The Bay Horse — Restaurant in England

First visited The Bay Horse back in 2022 and have been back about ten times since that first visit. I previously left a positive review after the first visit but, having visited twice in 2024 already, I decided to do an update and post a new review. And having visited numerous times now I have updated my review from a 4 star one to a 5 star one.

To begin I can honestly say we have never had a bad meal here. The food is excellent. No matter what I have had I've enjoyed. Whether that be fish and chips, sirloin steak, sausage and mash or the duo of lamb. I signed up online for their app and regularly get offers coming through offering various discounts usually on the main meals. We have taken advantage of two offers already this January offering 50% off main meals. This means you can get fish and chips for under £8.00 and an 8 oz Sirloin steak for under a tenner. Fantastic value for money. You just can't fault these prices in the current climate. I can only repeat, it is fantastic value for money for such good food.

They also do a fixed price lunch time menu Monday to Thursday which I have had on earlier visits. Currently showing as £15.50 for two courses and £19.50 for three. The three courses certainly filled me up. My advice though is to sign up to the app and wait for the offers they will send you.

Side orders are also a lot cheaper than many other establishments. For example, a portion of seasonal greens is only £2.95. A portion of triple cooked chips or fries are the same, £2.95. Some places are charging almost twice that today. When we went on the 9th of January I ordered the steak. However, I couldn't see mushrooms on the menu as a side order. I asked our server and she said she would sort this for us. When I got the bill we had been charged seventy five pence. That is unbelievably cheap. And it wasn't a tiny portion either.

They have a good selection of desserts and, those I've tried, have been lovely. Sure there would be something on that menu that would appeal to everyone.

I like the wine list here. A good selection with a nice range of prices making it competitive with other establishments. Several wines under £20.00 a bottle. One thing I do like as well is they offer you an ice bucket for your white wine. Not many places do that today and I think it really helps make the wine more enjoyable.

Service has been, apart from one visit, friendly and efficient. The only time it was a little below par was one of the servers was only just starting her second week and she seemed a little nervous and unsure. We have been back since that visit and that server is now transformed and as accomplished as the others. It's one of the few places where I seem to remember always being asked if we have any allergies. We don't but it's still nice to be asked. Many places just don't bother. We really feel welcome when we have visited and come away with the impression that our custom is appreciated.

As for the premises themselves there is a massive car park. 4 disabled bays at top of car park and a level entrance from there into the building and bar area. I have seen comments on here saying its dirty and run down and complaints of it smelling. We have never experienced anything like that in our numerous visits. Sure, it's an old building and it's not the most modern and plush inside but it's called character in my book. I prefer places to have their own uniqueness rather than be carbon copies of other establishments. We have always found it to be clean. Staff quickly clear and clean tables once vacated. And it's lovely and warm. There is an open fire in one part of the building. You do need to climb a few steps to access this section but no matter where we have sat in the colder months it's always been very cosy.

The Bay Horse is about a half hours drive away for us. But with the offers we get it’s well worth visiting. As long as they keep sending out offers and we are served great food and met with such friendly service we will continue to make...

Had a disappointing visit here last week when we booked in for the lunch menu. The problems started with the "meet and greet". The conversation went something like this; Me, hi we booked a table for 4.30 - waitress, have you got a discount code. Me, yes I quoted it on the online booking form (alphanumeric) - waitress, that's no good I need to scan it, have you brought it with you? Me, no, why would I, it's on the booking form - waitress, have you got it on your phone I need to scan it. Me, no I have not got a smartphone but I have written it down on a piece of paper if you care to look - waitress, that's no good, that could be anybody's - whatever she meant by that remark remains a mystery - and so it went on.... By this stage my instinct was to leave but, regretfully, we stayed, for the sake of my wife who was becoming quite upset at our unfriendly "welcome" and I did not want to cause further distress. We were taken to our table in the dining area, which by the way was empty except for two ladies finishing their meal. It soon became apparent that our table was situated directly over a large radiator which was running full blast on this a hot sunny day. I discreetly tried to adjust the settings but found someone had chosen to remove the control knobs. Why we were seated here I don't know - the restaurant was virtually empty - punishment for not having the correct paperwork perhaps? I thought about asking to be moved to a different table but really did not want to get into discussion again with the same person, who was now taking our order. We ate our food (which can only be described as mediocre at best) hastily as we now wanted to get out of here asap. No one even checked if we were happy with our food as is the usual practice, I think. I asked for the bill after one course. When presented the waitress (same one) asked for the alphanumeric code I mentioned earlier. She punched it in and, low and behold, it was accepted - so all the earlier palaver about scanning was utter nonsense! On leaving I told the waitress we wished we had not bothered to come at all and are unlikely to return - she seemed unmoved by this. The point I am making all this is avoidable and in stark contrast to our visit here last month when we were greeted warmly and the food was great - we had a lovely time! So, lessons to be...

The Bay Horse is a lovely homely welcoming pub/restaurant with really friendly and attentive staff. First off they checked for any allergies in the group which I thought was a really good starter for 10 and something I've ever been asked before. Other establishments take note. We're light eaters so starters was shared and they were happy to provide additional plates etc to accommodate. The main meals were in part also shared and again they went out of their way to accommodate us. Both starters and main were cooked to absolute perfection. The butcher must also be a good one because the meat was just soooooo good. Really nice cuts. A special mention must go to Derek our waiter who was just so attentive. Not overly fussy but not neglectful either. Absolutely spot on as were all the other staff. It's rare we find somewhere that ticks all the boxes and so it's even more rare for us to leave a tip which we did and felt was well earned. So good we booked straight away for the next day seeing as we were staying locally for the weekend. We stay in the area each year so we will most certainly be back again next year. Thank you Bay Horse staff and we'll see...