Fox & Goose in Harborough - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

We were staying the night in the village and rang ahead to check they would be doing food as we didn't want to get stranded without anything for dinner. They were helpful on the phone and friendly in person. We got pizza to takeaway and a very quick drink whilst we were waiting. The pizza was very good indeed and if we hadn't been knackered we'd happily have had a longer visit.

Went couple years ago and such wonderful, shame now only does pizza although very nice, would be great again if done pub food not just pizza

Best Sunday lunch ever! Great home cooked food, generous portions but still tempted by super puds!!!

Went here with friends for a meal mid week , it’s a quirky village pub with lots of features, great selection of beers and great staff , the food was excellent and great value

A truly cosy and down to earth pub with great home cooked food and friendly staff. They really go out of their way to please.

The food and service at the Fox & Goose are out of this world. The Sunday lunch is one to travel miles for (200 in my instance). One of the best nut roasts I’ve ever had. Everything was cooked to perfection and the service was faultless - friendly and quick. Top quality and very highly recommended.

What a truly fantastic place! Very warm and friendly staff, great atmosphere and open fire in the bar. Food was absolutely delicious, cannot fault anything. This is by far the best Sunday lunch I've had, cooked to perfection and without frills. The Yorkshire puddings were huge, the meat melted in your mouth and a good selection of veg. Well worth a visit!

Sunday lunch with family. Warm friendly atmosphere. Delicious, wholesome, well cooked food in comfortable surroundings. If you are looking for a traditional, small village pub that serves a great roast on a Sunday, you need look no further. Following several drinks in the bar our table in the small dining room was perfectly positioned in the bay window with views over the adjoining village road and fields beyond. Sticking with tradition, starters of Leek & Potato soup, Pate and Prawn Cocktail were followed by Roast Pork and Roast Beef. Ample portions of meat and gravy accompanied by lovely roast potatoes, huge Yorkshire puddings and a wide selection of vegetables. All perfectly cooked and served by attentive, helpful but not intrusive staff. Stuffed, we all reluctantly declined the enticing sweet menu that included a number of traditional favourites. With a bottle of wine and drinks from the bar the meal costed out at £25 pp. All agreed that this was good value for what we had had........a lovely unhurried, traditional Sunday lunch in a truly rural setting. We will certainly be back for more in the not to distant future.

Enjoyed a homemade leek and potato soup with crusty bread when calling in as part of a prearranged group walking lunch. Good service. Pleasant seating area outside for a fine day.

After seeing reviews on here we felt we had to try this place for ourselves. What a gem of a place, small but perfect. Food stunning. Definitely a fan and we will be back.

Popped here for Friday lunchtime. Small venue but boy did it deliver. I had 8oz Sirloin with Stilton sauce. Partner had Chicken Mississippi with Southern Comfort and mushroom sauce. Faultless and this is with cover managers as owners on hols. Desert was Sticky toffee pudding and so light and fluffy and not over sweet. 10/10

A lovely traditional country pub, serving excellent food. Beautiful outside garden area in a lovely rural location. Service was very friendly and attentive. Will definitely return.

Visited this traditional characterful village pub with excellent Sunday lunch after a country walk with our dog. Warm and friendly landlady who helped us out with a lead for our dog when we realised we'd left ours at home. Would definitely return.

Me and my wife just popped there for a drink,And what a lovely surprise,Good Ale,Nice wine,Friendly,Didn't try the food this time,But the menu looked nice.Will definitely be returning to try the food.

Sat outside in the sunshine, surrounded by tubs of flowers and hanging baskets. Traditional sunday lunch, lovely roast beef and trimmings. Staff very friendly and helpful. Would certainly recommend this pretty village pub and cant wait to go back.

What a great pleasure it was to once again visit this lovely village inn and dine on some delicious food. It was always a mystery as to why the previous tenant stopped serving meals at some point last year because such was the reputation of the Fox and Goose it was always very busy with diners travelling from far afield. Happily the new owners have decided once again to serve food here, and have brought in a first rate chef who has designed a menu to whet the appetite of the most discerning diner. Excellent choices, beautifully prepared by his own hand, and served by the most cheery team under the supervision of the experienced and always helpful manager Henry. On the Friday evening we dined there the dining room was buzzing and the atmosphere throughout warm and cheerful.

We started with cheesy garlic bread (beautiful flavour) and homemade pork scratchings (too hard) with apple sauce. 2 rump steaks (10 oz) good rustic chips and peas + a bottle of drinkable red for £20. This deal on a Thursday night (pies on a Wednesday). Steaks were good flavour and perfectly cooked medium rare as requested. We shared an excellent treacle tart with blood orange + cream. Thin crisp pastry and not too sweet.

We had Sunday lunch here today having never visited before. We couldn't have made a better choice!! The Sunday lunch at the Fox and Goose is unrivalled. Superb quality and loads on the plate. The veg was lovely and fresh and the beef supremely tender. The staff are super-friendly and helpful, a real breath of fresh air. I wouldn't hesitate to eat here again, we'll bring friends with us next time!

This beautiful traditional pub is just perfect! Great service, fantastic food and drinks in a really friendly atmosphere makes it very special. Whilst most pubs have gone down the plastic gastro pub route the Fox and Goose has stuck to its roots trading on personality and quality, a very special place.You can see why it has so many 5 star reviews on TA !

It takes a lot for me to rate a place with top marks.......but the Fox and Goose pub in Illston delivered on all levels.

We are regular Fox and Goose visitors but ate there for the first time last week for my brother's birthday for the Thursday night 'Steak Night'. Our group of 8 included a mix of steak aficionados and some who usually aren't fans, but all of us agreed that it was cooked excellently. The Stilton sauce was also a hit! Chips, garlic bread, and onion rings got a thumbs up. There was barely anything left! As always we were glad to sample the Tiger and Beacon on draught, and the staff were friendly and helpful. Our expectations were thoroughly exceeded and we will be looking to come back soon!

Stopped for lunch in this quiet, traditional pub in a small village in a gloriously unspoilt part of East Leicestershire. Great service and splendid food. Will visit again and thoroughly recommended.

Visited tonight after searching through Leicester top restaurants and found this. So glad we decided to eat here!

Super Sunday lunch. The beef was first class & to follow we had the apple crumble which was was excellent Will definitely go again

Visited for lunch a few weeks ago with my boyfriend and we were both very pleasantly surprised with the food. I had soup and he had a sharing board, both were delicious and very well presented. Lots of good recommendations for their Sunday lunch too which we will be going back to try.

The food is super, the service great and it is the real deal. The locals are friendly and they are able to bring their dogs in the bar area.

I have reviewed this delightful country inn on a couple of occasions but felt I must yet again write and sing it's praises. The place really is unique and under the overall supervision of Maitre D. Henry it buzzes with friendliness, charm, and serves the most excellent food.. I cannot think of a single place we have visited where guests seem so happy to be dining. Manager Joe and his team ensure everyone is made to feel welcome and are and treated with absolute efficiency whilst Chef James prepares the most delicious food.

You must come here if you like:

Our third time here and honestly, amongst the very best restaurants we have ever had the pleasure of dining at. Superb service from Henry and all of his staff, and the food is a taste of simple, honest well made perfection by a chef who really understands the importance of good produce. An absolute credit to all the staff and the hard working chef James. Clearly the whole team work like dogs to make this so special but they manage to make it look easy. Put shortly, this place is outstanding!

This is one of the best pubs with dining in Britain. The bar is a national treasure as is it’s proprietor Henry. The atmosphere is totally authentic, friendly country pub, with roaring fire in the winter. The food with chef James is absolutely top notch nosh perfectly prepared with rare roast beef or fresh fish. The puddings are to die for. If you want proper country pub not messed about by corporates there is nowhere better. Also famous for it’s annual Onion Day every Autumn (pictured)

Very friendly , we had a spot of lunch ,my mushroom soup was delicious and every body else really enjoyed their visit . One of the best pubs in area

My first time in this pub tonight. We arrived late in the evening but we're made entirely welcome by the staff! They had a lovely band playing in the lounge. This is a proper country village pub! Not many of them around now. Thank you

This is a delightful little pub in a village in rural Leicestershire. We arrived without a booking but despite the pub being quite busy, we were seated immediately. My main course (a lamb roast) arrived very promptly after ordering and was without doubt one of the most delicious roasts I have ever tasted! It was absolutely outstanding. The service from Henry topped off what was an incredibly enjoyable experience. Highly recommended!

Went to this pub for the first time last nighr, friendly staff , lovely ambiance and the food was excellent. Generous portions , lots of choice of side dishes. Best beef wellington I have had in a long time .

After being recommended by my hairdresser, we have now had Sunday lunch here the last two weekends and booked again for this week. I love cooking and am told I am an excellent cook and my partner says nothing compares to my Sunday roast. However the food here is top class, the roast beef is superb, cooked rare and very good quality - lovely selection of fresh veg cooked to perfection and great Yorkshires and roasties. Portions are large and starters excellent too, I cannot fault anything. The staff are great as is Henry who is a real character. The bar although always packed has a lovely atmostphere with a real fire and loads of charm - I only wish we had such a pub in Great Glen so we could walk there and eat/drink in the evening without having to drive. Drinks are served correctly with excellent gin selection and my partner says the ale is the best. To be honest weighing up the time it takes to cook a roast dinner and the cost etc we may as well make a permanent Sunday lunch booking! Looking forward to trying their evening menu. Booking advised.

Another visit to this splendid country inn set in the heart of the Leicestershire countryside. As always there was a very warm welcome and we were shown to our table in an absolutely full dining room buzzing with conversation and the aroma of delicious food. Joe the assistant manager is extremely friendly and was in total control whilst his team of Eden and Matilda were serving the diners with smiles and enthusiasm My wife dined on shank of lamb whilst I had the sea bream... .Puddings were absolutely delicious. To add to the "Buzz" of the evening around forty guests appeared in fancy dress and descended on the bar area. Most unusual to see Batman, Cruella De Ville, Tinkerbell, and many others in a country inn. Joe and his team handled the sudden influx so well.

I visited this week as part of a walking group ....and we all booked lunch for the end of our walk.Drinks were served promptly and was followed by excellent lunch service.

Illston-on-The-Hill is a lovely little village, tucked away in the south Leicestershire countryside; before I retired I used to drive past it on my way to and from work every day, but didn't know about this pub.

We came here twice on a week's holiday as it is a real old proper pub that certainly looks after its beer. We didn't eat on either occasion. Like most of the area they didn't do food on Monday nights but the helpful barman directed us to a pub that did.

The Fox and Goose has been a part of my life since childhood. Growing up in Illston it was a common meeting-point for locals to get together for a casual pint and for parents to congregate at after village street parties. It has recently been taken over by a new management team who clearly understand the importance of this “institution” – and on my first visit since the “takeover” this last Saturday evening it was so wonderful to see many familiar faces from my childhood sitting outside, enjoying what felt like a fresh injection of joy to the place, and it took me back 40 years to the days when it truly was the heart of the village. So far so good! We were there to celebrate my Dad’s 88th birthday – he still lives in the village – and so we had booked a table for dinner to see whether this could become our new haunt when home visiting for the weekend. With a short stumble back up the road how convenient that would be! We were not disappointed: the menu was enticing but accessible, and the food was absolutely first class. I started with the crispy goats cheese and caramelised figs – to die for; then went for steak with all the trimmings and a delicious homemade peppercorn sauce – cooked to perfection and so tasty. And on top of this we enjoyed fantastic, personal service which made my Dad feel very birthday-like, and an atmosphere that meant you could have a normal-volume conversation without feeling self-conscious: every table was booked and buzzing! Would it be ridiculous to consider relocation just to be able to call it my local again?! Thank you Henry, Jo and Callum – and we look forward to seeing you again soon! Liz x

My wife and I have never visited this beautiful Leicestershire village, but on the recommendation of a friend decided to visit the Fox and Goose which is now under new ownership and with a completely new team in charge.

Come and have great food and enjoy a proper country pub. Really enjoyed our Saturday supper here. Good beer too.

I thought pubs like this were long gone and thought I'd stepped back in time when I walked in to the friendliest welcome I've had in a long while. Not only was the landlord welcoming but also the locals.

11 members of our family had the great pleasure of enjoying a fabulous Sunday lunch at this wonderful old Country pub! What an absolute gem of a place the Fox & Goose is!

My wife and I celebrated our Golden Wedding by (amongst other things) having a family lunch for 18, including 8 youngsters, at the Fox and Goose. Apart from saying it was excellent from beginning to end, it is difficult to know what to pick out. Staff friendly and helpful, food, roast beef to die for, enough for seconds, thirds and for a 15 year old lad up to 7ths. A wholesome family meal, not much choice but if we had been entertaining at home there would have been no choice. Starters served in a clever way, again plentiful and the pud and custard beat us all. Extra points for catering for one gluten free client. Can't wait to go again but will have to gather a party.

Just had a superb family lunch at the Fox and Goose. The food was excellent with lovely roast beef. Service and atmosphere warm and friendly. Really enjoyable, thank you.

Quaint oldey world traditional pub. Good beer, friendly locals. A trip back in time to how pubs used to be. Terriers and wellies.

On a wet, damp day, we walked into the pub which had a roaring log fire. The bar was full of hunting, shooting folk who were so friendly and funny. Such was the entertainment, we stayed longer than we should have. They made us feel so welcome and Ken the landlord added to the hospitality with his dry humour and bonhomie. The beers are first-class - well-kept Everards Beacon, Tiger and guest beers. Choice of wines excellent. All in all, fantastic village pub. Well worth a visit, plus they love dogs.

A short drive to this small village in rural Leicestershire...and soon found this typical English village pub. Very 'local' in style..everyone seemed to know everyone else...but we were made welcome by landlord Ken. Real ale recommended and was delicious...Chris took our order, listing what was available from memory, and also memorising what we ordered! There are some unusual aspects of the menu, which I will leave you to find out! The food and, again recommended wine, arrived promptly and well presented. Quite delicious...could not be faulted. And generous portions, too.