The Aviator

Someone from this business manages this listing.

353 reviews

#19 of 298 Restaurants in Stockport££ - £££, British, Grill, Pub

+44 161 388 2567+ Add website

Hours

Sun

9:30 - 22:30

Mon

9:30 - 23:00

Tue

9:30 - 23:00

Wed

9:30 - 23:00

Thu

9:30 - 23:00

Fri

9:30 - 23:00

Sat

9:30 - 23:00

Improve this listing

What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

353 reviews

#19 of 298 Restaurants in Stockport

Travellers' Choice 2023

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

Learn More

CUISINES

British, Grill, Pub

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Gluten Free Options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

features

Location and contact

6 Lancastrian Way, Woodford, Stockport SK7 1SA England

+44 161 388 2567

Improve this listing

Does this restaurant have a playground inside or outside?

Yes

Unsure

Details

Manage this business?

About

The Aviator is situated on the entrance to the stunning Woodford Garden Village offering a beautiful place to get together over fantastic food & drink. The menus are packed with homemade pub classics including the Brewery Tower Burger, Manchester Pale Ale battered fish & chips and homecooked steak & ale pie. The Sunday roasts are a must-have, a staple of your week, with beautifully roasted meats, all the trimmings and bottomless gravy and Yorkshire puddings. Being owned by a brewery means the bar is stocked with award winning cask ales, craft lagers and premium spirits and a hand-picked wine list pairing perfectly with the menus.

CUISINES

British, Grill, Pub

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Gluten Free Options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

FEATURES

Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Playgrounds, Dog Friendly, Family style, Non-smoking restaurants, Gift Cards Available

Contribute

Write a review Upload a photo Ask a question

We perform checks on reviews.

Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews

Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.

When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.

Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.

Learn more about our review moderation.

4.5

353 reviews

Excellent

268

Very good

Average

Poor

Terrible

Andrea C

10 contributions

Lovely atmosphere

Feb 2023 • none

Visiting from Canada - walked in on a very busy Sunday, but host was able to get us a seat in the bar for carvery, I had the beef, it was delicious, wine was well priced compared to other pubs I’ve visited. Atmosphere very nice and although the place was packed you could have a decent conversation without yelling across the table. We’ve booked here for Mother’s Day

Written 10 February 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Hugh S

Thank you so much for your kind review. Really pleased you enjoyed your visit with us so much. See you on Mothers Day!

Written 14 February 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Elizabeth

1 contribution

Amazing food and quick service

Feb 2022 • family

Went with my mum, sister and her boyfriend. Good and drinks came very quickly and it was amazing. I got the fish and chips and it was perfect. My mum and sister got steak and they both loved it and it was cooked just as asked. My sisters boyfriend got the steak and ale pie and it was amazing according to him. Our waitress Amanda was great and very lovely. Will definitely be going again.

Written 11 March 2022

Michelle P

8 contributions

Afternoon treat

May 2022 • none

We had a 3 course meal, which was delicious, nicely presented and well portioned the staff were very friendly and attentive without being intrusive. The decor was very stylish and atmosphere was lovely and relaxed, We will be back again. XX

Written 4 May 2022

Hugh S

thank you we are glad you really enjoyed it we hope to see you again soon

Written 5 May 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

coupefletch

Sandbach177 contributions

Ok Visit nothing special

Jun 2022 • couples

We had been in the area and was going to go somewhere else but notice the Pub was open so went in to see if I could get a table on request which they did on request. We were seated by the window and the server took our food and drinks order. Drinks came quickly. We had ordered a Sunday roast and a steak pie the reason for the 3star rating was the steak pie was a slice and not an individual pie so for the money didn’t seem worth the cost. The roast dinner looked good with a nice selection of vegetables and Yorkshire pudding. I must also Point out the server came over and asked if food was ok and did we want anymore gravy or Yorkshire Puddings what she didn’t tell us was that they are bottomless with a roast !! So if you want them grab them !! Service was also a little strange it was a different server for everything and one server came over to collect plates but removed the glasses from the plates and left them on the table rather than clear everything away. Probably would come back in a few weeks see if things have improved. Also please improve the desserts the choice was a little disappointing. Plenty of traditional pub food but no traditional desserts !!

Written 5 June 2022

Hugh S

i am sorry that you experienced this on your visit if you would like to drop us an email at aviator@jwlees.co.uk so we can discuss this further that would be great

Written 8 June 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Carys H

3 contributions

Awful food in a lovely environment

Jun 2022 • family

We decided to give The Aviator another chance, having had poor quality food on our first visit. This time, despite good service, sadly, the food was even worse. My daughter and I both ordered the Garden Salad, which was supposed to be a mix of leaves, tomatoes, green beans, avocado, egg and potatoes with roast garlic and onions, according to the menus. Both salads were ‘crunchy’ with soil due to unwashed leaves. There was ONE cherry tomato (sliced in half) in each salad, plus ONE green bean, chopped up. There was ONE potato sliced in my daughter’s salad. I had a small hard boiled egg sliced in half, the egg on my daughter’s salad was runny so no consistency coming out of the kitchen. There was no avocado in either salad. When we asked the waitress about this, she brought a saucer with 6 very thin slices of avocado - to have 3 slices each which she told us is what the chef had said! After I’d finished (left!) my inedible salad the waitress said she’d spoken to the manager and brought me a (hot!) ramekin from the kitchen with a few pieces of sliced cherry tomatoes. She told us that according to the chef, the salad was meant to be leaves and that’s why there was only one cherry tomato in each salad. Not sure why the other ingredients were included on an equal basis on the menu in that case? The price for the ‘crunchy’ leaves was £9.95 - no extra charge for the soil! My husband ordered fish and chips. The fish was very dry and tasteless. The chips were scappy. The manager had been told by the waitress that we were unhappy with our food, but spent the whole time standing at the bar chatting to the bar staff and didn’t make any attempt to speak to us at all, leaving the waitress to deal with our concerns. What a missed opportunity! The setting is ideal but the food is such poor quality. The restaurant wasn’t busy when we were there so there really is no excuse. The serving staff might be very friendly, but unless there’s a shake up in the kitchen, we won’t be returning, neither will we recommend it.

Written 11 June 2022

Hugh S

so sorry to hear of your visit , we are investigating your visit as nothing was reported on the day .thank you for review and our apologies in advance . if you could DM us or email aviator@jwlees.co.uk we could contact you directly thank you

Written 22 June 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

andrew s

1 contribution

Don’t recommend

Jul 2022 • family

After a recommendation we decided to call in for food but unfortunately it didn’t live up to the recommendation. My partners starter had a hair in it, we understand these things can happen but when we asked for a replacement it was brought out moments later which suggests it’s not fresh food. The cleanliness wasn’t up to standard as when we used a napkin the underneath was dirty and stained an had crayon scribbled all over it. This indicates that the table mustn’t of been cleaned or cleared properly. I ordered the chorizo butter bean stater which was like a warm stew but the pieces of chorizo were cold. The sirloin steak was nice but the chips were just chunky oven chips not cooked properly and spoilt the dish. Our server didn’t make us feel welcome from the moment we sat down. There was no pleasant welcome, when taking our orders it was rushed, we hadn’t finished saying what our son wanted to drink before she just walked off. Looking around she was more inviting an friendly to other customers, regularly checking in on them, asking if they needed anything else. Unfortunately we didn’t receive the same service. There was no real apology for the contaminated starter or dirty napkins. No compensation was offered to remove the starter off the bill for the error. Overall it wasn’t a pleasant visit and won’t be returning.

Written 25 July 2022

Bernard M

184 contributions

Good but not fantastic

Dec 2022 • none

Four gentlemen in our eighty’s for lunch 12.30. Arrived on time were behind three people who were having a problem with the guy on front desk There seamed to in that there was no record of there booking ,the guy was most unhelpful and turned them away ( at this time most tables were empty. ) we left at 15.30 there were always empty tables ,the web sites maintains that walking are always welcome ! So far not impressed. Seated on the most uncomfortable benches (known as 60 mins seats ) Great greeting and service from serving staff best part of the visit Ordered from the two course menu possible a mistake on my part Cheese and onion pie was school dinners Standard chips peas sauce fine ,desert Manchester tart one inch wide slice teaspoon of ice cream Overall great service so so food Same value for money poor Will try again as everyone deserves a second chance , Guys remember they are any number of places to eat in this part of the world and for me you are someway off for me to recommend .

Written 8 December 2022

Rachel W

2 contributions

RUDE STAFF

Aug 2022 • couples

Very rude man on the door. Website clearly says they have tables for walk ins. We were greeted with "Have you booked" when we said "No" the response was "we are fully booked" no apology, no offer to wait and the bar for a table. Very poor service. If you are looking for lunch skip it and go to the garden centre across the road where they are polite to customers.

Written 21 August 2022

Hugh S

Obviously this is not the impression we aim to deliver. We recommend to all customers to book well in advance to avoid disappointment. We do save tables for walk-ins however these are subject to availability and do tend to fill up fast due to high levels of trade. We hope you will not let this deter you and try us again in the future.

Written 23 August 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

XxEmma-LouXx

Ardee2 contributions

Save your money and go to Budgens!!!

Apr 2022 • solo

I can’t decide what was worse the service or the food!! Starters yes were atrocious. Luke warm tomato soup. Cremated duck spring rolls and as for the whipped feta.. the waitress didn’t know what is it was “I don’t know what this is but it’s got tomatoes on it??”this was served with crusty bread which was completely inedible due to the amount of sea salt that was embedded into it. Next up is the mains. The steak was grizzly and cold, the risotto was closer to cold stodgy porridge. Now as for the service let me tell you every server we had needs complete retraining but in reality I don’t think they ever had any to begin with. One server tossed food from one plate to another using only one hand. He may have a better career in the circus perhaps. Honestly the whole experience is laughable

Written 23 April 2022

Hugh S

we are very sorry to hear about your bad experience, we would like to try and solve this if you could drop us an email at aviator@jwlees.co.uk that would be much appreciated thanks the aviator

Written 24 April 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Paul F

Manchester8 contributions

Are children really welcome

Jul 2023 • family

Went with my son and grandchildren on a Sunday afternoon just for a couple of drinks. On going to the bar to order 2 beers, 1 small bottle Coke and 1 small lemonade I was told by a very abrupt young lady “ you can only have a pint of lemonade “. I explained it was for a 4 year old but was told we only serve pints. If this is not a deterrent to going with children what is. Awhile later I spoke with a young guy at the bar and asked about the price of a glass of lemonade he told me £2.90 and that staff had been told to only sell pints but he would do me a small glass if I wanted. I didn’t order in case he was traced by bar receipts. I will check if this pint policy is still in force over the next few weeks. The lemonade is from a dispenser so available in any quantity !!!!! So waiting to see how the manager justifies this practise

Written 30 July 2023

Hugh Smyth

thank you for your review , we do take all reviews seriously and will look into this incident . you have identified clearly some training issues that we can get onto straight away . We hope to see you again soon and we will have small glasses of lemonade available .

Written 31 July 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Susannah52221188

Macclesfield8 contributions

Family lunch

Mar 2022 • family

The Aviator, a newly opened pub, on the edge of a new housing estate close to Bramhall looks great! It certainly has plenty of young attentive staff, who despite a lack of knowledge of the finer details of the menu choices, provided a service which was generally good. There are a range of dishes to choose from. My party of six chose meals from the lunch menu and the main menu. The food arrived almost too quickly? It looked like the pie options, chosen by three people, had been pre-plated and then reheated and, as a result, the fillings were over cooked and dry. The other meals were ok, typical pub chain food, with not much attention to presentation. The deserts were very poor. The apple crumble arrived some time after the other four deserts and I have never eaten an apple crumble where the almost raw apple sat in a puddle of its own liquid. The topping, obviously added separately, had none of the usual sticky softness created by well baked fruit and topping which is usually associated with a good crumble. The chocolate brownie Ice cream deserts had, again, been pre-prepared and this time refrigerated. This resulted in rock hard brownie chunks with none of the melting softness usually associated with this desert. My advice would be to use less haste, ensure the food is properly cooked and well presented and provide the lovely young team of staff with more training.

Written 7 March 2022

LambFam

Stockport2 contributions

Lovely Food and Great Atmosphere

Mar 2022 • family

I took my two daughters and boyfriend for a meal. We had the steak which was cooked perfectly to our liking of rare. The chips were lovely both sauces were very tasty. One of my daughters had the small fish and chips and it was great. The fish batter was light and crispy and tasted great. The service was fantastic. All the staff were really friendly and welcoming and we never felt rushed or that we were overstaying our visit. I will definitely be back with my parents next time.

Written 11 March 2022

Alan B

Newcastle-under-Lyme2 contributions

Wonderful food, wonderful service!

May 2022 • family

Bank holiday lunch with my mum. We arrived early before service had begun, but this was no issue as we were made very welcome by Luke. He kept us informed of what was happening had excellent product knowledge and gave a confident personal recommendation which helped me choose the pie if the day! Mum predictably had fish and chips but even such a classic dish was delivered with outstanding accomplishment. The only thing I wish for is that I’d had the confidence to ask for Luke’s number! I’ll def visit again, both with and without mum!

Written 3 May 2022

Hugh S

sounds like a lovely visit , cant wait to see you both again .

Written 4 May 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Loreen I

4 contributions

100% recommend

Mar 2022 • friends

Pub is lovely, food was gorgeous and service was perfect. I’ll certainly be visiting again. Jake firstly greeted us as soon as we arrived and shown us to our table and made great recommendations from the menu and Emily helped me with what dessert to pick as I couldn’t decide Would 100% recommend

Written 14 March 2022

Timothy P

Stockport3 contributions

Lovely family meal celebrating Ruby Wedding Anniversary.

Jul 2022 • none

Booking the meal was easy, and a cancellation and rebooking due to covid was handled well and without fuzz. On arrival, one of the first questions was about any allergies. There was plenty of time to check over the menu, and drinks menu. The waitress, Daisy, was attentive, informative and very pleasant. A good selection of food on the menu from which to chose. The food was excellent, the portion size was just right (for us). The food was served in a timely manner and was lovely and hot. Daisy checked everything was all right a short time after. The choice of desserts was a little limited, but sufficient. The kitchen had sent the wrong type of ice cream with one dessert, and very shortly after Daisy came with a bowl of the correct flavour ice cream, without our having to ask. The whole experience was great, friendly staff, lovely surroundings and we were made to feel at home.

Written 25 July 2022

Hugh S

Thank you for taking the time to leave such in depth feed back. It's great to hear you enjoyed your meal with us and we will look forward to seeing you again soon. Your comments will be passed onto our team.

Written 29 July 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

…

Showing results 1-15 of 353

Best moderately priced restaurants

See all