashed potato tastes like smash but that’s my only complaint. Went on Sunday lunch time and our table was put by the bar/fire place. We were all freezing due to the draught coming through every time the door was opened, which was a lot as the local kids football team were running around coming in and out and screaming. It didn’t quite ruin the meal but it wasn’t pleasant and I wouldn’t book again.

Really nice food and nice place to visit.....will definatly be back...could do with better choise of alcohol free beers for those who have to drive ....otherwise brilliant.

I enjoy the food here 😋 but waiting on pudding took awhile.

Went for v quick meal, just before they stopped serving, food was nice. Decore is nice, and friendly staff and you can take dogs inside too.

Absloute fantastic experience first time going with My autistic lad nothing was to much to ask from the staff and fantastic with my autistic boy. Food was out of this world from dinner to pudding.

Nice place, staff very nice, service good. Food average, would not recommend roast if the day

The food here is always good, and the staff are really friendly and accommodating.

Never been here before but food was excellent as was the service

Lovely place highly recommended

Lovely food, attentive staff and a very friendly place to go. Even though they were busy the food was received within a reasonable time and was great tasting. I had way too much rice portion for one person with the pork belly though

Meals were tasty and helpful staff, but they put a tax on the bill which we were not told about

Very disappointed with the Sunday lunch today. Not half as good as I remember. The mash tasted like smash, reformed meat and frozen veg. We ordered a side of cauliflower cheese which was full of water of the bottom, not great for an extra £4.95. The staff weren't the most enthusiastic ither which is ashame. We commented on how it wasn't as good as it used to be and had they changed suppliers? No one seemed to know. They did offer us a free desert which I have to say the sticky toffee pudding was absolutely fantastic and the two other desserts were as nice. Would I return?? For a drink yes, and maybe a cheeky dessert but I wont be booking here for a nice meal out again.

We popped into the Shoal Hill Tavern on the spur of the moment for a meal. We were told we could have a table but would have a 20-minute wait; we were fine with this, as it gave us time to have a drink and review the menu. The menu revealed that it was Sizzler Thursday! True to their word, 20 minutes later we had ordered!And what a wait well spent it was! The Vegetarian and Pork Belly Sizzlers we ordered were both an absolute delight. The tender and succulent pork belly perfectly complemented the array of vibrant peppers, onions and mushrooms! The Shoal Hill Tavern certainly exceeded our expectations and we can't wait to return for another memorable dining experience. The picture says it all!

Lovely friendly staff good meal value for money

Really enjoyed our meal there today

I was appalled at the standard of the meal, I don't care for chips too often, so went for potato. I was served a plate of sloppy, wet instant mash, with some tepid veg ! The lady serving was grumpy and slow. I was thinking of going again, and so read some reviews first, hoping it had changed for the better. Only to find it hasn't, so changed my mind, and done what I should have a year ago, wrote this review !

A good dog friendly pub hard to find these days with good food

been today for Sunday dinner. Terrible, never going again. Instant mash, roast potatoes were almost black, veg had been dipped in hot water and then taken out to serve, peas like bullets. gravy brown water. The beef was edible, only just. The lamb shank was ok, which my husband ate, but that was all. It was very busy and we went on the off chance of getting in. Young girl serving was on her mobile phone messaging, so sorry to have taken up her time. Dont waste your money.

Great food although quite expensive, portions are large and always tasty with a good range of dishes including specials that change regularly.

Awesome meals,atmosphere and staff. Drinks also very good quality loved it 🍻👍

Improvement needed overall. The first impression as you pull up was very good as there were wonderful hanging baskets and other flowers and they are truly beautiful. The lady who greeted us was quite brusque and not very welcoming . The restaurant was fairly quiet but service was so so slow. When we finally got our meals the lady said I'll go and get your cutlery which again took time. Surely it would be a better idea to be given this before the meal... The food was adequate and fairly decent portion sizes. The one waitress was friendlier than the other and was better with customers. Paying was also very slow and again customer service somewhat lacking. The pub is in a wonderful location and although the food was ok the experience could have been way better.

Tried the 2 for £16 main course and selected "roast of the day". It was absolutely lovely. Very attentative service. Very nice location. Loads of parking. Easily accessible off the chase. What's not to like??

We were seated by a window and had plenty of room. The food was sublime and the portions plentiful. Can't wait to go again.

Attended as a party of six . Speedy service and really good food . My son had the belly pork bites as a starter and said it was one of the best things he had eaten .

Food was disgusting, tasteless , dry and seemed really cheap ingredients, couldn’t eat it . Ordered a child’s meal for my 20 month year old grandson plate was red hot and they gave him a massive knife and fork to eat it with … I went to pay they asked if everything was ok ? I said not really , sorry was the reply … awful experience

Just enjoyed lovely lunches at this delightful pub. We were pre booked but the place was buzzing. The staff apologised for the slight delays in food preparation but no problem for us; they were rushed off their feet. It didnt prevent them being cheerful and polite throughout. The food was delicious and good portions. Plenty of parking and well located on the edge of Cannock Chase; the views to The Wrekin and the west are super.

I mean we only had a bowl of chips but they were lovely, and the Sunday roasts looked and smiled amazing. Really lovely pub, friendly staff and amazing views. They also have a non-alcoholic Warsteiner beer which is really good if you like beer but aren't looking to drink alcohol.

Meat was over cooked roast potatoes soggy cauliflower cheese under cooked. Food very bland

We had Sunday lunch dinner, really good value for money ! And yummy puds ! Wil be back again soon for more!😉🤩🥂

First time visit for pie night good selection of pies with choice of pastry or mash topping . We had chicken and veg and steak and kidney lovely chunks of meat and plenty of filling 😋

Food so lovely, set in a beautiful area, great service

Nothing special, on par with a Toby carvery, food bland service slow , I will stick to my regular cavery venue at the Wyvale , unbeatable!!!

Just stood waiting for a table at the bar for a few minutes then when a member of staff finally seen us we got huffed at..... great service

Had friends visiting from North so thought I would take them to this lovely pub which is in a lovely setting. The young male who served us was lovely and attentative but the young girl didn't show much enthusiasm or friendliness. The food was absolutely beautiful and we managed to see the chef and paid our compliments to her regarding dinner as it was cooked fresh. Desserts were delicious too. Lovely atmosphere.

This looks a lovely pub and other food looked good. We arrived at 5.45 so not peak time, our order was taken straight away. An hour later our food arrived! Two mains were tasty but not as described which would of made them much better. Our toddlers dinner was served on a red hot plate and the mashed potatoes were so dry he needed two pots of ketchup to get it down. We did say we weren't happy for the above reasons but no one cared. We won't be back, such a shame.

Absolutely amazing Sunday lunch yet again. Every mouthful is beautiful, fresh, home cooked and super tasty! The roast potatoes are out of this world! I’d quite happily munch my way through a plate of those with the gravy! The dog was happy with his leftovers box too! 😀 Gorgeous, see you soon x

Awful service. Got there at 4.15. Ordered drink then got a table and ordered food. Very few people apart from the the loud swearing ones in the restaurant part. The main bar person who has been there for years was too interested in the workmen. 25 minutes for food to come out (2 wraps). Haven’t been since Covid due to bad publicity. Won’t go ever again.

First time visit to this place . The place itself appears n need of a major refurbishment . There is a reasonable sized car park . There are tables outside .It is on the edge of Cannock chase . The food was okay nothing special though but quite large portions .They have a large menu and reasonably priced . The staff were friendly . Asked for a jug of water and two glasses , one of the glasses had debris on the outside . Not impressed with this . Doubt that I would chose to dine here again in a hurry due to the upkeep of the place and lack of attention for example cleaning of the water glasses .

Last minute bite to eat. Fab idea as food was great! Will definitely come again.

Excellent food clean surroundings plenty of parking

Beef tuff and not able to cut it. Free sweet given.

Good place for a Sunday Roast. Get there early as its popular and they sometimes run out of Beef and crackers for the cheese and biscuits. Good portions on plate which is what you want when you go out these days. It's a recommendation from me.

Went to a surprise birthday lunch

Pork belly with rhubarb and cider gravy fantastic.

Excellent food and service, waitresses are all lovely and can't do enough for you

After visiting previously we had been telling family and friends what great place this was with good value tasty food. Unfortunately it has gone down hill. The restaurant was pretty empty on a Friday night and the quality of the food was poor. Such a shame as this is place still has a great traditional pub vibe.

Very noisy and floor needed hovering as food all on floor

My husband and myself have visited this restaurant on numerous occasions over the last couple of years and always been satisfied. Why is it that when you suggest going with friends that things go downhill! The restaurant was strangely only a third full when we visited on a Friday lunchtime. Unusual I thought. We ordered drinks and meals from an extremely miserable waitress. The meal was ok-ish. Nothing special. We then had to attract a waitress to get further drinks. We had a lovely time with our friends but the atmosphere and staff were awful (with the exception of a couple of young girls who did actually smile) and we all said we wouldn't be returning anytime soon. There are many places to eat in the area with pleasant staff and food so this is definitely off our list until we hear it has improved. It has clearly gone downhill in our opinion.