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The Coach & Horses, Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
SY1 1NF
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Coach & Horses
This backstreet pub is well described elsewhere, so just highlights here: two rooms separated by a passageway, quite traditional in décor and wood heavy with much panelling, plus bits of exposed brickwork. A nice screened wood snug was spotted though I couldn’t access it. Five ales and three ciders at the bar. My Odley BOB was in decent nick, other ales were Salopian’s Oracle and Gold, Stonehouse Bitter, and Bathams Bitter. We were fortunate to touch down during happy hour so prices were dirt cheap. We were unfortunate to touch down when a raucous stag do were in situ (fourth time lucky, you could see why the previous three women had left him). The staff behind the bar had rather lost control of the pub and the shouting, effing, jeffing and leering was pretty uncomfortable (I spotted a couple of other customers drink up and slope off in annoyance). Rather tainted my view of what was, in other respects, a good little boozer. For comparison the landlady of the Admiral Benbow next door advised that hers ‘was not the pub for them’ aka told to sling their hook. I’d give this one another go as there's plenty to like, but with reservations.
On 26th April 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Coach & Horses
Dating back to 1861, the Coach and Horses is an excellent street corner pub with a restaurant area in a relatively modern extension. The pub has a two bar set up, with the main bar accessed from a door on the street corner. This room has bare brick walls with some panelling, but not a great deal of room for seating except for some low stools and a banquette along the front wall. There is a decent sized fireplace on the end wall and the room has been decorated with a lot of ‘Gentle Art of Making Guinness’ adverts. A passageway leads through to the lounge bar, passing a small snug on the way, which has a long angular banquette running around it. The bare brick and stone lounge bar is fairly small, but made to feel bigger by virtue of the fact that it merges into the surprisingly large L shaped restaurant. There were a lot of diners in this carpeted space during my Saturday evening visit and it was difficult to have a look round without getting in the way with one of the many busy waitresses. I didn’t manage to get a look at the menu, but there was a board on the wall detailing the desserts which looked very tempting.
Five ales were available at the bar – Salopian Oracle and Shropshire Gold, Stonehouse Station Bitter, Phoenix Arizona (£2.95) and Six Bells Aires – whilst the last two hand pumps were dispensing real ciders. The Arizona was in fine shape and good value at under £3 for a pint. The place was well staffed and service was prompt and very friendly.
This pub is well worth including on any crawl around town. It has a good range of beers, an interesting layout and friendly staff. With the Admiral Benbow virtually next door, it is well worth heading away from the main streets to sample probably the best double header in town.
On 12th May 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Coach & Horses
First vist in over 3 years and nothing has changed at all. My pint was in good condition and the service was efficient. Shame about the loud sweary blokes in the front room who were ruining the atmosphere somewhat.
08/07/2009
This is a very pleasant looking pub with lots of wood panelling throughout. It's very cosy and has several areas all quite small. The front room has wooden settles all around the walls. Six handpumps serving mainly local beers with Sharps Spring Mild as one of the guests from further afield, it also sells Cheddar Valley cider on one handpump. The service was a little slow as they seem happy to accept card payments for 1 pint. I've been in here a few times and I've always thought that the beer is OK rather than really well kept. Last night was no exception with the mild tasting as if it had just gone over the edge to me. Not bad enough to send back, but not great either. It's a nice enough place but I think the beer is better in the Admiral Benbow almost next door. It's a good two pub crawl though as they have 11 beers between them.
On 21st April 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Anonymous User left this review about The Coach & Horses
Came in here after my visit to the Admiral Benbow next door. Nice interior with wooden beams and a traditional tap room. I can't remember the name of the ale as at this point I was rather intoxicated. I had been supping Black Bush Irish Whiskey in the previous place.
However, I do remember eating some handcut chips which were lovely. It did slightly help soak up some of the latter mentioned whiskey!
I wish I had looked in to the other rooms.
Recommended.
On 8th October 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 0 recommendations about 0 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Coach & Horses
This is a traditional Victorian era street corner pub situated just outside the main shopping area at the junction of Swan Hill and Cross Hill.
The street corner entrance leads into an attractive and welcoming quarry tiled public bar room with boarded wood panelling, fixed seating, circular tables, some exposed brickwork by the fireplace and an original looking wooden bar counter.
Effectively forming part of this bar is an unusual separate screened wood panelled snug which was once probably a separate room, although the door is no longer in place. In this room is a Bass mirror.
Between the end of the public bar counter and the snug, a short passageway leads through to a larger lounge bar and restaurant area with subdued lighting and a cosy comfortable atmosphere. Food has a good reputation here – outside we learn that the Head Chef was a Masterchef semi finalist recently – and, notably, on my descent back into town afterwards, a German couple asked me for directions as they had heard it was a good place for lunch. Although it is not immediately obvious, the lounge bar and restaurant is an extension to the original pub – a former terraced house which blends in well with the original pub building.
A blackboard in the public bar lists the real ales on with 3 pumps in the public bar and a further 2 in the lounge. On my recent mid-Sptember visit, 2 Purple Moose beers were on ( Snowdonia Ale and Ysgawen ) plus 2 from Salopian together with Stonehouse Station Bitter ( from Oswestry ). Beers sampled were in good form and the pub is a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular. During busy meal times, service in the public bar appeared to be what might be described as “intermittent”.
Worth seeking out when in town. Just don’t let the rather contemporary untraditional pub sign discourage you.
On 4th October 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Coach & Horses
A street corner pub a little way of the main thoroughfare that means it probably gets something less in the way of passing trade than many nearby establishments, but is well worth seeking out.
The main bar at the front has much wood panelling on the walls, as well as matching woodwork around the bar. Elsewhere the wall is exposed brick, and there are red quarry tiles on the floor. Dotted around the walls were various comedy sketches relating to Guinness that were presumably used as adverts at some point. At one end was a brick chimney with a log fire and off to the other side is a hexagonal snug area made with more wood panelling.
To the rear is another smaller bar counter but this area looks to be predominantly used for dining. It looked to be an attractive, cosy spot and had we been staying another night in Shrewsbury I would have tried it for something to eat. I didn’t check the menu but did notice a couple of boards that were advertising Sunday Roasts and Thursday Fish nights.
Beers on tap were Purple Moose Snowdonia Ale, Stonehouse Station Bitter, Shropshire Gold and Oracle from Salopian and Three Tuns XXX. Note that these beers on split between the front and rear bars, although a board at the end of the bar lists them all. Ciders were Thatcher’s Gold and Cheddar valley.
On 21st September 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1950 recommendations about 1863 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Coach & Horses
A good traditional pub serving good food and a good range of ales. Also has a proper ghost, which we didn't see. If I were a ghost I'd haunt here quite happily and help myself to the beers each night. Lunchtime was busy so decided to eat. The food was top class and reasonably priced. Salopian Gold and Station House bitter were both spot on. Will defo return. The staff were friendly and chatty.
On 22nd July 2012
- rating: 10
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Coach & Horses
A traditional two bar pub with a wooden walled snug off the front bar. The front bar is all exposed brickwork, bare boards, quarry tile floor and Britannia tables. There is a venerable counter which is home to three pulls of ale, a cider pump and a small collection of keg founts, there is an open fire to the side and a notable collection of John Ireland’s “The gentle art of making Guinness” cartoons – probably the whole set. There is also a set of GBG stickers in one window dating from 1994 onwards. The back bar is similar, only two pulls and some keg founts, along with tables and chairs and with a food counter in one corner. The toilets are up a creaky twisting staircase where the walls show the age of the building.
On 16th September 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3273 recommendations about 2982 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Mike Ashton left this review about The Coach & Horses
Excellent pub, friendly staff, good range of beers. Big restaurant selling very good but pricey food. Carvery on Sunday's is a speciality. Bar menu better value, especially the hot carvery baps
On 16th September 2010
- rating: 9
[User has posted 5 recommendations about 5 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Oggwyn Great left this review about The Coach & Horses
Probally my favorite pub in Shrewsbury allways a good pint and the staff and locals very friendly , there is plenty of exposed brickwork and lots of the amussing Gentle Art of Making Guiness pictures spread around the walls . There is a good choice of beer Wye Valley HPA , Salopian Shropshire Gold ,3Tuns XXX ,Sadlers Mellow Yellow and Shropshire Brewery Shropshire County plus a couple of real ciders . The pub is in a quite area just off the town centre but could be miles away , very relaxing , a Shrewsbury pub not to miss
On 23rd May 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 797 recommendations about 683 pubs]