Samuel Barlow Bar & Restaurant

We visited on a bank holiday weekend afternoon, and we were not quite sure what we would find, as the information online is largely out of date. The Samuel Barlow is set in a very pleasing location on a delightful stretch of the canal, with a terrace overlooking Alvecote Marina. It could be a real destination dining location with some investment and dedicated management.... but for now, at best, this is only a traditional pub, and certainly not a restaurant. They have not had a permanent chef since lockdown, so they only serve rolls and pasties, which can be heated up if required. Seating outside is comfortable and there is a large canopy for shade. The small number of customers, despite it being a bank holiday weekend, is a good indication of what the pub is like. There were a couple of chaps playing bar billiards inside, and a few people outside, some with dogs. We had a pleasant time sitting in the sun and watching the boats. Bar service (one barman) was friendly and efficient. Parking is strange - part is for the pub and part for the moorings, but neither are well signposted and the pub parking area seems quite small. Sadly, it's not our kind of place, but I hate marking things down, so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt in case things improve, and I'm mainly dropping down to 4 because to get inside the pub you have to go past the toilets, and they were very smelly indeed (stale urine). Not a good first impression.

Lovely setting, we enjoyed their Burgers and Fish n Chips on our last visit. Previous stop there they had live music. Great place to get to on the bike from Polesworth and would recommend especially on a sunny day. Booking essential at the moment but it's really easy to do so in their website. They serve a nice selection of alcoholic drinks.

We enjoyed a very pleasant Sunday lunch at this canal side pub after mooring up close by. The traditional Sunday roast was served as a generous portion and met with my partner's approval. The service was good and the clientele were friendly and accommodating (we had my eighteen month old granddaughter with us).