The Badger Inn in Cheshire East

Parents had eaten here before and said it was good. But the Sunday lunch was disappointing. Beef was tough, vegetables hard and the roast potatoes were the worst I've ever tasted. Gravy was tasteless. Man who I assume was the manager was miserable about having some confetti on the table, saying it's ruin the varnish if the confetti got wet. I'd checked with the first member of staff we met and he said it was fine to put it on the table. Service and dessert was good to be fair, very attentive service. But would not go back, especially for Sunday lunch.

I have been here several times and always made very welcome. Been canal boating for many years and if our trip passes this way I always make a stop. I recommend to others if they ask me for suggestions as to where to stop and eat. Food is excellent and staff are very friendly.

I whole Hartley support the last review about the family meal, I was there with my brother and family. When I took time out to speak to the manage away from the table he was very uninterested in what I his attitude was we should have been grateful they they tried to change things. There was no real apology for everything that went wrong or the wait we had to have. it was certainly not value for money or a good experience. I will not be returning in the near or distant future and will be advising friends not to go.

A family Birthday for 6 people completely spoilt by poor service and bad staff attitude. We were told straight away what was unavailable and left with menus. Starters and mains were ordered with one member of the party selecting a starter as a main. Later the waitress returned to say that one of the meals ordered was unavailable. The starters arrived, soon after they were finished and the table was cleared the starter as a main arrived along with a portion of chips that had been ordered nothing else arrived. The starter and chips were then removed and we waited for the mains to be served. When the mains were served one of the orders was wrong so that was removed and one meal was tepid so was taken away and replaced, because of this part of the party were eating part were waiting for their meal. The attitude of the waiter was rude at best he really didn’t seem bothered that the birthday meal was spoilt. The waitress’ attitude was lovely on arrival but following the mistakes soon changed to match her colleagues. The whole experience was not what we expected from this establishment. I don’t feel I can recommend this establishment sadly.

Stopped in for a double birthday celebration and wasn't disappointed. Excellent food and service. Thoroughly recommended.

Visited on a Wednesday evening, 4 adults and 2 dogs, without a reservation. Quite busy and we were asked to wait until 7.30pm (45 minutes) in the bar, and someone would come and tell us when they could take our order, At 7.45 we asked whether we could order food, and were told just "to order at the bar" - clearly we had been forgotten. Food arrived after another 45 minute wait, and immediately we saw the portion sizes were very small. The chicken burger and chips were ok, but nothing special. The Thai Red Currys were underwhelming and had little depth of flavour. They came with Jasmine rice and prawn crackers - 3 to be precise! Settling the bill at the bar took 10 minutes while the bar staff chatted with other customers ( regulars?) and went to the kitchen ignoring us until we eventually insisted on being served. Definitely not worth the price or the walk from the Canal!

Waited just over an hour and half for food to arrive, food turned up, super small portions, and expensive for what it is. had the Thai red curry, very bland. Super dissapointed as were all my family. All left still hungry.. and then a good 5 minutes wait at the bar for someone to turn up so we could actually pay. Super dissapointing, id go elsewhere being honest, overpriced, long wait, tiny portions.

Tiny portions, waited hour and half for food, won't be back sadly very dissapointing

Absolutely beautiful country pub, great food, friendly and helpful staff and a lovely experience and visit.

Found this gem on the internet, lovely place ,friendly attentive staff, a great menu and fabulous food , at not bad prices, will definitely be calling again.worth a visit

Nice friendly pub nice atmosphere great staff

Great location and atmosphere. Bar stuff need more training on how to handle things , avoid dropping things all the time including the bar hatch which is very loud.

Had Sunday roast at The Badger, turned up at 5 to 8 and the kitchen closes at 8 on Sundays, but it wasn't a problem and nothing was too much trouble. The Sunday roast was delicious, as was the dessert. The staff were very polite, attentive and efficient, and such a lovely place too, definitely recommend

A pleasant traditional Inn. Lovely village location . A good selection of beers . Nice food,

The food and drinks are very good . And rooms are clean and of good size

Six adults, a dog and a baby came for Sunday lunch to this lovely place. We came as 'walk ins' and got a table without a problem which was great. The Sunday roast was served relatively quickly. The nut roast and the meats were all tasty and plentiful (although the pink beef wasn't pink) but the veggies were sparse (but tasty) and the roasties weren't crispy - they were soft. All in all an enjoyable event but the food could have been improved.

Now mainly a gastro pub pub but they have kept a ‘Tap room’ which has real ales and is well frequented by locals and canal tourists alike.

We all had a lovely meal at badger inn. The meals were lovely. But the chips wasnt fresh. They were precooked like frozen chips.

Lovely place lovely meal,great service off staff.I only gave you 4 stars for location as I was on a boat as I find it hard to walk(Bridge 11)

We went for a Saturday afternoon pub lunch in the beer garden, lovely well tended to garden, the staff were very pleasant and attentive and the food was lovely, we will definitely be back

Booked and visited The Badger after two of us completed a lovely circular walk starting and finishing at the Inn, Arrived early and were immediately seated, given menus and served a drink within a few minutes. Choice of menu items between the Summer light lunch menu and standard menu was extensive and we were spoilt for choice. Food order promptly taken and quickly served. Food was excellent and service was efficient but friendly. Had a leisurely lunch and did not feel pressured to finish and leave. Pricing for what we had was very reasonable. Will definitely go again. The Badger is open every day from 11.00 through to the evening which is great when so many other pubs/ restaurants now only open a few days a week for food and then only in the evening.

Really great food with generous portions. I lovely, she looked friendly attentive staff. Nice eclectic menu and the usual pub fare (really good pub). We will definitely be back again, couldn't fault anything.

Absolutely awful Sunday lunch. I went on a Friday previously and really enjoyed my steak and ale pie. In the strength of that I booked a Sunday lunch. We were asked how we would like the beef. It arrived all the same and was like shoe leather, no taste and roasts that were as bad. The manager"s attitude was bad merely as saying that was how it came. They knocked a little off the bill after I complained when paying but would definitely not recommend going here ever for a Sunday lunch. Very disappointed and especially when taking guests.

Very first time we’ve been to the badger and we weren’t disappointed. We had a fantastic meal for my very dear friend’s 70th birthday. Food was excellent definitely recommend eating here and looking forward to our second visit

Was a shame that we didn't get the warm welcome we were expecting. Booked a table, arrived on a sunny day (Thursday). We were the only ones in the pub and said we would like a table outside. Only to be told that if you book table you have to eat inside and if they were busy he would INSIST that we eat inside, also a little abrupt for a very small request. Will probably not venture again but was a shame as we had the hash brown meal and it was absolutely delicious 😋

I booked Sunday lunch at the Badger for myself and my sisters and partners, feeling very confident that the food would be good. How disappointed I was, the food was at best acceptable. I ordered roast beef pink it wasn't, the vegetables were hard, roast potatoes had been kept warm and the gravy was non description. My sister ordered chicken which she struggled to cut, the waitress brought her a steak knife (though to be honest the waitres did offer to chang it) . We all had the same complaints about the veg apart from my brother in law who had fish and chips which he enjoyed. My husband had roast beef which he said was OK. I don't think 2out of 5 is very good. We were so disappointed we didn't stay for puddings. So overall very disappointed and wouldn't go there again.

Great service, lovely place, gorgeous pie but very hard veg and chicken not the best. Three out of six meals delicious. Would probably return and give them a second chance

We were on a canal boat, and it's a bit of a walk on a road that doesn't always have a sidewalk, but the beer and food is great!

Lovely garden, service a bit slow. Lunch menu a little restricted but what we had was good.

Hi, my wife and I recently had a couple of meals here thanks to it being very close to the canal we were having our boating holiday on. Fantastic service (Grant deserves a special mention as he provided us with most of the service while we were there, even offering to open a tab for us which we accepted on our 2nd visit). Although we didn’t spend any nights here, it did look very clean and tidy and the staff were fantastic.

Nice place, i ordered a burger and asked for chunky chips with it, the burger was served but no chips, i was told they would be with me in a minute but they came about 10 minutes later by which time the burger was then cold, surely you should only serve the meal when it is all ready, really bad service, my partner had cheese pie and chunky chips and she said it was very nice.

Nice country pub , excellent food friendly staff.

Went in on the off chance of a meal as we were passing, but it was getting close to food stopping. Bar staff were really polite. Service was great and food was really tasty. Beer was lovely too. Would thoroughly recommend.

We went in on Saturday for lunch and was greeted with a warm welcome, My wife had pie and I had fish and chips and I must say they were delicious and hot. I would definitely recommend a visit if you’re in the area and possibly a stay in one of the rooms available.

We stopped for lunch, beautiful pub, the food was delicious. A1

An excellent Sunday roast, at a decent price. Superb staff.

A friendly & hospitable place to stay, drink & eat. The rear garden is delightful; dogs are welcome there (and also in the bar area). The staff were welcoming, efficient and professional. Our room was clean, spacious and comfortable - thank you, room service team! Both our evening meal and next-day breakfast were plentiful, delicious and prepared/served to a very high standard. Well done, Chef! We applaud the promotion of a 10% discount to NHS staff (our daughter is a research midwife in Greater Manchester) 👏👏😊😊 Overall, we can thoroughly recommend 'The Badger Inn' and will definitely be returning in the not too distant future. Gee&Cee

Just returned from our first meal at The Badger. Fantastic service, excellent choice on the menu and lovely food. Good atmosphere. Loved it. Will definitely be back soon. C

Perfect pub. Walked down from the canal and had a great time sitting in the garden with our dog. Highley reccomended.

We really enjoyed our meal at The Badger, wonderful food and superb service and surroundings. We'll be back soon.

Nice welcome from pleasant staff…..lovely atmosphere in good surroundings. Slight mix up with mains but soon sorted satisfactorily. Desserts left us wanting………pudding was ok but had the TINIEST SPOON of ice cream which was already melting on the warm pudding…considering the cost was £7:50 it was very mean and not good value for money. The kitchen need to invest in a large ice cream scoop!!!! Won’t be wasting money on a dessert next time.

We visited The Badger Inn whilst staying at Oakwood Campsite. The walk from the site took about 1 hour but it was well worth it. The pub has a large beer garden to the rear with a covered seating area in case of inclement weather . They have a good selection of ales and lagers to choose from, but the best thing has to be the food. I had the fish and chips and to be honest was one of the best I have eaten, the rest of our party had differing meals but all agreed they were excellent. The pub has a very friendly atmosphere,from the staff to the locals who made us very welcome. Overall the Badger Inn is a great all round village pub and if we were in the area again would definitely visit again. Well done all.

Great beer, great food, great service. In the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger and General Douglas MacArthur. I'll be back. 😁

We stopped in here for an early evening meal walking up from the canalboat. The walk through the woods is the safer route from the canal via a track near to bridge 13 but it had rained for 2 days solid and it was sticky in places. The return walk along the road has a steep hill with no pavement and cars do travel fast on this section of road up to bridge 14. We did both and the woods track would be lovely when dry. As for the pub itself it was full of locals in the bar areas who were a friendly bunch to outsiders. You get some locals only bars and this definitely isn't one of those. We had a dog with us so we were restricted to the bar and outside areas which on a cold May evening meant the bar. The bar has good in period décor and very clean with a good mix of stools, seats and chairs with varying height tables to sit at. We both had burgers, one beef and one chicken. My beefburger was one of the best I have tasted in years. No soggy bun and really tasty meat. They offer sides and after enquiring if the onion rings were home made I had some of those. They were really good onion rings and at a good price too. My dining partner said her chicken burger was really tasty and no soggy bun bottom either. The food is ordered at the bar with table service. Deserts were sampled also and overall the pricing was moderate. During our 2 week canal holiday cruising the 4 counties ring we visited a good many pubs, the Badger Inn is the only one that I feel compelled to write a review on.

Second time visiting this pub. Second time not as good as the first. Service was reasonable but slow, failed to deliver fresh orange juice when we clarified we did not want “from concentrate” seemed to confuse Staff. Felt on food coming out but when it did it was nice. However portion on the small side considering the price point on the menu. Might return but not eager to do so

We were minded to stop on our canal journey as the review in the Nicholsons guide sounded great. Don’t bother walking up if you are not a regular and you haven’t booked. The beer is quite good but the place is not very welcoming.

Great service, food was excellent and they serve great cask ale.

Stopped for a quick meal out on our way back from a walk, very accommodating staff, and excellent food.

Excellent. Hard to name a better pub/restaurant in Cheshire.

Absolute cracker of a place. Stayed here for 2-3 days and was terrific. Service/Staff: all brilliant, welcoming, friendly and professional 10/10 Overall environment: bar, restaurant and rooms are all really nicely turned out, well maintained, very clean and comfortable: 10/10 Location/Parking: easy to find and close enough to local towns if driving, not suitable if your tied to public transport. It's quiet at night though there's clearly some noise from the bar but that's part of staying at an inn. 9/10 Food: Breakfast is very good indeed, no faffing about with a buffet. English breakfast is about as good as it gets and there are veggie options too, it's well cooked and great quality, they even got some Marmite in for me 11/10 / Dinner is also great, would suggest though to stick to dishes like the Beef Hash, that was spectacularly good. Steaks are also good but I think the forte for this kitchen is in local harty food and if you go for these you will feel very happy with your choices. Value for money: accommodation is a 10/10 and food 9.5/10 depending on the dishes, this is a more premium food establishment so it's not cheep BUT it's great quality so it's not expensive either if you choose the right dish options. Overall this place manages to bring together a friendly informal experience with very professional standards in terms of the customer experience, this really is an excellent place to stay.

Fantastic pub n bnb. Food amazing n the staff r great. Spent new yrs eve there n it was BRILLIANT.

Nice place. Good food. Lovely outside location in the sun.

Excellent meal friendly staff beautiful surroundings enjoyable evening

Really nice atmosphere, good choice of food which is amazing, parking to the side of the building with lovely walks nearby.

Spent a lovely evening catching up with friends. Food was excellent.

Came here for a birthday meal. Food was amazing and servers were kind, always around when you needed anything additional like a drinks refill. Very clean and cozy

Enjoyed a lovely lunch here. Fresh food, nicely served. Good service. Lovely setting. Definitely recommend.

I visited the Badger Inn on March 5th with a group of friends for a celebration. I am deaf and was accomanied by my assistance dog, wearing her appropriate coat and harness. Before I seated with my companions I was approached by a male member of your staff who was both rude and aggressive, he told me that dogs were not allowed. I explained that she was an assistance dog but it was obvious that the person in question was not aware of the legislation pertaining to assistance dogs and had no intension of engaging in polite conversation. I accept that I may be challenged by persons who have not had appropriate training or awareness in this area. However there is no excuse for rudeness or aggression and being made to feel embarrassed or unwelcome. The legislation is in place to prevent negative experiences such as these. Such discrimination is against the law. There was a female member of staff who had accessibility awareness and she did apologise for the individuals lack of awareness, following his departure in an obvious air of annoyance. I am unable to recount what was actually said as I am deaf but from the body language I understood it was not pleasant. I did take a seat with my companions and to avoid any further upset or embarrassment said no more of the incident at the time, unsure whether the individual would return to cause me further embarrassment. I have sent a number of emails in the hope of giving management the opportunity to address the issues, however to date I have not been afforded the curtesy of a reply. I attached a copy of the EHRC document outlining the responsibility of businesses in relation to Assistance Dogs to the email. However I am not hopeful that this will be noted. My advice would be if you are assistance dog accompanied save yourself the embarrassment and upset and stay well away from the Badger Inn.

Stayed one night - Staff were friendly, helpful and professional. Our evening meal delicious, breakfast disappointing as the sausage was highly flavoured (fennel?) should be plain breakfast sausage , coffee was bland tasteless - just wasn't able to drink it (the instant in our bedroom much tastier) The room we stayed in lovely with just a few issues with the bathroom - no grab handle to the bath and the taps? style over substance

Visited off the canal on a winter evening . Warm welcome and seat by the fire ! Food superb especially the pies and service good . If you walk from canal along road take a Torch !

We last stayed at The Badger 7 years ago. We had an excellent evening meal, with a comfy stay over and a hearty breakfast in the morning. Staff were friendly and attentive. 7 years on, it is still the same, excellent food & service. Would highly recommend. Thank you for a lovely stop over.

Lovely place, lovely meal and friendly staff. Highly recommended

waiter behaved so rudely towards us when requesting a certain table that we left premises. Customer management skills ‘zero’

The pub could be amazing but in our experience the food lets it down. I ordered the game ragù linguine with truffle but it was nothing of the sort. It wasn't a ragù (which is slow cooked meat and sofrito), it was just watery bits of meat with canned tomatoes. The truffle was undetectable. The linguine was all cut up, like you'd give a child. I really felt like I was eating canned spaghetti. The steak and ale pie was better but not amazing. Then the sticky ginger pudding was supposed to come with honey roasted apricots but in reality were dried apricots out of a packet. The chef/team clearly cuts corners and the menu is misleading. Thankfully the manager on duty agreed and at least took the ragù off our bill. The interior is very nice (although the very big stuffed badger is a bit off-putting when you open the door) and the service is friendly. Really wish the food lived up to the menu description as it's now a local for us and is dog friendly, but we won't be going back.

We called for lunch this afternoon, decided to have the sandwich and a drink option. Choice of sandwiches was very good, came with chips and coleslaw. Looked after by the waiter / barman who saw everything was alright for us. There is plenty of parking at the Badger and the menu is excellent. We would highly recommend a meal here.

Stayed overnight. Room of very high standard and spotless. Excellent breakfast. Will definitely stay again when in the area.

This is the best place I've ever been to for a meal. The food and the service cannot be faulted in any way. I thoroughly recommend The Badger for friendly service and delicious food. 5 star for everything.

Nice little quiet pub staff were really friendly

Food excellent as always cannot rate rooms as was not staying

It was very nice but expensive but on Christmas Eve, the food, the atmosphere and decor were outstanding 🎄🎄🎄

Enjoyed a lovely meal here with family, what a stunning place, the food was so good, all of us enjoyed 3 courses, we will definitely be returning

Fab service for the table with the frozen peas order! Thanks to the whole team 🥰

Fab atmosphere great attentive staff .. perfect for Christmas 🎄 time seeing family and friends.

Excellent Christmas lunch for a host of friends. Wonderful staff led by Phil. Very accommodating as, unusually, we were a party of 40.

It was wonderful, the decs were the best ive seen and im 84!!! And i love xmas decs, well done, the food was excellent, loved thw whole experience thank you 😂

lovely gem of a place.... knowledgeable and friendly staff.... lovely food.... clean and lovely presented room

Doing a delivery to them, that my van broke down, their service have been amazing, I’m so thankful for anything they’ve done

Always great food and a good pint. Can't fault it

Not been to the badger for several years even though it it is local to us. Thought we would give the Black Friday deal a go. A burger and dessert for £15 on a Monday in November. A friendly welcome, tasty burger and delicious cheesecake - Really enjoyed this great deal and will be looking to return to this rural gem very soon.

Visited for a meal so not able to comment on anything else Good menu lovely staff and great food. Worth a visit.

Dripped in for a pint after a footie game. Welcomed and treated to some good will gesture snacks about 10 of us and was not to much trouble. Friendliest and kindest pub staff and customers we have come across in a long while. Very impressed

What an amazing welcome our group of 10 received when we made an impromptu visit to The Badger Inn. Lovely pub/restaurant with very accommodating staff who went above and beyond. Good quality and selection of food and drink.

We had a lovely evening meal, on our way home. A lovely watering hole in a great crosscountry setting as you head to/from Crewe. Great welcome, intelligent service, nice facilities. We shall return. 08NOV2023

We went to The Badger today at lunchtime and had a sandwich which came with chips and coleslaw and we also had some chicken wings then a dessert. All the food was really nice, qreat quality and good portions for the price. The manager and staff were really friendly. A really nice pub and we will definitely go again.

FAB food friendly staff and lovely location, slightly awkward to get to at the moment due to ongoing local roadworks

Came for a business trip for two nights. Outstanding visit all round after a long day travelling and working. The food and drink was lovely on both nights and compliments to the chef and the team! Customer service was excellent all round and specific thanks to Julie for sorting me a taxi and a phone charger after leaving my charger at work! Avoided a whole world of pain and so very thankful. Definitely the hotel of choice when in the area and well worth a visit! 🔥

Outstanding visit all round after a long day traveling and working. Food, drink and customer service all top notch. Sat in the bar and had king scallop with chorizo risotto for starter ( scallop to die for). Followed this up with the finest steak pie I've had for a long time. Filled with Cheshire braised beef, creamed mash and greens, served with a delightful gravy. Finished off with a sticky ginger pudding, apricots and Cheshire ice cream. All washed down with a gorgeous plum porter. Incredible food and excellent service from the team throughout. Compliments to the chef and the team. Can't wait for tomorrow night already!

Lovely atmosphere. Nice food and good service

Great food friendly service. Fair prices. Lovely proper country pub, will definitely be going back 😀

Call in regular on my different outings with clients that I have on my befriending roles with st lukes hospice, staff are very obliging and friendly, plus the drinks are not over priced.its also a good place for serving nice food , of which the menu is very offering and good value for your money. Don't just take my word for it just call in and you won't be disappointed with the place in general or the food that is served to you.

Called in on Saturday afternoon for a light meal. My wife had mussels and I had a sandwich. Great food and the service from Josh made us feel really welcome. Will definitely return.

9 of us today fantastic services and food would definitely recommend 👌

Saturday night out with four friends. The place is very cosy and the serving staff friendly. The food was fair and reasonable priced with ok portion size. The downside was not being offered a coffee before the machine was closed down. At 9.45 we were told we couldn’t have a Gaelic coffee or any coffee as the machine was shut. Even when we said no one had told us it would be shutting and could they please turn it back on we received a very firm sorry we can’t. No offer to ask the manager. So I asked the manager myself and he kindly said he would let us have whatever coffees we wanted. To be honest three of our guests had then decided to have something else instead so only one of us had a coffee and miraculously the machine prepared a coffee within a few seconds. These days I think customer service is all important and 9.45 pm on a Saturday night is cutting it a bit short I think especially when you don’t offer your guests a chance to order one before they close it. No apology from the manager or agreement that it’s not really great service just an offer to turn the machine back on. A little customer service training is in order I think 🤔 There are so many places to go to with similar prices with an attitude like this why would we be encouraged to return?

We booked a table for 7:20, arrived at 7:15, and told to get a drink at the bar as the table was not ready. We got drinks and waited until 7:30 (the time I originally asked for and was told was not available). While we were waiting at the bar, there was a man talking very loudly and swearing, which was not very pleasant. When we were shown to our seats, we were advised that the Steak Pie, Corned Beef Hash and the Beef Burgers were not available. With nothing we would want left on the menu, we got up and went elsewhere.......very disappointed will not be returning any time soon.

Just took my family out to the badger inn, had a gorgeous meal it was absolutely fantastic but was spoilt by overhearing the MANAGER of the pub talking to his polite and very helpful staff like S..T !! Seriously I don't want to take my family out and listen to this bully pushing his staff about, I understand he's under pressure and wants the best service from his staff , but I'm sure he'd get that if he spoke to them like human beings!!! ( BULLY) !!! apart from hearing this it was a lovely afternoon.

Popped in for a light lunch, first visit. Great place, traditional feel with nice touches, friendly staff, great service and lovely food, will be booking soon for a taste of their evening menus!

What an English country pub should be, knew it was good when we found plenty of locals there, food is brilliant, staff were fantastic and it's a really nice place, seperate areas for bar, lounge, dining, even a part where you can take your doggies in

Love this place love taking the grandchildren there too

Great meal, we’ll be back! We’d not visited the Badger Inn for several years. We decided to call in on the way home from an afternoon out and so glad we chose to stop at the Badger for an early dinner. Lovely setting, great menu & lovely food to match, attentive staff. All very good

Had a gr8 2 course meal here. Lovely ambient atmosphere. Attractive dining area. Service exceptional, great staff. Definitely return.