The Bear at Hodnet in Shropshire

My husband and I (with our dog) stopped here for lunch on our way to Hodnet Gardens. We obviously had to sit in the bar area due to our dog being with us, but this was a lovely quiet little area which suited us fine. The food was beautiful - we both had a starter and a main, and the quality was fantastic. If we are in the area again, we will definitely be back!

Had dinner last night and it was fabulous, three courses were all as good as each other and a taste sensation. Staff are lovely and very attentive without being ott. Well done to all at the bear, can't wait to return.

This was simply an amazing meal with fabulous service and attention to detail. You won’t be disappointed with the standard of the food or the overall experience. We went for my brother’s 70th birthday and they made it so very special. You will not regret a visit here one bit.

Had a beautiful mid week meal at The Bear Inn. Beautifully presented, staff very friendly and attentive along with some excellent food. Fantastic evening. Our dog was also made very welcome!

The bear inn is amazing the building is beautiful , staff very attentive . I stayed in the Juniper suite which was extremely comfortable with brilliant bath & shower. The restaurant , food was superb both evening meal & incredible breakfast. Well worth a visit and excellent value for money . Strongly recommend . I have stayed in 3 boutique hotels in the uk for weddings this year and this was definitely the best .

We had an excellent lunch at the Bear Inn, stopping on our drive from the South East up to Anglesey. Our welcome at the front desk was friendly and efficient - all of the staff here were helpful and attentive without being intrusive. We had a corner table in the restaurant which was surrounded by lovely pieces of art. The decor throughout the place has been really thought about and some serious money has been spent - but the effect is a beautiful environment without feeling stuffy. The set menu is exceptionally good value. All the food we had was beautifully cooked with excellent presentation. Portion sizes just right to allow you to enjoy 3 courses. The restaurant is also very dog friendly which for us is a real plus point. Highly recommend.

What a delightful surprise The Bear was. We chose it as a half way house as we travelled to Wales. It surpassed our expectations in every way. It combined the feel of a village pub with a great restaurant and a country house hotel.. The best of many worlds. Lively bar, superb quality of the food for both dinner and breakfast. And high quality, original, comfortable bedrooms. It should be mandatory to go there. It is exceptional.

Superb food! First time here and won’t be the last. All the courses were fantastic…..burrata, pigeon as our starters and pork and cod as mains. We felt that the dessert course was perhaps the weakest of them all but still delicious. Service was friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable. The inn is beautifully and stylishly decorated. Good choice of drinks including alcohol -free. Our dog was welcomed too. The courtyard is very pretty. Great atmosphere. Highly recommended!

WOW! Highly recommended. Fabulous food and brilliant staff. And all at a very reasonable price. Despite being an hour's drive away we will definitely return.

Beautifully appointed eatery. The food was exquisite every mouthful an absolute taste burst, the service was very attentive although I did feel a little rushed. We were the last in at 2:15 and told that we must hurry up and order. I took a chance on the menu as I didn’t have time to read it but the food was exquisite. If I were to visit again I would certainly book an earlier time.

Its many years since I visited The Bear and how its changed...very upmarket and more bistro style than pub food. High quality ingredients, fairly small plates, beautifully set out. Good flavours. Pricey, for sure and I wouldn't describe it as value for money but for a special occasion, I would highly recommend. We had three courses, and unlike many restaurants, they were competent from starter to pud. Good choice of excellent wines by the glass. Great service with a smiling welcome, and quick to service. Can't wait to dine again there when we are in the area. Thank you very much.

Another faultless visit to the bear. Food and service outstanding, having visited lots of establishments and then returning to the bear, you realise just how ‘right’ they have it. Roll on the next time :-)

We loved the Bear! Everything about this beautiful Inn was absolutely spot on. Gorgeous room with a huge comfortable bed, crisp sheets and stylish decor. Everything was well thought out and the courtyard garden is a delight. We enjoyed drinks by the fire before going through to the restaurant for our evening meal which was just delicious - perfectly balanced and beautifully presented. And the next morning, a tasty cooked breakfast with some lovely thoughtful touches such as a refreshing green smoothie and warm scones to start. The staff were brilliant - so helpful and friendly. A particular thank you to Chloe for the warm welcome, Anthony for looking after us and to Sally for keeping us hydrated! 🥂 We loved the gardens at Hodnet Hall and are already planning our next trip - we can’t wait.

Loved this so much we returned on consecutive Fridays. Very comfortable well appointed room, and dinner to die for. Menu evolved week on week, all imaginative and perfectly executed. Great esprit d'corps among the staff, who seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as the punters. Good value wine list. This is such a rarity-a small independent hotel with strong values. I commend it to you

Amazing food and service. A relaxing atmosphere and ambience . Fabulous toilet facilities. Michelin star ⭐️ quality food and presentation. Accommodation if required but we didn’t stay. We were already booked in another hotel. I had chicken croquette with celeriac and jus, chocolate basque with hot chocolate sauce and barley ice cream. It was honestly the nicest meal I’d ever tasted.

Went for an early Mother’s Day treat, was absolutely delicious and attention to detail was unreal. The service was excellent 👌 highly recommended will be back 😊

Absolutely fantastic! We love coming to The Bear….the staff are so friendly, a lovely atmosphere in a beautiful building and the food is totally delicious. We all chose something different and I wish I could’ve eaten them all. I can highly recommend, it’s an amazing place. Thanks 😊

Lovely surroundings, amazing food and great friendly staff. Also dog friendly which is a bonus. Visited for Friday lunch, will definitely return.

Tuesday lunchtime grub! Excellent in every way Will return as the food was gorgeous and the whole place had a wow feel to it

We went for lunch on Valentine's Day. There was no special menu, but the food and service were great. Simply the best in class.

This pub was so welcoming and the food was the best I've eaten for a very long time. Will definitely be back! Worth every penny and excellent service.

Our family party of five adults and a baby visited The Bear today for lunch on a cold but sunny January day which certainly showed this lovely old Inn off at its best. We received a warm welcome when we arrived which was a prelude to the friendly and impeccable service we received throughout the whole lunch. The short but extremely interesting lunch menu was exceptional value for the quality of food we were to receive (£30 for 2 courses and £35 for the 3 we all ordered) I plumped for Beef tartare, pickled walnut, beef fat crouton, charcoal to start, and I have to say this variation was probably one of the best examples of beef tartare I have ever eaten! For main I had a superb Ox-cheek dish which was absolutely full of flavour, then followed by a delicious Apple tart tatin with malt ice cream. Only one member of our party was drinking alcohol so I won’t comment on the wine offering other than to say the list looked very interesting, comprehensive and again excellent value for this standard of establishment. Overall a first class restaurant with first class service and exceptional food! Enjoyed immensely and now highly recommended by all our party….even the baby!

I’ve been to Bear Inn a few times and every visit the food was beyond my expectations, it was absolutely delicious. The staff are really friendly and welcoming. The ambiance was cozy and stylish. The best pub experience I’ve had! Looking forward to the next visit.

Had lunch at The Bear a few days ago. This was the third visit for my partner and I, but with a group of friends this time. I can without hesitation congratulate the Bear for the excellent food and 1st class service (just as it was on our first two occasions). I rarely eat three courses when dining out, but I made an exception this time and i wasn't disappointed. Thanks again, and we all wish you a very Merry Christmas. Already looking forward to our next visit in 2024.

The Bear was recommended to us and we booked for a birthday celebration on a Saturday evening. The Bear is beautifully decorated, spacious and clean. There’s a really nice ambience here. The food was delicious; we all had a starter, main and dessert. I had the salmon to start with which was presented to perfection, the ox cheek for main which was devine - it literally melted away, and the panna cotta for pudding, which was light and full of flavour. All of our dishes were well presented and there’s a good choice for drinks too, including ales and wines. The service was also very good. The reason for the 4/5; during our desserts, the plates were cleared by a staff member whilst one of our party was still finishing theirs. This made us feel a little uncomfortable and almost as if we were being rushed. It may well have been an oversight. All in all, a lovely evening and we will be back.

You’ll go along way to taste good as good. This is our 3rd visit with friends and it just keeps getting better. It is not cheap but you get what you pay for in this instance. We all had scallops to start - superbly cooked (1 scallop) with a delicious fusion of flavours. I had the pork tenderloin for main which was outstanding followed by the rum baba (retro with a modern twist 👌) I can’t recommend the Bear highly enough - very friendly and attentive staff too.

Been meaning to visit here since re-opening, booked a lunch for 2 and so glad we did. The building is beautiful since the renovation but still maintaining the history of the place. Quirky decor that fits the place perfectly. We had the 3 courses which is very good value. The best dish was the sticky toffee pudding which was divine. The staff are really attentive without being too much. A lovely ambience throughout the pub with a quiet local vibe. Booked to visit agin next month.

We spent two nights - with dinner both nights - at the Bear Inn en route from Scotland to a family event in the West Midlands. Our experience was wonderful from start to finish. The most important element of what makes the Bear Inn so good is the excellent team led by Chloe Turner. Everyone we dealt with was welcoming, friendly and professional - no airs and graces - just a sound understanding of what customers want and need and a natural desire to go the extra distance to make the experience a very special one. It should also be said that the restoration of the Inn has been beautifully accomplished - at significant cost I would expect. The public spaces are comfortable and relaxing and our bedroom - the Poplar Room - was very tastefully designed and furnished - with an extremely comfortable bed. The Bear Inn menu is based on local, seasonal produce, elevated by an imaginative approach to flavour combinations. On our first night, my wife - a vegetarian - was accommodated by one vegetarian starter and main course on the fairly short menu. On the second evening, she was presented with her own vegetarian menu - properly printed and in one of the Bear's tasteful folders! Recognising that we were dining again after our first night, the chef had put together a special menu just for her. A definite first in our experience! Finally, we arrived at the Bear with a birthday cake that had not survived the long trip from Scotland - at least not in one piece. We asked if anything could be done to rescue it and pastry chef Lisa applied some necessary emergency cake aid to ensure it was in good shape for our grand-daughter's birthday. In conclusion, the Bear Inn is a very special place with a wonderful and welcoming team of people - great food - breakfasts are a real event - and a beautiful physical environment. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a very special location and a genuinely memorable experience.

Our son had given his father a Bear Inn gift card for his 70th birthday. This turned out to be a most pleasant and enjoyable present for us both. Our arrival greeting was warm and friendly. I was pleased with the range of, and recommendations for, non-alcoholic drinks - husband discovered another zero beer he liked. The menu was simply, but still enticingly, presented. We chose the same - cured trout, pork and custard tart. All 3 courses were delightful and beautifully presented too. The quality was excellent and, to us, seemed extremely good value. Again the service was friendly and kind. It is lovely to discover somewhere close to home that is so good and we look forward to returning again.

We stayed here for a night and had the most amazing time. The food and the rooms were both to an incredibly high standard and I cannot recommend a night away here enough. The breakfast topped it off and completely exceeded expectations. Will definitely be back.

This is one of our favourite hotels in the UK. We travel a lot and it is difficult to find a hotel with such good service, combined with fantastic interiors and excellent food. We will be back again and again. In August we met family here. There were 10 us, plus 2 children and we were looked after so well. Everyone in our group loved The Bear too!

We stayed at this lovely 16th century Inn for two nights in the Juniper suite, which is over two floors. The staff were very welcoming and it really felt that everyone working there were part of a team. The rooms are very in keeping with...

Exquisite lunch with my husband, we agreed it was one of our top two meals of 2023. We ate three courses each and didn’t feel unpleasantly stuffed afterwards. Calm and quite relaxed surroundings - I’d only got casual holiday clothes with me and didn’t feel...

We live locally and hadn’t been to The Bear for a while. We had the most delightful evening meal. The various flavours of the food were superb and the presentation absolutely excellent. The service could not be faulted, the server was attentive and very cheery...

This venue is great for lunch, dinner and breakfast after an over night stay. We have done it all. Chloe and her team are outstanding in every way. My wife and I hosted a "night before the wedding " party at the Bear Inn on...

We booked to spend the night here on our way back from Scotland and we were delighted with our choice. The staff were excellent. Friendly, attentive and efficient. The room was well decorated and comfortable. Both dinner and breakfast were very good with some good...

What a fabulous fine dining experience. We had the 3 course lunch menu and we thought it was amazing value for the quality of the food. We were a group of four and all loved what we had. We will definitely book again if we...

Stayed two nights in this outstanding hostelry and wished we could have stayed longer. A warm and friendly welcome awaits you on arrival and sets the standard for the remainder of your stay. A lot of thought, and probably money, has gone into combining the...

Disappointed. Mains poor-lamb raw, curry sauce generic. Service indifferent. Dessert shocking-crème brûlée with I don’t know what-cabbage? Do simple things well. Won’t be back

We traveled 40 mins to enjoy lunch at this excellent restaurant. It had been recommended to us so many times and finally we went and we weren’t disappointed. Deliciously imaginative food with very friendly service. The lunch is £27.50 for two courses which we thought...

We had a three course lunch, so the four of us managed to try a good selection from the menu. All dishes were well designed and ingredients complemented each other to make an excellent dining experience. Welcome and Service was friendly and will definitely bring...

We stayed overnight in this quaint little village, adjacent to the beautiful Hodnet Hall Gardens. The Inn has been extensively refurbished throughout in a very thoughtful way and the decor is quite superb. It serves as both a local pub and a very fine restaurant....

Wow. Amazing. Was taken here as a surprise for a birthday lunch. Gosh. The food was delicious and there was a good choice of starters, mains and sweets. It was a set course menu (ie 2 or 3 courses) at a set price but the...

Shropshire is an unknown planet to us. It is quite beatiful, so The Bear sits very well in that environment. It's owned and run by a great couplem whose enthusiasm is well founded and whose professionalism permeates the entire operation. The place has a modern...

We were a party of four late lunching after a garden visit at Old Wollerton Hall and we were so taken with the food, atmosphere and service in this wonderful inn, pub and restaurant. The service was top notch from the welcoming smiles to prompt...

This was our first visit and it certainly won’t be our last. We were absolutely bowled over by the fantastic food and impeccable service. The place itself is charming and relaxing. We can’t wait to return. It’s another top notch restaurant in the booming northern...

I eat in many hotels and restaurants travelling for business and the bear at hodnet is outstanding, the pigeon starter was beautiful, tasty with different textures, the pigeon cooked to perfection, a rare treat. The pork main coarse was the best plate of food I...

Atmospheric restaurant. Lovely, friendly service. The BEST coeliac menu I have ever seen- so nice to have a specific menu with lots of options. Felt so safe and it was absolutely delicious. Delicious wine pairings- merlot was just perfect.

A gem of a place - stylish bedrooms, excellent food (using locally sourced produce and beautiful homemade breads) and exceptional generous genuine customer service. Will be back.

Dropped in on the way back from the follies for lunch outside. Wonderful welcome and food was superb. Lovely staff. Haven't been here for such a long time, and the whole place looks fantastic. We'll be back.

We stayed for two nights and enjoyed an evening meal and breakfast. The dinner was excellent in term of the design and execution. All of the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. The breakfast was very filling and delicious too. The rooms are very well equipped,...

A warm ambiance greets you as soon as you walk through the front door. Everything so well cared for and clean. Such tasteful decor with marvellous choice of pictures. Staff ready to help with genuine smiles. Food very good and the timing of the delivery...

Bear Inn is very well designed with much more space inside and our than appears from first view. Very considerate service. An array of cordon bleu-type dishes on offer. Delicious sauce with the seabass fillet. (You will probably need a side dish of chips.)

Very stylishly decorated inn . Lovely art work . Excellent value. Great dinner menu with reasonably- priced wine. Great service and breakfast was superb.

What a find! Chloe and her team made us feel so very welcome. Who could want for more with friendly, professional staff; great food; lively bar and comfortable, tasteful bedrooms. I wish it was MY village pub! ❤

Another visit with great expectations and we weren’t disappointed - excellent beer on tap (Shropshire gold) . Starter of pigeon breast beautifully presented and good sized portion - excellent main course of fillet steak and amazing new desert menu. Efficient friendly unobtrusive table service -...

We have stayed here previously and once again, really enjoyed our stay. The rooms are beautifully decorated and the beds very comfortable. Dinner was really good and the breakfast is quite amazing.

Booked a night away here. Relatively recently renovated. Food was excellent. Helpful staff. Free EV charging.

I booked the Bear Inn after seeing a review by William Sitwell. If it's good enough for Will then it's definitely good enough for us. We pre-booked for lunch and chose to eat in the bar as we had our little dog with us. The...

Visited with friends for a meal and overnight stay. We booked 2 suites and a standard bedroom. The rooms were fantastic. Comfy beds and roll top baths. The evening meal and breakfast were outstanding and the staff were so friendly. Loved it and will return.

Visited yesterday evening for a family meal. Staff couldn’t be more friendly and helpful. Attentive service and delicious food. The Château Briand was the best we have had in a longtime. Beautifully presented dishes, even the sausage and mash for the children. Looking forward to...

Very nice staff, lovely decor and decent food. The only negatives would be that my partners main course was pretty lukewarm when it arrived, whereas mine was hot. I think they could also do with a better selection of beers. These are only minor negatives,...

As soon as we walked in we were greeted warmly and shown our table. The service was efficient but more importantly, friendly with nothing being too much trouble. Even when one of the party decided,upon seeing the starters that they would now like one,, there...

Wonderful lunch reasonable prices for three course lunch. Utterly delicious. Attentive and knowledgeable staff. We all loved it

Such a lovely pub. Fabulous friendly staff. We took Ted the dog with us and it truly was dog friendly. The bar area where we sat to eat was set up like the restaurant with candles. Such a plus to me because very often with...

We stayed for one night after reading about the Bear Inn, in the mail on Sunday and we weren’t disappointed, our room was beautifully appointed, the staff were all so welcoming and happy . We had the goats cheese and cod starter followed by monkfish...

An overnight stay with dinner Friday night. There has been a great deal of thought given to the design and coordination of rooms, bar restaurant, outside, Attention to detail is in abundance. Staff friendliness and attentiveness was apparent at every turn. All rooms, restaurant and...

Visited with friends for a joint birthday meal. Not the cheapest, but excellent food at very good value. Friendly service in a relaxed atmosphere. Have been before and will be back again soon.

I had specific dietary requirements and they catered for me very well. They even made homemade gluten and dairy free bread for me, it was amazing!! The place was lovely and the staff very friendly. Thanks for a great night :)

Couldn't fault any of our experience here, even on a busy Friday night. I just loved the decor, it's like a breath of fresh air with all the different colours. The staff were polite and attentive. The food was absolutely delicious. A real find in...

Everything about this place is wonderful. The staff were lovely, the atmosphere was great, gorgeous paintings on the walls and most of all the food was delicious

One of us is gluten free and a specific menu was provided straight away with several choices for each course. This time we just had main courses, a turkey roast with chestnut, sprouts, and roast potato and a venison wellington with blackberry, celeriac, and cavolo...

We were a table for four at 1:30 for lunch and were given a nice round table and menus straightaway. We had starters of braised pork cheek, salmon and beetroot with goat’s cheese followed by turkey, cod and two crispy chicken burgers. Desserts were cheese...

I found the Bear Inn through a review in the Saturday Telegraph. I'm happy to say it didn't disappoint. The staff are lovely. Both friendly and efficient. When our meals were served we were given a full but timely description of them (without being pretentious)....

Had lunch with five other friends on Saturday (03/12/22). The serving staff were polite and attentive without being overbearing, and knowledgable about every item on the menu. We were all impressed with the quality, cooking and presentation of our individual dishes. My gammon was the...

We came to this restaurant by accident and what a find! Great service and atmosphere and fabulous food. Staff were friendly and attentive and the newly decorated restaurant feels warm and welcoming. We have rebooked with friends and are looking forward to see what else...

First time here since the refurb and what a stunning find. The meal was truly great (Gammon) as was the attention of the staff. The menu has reinvented some old classics and delivered a great dining experience in a sophisticated gastro pub environment. The refurbished...

After a slightly gruff reception on the phone when trying to book in for dinner (having reserved a room) The Bear underpromised and overdelivered on everything else. The whole outfit has been beautifully renovated with wonderful colours and lovely 20th century paintings throughout. I am...

The food in this tastefully refurbished village pub is superb, with exquisite bursts of unusual flavours that pop onto your tastebuds. The pub is now unrecognisable from the old Bear and has nice little areas to sit and eat away from the main areas, we...

We wanted a quick lunch en route to hospital visiting in Whitchurch. The rooms are welcoming and we were allowed to bring our dog. We chose three dishes from a great range of bar snacks; most other diners were eating from the lunch menu and...

We were prompted to visit after reading about the review from William Sitwell the restaurant critic. We were not disappointed, the lovely staff, setting and superb food (which I have to say could be one for the Michelin route) exceeded our expectations. Fantastic value lunchtime...

We visited with friends and had a fantastic meal. It felt more like a high end restaurant than a pub. The presentation was excellent and although the portions were not huge the quality was top notch. I definitely didn’t feel hungry when I left. It...

We decided to visit the Bear as we hadn’t been since the refurb. We were warmly greeted and shown to our table. The ambience, food and service were fantastic. Just the right pace between the courses. The bar and waiting staff refilled water without the...

We stayed here after attending a wedding nearby and had a great stay at this lovely hotel. The room was comfortable, stylishly decorated and clean but the highlight was the warm welcome by Chloe and the delicious food. The hotel is reasonably priced considering the...

Lovely rooms beautifully decorated with comfortable beds. Great bar area, fantastic friendly staff. Breakfast was delicious. Lots of lovely extras.

Beautiful looking pub and beer garden. Friendly atmosphere on a Friday night around the bar. Food was excellent and of a high quality. Staff were super attentive and kind to us and our baby. Would love to return soon.

This stopover whilst heading north was a little disappointing. We had seen the recommendations and expectations were high and we fully expected to give a 5 star rating. In the event, following some minor and one larger irritation, the acclaimed breakfast saved the day for...

The food is excellent quality. The price point for this standard of food is great. The interiors are really nice and there’s a lovely garden to have a drink. Really impressed.

Just had lunch. We thought the food was great - original and different starters, mains and desserts. They were not too big so able to have all three courses and not feel stuffed after two courses. We like to have a dessert but often get...

Beautiful decor and very attentive service but extortionate prices and menu left us guessing as to how the food would be prepared. Wasn’t worth it and left us feeling we were paying for the upgrade in what had previously been a run down shabby little...

It was a Friday night, after a week at work we fancied a classy establishment for a drink and a possible meal. We ordered and paid for our drinks, looking at the menu we were disturbed by a barrage of 5 children, under 10 years...

Visited Friday early evening on the off chance of dinner and guessed as it was early tables were free. We got a drink and as there were a few drinkers in the bar area we sat at a table, few kids running around a little...

Super friendly, renovated coaching inn. Relaxed, great food, lovely bedrooms. Lots of small extra touches. Definitely will be back.

Perfection from the minute we walked in the front door.. and just kept on delivering.. fab room, delicious food, and genuine friendly & warm service

I knew The Bear prior to it's recent refurbishment. I booked a 3 night stayed as I am visiting family from overseas. I want to congratulate the entire staff at The Bear they could not have been more helpful courteous and accommodating even down to...

Stayed here overnight whilst attending a wedding in a nearby village. Our room was in the courtyard and had everything we could need. Big comfy bed, tea making facilities and gorgeous bathroom. The breakfast was amazing but what really makes this place is the wonderful...

Visited with family whereby one of us had specific dietary requirements. Nothing was too much for the staff, all evening. The setting was lovely, with a warm and calming atmosphere. The food was sensational and reasonably priced for the quality. The house pilsner and flat...

Went for the second time last Saturday as it was my birthday meal with my family. The food is superb and the service second to none with staff being warm and friendly, nothing too much trouble to ensure everyone has a good time.

I can't recommend this pub highly enough. Six of us went for lunch today and had a fantastic meal. Three courses for £30 was a great price for the quality of food. Everyone agreed that the food was delicious and the staff helpful and attentive....

We did a little two night break there. Stayed and ate both nights. So pleased with our experience. The staff were so helpful and it's been refurbished not that long ago, so lovely rooms. There's a big courtyard with seating outside when it's warm. Great...