The Little Owl — Restaurant in Metropolitan Borough of Solihull

Unfortunately we would advise and recommend anyone staying at the holiday inn express or anywhere else to avoid this establishment. We even found out staff at the hotel after we had visited advise people against going due to visitors poor reviews. We learnt too late. The lovely staff at the hotel gave us free drinks when we told them about it despite it not being their fault or having any affiliation with the place. We were greeted I'm guessing by jaqui who was pleasant. All beers and ales on tap were off due to a gas error. The menus on the bar were wet and sticky. We went to find a table and entered 1 area which looked no different to the others and no reason to suggest we couldn't sit there. The blonde waitress turned towards us but didn't look at us and in her words said "not in here guys, anywhere out there but not in here". No apology and no explanation just poor customer service. Then we order drinks and despite a decent bootled beer and cider menu and 6 gins they only had sol, kopparberg and 1 gin. Everything else was out of stock apparently. Then the steak pie was sold out. One of us had the chicken pie which was ok apart from floppy carrots. Then 2 of us had fish and chips. Chips were fine, peas you can see are synthetically green, fish was wet showing its frozen, batter was thick, undercooked and inedible and actually floury in texture. No one came to check how our meal was, they probably knew what we would have said. Lastly as we walked out despite 2 of them being at the bar talking there was no good bye or thanks for coming, nothing. That's just standard customer service again. All in all very disappointed and dissatisfied and to summarise we would advise people at the hotel eat...

I cannot understand the good reviews for this place. I am forced to eat here frequently due to coming to the area for work and later hours I finish. Any opportunity to eat somewhere else is taken.

The food isn't bad per se. Typical pub food thats nothing special but has a superficial attempt to make special in order to bump up the price. However there is always something wrong. In the last three days we have always had to send something back due to chips or something on the plate being cold.

Waits are ridiculously long no matter how busy and the whole "casual dining" they try to sell which means order your own food at the bar means that if buying separately your food will be all over the place, and table numbers? Forget it, the staff member will bumble around until someone identifies themselves as the owner of the food.

If you are forced to eat here have a pizza. They aren't bad. Avoid the specials as it seems they cannot get them right and avoid any mention of southern fried chicken. You'll pay 3.95 for a drumstick and a thigh with a few snips of spring onion to accompany it.

I've not complained in the past because my employer is paying for my food so I have to put up with it, however if you have the chance go to resort world nearby. The popular chain restaurants will guarantee you a far better meal at better value than this place. Most of the menu pieces are tasteless and generic.

Staff are friendly mind, beer isn't bad.

Staff 4/5 (lost one because I can't understand how management is so clueless as to how bad food is) Food 1/5 Value 1/5 Drinks 3/5 Ambiance 4/5 (when they...

We visited The Little Owl for the second time a few days after a trip to Gardeners World Live at the NEC. Our first trip last year was far better unfortunately and at that time I would have given 5 stars. However, although the staff were very attentive, polite and approachable, the food was served on really hot plates but was actually almost cold somehow and had obviously been waiting to be delivered to our table. Two of us had the same sea bass dish and if the temperature of the food had been more acceptable it would’ve been fine. Unfortunately my other friend had the kedgeree fish cakes which were cold, the tenderstem broccoli was almost raw and the poached egg was more like hard boiled. We were asked if everything was ok and our waiter did her best, offering another meal, free dessert and when these were declined, she offered to speak to the manager and quickly came back to say the meal would be taken off the bill. I would give her 5 stars for how she handled this. A lady on the next table actually told us that the food is a little hit and miss at the moment and urged us to speak out - she is a regular visitor, so hasn’t been put off, but I hope that things improve by next time we visit. It was obviously very busy and short staffed, but I would have preferred to be told that our food would be delayed a short while and have it served fresh and hot...