Bedford Arms in Bedford

SADLY CLOSED PERMANENTLY. SUCH A LOSS TO US ALL. 😭 A wonderfully warm and friendly welcome here.. the food is gorgeous and you can even watch the skittles on a screen, if you can't get close enough to see! Hubby tells me the range of beers is great.. I'm just happy to see plenty of fruit ciders in the cold cabinet 😉 Good car park on pub land.. a garden too, though not yet visited due to it being a very cold March! I thoroughly recommend this family friendly, old fashioned pub with the best of old fashioned values. 😁

After booking on their answer phone turned up to find it has closed down and they never bothered to ring back to let me know .

Loverly place and great food plus Sunday carvery is excellent 👌

Delightful place, beer is always good. Lovely choices of gin, with some special ice infused real fruit. All food is freshly made. Very friendly welcoming staff. Great large garden, with loads of seating. Its not a late opening pub. Worth keeping in mind if you are travelling some distance. Well worth a visit. Great to see the place back on top form. Worthy note: has a Northamptonshire Skittles table. Highly recommended.

Very disapointed,we had trio of sausage mash and Pease it came in a bowl swimming in gravy it was awful.Been nice if the gravy had been in jug .

Phoned and asked for table for 12.30 was told busy then but could do later. Was surprised to find only 1 couple in restaurant so not sure why we couldn’t go earlier as plenty of empty tables. Can they only manage to serve one table at a time? Also my friend asked if she could replace salad for chips and was told that’s ok but wasn’t told she would be charged extra for chips. Waitress was very loud and shrill and not very hospitable so won’t be going again

Great little county pub, nice food, a great little beer garden. Thanks for a nice day out, and great food

We were there for a wake and spent it in the garden which was delightful

Food was quite good, service was quick, and staff nice, quiet for a Saturday though.

We were quite a big group but we did preorder and our meals arrived promptly. We all enjoyed our food served with a smile!

Good pub great food the chef must be very talented

Great staff great customers lovely beer fabulous Sunday roast

Great pub , lovely pint of Neckoil. Food is great, lovely big beer garden.

Just popped in for a drink post a walk at the nearby nature reserve. Good beer garden.

Slightly disappointed with the lack of food choices

We’ve visited the Bedford Arms several times previously and always found it a good, bog standard pub grub place, ideal for a Saturday lunch on the run. However, following today’s visit we won’t be returning. On arrival a young lady told us we had to go to the bar and order drinks (no problem) and we expected to be given a menu then. No, once we had got the drinks we were sent to a table, and had to wait about 5-10 minutes for a menu. The waitress then came back to take our order - a jacket potato and a toastie. It took 15-20 minutes for the food to arrive, the place didn’t look busy so unsure why. My husband found a hair in the coleslaw served with his toastie, which was remedied when he went up to the bar and asked for just new side elements on a clean plate, not even a new toastie. They did a new toastie anyway, but with it was just some very sorry (some of it the slimy old stuff you don’t use) lettuce, and a small spoonful of salad. No dressing, no other salad and no crisps! The waitress was walking past and my husband politely mentioned this and she sighed and said loudly, walking away from us ‘Oh I am VERY SORRY’ in quite a sarcastic tone. And adding insult to injury, as we walked out we narrowly avoided stepping in a huge pile of dog faeces. I have a photo of the poo but would be bad taste to post it here! Such a shame. This is what kills village pubs.

Omg! Food is amazing! Lovely pub, very friendly and honestly, food is awesome

A few things listed on the menu were unavailable but I had to order them ro find that out. No peas, with fish n chips, as they'd run out!!! Burger was too over cooked. Rest was OK. Puddings very nice. Wouldn't race back

My brother & I had a meal in the Bedford Arms today, there was a blazing fire in one part of the pub, but no heating where we were seated, it was freezing! The food wasn't bad, but for what we both had, very overpriced, we didn't have anything special & we didn't have a desert. It was so cold we just needed to get out of there.!

Great service, lovely pub with log fire

Great food & service. Menu has changed and very much better and so is the cooking of it! Compliments to the chef(s). Good atmosphere and service always excellent.

Lovely pub, cosy atmosphere, great efficient service, food superb, highly recommended.

Only stopped by for drinks. Very pleasant surroundings. The open fire and sofas were very welcome on a chilly evening. Good beer and friendly staff certainly helped encourage us toward a return visit when we'd like to check out the food selections from the very appealing menu.

Having visited this place on numerous occasions, yesterday was a real disappointment! The service was non existent, so after half an hour, my husband went up to the bar, then was told “we’ll come and take your order!” Three of us had the skinless cod but it was all mushy and watery, the strangest cod I’ve ever seen/eaten. It looked like the pollock that I serve to our dog. We asked for the heating to be turned on, guess what, they didn’t even bother to do that! No atmosphere and we certainly won’t be visiting this place again!

Treated to this 'Festive Afternoon Tea' by my daughters on 18/12 but left feeling rather disappointed. Devoid of much Xmas atmosphere bar the log burner, decorations & Christmas cracker each - no music or tables laid and with just 5 people in attendance at this sitting feel more could have been made of it by the hosts. It certainly did not resemble the picture that advertised the event and at £25 per head was overpriced in my opinion. A cocktail on arrival (for which there was a menu) but nothing to show what the festive afternoon tea consisted of - served on a small round coffee table as seated on sofas and brought out in dribs and drabs over the 2 hour period rather than all being presented together. Soup shots (with bite size cheese scone & microwave warmed bite size sausage roll), curried egg sandwich (in the four fillings provided) & not a home made cake in sight (all shop bought) - most bizarre combination and hugely disappointing so we are glad we didn't invite granny too - not sure what she would have made of the offerings! Suffice to say we shall not be returning to this establishment again.

Popped in to warm up after the village Christmas Fete in the local Hall. Made to feel very welcome for drinks and nibbles. The drinks choice was extensive and well stocked. A variety of lagers, ciders and wines which suited us perfectly. The menu looked great, and certainly the nearby table were enjoying their roast dinners.

Had a really lovely night out at the Bedford Arms last night. There was ten of us. We had Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. The food was outstanding, the staff were friendly. We will definitely be going back!

Wonderful food, staff that make you smile and a lovely landlady

Where to start Best news the Scotsman has gone lol This pub serves the best roast dinner ever The staff are amazing The foods first class Service second to none You won't get a better meal at any pub around The landlord is lovely This pubs warm and cosy and exactly What we need

Me and my partner visited today for a Sunday roast. We heard that there was a new chef had started and had heard really positive things about the food and new menu. Unfortunately the food came out cold and was pretty bland in flavour, even the roast potatoes that were fried were cold. When making the server aware of this we was told that they would make the chef etc aware. There was no apology and when asking for the bill nothing was said. Considering we was the first table in and there was no one else there i would of expected the food to be hot. I messaged the landlady to make them aware of how disappointed we was with the meal to get the reply that the server ‘did not make her aware’ and came across that she was not bothered that we had a bad meal. It’s really sad as this used to be a lovely village pub with landlords that really cared about their customers. Will never return or recommend this place to friends and family.

Just had a Sunday lunch, Birthday celebration. Delicious food, vegetables cooked to perfection, cheese on the cauliflower, nothing mushy. Meat not dry and cooked to perfection. Service was fabulous and needs encouraging, for this team to give up their Sundays for. Much appreciated and thank you for a fabulous experience on a damp November afternoon. 👌😊.

Fantastic food good price staff very friendly 😋

I looked forwards to visiting this public house for a meal and today it happened. The welcome was good as were the serving staff, but the kitchen staff need either a rocket or replacing subject of course to my having been served the moment that my food was plated up, no excuse for a old plate though, and as I was there early neither the kitchen or the serving staff were overloaded with work.I ordered their Sunday Roast Beef which was very tasty and tender but barely warm. The roast potatoes were good but also barely warm. Incidentally as per my previous comment the plate was cold, now to the vegetables which too were not warm not to say almost cold but were also almost raw and for me inedible and were left uneaten. It grieves me that my first ever review of a restaurant should be this critical but the proprietors need to be aware of shortcomings within their establishment in order to bring it up to the standard acceptable. Just for the record it was obligatory to record one star or be unable to post this review.

Excellent meal and lovely pub can't wait to return

Fab food and excellent service.

Really good , outside entertainment brilliant will go again .

We regularly go to the Bedford Arms, the food is great as is the service. Thoroughly recommended.

Lovely food very friendly staff

Professional and friendly staff, lovely food.

Lovely country pub that serves a good Sunday roast...and accommodates a little lateness

A well run pub with good quality food. Good service and nice beer garden

All in all a good Sunday roast and good desserts. No starters though which is a bit odd and no alternatives to a roast dinner if you didn’t fancy a roast. Nice pub with nice garden. Would recommend.

Lovely village pub. Great staff and excellent food

One of the best cooked Sunday lunches in a very long time thank you all very much see you again soon

This is a fantastic village pub with friendly staff, great food, well cared for ales, and a cocktail bar. Stewart is a perfectionist in everything he does including the self-built garden furniture! Cleanliness and hygiene are therefore top notch. Treat the family, a friend, or just yourself (as I did) to an evening at The Bedford Arms, Souldrop. Stuart the bike-packer.

Huge garden with lots of distanced seating. Friendly helpful staff, worth a visit

Very nice interior…..friendly staff. COVID of course….my only complaint and not really that….I love Sunday lunch and it was on the lesser side. And as now seems to be the case….less for more money.

Lovely place. Excellent food reasonably priced. Friendly staff and service We will be back

Lovely Sunday lunch, good choice of food, including vegetarian. Very nice wine & cocktails too!

Best pub Sunday roast I've ever had.

Very friendly and lovely little pub. But I was disappointed with the Sunday roast we had. Meat was difficult to tell which was lamb or beef, certainly didn't match the mouth watering description. Roast potatoes were like bullets. Vegetables were however fresh and lovely.

Had a lovely meal out staff was lovely and friendly

Excellent food, beer and staff all in a local traditional village pub

Didn't eat there but good bitter and friendly reception with all staff.

Very friendly people lovely food

Very welcoming. Good selection from menu and excellent food and presentation. Give it a go, but book first until life is "normal" again.

Amazing food! Nice seating outside. 👍

Had Sunday lunch here in the garden today. Food was delicious. Service was efficient and friendly. Staff were more than happy to accommodate any requests made. Good value for money. Couldn't fault our visit. 😁

Despite Covid restraints, the Bedford Arms clearly takes pride in its food, and we had a lovely Sunday lunch. The beef was too well done for my taste, or it would have been 5 stars. They definitely make the effort, and having seen some interesting advertising we will return (but when we can sit inside!)

We really enjoyed our meal tonight. Lovely staff, very Covid aware, social distancing with all customers. Food was great and we also took home Lasagna for our daughter. Very pleased and we will see you Christmas Eve

Our second time visiting the Bedford Arms. Exceptional service from lovely Ronnie and Louise and compliments once again to the chef for our tasty gorgeous food which was amazing value. Thank you for making us laugh tonight, a great tonic during such hard times for you all. Keep smiling ladies. Kaz & John x

As Allways great food lovey warm atmosphere.

Great place to eat and have got social distancing down to an art form can't wait for our next visit

Taking in to account the Covid times we are living through,our latest experience was a let down. Several people were walking around without a mask on,and a chap came past us not wearing a mask, coughing away as though we were invisible.! After thirty odd years of enjoying the Bedford Arms,maybe this was the last time.? Summing up,dining used to be so much better,and was not enjoyable on our latest visit.

If you want proper pub grub with massive portions and a country pub atmosphere this is the place for you! Very reasonably priced and the homemade puddings are to die for, bread and butter pudding with loads of custard yes please!! Friendly patrons and quaint location, very happy customers.

Fantastic food Great service Chef cook a Gluten Free fish and Chips as a special Thank you

We have been many times to the restaurant before it was taken over and it was 5* sadly it is no longer the case The table was booked well in advance but we were put on 2 tables facing each other ( why not placed in the main restaurant god knows ) with the door to the door open to the garden People kept coming in and out walking between the tables and this was hardly social distancing so not impressed Eventually my husband said something the door was locked and low & behold they started using the proper door to the garden ! The food was incredibly disappointing, it was Sunday and they had roasts on so a large amount of us ordered the LEG OF LAMB and we got 3 slices of lamb ! Very average meal They may have decorated the place but our placing in the restaurant (on wooden planks either side of garden door) and the food was not a patch on what the old chap used to serve up Sadly will not be returning

Lovely to eat there in the summer, they have a large outdoor seating area. In winter, the huge open fire is really welcoming.

Pleasant surroundings and staff. A good range of drinks and substantial, delicious meals.

My first visit and definitely won't be my last. Could not fault the food and lovely staff. If you haven't tried it yet, you should.

Lovely food, welcoming staff, who remember you, and take the time to get to know you, and how you like things.

Good food and service. Only slight downside table in general area so noisy as it was Saturday night. Will go back

Good beer, starting to get the pub atmos back! 😎

We visited the Bedford arms last Friday and had an excellent lunch and were made to feel very welcome , we asked about food on Sunday night as we were racing at santa pod , they didn’t do food in the evening but offered to plate up a roast for us to have when we needed to eat , we turned up on the Sunday with a lovely greeting and served our roast dinner, I’ve got to say it was delicious a proper home cooked Sunday roast one of the best we’ve had out . Re covid everything was in place hand sanitizers , everything spotlessy clean and I have a shop so I’m very aware , can’t wait to visit again at the end of sept

Great experience at The Bedford Arms, lovely staff, great service and amazing atmosphere! Ask for Melinda at the till, she will sort you out with anything you need and make sure you have a great experience! Drink are really good and food is great! Will recommend 100% will definitely be coming back more!

Brilliant experience staff are wonderful and helpful would recommend to anyone to pop in for a meal or a pint make sure to ask for Melinda for a friendly welcome

Great food lovely staff great pub

Have had a great meal 😋 their was 6 of us we all said how great it was very very good main and dessert 😊. Great choice of gins and beers.Will come again.

Lovely food, lovely two girls serving. Beautiful garden.However there appeared to be no adherence to social distancing. Staff working right next to each other behind bar. No screens up between staff and customers. No staff wearing face masks. Customers crowded next to each other at bar. Fine once in garden but inside is worrying.

Girlfriend and I went there for Sunday lunch. The staff were engaging and polite as they always were. The service was excellent. The food was of superb quality. BUT..The chef came out and we smiled at him and was about to offer our thanks for such great food. But, he scowled at us. Then he started jabbing his finger at me and had an argument with his bar staff. He went back to the kitchen. Apparently, it transpired he did not like the fact I was wearing a summer vest. Now, I am not scruffy at all. I wear designer clothes and was wearing a summer vest because we had just walked the dog and it was hot. He did not want me in the (empty) bar. I could reason with him if he did not want me in the empty restaurant area. So, i can only assume he would have wanted me to eat outside.After reading other reviews he comes across as someone not suited for customer service. Been coming here for many years now and never had any other issues. New landlord. He ruined the atmosphere for me and we decided to pay up and leave. The rest of the staff and landlady were lovely. Really nice who apologised for the landlords behaviour saying it was hot in the kitchen. Which, I did understand. We all lose our cool from time to time including myself. But, their policy is to at least wear a tee-shirt. Fine, your pub, your rules. But my money so i will spend it elsewhere in future. May I suggest you display your personal rules on your website and also, put a notice on the door outside so other people know where they stand? Like i said a shame because it is a great pub apart from this...

Girlfriend and I went there for Sunday lunch. The staff were engaging and polite as they always were. The service was excellent. The food was of superb quality. BUT.. The chef came out and we smiled at him and was about to offer our thanks for such great food. But, he scowled at us. Then he started jabbing his finger at me and had an argument with his bar staff. He went back to the kitchen. Apparently, it transpired he did not like the fact I was wearing a summer vest. Now, I am not scruffy at all. I wear designer clothes and was wearing a summer vest because we had just walked the dog and it was hot. He did not want me in the (empty) bar. I could reason with him if he did not want me in the empty restaurant area. So, i can only assume he would have wanted me to eat outside. After reading other reviews he comes across as someone not suited for customer service. Been coming here for many years now and never had any other issues. New landlord. He ruined the atmosphere for me and we decided to pay up and leave. The rest of the staff and landlady were lovely. Really nice who apologised for the landlords behaviour saying it was hot in the kitchen. Which, I did understand. We all lose our cool from time to time including myself. But, their policy is to at least wear a tee-shirt. Fine, your pub, your rules. But my money so i will spend it elsewhere in future. May I suggest you display your personal rules on your website and also, put a notice on the door outside so other people know where they stand? Like i said a shame because it is a great pub apart from this...

From the moment you step in this beautiful situated TRADITIONAL little pub you are greeted with the warmest of welcomes. The food is top notch and drinks are served with a smile (which we're all in need of right now) They are dog friendly, child friendly just all round friendly. Would highly recommend.

Dog friendly, great service, good price and range of drinks.

Great lunch. This is a real gem, lovely setting. Well worth a visit.

Delicious Sunday roast. Whole pub is spotless you could eat off the floor! Friendly prompt service.

Visited here for Sunday lunch, it is beautiful. A large beer garden, with plenty of seating inside and out. Spotlessly clean., and the food is delicious. Dog friendly, always welcoming, a large array of drinks including a wide range of gins. Staff are knowledgeable, always ready to help and greet you with a smile. Seating inside is comfortable and spacious. I can't recommend this place enough, for me this is heaven.

We have previously always used the Bedford Arms for a quick bite to eat at lunchtime. Under the old landlord it was always excellent. On this occasion it can on be described as diabolical. We were welcomed by a young man who got use our drinks. I had a white wine that was warm and we had to ask for ice in it and the other people had beer. They ended up asking for a different beer as it was obviously the bottom of the barrel. When it came to food the menu was extremely limited with 3 or 4 items. I chose the fish and chips. It took an hour for this to arrive the pub was empty, so no excuses. The presentation was awful and the food just thrown on the plate. I then started to eat my fish which was riddled with bones. I mentioned this to the staff member who apologised and came back with the chef. He could not have been anymore rude, telling me it’s an animal what do I expect. I asked if there was another one I could have and he said no there was no more left. The chef was very confrontational about this so I just carried on picking through my fish. 20 bones I go in the end in a small piece of fish. We didn’t have pudding as were running late due to how long the food had taken to come. The whole atmosphere and quality of food in this pub has gone with the previous landlord. Such a shame as used to be a great pub.

We had our family pub lunch out at the Bedford arms, Souldrop and we were not disappointed. Our party was 4 children and 6 adults. Service was excellent, roast meats freshly cooked, more than enough veg on platters. Log fire, great puddings, real ale, nice staff, relaxed atmosphere.

Very friendly staff always pop in for a Friday afternoon beer

Lovely traditional pub. Good sunday roast, good price.

Myself and my wife visited here on Friday evening for a meal as we were staying locally in an AirB&B. It was one of the places recommended to us.We had a nice welcome. The bar was busy with locals. We had a nice welcome from the staff. Dinner starts serving from 6.30 so we had a drink and a look at the menu as we got there about 6pm. The food arrived in good time and well presented. I went for the beef and ale pie with mash and peas. The pie was a nice size and it was lovely. The beef was nice and tender. Loads of flavour to it and came with some gravy. The mash was nice and smooth and complimented the pie well.My wife had fish and chips which was also good. The fish was nicely cooked and the chips were lovely. We also had dessert. I had bread and butter pudding with custard and my wife had chocolate fudge cake. The desserts were good and a decent price. The service was friendly and efficient. Well worth a visit.

Visited on a Friday night, as came here many years ago and wanted to give it a go again. I’d say the restaurant was half full but had a nice ambience and I like the layout and the log burner in the middle. Service was a bit slow, we were told to sit down and a menu would follow....20 minutes later and with other people being served before us, we decided to give a gently reminder that we were still waiting to see it. The special curry soup was tasty but I found the homemade pie to be very bland. It was full to brim with meat though. Prices are very reasonable but probably wouldn’t return in a hurry.

We were a group of around 30 for lunch. We had pre-ordered and the service was excellent. With a mixture of choices, the fish was the last to be served but well worth waiting for, perfectly cooked, well done to the staff for catering for such a large group.

Lovely, cosy atmosphere in this village pub. Staff are nice, friendly and attentive. Good choice of meals.

Fantastic company great service

Had a lovely lunch here, just popped in spur of the moment as we were passing from the main road. Sweet little pub with delicious home cooked food. Lunch menu was not huge, sandwiches jacket potatoes and a few main meals. We chose the fish and chips and steak and ale pie. Both were delicious! Rounded off with a couple of glasses of malbec it was a great start to our ChristmasFacilities were spotless. Recommended.

I was lucky enough to have a christmas lunch there on Wednesday while delivering. What a fantastic meal, all home cooked top quality lovely people that know how to look after you shame I live too far away for it to be a local

Lovely country pub, nice atmosphere and good Sunday roast!

We have visited this pub on numerous occasions of the last few years and always had an exceptional Sunday roast lunch. We booked with friends for my birthday last weekend but hadn't realised it had changed hands! We were met by a nice lady who showed us to our table and we ordered fairly quickly and the drinks came in good time too. Sadly that is where the good service ends.3 of us chose the roast rib of beef and the 4th the leg of lamb. Firstly the vegetables arrived on the table, cabbage, leeks and carrots and two gravy boats. Then the meals arrived and all looked good until we tried to cut the meat! We had to ask for steak knives (as did another table of people), the meat looked ok and was pink so should have been tender. My meat was extremely fatty and full of gristle so I couldn't eat it. The roast potatoes were the best thing on the plate and the only hot item too.We ate what we could and waited, and waited, and waited!!! Eventually we managed to flag someone down to ask for the dessert menu. Half an hour later when we were so fed up of waiting we decided to pay and leave. The waiter then arrived to take our dessert order and was not best pleased that we had paid and were leaving because of the wait! The place wasn't particularly busy so we couldn't see why there was the delay in serving us.Sadly I have recommended this place to other people in the past and now wish I hadn't!!

Lovely friendly pub with great food