May 2024 by Julia B
What a find this was. Went for dinner with my daughter and coukd not have wished for better. Attentive service and lively atmosphere. Aided by the fact I'm a dog liver and there were plenty to make a fuss of between courses. Our meal was truly delicious. I had the most prefect hot and crispy scotch egg with a runny golden centre served with mango chutney and a mayo drizzle. Followed by crispy skinned trout with a creamy mustard sauce on a bed of finely sliced cabbage. For dessert the creme brulee was creamy and silky just as it shoukd be with a crunchy sugar crust edging on the burnt to give that proper caramellyness required to cut the sweetness. Brilliant chef. The best of it was, we aldo hot to go to breakfast where there was a good selection on the menu and a lovely spread of toasts and jams, pastries, cereal, fruit and juice to offer as well. The coffee machine was a tad ponderous but it did actually spout out a decent cup of black coffee to which I added regular milk as I'm never a fan of the more complex offering from machines. We are promising ourselves another visit soon to this gem of an Inn perhaps booking a Sunday lunch to try.
April 2024 by 702tezz
So, I was out for an evening drive and along our route we decided to get food, nothing too fancy just decided if we came across a pub, we'd pop in and eat. We came across the joiners arms after seeing the road signs and decided there's our pub and parked up nearby. The pub itself is lovely and well presented, you walk in through the front doors and it's warm and welcoming. The bar are has that traditional pub vibe and there's a dining room in the back that is not too over crowded or busy. I noticed especially how dog friendly the venue is noting that there were dog specific menu. So if you fancy a steak for yourself and your furry companion you've got options. We got sat down in a corner table which was nice and we were brought some water and given time to look at the menu. I am a huge fish and chips lover, so naturally my choice drifted to that part of the menu, but there were plenty of tasty looking options across the board. Although on the pricier side (£19.50) for beer battered Haddock and chips, I didn't mind this too much because it was a day trip out. My friend is vegan and she was over the moon that the menu items were clearly labelled and plenty of options available still. The service was surprisingly fast it seemed like on 5 minutes had passed between ordering our food and getting it. The food itself, was phenomenal. The haddock was huge, crispy and delicious. The tartar sauce was nice not too tangy either. My only complaint with the food was the chips, they lacked colour and with the fish stacked on top of them we're just saturated in grease the food alone, I'd give a 7/10. Overall an excellent experience. I will be venturing back during the day time at some point in the summer to enjoy the beer garden.
April 2024 by jenny262
This was as overnight stay. Room was spacious with a lovely shower and a comfortable bed. . However the Joiners Arms lacked lustre and charm and there was zero ambience. . It could be so much more as it is well located and has a great catchment but it appears to be trading on a past reputation and cannot really decide its customer base or what clientele it wants to attract.. There was very little interaction from staff, no smiles or warmth and one got the impression that they felt as tired and fed up as the establishment itself. The breakfast was good with lots of provisions, but overall there is lots of room for improvement.
April 2024 by dodo029
This pub been on our radar for quite a while so on our most recent visit to Northumberland decided to check it out. What a disappointment! Both the interior and exterior needs a refurb as both areas are very grubby. The furniture is tired, furnishings faded and/or stained, paintwork caked in matted dust, chipped, wallpaper torn / scraped , decking and outside furniture dirty and in desperate need of pressure washing? and don?t get me started on the ladies toilets , just awful! Even the exterior signage looks as if it has partly rotted, poor kerb appeal. The ambiance of the pub was unwelcoming and it seemed a bit cliquey with staff only really paying attention to the ?locals? they obviously knew. Fortunately we only called for drinks but it was our intention to book a table for dinner for another evening so we were glad we hadn?t before checking it out first . I really expected this place to be something special especially with the price of the rooms being well above the average for this area .
April 2024 by Nigel H
We come here every time we visit Northumberland, maybe twice a year. Has been a great place. However, this time, when we came in there were three staff standing by the bar and instead of asking what we wanted and helping, they kept talking between themselves. Not impressed, particularly as didn't know the answer to my question and had to go find out. Not impressed either that there is no longer a snack lunch on a Sunday.......If you want to know how to lose custom then this is the way to go about it.
April 2024 by Danielle L
Very overpriced for the standard of food we received. £6.30 for a lemonade and fresh orange in a half pint glass felt like robbery. Chicken salad was tasteless and lacking in chicken if I'm honest. Husbands burger was overcooked. We had waited an extra 20 mins over our table booking time and then an hour for food to be served. Would not return.
April 2024 by M4511TKangelas
We have been eating at the joiners every holiday for a very very long time! The restaurant has not had a great deal of money spent on it in all that time... was good as usual! Crispy fish, nice burgers etc. The gnocchi with chorizo was a small portion for the price but tasty. The issue for us on the two visits this week were...the lack of acknowledgement on arrival from the bar staff who looked everywhere except at you until a manager came up to ask us if we had a reservation. We waited quite a while for anyone to attend the table to take drinks orders. Finally it's really cold in the restaurant while rain poured through the ceiling. There are a couple of real fires that were not lit that would have been lovely. Nice food, so we will be back... but it wouldn't harm if there was a reception station when you arrive and please get rid of the nasty broken plastic plants on the tables...you know the ones!! Come on owners give it some care!
April 2024 by Dankatem31
The Joiners Arms has been on our radar for some time, as we couldn?t be bothered cooking towards the back end of our weekly stay we booked a table online which was straightforward. The decor is really cosy and the staff all seemed really friendly and we didn?t have to wait long at all to be served with drinks and our food order taken. The food was delicious and we could not fault the presentation and portion sizes. We all said the next time we were in the area we would definitely eat here again.
April 2024 by karen s
Came upon this pub by accident on our trip. Had a very nice lunch, friendly, helpful staff especially the barman. Only 2 blurrs....the restaurant was cold and the vinegar was in PLASTIC bottles ?
April 2024 by Eleanor F
A family of 5 & we all enjoyed our meals! 2 of us had the pie of the day (fish) it was delicious. One had the burger, another had gnocchi and finally pasta from the children?s menu. Clean plates all round! Staff were really friendly & attentive. We booked a few days in advance as it?s a popular destination. Would definitely recommend.
April 2024 by Brad K
We arrived at 1pm whist awaiting check in at Newton hall, which was 3pm and had also previously booked for dinner later in fhe day. We ordered stotties and fries for lunch. Sadly the stotties were bread buns and not traditional and the fries were greasey, hard and hollow. Although the filling was lovely. We ordered several drinks, including coffee but had to go to the bar each time to order these as the service was slow. Upon arrival for dinner we were shown our seats and immediately ordered drinks. These did not arrive and I again had to go to the bar to request them. I ordered the main of lamb ragu. When it arrived the portion size was much smaller than I had expected and more like starter size. I had finished it in approx 6 mouthfuls. When I raised this I was told the portion size was due to it being rich. It was very tasty, but simply far too small amd although rich could have been a larger portion. The hot tap and toilet seat in the female toilets were broken and water was leaking through the bay window roof which collectively showed a further lack of attention to detail.
April 2024 by FluffyPeggie
Organised brilliance ; we were attend a wedding next door [Newton Hall] and the family gathered for dinner the evening before. There were 40+ and it was great. We pre-ordered and the food was gorgeous, hot, soo plentiful and we were all served in a short time. Do not eat here if you are on a diet - the portions are massive!! Nothing was too much bother for the Manager & her team and it was a superb start to a lovely weekend.
April 2024 by missctw1017
We booked a family meal here for Good Friday. Our oldest son has multiple food allergies and I was told that they could cater for him as they have an allergy matrix. Unfortunately, when we arrived and asked for the allergen menu we realised this wasn?t the case at all. It took a good 20minutes of the staff running around for us to be told that the allergy matrix couldn?t be located. I would have thought that such important documentation would have been kept to hand. The staff obviously had no allergy training therefore my son panicked and decided not to eat at all to stay safe. Shocking that a restaurant doesn?t hold any info on allergies. I?ve also emailed them and had no one get back to me so the complaint mustn?t be that important to them.
April 2024 by Pippin23015
Have been before. What a disappointment this time. We had sharing fish platter. Bread was dry and nothing like our previous platter. Fish and chips mediocre. Guiness? Cocktails undrinkable. Had to be returned. It used to be so good. What has happened?
March 2024 by KR100
I really wanted to love this pub having heard such good things. I cannot put my finger on it but I walked away feeling a bit deflated. The place ain?t cheap (just shy of £500 for 4 adults and 3 teens) but the portions are very generous. What we liked: the fish of the day was cooked beautifully and the fish & chips were enormous; what we didn?t like so much: the restaurant service was a little unfriendly. It?s a good family pub and perfect for beer garden drinks and filling your boots with pub grub; dogs welcome too.
