The Halfway House in North West Leicestershire

Great place to go for country drink and bite to eat. Mitch and brad are smashing it with this venue. The food is so good and the mix it up with regular themed nights that always go down well. Bright friendly staff that are always cheerful and on it. I must say the Sunday lunch is the best place you can go from your own kitchen, seriously good and I have a high standard when it comes to my Sunday lunch. Great venue for the summer that offers a lovely garden area to catch those rare sunny days and out door play area to keep the little people happy. Dog friendly being a country pub so if you're on a walk it's a great spot to pin on your route as stopping and refueling point. Get yourself down and grab a great ale and cheeky nibble !!! 10/10

Our local and it is in everyway what a good English pub should be...warm in temp and atmosphere, a good choice in beers etc, welcoming and happy. Must admit got to try the food but that's another day...

If you've reached this point, don't stop because I am so passionate about what I write as my reviews are my personal experiences of where I go. We visit many places and talk to other people about places of interest, especially when it comes to pubs and food, and our visit today was to the Halfway House in Donisthorpe not far from Conkers, Moira Furnace Museum near Swadlincote. Donisthorpe had a working pit, which started in 1871, and the Halfway House pays tribute to this mining village with photos of its history. When you arrive in the village, the pub is on the corner with the adequate car park area at the rear where you'll also find a spacious garden area. When you stand at the front of the pub, it has a decked area with tables and generous heating for outdoor socialising on a cool evening. This is a very dog friendly pub along with Tess with me there were other dogs that, along with their owners, had been walking the many walks around the beautiful countryside, which connect to many other villages nearby. When inside the newly refurbished interior has been desinged to be very welcoming with it beamed celings decored walls that fit this village pub/restaurant. The bar area has two sides, and in the front bar to the left, there is a seating area for dining, and around the bar area, there are areas to relax with a beautiful Chesterfield settee. The rear of the bar area has further dining and drinking tabled areas where our furry friends can also relax with treats in jars and shelves within the pub for them to dine on. It has a very good selection of cask ales, again Bass one of my favourites which was perfect. Three largers, Worthington creamflow and ciders, along with a wine list that will compliment any fine dining experience anywhere. We decided on a traditional Sunday lunch, I've attached the menu, but not on the menu was lamb as a special. I had a starter, which if you like black pudding and Stilton croquet on a tomato relish the tast of the Stilton that ran through the pudding, and the sweetness of the relish was just so delicious. So we ordered the lamb and a beef dinner. They came with the meat on a bed of beautiful mash potato with roasted beetroot, parsnips, and the best roasted potatoes, which had such a beautiful taste inside the crunchy outer. A separate bowl of carrots, broccoli, and new potatoes, along with a bowl of creamy garlic leeks, which again were fresh and sourced locally like the roasts from a local butcher. The beef which I had was cooked to perfection as was the lamb, which I also tried. You could not mistake what you were eating by its taste they were cooked to perfection. We then came to the deserts , and you will not be disappointed and all homemade, and the cheesecake was so delicious. If I had had room, i would have had another. To the waiting staff, wow, they were on point pleasent and very helpful to the point when ordering they asked not just us but otheres that were dining if they had and dietary requirements and the bar staff who also were very helpful describing differnt Gins and the cask ales and worked very hard but to the person behind the scenes Mitch who my hats off to as a young Chef and with Bradley and the team what an absolutely amazing experience you provide well done to you all. This is truly beautiful food that you would find in a well established restaurant in any city, let alone in Donisthorpe, and would be worthy of an accreditation, in my opinion. So don't just take my word for it go on, try it. Honestly, you won't be disappointed at all.

Beautiful place. Proper old school pub, just been refurbished but hasn't taken any of the character away, only added to it. Brilliant selection of drinks, restaurant is of a very high, consistent quality. Prices are reasonable and seems to be a very popular place for all the locals too. Brad and Mitch are really friendly and it's just a really really nice place to be.

Lovely pub and friendly atmosphere

Brilliant country pub. Super friendly staff, great choice of drinks, cosy inside and superb outside space when the weather allows. Food is fantastic too

The guys here are so lovely and welcoming and fab new refurb! Haven't eaten there yet but food looks amazing so will try that soon!

Friendly village pub with guest beers, and good home cooked food. Newly refurbished, now has tasteful decor and even better service 🍺🍺

Impressed by the quality and presentation, a new favorite spot!

Excellent experience at lunchtime today. I ate delicious soup followed by roast lamb, my husband had black pudding salad starter and roast beef and the dog had a great time too. The place was packed, so the locals know how good it is. Very friendly, cosy pub with atmosphere. Thank you! Afterwards we went along to the museum which is close by and well worth a visit and took a trip on the canal boat. Lovely afternoon.

Friendly reasonable cost food good pub food

A really tasty fish finger sandwich and good ale. Great value and friendly staff.

Great food great hosts , all round , highly recommend

Went there last Wednesday. Staff were very polite and helpful. We started with drinks in the large beer garden and when our food was ready we were asked to go inside as we had ordered main meals rather than snacks, we had already reserved a table. Food was excellent and didn’t have to wait very long. Pub is dog friendly both inside and out. Highly recommended!!!!

Lunch time with Grandson and a dog. Fairly quiet which suited us. Excellent service for humans and the dog. Food was the best pub food - presentation, portion size and taste wise, that we have experienced in a long time. Really couldn't fault anything. Fish and Chips were Amazing even the kids meal was presented well. Will certainly return.

We have had several evening meals and lunches here and every time the food and service has been amazing. The quality of the food and the portion sizes are excellent lovely country pub with a bustling atmosphere highly recommend we haven’t tried Sunday lunch yet but can only imagine this will be a good one . Lovely beer garden too 😊

A great pub with quality food on offer. Very friendly, great service and quality food, good choice on menu. Three of us went today for Sunday lunch. The food and service were 10/10.

Well run and friendly. Serves delicious Ghost (Adams) alcohol free beer

Popped in for a drink whilst out walking the dog. We recieved a lovely welcome both from the staff and locals, a good choice of 4 ales on handpull including 1 Porter. The dog was welcomed in all areas and enjoyed getting treats from the locals, who created a great atmosphere on a Saturday afternoon. We didn't get chance to try the food as we were too late for lunch and too early for evening service, but the menu looks good! We will be back soon!

Brad, Mitch and the team are always fantastic. Best pub for miles! The food and beer is also incredible!

Sunday roast was very disappointing . The beef was tough and the Yorkshire dry . Shame as when we ate last time on a sat food was excellent . Waiters were very good as always

Good choice on food, excellent choice of ales. Staff are brilliant, helpful. Friendly atmosphere and the food was excellent.

Had a lovely lunch here yesterday with some friends celebrating a 50th birthday. Food was excellent - together with the staff. Will definitely return.

Fantastic food, great service, brilliant music. Great little local find.

Fabulous find. We were a group of 5 ladies on a birthday weekend walk, we had lunch and a couple of drinks. Great home made food, staff were very attentive and accommodating. Highly recommend.

Lovely place to eat. The food was fantastic, extremely good value for your money. Staff couldn’t do enough, very friendly. The chef came out and spoke to us, which was really nice. Would highly recommend The Halfway House for a meal.

Beautiful food as always 😊. Would highly recommend.

Not had food yet will defo be back for that

Great place, great team and great food...

Just had an amazing night celebrating a friends birthday. Food absolutely gorgeous, Mitch thank you so much. All staff very helpful, thanks Fred. We will be back.

Just had the Sunday lunch, superb! Well done guys the service, food, Bass beer, atmosphere was perfect. The place has got it's spark back again 👍🙏 ------------------------------------------------- It's been my local for years so I maybe biased but this is a traditional pub with great atmosphere, beer and superb home cooked food. The Bass on tap is incredible! We had our works do here recently and the food was better than most top class restaurants if you take into consideration value for money . There aren't many pubs left which have this atmosphere so have a visit and enjoy!

Like coming home. Had a fabulous meal last night. The whole place has its buzz back. Amazing atmosphere, fabulous food, lovely staff. Well done Mitch, Brad and Gill behind the bar..... we will be back.

Came in for Sunday dinner which was absolutely beautiful. Staff are helpful and always have a smile on their faces. Roast beef and roast pork dinners were delicious, along with the steak pie! We had an apple and cinnamon crumble and a chocolate orange cheesecake which were amazing too!

Amazing food, staff are lovely and friendly

Amazing village pub. New food menu launched January 2024 and it's insanely good and great value for money too. Mitch & Brad are doing amazing 😁

This has been my local for 8 years now and one of the reasons I took the plunge to move to Donisthorpe was the community feel with the halfway being the heart of it !!! All the events and support they give to the community is amazing. Since the new landlords have taken over they have created a new buzz and bought back a feel good atmosphere. They have just recently started serving food again which has been missing for the past few years. The food is exceptional!!!!! I cant not recommend this traditional local pub enough if you want to have a drink or meal in a true traditional setting with amazing food it's a must !!!!!

First time visiting the pub for food , the new owners are so welcoming and the service was well organised , little to no waiting time and the food was gorgeous. Will definitely be going back soon.

Nice traditional pub with cask ales and digs allowed, near nice walking routes

Lovely little pub, new landlords who are excellent, but the locals were a little standoffish with a new face in their pub!

Possibly one of the best Sunday lunches ever. Very good service and good beer. Will be back again soon.

Nice friendly staff and good selection of drinks

Didn’t have any food so can’t comment but the place seemed very tired and not very welcoming.

Lovely place for a beer or two and a chat.

The pizza & pasta night was great, so much choice and only £10! My pasta dish was really tasty, took me back to holidays in Sorrento! Had a lovely meal with family and the beer was great too! Can't wait for the Tapas night next Thursday!

Gr8 place to have a family get together

Nice selection of real ales and friendly staff too.

Great beer an dog friendly too great local pub and serves food aswell

Poor selection of lagers but lovely play area and kind staff

Good food in pleasant surroundings served by very helpful and friendly staff. What more could you ask for. Will definitely be going back.

Lovely pub with locals creating the atmosphere .do not miss this place Still community hub

Lovely food, lovely vibe, lovely staff. Thanks for having us.

Warm, welcoming , good food served hot. Christmas meal was very nice. The 3 small sweets were ideal, tasty ,served with decorated fruit. Staff were very helpful. I have an intolerance to certain ingredients. They took great care to ensure the meal was safe for me to eat. Can't praise them enough. Thankyou.

We were on holiday staying at a nearby campsite with our two dogs, we happened to find this amazing pub on a fantastic walk that we were on, we went in for a drink on the Monday lunch time with our dogs and the people were very friendly and welcoming. We then went back on the Wednesday for Lunch with the dogs again, it was a great lunch and even better it was a special menu for us oldies over 60. The food, quantity and quality was incredible. The staff were friendly and the place was clean and tidy. Would 100% recommend this pub.

Amazing food 😋 Amazing experience, so friendly and welcomed us with open arms. You definitely need to go a try the food. Thank you 😊

Excellent value. Excellent food too. They had a Golden Years Menu for over 60s. The menu had a great variety. Recommend

Went for food and they weren't serving any which was a shame

Excellent food, service and surroundings

Twenty went for meal place they put us was to snall for the amount of people and the food was not the best

Nice pint of Pedigree, friendly staff 👍

Had mum in laws 60th here. Fantastic little pub with a play ground outside for the kids.

A good choice of ales, welcome staff

We've had a fantastic Sunday lunch today. Steak pie was wonderful. Sunday lunch is excellent, beautiful selection of veg, tasty yorkshire pudding and roasters. Oreo and Maltese cheesecake fabulous. Thank you, definitely the best food around this area. I've eaten here evening and always been very very happy with our meals.

Nice place, nice people, shame there's no music

Just moved in to the area, an oasis

Lovely pub .shame they are not doing food of an evening now..but brilliant for a drink and great food of a lunch time

Lovely enjoyed the company from staff. Will be going there again for more drinks. Highly recommend brillint place to relax with friends a partner!

A good choice of beers and the garden was great if you have children.

Fabulous food and great place to eat

Expensive and slow service but nice beer garden

Poor food cheese duet frozen and 2 cooked 1 still cold inside chicken tikka tandoori more like hot balti watery tomato sauce with some chicken pieces very very poor

A pleasant atmosphere and good food, the Creme Brule particularly good.

We visited the pub whilst on our holidays and out for a walk in the local area. The staff were friendly and helpful as we turned up on a Monday when food is not on and happily made us toasties

Fantastic food, friendly helpful staff

Lovely little country pub, you could tell the Sunday roast was home cooked, it was delicious - proper comfort food! All the staff were friendly too. Only downside is that the seating arrangements are a little snug but we’ll definitely be recommending this place to friends & family

Really nice place to visit for a meal and good company staff was really nice and polite would recommend to all

Fantastic place for the family, welcoming staff and excellent food. Highly recommend a visit.

Was very disappointed, menu of things I could get anywhere. I was told they had specials board but no sign when I went.

This was my first visit as I live some distance from the pub but I will definitely be going back. The best pub food I have ever had and at reasonable price.

Open mic night first Monday of the month, my first attendance. Fantastic pub, beer, food, landlord and staff not to mention very hospitable clientele. Looking forward to next month, thankyou all at Halfway House

Excellent customer service food delious will be coming back

Glad we chose to go! Very nice & helpful staff. Hadn't booked, but were happy to fit us in. Great food. A really relaxed atmosphere.

Went for Sunday lunch yesterday, 7 adults plus baby in pram. Excellent food, superb customer service, brilliant staff could not have been more friendly and helpful. Highly recommended !!

Friendly staff. Beer range was rather disappointing. All bog standard. Could do work a local beer on all the time. Apparently I missed two from week before.

The Halfway House has an older feel about it due to its decor but don't let that hold you back. The staff, overall service, and quality of food are brilliant. The lady who worked there (not sure of her name) was very welcoming and always had a smile. She clearly knew people's faces and names of the regulars which was nice. She worked very hard and ensured that we had everything we needed whilst she worked the bar, served the restaurant area, and communicated with the kitchen. The portions are MASSIVE! The price is also so good for what you get (quality and portion wise). The cheesecake is to die for and would be worth the trip alone. If we visit the area again then we will be sure to come again 😁.

Had a lovely meal. The food was great. Nicely presented. Well priced. The staff was very pleasant and helpful. We was a party of 20. They was very happy to help us out with the birthday cake that we took in ourselves.

Very expensive food, drinks are ok.

Nice meal in friendly pub atmosphere, reasonably priced.

Lovely place, friendly staff and the food was brilliant, definitely recommend 👌

Lovely meal with great friendly service.

Good local pub happy hour on a Sunday is great

A pub with lots of atmosphere and good beer.

One of the best steaks we have had, perfectly cooked. Highly recommend this place. Super menu, friendly staff, nice ambiance. Definitely returning.

Politeness and comfortable surroundings

Friendly local pub, good food in restaurant.

Busy village pub but brilliant service. The food was beautiful. Also has a nice play area out the back which the kids loved.

Superb food. Prices reasonable. Staff efficient.

Nice pub. Well prepared food. Well kept ales. Great service. Very friendly staff. Our group ate here two night running and really enjoyed it.

Busy & popular village pub. Good menu, tasty food, and generous portions too.

Brilliant. Great food and service. Thanks Claire for being so fab

Had a pleasant rest whilst having a pint and a extremely tasty Chicken Tikka Curry. Staff were friendly and welcoming. Not very busy.