The Bears Head in Cheshire East

My friend and I met here regularly for lunch. Today we took advantage of the 40% off mains promotion offer which was very welcome. Or waiter today was called Will. He was charming and most helpful.

We stayed here overnight on the way to a funeral in Cumbria, so we were not in the best spirits. We had a lovely meal, the food was beautiful cooked. It is a pub, but the food was better than some restaurants I have been to. All nicely presented and everything nice and clean. The public toilets were also really clean which gives me reassurance about the other areas. I have seen some negative reviews of the staff, but we found them to be very attentive and when there was no customer interaction they set to work cleaning, which was lovely to see. They run a quiz on Thursdays which we would happily go to. We stayed over for one night, everything was perfect, but I will look to review this separately.

Amazing meal last night prepared by Sophie and Sharon. Fantastic service from Katie and Brooklyn - would highly recommend.

Great experience and great food. Kirstyn was very attentive and food and drinks delivered with a smile

A bit of an odd one... we went for Sunday lunch and I genuinely feel the front of house staff let the side down completely. Food was nice, roast potatoes weren't fresh - slightly stale but the rest of the food was pretty nice. When we arrived we were stood hanging around near the bar as we weren't sure whether to wait or just grab a table, staff just walked past and ignored us and the queue of people forming behind us. We asked a passing waiter whether we should just pick a table and he replied with "uh dunno just ask at the bar" - not great. So we waited and waited, I'd say nearly 10 minutes and when we finally got someone's attention we were greeted with an aggressive "have you booked?" and an eye roll and sigh when we said we hadn't. When it came to ordering, again I was kept waiting a good 5 minutes at the bar whilst staff were just milling around, they were more than adequately staffed but there just seemed to be a lack of managerial direction/urgency, the pub wasn't particularly busy. Our sticky platter (absolutely delicious!) starter arrived and we had no cutlery so I had to go and request from the bar, the bread was missing so again took a lot of effort to get someone's attention, my son's chips were missing from his plate which again took a while to get from the kitchen. We finished our starters and the plates were just left on our table for ages, staff walked past, saw them and ignored them. Just generally a very disappointing experience that can't be blamed on being short staffed or the pub being being too busy for staff to cope. Had the customer service been adequate (not even amazing) I would have easily given at least a 4 star review - I can forgive a few stale roast potatoes if everything else was fine. All of the above was in full view of the manager and he seemed equally not bothered. Probably won't come again which is a shame as the chef obviously knows what he's doing but the rest of the team has let them down. Not particularly cheap either over £80 for 2 adults and a child (no alcohol), I've had cheaper and better Sunday lunches with nicer staff elsewhere.

Gorgeous pub and fantastic food. Slightly more pricey menu however.

Mike had to bear with it for a bit, but the results of his hard work are coming to a head now. Great pub and second best Mike to work for vintage inn!

Had a 60th birthday meal with family, a surprise for me. Food was excellent as was service, lovely evening Had by all, look forward to visiting again soon 😊

Great asset for Brereton. Don't hesitate to visit.

Disappointing Sunday lunch. The roast beef was overcooked, dry and akin to cardboard. The greens were grey and not freshly cooked. The cauliflower cheese was tasteless - why place melted mozzarella on top of over-cooked and mushy cauliflower as you are mixing two mild/weak flavours? Just use strong cheddar which is the norm and flavoursome. In summary, at best a school dinner. However, the serving staff were friendly and efficient.

Steph was an amazing waitress and made my evening better and more enoyable. I was so happy with my food. Thank you.so much, reckon Steph deserves a raise

Good food, brilliant service in a lovely old building.

Steph was great. Lovely meal. Well looked after. Thanks so much.

Met a friend for breakfast after a dog walk, lovely food, hot and tasty. Dan behind the bar made a fuss of the dog and was friendly and welcoming as always, will be back soon 🙂

Really nice underrated pub. Food was good and reasonably priced. Atmosphere and service was great, will definitely go back.

We were attending a funeral, so we turned up the afternoon beforehand. Even though Booking. Com messed up our room reservation, the gentleman at the reception was very professional and competent, and we were allocated a room in minutes. The service is pleasant, with the local pub vibe and atmosphere, not a franchise, the food is nice also. The wake was held at Bear's Head also, great service all around .

Stayed for a night, lovely and cozy and very comfortable beds. I think food portions were a little small for the price, what do a few more chips cost? However the chocolate orange bomb was out of this world! They seemed short staffed behind the bar as ran out of lager glasses, said they'd bring it over to me but never did. Small things that can be rectified!

Lovely warm welcome. The restaurant became very busy but our delicious meals arrived in good time, served by very friendly staff (shoutout to Steph). Although we were only staying for one night on our way to North Wales we would have loved to have explored the area and stayed for longer.

Lovely staff, very friendly and helpful. Lovely atmosphere in the pub. I had the signature burger with fries and my partner had the chicken wrap. Wrap was a good tasty low cal option. The burger was nice but I would try something else next time. The burger was a little dense but was tasty.

The waitress was Steph. She was very helpful. She took an interest in our young grandson and helped him to select a meal. She had a very welcoming demeanour.

The overall look of the pub is very good - good seating area options, choice of drinks including cocktails is very good as well, good range of foods on the menu and food quality was excellent. The drinks order was a little slow - but nothing of concern. First visit here and fair to say we will be back

A return after many years since staying here. Booked for two nights over valentines. Room clean and cosy, although a broken toilet seat and door handle needed attention. Didn't bother us but it's the little things that matter so we let them know. Food was fabulous, especially the skewers and salad. Ambience was clean and warm. Everything is reasonably priced. However, it appeared short staffed (staff sickness? ) BUT A BIG SHOUT OUT to the staff on duty, especially Friday lunchtime when we arrived, for coping really well with the situation. We will be back regardless because it's a lovely inn.

Had a beautiful meal here tonight. Food was all excellent and presentation too. Ellen served us and was very attentive and pleasant. Would definitely return and recommend eating here.

Steph very good rapoort with the customers, and very pleasant.

Valentine’s Day Meal Review The atmosphere overall was a bit lackluster. Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons: Pros: The food was delicious. I enjoyed my meal, but my partner ordered steak and asked for it to be cooked medium, when served it was rare. Unfortunately, when it was brought back after being returned for correction, it had been reheated and turned rubbery. By the time it was served, I had already finished my meal. The restaurant's interior is stunning and definitely adds to the ambiance. Cons: The service was excruciatingly slow and disorganised. We waited a long time for everything. At one point, the fire went out, making the room feel cold and was no relit during our stay. My partner’s steak was undercooked eg bright pink, which was disappointing given the specific request for medium. There were long wait times, and several other customers mentioned cold food and delays as well. It seemed like our waitress spent a lot of time preparing cocktails, which led to further delays. The bartender (a tall guy with a black beard) didn’t seem to have a good system in place for serving customers. He randomly picked people to serve, making it feel chaotic, and was very slow. Final Thoughts: I would consider coming back, but the service needs improvement. The waiters should focus on serving, and the bar staff should stick to managing the bar efficiently. If those areas were addressed, it would make a huge difference

I've been here for lunch several times and was really pleased, however, Valentines night was a shambles. We were put on a table next to the bar and drinking area which was very noisy.The kind waitress, when asked, found us a quieter table. The paté starter was fine. The fish pie could have been better and my mushroom risotto with peas was mainly garden peas and hardly any rice. I complained and had the fish pie as i didnt like the rest of the mains. My partner had finished his main course before I got my replacement. I asked for a tonic water with ice and lemon and was given flat whatever it was, as it wasn't tonic water. So much for romance and a nice meal. We gave up and didn't even bother with the desserts. The waitress adjusted the bill for us. Unfortunately, it spoilt the whole evening which we'd both been looking forward to.

A great dining pub with excellent accomodation. Good choices on a menu for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Very nicely cooked dishes with good sized portions. Accomodation in annex across the beer garden (would be lovely in summer... A bit cold in February !) was comfy, warm and quiet. Staff very friendly and efficient. Highly recommended ..we will certainly stay again.

Lovely food and Kirstyn never stops! Always happy to help with a smile. Food was delicous, thank you kitchen team. Lawrence, Sophie annd Kayleigh??

Great food, just how a country pub should be. Thanks Steph for making my mum's birthday memorable 💖

Food was delightful and the service from Bethany was excellent will certainly be returning it’s becoming a firm favourite

Steph is epic 😎 what an absolute legend amazing service 👏

Steph is amazing. The best waitress I have ever had. Friendly,.talkative and engaging. Honestly all staff at this pub are amazing and super friendly.

Incredible place. Excellent food, friendly staff & cosy family orientated atmosphere.

Great place for new years celebrations

Had a marvelous lunch here today. Very well looked after by Steph and Kirstyn. Very friendly and efficient service.

The food was nice. The staff were pleasant. But we had a problem. Whilst we were eating the starter, which we had received only 10 minutes maximum, earlier, the server brought the main courses. We were still eating the soup. I felt we had no choice but to allow them to take it away. Also, the soup was very watery and had almost no flavour. Only half of the soup had been eaten at this point. We told the server we were still eating the soup and she apologised but proceeded to serve us the main courses regardless. We felt it was impolite to refuse them and also thought they would just sit and go cold if we did. Then the staff were setting the breakfast items on the table next to us, which was very offputring and quite rude. We could have been seated elsewhere if this was to happen but they sat us right next to the table. There was room elsewhere. The food was nice, though.

Excellent food & service. Great pub

Really lovely, friendly pub....we're regulars 😊

Really nice meal and great service by Ellen :)

Came in on Friday night and it was really busy but I was looking after by Grace. Her service was impeccable and she was happy and smiley the whole time. Oh and the food was great too!

I stayed here for 2 nights on a solo work trip. from check in to dinner both nights Bethany was super! I’m 100+ miles away from home and she made me feel very welcomed. Great customer service, good food and a comfy bed all at a fair price.

Superb Sundays roasts - beef, lamb and pork belly . Lots of potatoes ,veg and hot gravy .

We had a great afternoon, excellent food, drink and accomadating staff.

Steph was a fantastic server, super friendly and helpful, nothing was too much trouble.

Steph was ace; really good fun, attentive and friendly.

Very good. Super service by Steph

Ellen and Alex , Jamie the kitchen staff were excellent , ensured me & my wife were happy and nothing was to much trouble very enjoyable meal and service . Reasonable priced meals to we Just turned up on Sunday 5th and they accomadated us without a booking , even tho they had bookings in advance. Will return again 👍.

Amazing service and food!! Visited on a quietish Monday evening but both the ladies working were very attentive and looked after us very well, have visited a few times and will be back!

Called in without booking a table and had a lovely meal served again by Ellen who ALWAYS looks after us to the highest standard. Thank you all yet again.

Friendly, helpful staff. Great food. Warm, and inviting in general.

Boxing day meal. The food was amazing and plenty of it. Had 3 courses and we all agreed that it was one of the best meals in a pub we had ever had. Go!!!

Very busy day but dealt with a table of 11 efficiently and friendly staff Great choice drinks and food

Rooms a good size, food is nice and service is great.

Lovely place, great food but a bit hot and stuffy. Sanitising mats in urinals triggered my asthma.

Great breakfast for 38 adults & children on a Sunday morning. Booked in advance. Friendly, helpful staff and super service. Great breakfast options too!

Had the chicken skewers they were lovely and the manager Emma was a great host would definitely recommend !!

Food was fabulous, our doggie enjoyed her sausages too 😋

Had a Christmas long lunch with an equally old friend and we were expertly looked after by our highly qualified Katie who patiently listened to our advice. She hadn’t sought it, but 3 bottles in we told her anyway. A very enjoyable afternoon.

Beautiful service from Ellen. Thank you so much. The food was delicious.

Came for a lovely family meal and it was incredible! Food was excellent and Ellen was lovely! Couldn’t recommend more! Thanks Ellen for the amazing service!

Fabulous find. Great value for money. Cottage accommodation perfect. Warm and cosy. Great breakfast. Definitely will be back!

My first visit and staying in the on site rooms. Food was first class especially the fish cakes highly recommended. Great friendly staff.

Lookedin prior to our stop over there nearer Xmas. Lovely decs, nicely busy, good ale ( well kept Wainwrights ), tempting menu, warm, cosy, easy parking and superb gents. Fab half timbered exterior and sympathetically restored interior. A pleasure to visit.

Absolutely amazing service. The staff couldn't do enough for us and Matthew behind the bar makes the most incredible passionfruit martini's

Disappointed to be charged service. Would have left a greater tip.

Steph was very friendly and welcoming

Food was lovely. Staff very helpful and knowledgeable on the food ingredients as we had 1 person with allergies. Steph was great

Nice food but nothing special, great service. Served by Steph

Great food & service, thanks Steph

Great food and staff were so warm and welcoming especially Steph.

Thanks very much Steph, great service.

Absolutely lovely meal and staff are so warming. Steph and the team are brilliant.

I have just had the most delicious meal! There is so much choice on the Nibbles menu, the Festive Roasties 🤌🏻 All the staff were so very welcoming and friendly, Emma impartiality looked after us, we had a wonderful chat. I haven't been this impressed eating out in some time! Thank you all very much

Lovely meal and excellent service! Had a really lovely waitress called Steph who served us :)

Great food as always. Very busy night and short staffed but they coped really well. Steph very friendly on the bar. Decorated really nice for Christmas adding to the already lovely ambience in this old coaching house

Service is excellent and the food is also lovely. Staff are very friendly especially steph!!!! Thank yoh

The Sunday roast beef lunch was delicious and the service was great! Lovely Christmas atmosphere. Great pub to park, walk to Brereton lake then back for lunch!

A couple of gents were seated opposite us, which was fine, but they were working and having a video conference at the same time. We were having a lovely, quiet, festive lunch. They got quite loud at times and some of the language was colourful. I do feel that for future information it may be a good idea to keep people in different rooms .

Walked in and didn't get acknowledged as I was standing at the bar, not even a ' I'll be with you as soon as possible ' obviously understaffed. I walked out as it appeared my custom wasn't important.

The atmosphere is great but spoiled by very poor service and bland food - not everything was on the plate ie bacon chop no pineapple - fish - no lemon. We wanted desserts but had to Pay £10 more because we didn’t order it with our mains and keep our tab open! They do lunchtime offer 3 course for £23 it looks good value but then they don’t advise to ask staff to keep tab open. When we asked for refund of the difference they refused saying it was too difficult to do!!! They delivered desserts before clearing plates which were left on our table for ages!!! Generally very disappointing particularly as pub was virtually empty by then!!! Andrea

Steph was very friendly, helpful and made sure to look after us on our visit.

Had a delicious Saturday lunch with my family. Steph served us and looked after us very well. We’ll be back soon.

Steph provided wonderful service at the bar and Ellie was amazing at sorting out an issue with room

Always heard it was a top notch meal. However. The meal I had was so salty due to the gravy that I was given. I like gravy so it all got dumped on with high hopes. Struggled to eat it.

Amazing food, chips were the best I've ever had, the banofee dessert was the best dessert I have ever eaten, and the server (Steph) was really friendly, wonderful service and made our evening brilliant. I cannot wait to come back here

Great evening meal for 5 made even better by the very lovely Steph who was attentive, charming and very witty. We all thought she was wonderful.

Me and my wife attended a family funeral at Alsagers and the wake was in the Bears Head we found the buffet was very sparse as at least 10 or more people ended up with nothing to eat in my mind it should have been better managed by your staff to top up plates as needed for amount of people there

Lovely atmosphere, great food, Steph was a wonderful server tonight delight to chat to, would love to come again

Fab night celebrating my dad's birthday, Steph was fantastic and even brought out a little cake and sang for us to celebrate! Food and drink was lovely and great pub atmosphere!

One of our favourite places for Sunday lunch.

Just popped in for a coffee. Service was good and Steph was very friendly.

Great staff Steph and co food good value for money

Lunch today So pleased could have our small dog with us Two staff who served us excellent Service excellent Food very good. Good variety for all on menus Thank you

Warm welcome and quickly shown to our table. Very busy at time of visit so expected a little delay. Very good choice menu . Portion size good. Meal arrived in good time though not overly warm. Looked nice but green veg very soggy and overcooked. Roast carrots, parsnips and roast potatoes tasty but appeared to have been sitting a while……?air fried. Vegetable wellington not great. It was more like a very firm stuffing, very pale, was solid to cut and tasteless. Roast beef ok but a little gristly. Good Yorkshire puddings and good gravy. It is a shame as pub welcome, staff and environment good. Maybe wrong choice of food after busy day…..

The food was cold and inedible, followed after by microwaves and even more inedible

Overpriced and terrible service they got a lot of things in my meal wrong

Brilliant burger and Steph was great! Lovely cosy fires too!

A lovely meal- thank you Steph!

Lovely Sunday lunch, great service by Steph!

Fantastic meal and excellent service from Steph today. Highly recommended.