Hem Heath — Restaurant in Stoke-on-Trent

Regarding our disastrous trip to Hem Heath Hungry Horse on Boxing Day 2017 We pre-booked our meal for seven people at 3.00pm on Boxing Day for a 2 course, set menu. A deposit was paid many weeks before, along with the completed menu. Then about three weeks we ago paid the balance. All of us arrived at 2.50pm to be told that the table was not ready. We stood around the bar area for a further 40 minutes before we were led to our table and duly waited for the 2 starters ordered. After a further 20 minutes one prawn cocktail and one pate arrived. The prawn cocktail was fine, but half way through the pate, a large piece of plastic was found in the middle of the pate, (this was part of the packaging that had not been noticed by your staff). Struggling to find a waitress, we eventually managed to inform them that our son-in-law nearly swallowed this and considering the size he would have needed medical assistance if he had done so. The starter was replaced but after the experience of pulling the plastic out of his mouth the starter was refused. We later found out that the complaint had not been reported to the manager!! We waited a further 15 minutes for the mains- 2 off salmons which were ok, with a small amount of vegetables warm, 2 off turkey dinners arrived where the vegetables were cold and the sprouts were very hard. There was also very little turkey on the plates. One off steak which was thoroughly burnt and full of grizzle was mostly left, as unpalatable, 1 off burger which was soggy and 1 off child’s burger was left as it was burnt and soggy, the baps was wet through because of the lettuce and the grease. It all looked as it had just been thrown together. Yet again we could not attract a waitress for attention, so our granddaughter only ate the chips, which were very nice. Finally when the waitress came to collect the dishes she fetched a lady who we assumed was a supervisor, who apologised for the meals and asked if we wanted the sweets. We declined as we just wanted to leave. The supervisor asked us to speak to the manager for a refund on the way out. We stood in a queue waiting to speak to the manager for some time, as other diners were in discussion with her. When we finally relayed our issues to the manager, she got the wrong booking twice and kept saying we had not paid enough money for the meals. This was getting very annoying when she could not find the correct booking after repeating the names several times and number of dinners to her. It made us feel like we were lying and she never apologised for her error. The day was a disaster and an embarrassment from start to finish resulting in us feeding everyone when we got back to our house. Not enough staff on duty behind the bar! Not enough waitresses! No organisation whatsoever! So much for filling out Pre-menu forms. It was embarrassment for us who booked it for a Christmas family meal. NEVER...

The newly rebranded Hem Heath has truly raised the bar for what a modern pub experience should be. From the moment you walk through the doors, you can feel the difference — a warm, welcoming atmosphere with a fresh, stylish look that still holds onto its classic pub charm.

The menu is an absolute triumph. Every dish feels crafted with care, combining hearty pub favourites with a touch of creativity. The food is fresh, beautifully presented, and full of flavour — you can tell the kitchen team takes real pride in what they do. The Sunday roasts are incredible, the burgers are next-level, and even the small plates impress with their attention to detail.

The staff deserve special mention — friendly, attentive, and genuinely happy to help, creating the kind of easygoing vibe that makes you want to linger for “just one more.” Whether you’re dropping in for a relaxed pint, a family meal, or a night out with friends, Hem Heath delivers every time.

It’s rare to find a pub that nails both atmosphere and quality food so perfectly, but the new Hem Heath has done just that. If you haven’t been since the rebrand, you’re missing out — this place is fast becoming a local favourite for all the right reasons.

A special shoutout to Elliot — please don’t leave again! And Greene King, you’ve got a winner here, so please keep it just as it is!

Highly recommended. Hem Heath is back, and it’s...

Really not impressed tonight. We regulary come here, but after tonight we wont be. This evening we ordered the 2 courses for £8 ..the bill came upto £18.73.. with two of these meals and 2 cokes...we figured this was the correct amount. We did not receive a receipt, our first meal came around and we ate perfectly fine, afterwards we waited for our puddings.. 2 people came over 3 times...and each time we asked for our puddings...however half an hour had gone by when a waitress came upto us and told us that we hadnt ordered puddings even though i showed the lady on the sheet at the desk what we wanted and specifically said about the fudge cakes...sge said she would enquire...however another 15 minutes went by of us waiting...at this point i had to go because i have work..so i went to the desk and complained that we had waited this long and a lady was meant to be finding out what happened to our puddings... however the guy at the desk just told us that there was nothing he could do as 'we didnt order puddings' even though we did... this meant we didnt get our puddings..also meant we paid full price for our food...and also meant we had waited for 45 minutes for no...