Spencer Arms in Barnsley

The last time I went to the Spencer Arms it was smart, linen table cloths, buzzing, good value and well worth a visit. This return trip was very disappointing with tired and bland decor, no atmosphere, very expensive for the food served and a bit grubby looking. I understand that it has probably reinvented itself as a gastro pub but please, standards are important. The waiting staff were great, the food below average and all in all I doubt I will return.

excellent lunch as always service and food spot on. we try different places but always compare to spencer arms which is with out doubt our favourite

Our first visit to the Spencer’s Arms and we were blown away, the friendly staff and relaxed atmosphere to the amazing fresh home cooked Sunday lunch was well worth our drive. We could not fault anything. We will definitely return x

Good food, good service and good atmosphere, can't say much more.

Had a date night here and the food was absolutely amazing. Both myself and my partner loved every course. Top quality ingredients, attentive staff, beautiful pub. Can't wait to come back!

Friendly service with good food in a bright and social environment. Staff are happy to help and the selection is good.

My Yorkshire puddings were absolutely gorgeous! Give my compliments to whichever back of house staff made them!

Lovely atmosphere in this pub, lots of twinkly low lights. Friendly staff really took to my little dog. I had the fish which was so light, flavoursome and delicate - with the gnocchi which was also quite light.

Relaxing friendly atmosphere where delicious food is available served by friendly staff. The restaurant is a lovely place to relax and enjoy the whole experience. Plenty of gluten free choices on offer including desserts. Prices are very fair for the high quality food on offer. Wish we lived nearer!! If we could give more than 5 stars we would. Enjoy!!!

Went to the Spencer's for the first time for dinner with my wife on the 26th March and was really impressed with the whole evening. The inside of the bar/restaurant is decorated brilliantly and the soft lighting was perfect for date night we were promptly shown to our table by the staff who were all really kind and professional and took our order quickly. Starters were tasty and my soup was so nice I burnt my mouth trying to eat it too quickly. The burger for my main was cooked well and the sauce and onions inside finished it off nicely. Dessert was my favourite the Bakewell tart served with cold ice cream which helped cool my mouth down after the soup. Overall an excellent experience and I loved how the staff weren't too over attentive and let us enjoy our meal which I always prefer than having people hovering around you whilst eating. Highly recommended by me.

Came up with friends on Friday for drinks food and music, wow, absolutely love this place. The staff are so attentive and nothing is any trouble, lived the food and Georgia singing is a treat. If Carlsberg did Fridays.

After having being a Land Lady for over 22 years I do like to support our local pubs when possible.Today my family & I called at the Spencer’s Arms Cawthorne for a cup of tea you would think in Yorkshire it would,nt be too much to ask.The middle aged women working behind the bar should,nt ever be allowed to work with the public in general,she was rude,confrontational & had no idea what manners are a person like her can ruin a pub single handed . When I asked to speak to the manger no one behind the bar seemed to know who this mysterious person was ,I was presented with some one who needed showing how to deal with a valid complaint .I was shocked & disgusted how low the standards dropped.This pub should be a professional restaurant with staff that’s been trained properly not just in turning up & doing the minimum that they can get away with because being pleasant, polite, helpful & good mannered costs nothing .If the staff are rude it doesn’t matter if the food & drinks are bad or good people won’t come back to be insulted the owner needs to get on top of his game.

Absolutely outstanding food and very pleasant staff

Met friends for dinner mid week. Lovely atmosphere on entering, nice table, good menu choice. Friendly attentive staff. Good food portion size. All freshly cooked and piping hot. Highly recommend steak pie & fish & chips. Will definitely return. Thanks for a lovely dining experience

Excellent, if somewhat pricey, country pub. Excellent food and setting. Well worth a visit.

Lovely greeting, nice reception area. Food was divine, staff were very kind, helpful and checked out food was ok. The steak is fantastic, one of the best we’ve had.

Absolutely delicious meal, party of 6, everyone loved the food they ordered. Stunning outdoor areas, roll on summer.

Amazing staff and food, steak was perfect, we’ll definitely be back soon.

Excellent all round..really enjoyed evening. My niece and her husband, up from London were impressed with choice,quality and prices compared with restaurants near their home

Had the 3 course Sunday lunch today. Beautiful food. Best Sunday roast out I have had in a long time. Great service and staff too. Good value for money.

There’s always a bit of a lukewarm welcome from restaurant staff. It’s almost like they’re surprised/disappointed that you actually have a reservation. Unless you’re a regular - and then the welcome is over the top enthusiastic. Witnessed the on and off switch a dozen times during the evening. Anyway - decor is beautiful and the ambiance is really cosy. Menu choices are good and the food was superb. Well presented and good portion size, cooked to perfection. It’s highly recommended for the food - just don’t take the tepid welcome or lukewarm serving attention personally. You just need to go more often !

Beautiful country pub/restaurant. Food was beautiful, service excellent. Can't fault & will be back.

Very nice pub, efficient service, tasty food. Steaks are on the pricey side. Dogs are welcome inside. Sizeable parking. The outside seating area all decorated with small lights makes it look like a fairy tale.

Lovely pub, in a beautiful village set near cannon hall country house. Food and ale are delicious. Staff are friendly and attentive, and very busy lot of the time. Good atmosphere, highly recommend a visit if you are in the area. Grilled steak sandwich and a pint was exactly what i needed after a 6 mile walk through the hills and woods of the surrounding countryside.

I’ve reviewed Spencer Arms twice in the past, some years back. My experience then was average, things haven’t improved at all. The latest visit was for Sunday lunch. With a booking for 2:30pm you’d think the food would be cooked recently. The roast chicken we had was dry and overcooked, which along with the vegetables had obviously been cooked and plated some time ago and lukewarm at best. This place charges a premium as compared to other nearby gastro pubs and really doesn’t warrant the extra cost. Try the Dunkirk and the Wortley Arms if you’re planning a Sunday lunch in this price bracket.

We visited the restaurant one night during the week which was nice at it was fairly quite with a cosy atmosphere. As we were celebrating an anniversary we started with wine and dishes off the bits and bobs section of the menu, deciding on the curried vegetable crisps, chicken wings with blue cheese dip and olives which were all nice to nibble on. The waiter was attentive and I was pleased to see different Gluten Free options to choose from, that are clearly marked on the menu. Our starters, mains and desserts were all presented nicely and tasted great! The steak I had for my main was cooked perfectly how I wanted it. Thanks for a great evening.

Great food, friendly staff and excellent service. Went on a Sunday evening , menu was varied and reasonably priced

Couldn't have asked for any better. Can't wait to go again.

We celebrated a 95th birthday party in The Barn a private room with its own bar. The venue is beautifully decorated and a lovely warm atmosphere is created. The 25 guests pre selected a 3 course meal which was served on time and everyone praised how good the food was. The staff were both courteous efficient and very helpful. We had an amazing evening and I could not recommend this venue for a private function highly enough.

Went for a family meal today Sunday fantastic had the best sausage I've ever had service good beers good every one enjoyed there meal & sweet highly recommended

7 of us just had set menu sunday lunch great meal ruined by rock hard veg

Had lunch just after Christmas, we were in one of the side rooms which was a little cold. Our party had fish and chips, liver and a burger. If you have a healthy appetite the order the large fish and chips as even this isn’t huge. Liver was excellent, cooked very well.

Brilliant food, only down fall was being stared at by owners of the restaurant all night with there friends all down to the looks of me and my family, trying to make us feel small in the restaurant environment which lead us to leave earlier than we planned however brilliant bar staff and excellent cooks only down fall is the owners and owners friend being so arrogant and nosey

The food and service improve every visit, which are frequent. Such a warm ambience as well; so lucky to have this wonderful pub with amazing staff on our doorstep.

My wife and I had a superb meal here tonight. It's been a while since we ate here. Our last experience wasn't good? Something has changed? The service, food, and ambience were all first class. We will definitely be back.

The service was terrible, considering it was an al a Carte menu, no one asked us how we enjoyed the meal, the waitress forgot our drinks, and we had to ask, we were forgot about all together, rate the food out of 10!possibley 7, staff need to be sorted out, better service at wetherspoons

Just ate again at the Spensers and it was a hit and miss affair. Setting superb as always, as was the welcome. The two pies that were ordered were OK, but my burger was very bland, tasteless even. I would've complained but seeing as none of the several people who attended our table asked how our meals were we just paid the pricey £65 bill and left. Disappointing.

Unfortunately our food today was not up to the usual standard. We had the roast beef dinner, it was luke warm, vegetables appeared to have been kept warm for hours, one yorkshire pudding was burnt . Mushroom starters were tasteless. It was a busy boxing day but should have been better.

We booked a while ago to make sure our large group (13) could be accommodated. We were asked to submit a pre-order which was fine as we were a large group on Boxing Day. We had fantastic meals and great service. We were sat in a nice spot along the back and had plenty of room. The staff were attentive and friendly and had good attention to detail. Would heartily recommend.

The place was let down by a rude and curt restaurant manager. We have just moved to the area and were looking forward to this place being our local, for both eating out and drinking with family and friends. However, we were shooed away from a table by her, even though there was no 'reserve' sign on the table we sat at. We were not to know. I am currently in the catering business and her way is not a good way to treat the customer. We will choose somewhere else, more friendly.

lovely pub, decorated very nicely for Christmas. good sized car park in a very nice village. very busy when we arrived. Enjoyed the Christmas menu, a few more sprouts would have been appreciated, only 3 on the plate. Very nice Christmas pudding, light and very fruity. overall a very nice meal.

A lovely meal, the atmosphere was wonderful, service was quick, professional and extremely attentive. We both ordered the rib eye steak, rare and medium rare, both cooked to perfection and full of flavour, exceptional piece of meat. Even though it was busy we were well taken care of. We will definitely be back.

I so enjoy coming away from a Christmas Dinner feeling full. Sadly this was not the case. I ordered the fish cake as starters. This was delicious and the portion good. As I don’t eat meat I ordered the goats cheese flan. This arrived with one carrot which had been marinated in a very strong tasting vinaigrette sauce. No other vegetables or potatoes. The rest of my friends had ordered the turkey with all the trimmings and their plates were over flowing. They looked at my plate with amusement!!! And my bill was £27 for two courses 😡 I was not amused. I appreciate the restaurant was busy but the service was mediocre and we waited quite a while between the two courses. I won’t be revisiting as there are plenty other restaurants in the Barnsley area offering a much better deal.

This place never disappoints. We come every year for the festive menu and this year was no exception. The fishcake with curried onions and katsu sauce was superb. The actual Christmas turkey roast dinner was cooked to perfection - vegetables just right, more than enough...

First visit to Spencer Arms, definitely not our last. Popped in for a late lunch, lovely ambience on entering. Shown to a lovely table in front of open fire. Nice menu, lots of choice. Opted for fish & chips and roasted cod loin. Both main courses were delicious, good portion size, all freshly cooked and well presented. No room for desserts. Service, ambience, food, atmosphere were all very relaxed. So good, we've booked again for Sunday lunch. Can't wait. Thanks for a memorable visit. Compliments to all staff at Spencer Arms. We've now returned for Sunday lunch, thankfully we booked as it was very busy yet had a nice atmosphere. Shown to our table and given menus and drinks request. Well it's got to be roast dinner. Opted for main course only, 1 roast beef( pink) 1 roast of the day ( gammon). Both meals arrived in due course. Lovely presented, tasted even better. See pictures. Can't find a fault with ambience, service, food quality. 5 stars to the team at Spencer Arms. We will definitely be returning.

Good varied mix of different types of starters depending on your taste and appetite. I had the pie for main and it was great comfort food. Hope to return here in the very near future

Been before and was really good. Yesterday (Wed 22/11/23) 11 people celebrating an 80th birthday ( not all ) food was good ( I had a steak cooked to my liking, spot on) The issue was with my partners meal. The duck was tough and the fat not rendered properly, so it spoilt her lunch out, and she doesn’t like complaining. We have always enjoyed it at Spencer’s before but not this time, sadly.

Our first visit here, excellent food, service and a lovely atmosphere. Would happily return.

My husband and I went Thursday for the steak deal. What a wonderful lunch fabulous atmosphere extremely clean and welcoming pub. Very attentive service. The steak was cooked to perfection, plenty of lovely chips and garnish. The wine was perfectly chilled. Open fire so cosy,...

Found this Spencer Arms by chance. What a result. Lovely atmosphere entering, very busy for a wednesday lunch. Shown to our table next to open fire, which was lovely on a chilly autumn day. Good selection of meals on the menu, opted for large fish...

Great Sunday lunch. Good quality food and lots of it but not too much. However, service a bit hit and miss. Ignored for quite a long period of time and then asked several times in quick succession about dessert having asked for 10 minutes to...

Service was brilliant from the minute we walked in the door, food was tasty hot and well presented. Would definitely recommend to this place for food and drink thoroughly enjoyed it.

Came for lunch with friends on a busy Friday. Speedy and efficient service. Easy car parking , tastyfood and all good value for money.

Met our friends at The Spencer Arms for lunch. They were impressed with the pub atmosphere and decor. Excellent service and delicious food. Thank you.

Four of us had Sunday Lunch recently at the Spencer Arms. Got to say, (we all said similar) it was one of the best Sunday Lunches we’ve had. Well cooked and flavoured meat as were the veggies. Great service too . The place was packed...

excellent food friendly and helpful staff very nice atmosphere one of our favourite places to visit

This place is just outstanding, food is fantastic, service included , thanks for a lovely meal

Fantastic evening last night at the Spencer Arms. The Thursday night steak deal is truly amazing. Dined with a group of 8 friends who all ordered their meals with different variations. Each one was absolutely perfect!!! The staff were incredibly efficient and friendly. Can’t wait...

We used the Barrn for a family party and had zn enjoyable time. .

Great Sunday roast with nice service, would recommend a visit.

Visited for Sunday lunch early October. The place itself is lovely - nice bar area, bright main dining room and lovely outside area. So the food - skipped the starters and went for 3 different mains. 2 were ok - I had the roast beef...

Attended on a night that Oliver Harris was singing. Brilliant singing and atmosphere was great. Didn't eat but food looked very appetising.

The staff are very polite. The food was great. Nice pub.

Lovely relaxed atmosphere. Food was lovely & staff very helpful. Great wedding venue

I usually eat inside the restaurant and the food is always good. This time, we ate outside. The menu was identical to my previous trip the weekend before. Service was not the same, with me having to locate cutlery that wasn't sign posted and just little things that made us not feel as valued. The prices were identical. Next time we'll eat inside and enjoy what is always a good experience. I still wholeheartedly believe this is worth booking a table for!

Gorgeous Sunday lunch with friends. The beef (either pink or cooked through) was beautifully cooked and the garlic mushrooms for starter were delicious. Some of us had desserts which were lovely.

Great atmosphere, really tasty food, first time visit, we will definitely go back again.

Lovely pub but my god, the food has gone downhill. Came to celebrate my daughter’s 18th after several previous visits to this pub and it was awful. Braised beef cheek was so tough you couldn’t get a knife through it, chicken the same. Pizza came 25 minutes after the rest of the tables food after an ‘accident’ and was cardboard with plastic mozzarella on it. They did take the bad meals off the menu but what should have been a lovely night of celebration for 7 people ruined by 3 peoples food being inedible. And due to the delay in serving everyone at the same time, offering a replacement for the bad meals when everyone else had finished eating just doesn’t cut it. Such a shame that what once was the go to place for food (we travelled 40 mins from the other side of Barnsley) is now appallingly bad.

Food very disappointing, ordered fillet steak- medium came dry/ overcooked and tasteless pepperoni sauce tasted very strange chips cold dry and hard. Steak sandwich- chewy meat soggy salad Staff lovely and drinks good quality presented well. Such a shame as lovely pub in fantastic location.

stopped off for a drink while out on bike really nice pub and surprisingly full with diner's on a Wednesday afternoon

Called in today for a pint and a look at the menu for a special occasion next month.. Was greated by a very unfriendly bar manager who couldn’t have been more rude if she had tried, i didn’t see the very small notice outside saying...

We visited here for lunch and drinks in the sun. We ordered sandwiches off the menu and they were superb! All sandwiches come with fries and salad. The bread was absolutely gorgeous… so soft. We had a glass of Pinot blush which was also very...

Four of us had lunch . After looking forward to a gastro pub lunch we left bitterly disappointed.The steak pie arrived burnt black on the top I pointed out to a member of staff that the pie crust was hard due to overcooking all she...

Meeting friends for lunch and a catch up

Excellent pub in a good location , beautiful large outdoor garden , friendly helpful staff . Didn't try the food yet but plenty of selection of drinks to pick from. Big car park aswell . Be back again!!

Visited two nights on the bounce. The food is amazing. Steaks cooked to perfection. The following night I had duck and then beef cheeks. Beautifully presented without compromising on taste. Service fantastic. Would highly recommend

Very nice place to meet up for a meal with friends. Plenty of choice on the menus and reasonable price. One of our favourites as a pub/restaurant for adults!

No one to greet us upon arrival. Main was on the large side but well presented. £25 for tasteless & over cooked fish & pasta. A different waitress throughout that asked same Q’s although both were polite. Overall v disappointed. A shame as a well...

Nice pub, but sadly we found the food menu too expensive to even consider ordering. Perhaps a light bite menu as a taster would help.

Our group of friends came here to celebrate a friend's 80th birthday . I can't say we had a warm welcome , more lukewarm truth be told . Our waitress was abrupt and surly taking our drinks order . 1 drink had to be returned...

Fantastic food, great service, good atmosphere, will return. Thank you for a lovely evening.

Nice little function room ..snd a great coffee

Food excellent and service excellent too.

Ordered “fully loaded” pizza. It was tiny and had 4 pieces salami !! Not value for money at all.

Excellent food, service with a smile and nearly good background music. Prices fair for quality.Regards Bryan

Only popped in for a drink but had a friendly welcome and great service. Looked like it was fully booked for food, will have to give it a try next time.

Steak and ale pie , poor, even with gravy poured over it, dry and not very tasty

We are so disappointed we’ve wasted a meal here. It’s 27C but no salads to talk of on the menu…no specials but fine if you want a steak pie or liver and onions lunchtime sitting in the sun. I decided to just have a starter...

Called here after a recommendation, and was equally impressed. The place was well decorated and welcoming. We managed to get a table even though we hadn't booked ( bookies advisable as the restaurant was very busy ). There is lots of room inside and tables...

Great food, lovely homely feel. Portions quite large for me, desserts excellent. Reasonable price.

Very rude staff overpriced for minimal offerings

We really enjoy home cooked food at the Spencer’s. The team here are very friendly and accommodating. We’ve enjoyed their coronation party today with free face painting, bouncy castle and Photo Booth for the kids. They also did outdoor stone baked pizza and bbq food which was great in the sunshine. Certainly worth a visit for family’s and anyone really! Xx

Excellent… service ….fantastic food a nice atmosphere, steak Night Thursday five stars ⭐️

We called in this delightful pub for lunch after visiting Canon Hall Farm which was only 5 minutes drive away. It has a great menu selection, and the meals we ordered were lovely. I would recommend the steak & ale pie which was amazing. My wife ordered a Tadoori cod loin with bombay potatoes which also looked fantastic! Couldn't fault anything. 5 stars!!

Cosy and welcoming experience with a well cooked meal. Wide selection of meals available to suit everyone.

A great Sunday lunch, lots of choice, well served,and full plates

Arrived 8:30 on a Tuesday and was sat at our table and gotten drinks quite promptly however, this is where our experience started to deteriorate. From the moment our drinks arrived we were rushed through our dining experience the getting the menu had little chance to read it through before we were being asked for our order. we asked for a couple of minutes to make our choice before 3 other staff members came to ask for our order within 20 seconds of each other. After rushing us through our order our starters came which were well presented and delicious. Before we had finished our last bite and before our table had been cleared, our mains were being rushed out with nowhere to put the new plates we were advised to clear space for the new plates and they would clear the away after the mains were over cooked and the onion rings were inedible as the onion inside was black and charred. The steak was ok and the salad was wilted as if it had been cooked a while and stood under a heat lamp. The pie was burnt and pastry was dry. From this point a member of staff was nowhere to be seen until they swooped in took our half eaten plates and disappeared again. When they reappearred we asked for the bill and promptly left never being asked about our food or dining experience. For £80+ dining experience I would have expected more.

Disappointed with the food. Service and place was great. Calves liver was worst I have ever had and was fatty. Didn’t like mash. Husband had lamb and could not eat it all as that was more fatty than usual. Sticky toffee pudding was lovely. Husband...

Always enjoy our trip to the Spencer's Arms. Commands a central position in the lovely village of Cawthorn. Always popular with diners, a great place for food or just a drink.

Food ok, had the pie, was good taste but only half filled with meat. A bit disappointing. Great looking venue but food a bit mediocre. Excellent staff.