please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Good pub with good beer and food. Nice service and in a great location. They looked after 11 of us well after we had walked from Tideswell.
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This is the pub which sits just opposite the Hotel. Amazing location overlooking Monsal Dale and the viaduct, however not visible from the actual pub garden. You need to go to the car-parks to afford the best views. Very nice feel and obviously popular with Hotel guests and walkers alike. Serves very good beers from the Wincle Beer Company; When we visited on 4th Aug 13 you could choose from Wincle Waller & Butchered. Food looked fantastic but not cheap...
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Found the food to be of a very good standard and the beer well kept. As previously stated the 'Undertaker' was very popular and I found it very much to my liking.
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Their 'Undertaker' brew was very acceptable and seemed to be very popular. Change from a fiver for a pint and a half also met with our approval. No need to remove walking boots another plus or plenty of room to sit outside
Pleasant helpful staff and a roaring fire. 'Mary Rose' brew was also another hit. Promoting local ales, must be a good thing.
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Is it just me ? Am I out of touch with food prices nowadays?
I used to hike regularly years ago in the Peak and it was full of decent pubs selling food and drink at regular prices. Now they all aspire to be superior tourist gastro type places and because of its spectacular location this is one of the worst of the tourist honey traps. Food quality and booze here is OK but �6 - �7 for a sandwich and a bit of lettuce. A couple of quid for small pots of chips. Take a look at the food pictures on their web site, tiny portions that wouldn't feed a mouse but Oh so tastefully arranged and decorated with sprigs of artistically placed leaf. This place isn't a pub anymore, it's a profit minded commercial venture preying on the lemming like hordes who come here. There are spots in the Peak just as nice as here but the lemmings just don't know about them.
GeofB - 24 Nov 2011 19:45 |
Amazing location overlooking Monsal Dale and the viaduct, unsurprisingly popular at peak times. We popped in for a quick afternoon pint so it was relatively quiet. Barman was dealing with food as well, but was friendly and helpful when I did get his attention. Didn't eat but food looked good from others' plates.
Tried their own Stable Ale which was a decent albeit unspectacular Best, and the Moor Top from the Buxton brewery which was a very citrussy dry blond. Both well kept (especially if you're use to London beer like me!) but IMO there are better offerings beer-wise nearby (the Packhorse a case in point).
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Despite coming here 3/4 times in the last few years, have mised posting on this until now. The location is obviously everything here and means a busy time at almost every time of the day. The Stables bar has only 7 tables inside, so things get cramped and busy. Loads more tables outside for when it's not raining. Usually excellent range of ales, both locally sourced and , on this occasion, from further afield - Horndean Mary Rose, a superb chestnut red beer. The food was very good indeed, perfectly prepared and cooked well. The staff were a little lacking in concentration, as one lad served the woman in front of me with two halves instead of the requested pint and a half (although he changed it to a pint and refused to charge her for the half) and then tried to charge me �6.10 to two halves, having entered pint prices in the till! All in all, good times here uif you are patient at busy periods.
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Not a very big place, probably only seats about 30 people, and too many of these are having tea or coffee, despite the fact that next door there is a tea room. Room for a lot more in the beer garden (with plenty of covered seats for whenit rains) with views over the Monsall viaduct. Food a bit expensive but the steak is very good. Toilets need refurbishing and a cleaner. There appears to be an unused area upstairs, so if I ran the place I would look to develop that. Dogs allowed inside. Reasonable choice of beer.
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Ok place but there's something not right about it! Good choice of beer and good quality, albeit pricey, food. However, service could definately be sharpened up. We ordered two mains and other groups who ordered after received food first. Also just after we ordered other groups were informed that they couldn't order from the 'old' menu (that we had just ordered from) and were given a 'new' menu with more options! How odd.
Bar staff could do with smiling a bit, customer service and a warm welcome were sadly lacking. Lady in front of me paid by card and the transaction took 3 attempts and over 5 minutes to complete. Barman failed to acknowledge or serve myself or others who were waiting. while this was going on.
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First visited The Monsal Head whilst staying just down the road in March 2009. Food was good, beer was excellent but the restaurant a little cold and sparse. Then discovered the Stable Bar - same excellent food and beer but cosy with a real fire. Impressed enough to return with the parents Xmas Day and wasn't disappointed.
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A great place to go after a walk along the Monsal Trail. The Stables Bar is partitioned (probably the old stalls) so that it felt comfortable in the bare wood furnishings; neither isolated nor in a crowd. There were a number of well kept ales available. I didn't find them expensive. The barman manfully did his best, but could have done with some help. My wife and I had snacks which were well prepared and also not expensive.
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We called in here whilst walking the Monsal Trail today. The beer I had was the self titled Monsal Head Ale which was absolutely top notch. Even my friend who normally drinks nitro keg bitter had a pint and was impressed. The restaurant seems to be in a different building to the pub itself (which was referred to as the stables bar). Only one fault - they refused to cook us a bowl of chips because "the kitchen staff wouldn't be able to keep up" (their words). Surely it can't be THAT hard to bung a few in the fryer!
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Can't comment on the beer since we couldn't get served (warm Saturday in the middle of April). Orderly queue at the bar, one person serving. Walked out down to the Packhorse.
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We visited last weekend. The Stables Bar had 'computer' problems and we couldn't order food. Member of staff polite . So , we went into the Hotel which we found had exactly the same menu and could get real ale from the Stables Bar. The large dining room was empty apart from one other couple. We enquired about a table, the rather officious waiter offered us a table by two busy doors. I naturally wanted one by the fire which we were told was reserved. It wasn't! Noone came to it. The service was extremely slow at times (30 min wait for a coffee). Other people were turned down for the 'non-reserved 'tables. A bizarre place!!! The beer was ok as was food but service was abysmal.
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I called in earlier today, and I was thinking of all the earlier BITE comments about the place being expensive. I was dreading to think how much they were going to charge me. I'm pleased to say that the Monsal Head's Stables bar wasn't expensive at all! All their draught beers and lagers were under �3 per pint (which is great value in my book), and their food menu was reasonable too - it was exactly the sort of price I'd expect for the good quality restaurant food on offer.
Right, that's the prices out of the way. It's a very nice pub, very small however (so expect to make use of the outdoor seating) with a good selection of real ales and a very good food menu. I had the steak melt earlier today, and it was fantastic. Great food, very good beer, amazing location and good prices (under �3 per pint remember) makes for a great pub.
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Still a lovely location, but the new owners don't seem to want the 'low end' of the market. Prices have really jumped. The adjacement cafe is busier than its ever been!
Undoubtedly good beers: a good seelction adn well kept - but at a price!
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The Stables bar has always been a lovely spot but the new owners have increased prices to ridiculous levels to discourage drinking trade. (Average pint is 50p more than average for an already pricey area).
More fool them when winter hits and there are no locals to fill up the bar!
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The Stables bar is small and cosy with a coal fire and a good range of ales. I enjoyed the strong (5.8%), golden & hoppy Thornbridge Jaipur IPA.
Food is on the expensive side for what it is. A "large" salad for �7.95 looked very much like a small salad (small must fit on a saucer!).
It gets busy and it can be difficult to get a table indside (not a problem in the summer with the extensive outdoor tables). We were first in and occupied the spaces right by the fire, which seemed to annoy one particular lady who came in later and shot some serious looks in our direction!
The view from outside is splendid. Definitely worth visiting and merits a 9.
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We were a little put off by the long queue as we didn't want to eat here, but everyone in front of us were ordering food, and staff found it difficult to get through the queue to serve at the tables. The stables bar is a fascinating place though as it still has the stalls that had been used by the horses, but it means space is at a premium and it was packed when we called. I had a problem with one of the ales that had to go back as it was sour, and I was told the barrel needed changing. Very little beer pulled off the new barrel and I found the next one still had a sour taste. The beer choice was good however and the other beers we had were fine. Overworked staff I guess under pressure.
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Very nice pub in a lovely setting. Beers were very good (with a big range on offer); food also good if perhaps a touch on the expensive side. There's not a great deal of space inside, so you may find yourself sat outside when the weather's a bit grim.
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This is a great pub in a great place. It's best appreciated when you've walked up Monsal Dale or Cressbrook dale over the fine Monsal Head viaduct. Don't just drive up and park in the car park (NB this leads to occasional table space being occupied by fat chavs). The food is good as is the beer. Service was fine, apart from the fact that the barman really told my mate off for putting the food menu down on the bar as it gets all sticky. This was so nit picky it was amusing (smirks stifled until we went outside) and added to the all round experience.
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unparalled setting at the head of monsal dale. excellent, good value, food (same menu as in next door hotel but more fun in the pub!) and a good selection of beers, altho several seemed to be off when we visited.
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Superb pub, superb setting, superb bitters, superb food. Don't pop your clogs without visiting this place.
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Just about perfect, particularly when the weather is like it is at moment; quite superb beer (Thornbridge in particular), served at right temparature, with superb setting for drinking. Also very friendly, even though very busy.
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Have visited this place several times whilst walking in the area and it never fails to impress. The beers are always on good form and the service is friendly and efficient. The food also looks good and of adequate proportions. The only problem is that at the weekends you may find it difficult to get a table inside due to its well deserved popularity. A big bonus in winter months is a smashing open log fire. Enjoy.
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Terrific, good food, good beer, good service, great view.
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Perfect All Round
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Good range of beers, including German bottled beers, the food is excellent and the viewsare fantastic. The only drawback is its hardto get a table indoors at the weekend. Though the hotel itself is very pleasant, often less busy and has the same menu/beers.
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Best I have been in for a long time:-) Food, beer, service, the lot! Glad I had 'beat the crowd' to get a good table for 4 of us though. I would suspect that finding space could be a bigger problem than the wait at busy times but the popularity should tell you something! I was a bit confused as to which building to enter but the friendly staff soon put me right.
Dave P. - 11 Oct 2004 11:36 |
The Stable bar serves a good range of well kept beers, and the bar staff are friendly and knowledgable. The bar really is an old stable, it's a bit rustic but has no fruit machines/juke box/musak, and when it's chilly has a huge open fire. The occasional wait for food is because the menu is the same as the Hotel's restaurant, and everything's prepared in the hotel kitchen. The food was excellent, and if there is going to be a delay the bar staff advise you when you order.
Dave T - 27 Jul 2004 16:58 |
Overlooking one of the best views in the Peak District, this is pleasant surprise as the location would suggest a possible tourist ripoff.
Try the stables bar out the back - usually seven or eight well kept ales available from a range of interesting local and micro breweries. Although the food service can be slow the quality more than makes up for the wait with excellent quality meat and fish.
Superowl - 22 Apr 2004 18:09 |
