Sian Victoria © - Barnt Green Inn, Premium Country Pubs, Birmingham

Budget & Premium chain places to eat west midlands

There’s nothing better than sitting down for a delicious meal with good company. Whether it’s for a special occasion or just to spend quality time together. Heading to a pub that has a great dining option is always a good choice for a laid-back afternoon.

With so many pubs with restaurants in the West Midlands, it’s hard to choose exactly where to dine. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of some of the best family-friendly chain and independent pubs and restaurants near you within the West Midlands and Birmingham area that are sure to leave you feeling refreshed and satisfied.

Regardless of what cuisine you’re craving, if you’re dining with family or if you require somewhere vegan-friendly or accessible, there’s sure to be something on this list that will be perfect for you. Especially when it’s a place that suits all dietary requirements.

With a selection of budget-friendly and premium chain and independent eateries located in either a rural countryside pub or a local town, you’ll be able to choose somewhere that works for you with this list of children-friendly pubs.

1. Premium Country Pubs

Sian Victoria © - The Victoria, Barnt Green, Premium Country Pubs

With locations in Wolverhampton, Sutton Coldfield, and Walsall to name a few of this chain’s venues. Premium Country Pubs allow customers to enjoy fine dining in a homely and inviting atmosphere.

With stylish interiors and situating each venue near scenic rural areas around the UK, Premium Country Pubs know how to make your dining experience unforgettable. From relaxing wood furnishings and open log fires to stag heads, tepees, and terraces, you’ll be able to enjoy a delicious meal with family and friends that’s sure to be perfect for a special occasion. Or simply an excuse to dress up and catch up over food and drink on date night.

The slightly more luxurious prices of their menu are reflected through the fine dining quality of their dishes, with pan-fried seabass and wild scallops up for grabs. Making sure every customer is accommodated, this chain caters to vegans with an extensive menu of flavoursome plant-based dishes, with the option of tempting vegan coconut curry, a beyond meat burger and a nourish bowl among a few others.

If you need a children’s menu or dishes to suit your dietary requirements. Premium Country Pubs have you covered.

I’ve been dining at Premium Country Pubs across the West Midlands for years. So, for more photos of their interiors, food and drink then check out my reviews at each of the following locations: The Crown at Wergs in Tettenhall, The Bulls Head in Meriden, The Lyttelton Arms in Hagley, and The Boot Inn in Studley.

2. Harvester

Sian Victoria © - Starters at Harvester, George Stephenson pub

Sian Victoria © - Desserts at Harvester, George Stephenson pub

Sian Victoria © - BBQ No Chicken Stack, Harvester

Sian Victoria © - Mains at Harvester, George Stephenson pub

The popular pub chain Harvester is a family favourite for good reason. With over 150 venues across the UK and many in the West Midlands, including Cannock, Dudley, Wolverhampton, and West Bromwich. You can enjoy the welcoming atmosphere of this dining place while helping yourself to a tasty meal at a great value for all the family.

Whether you’re craving something from the grill, a full English breakfast or a plant-based dish, the Harvester has all your pub grub favourites covered. The chain ensures every customer can enjoy a delicious meal, no matter your dietary requirements – with an extensive range of vegetarian and vegan options, you can sit down to a healthy balanced bowl or treat yourself to a plant-based Chilli Con Carne or a selection of veggie tapas-style small plates.

Harvester is the place I visit most often from this list as the vegan comfort food options are the perfect treat to indulge in when I catch up with friends and family at the weekend. The ‘BBQ No Chicken Stack’ and ‘The Purist’ moving mountains burger are always my go-to when visiting. Followed by the ‘Vegan Sundae Best’. The unlimited salad bar is what always brings me back too.

Harvester should be on your list to visit if you’re looking for quality and value for money when dining out with friends and family. The accessible venues and menus suited for most dietary requirements make it a great place that should be suitable for all.

3. Vintage Inns

Sian Victoria © - The Wolseley Arms, Stafford, Vintage Inns

If you’re a fan of rustic settings and classic country pub grub, you should certainly consider visiting Vintage Inns. Welcoming you in with warm wood furnishings and a rural country atmosphere, you can enjoy a tasty meal in the inviting surroundings of one of the Vintage Inns' cosy venues.

Situated in scenic locations across the UK, the nearest in the West Midlands include The Anchor Inn in Wolverhampton, The Red Lion in Solihull, The Tame Otter in Tamworth, and The Wolseley Arms in Staffordshire.

Although the homely décor and surroundings of these pubs are an imperative selling point, the delicious meals on offer make Vintage Inns even more special. Monday to Saturday, you can enjoy plant-based dishes such as a Vegetable Penang Curry, a stone-baked pizza, or a Moving Mountains Burger and on a Sunday treat yourself to a traditional hearty roast dinner featuring a selection of meats or a vegetable roast.

Each dish is bursting with a fresh flavour and adheres to the country charm that the pub boasts. Children’s meals sit at a moderately priced £5.95, with a variety of options to ensure they won’t go hungry.

Although Vintage Inns does have limited options for those of us who are vegan, the charm of these rural countryside venues still makes it a great place to visit. Especially to enjoy the beer garden during the summer. Or cosy winter nights next to the log fire.

I enjoy visiting The Wolseley Arms in Staffordshire as it’s dog-friendly and they have a jar of dog treats in the entrance and a basket of blankets if you fancy sitting outside with a drink.

4. Stonehouse Restaurants

Sian Victoria © - The Newbridge, Stonehouse Restaurants

When fancying comfort food, look no further than a Stonehouse Restaurant. With something sure to take your fancy on their extensive menu, this chain eatery is a great spot to visit with all the family. You’ll be able to find a Stonehouse Restaurant in your local area, with venues throughout the West Midlands including The Newbridge Wolverhampton and restaurants in Stafford, Dudley, Tamworth, and Birmingham.

This pub with a restaurant is sure to cater to your pub grub needs, with the option to treat yourself to a fresh carvery or a classic pub dish. They specialise in pizzas, completely handmade and stone-baked, as well as an extensive selection of burgers.

Those who are vegetarian or vegan like me can choose from several dishes at this eatery. Such as a veggie supreme vegan pizza, the above and beyond burger and a nut roast to add with plenty of veggies at the carvery station.

Depending on the restaurant you visit some venues host pub nights. So, you’ll be able to have a memorable night out with all the family.

5. Cookhouse + Pub

Sian Victoria © - The Queen Inn, West Bromwich, Cookhouse + Pub

The Cookhouse + Pub chain combines the comfortable atmosphere and affordable value of a traditional pub with the extensive and innovative menus of a restaurant, allowing you to enjoy a satisfying meal while on a budget.

Choose from several venues across the West Midlands including Oldbury and West Bromwich and treat yourself to food and drink with friends and family.

With the ability to enjoy two mains throughout the week for £8.99, there’s no doubt that this eatery offers great value for money dishes. Enjoy traditional pub food such as fish and chips, lasagne, and the soup of the day, or visit on a Sunday to try out the roast dinners with fresh vegetables and unlimited roast potatoes.

Plus, you’ll be pleased to know your plant-based needs are catered for. There’s an entire ‘meatless meals’ menu dedicated to a great selection of delicious vegan & vegetarian food that you can enjoy that doesn’t compromise on the affordable yet tasty quality of the dishes.

Whether you’re craving something from the grill, something plant-based or a small dish for young children, the Cookhouse + Pub venues are sure to have something that will take your fancy.

For more photos and to see what else is on the menu, check out my three-course meal review of Cookhouse + Pub.

6. Toby Carvey

Sian Victoria © - Toby Carvery, Walsall Broadway

There’s nothing better than a traditional Sunday roast dinner, and it’s fair to say that Toby Carvery does it best. This well-loved chain popular for its carvery station can be found throughout the West Midlands, with venues in Birmingham, Cannock, Sutton Coldfield, and Lichfield, to name a few.

This eatery is perhaps one of the best places for a carvery in the West Midlands, with its affordable prices, comfortable atmosphere, and tasty dishes. You can’t beat a typical British staple of veggies, crispy roasted potatoes and Yorkshire puddings soaked in gravy with a side of sweet cranberry sauce.

You can enjoy an authentic carvery any day of the week at this family-favourite eatery, with carvery prices starting from an affordable £7.49. If you’re meaty you can choose from four roasted types of meat and all the vegetable trimmings, you fancy. And if you’re a veggie you can request a nut roast or shortcrust tart to be waiting for you behind the carvery station.

Toby Carvery also does a unique spin on a carvery with a yorkie wrap and is a great place to dine with all the family. They have a children’s menu and the option to have a small carvery for only £4.99 if you have a smaller appetite.

If you’re not craving a roast dinner. Then there are plenty of other dishes on the menu, including plant-based options.

7. Brewhouse and Kitchen

Sian Victoria © - Brewhouse & Kitchen, Lichfield

This quirky independent pub group is unlike any other in the West Midlands. Combining the world of beer brewing with fresh, tasty dining, Brewhouse and Kitchen allow customers to experience the craft of making the popular drink. Choose from the few local venues, including Sutton Coldfield and Lichfield, and enjoy this distinctive dining experience for yourself.

The main selling point of these microbreweries is the chance to see how the drink is brewed, with venues offering a ‘Brewery Experience Day’ for £95 per person, allowing you to get a hands-on look at how the pub crafts the beer, before taking a keg home with you. If beer isn’t for you then a gin or whiskey tasting masterclass is available too from £30pp.

Or skip the brewery class and sit back and enjoy a delicious meal as you try out an array of hand-crafted gins or beers, such as a burger and a pint for £10.95 on Mondays. The offer includes a B&K Plant Burger which is great to see as some places exclude vegan dishes in restaurant meal offers.

At Brewhouse and Kitchen, you’ll find a deliciously jam-packed all-day menu with plenty of plant-based options, as well as a children’s menu, a Sunday menu, and a buffet menu. It’s the perfect place to visit with friends, especially if you would like to include one of these unique behind-the-scenes at a brewery and masterclass experiences too.

For more photos, visit my three-course meal review at Brewhouse and Kitchen.

8. Beefeater

Sian Victoria © - Beefeater, Longbridge restaurant

With venues in Walsall, Wolverhampton, and Cannock to name just a few, Beefeater pubs are a family favourite. Serving up great value traditional pub food.

Beefeater offers a whole host of classic dishes including fish and chips, lasagne, and a variety of meaty dishes. Thankfully in recent years, the chain has created a dedicated meat-free menu as the last time I visited (over 5yrs ago when I was a vegetarian) I only had one veggie option to choose from. Now there are multiple vegan and vegetarian starters, mains, sides, and desserts so you shouldn’t be left disappointed if you’re eating meat-free at a Beefeater.

The meat-free menu tempts you with spinach and ricotta cannelloni, a plant-based burger and loaded chilli cheese fries. And to keep the children happy there is a 3-course meal deal for just £5.99, where kids can build their meal suited to their cravings.

From £11.99 you can also indulge in a Sunday Roast which also features a ‘non-chicken’ dish. This is great if you fancy something meaty without the meat and a carvery option that’s not a nut roast. To see more of what’s on the menu check out my three-course review at Beefeater.

To conclude

So, there we go. A selection of the best West-Midlands-based pub chains and restaurants for you to consider visiting when you next fancy a meal out. Whether you’re looking for somewhere with a great family-friendly atmosphere and an extensive children’s menu, somewhere that caters well to vegans and vegetarians, or even somewhere moderately fancy. There’s sure to be something on this list for you.

If you enjoy Sunday’s dining out with the family and are looking for a new place to enjoy a carvery, especially around Christmas time. Then you may find my post on Sunday roast dinner places in West Midlands helpful.

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