The Oaken Arms in South Staffordshire

Good looking pub and would be a lovely visit for a drink, however the food and food service was disappointing, would not return

Attended Oaken Arms today, 16/4/25. On arrival was greeted pleasantly. Seated really quickly. Our waitress for the evening was Simone who was very polite and helpful. Food as always was of an excellent standard. Would have no hesitation in recommending this venue.

Great food great service 100% reccomend

We were made to feel welcome as soon as we walked through the door. Simone was friendly and very attentive, nothing was too much trouble. Many thanks for a great British pub experience.

Turned away at 9.30 we only wanted a quick drink . Hours say til 10pm

Great food and service I recommend the starter burger it was delicious our server Simone was lovely and resorsval ,amazing I recommend you go.

Visiting the Oaken Arms never disappoints. Always a friendly welcome from Sophia, Chris and the all the team. Today we popped in for a quick bite to eat, choosing from the new spring menu, great food as always. Thanks to Gemma for the fab service, always a smile and a laugh to be had at the bar. Happy days 😊

Attended on a week night, relatively quiet, bar staff and waitress were friendly and accommodating. Food was great, meat in the pie was abit grisly but that’s nobody’s fault it was the cut of meat in my pie!

Decent food, but at the pricy end of ordinary pub food.

Visitamos el Oaken Arms el jueves 27 de marzo de 2025. A pesar de que eran sólo 6 : 30 pm el pub estaba muy ocupado. No habíamos reservado y queríamos comer, así que tomamos una pequeña mesa de bar en la esquina. A pesar de ser tan temprano, se habían quedado sin lasaña y por eso nos conformamos con nuestra segunda opción que es el bistec y el pastel de cerveza. Se veía genial, pero pronto descubrimos que era principalmente pastelería, la carne era dura con grasa y gragea. Comimos verduras y pasteles y nos fuimos prometiendo no volver Unos días después, nuestros amigos sugirieron que saliéramos juntos. Les dejamos el lugar a ellos, que resultó ser el Oaken Arms. Nuestros amigos reservaron una mesa para 6 : 30 pm y llegamos a tiempo. El pub era mucho más tranquilo que nuestra visita anterior. Cuando nos reportamos al hombre del personal nos dijeron que “esperáramos allí ya que estoy ocupado en este momento” Nadie se acercó a nosotros y tuvimos que preguntar por segunda vez si podíamos sentarnos. Pedimos 2 mitades de cerveza, un vino pequeño y una botella grande de agua con gas. Unos minutos después llegaron nuestras bebidas. El camarero entregó dos pintas de cerveza, una pequeña agua con gas y un vino grande. Así que cada bebida estaba completamente mal. explicamos y el camarero rectificó el error Luego pedimos nuestra comida. Tres de los cuatro pedidos eran pescado con papas fritas con pan y mantequilla. Uno de los pescados estaba visiblemente sobre cocido como si hubiera sido re-cocido y las patatas fritas estaban muy secas. El pan estaba rancio y duro. Uno de nuestros invitados pidió pollo Katsu, pero se habían quedado sin pollo crujiente, así que se conformó con su segunda opción. Detrás de nosotros, escuchamos a una pareja que también quería el pollo katsu, su segunda opción fue una hamburguesa. Lamentablemente, la camarera se disculpó y dijo que se habían quedado sin bollos de hamburguesa, pero que todavía podían tener la hamburguesa sin el bollo Poco sabíamos que nuestra visita estaba a punto de empeorar. Cuando llegamos a nuestros autos, oímos a un miembro masculino del personal patear la puerta trasera tan fuerte que casi estalló mientras gritaba enojado F*** Off. Pudimos ver a través de los huecos que este era posiblemente el chef ya que llevaba un sombrero y delantal. En general, todos estábamos menos que impresionados con nuestra experiencia de los Oaken Arms

Pub que acepta perros y sirve excelente comida. El servicio fue excelente y el personal muy acogedor y amable. Lo recomendaría absolutamente y volvería.

The staff were absolutely lovely, clearly the highlight of the evening. The starter, cheesy garlic mushrooms, showed up faster than I could say “microwave,” which was my first clue that Chef Mike (the microwave) was running the kitchen tonight. Sadly, the mushrooms were as bland as an unsalted rice cake and temperature-wise, they were doing their best impression of British weather—lukewarm with unexpected cold patches. Then came the katsu chicken rice, which continued Chef Mike’s signature performance: the rice was cold enough on the outside to store vaccines, while the inside was molten lava. Classic “Chef Mike” theatrics. Shockingly, the main dish did taste decent, but I can’t tell if that’s because the food was actually okay or because my hunger had reached “eat cardboard with enthusiasm” levels. Either way, shoutout to whoever pre-cooked the meal—maybe the real chef popped in just long enough to save the day before handing it back to Mike.

When I came in and got a table then staff members didn't say anything to me. And I had to go to the bar to get the menu & The food was like cooked in the microwave & dessert.

We dined here on 29.3 2025 it was a special treat for my elderly mother. Myself and my husband ordered the bacon chop with egg and a portion of chips . When the food arrived both servings had eggs that were over cooked . ( dry and hard yolks) obviously when ordering this meal you expect a runny egg . We expected the staff member to return to ask us if there are any issues ( this didn’t happen) it a while to get the attention of staff . She did apologise and the food was re ordered and they had the curtersy to remove the items from the bill . I did think the food was very mediocre for the price we paid ( it was not worth the 31.00 we would have had to pay ( if the food had been cooked correctly) I don’t think I will be returning anytime soon.

Visitamos justo al final del Día de la Madre - creo que fuimos probablemente una de las últimas reservas de mesa. El restaurante estaba muy muy ocupado (comprensiblemente) cuando llegamos allí. Nos sentamos rápidamente en un lugar encantador fuera del camino y más tranquilo que en otros lugares. El menú era un conjunto de tres platos por £ 27. 95 . Algunas de las opciones en el menú establecido habían comenzado a agotarse debido a la demanda temprano en el día, pero no fue un problema en absoluto, ya que nuestro personal de espera manejó las expectativas muy bien y ofreció alternativas fuera del menú principal normal en su lugar. La comida para los tres platos estaba muy bien presentado, las porciones eran enormes, piping caliente y sabía delicioso. Muchas gracias al personal del Oaken Arms que hizo nuestra visita tan agradable.

Nice place. Food enjoyable. Staff incredibly busy.

We were seated ay a table of our choice to accommodate one in our party with additional needs, thank you. Our starter soon arrived, mouldy stale bread was on one plate. We found assistance to point this out, bread was taken away and fresh bread served. No apologies tho. Once starters were cleared away our mains came instantly, my fish pie was Luke warm and veggies cold, but it did taste okay. One on our table had chips on the plate that we didn't notice hadn't been ordered and in a flash they were taken off the plate by staff. The pub had a warm atmosphere, hopefully on our next visit we will give five stars

great food great staff if I could moan about 1 little thing please please get some better steak knives

Over priced for the food you get. Ok for drinks and coffee and cake

We faced racism at this establishment. I was very disappointed to see this in this day and age

What a lovely and exceptional venue. My wife and I went for Sunday Lunch this afternoon (Richard and Amanda....) it was as a bit ofa special occasion as unfortunately I start combined Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy at the QE Hospital in Birmingham tomorrow. The meal was exceptional and we are going to book for Christmas 2025. This afternoon I had vegetarian Wellington and all of the trimmings including cauliflower Cheese. Unfortunately as I walked into the Bar area...I slowly collapsed and was looked after very competently by Sophia who immediately advised me she was a first Aider and offered to call an Ambulance. Sophia immediately got a pillow and got my head off the floor. I fortunately didn't hit my head or hurt any part of my body. Everyone was so lovely including Chris Leanne and Laura who we have got to know quite well...over time and are obviously real favourites with the clientele. Exceptional people, atmosphere, food quality and kindness....please accept our sincere thanks. Best Sunday Roast Ever. Don't miss out .... brilliant food didn't take any photos....so much thanks for helping me and my wife in a kind and thoughtful way. How nice can people be? It's a real surprise these days but the leadership must be exceptional!!!!

Lovely, cosy pub. Great food with friends and family. Staff are always friendly and helpful

15/02/25 - Thank you to the team and in particular the young lady who served us for our evening meal. We often drive past and say we need to book a table. what a lovely venue, good food, clean, polite and professional staff, but most of all, the staff were particularly good at making sure you were looked after and checked in on you just at the right pitch to check all is ok and if there is anything else we needed. The plus is that its also dog friendly. Both my wife and I will definitely be visiting again. A special thank you to the young lady who served us, sadly we didn't ask for her name but her professionalism to detail was noticed and greatly appreciated. So thank you 🙏🏽

stayed here in a tentbox overnight at last minute and we couldn't of been welcomed any better, we had lunch which was spot on then had dinner and if you've had good indian food before then forget it this beats it hands down! thank you again and look forward to seeing you again very soon

Great food, very busy but great service, no delays, great atmosphere.

Definitely will return for the good food. Very welcoming and service excellent.

Amazing evening for my partners birthday! Sophie, Olly, Abby and Sofia were so friendly, and the food from Lauren, Kev and Bayleigh was incredible. Thank you for a great night!

Food was really good, came out in good time. Fair price. Cozy atmosphere. All round a lovely place and dog friendly!

Been here few times now, food service and drinks been fab love the fires and cosy feeling gives you Sunday lunch is my favourite.

Excellent food and staff are lovely every one of them

A busy pub whose staff works as a team to make your meal enjoyable. On a busy Saturday night the meals were delivered quickly and to the normal Vintage inn standard.

Have been on several occasions and really enjoyed our meal and the nice warm atmosphere but not today we were sat in a cold corner by a cold radiator no fire when we asked about the heating the waitress said "O it should be working" but didn't offer to move us to a warmer part of the pub. Today I had the steak pie had a good pastry top the gravy nice and thick and full of flavor but the meat was tough and full of gristle I recommend chef Craig to change his butcher such a shame to put so much effort into the dish and such poor quality meat

Excellent service and the food was very tasty. This is our favourite pub for meals out...and we always receive a very warm welcome from the staff.

Service was excellent and generally food was really good. Only 2 downsides - fish in fish and chips I think was frozen and a bit tasteless, the corner that we were sat in was really cold.

Good food served by friendly staff.

The food was an enormous improvement on my last visit. The service was also tip top.

Used the voucher to get 50% off the main course in the evening. Beer rather expensive, but good.

Lovely food, great service and the atmosphere was great particularly as it was midweek. Great experience.

Always a warm welcome when visiting The Oaken Arms, and not just from the cosy open fire. Sophia and the team are always friendly and helpful, even our little dog gets a bowl of water and a biscuit when we visit. See you again very soon.

Beautiful food from Craig ! Thank you to Sofia and the team for making my son’s birthday perfect ! 100% recommend for families

Service very very slow. Forgot our first drink it was waiting on the bar, knock on to placing our order as we were just left waiting.

Always the best food, staff and atmosphere

Staff are always friendly and welcoming and work hard to make your experience comfortable relaxing

Decided to go for a meal, as we had been here previously just after Christmas in December. The service was amazing and the waitress was very prompt with the service. However, this evenings experience was quite the opposite. We had booked a table for 7pm and arrived a little just after. We walked over to the bar. The bar staff proceeded to point at the table which we were to be seated. A waitress came over with the menus. We were sat for fifteen minutes which at this point no waitress had returned to take our order. Eventually i got up and went over to the bar so i could order. The food arrived promptly. We finished our food and had to get the attention of a waitress to take our plates and bring the dessert menu. She took our order and went away. Whilst we sat waiting for our dessert i noticed another couple walk in with a dog who were seated by a waitress and was very prompt in taking their order. Our dessert eventually arrived 15mins later which again we had to remind one of the waitresses. She did apologise for the delay. Once we had finished our meal i had to go to the bar to pay for my bill (which i did not see any of the other customers do). My overall experience was not one which i had experienced previously. We felt we had been put at a table and forgotten about. As we left there was no acknowledgement from the bar staff but they acknowledged every other customer with a goodbye.

Amazing food from craig the head chef, fantastic atmosphere and amazing team! My grandson had a great 9th birthday 🎂 Sofia and her team did everything to make it special ! Thank you to our waitress abby !

Great experience and lovely food. Staff were very attentive and gave great table service, 2nd time coming here and had a 50% offer off main meals which we didn't realise until arriving but well worth the money full priced.

Lovely food and service in a really nice setting.

Lovely friendly staff and food in the Oaken pub. We had a lovely cosy position by the wood log fire. We have dinned here several times before, They kindly sent me a voucher for a free bottle of Processco for my birthday. We had a mix of the 'Festive and All day menu' lovely food and atmosphere that all the family enjoyed. l'd highly recommend this pub /restaurant.

Tepid bog standard food So many other places do go…. Don’t bother Try somewhere else Don’t tend to be a complainer and when I do I give people the opportunity to out things right. When we addressed the issue….More tepid food was bought out Very obvious from the skin cover my sauce it had been sat under a warmer Seriously over priced Not worth the trip out Don’t waste your money here

We have been here previously and not had the poor experience we had this week. We had booked for 1pm and all arrived on time. However, by then the pie of the day had been sold out which one of us had wanted to order. The food service was very slow. We waited at least 3/4 hour for our meals to be brought out and we were all disappointed that the food was only just warm. We should have sent it back but didn't want to have to wait another while for replacement meals. It proved difficult to catch the attention of staff to order our desserts so we sat waiting for a long time before our order was taken then another longish wait for desserts to be brought to us. When the staff did serve us, they were helpful and attentive but didn't ask us how our meals had been. We were the ones making the comments to which the waitress replied 'no problem'! It should have been a problem that service was so slow and the food was luke warm.

Great meals very lovely quiet atmosphere

The staff are fantastic, the food is lovely and the atmosphere is great, one of our favourite places to eat.

Good food and service but very slow considering not many customers.

A great place and a great atmosphere. The food and service were also very good. Would definitely recommend you visit.

Convenient booking, flexibility holding the table for late arriving guests, friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant.

We went for Christmas Day and it was one of the best meals we have ever had. The staff were fantastic and we will definitely be going next Christmas

Nice cosy pub. Sat by the log burner. Great beer and appetizers.

Lovely atmosphere.. tasty food..friendly service ..

As a chef myself Food was poor value for money on Xmas menu, a dozen of us there for Xmas party, avoid turkey meal, small portions and only lukewarm, roast potatoes black on one side been kept for some time , people in our party were still waiting for their meal and most of us had finished ours, staff were in a rush to get people out stating at 930 they close in 20minutes.! 7of us Will not be returning.!

The Oaken is very appealing to look at, it is warm and inviting both aesthetically and in person. It was beautifully and subtly decorated for Christmas. The service was efficient and we didn't feel pestered. The food came in good time and we weren't kept waiting, despite it being quite a busy time. The food itself was beautifully presented, cooked well and tasted divine. We will definately be back in the new year and are looking forward to bringing our labradors in the summer. Thank you for your hospitality.

Had a lovely family meal for my mom’s birthday. Our server Sophia/sofia was great, we were asked if we would like kids meals to be brought out first which helped keep them settled. We were looked after well and all 18 of us were very happy !

Went there for Sunday lunch December 8. The whole pub was freezing cold. Even worse where we were sitting close to the door there was a constant draught. According to the staff the central heating was not working. The food was delivered on hot plates but soon into the meal they were stone cold and so was the food. No apologies from the staff. Not a good experience 😕

We revisited the Oaken after our plans fell through elsewhere due to the weather causing a power outage. We had a couple of roast dinners. The meat was lovely and warm. The veg was a bit limp, not the warmest the sprouts were vile. They had either been microwaved to death or been sat in water for ages. It’s a shame as I like sprouts. Would have said something but by the time the waitress came over to ask if things were ok we had nearly finished. Also it was on the slightly pricier end of the local roast offerings.

A small group of us went for dinner during Storm Darragh. The restaurant was busy but very welcoming. There was a power cut whilst we were there & the staff handled it calmly & professionally. Our server, Simone, was friendly & looked after us very well. The food was delicious & served promptly.

This place is beautiful, remember when it used to be called the foaming jug, so pleased it's still open, food nice and staff where nice and friendly, excellent customer service 😀 😊

Came here for a last minute meal, plenty of seating and was able to try the new festive menu! We were served by Sophie and she was very helpful and polite, always checking if everything was okay or if we needed anything else!

The restaurant is lovely decorated clean and tidy and very welcoming and dog friendly... The staff are really friendly and professional and make you feel very welcome. The services is very fast and the food tastes amazing.

Tasty food.a good choice on menu.doga welcome.

Really nice place, food and service is great. Would definitely recommend.

Fabulous food and service, but .... we were shoe-horned into the space like sardines. Hardly any space to move. Thus spoilt the overall experience somewhat.

Only had coffee but was hot and delicious on a cold morning while we were waiting for family to reunite .

Date lunch, what an amazing place, would definitely recommend.

Visited on a few mid week occasions. It has always been good. This was our first visit for a Sunday lunch. Can only say th best Sunday roast for a long time (don't tell the Mrs ) will not be long before our next visit

The food is always fantastic. It's cozy, traditional, friendly staff and perfect for these winter nights!

We've been here many times over the years, even having my Mom's wake a couple of years ago too. It's a lovely looking pub, but I don't think the food is particularly good anymore. I think that that applies to the Vintage Inn brand which used to be quite good. The staff last night were all pleasant, but the food (apart from the steak) was lacklustre. The sharing camembert was not hot, the bread was dry, not toasted and the chutney was forgotten, we had to request it. The pies we had were all air, very little filling, and mostly a large dome of pastry. The veg were piled ontop of the chips - which ended up soggy. Desert - orchard crumble was very overpriced for a very shallow sickly sweet "crumble" We visited to take up the offer of 50% off mains. Wished we hadn't bothered.

Delicious food & always welcomed with a smile. Would highly recommend The Oaken Arms.

We visited the Oaken Arms for my daughter's birthday. We requested a table near the fireplace and was pleased that this was given. The ambience was beautiful and very winter warm with the fireplaces on. Upon arrival the lady at the bar smiled at us as she was serving someone else and as we got to the bar another lady greeted us and was similarly most polite and welcoming. The waitress who served us was also attentive and friendly as to was the waitress who cleared the table. The food was delicious and as a family of 6, it is often difficult to find somewhere where all of us are happy with the food but last night all of us loved the food. It was cooked to perfection and even our fussy 8 year old finished everything on her plate! The service was quick (without being rushed) and as we left we all agreed that we would be coming back. Thank you to all who served us last night! For somewhere to get both the food and service right is a rarity nowadays!

Fabulous meal and very friendly and professional staff, couldn’t fault anything about the place!

Always an excellent service and beautiful food

Wow just wow! Had visited once before and blown away with the oaken arms staff and food (lamb shank). Was it a fluke? We had to go back and try some more. Nope! No fluke. Again we were blown away. Staff amazing and accomodating when we asked for a warmer area on the pub. Attentive without being annoying. Food was beautiful. We shared the arincini starter. Mains were sea bass and fishcake. Shared Dessert was eaton mess but no ordinary Eaton mess, they have converted my partner into liking meringue 100/100 guys.

Our favourite local eating place - great ambience, friendly professional team, excellent food and drink, good value - but, oh dear - our meal last night was decidedly below par. Famed for its fish and chips, two were ordered by our party. They arrived from the kitchen looking shrivelled and dark brown. We said nothing (we're English), but discovered that the fish itself was meagre, stringy and unpalatable. They looked and tasted as if they had been cooked the previous day and been reheated and recooked. A very poor deal for some £34. We chose not to complain - the staff are friendly and helpful - and we're English (who rarely complain ...). So this review gives the Oaken Arms a five-star review in the hope that this was an aberration and on our next visit the food will have reverted to its normal high standards. All businesses slip from time to time, and it's in their interests to be told, courteously, when they have.

Warm and cosy pub, we sat by the fireplace which was lovely. Staff are friendly and welcoming. Thoroughly enjoyed our food and time here. We will definitely be coming again.

Decent food well presented with good service. Not for people with dog allergies

Thank you to Sofia and the team for another wonderful visit today. We have been regulars at The Oaken for many years. There is always a warm welcome with fantastic service and good food. Even our dog is made to feel at home here. We are already looking forward to visiting again soon.

Friendly staff and Good beer with good food too

Chris and the team always looks after us great place for a quick drink or a nice meal !

The Oaken Arms is a lovely welcoming environment to have lunch/dinner and a drink. I have taken my elderly mother there a few times and they are always very welcoming to her and ask her hoe she is which is lovely (She has just lost her husband) They take care to make it a nice ambience in the pub and the landlady and the staff are very efficient and friendly.

3 luncheons with the family all been excellent. Fantastic food staff are lovely & very friendly. They all make a fuss of Antler, his favourite is Sofia.

Great food friendly staff would recommend

Very nice food selection, nice place to visit when the weather is colder and the fires are lit

Brilliant food and excellent friendly service from Kyra. Will be back again

What a lovely place. Service and food were amazing. Was pretty busy but not overly so that service or quality was compromised. Food was lovely - will definitely recommend 😊

Nice place to sit out on a sunny evening and have a drink...food is nice but a bit expensive

Why oh why do people treat you like an idiot! My wife and I went to the Oaken Arms on Sunday for a birthday for myself. We chose the Sunday meal which we were looking forward to. When it came most of it was cold except for the plate clearly indicating it had been microwaved yet someone came from the kitchen proclaiming it was just out of the oven. That spoilt the whole experience. If it wasn't so late in the evening we would have left. So we picked something else from the menu which was OK. Honesty is always the best policy and easier to understand.

Me and my partner dined at the Oaken Arms on Thursday evening and had a lovely experience. The atmosphere was great and food was absolutely delicious (thanks to the chef, Erin)… but most of all the service was great. Kyra made the evening enjoyable and wonderful from start to finish, she was very welcoming, knowledgeable about the food and had a lot of time for us even though it was very busy. The service does really make a huge difference, so a massive thank you to Kyra! - we will be returning :-)

We love coming to this restaurant. The food is very good and the service was excellent as usual. Kyra looked after us very well and Ashley cooked our food. We bring our friends here and we are always made welcome whatever time of day we visit. We will be back

We usually have lunch here once a week - this week twice including Sunday lunch. Food was as usual excellent as was service. I had the belly pork and partner had turkey - delicious. Additional veg fab. Partner finished off with delicious chocolate brownie. Fab lunch.

Dont often give a full score .. but this place was lovely @@ building inbside and out looked good . Plenty of parking . Friendly staff when walked in . Table service was spot on ( black girl didnt get her name ) very efficent new what was happening in the kitchen .. food was good value and tasted A1 !! ... 2 x had fish and chips and x2 had steak pie ... ( only moan couple of chips xtra please) pie came with mash and veg which looked good and tasted as good .

Excellant as always. Danny was very good as ever.

Great small friendly pub, fantastic food and great service from Danny. Recommended