The Old Volunteer in Newark and Sherwood

Called for a drink not many people there

We had a reservation for 4 adults and 1 child on Sunday. Due to the weather I called the restaurant in the morning to try and determine if umbrellas for the outdoor garden area were available but to no avail. I then used the suggested WhatsApp messenger to raise my request (at 10.15am) which was also disregarded. When we arrived at 3.15, visually the outdoor area looked lovely. However we were taken to our table which was dirty and sticky, it was also on a slant which meant the benches and table all sloped downwards. Our server was lovely, but unfortunately got our order wrong when considering you can only really have a Sunday roast outside was surprising. The most disappointing factor by far was the quality of the food. For £25 per roast, I had 2 roast potato's and what was possibly the toughest 2 slices of 'rump' beef I think I've ever had. The Yorkshire's lacked flavour and were sat on what I believe to be Yorkshire mixture which hadn't cooked (all our yorkshires were the same). Our cauliflower cheese didn't arrive, so I had to ask and then wait for it to be brought over. Luckily, the desserts were much better. I do also need to raise the issue with the outdoor bar. The lemonade had an unusual off taste and one of the glasses we had, had what looked like green slime on the rim. We had high expectations of the restaurant and setting. The setting is by far the best part of this dining experience, everything else unfortunately was below par.

Took my wife for her birthday, have to say the service and food was absolutely spot on. Also so nice to sit outside in the garden 5⭐️

Finally got the opportunity to go & with high expectations we were disappointed. There isn’t any disable parking. The service was very slow, waited over an hour for food. When the food arrived it was mixed, pasta meals good, chips cold & expensive for a tiny pot. The play area was closed, which was one of the main reasons for our visit and when I expressed my disappoint the staff member was dismissive stating it was closed for an event & when I queried why that wasn’t advertised, she said it was on socials in a tone that insinuated it was my fault having not checked. Overall it was an OK experience, but not as good as we’d hoped & won’t be back. Other places with same offering are providing higher standards of experience.

I came for Mother’s Day, had an awful experience, wasn’t greeted, sat on a dirty seat which ruined my outfit, in the bar area right next to a toilet. when I booked for the restaurant. Barely served and just pushed aside. Bone in the chicken, limp lifeless veg, dinners were cold, dirty plates and a dirty bar area, I wrote an email to complain as I was genuinely disappointed with my Mother’s Day experience and all that was offered was a lame excuse that they’ll look into the booking system as it messed my booking up so sorry about that and that they’ll strive to improve, I genuinely hope you do, but when requesting a refund and being ignored…it’s not really living up to the improved promise is it. Is it really fair that I paid the same money as other people and yet I didn’t have the same experience (to which you have admitted and acknowledged) you haven’t even offered to pay for my dry cleaning for seating me at a dirty table. Basically hospitality manners. And I’m sorry to write a slandering review. But I have tried to solve this matter privately and been ignored.

Pleasant atmosphere, but disappointing overall experience The pub has a nice, chilled atmosphere with a lovely local vibe. It was great to see regulars visiting with their dogs — it added a friendly and relaxed touch. Unfortunately, the garden area was closed for an event during our visit, which was a real letdown as we were hoping to enjoy the sunshine and give our toddlers some space to explore. Without access to the garden, we felt quite restricted. There were no children’s activity packs, colouring pens or paper provided, which would have helped keep the little ones entertained. We also had to ask for our order to be taken after waiting for a while, which wasn’t ideal. When the food arrived, it looked great, but sadly didn’t live up to its presentation. In my view, the food didn’t match the relaxed, welcoming vibe of the pub — which was disappointing, especially given the prices. Overall, I expected more and, unfortunately, I don’t think I’d return.

This is a pub mostly for “beautiful people” as Ed Sheeran would call them, but also common folk are allowed in too. The bar staff were great, maybe confused by our lack of effort on the fashion front when we first walked in but super friendly once we got going. We were on a countryside pub crawl and had to move on so only had a couple of snacks, chips with truffle mayo (small portion) and tiger prawns (five in the portion) for £20 😱😅🤣 but damn it all tasted good and I’d go back for a full meal based on that alone. Some sort of majorly cheesy but very fun private party going on in the garden so we couldn’t check that part out but you can’t go wrong when the pub your leaving sounds like a festival for fare ground waltzer lovers 😅 Totally unexpected. Get stuck in 👍👌🙌

Nice staff. Overall, it was a good experience. The decor is a bit tired, carpets well worn and the mens toilet 😷🤢

Good atmosphere, felt like sitting in a corridor; service not the best and food spoilt by service with one dish not really being represented correctly.

Went for Sunday lunch yesterday which we normally enjoy. On sitting down were asked if we would like a drink. Asked for large glasses of Savignon Blanc. Both ordered the set price for 2 course Sunday roasts. Enjoyed the starter. But the Sunday roast dinner was below the usual standard. Vegetables were cold and roast potatoes old. I didn't enjoy it. Cost for 2 was over £100. In particular we were charged £26.26 for the 2 large glasses of Savignon Blanc. Queried the price of the glasses and were taken aback that £13+ a glass was correct. Which was above our expectations. Overall was disappointed and have decided to make this our last visit.

Turned up yesterday for our booked table. After waiting 10 mins i had to go and ask a member of staff if they could take a drinks order. We then waited another 20 mins before i again had to chase down a member of the waiting staff to take our food orders! After waiting another 30 mins one of our starters came out wrong and was told they would bring out the correct starter, we waited but this never happened. Instead we were given our mains, which was bland, the beef couldnt even be cut, the Yorkshire puddings were so overdone and dry, it actually felt like saw dust! All in all we were in the venue for 1hour 40 mins and the service was non existent and shocking along with the food. Dont take as many covers if your kitchen cant handle it!!! Worst place I've been to in such a long time especially considering how much they charge! Awful experience all round!!!

The place itself is wonderful! However, the service is terrible. On a busy sunny Sunday afternoon they had one member of staff serving drinks to the whole garden and a huge queue for drinks. The kids play area is brilliant but they just missed a few extras like play props for the shops, the cinema screen doesn’t work. The host in the garden was rude when I asked for an umbrella stand as our umbrella was literally hanging down sideways with no shade. I want to love this place but it’s just missing something! The main thing being service.

Haven't eaten here yet but the pub is lovely staff are friendly and on a warm day outside area is a must 👌 a definite holiday vibe 😎☀️🍸

We had a lovely afternoon at The Old Vol today. Me, my husband and children came for lunch after seeing it advertised on TikTok and being in the area. We sat outside and our son loved the role play area. What a fab idea! There was plenty of different seating options with shade which was great. The food was brilliant and the service was prompt from the outside waiting and bar team. Great that there is an outdoor bar too to keep queuing down. We had the chicken caesar salad and the burger. Delicious! We will definitely be back again!

Went for Easter breakfast was really good the Alice in wonderland characters made the morning extra special and entertaining 😄 well worth the money kids got lots of treats and adults 😀 and staff very friendly and well organised definitely be back again

Wow! Booked a table for 4 in the garden, had to go to the bar myself as no servers come to us when told he said would come, flagged a waitress down to order our food 20 min after booking. No food 45min later and 3/4 new arrival tables getting diner before us!!!! Asked the question where is our food? Met with no answers! Then on the way out apparently there was a printing issue in the the kitchen! Only took 10 mins to let me know so we supped up and left! Shocking service not he returning!

What a disappointing afternoon for my two grandchildren who were so looking forward to playing in the imaginary play area. Absolutely nothing to play with in the village . The Manager said it had all been stolen! The childrens drinks were served in glasses despite being outside and we had to ask for straws. Loads of staff but unhelpful. Given that this is Easter weekend and you are advertising the garden area is open for family events we will not be returning any time soon.

Been looking at eating here for a while.. we were disappointed, the meal was average, my partner cooks better! .. it was over priced as well with small portions.

Went today with some friends and we are always on the look out for a good pub with good food and this hit the mark. Service was good and the food was excellent. Will be back often.

I booked online in the morning but circumstances changed a couple of hours later so I rang to cancel. I tried to call a few times but no one answered. I messaged and emailed and eventually got confirmation of the cancellation. I then found that I was charged £30 on my credit card as a cancellation fee. After a few days of trying to contact them I eventually got a WhatsApp message saying this is their policy and they are not prepared to make an exception. I do understand cancellation policies but feel this is totally unjustified. I will not visit this pub in the future. It was mid week when they would have not been turning people away!

Food was excellent although for Sunday lunch it is now two courses for £40, not £35 as the website says. The place was heaving as it was a sunny day so the service was a bit slow. No greeting on arrival, barman overworked, wine unopened when delivered to the table.

Terrific place to eat and drink. Staff are very welcoming. Food selection is good and very tasty. Outdoor eating area is amazing. Will definitely be going back.

Came for Mother’s Day, waited 1hr to be finally served, then was overcharged by £24 , my mum had the 2 course £40 deal, and I had a roast which the bill came to £88 unsure why my roast was almost £50???!!! phoned up and there was no apology and just said to email and provided the incorrect email.

A gem of a place! Lucky to have this on our doorstep. The food, ambience and setting is amazing. Really impressive place. Class - highly recommended. As a restaurant owner myself - this place really gets it right, the food was brillaint and I do not say that lightly. Well done team Old Vol!

Lovely food and great service. Although I dined there in March so a bit chilly, lovely outdoor seating area with pods for the summer. We eat off the two courses for £20 pounds and it was excellent value

Vegetarian cauliflower curry was excellent - with the veg perfectly al dente. Rich sauces - with the main and a small side curry show the chef is definately an artist

We went for Sunday dinner after watching forest woman beat derby women. The food was really good,a quiet atmosphere and friendly staff. Would go back again 🌳🌳

Seriously overpriced, we paid £8 for these chips… each. All served on a board without cutlery or napkins. We were expecting sandwiches or something for a weekend lunch at a pub. The staff weren’t overly happy either.

We didn't have food but we shall be back as the menu looked really nice. We haven't been to the pub since it's refurb and it looks absolutely amazing inside and outside along with its massive beer garden and great country views. It's definitely one of my top 5 in Nottingham.

Lovely food. Much nicer than usual pub grub but more expensive which reflects the quality of the food served.

Incredible! Loved every mouthful. Great to be able to take my dog with us too - even got his photo on top of a flat white! Will definitely be back.

We live near the pub and visit often. It was my eldest’s ninth birthday today and they did him a lovely little plate with ‘happy birthday’ and some little chocolate brownies as a free treat. We generally go on a day other than the weekend and it’s always relaxed with excellent service and the food has jumped up a notch again with the return of their previous chef. Thank you for a lovely meal.

The Old Vol has always been brilliant, since the return of chef Hira, this place has elevated even more so. Just had the beef Wellington, did not disappoint.

Great quality food, slightly expensive but strongly recommended

Had a wonderful Christmas dinner at The Old Vol! Everything was absolutely delicious, and the drinks were fantastic too. My favorite dish had to be the stuffed turkey and the truffle mushroom hash brown bites. Chef Hira treated us so well as always—such a pleasure!

Took my daughter to have a meal at this stunning venue after having a fantastic meal there with my son. The Christmas decor was outstanding. The food and service were equally great. Been a few times now and must say the food is seriously top quality. Thank you to all involved at this fantastic restaurant.

This was our second time to the Old Vol but unfortunately likely to be our last. We visited to celebrate my dad’s birthday on 17th December. The food was brilliant but the service and atmosphere really let it down. It seems if you’re not a regular visitor you’re not welcome. We were ignored, felt like an inconvenience and felt unwelcome. It’s a shame as we live locally but for us it’s all about feeling welcome and a valuable customer whether you go every day or once a year and this visit lacked that feeling in every way.

This was our second time to the Old Vol but unfortunately likely to be our last. We visited to celebrate my dad’s birthday on 17th December. The food was brilliant but the service and atmosphere really let it down. It seems if you’re not a regular visitor you’re not welcome. We were ignored, felt like an inconvenience and felt unwelcome. It’s a shame as we live locally but for us it’s all about feeling welcome and a valuable customer whether you go every day or once a year and this visit lacked that feeling in every way.

The food was outstanding in The Old Vol. The staff and the customer service was superb. The atmosphere was great with it being Boxing Day.

We took family for Christmas and have been so many times now , we always have a warm welcome from all staff particularly Adam and Jasmine. Jasmine looked after us all and was very helpful and a lovely smile too. We had a great time very good food. Thank u

Service ok , food seriously overpriced and lukewarm not the best experience.

We’d heard the chef had left (HURRAH) anyone that lives locally has heard of his reputation.. One of the original chefs is back, and so is the Old Vol. WOW. Warm and welcoming atmosphere. Stunning and delicious food. You just can’t believe it’s the same place!!

Went for lunch to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary 💕 the food was excellent the atmosphere and christmas decorations the best we had seen ... have to say jasmine who took care of us from beginning to end was the most professional and attentive hostess who went the extra mile and a credit to her employers ....

Wow! And not in the good sense. I must say when booking tickets costing over £100 this isn’t what I expected. And by the sounds of it - not the only table who complained re Michael Buble night, going off the reviews. The seating arrangements were very poor, cramped into the bar area with not much room, more of an after thought. Our food was cold too, I spoke to the manager about this, can’t say I was impressed with the level of customer service. Safe to say we won’t return. Try the Blacksmiths at Clayworth. More food / spacious seating / staff who know how to accommodate the public.

Excellent Sunday roast sadly let down a bit by the roast potatoes which is a real shame cos otherwise the ambience staff and all the rest of the food was perfect. Would highly recommend but for the roasties...

Executive chef has returned and we were straight there for the beef Wellington (pre order). Amazing meal out, service was outstanding too. Jordan was an absolute superstar and super helpful, totally read us as a customer and was just fab alongside all the team that served us through the night. Oxtail hashbrown was something else. Did not expect to enjoy it as much as we did but knew we ought to try it. The new menu is out Monday and I can't wait to see what's on it. Ask the staff their favourites and trust them. Love love love.

If you have a dog, FORGET it. Shoved in a corner on an unset, crisp covered table. If you are out for a walk with muddy boots and a dog, this is NOT the place for you! Don't mind paying, but paid a lot for a small plate of nice but lukewarm food. Ordered two latte, one OK, the other was half a latte and half a glass cup of froth, with very little to drink. Saturday - The menu linked to this Google site is not on offer. Full A la carte only. Get ready to pay for very little. Overpriced and under deliverd.

Not sure what the previous reviews are all about, I appreciate everyone have their own opinions but to slate the venue is truly unexplainable. I took my son for a catch up Sunday dinner and we were both really impressed. We were given a lovely table and was looked after very professionally. The food was absolutely stunning. The flavours, the combination and fusion twist to ingredients was outstanding. Worth every penny! Thank you Violet and the other front of house members for giving us a nice afternoon. Big thanks to the kitchen team for a fantastic meal.

If you have a dog, FORGET it. Shoved in a corner on an unset, crisp covered table. If you are out for a walk with muddy boots and a dog, this is NOT the place for you! Don't mind paying, but paid a lot for a small plate of nice but lukewarm food. Ordered two latte, one OK, the other was half a latte and half a glass cup of froth, with very little to drink. Saturday - The menu linked to Google site is not on offer. Full A la carte only. Get ready to pay for very little. Overpriced and under deliverd.

Lovely place as you walk in and we had a great cocktail however that’s where the good points stop. What’s happened to the place? The menu was bland with hardly any choice and the prices!!!!! I’m not tight as I eat in London a lot but thirty pounds for a rump! The starters were awful and sent back. Stone cold, burnt and not as described. Then the wait for mains was not acceptable. It was a good hour. The rump came with a teaspoon of celeriac and a little potato cake. We’ve eaten rump ;this cut several times and this was not value for money or worth the price. It was honestly dreadful and we won’t be returning. It’s really gone downhill. The staff didn’t know also what they were bringing out and that’s not good. We are regulars at the Blacksmiths in Clayworth and The Woodlark at Lambley. We thought that it would be up there with these two but it was nowhere near. Please sort it out and return to your previous menu and quality.

Initial impressions were good. The interior and decor were nice. Our starters and drinks came on generously sized plates, and the food was excellent. We then waited an hour for the main courses, having asked where they were, only to be served with the most dismal plate of food I can ever remember seeing. Yorkshire puds were soggy and hadn't expanded, and the beef and Kale were stone cold. The Roast potatoes looked poor, at 1000°C appeared to be microwaved. We walked out at this point, and the evening was ruined.

Great food and a lovely setting.

Excellent food and service. An utterly wonderful experience, thank you.

Just been for lunch with my friend and was served by Jordan who was the perfect host.. Had a fabulous experience and wonderful food. Definitely be back again.

Nice prawn tempura for appetizer. Very good fillet steak @£38 (!) Very good pie (mash potato was not especially hot) @£18 Excellent apple crumble which the chef made specifically as my wife is gluten and dairy intolerant. This is a fairly expensive restaurant but we had a nice meal. Great service and nice surroundings

Gastro pub dining at its best! Backed up with excellent service and wine list

One meal sent back chilli chicken was cold microwave rice just clumped together rice was same but warm next time ….other meals fillet steak and smash burger were good pub food …….

We celebrated our engagement party here a few days ago and couldn't have been happier. Everything from the service, to the food and drinks and the last minute stand in musician was unbelievable and we would highly recommend to anybody looking to celebrate a special day. We also wanted to say thank you to Maxine, who made the entire planning of the event seamless. The Head Chef Jack, and his team made the most stunning Asian inspired menu, whilst also catering for those in our group with severe allergies. 10/10 and cannot wait to return!

Booked a gazebo a week in advance for extra £75, asked several times that I want something special for my mum birthday and been given a table indoor, freezing cold, couldn’t even enjoy the food,paid and left disappointed.

What an interesting place. We had a Sunday roast outside which was really tasty. We arrived to loud thumping house music outside - We had to almost shout for conversation but the manager turned the volume down a little after I mentioned it. There's a mini village outside too for kids to play in.

Lovely Sunday lunch the food was excellent and service good only thing that put me off was a man ordered a glass of water for his dog and it drank from it off the bar whilst sat n a stool a dog should have a dog bowl not a glass people drink from

Nice ambience, dinner lovely other than the roasties needing a steak knife 🔪

Great place 1st time there and found it extremely good. It was great entertainment to listen to live music. Wow, it's been such a long time, I think Stav was the artist. Can you pass my thanks to him he was fab 👌. I'm definitely going again for food next time, too. Regards, Alan Davey.

Venue is nice but it was incredibly busy when we visited. There was barely room to get to our table. Unfortunately this had a negative effect on service, perhaps they were understaffed. We had an issue where our groups main courses came out 15 minutes apart (oddly the late dishes were salads), which meant that by the time we all had food, some mains were not at their best. This was disappointing as family groups want to eat together. The dishes we had were quite nice, but marred by the delayed service. To be fair, the host did recognize this and removed the discretionary service charge before we asked them to. The Old Vol seems very popular, and I would give it another go, but would not immediately rush back in summer. We will perhaps visit again when it is quieter.

Brilliant food and service. Kids play area is amazing.

As you drive up, the place looks immaculate and well presented. It sets a high expectation. Unfortunately, it doesn’t meet the hype. The service is so slow yet the place wasn’t busy. The food wasn’t great, none of our party finished their food. £17 for a salad that is mostly leaves isn’t great value. It was a Greek chicken salad, the chicken was dry and the plate was drowned in feta. I don’t think swatting flies during the meal helped, not that it was the restaurants fault. It just didn’t add to the experience! Would I go again? No

Disappointed with this place. Very nice setting but poor service and lack of communication. Some of the food was very good but some really wasn't. As this was a birthday lunch that made it worse. On arrival the restaurant wasn't busy. We waited far too long for our food. When I asked politely how long it would be, the waitress disappeared off to find out and bring some drinks we had ordered. She brought the drinks but said nothing about the wait. I then had to ask and was told it was 'beling plated up'. When it came via another server we mentioned again we had to wait rather a long time - he said, with absolutely no apology, we've only 2 chefs on today and the food is made fresh. Sorry but that's no excuse, don't take the bookings if you can't provide the food/service. There are so many better places locally - avoid this one.

Very impressive. Brilliant food complimented by attentive service and a warm, comfortable atmosphere. Will be very happily returning.

Brilliant place, would highly recommend. The service was faultless, the food was excellent and great value for the level of quality. I’ve been meaning to go for ages and wish I’d made the effort sooner!

We visited here for our Anniversary meal on a week night. Pictures we had seen looked lovely, its an hours drive for us but being a special ocassion we thought it was worth it…….WRONG!! Its terrible, we were put on a tiny table squashed behind another table and within 15 minutes this tiny corner we were in was full, chairs behind touching, we might as well of joined as a big table, flies everywhere also……food is average, zero flavour and not worth the price tag….. service was SHOCKING! We even saw people setting their own tables and joking staff are too busy, waitress was dull, bored look on her face and too busy to check things were Ok…. they weren’t…… We ate, quickly paid and sat outside for a drink trying to make the evening better……. garden is ‘nice’ but not like the pictures look. We left before finishing. Overall very disappointed, it ruined a special night and we spent more time driving than actually being there. Will we return, absolutely not!

Had a really nice day and enjoyed the live music and food. We enjoyed the beautiful garden which is really modern and tastefully done. The down side is the maitre d of the garden is pretty full on and behaves like he is running a private members club. He could do with being a bit more friendly rather than assuming we don’t have a booking and making us feel judged. The food was great but it’s not as good as it use to be. Slightly disappointed that the Yorkshire pudding no longer had the pulled beef in it, which made their Sunday lunch stand out from the crowd. Overall a great experience, this was my 5th visit to the old vol and I will continue to pay visits but more so now because of the beautiful garden, whereby previously it was for the food and service which has lost its flare slightly.

We had much looked forward to visiting the Old Vol having had some great recommendations but were disappointed, largely due to poor service. The serving staff were not particularly friendly and seemed quite disinterested, although I appreciate, in fairness, that it was busy outside but not inside where we had booked a table. There was a considerable gap between our starters and main courses which was fine but then the 4 hot main courses and 2 hot sides came out with no sign of the 2 cold main courses. After about 5 minutes we queried this and a member of staff went into the kitchen to chase them and came back, walking past our table, with no comment. A further 5 minutes passed and we raised it again and were told they were on the way and a few minutes later they eventually came. I really don't understand why the staff member didn't at least apologise and explain they were on the way after the first request. The food was good overall, although we ended up with slightly cold mains due to the wait. No finger bowls or wipes for the crevettes which I would have expected. When we paid the bill with someone who looked like a manager we were asked if everything was OK and did raise the wait for the salads. He quickly offered to remove the added service charge stating "yes, I noticed you were waiting ". Again disappointing he didn't do anything about it or even speak to us at the time. Overall good food but disinterested service.

Very good food,but extremely pricey

We went on a Monday night so it was quiet but the food was fantastic! Really tasty, the salad came with fries , let's face it if you're having a salad you want a little treat, great idea more places should do this. The chicken with curry sauce was just absolutely delicious and i'd struggle to know what to have next time to be honest! Will definitely return as great value for money.

Sadly we had a terrible evening here. I would say the setting is great and the kids area is fab. We chose to return for a birthday this week having celebrated an important birthday here a year ago. Really wish we hadn’t. Not one of the servers smiled or was welcoming. We felt uncared for from start to the end of our meal. The QR code on the table didn’t work when we tried to order drinks from it. We had to go to the bar rather than be served at the table. We were not given enough cutlery. The outdoor menu is poor. It had 1 meat choice, a burger, which they had run out of at 1920, a couple of chicken salads, branded boring by the 2 who had them, a fish salad (which was reported as very good), and fish and chips with dried mushy peas and non tasty fish with the skin on and served upside down. To be fair my starter of chicken liver parfait was very tasty. The fact that we had waited almost 90mins for our second course meant the we became cold as we had booked outside at 1900 and then had to eat quickly so the food was hot. We had to prompt that we hadn’t had it!? One of our party has an allergy which we declared and later in the evening had a reaction presumably to something in her meal. Our empty drink glasses were never cleared so 3 rounds for 7 people started to make the table cramped. Having finished the mains and got cold we asked if we could try a pod and kindly the server said yes. We asked if we could eat a cake we had brought for the birthday and I think there was some realisation we were not having a good time as it returned with sparklers which was great and brightened the atmosphere. I acknowledge we were spontaneously given a discount “for the inconvenience” which was a kind gesture and perhaps stupidly we didn’t deduct the automatic service charge as there were 7 of us but really the service wasn’t worth it and I’d prefer to have had a good night celebrating a birthday and pay the full amount. We have been before (a year ago to the day) and had a lovely time and felt very welcome, noting it was much less busy and slightly cooler. The food then was delicious and there was a huge choice outside. I think would be good to revisit this in place of the small menu which we didn’t even have full choice of. Personally I worry this place has built itself up super quickly and hope it doesn’t deteriorate quickly cos it definitely could be great.

Food average,service poor, drinks expensive but nice atmosphere

Beautiful surroundings, excellent service and outstanding food. Catered really easily for gluten free and vegan guests, which is often not the case with pubs. Will definitely be returning 👍🏻

Went last night with another couple and both said we will not be going back. The staff acted like they couldn’t care less. Ordered a drink and told them it’s taken so long to come I need to cancel it now to which one staff member just said ‘oh’ and walked off. No apology. My main issue to which I brought up there on the night to a waitress who was lovely and she did apologise but said I needed to bring it up with the manager to which I said he couldn’t care less I already spoke to him and his attitude wasn’t great, we ordered kids brownies which came with a green crumb as it looked like biscuit crumbs. My husband was just about to give my 3 year old some ( he has a pistachio allergy ) so I checked the menu and no mention of nuts. I went and asked 2 members of staff ( one being the manager) if this was nuts, to which both said they didn’t know. The waitress then came back and confirmed it was. We were brought a new brownie. Then I noticed it had traces of green on the top. I asked the waiter if that was pistachio still as my son has a severe allergic reaction if he eats it, he couldn’t have looked less bothered. He just said he didn’t know the pistachio came out the fridge and then walked off!! It clearly did have pistachio on still and I wonder if they’d just been brushed off the first one as there were still little specs on the top! Either way it’s very dangerous to be serving it with specs of nuts or brushing them off. I then went inside to say how dangerous it was not stating that the brownie has nuts on. Explained it’s not about me trying to get money off, I don’t want this happening to anyone else, kept quite calm even though inside I was fuming at the incompetency, the waitress went to speak to the manager about it. Not once did he come over, and apologise. Infact we waited half an hour for someone to take the bill, he walked past the table, knew I had come twice to speak to someone about nuts and said nothing and we still got charged for the brownie. If the manager had come over and spoken to us about it and apologised we’d have been okay about it and I wouldn’t have left a review: but the way it was handled and the way multiple members of staff were so rude and nonchalant about something so serious ourselves and the couple we were with both have said we will not be going back. The attitude with the missing drink was bad enough but when my kids life is potentially put at risk and just shrugged off and then served nuts again after stating it’s an allergy and no one comes back to speak to us, is not acceptable. Also just to add another disappointment- the dairy free alternative margherita pizza which I found out last night is just bread and tomato sauce! That wasn’t made clear and I assumed I’d be getting a dairy free cheese alternative, but just a piece of bread. I felt that should have been made clear rather that saying (dfa).

One of the best places with the best food and drinks with wonderful service everyone is so happy and polite. Definitely coming back.

I really love the garden in the old vol, beautiful settings and overall the food and drinks are nice. I feel that it is let down by the service though. My friend paid £75 to hire one of the gazebos - which isn’t redeemable and they then add a 10% service charge to the final bill. The fact they charged £75 to hire and then add 10% service charge I expect the service to be much better than what we received. I constantly had to search the garden and shout across the garden when I needed a waiter or waitress. The table wasn’t cleared once (apart from our dinner plates where nobody asked if we enjoyed our food) and we were there for 4 hours. The table was full of empty glasses which was attracting flies. Also in general most of the staff just don’t seem very happy to be there (apart from the guys behind the outside bar who were lovely). Usually when making a booking and make them aware it’s for a special occasion, these type of venues provide a small complimentary happy birthday gesture - however this isn’t the case with the old vol. I think that the hire charge for the gazebo should be redeemable or at least 50% off the charge. Overall I do really like the old vol and will go back, but these are just some of the thoughts that me and my friends all had after our visit today.

THE TWO BENs: This was my first visit ever after a recommendation from my girlfriend, as she had visited this place a few times before and couldn’t recommend how good the food was..❤️ Unfortunately, much to my dismay, we were greeted by Ben (the manager, I assume) who appeared very abrupt, and when trying to catch his attention to ask a simple question regarding our booking he wasn’t helpful at all (perhaps feeling a bit under pressure as he was in charge of the outdoor restaurant and you never know what else is going on).. THEN, thankfully, our night flourished after we approached the other Ben for help, BEN C. (the most lovely and smiley waiter), who managed to turn our whole experience around with his excellent customer service and welcoming smile 😊 Thank you again Ben C. - If I were the General Manager of the place I would re-consider immediately to send Ben (the manager) to wash dishes instead of being on the front of house ruining customers experiences with his attitude and promote BEN C. instead. AGAIN, just to be clear: Ben C. - the waiter - BEST EVER Ben ?xyz? - the manager - To work on his customer care

Real ale is not great. Someone needs some training. Not coming back. Sorry

disappointing... service at the bar painfully slow...understaffed... not remotely friendly.. ran out of wine glasses on a Wednesday night at 7.30....several uncleared tables... food good but all the decor is a facade ... not what we had hoped for on an anniversary....

Great food. Lovely surroundings, attentive staff. The only disappointment was they wanted to charge us £50 to have our dinner in one of the Pods out in the garden !.. We wasn't charged this last year. (not justifiable in our opinion)

We have always loved going to the Old Vol, however… myself, my parter and 1 year old went for Sunday lunch and we was sat in the garden outside as it was nice weather. However, as we all know, English weather can be unpredictable, and the heavens opened! Our food had only just been served when it started heavily raining… my partner asked if we could be moved to one of the pods (after being told the restaurant was full inside) - can I add, the pods were empty, but we was told no. So our food was ruined by the rain, and 1 year old upset as she was soaked! We had no choice but to leave as we couldn’t sit outside with a 1 year old child in the rain, and as they did not want to let us sit in a pod for 15 minutes to finish our food! When we paid, we was greeted with a service charge!! Our plates were still full (and our roast now swimming in rain water) completely ridiculous we were not able to finish our food in the dry (especially with a young one who was clearly upset) also… the entire restaurant (bar 2 tables) was empty!!! I understand no one can control the weather… but we expect to be able to eat our food in the dry… the restaurant had PLENTY of empty tables. Since this, I have emailed the restaurant, but a week later I have not received a reply. Disappointing experience, even more disappointing response from the Old Vol. Puts us off going back.

Was recommended this by friends as they found it brilliant. Upon arrival wasn’t greeted professionally, there you go. Football was on out side very busy and nice to see people enjoying Waitress had slight chip on her shoulder bit offish. Ordered green and black olives for the table only green arrived ha, main meals were only just average, mine not brilliant edible though, this is supposed to be Al a carte, far short of that. Carpet area where we sat food on the floor , mucky mirror, not acceptable. Didn’t bother with sweet due to the above. When bill came had a 10% service charge added £16, asked for it to be removed as didn’t think we received any. Such a shame as looks like the business has massive potential, very disappointed need to up your game Old Vol

This is maybe our 6th or 7th visit to the Old Vol. it has always been good with imaginative food and delightful staff. Today however a couple of things annoyed. We ordered some olives as a prestarter and they never turned up ……but were on the bill. The croutons which came with the Caesar salad were like cannonballs. Inedible and plentiful which ruined two of the five meals. Although it sounds somewhat trivial, the issue is that when mentioning this, there was no apology and no effort to respond. Staff are trained to ask if all was good with the food….but don’t seem to have the wherewithal to deal with a small but significant complaint. Left feeling that whilst the food is overall good albeit on the expensive side, no one cares to deal with an issue which ruined two of the five meals.

First time we have visited this restaurant, we booked a table and on the first impression it looked lovely, we chose a starter and main course, when the starter come it was fairly nice but nothing spectacular, we ordered the chateaubriand at a cost of £85 which was for 2 people which celebrating a special occasion we accepted; when the main meal come out it was slightly disappointing the chips where like very standard frozen oven chips from Iceland and the steak was very basic, I’ve had a lot better for a lot less; the most disappointing bit of the night was the very basic trained staff, not once through the night did we get asked if the meal was cooked fine or to satisfaction ,! When the staff come to collect the dishes they just said have you finished!!!! And to add insult to the poor staffing they automatically added a 10% sevice charge to the bill which I have no problem leaving a tip if it’s up decent standard which this obviously wasn’t, It was such a shame as it looks like the owners have spent a lot of money on the restaurant but not spent the money on the staff training.

Great beer and food! The only problem was unlevel tables! The tables were that bad item's nearly fell on the floor.

Looked a good place for an early evening meal while travelling yesterday, menu looked good and reviews generally good so decided to stop and eat, what a waste of time. Walked from car park into the outside eating area, looked nice, staff member in bar cabin said we needed to go into restaurant for a proper welcome! Went to bar only to be ignored for several minutes while staff chatted to group of customers, if this is a real welcome then I wouldn't want them to be unwelcoming. Asked if we could have a meal outside, was advised that outside had a reduced menu, fair enough, the reduced menu was.......Pizza. Decided to look elsewhere, had a great meal from the full menu in a nice beer garden at the Springfield Inn a couple of miles away. If I could give no stars I would. Don't think we will bother visiting next time we pass which is a regular thing. You can't ensure that people will return but they made sure we will not return!

Very disappointed. Bought some friends along to show how nice the place is outside the back. But then found out their are charges as to where you can and can't sit. So we were told we would not be allowed to sit in a pod as there is a £75 fee. There is an outside kitchen, but the menu is limited compared to the food menu inside. Overall a lovely atmosphere and a place with beautiful views, but too many rules and regulations in place for the seating and tables. No TV screens outside. Felt a bit too posh.

Every thing was great although the seafood salad is on the small side.

Beautiful setting and lovely outdoor venue, unfortunately though there was a few mistakes that has tainted our visit. 1. We decided which pizza to have but when it came to order half the pizzas we wanted weren’t available as apparently we were given the wrong menus. 2. 1 portion of chips didn’t arrive 3. Went to the bar to order 2 cocktails for £16 the barman then tried to charge us £20 4. After we paid the bill and all added at least £1 extra the waiter then came over and said we still owed £4. After getting the itemised bill the chips were more expensive than they were on the menu as were the pizzas. The excuse we got was that there’s a different price for indoor and outdoor, which is ridiculous. There’s a lot of young people that work here and I don’t know if these are genuine mistakes or incompetence. The overriding feeling I got was that they were trying to charge us more money and hope we didn’t notice. It really is a lovely venue and a fantastic place to drink in the summer, these misdemeanours have soured my experience though and stopped it from being a 5 star experience.

We had waited to go as we wanted to enjoy a really nice Sunday roast. The weather was good and we wanted to try this place out. Seems we missed when it was good? We could only book for 5.45pm which was fine and when we got there we understood why. Both car parks were full and the place was busy. Nice welcome. By what looked like a manager. Not enough menus and one napkin missing but you can figure that. First drink was served in a none branded moretti glass which wouldn’t be a big deal but the glass had no surger at the bottom so the beer was flat and no head at all. We ordered olives and bread and they were great. Service was slow and if you have been you will know that in the summer it is busy but inside was quiet and we didn’t think it needed to be as slow as it was. Ordered the food after a bit of a wait. Starters came and were good but probably not worth the price. Now this is where the disappointment kicks in even more. We waited a good 45 minutes for our main maybe even longer. No management came to speak to us to explain. We questioned the time and were told it was next to be plated. Another 20 mins at least and we got our mains. Everything on the plate was ok. But you don’t want just ok when you’re paying nearly £30 for a roast? No apology and they still tried to charge the 10% service charge. Thank god that’s not our local. I heard that the owners live locally and brought it to make a nice local well money can buy you a lot of things but it can’t buy you class. Good luck but maybe you need to look at your formula again very disappointed

Food was brilliant, well worth the visit. Sat outside for the Father’s Day menu, love atmosphere, nice and modern and plenty for the kids to do!

Wonderful lunch today, great service and fabulous atmosphere. We sat outside in the sunshine listening to the singer. Brilliant childrens area for our 1yr granddaughter she loved the ice cream van , thank you 😀

Me and my friend from America loved this pub I will be definitely coming back soon

Celebration of my sons 40th birthday was lovely surroundings well impressed with the outside area and play area for the children thank you to all the staff

First time here. Great pub with an awesome outdoor dining area. Lovely food and great atmosphere

Took our first trip to the Vol a couple of weeks back after seeing a number of social media posts about it and wanting to try somewhere new to celebrate a family occasion. Given such short notice and there was no way we could get a table booked for inside (shows how popular), but outside we managed to secure a table. And it was great, service wasn’t super fast but it was so so busy this can be forgiven. Our food order came pretty quickly and all was fantastic, cannot complain. We’ll be going again and booking in plenty of notice to try out the menu indoors, all in all a great visit.