The Mainwaring Arms in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Such a gorgeous pub , the making of a fabulous quiz evening . Booked a table and on arrival freezing cold . Requested heating was put on as 2 of the 3 fires were out of action . It was -1 outside and we dithered . No heat , draught from the chimneys , coats & hats on , food went cold very quickly . People left due to temperature you could see your breath ! A shame there is a monthly quiz but we won’t return , far too cold . It could be fabulous but attitude of manager was all wrong . Please review temperature & management . This is a far cry from the Fitz!

Popped in for lunch after doing the Mainwaring Arms walk. (Walk trail in photos) The food was superb. It's great to have some autumn/ game on the menu. The game bourguignon was so tasty, hot, and a good portion. The atmosphere is so relaxed in such a traditional pub. I would recommend to anyone for both walk, food and drink afterwards.

We booked the upstairs private dining room for a close family wedding reception. There were 13 of us total. We had the best time! The room was beautiful and was a lovely setting for a special occasion. The food was brilliant and catered for different dietary requirements within our group. The service was excellent, staff were friends and attentive. We really couldn’t have asked for a better place to celebrate and can o my say thank you for making our day perfect!

The pub has an overall lovely atmosphere, and the food is delicious. However, the experience was somewhat marred by the attitude of the staff. Despite the busy environment, many employees appeared grumpy and rushed, making it seem like customers were an inconvenience. Additionally, my friend was overcharged because the wrong order was processed at the till. Although it was only a few pounds, we didn't even receive an apology.

I Telephoned the Mainwaring Arms through the week to reserve a table for four. I was advised that you couldn't reserve a table for four and it has to be over eight people, however they said that I would be able to walk in and get a table easily enough. We arrived at 6.30 early dinner to find that every table was full and there was no space available to sit and even have a drink. My family had travelled to this destination and to be told on the night that you wished to have a family dinner that there was no tables available in my opinion is not good enough and we then had to telephone and find an alternative venue which is pretty difficult to do on a Saturday night and as there are not many in the area of where we were. Always loved this pub but can no longer guarantee to get in for a meal so will no longer be visiting. Very disappointed !

Excellent gastropub, great atmosphere, food and service . Varied And interesting menu and wine list. Top notch real ales.

As someone who lived there childhood in nearby Baldwins Gate, I love the fact that it is one of the few remaining local hostelries which have almost maintained original features going back to my youth in the 1980’s and not succumbed to the local chain ownership. This was the second time I visited following a previous good experience with my son for lunch. The local ales are excellent and the fish and chip lunches we chose were again very good. Staff friendly and attentive. Highly recommend for good traditional food in a good traditional setting. Plus ate outside on a scorcher of a day.

We both had chicken and leek pies, with chips gravy and cabbage. One of the best pies we've ever had (much to my dad's dismay). the gravy had so much flavour and with the chips it was the best meal to have after a long road trip! Gorgeous pub overall, with really different interior.

Excellent food and great beer, all reasonably priced. The staff were friendly, efficient and welcoming. I can only highly recommend - and we will be returning.

We visited here on Friday 10th May for lunch, I had the Green Curry Seabass hubby had the Lamb…it was absolutely delicious 😋 Hospitality was great and I would definitely recommend..can’t wait to go back again…complements to the chef 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Our night at the Mainwaring arms was incredible, from speaking with Gemma to arrange our visit, the warmth of our welcome the service and the exquisite food that we ate by candlelight it will be remembered by myself and my family in this fast food life we all live in as a uniquely perfect night.

This is probably really great if you are an avid meat eater. It's also very dog friendly. It's not so great if you are inclined towards vegetarian food and they seem to be making an effort to keep vegans away too. It's rare to find a place that doesn't have at least 1 non-dairy alternative to milk these days, but here is one such place. We could only seem to find 1 vegetarian option, I'm not sure if we overlooked some parts of the menu perhaps. No baby change, which I appreciate can be difficult in an old building. I don't think there were any high chairs either. The food was quite nice (despite being disappointed at having to eat cheese), the decor is lovely and the place has a nice atmosphere. Overall however, it's not a great experience for young families or vegetarians. It's disappointing as a vegan to not be able to eat anything or have a hot drink. Just a lame attempt would be useful, like a bean chilli or a veggie burger. Even people who like meat occasionally like a veggie meal, don't they?

Ordered 3 Burgers 2 were absolutely fine 1 had been cooked with the cellophane divider still attached!!! Not ideal 😳 But when this was brought to their attention… The apology was short & sweet… “Sorry” & took the plastic away!!! That was the Mainwarings reaction!!! Extremely poor customer care I felt!

Ordered the Chicken, Bacon & Avacado on a Bagel with salad and chips. Chicken was pre cooked and dry, bacon too with a very small amount of avocado spread thinly on a stale Bagel. Don’t think we’ll go again.

Friends had recommended we visit and first impressions were good. Cozy warm with friendly staff. Food was nice but staff recommended we upgrade to Parmesan and Truffle chips, which yes cost extra. However they tasted same as the standard chips, we complained to 2 members of staff about the lack of flavouring but ate them as they were nice. Both said I’ll tell the kitchen but no feed back was forthcoming and the still changed the full price. A simple apology and charge for the standard chips would have been a simple gesture

This is a lovely pub with loads of character - lots of rooms with log fires which in December makes for a really great warm welcome. We shared two bagels (chicken and bacon plus feta and avocado) which were delicious served with fab chips - quite an indulgence as I don’t usually ‘do’ chips but they were SO good! They welcome dogs with dog treats on the bar which our two spaniels really enjoyed. It is perfectly placed being just 3 miles from J15 on the M6 and defo much better than a services. We had previously been going to Trentham Gardens garden centre on our way to the Lakes but they no longer allow dogs inside - not a great thing in the winter. We won’t be going there again and the food at the pub is much much better!

Popped in just for a drink. Lovely cosy environment with log fire and candle lit tables. We didn't eat however the food that came past us looked yummy so we will be back to try. I would recommend to anyone.

Excellent value for money excellent candle lit atmosphere the food was well above average compliments to the Chef. We will return

Great local pub with fantastic kitchen. Local beers hold their own but the staff and kitchen are what make the visit. Authentic, proper pub.

Lovely evening get together with family in one of the upstairs private dining rooms. The staff were very attentive friendly and helpful. Food was great service 2nd to none an absolutely fabulous experience.

Amazing old pub, lots of character, great staff. Really good food served by really friendly staff, in a really atmospheric old pub.

We had never been before and we pass this place quite often .it's the only place where I've never been able to finish my food the food there is great and the staff are very friendly would definitely recommend and we will be going back .

Visited on the way back from Trentham Gardens - we would have eaten there but there was a power cut. Firstly, the car park is positioned at the back of the pub and there were numerous sets of steps to navigate before we entered the bar - not ideal for my mother who needs a walking stick to aid her. The ladies toilets were also at the bottom of a flight of steps too. Definitely not accessible for disabled people. Tables were very close together and we felt very involved with the group’s conversation next to us!! Service was friendly. Prices on the high side - over £5 for a pint of shandy. We wouldn’t have minded paying the high food prices if everything had been perfect but the haddock was served with a very brown over cooked batter which was not very appealing when the plates were put down on the table and the peas were luke warm. We won’t be visiting again.

Such a pretty pub! Well kept inside & out, just lovely! The wine selection is fantastic, I had both the Cloudy Bay white & the Merlot and both were fabulous. The food was excellent! Crispy chilli beef from the nibbles menu was better than any Chinese I have been to. Equally the lamb noisettes & the chicken supreme were outstanding. Can’t recommend this pub enough & for those moaning about the prices they obviously haven’t taken into account rising food costs, wages, how difficult it is to get / keep decent chefs and the general costs of running a pub these days. Maybe keep your moaning to yourselves & stay at home…

Really nice spot very relaxed and friendly. Other food items availiable other than the chocolate mouse but its a awesome chocolate mouse

I discovered this pub on Google down in London where I live and was very keen to visit - attracted by its apparent tweed/ horseracing/ Land Rover/ general sporting image so in a sheer guess was dressed appropriately in an "artist's impression" compliment to both the pub and its affluent Whitmore location. (I do my own men's blazers here in London as disillusioned with the decline of High Street choice). A Stoke friend and I first went briefly to the pub on 11th August 2023 and I visited again solo two days later to try and make a better assessment. In short, I am very, very pleased with this pub. I think it is a fantastic pub. I was trying to "match it" with any London pubs I knew and the closest similar one I could come up with is the Sydney Arms in Chelsea. At this point I am not sure if the Mainwaring is also an inn but if it is I will certainly be staying there next time I'm in the area. (Frequent visitor to Staffs since 2004 and site of my old university in the early 1990s). Staff and patrons alike were all very extremely respectful but it would be amiss of me not to make special mention of the absolutely lovely Williams family I was seated next to on the Sunday and with whom I struck up a most wonderful conversation. (If you are that family, the elderly lady (I'm assuming family matriarch?? I have a similar setup here in London you see) looked a little like Barbara Bush - pearls, white hair etc). I had the cheeseboard - it was great. Prices are very reasonable too, compared with Sydney Arms lol.

Visited for evening meal pub very busy with drinkers and good atmosphere. I chose cheese pie which came with a jug of cheese sauce and cabbage and leeks mixed., that was it and priced at £14.95. It was suggested I order some chips with it...

I popped in here for some lunch one Tuesday afternoon after being turned away fro the Whitmore Tea Rooms. The pub itself is exactly what an English Country Pub should be. Lots of nooks and decor to keep your interest. The staff are very friendly...

Excellent traditional English pub with a great atmosphere, great beers and food. Nice to see it back in full form again.