Play at Brewers Fayre: The Meadows Barnsley Review

Reviewed by Gemma Ingham

My family and I visited The Meadows Brewer’s Fayre pub in Barnsley for the opening of their ‘Play at Brewer’s Fayre’ area. I took my 3 year old daughter and her 8 year old cousin along with three other adults.

We were immediately greeted by warm and friendly staff and shown to the play area. It was explained to us how the play area works and we were given the rules to read and agree to. Because it was a special event Dennis the Menace himself was there to meet us which the 8 year loved. My 3 year old decided she wasn’t a fan and was only happy to see him from a distance!

The play area space is a decent size, modern and light. The kids were raring to go so off came their shoes and they dove into the 3 story play structure. The area is themed upon Beano so was brightly coloured with lots of pictures of Beano characters adorning the walls. Even the carpet in the area was comic book themed.

At the bottom of the play structure is a toddler area that is filled with foam shapes, large bean bags and a couple of ride in cars. The rest of the play area has slides, ramps, numerous levels to crawl up and down and windows to peer out of. All of the structure seemed in decent condition considering it has children running in and out of it all day.

Separate to the play structure is ‘The Den’ which housed a large table with craft activities such as mask making, and a facepainter who draw Dennis and Gnasher on my nephews face, and a horse on my daughter’s cheek.

Conveniently placed in front of the play area are a few benches with tables for adults to sit while they supervise their children, and further back is an area with larger tables more suited to eating meals at. We sat at one of these tables which meant we could keep an eye on the kids, but also be comfortable and we didn’t have to drag the children out of the play area to eat their food. Should there not be space to sit directly in the play area there is a large window that allows a view into the play area from that part of the main restaurant so parents can still see what their kids are up to.

The menu is varied, and we had a variety of typical pub grub such as burgers, smothered chicken, fish and chips and a salad. Each meal was well cooked, well presented and tasty. The fudge cake desserts were beautiful, and the caramel apple betty I had tasted like proper homecooked food. There is a huge choice for children in the menu so even fussy appetites should be happy.

Overall our first experience playing at Brewer’s Fayre was a good one, we were well looked after, the environment was fun and stimulating for the children, and the food was good.

Rating: 4/5

For more information, to view menus or to book a table visit:
www.brewersfayre.co.uk/pub-restaurant/Yorkshire/Meadows-Barnsley.html

Brewers Fayre, Meadow Gate, Valley Park Industrial Estate, Wombwell, Barnsley, S73 0UN