Review of 'The Rising Sun'
We have passed this small, but always busy, pub while travelling locally between Nantwich and Crewe but have never visited. It always looks so inviting when we pass with a sharp, modern exterior and, really, there is no reason not to drop in. So we decided to pay a visit early on a Saturday evening – without a reservation but as we were there at about 5 pm it was not really a problem and we were offered two tables, one beside the door and another a short distance away beside the small, but cozy, fireplace. On a cool February evening there was no contest.
The bar area is to the right as you enter (where the toilets are also found) and the restaurant area is to left. The interior is much as you would expect in a pub: Quite eclectic but warm a friendly complete with wonky wooden beams supporting the low ceiling.
This is a chain pub run by the “Chef and Brewer” chain so I did not expect too much from the menu. There was a seasonal menu on a single sheet of paper that featured two beers, two starters, four mains and two puddings. The main menu was a double-sided affair with many options split into “Where to begin?”, “Country pub classics”, “Steak & Burgers”, “Sides & Nibbles” (flipping over), “Just for lunch” (smaller lunch options available Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm), “Puddings”, and “How do you take yours?” (hot drinks).
It took a few minutes after being seated before the staff came to our table to take our order but we were impressed that the young man did not write it down, relying on his memory which turned out to be spot on. Not only did he take our drinks order but our dinner order as well. We opted to start with the “Crispy Pork Belly Bites” (£8.25; “Golden bites of crispy pork belly, served with black pudding crumble and caramelised red onion chutney”) from the “Starters” section of the “Our Seasonal Specials” menu. The plating was quite nice with only three small “nuggets” of deep-fried pork belly with a crumbling light coating sitting on top of a small bed of black pudding pieces though with a good amount of chutney on the side. Turns out the chutney was the most flavoursome of the lot. The pork belly was crunchy but surprisingly had little flavour which was also the case with the incredibly bland black pudding. It is unclear why this was the case other than perhaps poor quality ingredients or, more likely, a lack of correct seasoning? Certainly the black pudding tasted pasty like you get in cheap examples. The portion size was good…
So, a disappointing start.
For my main I again selected from the “Out Seasonal Specials” menu the “Wild Boar Sausage and Mash” (£16.75; “Served with Creamy Mash and caramelised red onion chutney”). In this case the two sausages were quite tasty as well as the wonderfully tangy chutney perched on top but, again, the mash and gravy were texture only with little in the way of flavour. I have to think here the issue was simply the lack of adequate seasoning which the kitchen should supply rather than the guest.
My companion opted for the “Roasted Vegetable & Grain Salad (with chicken)” (£13.25 + £3.50 for chicken; “Mixed leaves with lentil & quinoa grain mix, roasted beetroot, red onion & butternut squash, tomato and cucumber ribbons, drizzled with lemon & parsley oil”) option from the main menu in the “Country Pub Classics” section. Again, the curse of blandness struck us again. While the beetroot and butternut squash was quite tasty the rest of it was quite bland and the salad dressing had pretty much zero flavour. The tomato, oddly, was not cooked unlike most of the other ingredients so it was a bit of a odd clash of textures. The sliced chicken breast added on the top was overcooked turning it grainy and, again, very, very bland. Again, the portion size was good…
After finishing our meal we sat for a few minutes before realising that we had to go to the bar to pay for our meal. It came to £48.75 for the two of us including two “soda” drinks (their squash with soda water) which is quite reasonable.
Quite a disappointing meal but we are game to return to come back and try something different. The staff were very friendly and helpful, and the interior is quite relaxed and comfortable. People come here to drink with friends and are not too fussed about “fine dining”, and it shows.
Rating: “A bit better than average”
Review Date: 2026-02-21
Cuisine: American/British
Address: Middlewich Rd, Crewe, Cheshire CW2 8SB ENGLAND
Location: Cheshire (England) - Crewe
Map:
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Telephone: +44 (0) 1270 213782
URL: https://www.chefandbrewer.com/pubs/cheshire/rising-sun-inn