The Golden Ball Inn — Restaurant in The Gorge

Terrible Experience – Appalling Customer Service, Overcooked and Burnt Food!

We had a lovely day out with our young children and chose The Golden Ball Inn based on its 4.5-star reviews. Sadly, the reality could not have been further from that.

We ordered steak with peppercorn sauce, onion rings, chips, and two pizzas (Margherita and chicken & BBQ). The pizzas were overcooked, one so badly the crust was rock solid and inedible. I tried a couple of slices and politely raised the issue with the young male bar staff (in his twenties), even showing him the crust. He said he would speak to the chef but never returned. The lack of communication left me frustrated.

When I went to pay, he tried to charge me for the full bill of £54, including the pizzas. When I refused, he became defensive, dictating what I “would” pay, even claiming that if I’d eaten any pizza, I would have to pay. How dare he dictate to a customer? His behaviour was shocking and is the main reason I am writing this review.

The chef (a woman in her 50s) came out after being called. I showed her the burnt pizza crusts, which my children had refused to eat. She dismissed my concerns, claiming “this is how they always come out” and still expected payment. Handling our food after serving during a dispute only reinforced that no customer should pay for it.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, food must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described. These pizzas were not. I was fully within my legal rights to refuse payment and even offered to leave my details if they wanted to pursue the matter in small claims court — not meet me with arrogance and hostility at the bar.

I paid only for the items that were acceptable (steak, onion rings, chips), but instead of professionalism, I was met with defensiveness, hostility, and effectively told I was “not welcome back.”

This ruined our evening so much that I didn’t eat anything at all afterwards. Even if the food had been excellent, the staff’s behaviour alone would have spoiled it. They would not take feedback on board and only acted when I insisted repeatedly.

As someone with experience in leadership and hospitality, neither the young barman nor the chef showed professionalism, accountability, or service. The owner needs to ensure staff cook food properly, understand customer rights, and prioritise satisfaction over arguing with customers. The young staff member, in particular, needs to reflect on his behaviour or step away from customer-facing roles.

My wife’s grandmother ran two successful pubs, and my stepfather ran his own, this is not how customers are treated. I strongly advise anyone to avoid this place and spend their...

The location of The Golden Ball Inn is in a really picturesque location, in a small village just above Ironbridge and offers a nice location to be away from the hustle of the town itself but still be within walking distance. Be wary of the very winding road that leads to the hotel though and the spiral type stairs to rooms 1-3, which does make getting a large suitcase up and down a little challenging. We were staying here on our way back from our holiday, to break up our long journey home and to take in the sights of Ironbridge and the Blists Hill Victoria Village. The staff were friendly and polite and the food was very nice. We ate outside on two occasions, the first was a very good experience, the food was well cooked and came quickly, although we missed dessert as the kitchen closed earlier than we expected, unfortunately the second time was a 30 minute wait before we even ordered a drink and the food was slow to follow. There did not seem to be enough staff on for the number of patrons. Our room decoration was a little tired and could do with some updating but having said that, our stay was very pleasant and our dog was welcome in all parts of the venue and the beds and linen were comfortable and clean. We would recommend staying here if you would like good value for money with a really lovely location to base yourself. The staff were friendly and accommodating of any requests we made. Bearing all this in mind, it is an 18th century inn and full of character throughout. A nice outdoor space to the front and a nice garden area to the rear. Breakfast area was clean and well laid out and the food was really good. Worth the cost for B&B in such a...

The location of The Golden Ball Inn is in a really picturesque location, in a small village just above Ironbridge and offers a nice location to be away from the hustle of the town itself but still be within walking distance. Be wary of the very winding road that leads to the hotel though and the spiral type stairs to rooms 1-3, which does make getting a large suitcase up and down a little challenging. We were staying here on our way back from our holiday, to break up our long journey home and to take in the sights of Ironbridge and the Blists Hill Victoria Village. The staff were friendly and polite and the food was very nice. We ate outside on two occasions, the first was a very good experience, the food was well cooked and came quickly, although we missed dessert as the kitchen closed earlier than we expected, unfortunately the second time was a 30 minute wait before we even ordered a drink and the food was slow to follow. There did not seem to be enough staff on for the number of patrons. Our room decoration was a little tired and could do with some updating but having said that, our stay was very pleasant and our dog was welcome in all parts of the venue and the beds and linen were comfortable and clean. We would recommend staying here if you would like good value for money with a really lovely location to base yourself. The staff were friendly and accommodating of any requests we made. Bearing all this in mind, it is an 18th century inn and full of character throughout. A nice outdoor space to the front and a nice garden area to the rear. Breakfast area was clean and well laid out and the food was really good. Worth the cost for B&B in such a...