The Barley Mow in Derbyshire Dales

Loved this place. Great decor, food, and vibe. The owner was run off his feet but still made us feel well cared for. Head over if you're in the area.

Whenever I come to the peak district to visit my Dad, a trip to the Barley Mow is an absolute necessity. This unique and marvellous place has more personality and warmth than any pub I know. Food is great, beer is well kept, cider selection is off the hook. The decoration and posters on the walls sing both of the histories the Barley Mow preserves and of the communities it so ably serves. Most highly recommended.

Lovely traditional pub. Very good food and excellent Real Ale. I've moved into a village not far from here and will be visiting regularly.

Fabulous pub! So glad we went. Great food, friendly staff, great atmosphere… quirky and cosy. Husband loved the beer! We will definitely go back and would highly recommend.

Amazing quirky pub with a warm welcome. Food was outstanding. Great beer and fabulous to have such a choice of cider. Will definitely be back

Great atmosphere and live music! Landlord very friendly and helpful. Tasty selection of ciders.

Booked a sun roast here after reading lots of reviews. Arrived and met the landlady and I was instantly taken back to a time when pubs had these fun, friend flamboyant characters running them. I read a few reviews noting that the owners aren’t friendly, I just think people forget sometimes that the pub owners put up with a lot of nonsense from customers and I feel like if you came to this pub with an attitude you’d be sent away again. It’s how a pub should be run, if kids ran riot they’d be told off without a doubt. It’s a proper cosy respectful place. We were turned into instant locals because the landlady made conversation and started telling stories, that sparked the locals sat at a nearby table who immediately started chatting to us. 2 great ales on the handpulls, loads of ciders. Roast beef was absolutely top notch, tender, most incredible gravy, a great plateful too. The veg with it was done differently. See my pics! Forget gastropubs with posh decor, let’s get back to this. Fun boozers that feed their guests top quality fresh grub, great beer, extremely well priced, friendly welcoming and slightly nuts! Oh and dogs are welcome too. Perfect pub.

Just wow! I’ve wanted to eat here for months, and finally made it. Gorgeous and generous plates of homemade food, with quality local produce. Lovely atmosphere in this special pub, with locals and visitors all made welcome. Highly recommend. And I won’t need to eat for a week!xx

Me and my Husband LOVE The Barley Mow. Whenever we are in the area, we pop in for a few drinks and sometimes food. The owners are more than accommodating and are brilliant with my (not so) little boy. I'm always recommending this pub to friends & family!

Seven of us ate on a busy friday, fantastic food, mega pies, chilli, burgers, and great real ale from local breweries. Very cool decor and unpretentious vibe, highly recommended.

The only way I can describe the Barley mow is the Karen's diner of the Peak district. The only thing worse than the service was the decor with dirty mouldy walls and mouldy church pews. The smell of damp, dust and wet dog in the air. The only thing not worth visiting in Bonsall in my opinion.

What a shame that the customer service experience was non-existent on our trip to this pub. From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel like we were a burden to the owners of this establishment. The bar man/owner was unfriendly throughout but this got worse when we tried to order food - we ended up walking out when we were sworn at for not pre-ordering even though we had not been asked to do this. Disappointed and could not recommend - I've never been to a pub where I've been made to feel so unwelcome.

Fantastic pub. Stumbled across it on holiday. Cracking food and amazing live music. Felt like a private little pub that no one knew about. An absolute gem of a find!

This place is a hidden gem. Best pie I've had, followed by best Bakewell Tart. Nice bar team and on both night we went we enjoyed excellent live music. Worth walking up the dark road from the village to discover 👏

Lovely little pub, tucked away in Bonsall. My first visit and I was very impressed. Great selection of draught IPAs made for a nice surprise. Dinner was lovely, a great and varied choice of home cooked delights. Fabulous vegetarian options too.

What a pub hidden up a. Village lane wish it was my local

Fantastic pub, dog friendly great live music and good food.

A lovely little pub, great selection of drinks (Inc tea!), but the pie.. Wow, I had the chicken, leek and bacon pie, mash and mushy peas. Absolutely delicious. 10/10. Must visit more often...

Lovely village pub, nice atmosphere. The service and food were amazing, jealous of the table next to us who had the most amazing looking pie but the venison burger was awesome. If we are in the area again in the future I would definitely come again. Well worth a visit for food.

Welcoming and pure quirkiness. We took our two Australian visitors here and they absolutely loved it. The owners made us all feel so welcome. Great beer and food. But you must have the homemade pie it’s a real standout moment and they don’t understand the meaning of small helpings. We totally recommend this well hidden gem.

A pub in a small Derbyshire village that is frequently described as the best pub in the world might seem a little of an over-reach but that’s until you try the Barley Mow. From atmosphere to decor this place drips personality and pizzazz, all attributable to its hardworking and super-cool owners. Where to start? The booze is delicious, the food looked exceptional and made us wish we hadn’t eaten already but it was the extras that made it: soundtracked by PJ Harvey and the Rolling Stones on a scorching summer afternoon, surrounded by pictures and memorabilia from bikini kill, cult films and the most fascinating pub bookshelf ever (already ordered anarchism and paganism book so I can finish it!). We can’t wait to go back. And we weren’t even there for gigs and hen-racing. Imagine!

It's the best pub in the world, we come here everytime we're in the area. Lovely home cooked food, great atmosphere and always something going on! Book a table, it can get busy at the weekend (rightfully so)!

We did a Google search whilst at Matlock Bath and found this place 1.3 miles away. So we had Saturday lunch at Barley Mow. Mick & Coletta cooked our two lasagne meals and I must say, it was perfect! So it's 5 stars from us and we will be back. Thank you - Jon & Deb x

We ate here tonight, when they say “proper pie” that’s exactly what they mean. The food was delicious, the pie (pastry top and bottom) was jam packed full of meat. The slice of pie was huge. The landlord and his team were on the ball and chatty, funny and honest. Defo worth a visit.

Most certainly the BEST PUB IN THE WORLD

This is one of the nicest countrie pubs in one of the nicest village's. It's tooked away so it takes a bit of finding but boy it's worth it. Good fair at a good price. They go to a lot of trouble putting different events on and it's a real local pub packed with caricatures young and old. It's got parking and still has the toilets outside like a lot of pubs used to have. If you want to eat I recommend you ring before hand.

Lovely home cooked food! Staff and locals are really friendly! Definitely recommend

What a lovely cosy local pub. We were lucky enough to catch Bonsall carnival and watched a few morris dancers 🤩 We all thoroughly enjoyed their roast dinner as well 😋.

Loved the ambience and decor of this quirky little pub. We had the risotto and the hommity pie on our first night and loved them so much that we went back for another meal a couple of nights later. Friendly locals, friendly staff, lovely vibe.

My wife and I visited this week as we were looking for a venue for a family gathering. We'd been impressed by reading the many good reviews and we weren't disappointed when we arrived, as this is a charming little village pub in an equally charming village. But - we didn't get a warm welcome from the host, maybe he'd had a bad day but our polite enquiries about beer options and food availability were met with pure sarcasm. We've been in literally hundreds of pubs and I've only rarely met with unwarranted comments such as this. So, I'm sure this is a great little pub and it's got real character, but such a shame about Mr Angry.

A proper pub with proper beer and food you'd kill for. Add in the quirky bits and you have a place you'd sell an organ for to ensure you're there for opening time. And the pies are unbelievable

Wished I had asked for a child’s portion couldn’t finish it all but what I ate was gorgeous definitely recommend the pies definitely would go again

Family gathering with a fussy eater who wanted a tiny pie… the chap was super kind with sorting this out, made a fuss of her and even offered the bits she didn’t manage to eat as a takeout.. I thought that showed alot of understanding- so thank you 🙂 We all had pie specials with peas and lashings of gravy! One happy mum was all we needed to see!

Helpful and friendly staff, hearty food, felt very welcomed. Atmosphere was great with England winning in the Euros semi final which was cast onto large projector screen in the pub. Was only a 15 minute walk back our accommodation, so able to walk off a few calories consumed!

Coletta and Miguel not only accommodated us last minute but also made us feel welcomed. The best pub in peak district. Five star service and atmosphere. Saturday music night was a perfect way to spend an evening after a long day.

Amazing local pub, was in the village on holiday. Great atmosphere, food amazing, great selection if drinks, will definitely be going agsin

Visited the Barley Mow Friday night whilst doing the Bonsall arts Trail and ended up back there on the Saturday night as well, it was that good. What a fab little pub. Collette and Mick (Landlord and Landlady) and their staff were very friendly and lovely to chat to and went out of their way to make us welcome. We unfortunately didn't eat there as we had already made other arrangements for eating at the weekend but I've given the food a five star just on its looks and the people who were talking about their meal loved it. Good choice of beer and reasonably priced. The cider list was great. The cute pub cat (think his name was Taffy) can't go without a mention either. One of the most cutest and friendliest cats you'll find giving you the warmest of welcomes if you sit outside. Lovely, atmospheric pub, well worth a visit. Thank you for a fab weekend

Love The Barley Mow, great beer, food and atmosphere

Brilliant pub, stopped here on a pub crawl hike and had a great time on the sunny terrace. Landlady extremely welcoming to all our group, will definitely visit again.

A pub experience of the highest calibre. The staff were so welcoming to our group and there was a great atmosphere. Take me back, Barley Mow.

Went on speck on a Sunday evening as premier inn in Matlock were not doing food. Told when we arrived that they were not doing meals until 5pm. Decided to wait and it was well worth it and the beer was good as well.

Outstanding pub, great atmosphere, friendly staff and impressive selection of drinks. Very welcoming to our University Rambling group! We will be back!

Unique pub with one of the best pies we've had! Set us up for an afternoon of walking the lovely Derbyshire countryside!

We really enjoyed the pub, food, drinks, service... Special place, worth seeking out.

My experience at Barley Mow Pub in Bonsall was nothing short of exceptional. From the moment I stepped into this charming pub nestled in the heart of Derbyshire, I felt welcomed and at home. The cozy, inviting atmosphere immediately drew me in, and the service provided by the landlady and landlord was outstanding. Their sharp wit and humor added a delightful touch to the entire visit. The landlady's quick thinking and friendly banter made our visit truly memorable. The interior of the pub is wonderfully quirky, filled with character and a sense of history that perfectly complements the vibrant, lively ambiance they’ve created. The food and drink at Barley Mow was superb. The menu offers a range of delicious, hearty dishes, each prepared with care and beautifully presented. I particularly enjoyed the traditional Sunday Dinner , but there are plenty of modern options as well. The selection of local ales and ciders is impressive and pairs perfectly with the meals. What stood out to me the most was the community feel of the pub. Both locals and visitors are treated like old friends, and it’s clear that Barley Mow is a cornerstone of the Bonsall community. The pub regularly hosts events and live music, adding to its lively and welcoming vibe. Overall, Barley Mow is a must-visit. The dedication and charisma of the landlady and landlord ensure that each visit is filled with laughter, great food, and a sense of belonging. If you’re looking for a pub experience that perfectly blends the best of traditional and contemporary, Barley Mow in Bonsall is the place to be. (We’ll be back - Shaun & Melanie xx

Perfect pub. Great food, great beer, great atmosphere and great live music.

So disappointed. Used to be such a good pub but now the food is really overpriced for what you get and the barman is so unwelcoming. Can see from the reviews that this wasn't just an off night for him.

Super cosy atmospheric pub with amazing warm and welcoming team💕 Delicious food with generous portions, especially livede the pie and local cider selection. Good vibes, will definitely come back

Very charming pub. Felt like a home from home! We'll definitely be back

Great big plates of freshly cooked Sunday Lunch with all the trimmings today at the Barley Mow. Lovely stuff!

They describe their Guinness gravy as world class. If you were to wring the sweat from the shirt of Leo Messi after he downs 15 pints of Guinness you still wouldn't get gravy as good as this. The GOAT of gravy.

A fabulous local pub, outstanding customer service lovely atmosphere,,couldn't do to much for you. The food was great please go when you visit bonsall

Lucky to have this amazing pub as my local.

Delicious meal at this lovely cosy / quirky village pub. Husband and I both chose lasagne, it was the best ever, couple that with superb garlic bread, fresh salad and chips. Beer and cider also excellent. Friendly relaxed atmosphere. Well done to the hardworking staff.

Great cider options, delicious food and a friendly atmosphere. The roast dinner was great and the desserts were great too.

Fantastic pub. One of the best pies I’ve ever had in my life. Nice ales on tap too.

Lovely pub. Owned by some lovely individuals, found this place from tripadvisor and it didn’t disappoint. They served us pies that were gorgeous and some of the best we had ever had. The atmosphere was also great feeling like a proper English pub. The only problems we encountered were that it was quite a small place, they had trouble printing out menus and didn’t have them available digitally so we couldn’t pick what we wanted beforehand with even what was on google being wrongand they didn’t have any WiFi which upset the kids greatly. However all in all a very great pub and a must for tourists.

I went for dinner here with the family. The drinks were good and the food was great! I had the steak and Stilton pie which was exceptional! They really know how to make a pie, the portions were a good size too. I would thoroughly recommend it if you’re in the area! Worth booking

I attended with my wife on early Saturday evening. After sitting at a vacant table the manager, in an aggressive manner informed us that the table was reserved, in 30 minutes time. We moved to another vacant table which was reserved in nearly two hours time. We asked about getting food and told us we couldn’t have any as they only get in what’s needed for the evening?? You must have to pre book your food. We have a little Pomeranian which was sat on a bench seat as there was a much larger dog trying to get to him. The young lady who served us drinks came over chatting politely and stroked him, asking what type he was etc. 5 minutes later the manager came up to us, in the same manner as before and told us to get the dog off the furniture. It was a wooden bench, but fair enough and we did. We certainly won’t be visiting his premises again. He obviously took an instant dislike to us. If upon our arrival he had said that there wasn’t any food, although a couple on the next table had called in just before us and were able to order food, then we would have accepted that. Well done for sterling customer service. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Incredible. 3x vegetarian options - homity pie was amazing, service was perfect. Warm, cosy and everything a country pub should be. Will be back and recommend to anyone we know

Do not recommend, very ignorant, felt unwelcome, will not be returning

Brilliant evening at Barley Mow. I'd been a year ago.One of best steak pies ever and big portions so we could only share the Bakewell tart.Variety of ciders are superb .Quiz night on Wed. added to atmosphere but separated from diners and done quietly. Friendly and welcoming.Just love this cosy atmospheric traditional pub. Wish I lived nearer.

What a gem of a pub! Me and my friend were staying in the local area and this pub was recommended by our B&B host. The pub is lovely & cosy, the landlady Colette was incredibly welcoming and friendly, you can tell she really cares about the pub. We had some lovely wine, beef brisket chilli & a steak and ale pie. The food was amazing!!! We would really recommend coming here. :) For both of the main meals (very generous portions), a bottle of wine, and two medium glasses it was £59, great value!!

Been lots of times before. This time had a very frosty welcome from the landlord which set an unpleasant tone for our the rest of the lunch. They market the place as a destination pub because it’s out of the way but I won’t rush back.

Pulled into the carpark and the landlord literally ran across the road before I'd even got out of my van and told me to park the other way .Absolute misery guts . I said forget it mate there's plenty of other pubs .Never again avoid 😒.

Oh my goodness THE FOOD! Just go To try the pies, unbelievable home cooked food! Great selection of drinks and a high quality band that you wouldn’t expect to see in a local pub of that size! Really cosy, felt very welcome and “part of the village” within minutes! It’s a freehouse, with amazing home cooked food and local ales so don’t expect an endless menu that can be brought to the table at the same time…if you want that, maybe try a Wetherspoons who have an endless supply of frozen meals to be microwaved! Highly recommend and will be back!!

5 Star the staff, ale, and food always spot on. Cheers Gav n Louise

What a fantastic pub! Great atmosphere, good food and very welcoming to everyone that came through the door. The perfect place to have a nice beer and meet new friends if you fancy!

Amazing! A proper pub! The best pub I’ve been to in a long time! Nothing is rushed, really relaxed, welcoming, felt just like being at home! Food is phenomenal, proper Sunday roast and the pie is to die for! Will definitely be coming again!

Best pub in the Peak District (and beyond), we went to the Barley Mow for dinner and a night out and loved the authentic village pub feel, charmingly decorated and great atmosphere. The food was some of the best we've had: locally sourced and beautiful cooked. Mick and Colette were so welcoming and create an exceptional pub and dinner experience

Very disappointing. Very little on the menu - also given a menu with ‘how many’ of individuals items were left. Which meant it was a case of picking an item before someone else did. Surly, indifferent attitude from the landlord - it was obvious that we were an inconvenience - told we only had 15 mins to order and that they were closing the kitchen. What should have been a great birthday celebration, turned into an embarrassing low key event as we waited for our meals to come out - individually (20 mins between first and last served). We didn’t stay for the band - just felt like we had overstayed our welcome. Very disappointing.

The best pie all of us have EVER had, 5th time visiting and each time seems to be better than the last. Outstanding customer service and brilliant choice of home cooked food. Would highly highly recommend if you’re in the area, simply the best!

We visited the Barley mow pub for a meal on Saturday night to celebrate my neices 21st birthday. There was a large family group of us (11) and we were staying in a lovely converted barn house in Bonsall. We had pre booked the table and even dropped a birthday cake off earlier in the day. There was a band due to play that night so we were looking forward to the food and entertainment. On arriving at the pub..our greeting from the landlord was not the friendliest! We were to sit on 2 different tables and my neice politely asked about moving a different table to which the landlord refused being very rude and abrupt in his answer! We were then informed that as we were 10 mins late we only had 15 mins to place our orders..as the kitchen would be shutting!! We were then told that maybe we should have pre ordered even though nobody had suggested this to us at any point prior to our visit . After hastily choosing our meals ( we had numbers of what meals they had left in the kitchen!) the landlady informed us “she was only a one woman band” and we would get our food as and when!! In fairness when the food did arrive it was really nice and the young lads working at the pub were polite and helpful! The feeling we got the whole evening from the landlord and landlady was that we just weren’t wanted! If they hadn’t wanted a party of 11..especially on a night when a band were playing then maybe they should have politely refused our booking. Such a disappointment after reading so many good reviews on here!! We did go to the other pub in the village the following day (kings head) who were lovely and friendly..what a complete contrast!!

Look no further for a great meal, fantastic beer, and a welcoming environment. We read the tripadvisor reviews on a day out and decided this was the place to eat, and we are so glad we did. What a gem 👍🏼

Went to a Burn's supper here... We were made very welcome & the food was lovely. Many thanks for the excellent experience, we look forward to coming again. 💕🎈🍛

A fabulous relaxed lunch with friends- atmosphere and welcome and food all fantastic. So relaxed and the pies were to die for- gravy too!Catered for all our mixed requirements including veggie needs and the 4 legged friend. Thanks Collette and Mick. Memorable and we shall be back!

Oozing with proper pub charm. Dinky and splendid with cracking beers. It's a goodun!

Fantastic service. We always come here for a drink after work. Very polite staff. Foods are delicious . Beer is always cold and really warm inside . Best service by Cavan and all the employees . Great management!

We had a week away in Bonsall and had two visits to the Barley Mow while we were there. On the first visit we just had drinks but discovered what was a gem of a pub, really cosy and very welcoming owners. The food they were serving looked great and while we ended up missing pie night we went for food tonight and had the steak and ale pie and the massive burger, which would be a challenge to eat if it wasn’t so tasty. We visit the Peak District fairly often and would definitely stay in Bonsall again with the Barley Mow a big factor in that decision!

Great pub, very friendly owners, great food and atmosphere - will definitely be back

Wife and I only stopped here as a start point for a country walk and then a drink at the end of it. Popped in to tell the staff that we had parked etc. The smell of the fish and chips was delicious. Changed our plan and had lunch first. The fish and chips were excellent for both of us and being a Friday the larger plate was only£10. Wife ordered the pensioners portion for £8.50 We were both absolutely stuffed at the end of it. The staff, Bev and Co. we're very friendly and chatty, despite being very busy in the pub, and the service from the kitchen was really good. We will definitely factor the Barley Mow into future planning, should we be walking in this area again in the future. It's definitely worth a drive out to for fish on a Friday. Well done team, including the kitchen staff, and thank for a great lunch.

What a fabulous place, food was lovely, the welcome was amazing. Such a genuinely friendly place, never felt so welcome anywhere. A great time spent with Collete, Mick and Eddie, we will come back. If you’re in the area I would 100% recommend. Thanks for a great afternoon guys 👍🏻

The beer was great. The food was amazing - the best onion rings ever, all very tasty and nothing was too much trouble. We will definitely be going back for more from this great little pub.

Visited after reading reviews. We were not disappointed, as it lived up to our expectations. Booked in advance. Had an amazing Sunday dinner. The owners/ staff are very welcoming and entertaining. Hope to revisit in the summer

Great good, great portion sizes, great atmosphere, great place.

Absolutely amazing pub! The owners are fantastic, great fun, make you feel welcome and the Sunday roast is one of the best…. Beef, Yorkshire pudding and roast potato are out of this world! Strongly recommend 😀

Fab u lous Found this place for a pre rugby lunch stop. Pie was amazingly smashing chips and the gravy even more so (if that’s possible). Lovely quirky pub. My only regret is we didn’t take others with us. Maisie (dog) very happy! We will...

Had a fab time, really friendly quirky little pub. The food was really amazing , great portions proper home cooked food ! and to top off the evening the live band Starfighter were Brill. 👍🤩

Brilliant gem, don’t miss this pub!.., only when you find it, you’ll realise it’s something out the ordinary. Great food and a pie that’s bonkers delicious. Will be back.

Great hosts. Lovely venue for a great NY Eve.

A great little pub with a warm friendly atmosphere, it has a great traditional pub menu, cooked to a super high standard….A proper pub with a proper landlord serving great food and beer.

This pub had an excellent atmosphere. The staff were friendly, the decorations were great, and the food was delicious. Highly recommend for an authentic, genuine pub experience!

Fantastic proper country pub. Can't fault it...

Phenomenal! Everyone was super personable, the welcome was brilliant and it just continued from there. A real family-feel pub. The food was insane, I had the steak & Stilton pie and my partner had the steak & ale pie and the portion was amazing and...

16 of us from my walking group booked the Barley Mow exclusively on a Wednesday afternoon for our Christmas lunch. The staff could not have been more attentive and friendly. The food was very good indeed, enjoyed in a fantastic traditional atmosphere. There was general...

Fantastic dog friendly pub off the beaten track, great beer and absolutely excellent food (especially the pie night 😉)

Great little pub, really friendly landlord and land lady, food is so tasty especially pie night, I have been looking forward to pie night for ages and DEFINITELY DID NOT DISAPPOINT! Also they do a fantastic roast dinner on a Sunday, super tasty

I took my niece and nephew for Breakfast with Santa!!! All I can say is it was absolutely magical and the kids had a wonderful time. There was a helping Elf who was brilliant with the kids and Santa really took the time with them....

Both food and beer were excellent. The pies we had were delicious, but so were the other dishes. I recommend having a Saturday evening meal and staying on for the live band. For me, the Barley Mow is exactly what a local pub should be. Congratulations to the Landlord and the staff for running a great pub, I am sure we will be back.

Amazing quaint pub in a lovely Derbyshire village location with excellent, friendly owners! Superb food and drink, nothing is too much trouble. Brilliant service