The Boat Inn in Solihull

Staff were brilliant, talked us through the specials and were very welcoming. Caesar salad was very nice but chicken wasn’t good quality, had to leave it to one side as it was mostly gristle. The chips were thick and all very hard and dry - wouldn’t get these again. The roast didn’t come as advertised on their website and Instagram which was a shame so the presentation let it down slightly but was still a nice roast regardless.

Had a great family birthday here. Food was great.... service was friendly and helpful.

It's been a fair few years since I have been in the boat. The staff are knowledgeable, friendly, and efficient. Excellent choice of food. I especially liked the rear garden. There's an outside bar, a beautiful seating area. Entertainment on Sundays. I don't think I can fault the place

Great place, brilliant service. Really good food definitely recommend

Beautiful evening, excellent food and drinks.

Had steak £28 nice rest of plate cold and tastes curry. Chips hard and burnt Also tastes of curry desert no comment had not got many of them that were on menu.codt far too much will not return.

Love this place! The food and service never disappoints and has always been consistently good every time I have visited. Can’t wait for summer as they have lovely outdoor seating too.

Very welcoming. Delicious food will definitely return

Have to book to have food and they are SO slow to serve you!

Menu wasn't particularly vast in choice and healthy options were limited, they were busy but service was okay, nice pub with good atmosphere; personally I think good place for a few drinks but underwhelmed by food.

Booked a table for a birthday celebration, everything was perfect from the food to the service, which can be a rarity nowadays, credit where credit is due. I would highly recommend.

I really liked it here. Fantastic venue with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Great fir couples, families, groups, dates, and celebrating.

A classy pub with lots of different eating areas. Excellent beer. Food is good.

My roast chicken with chizo was beautiful x

Could do with a more appetising menu but the fence us superb

Visited with a group of colleagues. The place has had a bit of a refurbishment since I last visited - there was nothing particularly wrong with it before, but it certainly looks smarter now. We were seated on a large-ish table that was the perfect size for the number in our group. The bar service was ok - we all managed to grab a drink while we were waiting for the table to be ready. The staff were attentive and polite, nothing was too much trouble. The food was good, I don't remember anyone being displeased with their meal. Wait time for food was reasonable.

What a happy day and a delicious meal. I'm sorry I didn't get the name of the chap who waited on us hand and foot. What a fabulous man! Thanks to The Boat for a great experience. Jayne (South Africa)

This charming pub, nestled in a picturesque countryside setting, boasts a delightful menu and an impressive selection of beverages. Its outdoor area, complete with a spectacular fireplace, adds to the allure. The food, quintessentially pub-like, was delectable. I am eagerly looking forward to my next visit!

Absolutely excellent restaurant great food and very good value beautiful service highly recommend you visit 😀 👍

Used to be an amazing pub. Now it's overpriced, poncy, and catered entirely towards the feckless upper middle class. And if you're offended by that, it only means you're one of them!

If you love dogs this is the perfect place for you. I won't be returning as I think dogs should have their own area in a restaurant. Also the cod I had did not smell great so I couldn't eat it. I used to love this place but it is not what it used to be.

Popped in got a drink on Sunday afternoon to our delight they had some live music on in the garden. Weather wasn’t great but that didn’t matter. The 3 gentleman playing were fantastic and were just a treat to listen to we stayed and had some picky bits in the garden. Nikki looked after us wonderfully and nothing was too much trouble. They told us there was more music on throughout April and May so we will definitely be back for that.

Excellent food Exclellent atmosphere Nikki and the staff were very attentive All round great team Fabulous martinis

Went on a Friday night. Definitely pre book. Very busy and noisy. Only 1 vegetarian option. Food was good but expensive.

Very busy plenty of eaters. Just popped in for a G n T .

Overall great experience. Bit of a rocky start as it took so long to be seated and order but after that service was fantastic. Stix were really nice as was the piggy platter. Fish pie wasn't quite as expected and there was too much mash and no sauce. We will definitely back in the warmer weather as the beer garden looks lovely!

Took my mum for a belated Mother’s Day lunch on Good Friday - was busy in there but really nice atmosphere . Definitely recommend the rhubarb martinis! We really enjoyed the food and was looked after very well and can’t wait for a return visit.

Nice & Clean. Friendly staff. Great food. Would definitely go again.

Excellent Sunday lunch here. Food is fantastic. Definitely would recommend and certainly will be back in the near future.

Absolutely stunning food, the mussels and fish pie were absolutely perfect! We came back the night after we were so impressed! Perfect place for beautiful food when staying over while at the NEC! Highly recommended Our young waitress with long brown hair was so lovely & an asset to you

Overnight stop on narrowboat in delightful village of Catherine de Barnes, brief visit to this lovely pub for Guinness on St Patrick's Day, with surprise treats for our dog, who also highly rated The Boat!

Not only the food wasn’t good but the our servant female was very rude and with an attitude. Karen. Not a good place for good hearts

Had no food but famous for networking and meeting people. Owner offered to contact and have great offers on food n bookings

We had a lovely meal and staff went out of their way to fit us in . . Highly recommend

Expensive but worth it for a treat

Fantastic Gastro Pub With Brilliant Staff Who Always Make You Welcome & Fantastic Service 👏 👏👏

Great service really lovely staff very attentive made our evening very special celebrating a friends birthday

Came for an early mother's day lunch this year and sat in the snug outside. Fits 5 and 2 dogs comfortably. The food was amazing and the service from Lola was faultless. Will definitely be coming back again !

We went here on Saturday just before Mother’s Day . Lola was amazing she was a great waitress . We were in the pod in the garden with our dogs . She never forgot us and made our experience perfect . The food was great . Highly recommend this place . Will definitely be returning

Family celebration allotted an area that accommodated the party .Staff very helpful drinks above average prices but this pub has apparently a certain cache.It was very busy and l thought the staff did a very good job well done.No fish on lunch menu unless battered which l tried which was slightly overdone but edible others experienced cool food.But overall a good selection of wines and premium beers and l recognize the effort that was made by the pub to ensure that the celebration went well. Thanks

We had to wait over an hour for our table but it was worth the wait as usual. Management were apologetic specials were amazingly drinks were fab

Great Sunday lunch and great service.

Booked for valentines day with my 7 year old daughter. Arrived to be greeted with a disdainful look that it was just one adult and a teetotal child. Was told that they were very busy because it was valentines day you know (Yes I know, that was why I was there) and that they couldn't guarantee the table for more than about an hour and a half. I bet they didn't say that to others that had booked tonight. Had drinks order taken and wrong wine was brought over. Waited a little while for food order to be taken, which was taken wrong so I had to re-state what we wanted. The steaks were cold and not great for the price. The desserts were nice though. Overall, my experience was wasn't great. £80 lighter, not great steak, and the staff were dismissive and inattentive.

The atmosphere was amazing. Very convivial place. Modern decor.. Wooden furniture. Separate areas for groups of people. Had delicious lamb dinner , beautifully presented. The beef and ale pie my partner had was full of tender meat, with cabbage and mashed potatoes perfectly cooked. Service was excellent. Was there for a friend's birthday party...we were in a section of the pub which contained the party.. Music provided by guitarist.. Plates of pizzas kept passing us to be put on table for the evening guests! Was very impressed with how it was all done. Highly recommend. .

Great staff, nice and relaxed pub but good quality

I celebrated my birthday at the Boat and had the best night. The food was delicious, great service and atmosphere. Highly recommend!

I attended here for a friends 40th birthday last night and it was so lovely! The atmosphere, music, food, drinks, bar staff and general customer service was top notch. Would highly recommend!

One of the best pub/restaurant in the area! All the Staff personnel are lovely and the GM is amazing to look after even smallest details, I would not only recommend it but would invite anyone who hasn't been there yet to pay them a visit, you will very hardly be disappointed!

Very nice location,nice staff,very good choice of food and drinks One of my favourite place in the area

Amazing location, exceptional food and friendly and helpful staff. Will definitely be returning in the future!

Really good pub overall, food is amazing.

Beautiful place for food and drink

Fantástico dishes ,great place and atmosphere, good service . Can't wait to get back.

Hadn't been to the boat for over 20 years and was very surprised how it was inside. Food was great will definitely be going back soon.

Frequently come here for breakfast after walking my dog. Chrissy looks after us on most occasions and she is always very cheery and very efficient and my lab looks forward to seeing her too. Fully recommend.

my partner and I love the boat, we take our dog for a walk along the canal and then head to the boat for breakfast. Chrissy the lovely waitress is always there with a treats for the our lab. breakfast is lovely from a proper bacon sarny to a lovely duck egg and toast. also we have some lovely evenings and summer afternoons and our lab is always with us. really really dog friendly environment, u wont be disappointed. Ps can we have the pizzas back

Great food and service. Lovely restaurant with a nice atmosphere. Highly recommend.

Just had a quick pint (alcohol free) b4 picking wife up at airport good selection of beer good atmosphere and good bar staff

Bhaji disaster looked like 2 dumplings in a terrible dip

Really good food and very polite with people!

Amazing place to eat, great food, great decor and music. Popped in here after visiting the NEC , and it was well worth the 15 min drive. Ordered the pork bites which came on a skewer with fresh apple slices, and the fried squid with aioli sauce. Both were delicious Mains we ordered the steak and ale pie and the ceasar salad and fries. Also delicious. If I lived more locally I'd be here regularly, fantastic friendly service, thank you, hope to visit again!

Steak was tough the service was average place was very nice

I don't normally leave reviews but we were looked after so well by the staff at The Boat yesterday, I thought it only right that I take a moment to give a great review. We called in en route to NEC. Place was very busy. The staff were all so welcoming and helpful. Food and drinks were great. Very professionally run place Couldn't fault it. Thank you once again for fitting us in and looking after us so well

Unbelievably delicious food! Service was a tad slow but they were absolutely rammed. Would definitely go again and I recommend the caramel apple pork bites!

Really nice place. Dog friendly and a really nice outdoor seating with woodburners keeping us toasty..

Even on a very busy Sunday, the staff were so pleasant and accommodating. Food was excellent and atmosphere was charming Would definitely return

Booked a large table for a family get together for mine & my husbands 30th 3 months in advance. Paid deposits, pre ordered mains, everything to make the meal run smoothly. What a waste of time. Arrived to be told that our tables were spread across an area which had a main walkway through & one half was still being used by other customers who had arrived late for their meal & only just ordering deserts. Spoke with a waitress - older, blonde hair & glasses - who was so rude, advised that because we had arrived in ‘drips & drabs’ - we hadn’t, all there before 3pm (time of booking) - we would have to wait. This same waitress kept making different comments to my family members who were also enquiring about the wait & was very dismissive of us. She basically set the tone of how the evening was going to go. We booked 3pm due to having a baby along with us & 4 other children so that we could be done by 5.30/6 at the lasted. Finally started to be served starters after 4pm & mains followed with not much delay. There were some issues with the mains but sorted quite quickly to be fair. Our family just got in with it & tried to make it a nice evening but we had people walking back & forth between all the tables & my babies highchair basically sticking out into the doorway. Deserts came & it was already 6.30pm.. for those with babies you’ll understand how stressy it can start to get. Members of the family needed to head off & so went to pay their parts but were told that the deposit couldn’t be deducted from the bill & it would all be sent back to me so that I could redistribute.. nothing ran by me just assumed that would be fine to do. My husband & mother in law were last to pay & some how the deposit was taken off the bill & it completely messed up the remaining balance. The waitress didn’t know what she’d done but kept blaming my husband? I then asked for the manager to come & see what the issue was.. he was useless & said we still had just under £50 to pay which I refused as everybody had already paid in full without any deposit deductions.. With a very tired & upset baby & very unhelpful staff this is where the whole evening was ruined completely. The manager then tried to say that he couldn’t override what the till had done & then tried to pay me off with a gift card!! Like after all this any of us will be coming back. Me & my mother in law figured out what had happened in the end but honestly it was a shambles & a complete waste of time. Clearly can not cater to large bookings.

Very good food and excellent service. Nice atmosphere.

The food is good, but previously the menu and food were all round better. Still worth a visit, perhaps it's just post-Christmas blues. The boat offers ample seating for food or drinks both in doors and out doors and both are appropriate all year round.

Hubby took me to there for my Birthday, I was thoroughly impressed from entry onto the premises. The decor of the restaurant was quite lovely with comfy sitting, But what impressed us the most was the food! There wasn’t one dish we didn’t not absolutely enjoy! I had the juiciest, T bone steak, dripping with flavour, (best steak I’ve ever had to be honest) my husband had the flat iron chicken and it was cooked to perfection, the dessert came out and did not disappoint. As foodies we’ve tried a lot of Greene King pubs but this one by far tops the list in terms of food quality, value for money and great service. Giancarlo gave us exceptional service, and his recommendations was on point. Hubby now wants me to learn to cook chicken this exact way lol. We enjoyed the food and the experience. Kudos to Giancarlo & the team.

There's nothing I don't like about The Boat. It's a lovely place to eat and relax.

Absolutely a gem of a place, came with our Son and family ate in the garden nook, lovely atmosphere, the food was first class, highly recommended, staff very attentive and polite.... Well done

Had a lovely meal here in the summer. We ate outside and it has a great outdoor area.

Decided to try out the Sunday lunch menu and wasn’t disappointed. Good food, good service and nice atmosphere. Would definitely recommend and would almost certainly go back again in the future

The food was really nice, we had a very nice evening, the Veg on Sunday roast are between 2 people don't state this any where

I was treated to lunch by my friend who lives locally to here, I had a delicious pizza & chips. Really tasty, friendly staff and great service.

Wonderful roast beef dinner today.

We had a most lovely time here. The layout and atmosphere was just so warm and welcoming with so many corners to select. The food was good and large in portions but fairly average. The service was super excellent with chef and waiting staff checking to see if all was good. We were particularly impressed with Saskia who was helpful and went the extra mile to accommodate us with a different table and ask the kitchen to include extra items we had suggested. We didn't feel rushed, in fact the ambience was so great we stayed on longer than planned. Thanks Saskia you are the sort of person who keeps us wanting to come back. 👏👍

Great place,lovely food and atmosphere,decor is outstanding 5*

Go to the bike show at the NEC every year and afterwards we come here. Service always good staff to. Love the outside seating area even in winter with the log burner. Really love the addition of the stix. It's definitely worth getting a few. The favourite part by far is the parfait. If it's on the menu next winter, I'll be back even if I don't go to the NEC.

Lovely elegant place, beautifully decorated all through out. They have a large outside space that is covered, rattan furniture and I'm sure there's outside heating too. Perfect for the summer it seems! One thing I notice about places and that's decor and the toilets lol, they were modern had sensor flushes, very clean and they hand wash AND hand cream! Food was lovely I had the chicken ceaser salad, decently priced and very filling and tasty. My friend had a burger which she really enjoyed also. She has been a few times before and had the steak which she said was succulent. They are dog friendly which is a lovely touch. The only things I would mention is we were waiting quite a few minutes to be seated on not a particularly busy day. We were also placed in a bit of tricky place because of the dog being at the edge of our table infront of the steps of another table which was a bit awkward at times. Other than that we had a lovely time.. Thank you, I'll definitely be back for the summer!

Top. Fisch und Chips ein Traum..

We had an outstanding dining experience at this restaurant, and I want to express my gratitude to Chrissy for exceptional service. She went above and beyond to accommodate our requests, making the day truly special. The food was exquisite, and Chrissy's attentiveness added a personal touch that made our visit memorable. Five stars without a doubt!

The food, service, entertainment and drinks were all perfect, we had a wonderful evening. Alex was really helpful with the booking too. We can’t wait visit again.

Second chance is as bad as the first. Not to return again. Food is really disappointing. First visit ordered food and sent back burger was burnt and like rubber. The manager was able to turn around with and absolutely beautiful ceasar said, well done. Thought I would return to try again however different manager not accommodating. Ordered the Hake starter, looks good but and after taste of sick left in my mouth. I will wait and go to the chippy on the way home. Never again 😒 Add to this I have just been charged £6 for a pint of shandy. They must need to o make money somewhere as they are making such a loss on the appalling service and food.

We went on New Years Eve and were well looked after. It was a three course meal and well presented. We were not rushed and enjoyed being able to relax.

We only had hot drinks, so, no comment on food. Nice place, friendly staff. Very clean. I must comment on the beautiful flower displays.

Attentive service, but my meal was disappointing. Served Luke warm and the crab risotto didn't have much flavour. Modernised pub which left it feeling a bit cold, and nowhere to sit at the bar while we were waiting for our pre-booked table to be made ready.

Nice pub with great atmosphere but dreadful service...literally left stood at the bar for over 10 mins...bar staff were disorganised and didn't seem well trained at all...needs a shake up

We arrived to find the table wasn’t ready for our booked time (20:15). Then we ordered, and the waiter returned a few minutes later to say they’d ran out of cote de boeuf and sirloin steaks. Then, we had the starter bread arrive - we started eating and then we noticed there was mould on it. It was escalated to the manager immediately, of which he said ‘it’s possibly from the ash of the pizza oven’, of which it was clear to see this wasn’t the case. Only the cost of the bread was knocked off the bill. The drinks had ‘bad’ fruit in also which wasn’t great. Whilst not acceptable by any means, it’s slightly more bearable at with your typical local pub. However this is a premium venue charging premium prices for food. Second time visiting, first time was perfect. This time was a shambles. Very reluctant to return.

Disappointed by this visit having booked based on a nice previous visit. Batter on fish was overcooked. Goats cheese salad seriously lacking salad. Crumble desserts were hard going. Lots of things off the menu at 3pm. Service a bit slow too.

One of the nicest pubs I have ever visited.

Christmas Eve meal. Really expensive and very disappointing. Will only go for a drink in future.

We have had lots of lovely meals here over the years and my first review post lock down and after their refurb was 50/50 with variable food quality. We have continued to be irregular locals as although it is the nearest venue to my parents, the pricing is prohibitive and the sheer noise level makes it a difficult place for a family catch up. A few comments to make that have been consistent over time now - service is excellent, staff are very friendly, helpful and mostly attentive even when the place is busy. Dogs are welcome, which is great! The place looks amazing and the beer garden is a great space. The atmosphere is buzzing but the acoustics are bad so it’s hard to have a normal volume conversation and the background music can be intrusive. The biggest let down though is still the price compared to the quality of the food. £17.50 for basic fish and chips which is mostly thick batter and a smattering of chips; £15.50 for a ceasar salad with chicken which was drowned in Parmesan and appeared to have some shredded chicken sprinkled in amongst the dressing - that honestly was one of the worst ceasar salads I’ve ever had and I’m including Tesco lunch deals in that view! We’ve ordered the bread sharer on the last two visits and both times have been served with a very generous portion plus the marmite butter is amazing - but whatever the white cob style bread is, it tastes stale and undermines the whole board. Overall, it’s worth a visit but expect to pay over the odds for gastro pub food that isn’t quite making the grade yet.

The interior has changed dramatically since we were last in here. The decor is very stylish and the open fire adds great warmth to the atmosphere. The food has improved too. The young lady who served us was very attentive. Good selection of food and cash ales. Would definitely recommend.

We had a lovely Christmas get together here! We were looked after so well even though we were seated later than planned. They made up for it and we thoroughly enjoyed the food, the vibes, the music and the way we were treated. Emilia was our waiter and along with the other staff, she really went above and beyond for our group. I love coming here and bringing my friends to experience it also xx

Popped in for a drink after a walk with the dog, i saw people drinking large mugs of mulled wine, i thought yeas! Sit outside by the fire mulled wine lovely. The lady at the bar was lovely, but obviously new, 8.95 for a mulled wine, but it was a big mug so hey ho, i ordered a sharing cheese board to nibble on also 12.50. Ifelt very sorry for the lady, she could not find the cheese board and had no idea about the mulled wine. No one behind the bar would help her, which is very dissapointing, poor woman, she eventually found a lady who would help and even then it was a struggle. I left the bar after paying and was told the mulled wine would come out!!!! We waited a long time ,but they were busy so we waited for our hot mug of wine, when it finally came it was in a very small wine glass , i said to the lady i have just paid 9 each for these where are the mugs? She said we have non left but the measure is the same! That was a lie! Wieghts and measures will be notified. You are ripping people off. We got about 3 mouthfulls of wine and it was gone. Still no cheese board, when it did arrive it was pathetic, 8 tiny round crackers, some jelly and 3 tiny qaurters from a small round cheese. No butter no nothing else, very, very dissapointed, the setting was lovely, but everything else let it down.

Great friendly pub, that always welcomed my family including my dog. Highly recommend.

Went about a month ago, and only just got round to reviewing, but had to as this place is amazing. Literally the epitome of incredible service......all other restaurants need to visit and take careful notes. Didn't have a booking, but they were only too happy to accommodate, and were so welcoming and helpful to us all throughout. They were really attentive to my elderly mum, allowing her to have a child portion roast as she can't eat much, and were extremely patient with her (even offering her a seat at a reserved table while we waited for ours to be set up initially). The food was superb and came out pretty quickly given how busy they were. Great quality and an exceptional experience all round. Kudos to all the staff and management.

Christmas eve and had Christmas menu. Very busy with great atmosphere great food and great service. Sue , as always , the perfect host.Our favourite place.