The Bailey Head in Shropshire

A CAMRA award winning pub on numerous occasions over the years, not to mention many other local recommendations. This small community pub has been flying the "real & craft" ale flags consistantly for years. It hosts the best selection of beers for miles around, with great staff & service to boot. We've been visiting this pub for the last 10+ years and its consistancy is second to none. If you're ever up this way it is certainly worth a visit & highly recommended. Duncan & Grace the owners are lovely people & great hosts. Highly recommended. Note: Food is currently unavailable, but eating of food inside the pub, but purchased outside is usually allowed, subject to permission from the owners (ask first)

Wonderful beer. Excellent company. Pity it's such a long way from home.

didn't have food but they have some great gluten free draught beers, which is a pleasant change to have a choice and not just cider.

Great range of ales, including low alcohol and vegan friendly ones. Great mix of people and friendly proprietors and supporting staff.

Fantastic pub , great landlords, exceptional beer. Doesn't do food, but allows takeaways!!!!

All at the Bailey head are amazing, from staff to customers. There is a very friendly and inviting atmosphere that welcomes everyone including dogs. They have a fantastic range of alcoholic and non alcoholic lager, ciders and gins. Plus many more drink options. Couldn't recommend the pub enough to everyone. They also host many different events from charity quizzes to bands and everything in between.

I love this pub. Fabulous beer choice and knowledgeable staff. Such a shame you don’t do the simple food that you used to - pork pies, scotch eggs and cheese. These made for an even better reason to bring friends along

Friendly service and a large selection of ales, ciders and whiskey's. They have a large selection of Gluten Free Beers which is fantastic and they really talk to the breweries which means their knowledge of the beers is exceptional.

Great place to sit and have drinks. Very welcoming.

Excellent real ale pub. Always plenty of different ales available as well as alternative. Popular. Warm welcome from bar staff who know their beer.

Really enjoyable pub to visit. Real ales and a range of ciders with knowledgeable staff. Very friendly people and a proper pub vibe. Good quiz nights too!

A lovely pub in town, dog friendly, lovely staff who know their beers, and superb live music!

Superb real ale pub, friendly service and an excellent choice of beers.

Fantastic selection of beers and gins. Very friendly people.

Ya just went for a pint. Everyone seemed nice and friendly.

Absolutely the best craft pub in Shropshire! Amazing choice of cask and keg ales

Only stopped for 1 drink. Staff friendly. Not a modern pub but homely.

Cracking hosts, dog friendly, interesting beer options. I shall be back :)

My favourite pub in the region. Superb selection of very high quality craft beers on keg and cask. Extremely knowledgeable staff, dog friendly and a very good bottle/can fridge for takeouts. Lovely salami too. Just a perfect pub!

It is a lovely pub with a great deal of choice of real ale or craft beers plus spirits galore. Plus a lovely lager. The owners are very knowledgeable about what they serve and they and their staff are very friendly and welcoming. I always feel comfortable there.

Great friendly pub. Superb ales and very welcoming to dogs.

Bellissimo pub inglese con vastissima scelta di birre tipiche alla pompa. Tra l’altro hanno la Stonehouse Station che è prodotta nella contea di Shropshire ed è una delle migliori “best bitter” che abbia mai bevuto. Possibilità di bere anche all’esterno in quanto ci sono 4-5 tavoli a disposizione. Bella anche l’idea dei bicchieri personalizzati.

My disabled wife and I visited The Bailey Head in Oswestry for the first time on a sunny Saturday 17th June 2023. Note The Bailey Head no longer serves food , so it is a pub not a restaurant, but a note on its website states they will allow customers to bring in their own food . It took a little bit of hunting down as it is in a pedestrianised area in the centre of Oswestry. We were able to park wthin easy walking distance down from the pay and display car park, free after six o'clock at night, behind the Market Hall . The Bailey Head has six outdoor bench type tables under sun umbrellas in front of the establishment with the entrance at the centre of the building. The Bailey Head is the local area Camra ( Campaign for Real Ale) pub of the year and we were both very impressed with the quality , range and taste of the beers on offer. We had a lovely drink of Black Iris Myld Stallyns ( a dark mild) in beautiful condition costing £3.90 . The pub is comfortable with a large L shaped space wrapped around the bar but divided in smaller zones by interior beams . The team behind the bar were very friendly and informative and we soon we chatting with another customer . My wife , who uses a wheeled walking aid found access around the building to be very easy and the seating was very comfortable . The electronic beer list can be viewed on screens in the pub and can be seen on the Untapped website . Do be aware that some of the draught ales are Key Keg but they do have a wide range of handpulled real ales . A great real ale hostelry- highly recommended- looking forward to revisiting!

Fantastic pub with an interesting range of well kept cask beers. Landlady and Landlord couldn't have been more welcoming and friendly and went well beyond our expectations to assist us

What you call a great local pub . . . real ales, and no sport on television ! Sadly it no longer does food, but there are plenty of local restaurants. It is NOT over crowded, but there were lots of locals enjoying their evening pints. Staff were pleasant, and the owners very friendly. Closed on a Monday, but we went there every other night for the week we were there.

Lovely pub with a fantastic selection of craft ales and spirits. Awards coming out of their ears for a reason. Great atmosphere

The pub is right in Oswestry centre with quirky decor, friendly staff and a nice, safe, relaxed atmosphere. Dogs are welcome. Seating is basic stools and benches. As well as alcohol, coffee and hot chocolate is available.

Excellent atmosphere, I go in alone and always find plenty of people to chat to. Best beer too

Popped in just to see what it’s like, atmosphere was great, seemed like a proper pub with a good amount of customers. Cant say the same for the rude and arrogant people at the pub next door though! Didn’t have time to stop for long but it seemed very nice!

Quite simply, the best real ale pub around - and I have tried a few! A great selection of ales that change regularly and that are kept immaculately. I tend to potter in after a walk in the hills and this is always a welcome highlight. Incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff too.

Good vibes and a finely tuned atmosphere of 50s rock and roll music, old worldy building and knowledgeable guy on the bar who knew his beer and gin. We even had a tour of the mass of guest beers that are all pinned on the ceiling, apparently several hundred a year which says it all about this pub. This was a stop by on the way from Cardiff back to Manchester but we will return purely for the host (Tom? Jon?), friendly people and how purely comfortable we were made to feel and we might even bring Jake! (Our dog) The local amber bitter is apparently on all the time and I recommend it along side their 200 million gins

Great atmosphere. Extensive selection of beer. The owners gracie and Duncan along with their staff (special hat tip to Johnny) make everyone feel at home. This pub has become my port in the storm since temporarily moving to Oswestry for family reasons. You simply must visit here if you're in the area

Wow, where do I start, thought I'd try a nice range of ales by ordering halves - not problem says the chap behind the bar, what types do you like? This took us on a magical journey of new ales through a lovely evening. Mmmm I'm a bit hungry I said to the landlord...ah he says, we don't do food but I can recommend the pizza place and the Chinese next door...went for the Chinese...as they delivered food the landlord delivered plates, knives and forks (all fully recyclable - I checked ha ha). A pro tip - this pub takes customer experience very seriously, take a few minutes (you'll need them) to peruse all the awards and certificates on they way in.

Johnny - the barkeep was so helpful - amazing knowledge and within a few questions recommended some great beers. Very knowledgeable and helpful. If you like proper beer this place is a must. Nice relaxing atmosphere and you will be in the hands of a proper pro. Unheralded choice of top notch brews

Amazing cocktails and friendly landlord. I would recommend to anyone staying in town. The staff know their stuff about anything booze related. Pleasant atmosphere and music

Wow what can i say. The beer selection here is HUGE and every single one we had was off the chain. The staff seem to be geniuses and know everything about beer gin, well booze in general. Our dogs were allowed in which was a nice touch too. Friendly, relaxed and chilled out music and they look after people who are at risk of covid by keeping masks when you're in the pub. at the end of the day and in the current climate this is exactly what people need. Its not a party pub, its a place to relax with staff who will make sure others wont mess about. 10/10

Really nice place with a mad amount of choice in beers. Service good with knowledgeable staff who are happy to guide you through the extensive range. Nice and busy and the perfect place to be on a cold autumn Sunday, the landlords were even relaxing and we had a good chat over a pint about beer, there's nothing they don't know about how to serve a good pint. We can't wait to come back, just a shame we live 3 hours away

Great selection of independent brews and a very friendly atmosphere. A knowledgeable staff who will answer any questions about you drinks they also have over 100 gins on offer

Arrived in Oswestry thirsty and hungary with a dog i8n tow. Most pubs did not accept dogs but staff at bailey head encourage it. But due to pandemic they are not doing food. We were desperate. They then told us we could get a take away and eat it in the pub. They saved the day as we had the break on a journey of 200miles. AND I think our dog Dave may be a star on their Facebook page soon. We'll done guys!!! Most welcoming pub ever!!

Great pub with lots of beers on offer and a real friendly vibe. No food at the moment, but welcome to bring your own. Enjoyed a convivial hour of chat with other customers on market day.

Tremendously good pub with a lovely chilled out environment and great drinks. Staff great and a nice barman who spent about 20 minutes trying to arrange a taxi for us and even said he'd pay the fare to get us back to our hotel safely....

Excellent pub with friendly atmosphere. Bar staff very accommodating with my disabled wife who happens to be a wheelchair user and he picked out a great gin for both of our tastes which were lovely. Dog friendly too with lots of fuss and treats for...

We were welcomed and served by Johnny amazing he knows his stuff when it comes to beer. All staff are amazing very dog friendly and can tell they want to be here and love there job

Lovely warm welcome from Johnny when we visited here last night. Had an extensive knowledge of all the craft beers and gins on sale. Was our first night out in a very long time and we had lovely few hours at this bar. Would recommend...

Johnny and Stephen were great bar staff. Felt very comfortable. So accomadating. Highly recommended.

Fabulously warm welcome and great beer selection. Allowed us to bring in takeaway as not doing food at present. Really enjoyable evening.

Been coming to the Bailey head since lockdown finished as I’ve recently moved to Oswestry town centre. Very friendly staff especially Jonny!! Freedom lager is fantastic as recommended by Jonny. Good luck guys see you in December. Jan & Lyn ❤️

Been meaning to leave a review for a while, been a long time customer at the bailey and every experience is an enjoyable and rememberable one (until the ale hits my head!) amazing service, always have something new and tasty on the menu,, perfect for...

As publicans ourselves we don't write reviews. We simply had to for this one though. Cold Saturday in the town so we went in after visiting the market. Full pub around 4pm in a small town which is great to see. Good 'hustle and bustle'...

We have been to Oswestry a couple of times now visiting family and there are so many pubs, we have had a great time exploring them! The Bailey Head though absolutely blew us away, the best by far!! We dropped in without a reservation and...

This was my 3rd visit to the Bailey Head since Grace & Duncan took over at the helm. This is a proper pub with character and with characters running the place and doing so in a professional but down-to-earth manner - quite the challenge in...

We were recommended to visit this pub and it did not disappoint. Great welcome and credit to the landlord and a young lad with a passion for Northern soul but even greater for gin and beer. We took his advice on drinks local gin and...

Great beers, great food, kind and friendly staff, cosy atmosphere and lovely customers. There's no other pub like this one in town! :-)

Visiting this hostelry, only when we come into Oswestry, we can only again highly recommend this pub/restaurant. Their professional approach during the C-19 issue is second to none. We can say their attitude, welcome to us, and other customers, was exceptional and made us feel...

found pub and enjoyed lunchtime good local ale, pork pie and local college made chutney. Landlady very charming and good humoured , cosy atmosphere and quaint beer mat covered ceiling, quirky furnishings and decor. Looks a very family friendly pub.

Really great pub if you like your beers, good varied choice of Keg & Cask ales, very reasonably priced. Staff and locals were very friendly and welcoming too.

We were in Oswestry to watch our local football team and so had a wander around the town and came upon this place, we were made to feel very welcome by the (I presume) landlord and barmaid, (apologies if i have it wrong!)We tried a couple of the beers, and ironically, enjoyed the one from a brewery from our home town the best.Nice, pleasant atmosphere, despite the presence of a hen party who i presume were going to watch the Wales rugby game too!Got to know about the relationship between the Welsh and English in Oswestry and had a chat about sport in general.A real nice place and the people were really genuinely friendly and welcoming to us outsiders, really sorry i didn't get any of their names.But well worth a visit if you're in Oswestry.

Friendly, welcoming pub with a great choice of beer and outstanding food. My husband particularly appreciated the 1/3 pint option so he could enjoy tasting a wide range of beers. The antipasto platter was superb, top quality and plentiful. We added some good, fairly local cheese. It was perfect. The bar staff could not have been friendlier, although it was our first visit they made us feel like regulars. Next time we’re in the area we will surely visit again.

Best pub in the world a great place to visit and family friendly with great games for my son to play family time. The service is amazing

I'm not from the area and I made the mistake of going to Wetherspoons in Oswestry for something to eat first. But really, I should have done my homework and gone straight to the Bailey Head. Great range of both cask and keg beers and as I was on my own the barman even came to speak to me to ask if everything was ok and had a conversation about the fine beers on offer.

Such a lovely, laid back feel in this well loved, friendly Oswestry pub. It prides itself on many fine beers, vodkas, gins etc with a small local food menu that accompanies it well. A proper pub with a community feel, cosy corners, board games, dogs to pat & a great barman.We have visited a couple of times lately & it is our pub of choice in Oswestry.

A great find of a real pub! Dog friendly. Fantastic cider and reasonably priced. No chart rubbish playing- good old rock n roll instead. It hasn't morphed into a gastropub so the menu was ploughmans/cheese platters/scotch eggs/pork pies. 2 of us are gluten free (and vegetarian) and they went out and bought gluten free bread for us!The staff are exceptionally customer focused and I can't recommend this place enough!

Currently very happily enjoying food,drink and friendliness of this amazing pub. Honestly, if you're in Oswestry, check it out.

It’s a drinkers’ pub, a real connoisseur of ale, gin and cider pub. No ale or cider hangs around long as they have ever-changing brews from many (many) local suppliers (we are lucky with that here). There is food, too - again though a very select menu of local offerings designed as an adjunct to the main liquid event. Not to be missed, though, is the stupendous venison casserole and the ever-changing and imaginative vegan soup. It’s a great, no-nonsense pub with all the right attitudes. Ooh and the staff are terrific. We come here a lot - it attracts interesting people.

Looked a busy place and service was good once you got over the stares. A dog friendly pub that did smell of dog though Choice of gin and beers were good

We called in for a lunch time snack, and found it very welcoming, and friendly.

I love this pub, I literally go almost every day. The beer selection is phenomenal, the food is great and the staff are friendly and helpful... Even Connor!!

Good pub atmosphere, good beers and two items of hot food. Chose the venison casserole which was very good and inexpensive

We were passing this pub and decided to pop in for a casual lunch.

What a gem of a boozer this place is. A choice of real ales, ciders and gin that is rarely surpassed in quality and quantity. Add to that we had fantastic scotch eggs with chutneys. Throw in the friendly staff and informative and pleasant locals it brought about a great all round feeling of bonhomie. Now if I lived in Oswestry.........

We had seen a few good reviews about this border town pub. However, upon our arrival, the woman behind the bar (we assumed the landlady) was somewhat surly, and not very welcoming, although she seemed fine with the locals. We felt it was a case of ‘if your face doesn’t fit ...’. We didn’t try any food, as a couple of our party said there was a strong ‘doggy’ smell in the pub, and indeed, there were dogs in there at the time.

We spent a very pleasant afternoon here sampling some of the excellent selection of beers, real ales and super Craft beers.

The employed bar staff are lovely, informative, knowledgeable and very welcoming. If you like odd/different beers then I guess this place would suit you and you would find it very interesting. However, I like lager and the offering is very poor with one lager awful and the other just about acceptable.

If you want to drink a great pint, or indeed one of about 95 gins or good wine, this is the place. The young guy behind the bar welcomed us back on only our second visit and clearly knew his stuff when asked about some of the beers available. We also had a very nice fruit cider.

We have been coming here for the last year or so since my hubby took a liking too local ales, the selection on offer keeps his taste buds tickled and the lager range keeps me coming back also a vast array of cheeses for the best ploughmans platter hubby & I have tasted.

I frequent The Bailey Head quite often and though I am not a real ale person, I am well served by great lagers and stouts. I also enjoy the food. I had a soup on Monday, which was absolutely delicious. The soups vary but are always vegetarian or even vegan.. and always tasty.

Great pub in centre of a town not known for its real ales until now! Terrific choice of draft and craft ales, ciders, gins and more. Interesting choice of local foods including pies, cheeses, scotch eggs. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Children and dog friendly.

Visited several times and never been disappointed. The beers available are often local but not limited to. Well kept, and with great knowledge from the staff/owners. Always made to feel welcome however busy. In short - the best pub in Oswestry!

Friendly, spacious, dog friendly, great beers, knowledgeable staff, cheese boards, home-made soup and games! Not sure what else is needed really?! Maybe a real fire ;)

I love this place, I've worked in a few and drank in a few more, but this place is unique. There's a very friendly warm atmosphere, my dogs are welcome as are my fellow homos.

My wife and I had our wedding reception at the Bailey Head, and we couldn't have asked for a better day! The pub was decorated beautifully, the food was amazing, and the beer was excellent as always. I've been a regular at the Bailey for a long time and I wouldn't expect anything less. Service is always fast and professional, the staff are polite, knowledgeable, and always happy to help. Despite the relatively small menu, the food on offer is very good, with pies, scotch eggs, cheese boards, antipasti platters and similar, as well as casseroles and stews, with vegan options.

After a days work what more could one want that a chilled glass of wine and a spot outside in the spring sunshine watching Market life go by. Why we love this place.... The wine is not the only thing chilled, the atmosphere is too... no noisy TVs, no elbows out at the trough of ping meal bars, no totally enibriated clients wishing to either fight you or love you. Just people chewing the cud of life with their hounds, they may have a parchante for a game of sedate dominos, they may wish to debate a bit of local politics but nothing gets out of hand. There is a gentle but firm, silent agreement that one behaves in a certain way and if you don’t it’s time to go home or just move on to a place which is better placed to accommodate more gagarious behaviour. And of course then there is the best stock bar in town, possibly in the country. Whatever your tipple you will not be disappointed.

An excellent selection of beers across can, keg and cask. Staff were friendly & knowledgable. Prices pretty reasonable. A good pub. Would definitely return if I was in the area

Don't go to a pub every day but when we do, its the Bailey Head. Great owners, good staff and made good friends there. Oh, and the beer is wonderful! And the gins selection is amazing. the rum selection is, too . . . Did I mention the pies?

We were staying in Oswestry and decided to have a look in the town, when we came across this Camry pub.

Went here on a Xmas night out - cracking beers, but I felt that the bar man was a little bit patronising (maybe because I'm a woman?) when I asked about what beers he'd recommend. Could've just got the wrong end of the stick because each selection was fantastic! Knowledgeable staff and helpful in the end. Good environment and the regulars are a good laugh. Thanks guys. Good to see a bar with beer lists on the tv screens too, very quirky!

The pub of choice for real ale drinkers. On oasis of interesting proper beers, surrounded by terrible gassy euro larger pubs showing Sky Sports. Fortunately you can drink in here instead!

I judge a camera pub by their selection of fruit beets and fruit beers alone. The Bailey head has always had a wide variety on offer, and I have never been bored of the drinks on offer.

Not really a review. I lived in The Eagles in the '50's as a child. My brother and I were co-opted into putting bottles on shelves. I did not enjoy this at all but was rewarded with a drink of Woodpecker cider. There was a fish & chip shop next door and as my mother had to help in the bar on market day (Wednesday), that was our dinner that day. As our last name was Bailey, we got a great kick out of living on The Bailey Head! I attended Oswestry Girl's High School which was an all girls school. I understand it is now a private co-ed school. Good memories.

If you are in need of either, then stop here. Camra regional winner with good selection of beer, and simple but quality locally produced food.

Out with female friends great choice of beers and gins Pork pies amazing and the cheese boards are fab

Came in for late afternoon drink and shared a ploughman’s lunch- staff were really friendly and incredibly helpful accommodating the needs of our small people (both under 5). Great selection of beers & gin, and simple good quality food. 13/10 Would recommend!

A really great place for lunch with a good sized ploughman and choice of cheese. But perhaps charge £2 more a dish and update the decor?

Popped in for lunch today, 23.8.2018 and left without any.

Although having lived in Oswestry for years I have never ventured into the Bailey Head and I’m regretting that now. We only popped in as a stop on an evening walk but I’m so glad we did. Very friendly helpful staff, a welcoming atmosphere and good advice on real ales and ciders meant a lovely drink in a relaxed atmosphere. We will definitely be back.

Excellent real ale in a convivial atmosphere. Friendly staff and nice to sit outside in the sun on the town square.

Traditional interior, comfortable and clean. Good bar service, informative and helpful. Good variety of food available at excellent prices. Great choice of real ales, well served and kept.

I have frequented this pub for some time now and they have the best selection of well kept ale around. They have a massive selection of gin and other spirits as well as good pilsner and larger not the common rubbish that you might find in most places. It has a good amount of seating and a great vibe. If you are ever in Oswestry this should definitely be on the list of places to visit for a drink or 2

A truly traditional pub with a brilliant range of real ales. They do not have a large menu, but what food there is, is good. There is a friendly welcoming atmosphere when you enter. Would certainly recommend this wonderful pub to anyone.

A number of us who had travelled to Oswestry for a football match based ourselves here. It's a very welcoming pub, great staff and friendly regulars. If you like your ale and / or gin, this is the place for you.