The Block and Tackle in Northumberland

Visited on Sunday told no Sunday lunches no hot drinks staff weren’t very helpful and the good average won’t be going back

Love the staff great family environment Excellent food from the chef and service is brilliant would recommend to anyone i know

Another fab bank holiday Sunday at the Block and tackle pub , great atmoshere , the place was full and a great band Percy and the piglets playing , staff are friendly and its the hub of our community ❤️

Awesome pub with awesome staff, definitely worth a visit. Didn't try the food but we will definitely be back again to try it out.

Popped in for a quick bite when passing by, really nice meal served quickly, staff friendly and welcoming, will be coming back again, great pub!

What can I say about the block and tackle this pub seems to be doing everything right, from giving away prizes to great kids events love this place

First time and what a let down !! It was so cold ,ordered food I got spicy burger partner got steak no garden peas so had to get salad . Food arrived partner's was served on chipped cold plate missing mushrooms as stated and peppercorn sauce barely in the jug we paid extra for. Mine was put down didn't look how stated (definitely not ultimate)asked where the dipping pot was the server looked at me confused I said it states pot of sauce he said oh I get you some . The chips didn't look very appealing and the burger was rock hard from the bun to the burgers .I thought the buns may have been toasted but no grill marks looked like it been in the microwave as it was all like mush and the lack of lettuce .I did try to eat it but couldn't, I complained to staff which I got a refund for my meal no explanation of what had gone wrong or this might be the normal.I explained about my partners missing items of his meal but nothing done. Leaving Hungry and very disappointed 😞

We had our son's christening here on Sunday afternoon. The service was exceptional from start to finish. Beth, Dave and the team made sure everything ran smoothly. The buffet was delicious! Everybody commented on how good it was and said they would recommend it to their friends. Thank you for making our day so enjoyable.

We came here about a month ago as we where invited to celebrate our god son’s birthday 🥳 At that time we lived in Bedlington “BUT” we have just moved into Ashington at Woodhorn Meadows so we will be making this our new local from now on. The reason why we will make this our new local is because it clean, tidy, nicely decorated, staff friendly, kind, knowledgeable & professional. The bar is well stocked with largest : beers : ales etc etc etc + Free Wi-Fi 👍👍👍 I’ve heard that the manager Dave & Beth are both great people but not met them ourselves yet. First impression 10/10 👍

Best pub in Ashington by a country mile! A proper community pub with the most friendly, family orientated atmosphere that I know. What makes it so special are the amazing staff. Beth and David at the helm, run a great bar, assisted by Danah, Darren, Jordan and the lovely young Cole. (Sorry if I've missed anyone, still not fully awake yet!) There have been some great singers/ bands since Beth took over, along with Hayley Hope and Bonkers Bingo. You don't need to travel miles for a great pub. It's right on our doorstep ❤️

What a pleasure. Reasonably priced extensive menu. The team made us very welcome and fussed over our youngest. Nothing was too much trouble and overall, a very pleasant experience. Would highly recommend.

I dont normally write reviews but felt like I had to! I went to the Block and Tackle recently and had a Steak. To be honest I wasn’t expecting it to be as nice as it was! The steak was cooked to absolute perfection I like mine done medium I could of easily ate two it was the best steak I’ve had in a long while The staff were also friendly and welcoming. I will definitely be going back soon.

Great service behind the bar, especially the young blonde lad, great atmosphere as it always is 👍🏼

Nice little pub, hats off to the cook we never intended to eat however all the meals passing us smelt to good not to try

I can’t thank Beth & the team enough for giving our daughter a fabulous 18th birthday experience. They catered to all our needs. food wise was extremely plentiful in quantity, quality and variety (all our guest commented most positively!). We were able to decorate the lounge area accordingly & have personalised music. The bar staff were also on top form & also gave fab service as always! Thank you so much, we’d have no hesitation in booking again for future functions!

The food was lovely and very good service by a young lady called Abbie made us feel very welcome, will be back again

Lovely establishment and great service, Abbie was great with us was there for everything we needed, would recommend

Great pub excellent staff, specifically Daren, all around good lad and provides great service every time I am here

Bad service tbf and then to be told we can't smoke in the beer garden even tho there is an ashtray on our table is a joke an to be fair we won't be returning here young girls serving with attitude even tho they got our drinks wrong ... No wonder the place is empty an full of old toffee noses grrr upset I am

We visited this week for food and drinks, meals were excellent value with half us having the mixed grill, absolutley bargain. Best of all is service with a smile and a feeling that you are coming home, staff have worked so hard outdoors recently and always with a great attitude. So pleased to be back xxx

The block and tackle is my local pub and I could not have asked for a better place to be on my doorstep. It has the most warm and welcoming feeling and I have never walked away unhappy. The food is always fantastic and plenty to choose from on the menu well done to the chef. The staff work so hard and always go above and beyond. Jude and Beth are managing an amazing team. They never stop and are extremely professional and make you feel at ease. The girls at the pub have done a brilliant job at running the pub especially lately in these uncertain times. With regards to Covid-19 regulations they have smashed it!! And it is probably the safest pub I have been to throughout the whole pandemic. Special mentions to Beth, Charlotte, Jude and Siobhan. Could not praise them more for their hard work and commitment. Thank you Block and Tackle

Our First family visit indoors after lockdown & am pleased to say, it was great to be welcomed back! Felt well organised with track n trace, sanitiser, one way systems, table service etc & spaced out from other diners. We had Hunters chicken, mixed grill, rump steak & trimmings & sausage n mash...Food was very tasty, well cooked & plentiful! Nice chilled glass of wine & husband over the moon with a draft ale! Looking forward to coming back for on Sunday for our roast dinners! Well done team

Back to our favourite local pub 1st day inside it was so well organised hand sanitizers &track n trace all around meet at door took to our table. Drinks and food were amazing chicken fajitas n burgers highly recommended excellent value for money Jude n girls are so welcoming n friendly and do an excellent job xx

Don't want to slate the place too much on first day after lockdown We just had a lunch. Had a look at menu, a few things not available. Order a burger and a gammon.Burger was dry and burnt. Onion rings weren't cooked and tasteless. Chips were cool. No relish with the burger. Gammon was ok.Could have complained but it was first day on reopening so gave them benefit of the doubt.Ok value for money.

My wife and daughter plus grand kids were at the block as part of the eat out to help out . Food brill Staff brill 10/10 Lovely meal all round, will defo go again ! Well done !

We returned to the Block & Tackle 1.5 Weeks ago for lunch without disappointment.Table was booked and we were quickly greeted / showed to our table, Drinks order taken promptly and placed at the new collection point (COVID Rules) The pub was near full capacity and being run by two bar staff which kept things flowing very professionally based on current restrictions.Food was placed at collection points, starters which were large portions, Followed by main course again nice sized portions so much so we asked to "Cake Away" our desert.My partner highly recommends the Chicken & Ham Pie.Everything tasted lovely and will definitely be back for more..Keep up the good work B&T Team.TY

We keep giving this pub another go, even after bad experiences, hoping it may get better. Sadly it does not. I guess, unless your a regular, they dont care about your experience. They tried to serve us our mains, while we were still eating starters. Obviously the mains were just kept somewhere warm in kitchen, as the pies came back with half of it being cold. Pastry and chips both chewy and the gravy had turned to jelly. Some of their distancing rules weren't followed by customers, but they just allowed it, so they dont seem that concerned with the current situation. Hopefully in time, something better will replace this, but please dont waste your time or money now, it will only lead to disappointment.

Reserved lounge for the afternoon. Excellent Buffet with tea & coffee. Helpful staff, wide range of drinks. Clean & tidy. Perfect for the family to meet at after a funeral. Eased stress after a difficult morning. Def recommend for functions. Kids were welcomed.

Went out of convenience because I couldn’t get a table at the “Three Horse Shoes“, bad move! Ordered a kids pizza with garlic bread and a soup to come out first. Soup was brought out without a spoon, and a roast dinner. Obviously the person operating the till had forgot to put a note on for the “chefs” or didn’t tell them. Sent the roast back explaining they weren’t to come out until after the soup and pizza. Had to ask for a spoon for the soup. Pizza was rock hard around the edges. Not even an adult could’ve ate it. Soup was finished and the 3 meals came out. They were all cold, the only thing warm was the mash and gravy, when that eventually came out. I’m assuming all 3 meals were kept under heat lamps until the starter was finished. Same amount of food on a child’s roast as a medium Sunday roast. My mother struggled to cut the beef, hers was that tough and dried out. My parents never complain about anything and they said maybe we’ll just cook ourselves next time. The young server never did a checkback to see if everything was ok. Obviously she’s had little or no customer service training. This was supposed to be a 74th birthday and a 54 year wedding anniversary celebration. To sum it up the only decent bits were the garlic bread and soup (not hard to get wrong). The bill had been paid at the time of ordering so we just left in disgust without complaining or making a fuss. Avoid this place unless you just want a pint and are willing to wait a while to be served.

Lovely pub nice staff food nice great value for money some great choices must try the curry night next time lunch club are amazing value

Great for having a nice drink with friends and family, food is great and reasonably priced! I held my baby shower here and it was brilliant!

Just popped in for a steak tonight and was cook to perfection... friendly services made to feel very welcome highly recommend

Been to today and had jacket potato as beans with side salad, the potato was tiny as jackets go, the beans were tasteless and hard and the salad was limp & dry, worst meal I’ve had in a long time, absolutely shocking.

Came to the block & tackle with local friends we was on a visit was disappointed with the food but the entertainment was great. Shame the food wasn’t up to standerd. But still was a nice evening out

I approached the bar. Both barman were at the lower bar but were not serving anyone. In fact, one of them had the time to throw beer mats at his co-worker. Neither paid attention to me. I had to say "excuse me" three times loudly before one of them deigned to come and serve me. No apology for the delay. Absolutely awful service. Sadly this is not a-typical of the service which seems to worsen every time I go there.

Well what can I say but excellent. We wanted the festive menu but where a day early. But that was no problem they accommodate us without any problems. Staff fantastic and very friendly. Food was excellent the turkey was very nice and plenty of it. No small portions there. Brilliant night Thank you for letting us be Yr 1st festive party. Highly recommend

Called in for a bite to eat on the way home as we could not be bothered to cook great meal would defiantly call again clean and Friendly atmosphere

Food was cold and tasteless. Grease on top of chicken breast floating! Husband had indigestion all night too. Told the waiter we weren’t happy with the food and he just walked off mid sentence. Did not come back with any apology from the kitchen. We won’t be making this our local or visiting again.

Food was ok when it eventually came but waited nearly 1 hour and 20 mins for our mains to arrive. Trying to keep a 2 year old entertained for this length of time was just never going to happen. Could understand if the place was full but it was half empty. Also some of the staff just seemed a bit clueless as to what was going on and they were more focused on seeing to their regulars rather than us. Apart from the wait the food was actually ok, nothing amazing but not bad either. If the wait times are that bad all the time then I would avoid.

Friday evening and no food available, really guys, come on, very disappointing, no explanation, no wonder the place is half empty!

Visited today with 4 dogs in total and felt totally welcome! The food was lovely, chef got our order slightly wrong but it was quickly rectified and we were able to keep the food that originally came out to share between the table! Great service lovely atmosphere

Lovely friendly family pub...excellent food and prices are great. Pleased to call the Block and Tackle my local

We feel this a canny place but for the drink are overpriced for ashington area ..much cheaper elsewhere ..personally I wudnt eat here anymore as most of food seems to be cooked from frozen .just my opinion

decided go out for a meal i choose the block and tackle,Big mistake,we both ordered Rump steak his medium well, and mine well done, food arrived quickly,His steak was Rare, mine was like shoe leather,i cut every inch, of that steak,and i there was 1 inch of edible meat,every cut was into hard fat or grissle the inch of meat i did manage to eat was so dry ,the chips had been fryed in-oil that must have had sausage B4 because they were covered in Black speckly bits,2 or 3 were even rotten i ate the pea`s,that was the only thing they couldnt ruin,looks like asda Smart price steak wont be back again and Wouldnt recommend it to anyone !!

So I visited The Block and Tackle with my family- what a beautiful meal we had. The burgers were very nice and the chips were ‘proper’ home made chips- ones I haven’t had since I was a child! I would recommend here for a place to eat and drink as it has a nice atmosphere and is a lovely local pub!

We arrived quite early on the sunday afternoon, deliberately as we had young children in our group of 11. Only 5 of us ate, choosing to have the sunday dinners. We opted for the chicken. It was served quickly, with vegetables seperately. Standard pub fare, but yorkshires and gravy were lovely. We didnt choose a dessert, although there were a few options, simply because where we were seated was not child friendly and table was next to bar. If it had been mid afternoon I imagine the movement of customers would have impaired our meal and experience; we chose the early afternoon for this reason. I had a piping hot coffee, followed by a very good pint of lager. The other guests had the same. It was a very reasonable price and the staff were helpful in obtaining extra seating. A pleasant afternoon.

The most gorgeous meal with a bottle of prosecco. Friendly staff and a lovely relaxed atmosphere. The pub is dog friendly in the bar. They have loads of different evenings on so worth checking it out on Facebook

Enjoyed a family birthday celebration today on a visit back to my home town (now live in Nottingham). First time at this pub and found it welcoming with good choice of food at great prices. Particular thanks to landlady for dealing so well with a problem with one of our meals. Problems can happen but it's how you deal with them that counts ... and this was dealt with really well ! Instead of not thinking we'd go back, we are now sure to. Thanks.

Food was outstanding and great value for money! Lovely atmosphere and very friendly staff. Will definitely be back soon

Visited on a weekday teatime, due to this only a handful of customers were dining. Their have a number of offers on various days, on this occasion we ordered of the main menu 4 main meals and 4 puddings.

Thought I would give it a try. I decided on the all day breakfast but was a bit disappointed. Most of the meal was adequate but the chips were dry and hard. I'm told they are double cooked but have no idea what this is other than I did not like them. On the plus side I'm told they have separate menus for gluten free and vegetarian meals. I spoke to a lovely lady who was the events organiser .She tells me that there is a lot of things being planned from live shows to breakfast with santa. I found her a lovely friendly lady who loves her job and knows it well. I will go back again but not to have anything with chips

Unfortunately my 'child' is almost 19 years old now but when he was much younger I'm sure we would've loved all the new events the Block has had on over the summer holidays right on our doorstep.. Glow in the Dark, Science.,Circus parties etc 🎉

We were here on Friday for the xmas fayre menu, I had the prawn cocktail and turkey xmas dinner, my husband had the pate and beef and red wine pie, food was piping hot and there was plenty of it. We both really enjoyed our meal, thank you :)

Some friends and I went here on Monday evening to attend a candle making workshop. It's a lovely pub, clean and nicely decorated with on site car park and very pleasant staff. Good range of beers and spirits and not over priced. Food is offered but we didn't sample on this occasion. Would certainly return if in the area and thoroughly enjoyed our candle making !

Post funeral buffet. Plastic white bread sandwiches with hardly any content. Flabby little grey sausages. Watery quiche. Apparently the desert was still frozen. A sad end to a sad morning. I would want a refund .

Visit this Wetherspoons pub often for lunch. Food always hot and tasty after short wait for food to be prepared.Staff always helpful whether it's giving advice on drinks or checking that your food is OK.Woyld recommend this pub without doubt

Our family visited the Block & Tackle today because none of us fancied cooking lunch at home.

My friends and I met here before a night out for a couple of drinks and it was really nice. The staff are friendly, the atmosphere is really nice and no hassle. I will visit again

We had a lovely meal with our friends, staff were attentive and the food and drinks were excellent. Thank you.

I attended a themed night with friends which i couldnt fault at all however there were two staff members (roughly 18/19) who had absolutely appalling attitude while serving customers which i also noticed when serving other customers. I regularly attend and thoroughly enjoy it however after tonight im debating going back now

I regularly attend this pub as all of the staff are friendly and make you feel welcome. Having visited this pub since it first opened in 1996 It's definitely back to its best.

Fantastic that this pub is becoming the centre of the community. Loads of things for kids in the holidays, tribute acts and quizzes, and medium nights to name but a few for adults. Really affordable light bites to catch up with friends at lunch time.

The Block & Tackle has been my local pub for around 16 Years and my version of "Cheers bar" where everybody knows your name. All the staff are professional and management along with their team have really turned the place around over the last 3 years+ / Its very popular place for family's and regular drinkers with a great choice of food (Id go burgers) it has a great beer garden when we do get the sun and plenty of activities on for adults and children. They also show live sky sports in the bar area and every month or so live bands can be see here too. Excellent

Firstly seven of us booked a table for our wedding anniversary when we got there the table was only set for six, so had to squeeze one person on the end of the table. When the food arrived they got my sauce wrong!! When we got our food one of the sirloin steaks was totally uneatable! Ok so he asked for it well done not cremated! It tasted as if it was charred. The chips were so limp greasy and soggy no one could eat them, even our eight year old sent their food back because the egg was not cooked!

best pub best staff jude is so helpful can never thank you enough if my son was here hed thankyou too keep up the great work x

Visited here tonight with family to celebrate a birthday. Lovely pub with amazing food. Our waitress Becca was lovely and made the visit enjoyable. All in all the food was amazing, the staff lovely and the pub itself very nice.

Love the Block and Tackle, a great selection of quality food and drinks for a good price,lovely atmosphere especially at night, lots of entertainment and a great place to spend quality time with friends and family. The block and tackle do amazing private parties also with amazing catering and making sure events are enjoyable as possible, would recommend!

I was in this bar on sunday night and had a great night,the bar staff were very attentive,as soon as i went to the bar i was greeted with a friendly smile from the new girl olivia and served straight away. A nice friendly place !

Really great hot food fast service and friendly. Fully recommend for families Had the pie myself and was amazing. Will definitely be coming back again

Our main courses were not served at the same time, my wife’s meal was supposed to be with bacon, that was missing, garlic bread was soggy, then my wife found human hair in the food. Our guests vegetarian curry was served and was a chicken curry !!!! This is our local and in the past has been fine but tonight fell way short of expectations. Waitress staff made a good effort but let down by an abysmal kitchen performance. Severely disappointed by Block and Tackle.

Love the place .All of the staff are very friendly and make you feel very welcome day will come again ..had food there it was delicious and customer service was fantastic served by Olivia...Will definitely be back

I have visited this pub several times with friends for food and dtinks in the past but lately they have a new member of staff called Olivia who finds it amusing to take the Mick out of customers and laugh at what they are wearing and how they look and speak etc which I found to be appalling as well as having a terrible attitude. This has put me and my friends from going back while she is still working there which is such a Shame as it was our favourite place before she started.

Sometimes I forget about this pub when thinking where to go in the area. When I remember it I am happy at the thought of a pleasant experience.

Fabulous value really tasty Sunday lunch. Loads of beef and the smoothest mashed potatoes I've had in years. Gravy fantastic and meaty. All in all a big hit

Had a fantastic time at the first ever outdoor music event at our local pub yesterday. With 5 fab bands there was bit of something for everyone throughout the day and what a great turnout ,so pleased we got there early to grab a table but saying that they kept bringing out more and more tables as it got busier. The sun was with us and so was the outdoor bar and some gorgeous food in the form of toad in a hole on a stick and fresh cooked wood fired pizzas, of course we tried both and they were yummy,we hope they will be back for future events. There was also an ice cream truck and a wonderfully talented body painter - I've never seen so much glitter and I loved the pretty flowers she painted on my ankle. The atmosphere was great,there was families,couples,groups, everyone was singing along and dancing. A proper good day out at a pub that has the most wonderful team behind it, they've worked hard over the last year or more to turn our boring little local into a buzzing hub in our community. Check out their upcoming events, I think next up is afternoon tea in aid of Parkinson's- their chosen charity - I've got my table booked for that!

Lived here for years and only just discovered curry night on a Wednesday!

Just started coming a lot to the Block and Tackle, never had a bad meal there. All the events they have on are brilliant, try to go to every one they have on. Staff and food are excellent!!

Really good steak and drink deal. Good atmosphere and allow dogs in bar area. Could do with checking glasses are clean before serving but staff happy to change.

Visited on Thursday night for the pub quiz - no issues with the drinks or ordering. Decor is modern - a bit American but overall nice. Partner fancied some food so ordered some - price is reasonable and expected within 'pub grub'.

Popped in at tea time today to a great atmosphere. Thank Block it was Friday every drink bought you were entered in to a raffle to win more drinks. What a fantastic idea music was great staff were friendly. And even better with it being good Friday an offer of fish and home cooked chips for £6.60 including a drink. Cheaper than the chip shop. The fish tasted so fresh and such a large portion and the chips were out of this world. What a great night we had. Will definitely be back on a Friday night.

Two of us had a delicious main course and dessert as well as a drink for less than £12. The food was typical of this type of establishment but was well cooked and tasty. Great service too.

Als je van de honger aan het dood gaan bent en van chemische vette droge hamburgers houd. En je hebt een voorkeur voor cola die gemaakt wordt met chloorwater dan kom je hier helemaal tot je recht.

the food was very good 2 meals and 2 sweets and 2 drinks for £13 was worth more and the staff are very nice.

i had only been there once before but called in today we noticed a 2 course meal for £4.99 so we had soup then hunters chicken it was very nice and we did not wait long the service was top class and so was the food for the price i will defiantly go back

Went on Tuesday where you get a drink and curry for £5.99. Curry was really nice got plenty of chicken, on par with Weatherspoons currys

we were there first on a Friday tea time I had the most amazing blue cheese mash potato with sausage in between two Yorkshire puddings we enjoyed it so much we went back for out sunday lunch which was very enjoyable plenty of meat .

Came across this pub by chance and we Love the friendly atmosphere the good food and the cheery staff. They...

Meal out with my 2 sisters. Wednesday is curry night which if you want is £5.95 plus free drink. 2...

I came here for a family meal and we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Great value for money and great...

Had Sunday lunch was excellent good quality and the price very good staff polite. I would recommend this place and...

We had the 3 course lunch time special. Well worth every penny. Only £8 and that included a large glass of wine. There was plenty on on r plates none of this tiny portions because it was a special. So give it a try we will be returning.

Just had milestone birthday party on Saturday 19th August 2017 celebrated at our local pub Block & Tackle. Jude and her team were first class, from choosing buffet menu to providing my music choices and setting up the room, nothing was a bother. The staff were extremely accommodating and Jude provided us with a fabulous buffet for our guests, everyone commented on the quality of the food and service. Special thanks to Jade and Jenny for all your help and support, it really was a day to remember and for all the right reasons. Block & Tackle thank you, take a bow!!

Went for my daughter's 18th birthday, on a Monda night I might add !!! Told to tell her to drop her volume!!! She was singing to songs we PAID for on the duke box, passed comment to barmaid about sound of daughter's singing was told to tell her to reduce her volume as they had dinners! When she was challenged she was aggressive and argumentative she came across very unprofessional. A nvq in customer service in urgently needed if she doesn't have one she needs to practise this as she doesn't convey this to.her customers she has been there ages don't know how she not been sacked!!!

20 of us including kids booked for lunch today the majority 1st time visitors!! everyone was impressed with the food Sunday roast home made!! grills and burgers spot on not to mention the delicious deserts enjoyed by all especially the kids. One of the lads been studying the menu for are next return. Compliments too the chef!!! Staff very friendly and welcoming a very enjoyable visit

Excellent meal! Large group all served together! Great value! Great service! Definitely be back soon! Thumbs up!

Come often for drinks or lunch meals, never disappointed. Very suited to regulars who you will see often, but for visitors a quick and easy option.

We had to wait around for something in Ashington and were hungry and we happened upon this place.It's in a really lovely part of Ashington, it has plenty of parking and the pub it's self is kept clean and tidy.We were greeted by a lovely young lady who's name we didn't get but she's from Washington poor lass was running around trying to tend to everyone but didn't seem flustered by this at all.I ordered macaroni cheese and hubby had hunters steak both were really well presented and we were pleasantly surprised how fresh everything was I had expected my macaroni cheese to be a microwave meal but it definitely wasn't.We then ordered deserts which again were excellent. We will definitely be back.

My friends and I travelled to the Block and Tackle to celebrate a friend leaving work.The atmosphere is great and the staff are very welcoming.Whether you are going for a quiet family meal as I have in the past or a crowd for drinking there is plenty of space inside and separate areas to enjoy yourself.

After my last review we came back for a family meal as we didn't get chance on out last visit to try the food since new management. But what can I say but it was great in all ways. I had the madras which was beautiful with lots of meat and far to much. Grandad had Route 66 burger which also got the thumbs up too and not forgetting the kids chicken burgers all round they loved it as there was clean plates. Service was great as well staff very friendly on the bar also the staff who served our meals too. Will say it's great value for money we will definitely be back.

Visit often with friends and family, great food and drink promotions. Friendly and polite staff. Highly recommended the steaks