I certainly agree with another reviewer regarding this pub's chequered history. Before the current…read moreowners, we used to lay bets on what would be off that night: memorably the fryers one night and the power on another. We decided to give it another chance one day, which turned out to be a good decision. We've been back twice in its new incarnation, once for lunch and once for dinner, and both times, it has been a good experience. Lunch was pretty reasonable, but dinner on the expensive side for what we had. Although we went to dinner more recently, it wasn't that memorable; I thought that lunch was much better. The Punchbowl is set in a nice location, there is a good conservatory on the side of the pub, and at lunchtime it can be quite laid back.

There are dog-friendly pubs and pubs that do not mind dogs. This is the former. We are not dog…read moreowners and perhaps would have avoided this place had we known in advance. However apart from the occasional ear piercing yelp we were pleased to spend our evening out dining here. The waitress was friendly and genuine with it, the food arrived in serious baskets which is quite a novelty without being pretentious. No complaints.

We reached the Tom O The Wood by canal on a narrowboat. Our route took us past many canal side pubs…read moreand you would be hard pressed to better the Tom! We were worried it would be too posh to allow dogs, but the initial modern gastro restaurant look & feel soon vanished! the truth was that CJ was greeted with a dog biscuit from a huge vase full at the door & was welcomed with open paws! The same welcome was afforded to the kids as well! The decor & furnishings was beautifully done, a lot of effort & time had been made to create a very smart pub/restaurant. Their fantastic menu was matched by a great selection of real ales & wines On our 120 mile trip, the Tom was possibly the nicest pub we found don't miss it, moor outside & check it out for yourselves!

Great pub, has a very traditional, cozy and casual feel to it, as if I could get a warm beverage…read moreand sit next to a fireplace...no idea if they have one or not but this is the feel I get from Boat Inn! Place is great for families as well as probably dates too and serves pretty good food, typical British pub food plus more. I enjoyed a vegetarian ravioli (delicious) but hesitated between a few other options, including the bass with risotto (colleague ordered) and the veggie burger (other colleague ordered)--both of which they said were quite good as well. Appetizers and desserts both looked great too, but none of us were interested in having more than the main course. Service was a bit all over the place (gave one of us the wrong drink, took a while to get the correct one and the waitress also forgot what one of our orders was but hey, didn't matter too much as it wasn't what I'd consider to be bad either) Hope to go back again at some point to try the other meals they have!

This is a nice cosy pub in Solihull. They have some good dark ales, no blondes ales :-(…read more. Good selection of lagers and other drinks. All the staff here are very friendly and welcoming. Good is great, make sure you check out the mushroom with pepper and Stilton sauce starter!

We turned up on spec,but they soon had us seated . The surroundings were lovely, and smart. We had…read moregreat service from a lovely lady who was knowledgeable and had good humour. Food was super- tasty and great quality Would definitely reccomend, especially for the specials nights. BB.

My favorite pub in the world…read more Excellent beers/ales, fantastic food and the location is awesome. Service is always nice.

This is a tough review for me to write because I am torn between two impressions. We came to this…read morepub after mooring our canal boat nearby with the plan to eat dinner and then watch the soccer World Cup final. The food was really nice, and so were the drinks (wine, beer, water, etc). Had the evening ended there this could have been a four star review. The problem started at the end of the dinner, after the game had gone on for a bit. I wasn't paying attention at first, because I could see the game at an awkward angle from our dinner table. Most of the rest of our fairly large group were sitting in the main room with the TV, which is also where the pub's manager was sitting. Apparently he got increasingly agitated about our group. Suddenly they were thrown out by the manager from the room with the TV, and even I noticed. I asked him what the problem was and he said they were taking up seats for the locals, and also not drinking enough. My message to him was that we had just racked up a 200+ pounds bill of food and drinks, but if he didn't want to have them sitting there without drinking more, we could certainly order some. The manager got visibly more and more agitated and started standing very close to me, almost chest bumping. His message was essentially that frankly he cared more for his locals than for outsiders like us. While I can sympathize with that, I think it's pretty clear to most pub owners and pub goers that he needs to cater to both. I can say with great confidence that we were great guests; aside from spending a lot of money in his pub, we were behaving well and not being very noisy. Pretty soon in our conversation the manager threatened to fetch the police, which was very odd, considering that I was being very polite and unthreatening. This is when we decided to pay the bill and leave, watching the remainder of the game on our boat. The manager followed us out and kept on talking, including various questions about where we're from. I thought that was odd but perhaps it was related to the racial comments I was only told later that several family members had heard the manager utter towards the only dark-skinned member of our group. I feel really sorry for the rest of the staff, who seemed as nice as any pub employees, and I cannot fault them for not interfering. Nevertheless I would prefer guests to avoid this pub until the owners have replaced the manager. I have never been treated more rudely anywhere, and the racial slur was unforgivable.

This is a lovely pub set in the countryside of Lapworth and is right by the canal…read more If you fancy eating there on a Sunday make sure you book as otherwise you will be disappointed! We were hoping to have a meal and were told they had stopped serving for the time being, until the rush had calmed down. We decided to stop and have a drink before setting off in search for food! The bar area is cosy and there is a open fire with an array of seating. The restaurant is situated on the other side of the bar, and appears to be cosy and light. The bar staff were friendly. Can't really comment much more as we only stopped for a swift half but would love to go back to sample the food and will update my review when we do.

This is a cracking little pub with a friendly barmaid to boot…read more I quite often stop off at this oldie worldie pub after a long walk and find it to be very cosy in the front room complete with log fire. The log fire is a highlight for me and the barmaid is excellent at ensuring there is plenty of fuel on the fire - very important! Lots of locals frequent this pub who are friendly and dogs are welcome too. The food menu is homely and traditional. There is a back room with more tables and chairs but where the log fire is I follow! A regular favourite any time of the year.

The Black Swan in Henley may not receive as much tourist trade as the other pubs in Henley as it is…read morethe last on the High Street. However, we made the effort to walk all the way to the end of the street and just before you fall back into the countryside there is a great pub. Inside the Black Swan is a tastefully decorated public house with nicely spaced out wooden tables. This is perfect for a quiet meal, the food is ok for the price. We popped in for an afternoon pint but ended up staying much longer. The bar man had nearly finished his shift but that didn't distract him from giving us a warm welcome. He nearly persuaded us to give the scrumpy cider a try but we opted for a larger and an ale. Outside there is a beer patio next to the pub or a small beer garden through the car park. I'd highly recommend this friendly pub if some of the other places in Henley are too posh or busy for your tastes.

The weather was fine so I took train to the gorgeous city of Henley-in-Arden to and made the most…read moreof it visiting some pubs of its high street. Although it is placed in the end of the street, Black Swan was my first choice of visit. This traditional pub and restaurant has a genuine welcome to guests. Its decor follow a very classic type of pub with wooden booths and carpet. It seems to attract an older clientele so this pub tends to be a quiet place but far from being a boring place to have some drinks or a meal. I have spotted a nice soundtrack in the background with the best of 60 music without being the usual hits. The average price of a pint is a beer not so much over £ 3 and their jacket potatoes are just delicious and costs only £ 3.95. Free WiFi is available and the staff is really friendly, inclusive coming to your table for taking orders. The lady who was serving us was pretty much busy indeed but offered the password of the Internet in the establishment with a pretty smile on her face. Black Swan is probably not the most popular pub in this famous high street but it's certainly the most pleasant one in the area.

Fantastic food, great specials board a really great British pub, sadly too few about nowread more

AMAZING!!! As far as I remember this place has won pub food…read moreof the year ever year since Ive lived in the area. Super tasty quality food, I noticed that on the menu it even tells you which farm the meat came from, or where the ice cream was made etc. The Greek Lamb and the Gammon are both brilliant. The portions are huge and I'm always left with enough food for another meal but save room for the Holly Bush sundae because you wont ever have a such a selection of tasty locally made ice cream :) The prices are great too, last time I went it was around 30quid for the 2 of us.

This place looks lovely and warm and cosy from the outside, exactly like a good old fashioned pub…read moreshould look. However, entering the pub, all the tables were labelled reserved, and the candles, décor and clientele was a little too upmarket for my liking. I persevered and continued to attempt to find a table that had not be reserved, but unfortunately could not. I was about to walk out, when a member of staff kindly offered to allow me and my friends to sit anywhere, and removed the reserve sign from the nearest seating area. In this instance, my initial liking for the Bluebell had been rekindled by the staff, who were very friendly and welcoming to the likes of a scruff such as me. Although I still felt a little too underdressed to fit into their sleek, modern designed interior, which was littered with bear skin rugs on the floor, curtains around doorways and potpourri scented toilets. Drinks prices were reasonable, which I found highly surprising, as I thought they would reflect the pub surroundings. I purchased a sailor jerry and cranberry juice for around £3, so nothing to complain about there. I found it very interesting that the Bluebell doesn't keep cranberry juice in cartons, but has small glass jars full of the fruit juice instead. I'd never seen anything like this before!

Betwixt Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon lies the sleepy town of Henley-in-Arden. It's 30 minutes…read moreby train from the city centre through glorious postcard perfect English countryside, and on a summery Saturday we headed there to try out a Michelin recommended pub - The Bluebell. They've been around a while, in fact the Tudor hostelry has been feeding and watering the public for half a millennium, so they've had plenty of practise. For the last decade owners Leigh and Duncan Taylor, and their head chef James Devonshire, have been offering food that has won plaudits including two AA rosettes, and he Good Food Guide Midlands Restaurant of the Year 2013. They offer coffee and cake from 10am, lunch from noon, and dinner from 6pm. Obviously there's an à la carte menu and they've also just launched a two course for £10 lunch club, available Tuesday to Saturday, noon till 2.30, and that's what we went to sample. The restaurant and bar are intimate spaces with low Tudor beamed ceilings, flagstone and wooden floors, and heavy velvet drapes. The furnishings are eclectic and owner Leigh's eye for design is obvious with shabby chic furniture, artistic lighting, and quality stemware adding to the overall feeling of lusciousness. The private dining room looked particularly inviting. The lunch club menu (two courses for £10, or three courses for £15) is changed daily, so you get what you're given i.e. there are no options. If however you don't like that day's offering (I think that's unlikely) you can of course eat from the normal menu. On the day we went, the lunch club menu comprised Sweet Corn and Basil Velouté followed by Cottage Pie with pickled red cabbage, and dessert of Pavlova with English Strawberries and Chantilly Cream. We started our lunch with a "Bluebell-ini" (£7) that's Prosecco and strawberry juice, with a ripe strawberry on the rim. Our first course was the Velouté of Sweet Corn and Basil. Served in a vintage tea cup and saucer the smooth and creamy velouté was well seasoned, piping hot, with light sweet corn and basil flavours. It was served with sourdough bread made onsite from a "mother" dough that Chef James has lovingly nurtured for three years. The sourness of the bread worked well with the sweetness of the corn. As you'd expect The Bluebell are big on using the best suppliers, and the quality of produce shone through, worthy of mention was the creamy butter from Netherend farm, and that they use Aubrey Allen butchers for their meats. The main was a Cottage Pie, which initially I thought might not be summery enough, but the side of pickled cabbage with star anise lifted it so that it was not at all heavy. The pie itself had great beefy flavours with a good texture, and the mash was fluffy and buttery and attractively piped with crispy grilled edges. The wine list is impressive and there are 15 by the glass. I went for the delightful Veramonte Chardonnay (£6.25 a glass, or £25 for the bottle). We also had a glass of the Luigi Bosca La Linda Malbec (£7.15 a glass, or £28 for the bottle). Those wine lovers amongst you will know from just those two name-drops that there are plenty of good wines to choose. Not a wine drinker? Worry not, there's a good selection of other drinks including Purity ales (a local independent brewery). In the interests of fully reviewing it, obviously we had to have desert. A large pink quenelle of crispy sweet meringue was topped with Chantilly cream, roasted pistachios, and English strawberries. A super finale to a summer luncheon. Monthly event nights are run at the venue for about £40 which includes a three course dinner and entertainment. Coming up in July is a Calypso night with singers and dancers, and then in August there's a Ratpack night. I like venues that are run by a small and dedicated team because their passion translates in to the food and the service. That's exactly what The Bluebell will offer you. Quality produce, well prepared, and served with care and enthusiasm for what they offer. The £10 lunch offer really is extra-ordinary for this quality, so get there when you can. We will inevitably be back, which given that we get a nosebleed when we cross Brum's middle ring-road, is testament to how much we liked it. Simply delightful.

Great canalside location, large beer garden, interesting menu and good food…read more What's not to like?