The Bell Inn in Shropshire

We booked a table for 8 people for last Saturday lunchtime. Two nembers of staff were chatting at the desk we said we had booked we were told it's the table round the corner snd carried on their conversation. The table and stools were so high I had difficulty getting onto the seat. My Granddaughter was below the tablebtop when seated!! The table was right by the men's very smelly toilet. We were told we couldn't change tables. No one came for our drinks or food order. After waiting for 20 minutes with no one serving us we all walked out and drove to a venue in Newport where we had 1st class attention and food. We have been to the Bell several times and had good service and good food but we won't be going again. What happened to the friendly attentive staff who used to work at the Bell???

Brilliant atmosphere, food was hot and delicious and the staff went above and beyond. Will be going again

Lovely atmosphere, fast service of food. Recommend the steak and ale pie or the moxed grill, very professional and lovrly staff.

Extremely disappointing Caesar salads for inappropriately prices. Won't be returning.

Really dissapointed, starter was bought to us no offer of cutlery, condiments or napkins. We we then left 1/2 hour before the mains were bought to us. Starter plates not taken away, my pie was burnt, no honeyed carrots just hard and burnt ones. Kale non existing, mangetout grey ( overcooked), no French beans just some over cooked garden peas. Whitebait starter no lemon and overcooked, wouldn't mind but it wasn't even busy. Was on my way into Market Drayton on business and looked like an idyllic place to eat. Looks are obviously deceiving next time will eat back in Baslow ( Peak District)

The food is excellent and so is the service

Food was out of this world, would definitely recommend

Popped in for an afternoon bar snack. Greeted with a warm welcome by Charlotte and Cleo. Dog friendly area too, always a win for me!

A fantastic evening of great quality food, serviced to the highest standards by friendly and helpful staff.

Wow, what a place, one of the best Marston's pubs I've been too, whilst the menu is the same the quality and presentation here is second to non. A warm welcome greeted us, the guy behind the bar was actually a chef but his customer service was amazing and was very attentive, the dog enjoyed his treats and water and the extra fuss he got. I had signature burger without the bun as usual, but the chef recommended a fried egg on top, this elevated the taste and will definitely be doing in future, We went about 4pm and it was quiet but come 5pm it started to get busy. This is a definite must visit if your in the area and I can't fault it at all

What a great welcome - unbooked after a long drive very lovely greeting and help to find a quiet table for a call - sorry not to stay longer

Very welcoming with excellent service from the staff. Food was superb and perfectly cooked. Different from many other dining pubs.

This is definitely overpriced crap food. The food that was put I front of us was a joke there wasn’t more than 10 chips each, I had a gf burger assuming it would have been a gf bun. No it was 2 burgers on the top of a wilted piece of lettuce with a few chips that was it, for £18 that’s disgusting! The taste of all the meals wasn’t great. Didn’t complain just wouldn’t ever go back. It’s ridiculous how much they charge for the food they’ve just served us: We went due to the reviews but I felt the need to set the record straight that it’s terrible.

Great night out with friends, service & food amazing 👍

Excellent service. Food was very tasty and well presented. Lovely pub, will definitely return!

Lovely bar area, plenty of choice on offer, friendly staff and lots of parking.....What more could you want.

Surroundings were great inside the pub, the staff were very friendly and attentive, but service was very slow and several people around us had their drinks orders forgotten. The main meals were really disappointing considering the money we paid. The steak duo consisted of a small pie (about the size of a mince pie) and two very small pieces of steak, which were well done rather than served pink as we were told they were. There was also a meager portion of veg with a small pot of very watery gravy. Based on the quality and quantity of the food compared to restaurants nearby that serve much better for the same or less, I wouldn't re-visit or recommend this to anyone else. This is a shame as with the surroundings and friendly staff, if the food was good, this could be a really nice place to go.

2nd visit. Food good but they were extremely busy and service suffered. But not put off will be returning 👍🏻

Lunch with Mother. Now it's been refurbed it's a lot cosier. Set lunch menu had a nice selection and the al carte menu looked good too.

Service very slow 1 hr for dinner to arrive. Food ok.

We went to the pub for a birthday meal for my Dad. It was a lovely relaxed, clean environment. One of our party had allergies and they were more then happy to accommodate. The food was lovely and the staff super happy and kind

Lovely buzzing atmosphere, came here for the first time with my geo caching group. Food looked amazing and great sized portions. I will be back.

Lovely meals + customer service SUPPORT YOUR BOOZERS 🍻

Staff were great, full of energy and very attentive. The atmosphere is very calm and has a proper rustic feel. The only thing brining it down was the portion sizes from the set menu. However I don’t doubt the quality of food at all

An excellent meal and we will be back.

Food ok, After starters, knives and forks for 3 were just put down on table in a bunch, not placed for each person, no extra serviettes given.

The staff were very welcoming and tried their best even though they were short staffed. The manageress couldn't apologise enough for the slow service but we were understanding and actually felt sorry for them because there was just one poor lad on the bar and the manageress running food. Yet they were still polite and kept on smiling. Thanks for having us.

Always a fantastic experience dining at the bell, customer service is excellent and food is fantastic

A family event was booked and everything from the arrival, the seating, food and drink ordering and staff were excellent. Nice choice of food to cover all tastes, and food was very well presented and very tasty. Many thanks

Love it here, always great service and welcome. Can't fault it.

Food was great, if a bit on the pricey side. Service was alright, we were waiting for the bill for like 20 minutes so just went to the bar instead to pay and the bartender clicked to “no tip” option before we could select it so that was a shame. Atmosphere is warm and cosy, country dining done right

We visited with our friends on Monday lunch time. We received a warm welcome from Cleo and Harvey. The service was very good and the food wonderful. I would highly recommend and plan to return in the future.

Had a meal this evening for my birthday. Food was delicious, both myself and my husband were very impressed with the quality of the meal. Left the pub feeling very full, food was so nice. Excellent service by Danielle who made us feel very welcome with this being our first visit, lovely friendly atmosphere in the pub. Highly recommend. We will definitely be going back.

Atmosphere was friendly along with the staff. Food was excellent. Service was good. Portions were decent. Good value for money. Highly recommended

Very average food. Small portion size however staff were very pleasant.

The staff were very kind and helpful and very kind to my baby sister. Very quiet too creating a nice atmosphere and the outdoor area looked beautiful although I didn't go out there due to the cold weather

Lady that greeted us was very friendly & helpful, also has a good laugh with her. Other members of Staff were friendly & polite. We had the fish & chip meals which were faultless.

Manageress we really helpful but sadly that is where it ended - service was atrocious and food not to standard My burger meal came incomplete and not one person asked if everything was ok - sadly it wasn’t.

Lovely food great service. We had the steak pie, cheese leek and potato pie scampi and sea bass. All looked good and tasted great and every plate was cleared. For desert we had the basque cheesecake and brownie sundae. Again was extremely nice and all eaten. Would definitely recommend and will also definitely be returning. We received the warmest of welcomes and even though half our party turned up an hour early we were accommodated without issue and smiles.

First time back since refurbishment, lovely interior, with a welcoming feel. We had a fabulous Valentine Lunch. It wasn’t supposed to start until 5pm, but they did the offer for us. ( how good is that!) The Staff we’re attentive and friendly. Jordon gave some great advice, the ribeye was fabulous! The main menu is very imaginative; and the wine prices really competitive. We had a Pinot noir from New Zealand it was marvellous! Just £21.00. All in all a lovely experience. We’ll be coming again. Highly Recommend

Early evening meal ,staff very pleasant and a very nice atmosphere. Our meals were cooked well and lovely and hot. Would definitely recommend.

My friend and I went on a friday evening, for a meal and were dissappointed by the service and food. The chorizo was solid as a rock (no exaggerating, we could bang it in the table with a knock) and when we told them about it, the man said "oh, i will go and see what [the chef] was thinking'. When we declined seeing the desserts menu, we were then left seated at the table for another 30 mins without seeing any staff. I went to the bar to order more drinks instead. Pepsi max, no ice, means that we don't want ice. I don't know how else to explain that one. But both times we ordered drinks, we still got ice. Had to go find someone so we could pay too! The service and food was shocking, so no wonder the place was dead.

The pub is beautiful inside and out, great atmosphere. The menu has plenty to offer and the food we had was delicious. Great to see zero alcohol on the drinks menu as well. We will definitely be going back.

Tamara was very friendly and the young man (didn't get his name) sorted a table for us (we had booked but wanted to sit away from the main area as we had a dog with us). Tamara brought a blanket bowl water and biscuit and made a fuss of our dog which was lovely - sone places say they are dog friendly but are only dog tolerant. The Bell was lovely. We ordered the steak americano x2, chicken and chorizo kebabs, and chorizo truffle mac and cheese. All meals were very good - the 2 guys said the steak was one of the best they'd had! Well cooked to their liking and very tasty. The mac and cheese was delicious and garlic ciabatta and salad were devoured. The kebabs and flatbread were well cooked, tasty and the skinny chips a good complement (couldn't manage them all!). We had a drink each and were really happy with our meal out. Will definitely be back and have recommended to our dog owning friends.

Always a warm welcome at the Bell. Food was excellent. All of us thoroughly enjoyed our lunch. I have no hesitation in recommending the Bell to friends and family.

This pub has really gone downhill in the last few weeks. The service is so slow if there's anyone about to serve that is. It used to be thriving so don't know what's gone wrong.

Good food nice staff beer could be better

Me and the wife both had prawn cocktail starters and mixed grills the food was lovely. We will definitely be back it's a lovely place.

Dissapointed with our meal this time. We've eaten at The Bell a few times and had a good meal. Not sure what was going on between Christmas and New Year but my fish and chips were soggy and dissapointing. My wife had a vegetarian burger which was expensive and looked very sad and was bland... The venue is very nice and the staff are always friendly and helpful. We'll probably give the venue another try in the future as a relative lives close by. However, if we have another poor experience with the food we'll call it a day..

Great pub, good food and really lovely staff, particularly Cleo, make you feel so welcome. Totally recommend this place to anyone.

Went to see my family and they took me here for lunch, food was absolutely delicious and staff were 10/10 would highly recommend to everyone💛

Food was lovely and staff are all super friendly and they will do everything they can to accommodate dietary needs. Halloumi and red pepper kebab is stunning definitely recommend.

EXCELLENT 😊 We had such a lovely meal, the food and drinks was at great standard. Cleo was fantastic, she made us very welcoming. She was polite and very patient with us. Amazing credit to the Bell. Definitely be visiting again.

Amazing food amazing service our server Craig was so helpful and couldn't do enough to help us. Would definitely recommend coming here

Popped in for lunch today and had a great dining experience. Cleo served us and was brilliant at ensuring my dietary needs (allergie of dairy) were met. She gave me the options and made a special order that wasn't on the menu. Great place for allergies.

Excellent food and everyone cleaned their plates. 7 people all pleased with their meal.

Family meal - place itself is beautiful. Seated at our table quickly and drinks ordered soon followed by our food order. Roasts dinner. Meal itself was ok. Roast potatoes were rock hard couldn’t cut them. Lack of vegetables. Greens I had I green bean on my plate and peas. Yorkshire pudding was nice as was the beef. Overpriced for what we got A glass of wine was £13 which I think it’s rather pricey. Staff- friendly but only one bar staff and two working the floor on a Sunday so service was slow as there was a lot of people in.

Very poor service and food spent £230. Waited 30 minutes for order to be taken and it wasn’t busy ! My order wasn’t even edible 1skewered kebab meat was rock hard ! Waited another 45 minutes for desert to be served! There were 6 of us and they all had to leave some of their meals quite sad really for we paid will not go here again or recommend!!

The food was great but we had to wait an hour for the food from ordering. It wasn't busy. In fact, it was quiet so there was no excuse

Very good- it was my birthday and we had 2 young grandchildren with us. Service was good and the food was promt arriving and delicious.

Excellent food and great service from Cleo, Elif, Bernard & Jacob! And a nice couple of pints of Hawksmoor too! 🍺

Easy booking with Cleo, excellent welcome on the day, lovely food and friendly service with a smile from our waiter. Well done all at The Bell, Shifnal.

The Bell being a lovely looking pub, and after my Dad had mentioned how nice the food was, me and the Mrs decided to go for lunch on Sunday afternoon. We arrived and were welcomed warmly, taken to a lovely table in the 'conservatory' part of the restaurant. The menu included some absolute treats on there but in the end we opted for a Sunday dinner each, I had turkey the Mrs had the beef. Both of us sat there and were pretty blown away by the quality of the ingredients and the cooking, I was a chef for ten years and her Dad was one (who taught her). We had a glass of Rioja each which was lovely, though we did realise we should have just paid £4 more and got the bottle - schoolboy error. The waitress's were attentive and extremely polite, the atmosphere was great, got a little discount with a voucher which always helps, especially in the current climate of life, but the meal provided some serious value for money. We don't do Sunday dinners out much, but this really was one of the best we'd had in a really, really long time. All in all it was a fantastic meal, in a really wonderful setting and we can't wait to get back. Cheers to all the staff and chefs for a brilliant afternoon.

We visited the Bell Inn on the first saturday of January to meet up with family and celebrate two birthdays. None of us had been before but Cleo was so helpful sorting the booking for 11 people around the weather etc.. We arrived early and opted for coffee in front of the fire while we waited for the rest of our party to arrive, taking the time to look around this beautiful inn. When the rest of the group arrived we were seated and served by an efficient young man. Our food arrived in a timely fashion, perhaps slower than some places but we were not in a rush so it was nice and we had no complaints from any of the party over their food. There were good options and a good choice of vegetarian dishes and fish as well. I personally had fish and chips and it was lovely and the fish was huge! We hope to visit again when we are down that way again. Thank you Cleo and Ben and the team at the Bell.

Disappointing visit on 2nd Jan 25. Not up to the usual standard. The Chicken dishes were dry and overcooked. The lettuce in my ceasar salad had not been drained properly so the dressing had become watery. Sundaes were dissapointing. However the Staff were friendly. We're hoping this experience was due to the time of year immediately after the Christmas/New Year rush. We usually enjoy the food here.

Went for food.....service was a little slow

Cleo was happy cheerful server The food was great and the atmosphere was welcoming and friendly

I always love coming to the Bell pub. It’s a beautiful building inside and out. The food is always really lovely. The staff and atmosphere in the pub is so friendly and relaxing. When we go out for dinner we always go to the bell. Thank you for always making the experience lovely.

Lovely friendly staff, food is great value and delicious

Had a fantastic time again at the bell inn, such a lovely vibe and brilliant staff, big shout out to Cleo for making us laugh most of the night and making us feel really welcome! Make sure to stop on by if you can! You won't regret it!

Excellent food, Excellent service, professional staff, excellent decor and real festive spirit.. Highly recommended since the new management

We had a lovely meal, great staff and food. Decorations look great, makes the place feel welcoming. Totally recommend! Will deffo be coming back

Called in for a quiet drink, will definitely be back to try the food ....

Arrived for a 3pm Sunday meal prebooked for weeks to be told no Sunday roasts left and no seabass. What a joke. Ordered prawn cocktail to start, tasteless no seasoning, watery maryrose sauce. Hunters chicken awful, dry chicken unrecognisable see-through cheese on top, worst bbq sauce ever. Had to ask where the extra onion rings were we'd ordered and chase up a drinks order. I'm sorry but this has been the worst meal in a long time and to have no carvery left on a Sunday at 3pm is ridiculous. Will never go back and won't recommend to anyone

Boxing day party of 6 Appalling

Busy due to it being Boxing Day and a little short staffed due to sickness but the waiting staff were working incredibly hard, especially Grace and Elif, they didn’t stop moving! There were some difficult customers in and those girls were so professional. Also received an incredibly warm welcome from the Manager (sorry didn’t catch her name). The food took awhile to come out from the kitchen but Grace and Elif kept us informed.

23rd December 2024 We are locals and used to visit this pub regularly. However since the new manager Cleo has taken over this pub has steadily gone down hill. We gave the 'pub' one last chance as we had family visiting and we will not be returning. The service was atrocious. We waited an hour for the food to be served, despite being one of the first groups in on the evening and then the food was luke warm. At no point did any of the staff come to see if the food was OK, or to ask if we required any more drinks, at which point we would have stated no as the beer was flat and not enjoyable. We were also not offered the desert menu and in the end we had to go and ask for the bill at the bar as we were ignored from the point of being served our food. It was not particularly busy, but the staff didn't appear to be able to cope or have the experience of managing customers. This experience was very disappointing as it used to be a brilliant pub with a lovely atmosphere. I wouldn't give any stars, but I cannot post without at least one. 6 years ago Lovely old pub/building , but whats happening here? Standard of food and service has gone down hill. Surly bar staff who get drink orders wrong, cold food, long waits for orders to be taken and then being forgotten and left to go to the bar for desert/drinks or the bill. Embarrasing when you take friends for an evening out. Someone needs to get a grip and bring this pub back to its previous standards.

Arrived early, wasn’t expecting our table to be ready and that was fine. Was sent to table and told to get our own drinks from bar. One person waiting for service, one person behind bar, the landlady. 15 mins later still waiting to be served, and by now it’s past the time our table was booked. Finally got served but couldn’t add drinks to table tab as we hadn’t been given a table! We finally got the table over half an hour later than booked, but it wasn’t laid up for Christmas despite us having being told when we arrived that we would only be able to order from the Boxing Day menu. We finally got starters na hour and half after our original table booking time. I had also specified one diner needed to eat gluten free when making the booking, but it turns out the Boxing Day menu doesn’t specify GF options and the only thing that could actually be GF was the turkey meal minus a few items (obv no discount for this) - luckily the GF diner wasn’t vegetarian! When we ordered we also order some sides but these never arrived and nobody came to the table to ask how things were and if we had everything. Overall a terrible service, inflated prices and generally rude (landlady) and incompetent (the rest) staff As a family we used to enjoy visiting here and even had my fathers wake there but we won’t be returning again

Both the food and the service were excellent. We thought the 3 course set menu were very good value with a nice choice of dishes.

Have been here before on Boxing day and was lovely, but today they really dropped the ball. Had pre ordered our food but this clearly hadn't been noted as the server gave us menus and came to take an order. They then proceeded to tell us some items were out of stock. Why ask people to pre order if you're then going to run out? Service was consistently very slow, youd think they would hire appropriate cover if there were pre booked tables on boxing day... After an hour we had only had our starters. Finally, we were served our desserts and both cheesecakes were still frozen in the middle. Felt sorry for the girl serving us because she was rushed off her feet. It took 2 hrs and 45 minutes to eat 3 courses. The table next to us had started leaving before their whole order had come out, probably out of exasperation. Sorry but we won't be returning here on boxing day.

We only stopped for drinks and a main and they got both of these wrong. I think the younger staff require more training or more staff put on at busier periods of the day. We ordered 4 cokes, not rhe hardiest thing to get wrong... and then the burgers were bought out and then taken back cause the waitress was not sure if they were the right ones.. she should know the food she serves.. pity as we have been numerous times but this time was a bit of a let down especially as we had family over...

We popped in here as we were traveling to Wales and it was superb. Food was great and staff were friendly and professional. Food was also very well priced. Thanks!

I had an awesome time, thanks so much! A special shout out to Cleo whose service was amazing.

What a beautiful place. We had our Christmas meal here and the place was decorated perfectly, Staff were absolutely amazing! Cleo made our evening just perfect and was a joy to be served by. I will definitely be back. Merry Christmas to you all at The Bell Inn 🎄

Good food, friendly staff, comfortable surroundings

Server asked if we needed 5 more minutes to decide what we wanted which we said yes, an hour later we had to ask another server if we could order food. Seemed to take ages for the food to come out, we then had to ask if we could see the menu for desserts. I regularly come to meet a friend as it's a convenient location but will think of somewhere else in the future.

Fantastic service and food. Lovely atmosphere in the pub and all the staff were so friendly. Nothing was too much trouble!

A lovely Christmas meal with friends. The food was good, with generous portion sizes, and staff were friendly and attentive.

Just be aware that the cost of wine is extortionate

Service was excellent as always. All meals were of a high standard. Only one very small improvement needed for me - more gravy with the roast dinner

Just called in when passing food very good and tasty sevice fantastic from bar staff to restaurant staff nothing to much trouble highly recommended

Booked a large table for a family get together for my son's first birthday Service was Terrible asked on entry if we wanted drinks while the guests arrived our guests had arrived ordered there drinks and got them before we had ours very slow coming to take food orders then long delays again for food coming out and the wait for dessert was even longer the whole family thought it spoiled the experience and we've all been there before They really should of had more staff on especially as it was busy and tables had been pre booked so they would have been aware of numbers

We visited The Bell at lunchtime today for a Christmas get-together with our elderly parents. We don’t live locally, so enjoying time together is important. Although there were delays in service, all the staff on duty were working hard to ensure everyone was served as soon as possible. Tamara and Cleo were particularly helpful and friendly when serving us. The person checking our order and one of the kitchen staff who helped after a drink was spillage were also very helpful & friendly. We had the quality of the food was good & the Christmas meal very tasty. Really enjoyed our lunch with family & it was enhanced by the friendliness of the staff.

Lovely meal, the pub is decorated lovely for Christmas and a wonderful lady Cleo looked after us! She made the whole experience more enjoyable and our golden retriever loved her! What a lovely lady!

Many thanks to Tamara, Cleo and all the staff who helped make our lunchtime birthday celebration for 34 people such a success. The food was excellent and every member of staff was helpful and accommodating throughout

Thankyou to all, especially Tamara. Our girls lunch was perfect!. We will be back 👍

I went for a meal, and the food was beautiful. Absolutely amazing service! Tamara was so friendly and was extremely helpful. She is an absolute credit to your team!!! I would definitely recommend this pub!!

Went for a meal the other day food was beautiful fantastic service from Tamara she was very attentive and went above and beyond would 100% go again 😀

Nice place very welcoming and value for money

Really lovely inside. Decent selection of drinks. Bar staff was polite and professional