These guys just went through a complete refurb, and whilst the decor is great and it looks the…read morepart, it has some making up to do in a few other areas. Came here a few times during my stay in Bilton, and whilst I can definitely recommend the Abbot, steer well clear of their Sunday lunches... Rock hard roast potatoes straight from the freezer, watery gravy and a tiny dish of veg between two people because we both happened to order the roast. I dread to think how little they would have brought out just for one roast. Ordered desert and two of the three came and were finished whilst the third still hadn't arrived. So we cancelled it. There seemed to always be a lot of staff working, but no nearly the number of customers you would require to have that many people on a shift. Considering England is renowned for its pub culture, this one has some work to do before its service matches it's aesthetics.

Refurbed twice recently, for a drink it is good value. However we were hoping for somewhere local…read morethat we could eat a good meal at a reasonable price with good service. Sadly this is not the case. We have visited on at least three occasions to be disappointed. The food was mediocre and and two occasions after selecting from the menu we were then told our selection was not available, selected again and told that was not available either. In the end it was easier to ask what was available and then make a selection from the then very limited choice! This has happened on several occasions now, why give a customer a menu without telling them what is not available, and why is there which limited choice at times when they really can't have been that busy. Asking others who have dined there they have a similar experience poor value, little real choice and very disappointed that there local pub cannot offer a good dinning experience. In short, if you want a quick good value drink it's ok, if you want to eat give it a miss. A missed opportunity by the owners, hope and wish they could sort it out.

The ambiance in this place is second to none, the range of real ale and ciders is great and the…read moreservice is always excellent. This is a great place to meet friends, when live music is on have a dance. All in all a great pub!!

We're from Vancouver, WA and this was our favorite pub while visiting Rugby…read more My Stepmom took us here and it was the first Pub we visited that had house made brews. Being from the PNW we have a certain affinity for draft beer and we got our fill at this place. They had so much to choose from and it was such a great experience every time! Can't wait to come back the next time we're in Rugby!

My husband and I stayed in Rugby in 2008 when we went to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone…read moreCircuit. While there, we learned how the sport of rugby was "invented" by a student at the Rugby School named William Webb Ellis, who one day just picked up the ball in his arms during a football (soccer) game - which was supposedly against the rules then - and started running with it. Like most legends, there's a lot of doubt as to whether it's actually true or not. But it makes for a good story. So in honor of William Webb Ellis, we had dinner and beer at the pub in town named after him. I really enjoyed the food and atmosphere here. There were, of course, tons of rugby-themed memorabilia and big-screen TVs showing live or recorded rugby matches as well as other sporting events. Although the menu seems to have changed since we were there, at the time they had a three-course meal deal that was excellent - a fruit and cheese plate, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, and dessert. There was also a wide range of ales and inexpensive wines. The staff was attentive and very friendly. We watched the Wimbledon Men's Finals while we were there and also listened in on a game of Trivia (they call it Quiz Night there). They asked us if we wanted to join in, but we opted out because we didn't think we would be familiar enough with the questions. We were right - they asked stuff like, "Which color line on the London Underground goes to Kings Cross?" (It's the Blue Line, by the way, but since we hadn't been to London yet, there was no way we would have known that.) But it was very entertaining just listening in. All in all, we had a great time here. If you're into rugby - or even if you're not but just want good food and drink and a fun atmosphere - make sure you stop by the William Webb Ellis when you're in Rugby.

Came in for a quick drink and ended up staying for sunday lunch after having a look at the menu…read more Food is all fresh and seasonal, not the usual microwaved stuff you'd get in pub chains. Menu is very short, hand cooked and the flavours were just great plus there's nothing like a good homemade yorkshire pudding... Paid 15£ for two main meals ( beef roast and a veggie roast). Will definitely comeback again for that roast!

I went with a bunch of locals that remembered the good old days of the pub and reflected on the…read morehistory of it. Big changes apparently. I liked it. Not like another true true pub I went to but a great spot to drink a couple hours away. Lots of beer options, lots of folks drinking or have been for many hours :)

I had a lovely lunch in the Dirty Duck as it is known. The menu is very good. They serve different…read morekinds of meals: sandwiches; all day breakfasts; cheesy chips;gravy chips; fish and chips; jacket potatoes with a good choice of fillings and lots more. They also have a small children's menu. There are only 3 things on the kid's menu (sausages, nuggets or fish fingers) which can be served with chips or smiley faces and the children's meals come in two portion sizes. There are smaller meals at £1.95 for under 5's and larger meals for older kids at £2.95. The food was really nice. The whole place was very clean and the service was really good. They have a couple of gaming machines in there. It seemed fairly quiet while I was in there which was nice. I really enjoyed being able to have a nice pub meal without having to listen to loud music!

The Raven Inn in Brinklow defines what an English pub should be. We stopped in on Sunday afternoon…read morefor a quick pint and we were warmly greeted by Andy from behind the bar. As we found a comfortable spot to settle in, even the local card players welcomed us. Chatting with Andy from the side of the bar, he made sure to engage the rest of the locals as they spilled in for the afternoon football matches. Never have I enjoyed the company of strangers as I did that day (especially considering that we stopped in for a pint and found ourselves there for 6 six hours)

my favourite pub in brinklow its the smallests but cosiest cheapest and mosy welcomingread more

I may be swayed to say this pub is great as I live in the area, but I believe even if I did not I…read morewould still love it! Although it is busy, the atmosphere of the pub is amazing and the staff are very helpful. The meals can sometimes take a little long and the menu is a bit expensive, but the food is great! I recommend the chicken pie if you are going there for the first time, and if you have kids the pizza is nice as well. Overall I think the pub is great and if you have eaten there you should pop over to the green man across the road and have a game of pool or darts! The village it is in is very small and cosy, which makes for a great night out. If you are in the area I definitely recommend it.

A massive, but on the whole average kinda pub situated in the sleepy village of Dunchurch, just…read moreoutside of Rugby. We didn't arrive here until after 9pm and were slightly concerned that they wouldn't still be serving food, but luckily they keep going until 10. The menu was quite extensive but mainly included typical pub grub, nothing that looked like it was particularly likely to tickle the taste buds. I decided on the confit duck on the waitresses recommendation. Unfortunately, it didn't have the usual melt in the mouth texture that a confit dish usually has, instead it tasted like it had just been popped into the deep fat fryer! The roasted veg that accompanied it were also slightly over cooked and the whole dish was a bit of a disappointment - it's always a bad sign when I don't finish a meal! My dining companion had the mixed grill, which was basically just a large plate of meat, however he looked pleased enough with his dish. All this was washed down with a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc which certainly helped to cleanse the palate. The restaurant was also mega-hot. Another institution that has decided to slam on the central heating on the 1st October, regardless of the ambient temperature. On the plus side, the staff were all lovely and chatty, which has probably just scraped them three stars instead of the intended two. Geez, I'm a push-over...

The Rugby Tavern, or old Windmill pub, is fantastic, whatever time of day you choose to frequent…read morethe place. The drinks are fairly well priced, and the food, although limited at times, is wonderful. I ate here with my partner not so long back and neither of us managed to finish our meals, and not through lack of trying! In the evenings on the weekends they have a DJ/Disco style thing going on. This combined with the staff attitude and general clientele provides an atmosphere that few places in Rugby can match. If bouncing around like a loon isn't really your thing, they also have a quieter bar to the right hand side of the pub/ There is a pool table and duke box in here, so its really good as a quiet meeting place anytime, or it can serve as a kind of escape from the cheese being pumped into the main bar. The "beer garden" is a fairly small cobble stoned area to the back which opens up onto the back of Clock Towers. In the evening it is fabulously quiet out here, especially if you sit under the sheltered heater - fantastic! The landlady is a lovely woman, who is open to ideas for theme nights etc to ensure that customers have a great night out. Fantastic pub for anytime of day with good beer, great food and friendly staff, what more could you want?

Myself and my collegues often go out for the night in rugby, and we go around many of the bars and…read morethe tavern is normally one of our first stops. They have a bar that splits the pub in half, one side funnily enough always seems to house all the regulars and the other half tends to have all the passerbyers or bar crawlers. We tend to go on the regulars side as a couple of my collegues go there often and take part in ther pub quizes. Its a nice bar and the drinks are really well priced, and they often have special offers on the drinks for eg. if you have a double its only 50p more than a single and they also do some cocktails etc. Although we tend to stick to wine and beers. They normally have a disco on, on a saturday night and the dj is great, all golden oldies or cheesy pop, but when we are all a bit merry we all appreciate a bit of wigfeild or the cheeky girlshaha!!!! In the day time they also do a lunch menu, I have only visited this place once for lunch and i had shephards pie, was really nice and was a really nice homemade one, with side of vegtables, i think it cost 4.50 or round about that price. Overall i think this is a nice pub, the toilets are good, and clean, and the staff are really nice and seem to always have agiggle with their regulars.

Had a lovely meal on Saturday night, Black Bream they were very helpful, it was on the menu as pan…read morefried but I requested it differently they cooked it in a bag baked in the oven with herbs and spices. I would recommend this restaurant, although it is not cheap I do not believe you can creat fine dishes cheaply.

Just been out to lunch with some friends and we have had a lovely meal at The Griffin…read more we had not been there for a number of years but found it welcoming and friendly , excellent value as we had four lovely meals and drinks for £18 will defiantly be going again very soon .

Love The Old Smithy, been going here for years and years with my friends…read more Steaks are amazing, and the menu hasn't changed since we started going (which is a good thing!). Seating is available outside, and the bar and restaurant staff are always polite. Would recommend for great pub-grub!

I'm glad the previous posters gave it such a low mark, as it means they won't be coming back and…read moreclogging up a great place! The Smithy is a perfectly reasonable village pub, quite large for the location. What makes the difference and keeps my repeat custom is the food. The meals are HUMUNGOUS, and ridiculously cheap (pound of lamb chops with the usual for 8 quid? Pound of steak and a mountain of chips for under a tenner?). Sure it's not Cordon Bleu, but it is unquestionably fit for purpose. I've never had a bad meal here, and it's a place I come back to again and again. One nice touch for smokers is the marquee outside the smoking area is surrounded by walls on three sides so you can have a fag without freezing to death. I only wish they'd ditch that awful Magners and get some decent cider in!

This place is like stepping back in time, the decor is very decadent. The food is always good and…read morethe service is great! This is a great place for people who are just looking for a drink as the drinks menu is wonderful and the cocktails are delicious! Great for couples, parties and families

Love this place. A great place to go any time of the day for good food and drink served by friendly…read morestaff. Excellent menu and the quality is very good. Love the vegan and vegetarian options. Relaxed and homely with great decor. A great place to chill out or meet friends. Family friendly place. They really need table service though and more speed at the one till as there is often a queue to get served. Great for a night out with friends too.