The Malt Shovel

Although when we walked in we were tempted to go in the bar area as it looked heaving with people, we headed over to the dining area.
We had to wait for around 20 minutes for a table which I didn’t think was too bad considering how busy it was.
Once seated, the waiter disappeared for another 20 minutes which really frustrated me. I wouldn’t have minded if we had been given a drink in the meantime but we were left looking over our shoulders trying to capture a waiter’s attention.
Once he finally came back (probably from a fag break) he wasn’t overly apologetic. We ordered a couple of chicken dinners and waited yet another 20 minutes for them to be come.
The food itself was pretty standard but for less than £10 it was a good filling meal.
Overall the wait and service wasn’t the best but if you were to go on a quieter night you’d be able to get yourself a good meal for under £10.

A lovely pub and a pub I would visit again. Staff are friendly and the service they offer is excellent.
I have not had any food at the Malt Shovel but from what my friends have told me, the carvery is very nice. The beer garden is pretty spacious. It is a lovely place to be when it is a warm day and you have got a pint.
Toilets are not too bad in terms on cleanliness. I found that a lot of old people do visit the Malt Shovel particularly during the afternoon. The Malt Shovel is a great place to be when it comes to live sports being shown at the pub and there are plenty of screens around the pub.
I will be going back to the Malt Shovel and next time out I am going to try the food on offer at the pub. Should be interesting.

Was fantastic value but oh dear whats happened visited Sunday evening and two meals and a pint and a coke came to twenty five pounds near enough.
Meals are still very good with a selection of meats available with a good selection of vegetables but the place was virtually empty, this is obviously due to the increased price im afraid we will think twice before visiting again.

wow. prices here are ridiculously cheap they offer a variety of meats. i Iave eaten there and food is good. cant see how they make any money. clean and hygenic plenty of room. its resturant and bar are separate that allows them who want to dine to be separate from those who just want to drink. although you can be served at either bar. great!

Good prices for lovely food in a lovely pub. The carvery is always fresh and hot. The staff are lovely and the bar is reasonable. Ample seating inside and ample parking outside.

We often used to pop into The Malt Shovel in Great Barr in the afternoon because at £3.99 the carvery meals made it cheaper than going to McDonalds and definitely more wholesome.
There is a menu to choose from which I’ve never eaten from because I love the carveries, but have glanced at it to see that it’s mainly traditional pub meals served with potatoes, chips or a jacket potato.
Most people visit The Malt Shovel for the carveries though and the queue for food is always quite long, this is great though in my opinion because it means that the food is replenished often and is always extremely fresh tasting.
You’ve got a brilliant selection of food for such a low price and I always walk back to my table slightly embarressed that I’ve piled so much onto my plate. You can choose from beef, turkey, gammon or all three (as I do!) and the meats are always beautifully cooked with the turkey in particular being deliciously moist and tender. You’ll also be offered a large fluffy Yorkshire Pudding and crispy stuffing ball at this point — it would be rude to refuse, wouldn’t it???
The veg available is wonderful, I love veg anyway so was pleased to see how fresh and well cooked it was here. There are buttery boiled new potatoes in their skins, crispy roasters, cauliflower cheese, green beans, sweetcorn, peas, carrots — oh, I could go on and on but you get the gist! The only thing I don’t have is the cauli cheese and that’s only because I cannot bear the thought of cheese melting into the gravy!
When I’ve picked all my food out I’ll stop off at the servery to drench my plate in a thick moreish gravy and add a spoon of cranberry sauce and horseradish. Then I’m ready to go and sit down to eat! I have never, ever had cause to complain about a meal in The Malt Shovel and I believe it was the meals in this pub which kept me healthy while I was pregnant as me and my fella ate here practically every other day to save me having to cook.
Of course you’ll want a drink to wash all that food down, and I can tell you that The Malt Shovel has an excellent range of everything from lager to spirits to soft drinks and coffees. I usually have a glass of wine or fruit juice with my meal as there would be no way I could drink such a bloating drink as lager or Coke with such a heavy dinner.
The staff in The Malt Shovel are great; friendly, helpful and always polite. I had to ask for our table to be cleared after the previous occupants once and although I was embarrassed about complaining I was put at my ease and the table cleared and cleaned with no moaning or dirty looks at all! A novelty in pubs in this area!

Excellent carvery meal, plenty of food to chose from which is always well cooked & very tasty. Also normal pub lunches done & that food is really nice & well cooked. Staff are nice. place is clean & tidy, large car park so parking never appears to be a problem.