The Cock Inn in Barnsley

The Cock Inn, Birdwell I'm not really sure where to start with this one...apart from saying that the owners Sal and Rachel, most definitely have the Midas touch when it comes to the food, drink and hospitality industry. The pub boasts of 4 areas. The Cottage Lounge is to the left as you walk through the door, where the Indian cuisine is served, and the Saddle room to the right, leads you to the bar area, which down the steps, leads you into the spacious beer garden and steak house. Upon entering through the Saddle door, we were met with a beautifully warm and cosy welcoming atmosphere. Comfortable seating with a touch of magical romantic fairy lighting draped above. The lady who took our drinks order was very polite and professional, as was our lovely server who took us down to the steak house, to our seats, offering to carry our drinks for us. She really couldn't do enough for us throughout the entire evening. Upon entering the steak house, we were met by the owner, Rachel, who after warmly welcoming us, told us that she had prepared a special main meal for us, which she will be debouing the coming week....Surf, Turf & Quack! We felt extremely special and well looked after as the steak house was only open to us for the evening. The pictures I took of the steak house and pub, really don't do it justice. Our meal kicked off with an onion bhaji with salad and mint sauce. This was to share between me and the Hubby as it was simply huge! I've been to a lot of places and possibly eaten my weight in bhaji's, but this....this was exceptional. The perfect homemade bhaji. The texture was so soft and delicate in the middle, whilst gently crisped on the outside, holding the perfect amount of spice and moisture. Whilst diving into our starter, Sal popped out from behind the scenes to greet and welcome us to the steak house, and to ensure everything was to our liking. He told us how the creation of the bhaji came into existence by his wonderful Mum, who had passed the recipe onto him. Now onto our main. When Rachel first told us she had prepared a special dish for us and that it had prawn and duck in it...my heart sank a little, as I'd never really liked either. But my mind and taste buds were completely blown away by her creation.. Our handcut chips and salad arrived on one hearty plate, followed by 2 sizzling blocks, steadily cooking through a steak filet, 2 tandoori king prawns and a cut of duck. The main was served on hot blocks, so that you can cut the meats up and finish them off to your liking..which is fab if you don't like your meat still quacking and mooing. The meal was served with a boat of creamy, light peppercorn sauce which was to die for. I have to say, that I've never tasted fillet, duck and prawn of that quality.. anywhere. Miller & Carter are not a patch on these guys.. The juicy steak and duck melted in our months, and the king prawns were so succulent and perfectly cooked. I couldn't applaud the Cock Inn more for how Rachel and Sal have brought this beautiful old pub to life. I would most definitely recommend eating and drinking here...like we will be again soon. We have to anyway, as we need to try Sal's fall off the bone lamb shank curry, which will be making it's rounds soon. Before this year's out, Sal and Rachel will be renovating the upstairs to provide an area of the pub to welcome guests that would just like to come for a drink, socialise and relax. And before the Spring pops its head around the corner, a chill zone will be put together outside in the garden, where there'll be a fire pit housed under a gazebo with comfortable seating, so that you can cook your own steaks if you would like to (with staff supervision if course). Also, keep an eye out for Sal's drop of the bone lamb shank curry! Also, on a Thursday early evening from 5pm until 7pm, there is a fish and chip van in the Cock Inn carpark...where your more than welcome to grab a chippy tea and pop into the pub to marry it up nicely with a drink of your liking.

Fabulous food, amazing steak served sizzling on an hot plate! Annie was simply the best, looked after us really well! 👍🏻😊 Thank you!

We called in for a couple of drinks and to get an Indian takeaway. Staff were very accommodating and managed to squeeze our order in despite being fully booked in the restaurant. Very reasonable prices and the food was excellent. We will be back.

Came with my girlfriend and a couple of friends tonight. I had the ribeye steak which was cooked on the rock. The steak was absolutely beautiful and was one of the best cuts of steaks I’ve ever had. Great choice of drinks, friendly and cosy atmosphere. Staff were spot on! Would highly recommend to anyone. Will definitely be calling again to give the curry’s a try. Definitely a hidden gem

Went tonight with my partner and a couple a friends and it was absolutely lovely, staff was so welcoming and the food was amazing. Such a homely and cosy restaurant/pub.

Small tucked away little pub..with the additions of a stakehouse and Indian. Vibrant and clean with a different atmosphere on each floor. Staff are amazing vibe is top notch and the food is banging 100% get yourself a table booked

A great local with some incredible Indian food, if you live in the area you have to go and give it a try

Ordered an Indian takeaway for collection, lovely lady on the phone took my order. Available within 45 minutes. The food was ready on time. Overall, the meal was a mixed experience. Starters - onion bhaji's were huge and really tasty. Samosas were good. poppadoms came with plenty of pickles. Mains - The chicken tikka tikka masala and vegetarian tikka masala were ok. The meat (approx 6 pieces) was cooked perfectly but the sauce didn't come with any accompaniments such as tomatos or onions which was a disappointment. The bhuna’s sauce was much better, with tomato’s and onions etc. however, unfortunately the chicken was chewy and inedible and we had to leave it all. Overall, a very mixed experience. Good starters and fantastic chicken tikka meat. Unfortunately, the meal was let down by inedible chicken with the bhuna and the sauce of the chicken tikka masala.

Little did I think that we would find one of South Yorkshire's best steak houses in a traditional village pub in Birdwell. Not only that, but they have great authentic indian food, if that is your preference. Welcoming staff - some with great stories to tell! Try it and see for yourself.

We ate in the steak restaurant last night for our wedding anniversary, Rachel served us and couldn't have been more welcoming & accommodating. The steak on the stone was seasoned beautifully along with a large portion of sides. This was our first time visiting but certainly won't be our last.

Amazing food & service! Lovely couple who own the pub/restaurant were amazing! Fantastic Indian food served inside a pub

Just adding to the glowing review I've left over on Facebook! For those who don't do Facebook, The Cock Inn is the best restaurant in the area and easily up towards the top of the charts for the whole UK. Forget your fancy Michelin tasting menus with one slither of meat and a drizzle of sauce for a main, get yourselves along here and you will be amazed at the quality of the food! Prepared and cooked with love and attention by chefs that should be given ALL the awards! They do steaks, Indian food and more. I came with family members for the Indian menu and we all agreed that the food was stunningly good. Rachel, Sal and their team are lovely friendly people and highly efficient to boot. I can't believe people moaned about the place but it doesn't take a genius to work out the type of people they are.... We'll be back again and again and again. They even have family fun days and mini-music festivals (wanna book a reggae DJ? ;)). There are not enough plaudits to give the place, will have to invent new ones! See you all soon. Gordon.

Surly barmaid, smells of curry...

A fantastic little pub went in for the first time tonight, friendly, good atmosphere and a great service. Will be back to try the food another day.

Beautiful Meal, Special Thanks to Sal!

Went Thursday evening. Food was perfect and reasonable prices. We had 4 in our party, came to £20 a head roughly without drinks. lovely pub setting & friendly staff who were informative (told us about the steakhouse section of the business and their Jamaican night the coming weekend)

Lovely pub. Very chilled on a Sunday. We had the all you can eat Indian buffet and that was very nice

Just had the curry buffet, great food , great ales in an authentic country pub atmosphere. Great value for money with great service , fantastic meal 👍

Went here last night staff can't do enough for you and are very knowledgeable , manager was lovley and even came to see how our meal went after we had eaten which I thought was a lovley touch.The food well what can I say Absolutely beautiful !!! Lovley little restaurant downstairs food cooks in front of you to how you like it. Upstairs is curry so that's where we are going next time because if it was anything like the steak it will be definitely worth another visit! Cant recommend this place enough thankyou xxx

Can't comment on the food, but this used to be a lovely little local pub with proper local real ales - Of which there some really good ones in this area! Sadly, when I last visited it was Green King, Wainwright's a mass produced ale from Marston-Carlsberg and Black Sheep. I settled on the Black Sheep but in my opinion that is a pretty poor selection. No Acorn, Stancil, Abbydale or Chantry. I was hoping this pub would have retained some local charm and would be worth a visit before heading to the Birdwell Venue.

Nice people with a very welcoming real coal fire but the next time I want an authentic Indian meal I will go to a Indian restaurant as it was a bit disappointing.

Absolutely amazing food, brilliant service, perfect pint of Stones, honestly can't recommend it enough. Even my 10yr old daughter chose to go here for her birthday meal 😁 Just go!!

Was there for 2 hours didn't see any food being served, a lot of the regulars don't go in any more. Its not the pub it used to be.

Could be better….let’s start with the good bits. Onion bhaji great! Chicken Tikka Massala good. Tandoori Mixed Grill NOT good, chicken was reheated on the grill and tough as old boots! For £18.95 (tandoori mixed grill) I did expect a piece of lamb. Liked the place overall (pub atmosphere good ) and staff were nice albeit a little inattentive. Was promised a free drink after complaining, this was received but then added to the bill. Was told Head Chef was absent so maybe a one off. We want to support local but on this occasion I was underwhelmed. Would recommend curry’s but stay away from the Mixed Grill.

Excellent food, excellent service, staff very welcoming.

Friendly staff, lovely atmosphere with log fire. The curry tasted absolutely gorgeous this is now my no1 place for a good curry. Well worth it for the quality and the size of king prawns. We will be returning again soon. Parking is limited there's about 10 car parking spaces. Nice back garden with firepit for summer BBQ's too. Kids have to be off premises by 21;00 And I believe they are dog friendly too.

Lovely proper pub. Rachel and her staff are lovely people and friendly. Food is spot on, very reasonably priced. Hidden gem for sure :)

Friendly atmosphere fantastic food good selection of beer's lagers landlord and staff make you feel so welcome local people make you feel welcome

Nestled away close to the M1 junction 36, this local and down to earth, family-friendly pub has a fabulous Indian menu on offer Thursdays to Sundays 5-9pm (eat in or take away); serving proper traditional Indian food made by head chef and part owner Saleem. His partner in life and business, Rachel, is the friendly server that brings this absolute feast to your table and was kind enough to invite us to try it. BIGGEST BHAJI IVE EVER SEEN - we had to try their Bhaji that id seen on Facebook before, it was huge, bigger than I’d imagined! And absolutely tasty. We also enjoyed; Poppadoms & pickle tray - because they’re a must! Lamb Sheekh Kebab £7 - deliciously fresh and large portion Chicken Bhuna £10.95 - with added spice to my liking. This was deliciously rich, extremely tasty and satisfying Mutton Madras £10.95 - “lovelyyy” - tender meat and perfect spices. Ben was in his element. Garlic Naan & Pilau Rice …Oh and a good few pints of Stella to wash it down with. The pub also serves a range of cask ales and many other delights a local pub has to offer. The pub also serves a Jamaican menu on a Wednesday, an English pub classics menu most lunch times and a Sunday Lunch with both traditional and an Indian option. We hope to be back again to try some more of their food.

On Saturday teatime, as a group of five, we called for drinks as this is a venue we have used occasionally over the past 40 years. The beers were very good and the ambiance of the pub was good. The big disappointment was that our designated driver requested a cup of tea but was refused. We asked one of the staff, who was not very busy at the time, if they would make one but were again refused. It was suggested that if we came in Monday they could have one! Our driver sat with no drink whilst we spent over £50 on drinks. We would have stayed longer, and spent more, but felt we would go elsewhere where would be better accommodated.

heard rave reviews about this pub, my son had been weeks earlier and had the Indian Tandoori sharing platter , said it was lovely. We came with friends for Indian food. We are all big Indian lovers, but this food was delicious. Hot, well cooked, the mutton was tender, nice size portions. Staff were friendly and service was good. It would have been nice to maybe have a separate dining room from the "pub" side, or even a partition wall, felt the " drinkers" were all watching us eat, but this would not put us off and would definitely come back.

I recently booked the Cock Inn for my Husband's birthday .. WOW!! What an amazing Indian meal we had, we will definitely return and have recommended to many of our friends. The service was excellent and the food was to die for.. keeping doing what you are doing. Thank you

This place is honestly amazing! The quality of the food is outstanding, everything was tasty, hot and well presented. The staff were really friendly and inviting. Would 100% recommend coming here for some lunch. Definitely have to come again!!!

Found this gem while driving past and decided to give it a go. Have to say I'm very glad we did. What a lovely place, the atmosphere was cozy and welcoming, the staff were so friendly and the food incredible. If you love good food, big portions for a very good price this is the place. Definitely will be coming back again and again

The food is lovely and so are the staff, i don’t normally like indian however this one is beautiful…

First time visit to The Cock Inn; we dropped in for Sunday lunch. The pub is a traditional yorkshire pub with a lovely log fire. The food was well presented and tasty; my partner had a alternative tandoori lunch which he really enjoyed, whilst I opted for a traditional lunch; I throughly recommend you try the garlic yorkshire puddings!

Delicious food, great service. Highly recommend 👌 👍

Absolutely fantastic food perfect and cooked to your particular taste. I am from Manchester and not had a curry like this since I was back home. Well done. The hostess was fabulous so kind considerate and nothing was too much trouble even my husband ridiculously large pot of mango chutney and his shredded chicken. Thank you

Everything was cool. Very tasty food and well-chosen staff.

Absolutely amazing food and service. Best onion Bahji's in Barnsley, hands down. Ace traditional pub that also does fantastic authentic Indian food, how good is that?! Definitely worth the drive from Nottingham!

Me, my husband and friends went here on a Saturday evening for our tea and few drinks. The staff are so friendly and helpful, carn't do enough for you. We all had curries and was so impressed with the quality of dishes, one of the best curries we all said we'd had. Would highly recommend this pub and a must visit. Will definitely be coming back for more lovely meals.

Absolutely loved our meal here recently. The fish and chips was beautiful. Great service, good beer selection, everything reasonably priced, lovely cozy atmosphere. Can't fault it.

Went for Sunday lunch meat was tough didn't have the choice of vegetables coullifour cheese was on the plate told him we didn't like it said to put it on the side carrots burnt at end didn't come out hot left it wouldn't return again very disappointing

The food was superb. We had indian, very very authentic, bursting with flavour. Couldn't have had better , puts other Indian restaurants to shame. Top quality ingredients too.

Visited 3 times now and experienced the lunch menu, Indian and Sunday lunch. Indian is absolutely beautiful and Sunday lunch (lamb) was the best I’ve had yet. Great portions, really well presented, reasonably priced, delicious food and brilliant service. Very warm and welcoming and catered well for children. Absolutely cannot fault this place and can’t wait to come again. Thank you Cock Inn

Lovely Sunday dinner with large servings. The staff was very accommodating for the large group I was with. Would definitely visit again if given the opportunity.

Nice place, good selection of beers. Food now a mix of standard pub and Indian meals.

Really nice curry would definitely recommend

Absolutely love this place now. Use to boycott it due to previous owners and in a small village with 2 pubs that says a lot, but the new owners ate a breath of fresh air. There's a new Indian menu which is lovely, they are always trying new things, the recent Carribean night was brilliant despite the rain, there's an up and coming festival. If you're in the area whether it's for food or a pint, GO!! There's always a warm welcome.

We've had several meals here & they have all been 100%. Tasty, well presented, I would ignore any negative reviews. These guys work very hard to make their customers happy. All the staff are friendly & go above and beyond. Keep up the good work.

Came here for the Caribbean night. It was PACKED! We managed to find some seats and enjoy the cosy atmosphere. The rum punch was beautiful! It's good to see local pubs doing themed days, definitely makes it more interesting! 😊

Just deleted an old rating that would not do the new owners of this place justice. It is back to being the heart of our village, offering a warm welcome, great beer, and a much needed Asian inspired menu. The tandoori mixed grill is amazing - yet to have a bad meal!!!

No other WORDS can describe. ABISMAL. Save your money go elsewhere. Value for money ZERO.

Plastic Indian restaurant and doesn't actually know what it is. Apparently deserted by the locals tells you everything. The food was bland, unoriginal and very, very limited.

Visit with friends several times weekly. Yesterday was served a shiraz, not the usual one. It was a very cheap variety which can be purchased from asda for under £5. The one they normally stock is a Hardys shiraz also available from asda for little...

New owners with fabulous new indian menu. We went for the first time last month on a bank holiday. The reviews on fb were good and we decided we would have a meal. The food was excellent and we will be back for more.

Very poor the first thing we were greeted with was we have no stew meat or fish after looking at the very limited menu there was very little left to choose from either sausages or burgers when I said I did not fancy anything from the menu I was told I could have a sandwich NOT GOOD AT ALL NOT WORTH VISITING PLENTY OF BETTER PLACES WITHIN 2 MILES

The service from start to finish was amazing, friendly & welcoming. Even went the extra mile to accommodate us with our requirements. Food was excellent & very reasonably price.

We live within walking distance but hadn’t visited for some time. We’d read and heard many great reviews since the new owners took over and just had to try the Indian food. The whole meal and drinks were excellent and the service, with a nice...

Visited the Cock Inn last weekend for a meal with My Husband, Daughter and Parents, its the best Curry in Yorkshire! Couldn't fault it! Highly recommended for food, surroundings and customer service! Rachel is the best hostess!

We live in the village but had not been into the pub for a few years. However, since new people took over the pub, I kept seeing excellent Facebook reviews for meals, especially the Indian menu so we decided to give it a try. We...

Sorry to say this has changed. Food not to the same standard it was. Curry was good apart from bones in the chicken Madras. Curry does not come with Rice or Naan instead these are extras. Scampi was not scampi but instead formed fish. Very limited menu. On the plus side. Staff are friendly and service with a smile. A little longer wait for food than you would expect. Not sure we will be back.

They have ruined our local pub by putting in new people. We went for a curry one of the worst curries we have had. No quiz night anymore. We won't be going again. Bring back the old landlady is all I can say

Went for a curry. Won't be going again. Worst curry we have had. Bland chicken biryani very sweet tikka nasal.

Fresh, tasty, homemade food. Really good portion sizes and a good choice. The staff are really friendly and the bar is well stocked with a good range of drinks. Highly recommend!

Excellent food and a great welcoming pub. Great selection of food with an Indian and an English menu to choose from. Staff are fantastic.

Went for an Indian meal this was the best it is not your basic pub curry this is the authentic Indian food made by the Indian chef Ali he is superb will definitely eating there very soon

Enjoyed dining at this location!! The staff were friendly from start to end :) Amazing service from everyone there. The food was lovely, especially the curries. Will definitely return to try other varieties they have to offer on their menu!! :)

This place has a great atmosphere, but even more the food is absolutely amazing. Staff were polite and attentive. Will definitely be going again to try more of the menu.

Service very good. Food was good. Not bad prices. Busy at the time with drinkers but did not have to wait long. Will go again.

OMG ! …. And this is 2 minutes from our house. Recently taken over by a couple who are soon to be a household name in Birdwell. The attention to quality is without a blip. Our curries were better value for money than anywhere I’ve...

Visit on 15 April 2023 we both had curry was bloody delicious...and just found out three week be there well done ann and barry from wigan

good food good value ..definitely need try you not be disappointed

Their steak and ale pie is to die for. I live in Texas USA, family lives down the road from here, and I literally dream about that pie all the time. It kills me that I am over 5,000 miles away from this place. The owners are super nice, quiz nights are fun and they even sent me off with a country song before my long voyage home! Can't wait to be back across the pond again to have yet another pie. The ones I attempt to make here are incomparable :)

Nice country pub friendly staff good selection of drinks

Lovely pub with good food..just nice

this is a lovely country pub , cosy , serves good . been many times before as local but visited today and it no longer welcomes dogs inside. very disappointing end to our lovely walk , opted to sit outside , big outdoor sitting area...

Lovely little pub, friendly locals and excellent beer

Proper local, keep using them or you know what happens. Up their with the best

Very friendly welcome, excellent waitress service. Food hot & very tasty. Lovely atmosphere. We will be back again.

Welcome exceptional, food excellent we will definitely visit again.

Loved it, this was first time here, will deffo go back 👍

We stopped for lunch on our way to Yorkshire. All 4 of us had the home-made meat pie. Delicious! Raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake for dessert. Gorgeous! Very friendly staff. Would recommend this very nice pub.

Great lunch. Freshly cooked meat pies which meant we had a wait but worth it. Very friendly service.

Lovely pub, very friendly and great service, very nice Sunday lunch and generous portions, would definitely recommend.

Used to live down the road, so still pop in for a swift one from time to time. Was just passing by so had to, obvs. Now don't allow dogs, so probably the last visit unless / until that changes. A pub without dogs. Can you imagine?

Very welcoming, lovely clean quaint pub. The food is amazing and plentiful, ww will definitely be back. Service was excellent and all staff were very friendly

Great service and food, lovely beer garden. Thank you for squeezing us all in the back dinning room last Saturday. Great pub.

Hidden gem, lovely warm welcome, all staff were really friendly. Beautiful clean traditional pub with a great range of beers and largers. We had 4 different meals all were excellent and plentiful, we will definitely return

My wife and brother called here for Sunday lunch today. I live local and have visited this pub many times, but today was the first time I’ve had Sunday lunch here, it won’t be my last. It was absolutely gorgeous, the meat melted in the...

Received a warm welcome and a good choice of beers,menu was good lots of choices very impressed with the service and food will recommend and return again soon

Lovely cozy pub in the village of Birdwell near Barnsley. Lovely staff and amazing food. Worth a visit.

Lovely quirky cozy pub in the village of Birdwell. Great service, friendly staff. Foods amazing, worth a visit.

A lovely pub, with very nice staff

Traditional pub serving a variety of dishes. Opted for the steak and ale pie... I can safely say its was the best pie I've had. Served with huge chunky home cooked chips (sooo good) much peas and lashings of extra gravy on the side. Other...

Excellent food, drinks and service. Very friendly atmosphere.I can recommend the steaks and the mixed grill. It’s 10/10 from me.

Lovely staff and great food, bit of a wait but well worth it, definitely recommend to others and would revisit again and again

Visited the area for the weekend whilst going to the Birdwell Music Venue. Went to the Cock Inn on Friday as was close by and didn’t hesitate to go back the next day. A quaint old style country pub with a lot of character and...

I visited on a Monday....Wow .... the food is amazing (especially the lasagne). I've also tried the chilli which is also VERY good. Please try it

Great food and service. We will definatley be back.