The Black Boy in Solihull

A big thank you to Michelle for looking after us last evening we asked for a quiet table and she duly obliged lovely food great service

A long established place that has nothing to prove, however the bad bright lights and decor are in need of updating.

My husband booked a Sunday lunch for both of us to celebrate my 60th birthday 🎈. On arrival we were shown to a reserved table Nunber 5 and asked to wait for waiting staff to come to us. A waitress soon came along and asked for our drinks order, she took it and went and soon returned with the drinks. As she was leaving, we heard singing of a “ happy birthday “ on a different table. Myself and my husband looked at each other and then at the waitress and we said to her “ oh you have got quite a few birthday celebrations today then”. The waitress looked at us quizzically and said, no we’ve only got just the one, to which I said to her that my husband had booked this lunch here today to celebrate my birthday. My husband looking at the waiting staff, nodded his head in agreement. Oh of course it’s your birthday too so happy birthday, the staff uttered nonchalantly as she walked away. Then our food arrived. My minted lamb shank, but served with out the mint. When asked why the lamb shank was plain, the waiting staff retorted rather aggressively, this is minted lamb shank. The gluten free gravy was gloopy and thick enough to paste up wallpapers. Then, we were asked if we would like some dessert 🍨 to which we said yes. I’ll be back with the menu and away he went. We waited fifteen minutes for him to return with the dessert menu, but never did. At this point, we decided to pay for our meals and leave. My husband was sad on my behalf and kept apologising for the terrible experience to which I reassured him that I was ok. 👌. Granted for sure , we’ll not be going back there. In the past, we had enjoyed some good fish and chips. 🍟.

Lovely place, friendly staff, definitely going back

I just read the review about the food not up to standard I most say I eat here quite a bit and I'm always happy with the food even when they are busy the service and the food is always great trouble is you always find someone will moan after they have gone keep up the good work

Nice food pleasant staff and good value.

Amazing food and service yet again. I drive from felixstowe to come here and it was well worth it

Went for breakfast with Santa and took my grandchildren, what an absolutely fantastic morning. First off the breakfast was outstanding and enough for even the hungriest of people then came Santa ( and his helpers) they were all so friendly and good at what they did we all enjoyed ourselves immensely and can’t wait for next year. Special thanks the Michelle aka mishelf and her ability to get everyone involved well done to ALL the team

WOW and not in a good way. The food we had was so standard and cheap. I can't believe they charge the prices they do. We were looking forward to a nice country pub style lunch, I ordered the faggots and mushy peas for £10.45 and my friend the slow cooked belly for £19.90 and opted to have it as a roast. It was awful, the faggots seemed to be Mr Brains, the mash out of a packet and the mushy peas out of a tin, this meal is easily a £3 meal. The pork wasn't pork belly more like a slab of pork covered in an overwhelming taste of rosemary, yet the rest of the food was very bland, the potatos not very nice at all the stuffing uncooked. We were asked quite early into our meal if everything was ok. At this point, we had not tasted everything on the plate, so we hesitantly said yes. As my friend continued to taste the food, it was then she realised how bad it was, I tried all the food on her plate and I agreed. I ate my faggots and mash, it was bog standard but a meal I have eaten many times at home. We don't like to complain, but it was impossible not to, especially with the amount of food left. As we were asked early on if our meal was ok and we said yes, apparently you can't change your mind and my friend was charged the full amount (she would have been happy with any gesture of a discount) but was given a compliments card and told to email the team. We were looking forward to eating, but can safely we won't be returning.

We take my mum here regularly. Great varied menu catering for all. Mum loves the cottage pie and has a side of peppercorn sauce with it! Doesn't need the chips with it though, will ask to swap for veg next time.

We booked for a party of 16 again as after a previous large family gathering went so well.The Black Boy never disappoints.. menu choices ,quality,prices etc etc...not one fault.Recommend people book so so popular.Well done again to all of staff

Lovely food great price, but very slow service however it was busy as was nearly christmas.. although maybe should enploy more staff .. well worth a visit I'm sure it's not like that every day

Had Christmas dinner here, paid £80 head, starters lovely, staff very nice, as for the overall 3 course meal we didn't get what was stated on the menu, it really wasn't worth the money and wouldn't recommend it for Christmas.

Lovely food for a family Xmas lunch would go again

A proper great pub, beautiful surroundings, excellent food, lots of choice on the menu and staff couldn't be more accommodating. Definitely would recommend.

What a fantastic time we all had, Breakfast with Santa was fantastic yet again Emma and Michelle did a brilliant job entertaining everyone. The food the atmosphere was unbelievable considering how many people were there. A big thank you to all the other staff aswell for getting the food out so quickly. All in all a wonderful morning, will definitely be back next year. Roy&marionx

Breakfast with Santa did not disappoint. A lovely breakfast, colouring and gifts for the children and a visit from Santa. Emma and Michelle looked after us as always and got everyone up dancing. A lovely Christmassy atmosphere.

Breakfast wit Santa was very nice the staff was very friendly and all the set up super nice

Had a Xmas dinner today 17/12/24 the lad who brought our dinner to us looked about twelve we asked him for cutlery because nobody bought any to us we also asked for some more gravy then we had to ask someone else and still had to ask someone else we finally got it wouldn’t have bothered if it was busy but they were all just chatting was not very happy with meal very small portions for the money.

Go too place, good food and atmosphere.

Went for my birthday with family. Found the place pleasant enough but cold. I sat by a radiator, and it wasn't on. My granddaughters went to the toilet and said it was cold in there as well.

Really disappointing to be honest. All food should have come out together. 25min wait for some people. Service to table was poor. Gravy burnt for Roadt

Great meal here ,relaxed atmosphere

Visiting for a Monday lunchtime as we fancied a roast , the staff were friendly and understood my food needs due to illness and accommodated them, the food was hot and delicious only fault you don’t get a full Yorkshire pudding now but a piece clearly cut from a larger one ,would be a 5 star if they go back to full one as crunchier which nicer with gravy

Food was very average at best. Something i would expect at a Wetherspoons pub. Had to sit outside as dogs were not allowed inside. Outside area is very drab and seating and tables very uncomfortable. Wouldnt go back as the food was that bad. Staff were friendly and pleasant but thats the only positive.

Lovely quiet country pub lovely food and cater on all food allergies lovely place for a get together

Unfortunately a disappointing experience for us. Myself and another person ordered the lamb shank. We found it tough and usually the meat would fall off the bone. I think This item was overpriced for what it was. Another person ordered the beef and asked before hand if it was fatty, of which they were told no. On arrival it was incredibly fatty and they could not eat it. Somebody else orders the trio of meats, but found pork was missing. When they told the server, the server went back to get the meat and came back with turkey. The dessert was great and redeemed part of the experience. I'm not sure I will return in the future.

We stopped there for a pint mid way in a country walk. Weather was excellent so we sat outside; they have loads of tables in a large patio by the canal. Quite a nice place to sit with a pint or two in the autumn sun. Despite all of us having ordered drinks, and some of us ordered nibbles, a bloke made a fuss about some of the group having a sandwich they brought with them. Because of this, I may consider a different place to stop when we walk in the area.

Everything about the Black Boy is excellent - location, facilities, service, food, atmosphere. It is the preferred half-way meeting place for our northern and southern family members. Today (26Oct2024) we enjoyed lunch: braised beef (one peppered), steak pie, and salmon. Puddings (cheesecake and treacle sponge) were shared. Lunchtime was busy, but there was only a short wait for meals to be served, and no rush to free our table. It worked to our advantage - longer to chat. We have visited a few times and will do so again. Thank you to all the team at The Black Boy. I managed to leave my phone behind. A quick call from home assured me that it had been found and was being kept safe for collection or posting. Good service.

Service is fast and staff are friendly, food portions are large and well priced and it is good quality tasty food

Nuestras sucursales familiares norte y sur eligen a The Black Boy como nuestro punto de encuentro a medio camino. Siempre hemos disfrutado de buena comida y servicio en un ambiente agradable, y el almuerzo de hoy no fue la excepción. El filete estofado (uno salpimentado) , el salmón, y el bistec y el pastel de cerveza eran excelentes, y se compartían los pudines (esponja del tratado; pastel de queso). La hora del almuerzo estaba ocupada, pero no hubo retraso significativo en el servicio (nos advirtieron de la posibilidad). Cuando llegué a casa, me di cuenta de que había dejado mi teléfono. Mi esposa llamó por teléfono y le aseguraron que mi teléfono se mantenía seguro y que podría hablar con alguien mañana sobre la recolección o publicación. Gracias a todo el equipo de Black Boy.

Had a wonderful stop off at The Black Boy last week, after a visit to the NEC. Our meal was amazing and great value, ALL the staff were very friendly and accommodating. This pub is in a stunning location, next to fields and a canal, that you can have a pleasant walk along. Would highly recommend.

Always incredible food when we visit The Black boy. Russ and the family are so friendly, welcoming, and attentive. Nothing is ever too much. We have 3 children, 2 of whom have special needs. One can become very loud in public places and gets a bit overwhelmed. She started to get impatient waiting for her meal ( although we had only waited about 20 minutes, may I add), so they rushed our order through, and she was so happy. Sat and ate all her food and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you so much to all the Team. These little things make a massive difference to family's experiences.

Well organised with the bar outside and plenty of space and availability. Black boy is our go to pub for the family.....great food and very welcoming.

Staying as a motorhome stop over. Great place, big car park, lovely pub and good food. at a great location. We will be back.

Good value, good food and brilliant service, would recommend 👌

Great Pies and a very peaceful night sleeping in our Camper Van in the Car Park.

Absolutely amazing place, lovely food and pleasant staff. Great motorhome parkup will definitely return

A big menu which is a red flag to how home cooked it is. Unfortunately not great.

Un lugar muy atractivo alejado de la carretera y a un lado del canal Servicio muy bueno. La comida fue muy decepcionante mi esposa eligió gammon con huevo y piña que salió Luke caliente que fue reemplazado tomando unos 10 minutos, momento en el que había comido suficiente de su terrible intento de maricas y guisantes. Los maricones eran más como bolas lisas de paté insípido, con salsa de gránulos de salsa. Sin condimento Un total desperdicio de dinero.

Great place, great food. Food hot and plentiful..

They don't welcome dogs so we couldn't get into the property unfortunately.

Qué hermoso lugar. . el personal es cálido y amable lugar encantador y limpio. . tuvimos un entrante que eran muy agradables y 2 de los asados del domingo trío cocinado en casa craqueando porción un montón de carne excelente comida. . seguido de manzana y grosella negra crumble impresionante. . no te decepcionaría un montón de elección y recomendaría encarecidamente

Staff were polite fast & gave us useful information about the menu.

Nos sentamos en nuestra mesa y nos dijeron que todo es servicio de mesa. Esperamos 10 minutos (a punto de salir) antes de que alguien se nos acercara para preguntarnos si queríamos bebidas. Pedimos bebidas y comida al mismo tiempo, la comida era encantadora como de costumbre. Otras personas que entraban subían al bar para que les dijeran su servicio de mesa y esperaban algún momento a que les tomaran las órdenes. Pedimos la factura solo para esperar otros 15 minutos, luego fuimos al bar a pedir nuestra factura. Realmente decepcionado con el chico negro como cada vez que hemos estado allí antes ha sido maravilloso.

Lovely place. Outstanding food. Always order the ribeye steak. It's always cooked as medium should be. The Stilton sauce is amazing too. Nice laid back quiet atmosphere too. Portions are nice and generous too. Very clean. A favourite place for f mine.

definitely a new favourite of mine! My mum and Nan are regulars, and decided to take me here today, it was lovely and didn’t disappoint. Food was very lovely and so was the service,everything was clean and tidy. Highly recommend! And the view was a great sight. 🤍will be returning

Lasagne was stodgy and tasteless, burger was dry. Weren't offered any sauces, mayo etc. Waited a long time for drinks.

Great menu, good food ,the portions are big. Good for the price. Nice touch of non alcohol draft beer 🍺 .plenty of free parking.

Delicious food, would definitely return if we were in the area. However I have to knock marks off because; 1. My husband found a length of string in his burger. 2. The service was incredibly slow... we were sat ages waiting to pay while people around us were brought the card machine, we were then passed over. Eventually we gave up and went and paid at the bar.

Six family members had lunch on Wednesday 18 September and it was a great experience. Food was very good and the lunch was made even more enjoyable by the members of staff and the friendly atmosphere. Will certainly be visiting again soon.

I'm not sure if my first post didn't work. it's come up again ? Lovely Carvery 😍 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Walking the canal towpath, I stopped for some lunch. There was no real ale available. There was a pump for Tribute but that was off. Surely a pub this size should have a decent ale on sale; and one from the Midlands, not Cornwall! My tuna mayo baguette was a good size with plenty of filling. Unfortunately the bread itself was tasteless white pap with no crispness to the crust.

Very family orientated pub and great for kids with lots of outdoor space

Great value mains, nice local pub!

Loved this place loads ..the pics I've posted are of canal alongside it ..beautiful setting

A lovely meal on Sunday with a large group for my mums birthday. Service and food quality were great we will be back

Great family lunch to celebrate my birthday

Great pub with great food at a very reasonable price.

Great place to eat and wonderful atmosphere. Lovely afternoon drink.l

Staff were really friendly and helpful. The lady behind the bar who took the order and the man who brought it over were genuinely great. The food was okay and had good portion sizes. The vinegar looked like it could do with cleaning out though. Also a suggestion to maybe put signs on the bins in the beer garden saying "no dog waste" as a lady came off the canal and put her dogs waste in the bins in your garden whilst we were eating just a short distance away. Obviously not the pubs fault but just a suggestion. All in all, a great pub in a great location with brilliant staff would definitely visit again👍

Never let's me down. The food was great

I used to frequent this pub 30 years ago. Changed quite a bit to more of a restaurant style without the comfortable seating. Menu looks good with plenty of choice, plus gf options.

A bit slow to serve us. Lovely food and decor.

Nice canalside setting. Clean and pleasant inside. The staff were friendly and helpful. Husband’s steak was very good and he thoroughly enjoyed it. I ordered the chicken Caesar salad and sweet potato fries. The Caesar salad was definitely not to my taste at all. The chicken was rubberised slices of processed something but nothing like chicken. The salad (how can you go wrong with a salad) had massive chunks of raw onion throughout. The taste of which pervaded everything. For my taste it was inedible and was sadly returned. Only the second time I’ve ever returned food in my life. Deserts were lotus sundae and lotus cheesecake. Both of which were delicious. I wasn’t charged for the salad but it had to be pointed out that it had been returned.

Food was absolutely disgusting,,I asked if I could change my meal as I wasn't eating what they gave me,, I was told NO ,, my partner had a mixed grill it was also disgusting,,they cooked his steak wrong and the rest was over cooked,,we left the pub and told them we will never return here again,,they gave nothing to try and make us happy customers at all,,I would not recommend this pub at all.

I have just read the review on the processed turkey comment i can 100% confirm as there local butcher it is not processed it was fresh from ourselves on saturday ,we dont supply black boy with processed meat and never will kindest regards LAY BROS BUTCHERS

Awful tasteless food, got one meal deducted. Came here years ago and it was good. So disappointed now. Flies and wasps inside buzzing over food. Had to move for people trying to get past table whilst I was eating. Went home very miserable

excellent food,£12.95 for 10z gammon . £11.95 for a large pie and chips, same for a generous portion of lasagne, deserts a little overpriced at £7.95, but overall still good value, great canalside location

I came here with my daughter for lunch have been before but not been for a while the staff are really lovely and friendly but the e food has gone down hill I believe I had a roast dinner and had turkey and when it came there were lots of it but it was processed Turkey from a packet i suppose that’s what you should expect if your not at a Carvery I did end up leaving it because I got swarmed by wasps and flies but that was a fault of mine because was outside on a warm day

Lovely Pub Good choice of food, very tasty and hot. Very friendly staff

Went to the Black Boy on Wednesday 16 August , there were 4 of us and we all had a great meal.All four meals were piping hot and know one left anything On there plates the staff were really friendly and nothing was to much trouble for them WTG the staff. Will definitely be coming back soon

Fantastic food at a good price with great table service and good gardens. Try the home made menu , awsome food.

Went there last weekend for a family meal. It had been a long time since I last visited so I looked forward to going. The place wasn’t heaving, steady I would say. We had a drink first and an hour later I ordered my food. I was told there was a one hour wait. Not much I could do about it, although I didn’t think the restaurant was particularly busy. When the food arrived it was good. Nothing spectacular but ok. The table service was very good, the staff were polite and friendly. Overall, an ok visit. No problems with the quality of the food but I don’t think I’d go again.

We went for a meal on Sunday. Just want to say the meal was lovely and the Atmosphere was wonderful. Everybody was friendly and Staff very polite. I would highly recommend the Black Boy.

Staff found us a table. We had struggled to book Staff polite friendly Food delicious. Good value for money

Absolutely shocking food, chef cannot cook a steak. My wife ordered a well done steak an 3 times her meal came out and eachbyimecthe steak was raw! Waitresses were very sorry but management didn't appear to care, such a shame. Used to go here 20+ years ago and was always amazing, but won't ever go back again!

Very Good food, good service, we all sat out side on this visit as it was a warm late afternoon. My wife and 2 others in our party said the traditional lasagne it was excellent as always and the steak pie 2 of us ate was excellent aswell.

Amazing place for food nice beer garden and to see the boats going up and down

My family and I had a wonderful meal today , the fish was delicious.. Staff as usual, friendly and attentive

1st time at the Black Boy and probably our last. Started well enough, quickly seated, drinks and food orders taken within 10mins, but then after half an hour of waiting our starters hadn’t arrived. Asked the waitress and her reply was that it would be a while yet. Starters finally arrived over an hour after ordering. Main’s arrived reasonably quick after that, unfortunately the wait wasn’t worth it, food ok but nothing exceptional. Overall very disappointed and wouldn’t return.

Its changed a lot since I was here last, not for the better unfortunately. The food was very average and the atmosphere wasn't much better.

We went there on july 27th,party of 4,ordered a cajun chicken breast,it arrived on skewers tasted like perfume,we ate the chicken as it was a long wait for food,when i complained to the manager he just said the chef had decided to do it that way,so it was advertised as a breast and got skewers,miss sold and false advertising on menu,manager was not very helpful,no appologies at all will not be going back 🤬

Absolutely 💯 fantastic. Food was amazing. Entertaining. Very polite staff 👌

What can I say other than it's an absolute delight to come and spend a relaxing time with family and friends at this fantastic establishment. The food is TOP quality, the service is always pleasant and courteous, let's not forget to mention the atmosphere is cozy(it feels like home). If you haven't visited this AMAZING Pub/ Place ) Getaway) , well I would recommend you do so. Tonight I had the pleasure of seeing some familiar faces which require a BIG SHOU OUT!! Thank you, Michelle Charlie, Daniel !!!

The waitress (Olivia) was fantastic and nothing was too much for her, I had ordered bbq wings but they brought chilli, she rectified the issue with no problem at all and the lady brought my food and apologised for the misunderstanding. I will definitely be back. The wait was long but worth it. Olivia, with your attitude young lady, you are going far, you’re a great person for this wonderful place. Keep it up. Food was delicious, amazing and tasty. We are definitely coming back.

Had a really lovely evening meal (the steak was cooked to exactly what i asked for)sat outside and there's a lovely little climbing frame for 5-12yr olds

Good choice of food and drinks. I recommend a visit.

The service is pretty poor had to go to the bar to order food and drinks even though they were quiet. Ordered Sirloin steak never had a piece of meat so fatty anywhere it was not a good experience. I haven't been here for a while and I don't think I will ever be going back 😕

Great pub. friendly , helpful and knowledgeable staff, good food

Love this place. Went for a meal recently through a recommendation. Lovely ambience and great service. The food is on observation home cooked and even my salad you could see was not from a packet as a lot of pub grub is... 2 different types tomatoes...boiled eggs etc.. great portions...huge choice. Have revisited with family... Will be going again

Back to its best. This pub had a dodgy period after Covid, but so did a lot of others with staff shortages. Visited for the 6th time this year on Friday and was really pleased to be able to say that each has been better than the last. I was served a gorgeous piece of Gammon, and my wife loved her pie. Service is always a bit of a lottery here. It is a big pub with a lot of tables, especially when the sun shines and the beer garden is full, if this is the case you may be in for a long wait. On Friday, it was spot on, timely service, and a friendly smile throughout. There were plenty of people in, but the weather was a bit cool for the garden. Overall, it was a very enjoyable visit. Thankyou.

Went for an evening drink and sat by the canal. Easy to get served and nice to watch the narrow boats.

First time on visiting and I wasnt disappointed. Lovely food and staff very friendly and welcoming.

Gorgeous pub in a beautiful setting. Counted at least 80 benches in the garden, so absolutely huge and would be the perfect place to visit on a nice day. We had lunch, all our meals were lovely. My little boy ate everything on his plate, followed by ice cream (and the lovely Michelle made his day but bringing him an extra flake 🤣) Service was fast and Michelle was super friendly, efficient and knowledgeable. We're in Atherstone, so a little far out for us, but we will definitely visit again!

Shame to see how this once lovely pub has gone down so much with the present management. Myself and a friend popped in for a meal and I have to say the service was awful. From customer service to the food which arrived an hour later luke warm. My drink was knocked over by the waitress yet no offer of replacement drink? The staff were unfriendly and unprofessional. When I complained I was told to email my complaint! Why? I’m on the premises and expressing my valid disappointment with the service we’d received. Looking at recent reviews this is sadly a regular occurrence at The Blackboy! I’d like to just add we weren’t the only disgruntled customers on the night we attended. Can I just add I know as a fact some of these 5 star reviews are false and posted by the manager’s family & friends!

Called here on spec for lunch. A table was found for us and the service we received was very good. The food was lovely and when the waitress dropped some of the chips off my plate into my lap she got another whole portion (which I actually couldn't manage to eat as I was to full). Would definitely be back if we lived nearer.

Had to wait an hour for the food. Eight of us and one meal arrived which was finished when another two arrived then ten minutes or so later the rest arrived. Not conducive to a great family day out. My cod was bland while everyone else ranged from good to very good. So mixed review.

Went for lunch with my family ,and we really enjoyed ourselves. The service ,food was great and a lovely atmosphere

Lovely beer gardens staff could definitely visit the toilet a bit more to keep on top of cleanliness and on the beer garden. But overall a nice place