Shropshire Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: ‘Inventive and good-value café-style food’ is the motto of this friendly venture, established by the four Crouch brothers (hence CSONS). Come early in the day for an “interesting alternative to traditional bacon and eggs” (it features chorizo and smoked chilli sauce), then enjoy cakes, bakes and focaccia by day; or drop in for their Friday and Saturday night dinners.

2021 Review: “Top eggs Benedict and very good coffee” are staple attractions of this modern, light and airy venue in the town centre: an all-day and family-friendly operation with a variety of down-to-earth tapas, lunch, dinner and kids’ menus.

Self-taught chef Martin Board’s “really tempting menu” of “beautifully presented dishes” wins consistent ratings at the seventeenth-century inn-with-rooms he runs with his wife Mel in a village outside Shrewsbury.

“An excellent addition to the town” – this year-old bistro occupies a “quirky and enchanting” sixteenth-century merchant’s house (the old Drapers Guild Hall) that “is worth a visit in its own right” and was “once a setting for the TV film adaption of Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol”. “The food is very good indeed, based on local ingredients and the menu changes regularly.” “Wine is from the long-established local wine merchants Tanners.”

Ben Hall and Carla Cook have created a “super menu and the food delivered matches up… in fact exceeds expectations” at this four-year-old venture with an open kitchen. “It’s small, so be sure to book in advance, especially for a special occasion.”