Latest news straight to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

The owners of a pub in the shadow of Villa Park which is reopening after lying derelict for two decades have revealed they want it to be a Michelin-star standard restaurant.

The 1904 Aston Tavern has been restored under a joint venture between the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and the pub’s new owner and operator Chelle Property, run by entrepreneurs Michelle and Paul Monaghan.

Punters will get a first look at the Aston Hall Road pub when it opens its doors for the first time on Saturday to coincide with Aston Villa’s first home match of the football season.

The company gave up the nearby King Edward pub on Lichfield Road, which is being demolished to make way for a new industrial site, in exchange for the Grade II listed pub.

But they want the Aston Tavern to be much more than a matchday pub for Villa fans, with a restaurant, and bed and breakfast targeting business customers from a proposed industrial estate and visitors to Aston Hall.

Mr Monaghan said: “Some people have said we are taking a gamble opening a pub in this area but we don’t see it this way.

“It can only be a supporters’ bar every two weeks. This is so much more than a pub.

“There are 13 bed and breakfast rooms, self contained flats, a one-acre beer garden, outside bar, a bandstand, a restaurant, Victorian tea rooms during the day.

“We want this restaurant to be Michelin-star quality, the kind of place where you need to book a table.”

Mr Monaghan said the pub would open on match days only for next few weeks as some of the work would continue ahead of a full opening in October.

The business has already taken bookings for wedding receptions later this year.

Mrs Monaghan added: “This has been a demanding project, with emphasis on restoring this historic asset, which has been in a state of decline for some time.

“We have been able to rescue features of architectural interest from the nearby King Edward, a building locally listed, soon to be demolished, keeping some local history alive.

“We have extended the pub, allowing us to cater for today’s changing markets, the local community and visitors to local attractions such as Aston Hall, the Villa ground and Aston Hall church next door.”

Have you seen our Property Show?