Woodman's Rest Pub in Solihull

On Sunday 11 August, myself and a friend thoroughly enjoyed lunch here. We had not tried the Sunday lunch at the Woodmans Rest before; and the food and service we received was exemplary. It was great value for money, and the beef rib was superb – and I would definitely recommend it to any beef lover – it was the best I’ve ever had. The accompanying vegetables and roasties were also full of flavour and cooked perfectly. My friend had the gammon, which was also faultless. We had three courses, which were brought quickly, and the tables likewise were cleared between courses. I would also like to thank Keeley and Orla for their friendly and efficient service. The manager has a great team, and it was a nice way to have a convivial Sunday afternoon, and to feed my face at the same time. Thanks Woodmans…..can’t wait to try more of that beef.

Please don't be fooled by the kids can eat for £1 offer as it is a con We ended up paying nearly as much as we would have done without an offer .We were charged full price for J2Os &for desserts which you wouldn't be if you had the standard 2 course meal fof kids

Just had lunch with the family at the Woodman. We eat here regularly and have never been disappointed. The food is always excellent and the Staff are brilliant, particularly Andy, Chris and Kelly, always going above and beyond to make sure we have a pleasureable experience. The ambiance in the winter months with the log burner fires make it an ideal setting. They also have a rewards bonus system in place that enables you to get free drinks, meals etc. The large car park at the rear makes it a hassle free visit. What more do you need!

The staff were really friendly and we felt very comfortable here. Keeley was a member of staff who had served our food. She was very polite, and attentive and despite not having what I wanted on the menu, they allowed me to swap to a more expensive meal free of charge. We will come back again :)

Really great food and service , lovely atmosphere. Highly recommend . We all met up prior to our best friends funeral and although it was a sad reason we had a really lovely experience.

Ordered food via Justeat. Asked for sirloin steak medium rare, it was well done and at one end it was burnt. The other steak mentioned comes with peas onion rings etc. As I'm gluten intolerant and intolerant to onion and garlic I thought I was safe with the sirloin as no veg or sides were mentioned. However there was veg (fine) but there was Battered onions which is gluten and.......onion. overall my meal was disappointing and it may affect my condition. I will not order from this establishment again due to their carelessness and not knowing how to correctly cook steak.

Visited her with the family. Food was beautiful and was better than several other local ember inns that we have tried. Great food and service. Would recommend

Had a couple of lunchtime meals here over the last 12 months, which were both ok, so all over my social media feed it came up about their Mothering Sunday roast dinners, so we arranged a get together and booked for 18.30 on Mothers Day for this wonderful looking roast with Cauliflower cheese, a deposit was paid to secure the booking. When we arrived, my brother was already sat at a table for 4, with our other allocated table directly behind it with diners still sat eating at it. The bar staff quickly put a table together for us, to accommodate us all together (8). Thank you. We went to the bar, got drinks and sat to choose from the menu, the table adjacent to ours was being served burgers and bar food, i caught the eye of the waitress and she came over, i asked for the Mothering Sunday menu for the the roasts, she replied with no apology at all that they were sold out! I explained that we had booked there for their promoted Roast, she retorted that they had been busy and were sold out and walked off. I feel that it is very poor to book for the promoted roast, on a special day to get that response. Surely the restaurant were aware of how many covers they had for that day for Mothering Sunday. We decided to stay and order anyway as the chances of getting in somewhere else was slim, and time was getting on. We ordered starters, which came out at stages, then luckily the mains all came out more timely together. The food was the usual standard we had experienced for a weekday lunch. There was a long delay, we sat, no one came back to us to offer us a pudding or refill drinks, so we got up and left.

We had a family meal at the woodman we had Sunday lunch and it was so lovely all the family enjoyed it would definitely recommend

A very pleasant weekday lunchtime with friends enjoyed the catch up with excellent food and with lovely service the spacious lounge with the log burner fires made an ideal ambience and with a reward bonus perfect Well worth a visit

Came to the Woodman’s Rest in Shirley earlier this Saturday evening to have a sit down meal, in which we had 2 Beef ribs and a Gammon. The beef rib was cooked to perfection, so a round of applause to the chef, and the gammon was succulent and cooked just right, the eggs were perfectly cooked so must be the chef’s fortè and was all round an enjoyable meal, and very well eaten. Would highly recommend the Woodman’s for food and will certainly be returning!

This pub has become my local for quality pub food , i have to make a journey to get there but well worth the travel an, cant ask for more d effort, good food great atmosphere and well run kitchens and efficient staff , highly recommend as great value for money, well done as always guys

Nice food but seating not very good and Manager isn't very sociable can come over as a bit abrupt,staff very friendly and helpful.

Went to do the Christmas quiz and have dinner. The pub was buzzing with atmosphere and jam packed. The staff were all working incredibly hard. Had the shepards pie and it was beautiful. The rest of my party all said their food was beautiful too. Would recommend to anyone

We visit this pub on a regular basis and are never disappointed. In general we don’t eat we meet friends to have a few drinks and socialise and the service and atmosphere is fabulous. The other evening we decided to pop in for food and were extremely impressed . The service and all the staff as we have come to expect were great , very friendly and very helpful. The food was amazing , I had the shepherds pie and my partner had the mixed grill. The meals were hot , plentiful and delicious , nothing at all we could fault . Keep up the good work Chris and the team .

Me and my family all had different meals which were fantastic. The staff at the woodmans are very friendly and helpful . It’s a very warm and inviting atmosphere I would recommend the woodmans to all my friends and family. Keep up the good work guys.

I have been eating here for 24 years and wouldn’t go anywhere else. I’ve never had a bad meal, every time I go it’s excellent, and tonight did not disappoint. Had the Festive menu, the Christmas Turkey meal was fantastic. Staff as helpful and friendly as always. This pub is managed particularly well, which is what makes it such a success. Lovely and warm too.

Booked a table on a Saturday night for 5 people for a birthday meal. Even though the pub was very busy we were served drinks promptly at the bar. We found our seats and ordered food at the table using the app and didn't have to wait long for our meals to arrive. All our meals were cooked perfectly and nice and hot (including the plates, which our server advised us of). We then had desserts which were delicious and huge portions. We will definitely be visiting again very soon.

We attended with family for a birthday meal. The food and the service were fantastic. There was also a great selection of cask ales.

Came for a birthday meal with the family, we were generously accommodated for by the manager Chris, finding us a table even with it being a busy Saturday night and we booked last minute. Menu choice was great, huge variety to pick from. When ordering at the bar, staff were knowledgeable about the menu choices and even checked if anyone had any allergies. Once we ordered, starters arrived promptly and were great quality, presentation and temperature. The mains followed shortly and we couldn't fault them. Portion sizes generous, food tasted fresh and well cooked, and plates nice and warm. With it being a special occasion, we obviously couldn't resist trying out the pudding menu too. We ordered sundaes, which arrived quickly and were also great. Throughout our courses, staff frequently checked how things were and if there was anything else they could get for us. Overall, atmosphere was great (loved the Christmas lights and lit open fire), staff friendly and helpful, and management team were visibly present and around the bar and restaurant floor, checking in with guests and helping out the staff. Thank you for a lovely evening, will definitely be returning soon!

We booked the Woodies for a family party and it was amazing! Great food and great service. They had a singer on in the evening who was amazing and we had a great afternoon/evening in the woodies.

I wrote a very similar review to this a couple of years ago and nothing has changed... I went with family for Sunday lunch. We arrived 12:30 and the pub appeared almost full. They had two people working behind the bar taking orders (a third did appear later) and two people serving food. They staff on duty were doing their best, and the dealings we had with them were fine, but there are clearly insufficient staff on duty to service the number of customers and this inevitably lead to overall poor levels of service to the point I dont think we would visit here again for Sunday lunch. I had the Sunday roast, which was nice enough but could have been warmer.

Eaten at this location many times , safe good value venue consistent good food at fair prices and a nice warm fire what more could you want, highly recommend, cant fault for the price good chef

My family and I visited the Woodman’s Rest on Thursday to celebrate a family birthday, there were 13 of us. We contacted the manager earlier in the week to book a large table, which was arranged and reserved for us on the night. It was an exceptionally busy evening as there was a promotion on, however all meals came out in a timely manner and all food was piping hot. The staff were friendly and attentive, as always. We enjoyed various meals, including; Hunters chicken, steak/chips (all steaks were cooked as requested), chicken and mushroom pie, the dipping burger, to name just a few. We can highly recommend The Woodman’s Rest as a lovely pub to celebrate a birthday meal.

Great pub and when beer is available it is fantastic. Lovely varander outside, only issue is NO dogs allowed. Safe place to drink, friendly staff and clean surroundings. Thank you Rich W

We had planned to go somewhere else further away but we didn't fancy the drive. We'd been here before so knew it was a decent place with good pub grub but not setting the world on fire. This time I went with my wife and 4 year old son and was really impressed, lots more than I was my last visit. The atmosphere was friendly, the bar staff were welcoming and took their time with orders. The food (french dipping burger) was the best burger I've eaten in years. Toilets were clean (a rarity nowadays). Food, staff, environment and clientele are top notch!

Very fast service great atmosphere and good food. Second very good experience here. Nice friendly staff. Highly recommended

Good place to go for a meal with friends ,second visit as good as the first good service freindly staff good food

Elvis was in the building. What a great night we had with Mark Green performance as Elvis. Fantastic atmosphere everyone up dancing and singing along.

My friend and I enjoyed another lovely meal at The Woodman's Rest. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals -I had the curry which was served with rice and a small nann bread and my friend opted for the chicken and avocado salad with a side order of chips. We tend to go on Thursdays as there's an offer on the Ember Inns app, whereby you can enjoy a bottle of wine (from a selection) for £12. The staff at The Woodman's Rest are always exceptionally friendly and helpful.

It’s not often these days to find a warm welcome, attentive service, good food and atmosphere, all in one place. A truly exceptional experience, thanks to Angie - the waitress - and other members of staff. Great teamwork!

Terrible Sunday lunch. Frozen vegetables still frozen in the middle, pigs in blankets hard as bullets and meat poor quality. Never again. I suppose you get what you pay for.

Visited here on Sunday after refurbished. First hit by a smell of wet paint but I supposed couldn't be helped . After finding our table, ordered at bar. Food came quickly. Ordered beef dinner. Veg rubbery, Yorkshire stone cold in middle, beef very dry , and roasted parsnips and potatoes barely roasted but gravy lovely. Finished meal and this was the bigger problem. pudding was ordered on arrival with meal and we waited and waited. Yes they were busy but after getting the attention of the waitress , pudding served and I did mention the wait, but the waitress didn't even apologize, she jumped down my throat saying what time i ate dinner was served and how long I waited.

Visited with my elderly parents for lunch. Although the dining area was a little cramped, the service from the bar and waiting staff was brilliant. The food was very good, and delivered promptly, piping hot. Will visit again.

This is a lovely family pub that goes back to the roots of a welcoming pub lovely atmosphere and great food Staff make you feel welcome come rain or shine and the food is always very consistently good

Have been here 3x for a Sunday roast the staff are really helpful, especially the lady who's husband has a favourite chair in the bear garden. My mom and mother in law are hard to please but both think this is one of the best...

Went on a Sunday night for the live entertainment with friends and had a great time. Singer was good and a great atmosphere as it was very busy although we were still able to get served quickly as the staff were really good. Will be...

Lovely Sunday lunch with friendly service. Atlantic ale very good. Nice seating area outside. Will definitely be returning.

Always great to have a catch with my friends here, great run establishment and friendly staff. Great selection of ales and draughts

Lovely little pub the service is always great and a great beer selection too (camden hells is the best) we go a couple times a week and never had an issue

Food and service was fantastic. Our food came out in good time and was very tasty. The staff can not do enough to help and really care about the customers. We will definitely be returning.

The Woodman’s Rest Pub was my local pub for many years, and I started going back there recently, after a refurbishment at the end of last year. It’s a great place to go for some relaxed drinks or a meal. There has always been a...

Not been here for a while thought I would try out another ember inn.. Not impressed.. Staff would not even try to accommodate us in the restaurant side so had to sit in the bar area. Told us there was a 45 min wait for...

Great spot lovely beers great value clean tidy well turned out staff lead by Chris and Rachael I couldn't name a better bar

Although the service was good, the food was very bland and the group of young men on the next table were very loud and ruined the atmosphere of this usually pleasant pub. The young woman serving was disrespected by the young men. We checked on...

Weve visted the Woodmans a few times now and although in 2022 the food and service could have been better, theyve really upped their game lately. The staff are always very friendly and attentive, the new refurb gives the place a much nicer feel and...

Arrived to a not very busy pub and tried to order the Sunday Roast only to be told at the bar that they had none left. After spending some time pursuing the menu we ordered two Buttermilk Chicken Burgers. The food arrived at our table...

Called into the Woodmans Rest on Saturday lunch time we had our favourite meal Hunters chicken nicely prepared and presented lovely friendly staff. Well worth visiting

got there at 12 when it opened Service was so slow - there over 2 hours . We had prebooked and given orders of food over a week in advance, for a table of 16 . Only 5 starters ordered and they came out over...

Thursday 26th January 2023 @ 7pm Bar service was friendly and efficient, pub refurb is love & fires make it very warm and cosy. Food? Having eaten here for over ten years the whole meal was a disappointment. Prawn cocktail was small ,lemon slice was...

Thought we'd try again for lunch midweek following a refurbishment and yes its lighter/brighter and has a lovely atmosphere now. The fires were lit on a coldish day. Our issue was that the food wasn't great. We had ordered the haddock which previously was tasty...

My wife & 2 friends visited pub following recent refurbishment early evening on 9th January 2023 . Ordered 3 haddock & chips . When we received the order the batter was overcooked & parts of fish very dry .The chips weren’t very nice not up...

Service was great, the waitress was super helpfull. Food Was pretty disappointing , when I ordered My Berry mess as a pudding , it was supposed to have 'melt in the mouth meringue' But where the hell was the meringue?? All i got was ice...

We heard they had a refurbished so went along to see and what a great pub. Friendly and welcoming staff great service and good selection of cask ales. My partner was very happy as they stock loads of different gins.

We were a party of 11 who booked a Christmas meal on 17 Dec. Half the party were there, with drinks, when we (the second part of the party) arrived. We sat for 10 mins or so without anyone coming to serve drinks. So I...

We were really looking forward to a family meal here after the refurb, have been using the Woodmans for nearly 40 years now but will not come again. We waited over an hour after ordering and the meals had still not arrived. Then told 3...

Great pub with great service. We went for a quick bite to eat and stayed all night long due to great service and atmosphere.

The food was really really nice. Only issue is the odd ID rules - one of the staff members served me to alcohol, then when I revisited the bar to order food I was refused service as I couldn’t be served to anything over the...

Surprisingly wasn’t busy for a Saturday Afternoon. The service was quick, the staff were very friendly and the drinks were good, especially the tea. However, the food was only mediocre, we could tell the bread on the sandwich was frozen before it was served and...

Worse meal ever and poor customer service. Med rare steak which arrived chargrilled not even knife was cutting through it. Had t leave table and look for staff. 1 hour later had to look for refund. Won’t be rushing back

I've been coming here on and off for about 14 years and have rarely been disappointed. Nice atmosphere, clean, friendly staff and decent grub. Last time I went I had katsu curry for the first time and thought it was awesome.

Came with some friends on a Tuesday lunchtime and surprised how quiet it was, just a few couples here and there. Food order taken at bar by a young man who obviously didn't want to be there as not very welcoming. Food arrived shortly after...

We visited the Woodmans Rest on a last minute decision for some food. We haven’t been in a long time so it was nice to return. Service still fantastic and efficient. Always feels cosy when you visit. Very calm and chilled sunday atmosphere. I had...

We had a lovely meal and a few drinks. Food and service were excellent. Verity served our food and checked everything was ok.

We arranged for a family get together to celebrate my wife’s birthday. The service was excellent and they reserved and area of the pub so we could all sit together. We had a buffet and the food was excellent. Finally able to feel things are...

Not usual good meal at woodmans rest. One starter was served. Had to request second on waited 30 mins. Main meal disappointing. Fries dry. Burger bun over toasted. Won't rush back.

Service very poor, kept waiting at the bar while regular customers were served before us. We we there to attend a wake, there was about 25 people and only one person behind the bar. No organisation of the food service, no table had been prepared...

Came in for some food with friends. Very large variety of meals avaliable. Ordered at bar and was served by the assistant manager, she was very helpful and had excellent customer service skills. The food was lovely and arrived very quickly.we were asked if our...

We decided to pop into the Woodman's for a quick pub lunch on our way out shopping. We were able to find a lovely table straight away and our order was taken promptly at the bar as soon as we were ready. New assistant manager...

Great service as always. Went in for a couple of beers and ended up staying most the evening. Really good atmosphere and friendly staff.

Always been great staff here but the new addition, Rachel follows the trend well. Very helpful and obviously not scared to get her hands dirty

We visited the Woodman's Rest on a busy Saturday evening. We were sat at a table and promptly greeted by a server to ask if we were okay using the app, or we could order at the bar if we wanted to. We chose to...

My family and I are staying in Birmingham to attend my brothers funeral. We thought it would be lovely to go for dinner the night before and having visited the woodland rest in the past and really enjoyed it it was an obvious choice. How...

Great friendly atmosphere good selection of cask ales. Excellent service by all the staff. Very helpful.

A disappointment, had to send one meal back as it was cold. It was returned cooked and much hotter/fresher. Nobody came to check if it was improved, no cutlery on the table (asked for some and had to wait a significant time before we could...

My family and I like going to to the woodman's rest. But was disappointed with our meal on Sunday. I ordered scampi and my husband and son had burgers all was meant to be served with chips. Lucky we did order extra sides of chips...

Part of Ember Inns. Good parking. Lovely pint of Doom Bar to start. Bottle of Autralian Merlot excellent and not expensive. Waitress Angela was great fun & looked after us well. My chicken karaage v good. Pate was fine. My gammon steak w double fried...

Visited this venue for a quick family drink, to celebrate significant double birthdays before the final covid restrictions were lifted. Was unable to complete the transaction via their app, so asked the manager (who should be setting the standards) if I could order directly through...

After a very bad experience with the 'Olton Tavern' that we initially booked, we phoned the Woodman to see if my grandparents, mother, brother and I could get a table at short notice, and we were able to. We got there, the waiter showed us...

Called in recently for a quick lunch and a couple of beers. Only had a sandwich, but it was a meal in itself. We were served by Kelly, who told us that James M had prepared the sandwich. We know the staff well, and had...

It’s been over a year and it was well worth the wait took my partner and dad and we enjoyed a lovely meal ordering on the app was so easy and the food came so quickly we were very impressed.

I can only say I went for and drinks and it was well worth it food was perfect seriously table service was at first a little bit slow at first but still the staff were really good to adress that the food was really good...

Booked a table for Wednesday 3.11.2020 before lockdown on the app turned up to be told they had no food asked why nobody let us know the person was rude saying they had rung or messaged us but we had no message or call from...

Had a lovely few hours , staff are always very friendly, warm & welcoming . Well organised within covid situation , nice to see an establishment with a positive & controlled approach durin these sad times . food was excellent as always , james was...

Stale bread, prawns tasteless, no butter and very little rose marie sauce, crips also stale. Very expensive for what you got. Staff very friendly though

Fish & Chips. Lovely wasn't it . Absolutely fantastic in fact served on a hot plate. A meal to relish and certainly enough to satisfy a hungry man. I shall return for round two at some point as the food was delicious. So well organised...

We visited Bank Holiday Monday and opted for the 3 crs Evening Meal Offer , it was busy, but we had pre Booked so getting a table wasn't a problem. Everything with our visit went smoothly .Was met with a warm welcome and shown to...

First time since lockdown and was really impressed by the staff and service everything was made very clear food was quick being a bank holiday plus it was great to get money off.

Dry over cooked chips and tasteless chicken burger. Efficient staff and polite and helpful! Just food was very disappointing !

1st time visited after lockdown. Staff very efficient and rules explained on arrival, tables sanitized before we were seated. Mix grills were lovely and not too long to wait for food to arrive. Overall a very pleasant evening. Thank you.

Great to get back after the lockdown. Well organised and friendly welcome back from Chris, James and team. Well done guys.

So nice to be back today. Not all about getting drunk as the press implies but about meeting up with friends and acquaintances. A bit wary of returning after 3 months as I'm sure most people are but it was a really nice visit. Felt...

Great pub, very friendly staff, I'm told the beer is well kept (the wine selection is good as well). Seems like a lot of locals use it

We booked a table for 7 people by phone on Sunday afternoon for dinner at 6.30. We ordered starters and main courses. The starters took a while to come out, my daughter had chicken wings and a couple were under cooked. The manager explained that...

Food was good, with a reasonable choice. Staff very helpful. Great atmosphere. Large car park, good access for disabled.

This is our favourite ember and with the ordering from your table it’s just excellent drinks came straight away then the meals which were tasty and hot.

Nice food. Smallish portions. Visiting from London. First time in this pub. Not sure if I would return. Prefer the Plumes. Better value

Good local pub, atmosphere helped by open fire, reasonable selection of ales. Scampi & chips ok, but portion control well to the fore. A desert spoon full of peas and not many more chips.

Ive been here several times over the last 12 months or so for dinner/ lunch. The most recent was for sunday lunch, where I attended with some of family. Generally, my experience here has generally been the same. Ive heard a couple of gripes from people I have been with about temperature of their meals, but what I have personally experienced has been very good. And well priced. The people serving do their best, but there simply isn't enough of them. This can lead to excessively long waiting times, both to be served and to get your table cleared. This is an issue which I regularly experience at other Ember Inns I sometimes visit for drinks. In respect of the Woodman, this is a pity, because it has actually put us off going again. I should say this is not a criticism of the staff who actually work there, but more of the people who think that the staffing numbers are sufficient.

As our family has grown through weddings and relocations lately, instead of cooking at home this year we booked a table at the woodmans rest as there were 13 of us. Having eaten out before on Christmas Day I had quite low expectations, but all 3 courses were served in a timely manner and at the right temperatures. And best of all each course was delicious! Loads of succulent turkey, cooked to perfection with all the trimmings. The staff were all brilliant too.I would certainly eat here again on Christmas Day, and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a reasonably priced Christmas meal. At only £50 per head for 3 courses it was great value and well worth it given the great experience we had.