Lower Heyford in Cherwell

We found this little gem whilst driving around our local villages looking for somewhere to have a Sunday Roast. We were not disappointed, good service, excellent food - one of the best roast beef dinners I have had out and lovely setting. We will be going back.

That’s what it tasted like. We save all year for our holiday and were looking forward to a Sunday roast which came out far too quickly after ordering. This meal was made by a Cook, not a Chef and consisted of plain, boiled veg (not seasoned or roasted or something I couldn’t do myself at home), re-heated roast potatoes (tasted a couple of days old), tender beef but completely tasteless (bought cheap from Costco?), no juices added to thin flavourless gravy - Bisto, or similar? When asked the usual “how is everything?”, we said it was ok but not the best we’ve ever had. A few minutes later, the Cook came to our table and was extremely defensive. We gave the above feedback and he argued every point and would not accept any criticism. In exasperation, we said “why are we the only customers here, then?”. He didn’t like this and said we were the second sitting (we weren’t, we had been in the pub before our walk and it was empty then too) and told us to leave and to not come back. There’s certainly no danger of that!

Great service (thanks Lucy!) and excellent food. My pint of bitter (Tailwagger) was delicious and really well kept and nicely served by Oli. Excellent pie with mashed potato and butter; nice salt and pepper squid piping hot. Happy evening in the garden - the perfect pub experience.

Moored up on narrowboat holiday nearby. Decided to eat at pub that evening and glad we did! Excellent food, dog friendly so we could take our large dog in with us and some seriously good cider.

Very disappointed with the service. We were given drinks by the 2 waitresses (was one under tuition?) When these arrived the beer glass wad picked up by the rim where you drink from, had she not been given any hygiene training? We questioned the menu about gluten free options as they weren't all marked, one waitresses said she would ask the chef. She never came back with an answer or to take an order, another table came in and settled, their order was taken but still nothing for us. So we drank up, paid at the bar and left. So we can't review the food as unfortunately we didn't get to sample any! Your staff need training as your customer service was appalling.

The foot was lovely, pub is charming, the veggie option was good with can be unusual for a Sunday roast. Would have been nice to see another veggie option that’s wasn’t roast, but I understand if there’s no demand for it. Only thing I didn’t like was the house red wine could have been better. Otherwise, wonderful experience and well worth a visit!

If you're looking for a country pub for lunch and to take some eccentric pictures and you take a wrong turn as we did, you may well be very lucky to come across the bell. What a fantastic find. A great old-fashioned original pub. It was quiet, but that was exactly what we were looking for. The barman was friendly and welcoming and once we had settled down with a drink we perused the lunchtime menu. Two of us had the fish finger sandwich which was large chunks of hot battered fish in a lettuce and ciabatta roll with big chunky chips on the side. It was a good portion and was far better than most other places advertising the same. My wife had the bacon, Brie and Cranberry baguette. Again, this was far better than others. Overall, great, great food and not overpriced in any way. Really reasonable. We hung around to take some strange pics. I won't bother explaining the concept of way a load of puppets were on the table. You'll have to find Mikael Wolf and ask him. If we ever have the good luck to be in the area again, this will be our pub of choice. Thoroughly, thoroughly recommend.

Fantastic pub in a lovely village , Dave manager ,Lauren and Robin the chef dis an excellent job.We had a great evening ,delicious food cooked fresh .if you are staying in the area well worth a visit

We as a party of 6 just ate here 13/07/2023 and I cannot fault anything. The quality of the food was second to none.We had the fish and chips were huge. the triple cooked chips were delicious and the quality of the cod was incredible. Others in our party had ham and eggs which was also amazing. Again the portions were enormous. The last 2 of the group both had burgers and were again top quality. As I said earlier the portions are enormous and the food came out pipping hot. I would not hesitate to recommend The Bell for a drink and an amazing meal. I will definitely come again.

Went on our last night of our narrowboat holiday , food was Excellent would definitely go again if in that area

Great pub, great food, great service. Food was delicious & very reasonably priced. Had a lovely lunch.

A great shame to see how the Bell has been allowed to deteriorate. This week, I visited twice, once for a drink and the second time for drinks and a meal. One of the highlights of a trip to the Bell used to be to sit in the garden to enjoy the setting sun. Whilst we did spend an hour or so in the garden to eat, I was horrified to see that the tables were virtually all covered in bird droppings. I accept that it is to an extent unavoidable in a leafy garden, but droppings should and must be cleaned up on a timely basis. It was clear that the tables had not been cleaned for a very long time. To be serving food on such tables beggars belief. Customers’ wellbeing must not be compromised. The dropping problem and the general enjoyment of the garden would certainly be improved if money was spent on some tree surgery and general gardening. The trees do need to be maintained and perhaps one or two of the leylandii or similar should be removed. We moved back into the pub from the garden after a customer’s dog defecated about two metres from our table. The act of the customer removing the stool did not take away the smell. It is now normal at the Bell when first arriving at the small bar to be confronted by self-appointed “regulars” who seem to take pleasure in passive aggressively making other customers feel uncomfortable at the bar. The bar is not large enough for people to stand at when they have finished ordering and I would respectfully suggest to management that they ask people not to base themselves at the bar. Public houses are supposed to be welcoming to all and this degrading first impression is absolutely not welcoming. Euan, who I believe managed the pub was a real asset to the community and did a great job on what appeared to limited resources. Euan was not working in the pub this week, so I hope he has not moved on. The Bell has such potential and I would hate to see it either fold or continue to struggle.

Very warm welcome and excellent food. Have eaten here regularly and haven’t had anything other than delicious fresh food every time. The pizzas on a Saturday night are a particular favourite!

Really disappointed, the menu was limited and the quality of what we had was poor. Definitely not made from scratch, the best we could say was it was edible but very expensive for what it was. Normally happy to pay £20+ a main if the quality is good but this was more the level of 2 for £15.

Didn't book online, only by phone, very easy. A very warm welcome, enthusiastic staff, yet it has the feel and look of a traditional village pub. Food very good, reasonably priced. The sweet potato chips were off the menu, happily changed for new potatoes, lightly fried . Most of the desserts are the same price, I had the brownie with ice cream. Excellent, unusually light in texture, and a generous size too.

Perfect village pub in Oxfordshire! Great food (awesome pizzas and wings!), decent drinks, nice buzzy friendly atmosphere and top notch service!

The staff here were so incredibly welcoming! We stopped for lunch on a drive through the country, not knowing what to expect. We really couldn't have asked for more! The pub has a lovely, welcoming atmosphere and all the staff were super friendly and helpful - good drinks recommendations, no fuss at all catering for special diets (vegetarian and gluten free) and the food was yummy. Thanks to all the team for making our short visit such a treat. Highly recommend!

Old country pub with great character. Been in a couple of times on a Sunday for drinks. Very welcoming and friendly. Large beer garden with multiple seating areas inside

We only stopped here for a drink while walking the route of the Oxford Canal. Lovely village pub with some great beers. Nice lunchtime atmosphere and friendly bar staff.

Had Sunday lunch here today and wow - a massive surprise. It’s taken us a while to return to one of our ‘locals’ and the difference is strata spherical. Amazingly welcoming, attentive staff who manage the place seamlessly. An accommodating and intuitive chef, real ale, roaring fire, wonderful atmosphere - the stuff real Sunday pub lunches are made of. Well done one and all for turning this heart of the village pub around. In these times when a plethora of hospitality establishments are closing due to ‘staff shortages’ it’s a triumph indeed! We shall return. Many thanks.

We found this lovely, old fashioned pub by the canal whilst exploring the area. What a great find. Recently taken over by a new owner. Small menu but the food was excellent! The jungle curry is highly recommended.

New licensee and what an amazing first impression he made. Warm, genuine welcome and very customer focused. Food was of an amazing standard and the Steak and Titanic stout pie went down a treat 😉. Well done chaps x

Excellent pub a warm and welcoming greeting by the staff. Who were very friendly and helpful. A lovely atmosphere and the food was excellent and well worth the money

We went for the last night of our canalboat holiday and had a wonderful meal - the Jungle Curry was fantastic, as was the Fish and Chips and Pie of the Day (Steak and Ale). Very friendly staff and very accomodating of us and the...

We had been looking forward to visiting The Bell Inn and trying their lunch menu. We are local to Lower Heyford so this is an ideal stop off for us when we are out walking. We decided to try the ploughman’s which on paper looked...

After a short period of the kitchen being closed due to staffing issues it was a pleasure to be able to enjoy a meal at The Bell again. The avocado and prawn salad (starter) is an absolute winner. A modern twist on a classic dish....

Not what I expected at all, far to fancy for what it is. Another pub that has gone down the restaurant route instead of a classic pub. A real shame, most people just want a classic pub grub lunch not all artsy farty menus. I...

Great shady garden on a hot day. Staff was extremely friendly and very efficient. Food was excellent. Anyone can do a salad but when a salad is great you know you’ve got a great chef. Chicken thigh was cooked perfectly!

Sunday lunch was very tasty and meat delicious but luke warm and served on a board which didn't help. We had a shared large roast dinner at £44 which we had to then transfer from the board to a cold plate. The portion was only...

Bear in mind that I have written this review as a Canal Boat user looking for somewhere to eat. We popped in for a couple of beers to check it out as a potential dinner location. Beers were great and the menu looked ok, so...

We booked a table for two by phone, requesting specifically a roast for one. We arrived on time and were seated in the main bar. It was the day after a beer festival and we were told there was a good selection of beers and...

The Bell's Inn in Lower Heyford has just reopened 7 days a week and its beer garden is unrivalled. We had a sunny lunch with freshly baked local bread and meats, real local ale, and a rock-star of a host: cheerful musician/wait staff Ewan who...

If you're walking or on the canal this is a great stopping place in a small village with no other functioning cafe or shop, Conveniently, they do lunch until 3pm and the man serving could'nt have been more welcoming. Tasty and interesting pub fare and...

Discovered this gem on our way to Worcestershire and really pleased with this great find. Lovely food — the chef has some interesting twists on standard pub fare, service was eccentric but charming, and the building is just as a good country pub should be,...

Truly top quality. Beautiful pub. Excellent personal service. Top quality beers for the purists. Excellent meat and all the food really well cooked. Charming ambience Everything you’d look for in a quality country pub.

This is my go to place to bring familly and friends that has never failed to get a "WOW!" response. (I suspect they now visit me mainly as an excuse to visit the Bell at Lower Heyford). The Bell changed management a couple of years...

With friends we had lunch at the Bell today and it was absolutely delicious! Three of us had the shared roast beef and it was so tasty. And in addition to the lovely beef, the vegetables were really special. The service was delightful and very...

Met up with friends here for an evening meal on our travels on the South Oxford Canal. What an amazing find! The food was mostly through sharing platters which sounds weird but it was absolutely fantastic. We had the fish, chips and mushy peas platter...

Visited for lunch, sat outdoors on a fine day. Excellent meal and service. Fine old pub in an historic village.

Randomly did a search of the locale after another place let us down while out on a trip and stumbled upon the Bell! So glad we did. Had the most pleasant afternoon in the sun eating great food - think pub food plus with interesting...

Stopped here when canal barging. Very friendly staff serving superb food. Ale was good including the samples.

We chose The Bell Inn for lunch as it was close to Rousham where we (five girls) were planning to walk round the gardens. It was a great choice. We were made very welcome by James and were seated in a delightful alcove. We loved...

Popped in to this pub while on a weekend canal trip with friends. Very good indeed. Big Boy Bell Burger was probably the tastiest burger I’ve ever tasted. Recommend. My friends had a roast beef sharer that looked amazing also. Good beer too.

Visited a few times while staying in Lower Heyford this week. James and his team couldn't have been more welcoming and the food was fantastic!! Just wish we were local so we could dine here again. Highly recommended!!

Wonderful beer garden, with great beer and food. Friendly welcome from all involved at the pub. Well worth a visit.

Went there 3 times in a week. They only do sharing boards so if your partner doesn't want the same as you then its pointless. Likewise 3 people need a sharing board plus something else like one of the starters from the limited starter menu....

A strange experience! The burger was enormous but the Feaster - sausages, braised beef and belly pork, mashed potato - not really enough for the two chaps sharing it. A bowl of vegetables would have been appreciated. The salads were delicious but we thought not...

The sharing boards in the pub are awesome, between 4 of us we had to fish and chips and a chicken salad, it was more than enough for us, really tasty. Unfortunately I didn’t get the chaps name who served us, but he was so...

We went to The Bell on a friend's recommendation.. From the moment we arrived we were warmly greeted by their charming and knowledgeable staff who were very good at their jobs. The service was excellent and our luch was delicious. Our little dog was welcome...

Absolutely wonderful! It is difficult to say what's best about our visit to the Bell last week. Superb service, lovely staff, great menu. And then there's the food.... After the first bite, we would have liked to work our way through the entire menu! We...

We will definitely be going back for more. Amazing friendly staff. The food was delicious. We had cote de boeuf sharing plate with all the trimmings followed by the ginger cookie and ice cream and it was sublime. The beer on tap is also great....

Really friendly staff in a beautiful little village amazing menu the food was totally amazing thank you !! Totally recommend

Stopped here for a light lunch on a Monday, as the weather was fine we sat in the large, pleasant garden. I had a salad and my partner a baked camembert with sourdough crisp bread, both were excellent and we shared a bowl of exceptional...

I visited The Bell Inn during a boating trip, and to my delight it blew all expectations out of the water. I was expecting a standard English country pub with standard English food, but that is not what this place is - I spent nearly...

We had dinner for 7 reserved here as we were stopping off on canal boat trip. Our party and two dogs received a very warm welcome even though we were a bit late. Lovely food and very very attentive and pleasant service. Just what we...

Visited this Inn on the last night of our canal holiday. The manager and staff were extremely helpful. It was no trouble to change our outdoor table for an indoor one. The sharing plates of fish and chips were massive and delicious. Thanks to the...

Had the most wonderful Salad two days running, filling, tasty and beautifully presented. Sat in the spacious garden with wonderful smiley service as always. Check out my Confit of Duck below today 😍😋

Really fabulous little find courtesy of Go4awalk website. Met some friends here, did a 5 mile circular walk and then had a couple of super fabulous sharing platters for a late lunch. Food was superb. Lovely inside and also outside in the garden. Good service....

Visited today with my wife and we're just going to have a drink. After seeing the menu ,which for once was different and not full of the usual pub standards, we decided to eat. We shared a Boston chop....cooked to perfection...one of the pubs many...

I visited The Bell with my wife, mother and father, we were cruising south on the Oxford Canal on a narrowboat. Thankfully we booked from a few miles north as with the covid restrictions tables were limited. The menu at The Bell is a little...

Came here at the end of our narrow boat weekend on a Sunday evening. Very pleasantly surprised by truly excellent restaurant standard food and really friendly staff, we all said that we would definitely come again

We had a warm welcome and a fabulous lunch in a lovely garden. The salads were imaginative and extremely tasty and excellent value.

when something goes awry it is the response that counts and the manager deserves full credit. A mix up with a booking meant that we were unable to eat at the Bell on the last day of our canal boat trip but James went the...

Great location to meet our friends who live in the Cotswolds whilst on our narrow boat. Short, very pretty walk from the canal to the pub. Great welcome from the team on arrival being both attentive and characterful. Menu was different! Mostly sharing boards for...

Came here with my partner’s family for dinner after stopping off along the canal. Pleasantly surprised to hear their was a vegan option, which was then followed by disappointment that this was actually half a butternut squash, six pieces of asparagus and a roasted red...

We were pleasantly surprised at the changes made to the outdoor section of this pub. Colourful chairs and tables. Greeted by smiling staff who took our orders promptly. Kitchen closes at 2pm, we hadn't realised that fact, but we were spoilt and had 2 burger meals cooked for us. Really delicious, sizeable portion too. Can really recommend this venue. Today was our first pub outing since the beginning of Covid, so was very special as we had driven down from Lincolnshire to meet up with our friend who lives locally. We were told that there was Management change about a year ago, the difference is noticeable. We'll done to all the staff and compliments to the chef!

We’ve just had the most delicious late lunch at The Bell in spite of the rain. James and his team have been brilliant working round the challenges presented by Covid restrictions and the weather. So flexible, cheerful and professional. Will definitely beback. Thank you SO much.

What a wonderful welcome, garden immaculate, sun brollies up, social distancing well thought out, smiling staff despite being busy. Great fun seeing everyone. I am looking forward to visiting for Dinner.Thank you for making it a fun evening despite the snow at the beginning of the morning.Lots of love Anne

Just had one of the best pieces of beef I've ever eaten, excellent food and great service, will definitely return

Well done guys....We were so pleased to be among the first to taste your new 'out-of-doors' menu, and we were not disappointed.The sharing boards are sensational! We had the Bargee's Board-wonderful homemade piccalilli, smoked trout, totally delicious ham hock, fennel salad and the rest.We ordered the Burgers which were ENORMOUS, but also DELICIOUS!with chips, home made salsa and coleslaw. We will back again to sample all the other delicious dishes on offer.Fingers crossed the weather holds out!P.S. James has found a very quaffable cider so I am even more delighted!

Nothing short of amazing. Yesterday probably had the best steak of my life. My daughter and Son had the burgers which are homemade and packed full of flavour. The risotto was delicious too. I can’t recommend The Bell enough. Great atmosphere, lovely setting and superb service. We’ve also had the falafel (home made) which are substantial and filling.

Last night of our narrow boat spent here & what a great ending to our holiday! Village setting and pub are beautiful. The food was absolutely amazing, highly recommend the moules mariniere & the chips were to die for. The service was second to none and James, the pub manager, was an absolute delight, so friendly & welcoming. the menu is eclectic & we loved it, but if you’re looking for ‘hungry horse’ style menu/food/price then you’ll be disappointed. I wish we didn’t live so far away or I’d be a regular visitor. Ignore the older reviews, the pub changed hands in early 2020.

The staff were exceptional. James and the team made sure we were well looked after. Definitely going back. The sorbet is literally to die for.

Staying at Heyford House in the village, the Bell wasn't even on their recommended list. Possibly because it has recently changed hands. Our dining experience was out of this world. The short beef rib was just delicious and beautifully cooked. It was incredibly good value for money too. The sticky toffee pudding was more than enough to be shared between two. Thank you for a wonderful evening.

Really nice pub with large beer garden. Old pub full of character. Okay drinks choices and great friendly service. Food menu looked excellent. Always a downside with village pubs is the local who thinks he owns the place. Holding court and generally loud and over bearing. Not the pubs fault but does put you off

Had an excellent meal here this evening with my other half. After being given the extensive new wine list we settled on the Zensa, which despite not being a red wine drinker it made a wonderful accompaniment to our meal. My partner had the salmon and I had the crab linguine, both of which full of flavour and arrived at the table promptly. What made the evening was the service, James the manager as well as the rest of his team were accommodating and attentive. They ensured we had everything we needed and made sure to check back on us. All of the team were incredibly friendly, partnered with the good food we’ll be returning ASAP!

Enjoyable atmosphere, popular, posh fish & chips, pretty setting, covid-secure. We've had a couple of lunches here and found the service good, the F&C's up-market and the beer tasty. Looks like what you'd expect in a village pub, run by younger-than-you'd expect staff, cheerful and energetic. We did have an issue with one item of food and found the response appropriate. Nice quiet setting surrounded by thatch, with picturesque canal and trains close by. And - it's open on Mondays!

We booked for supper after hearing good comments from others on the narrow boats out of Heyford.The menu is really interesting and not just the usual fare.We started with both soft shell crab and scallops.Scallops were good but we’ve had better, the soft shell crab was lovely but came on an unnecessary bun. The slaw was homemade but not particularly good....though not ‘bad’. Main course...we were both planning on fish but were both drawn to the 50 day aged Dexter beef, as not something you see on many menus. I went for the slow cooked short rib and my wife went for the fillet. She made absolutely the right choice....it was lovely and I was lucky she gave me some as I couldn’t eat mine. It wasn’t that it was ‘bad’ it was just poor. It came, oddly but interestingly, with mussels but these were so decimated by the grill they had been put under(!) they were shrivelled and dry...even the shells were frazzled.The short rib itself was lacking taste, not sure how. The contrast between the two different plates from the same meat was enormous. I don’t believe the dish I chose has been sufficiently well considered by the chef. I told the new owner and he listened and said he would pass on my comments.When the bill came, there was no acknowledgment of the frazzled mussels or my opinion of the beef. I pushed on this and said I was prepared to cover cost on that dish but not profit....it ‘may’ just not have been to my palate but the incinerated mussels were factual. He took the bill away and adjusted it a little.Wines were good....especially the house Italian red, really worth a sample. The owner is obviously very pleased with his overall offering and speaks in really glowing terms about the dishes. I’m afraid to say he seems to be over promising and under delivering from where I sat. I hope he is not in thrall to his chef who I twice saw on his mobile phone in the kitchen whilst we were awaiting our meals.We had some lovely food during this week away. I can’t include this meal within that category, though the fillet was very good.

This is an excellent rural pub which I enjoyed very much over lunch. They know what they are doing with the drinks - the beer was perfectly kept, and gin and tonic served just right. The welcome and engagement from staff was delightful. Best of all though was the food - the starter sausage/chorizo roll was high calibre and our mains (burger and kale salad) were immaculately prepared and presented - and tasted very good. It’s not basic pub grub - much, much better than that.

We chose to visit The Bell as visiting in the local area and what a fantastic find it was. A charming, traditional pub within a beautiful Cotswolds village - with outstanding Gastro pub style food, cooked to a very high standard - a really pleasant surprise.The staff were great too, very welcoming and efficient - while also managing to keep the environment Covid-Secure. If you want top class restaurant quality food, in an historic setting, with efficient, friendly staff then give it a try.

Great service good atmosphere but still very hungry after our meal. Expensive for what you get. Very small portions

My wife and I popped in for an early Sat lunch last week. The pub appeared nice and clean and organised to deal with the current Covid requirements. Our drinks order was a glass of Prosecco and a pint of Lager. Instead of the Prosecco we received a glass of white wine which quickly got changed without any fuss.The menu looked to have a good selection to choose from. I was initially stuck between the Fish and Chips and the Beef Rib Burger. I chose the fish and chips and my wife chose the burger. The food was brought out rather promptly. I have sadly to admit I was expecting a decent portion fish and chips given the price. The fish was probably a 100g serving. It was a slice of fish. It was served on a smudge of mushy peas which in my opinion tasted more like onion than peas. I'm not the biggest fan of onion fish. My wife's burger looked really good. I had a taste of the beef rib and to me there was too much Worcestershire sauce in it. I finished my food and ate my wife's chips so I wasn't still hungry.There was someone sat at the table next to us on their laptop. I assume it was someone from the restaurant as they were looking at food allergies and so on. That gave me a sense of feeling that the pub cares and is trying to do the right thing. Well done for that!!! He did move tables mid meal so I am not sure if he was offended by my food commentary to my wife.Guys your food isn't bad at all but it's not fine dining. Give us a decent portion if you going to charge these prices.

Traditional village pub attempting a fine dining menu. The food is very pleasant, but portions are small and most mains require a "side" to purchased as part of the meal. A "discretionary" 12.5% service charge is automatically added to each bill - the service is competent but certainly not exceptional. The decor is neither high end classy dining room nor country pub, the waiting staff are informally dressed in a style that would not be amiss in a city wine bar so the whole experience is a strange juxtaposition - and a expensive one at that!

We popped in for lunch, as soon as you walk in you have to sanitise your hands and your contact details are taken (this doesn't happen in all pubs). We had a pint and a BLT, which was excellent. The chap who served us was knowledgeable and friendly, I believe he was the manager. The menu is fairly limited, but the food and service are excellent. It was a hot sunny day in mid September and there were plenty of tables in the garden, well spaced apart.

Excellent food at reasonable prices and portion sizes. The pub was recently taken over and reopened in late August 2020 and really shouldn’t be judged on reviews earlier than that.

Found the pub by accident and popped in to make a last minute booking. Food, beer and service all excellent. And very good value for money. Will add this place to my top 5 favourite pubs, and will come back when I'm next in the area.

The food at The Bell was absolutely stunning. While a bit on the pricier side, the quality made this a worthwhile treat while we were away and was exactly what we were looking for! All in all we spent £98 for two 3 course meals with sides and drinks. If opting for a bottle of wine this will of course increase the bill but for fine dining I think this is very reasonable and we were very satisfied! I've paid more than £49 per head for the amount of food we had with significantly less quality. The service was also great. Very relaxed and friendly!Thank you for a wonderful evening :) we will be back!

A very attractive pub but, although the quality of food is very good, the portions are disappointingly small. We were concerned with the lack of social distancing when we saw queues of several people at the bar ordering drinks. Also the staff did not seem to seem to make an effort to keep their distance when serving food.

We had a great meal here. Very serious cooking. We had the mussels and the scallops plus the aged fillet steak and the salmon. All exceptional and the wine list is very well chosen. We can't wait to return!

I’ll keep it short and not so sweet. Medium range prices for child sized portions and not the best quality. Menu doesn’t have a lot of choice with very little for vegetarians and the puddings were disappointing.

The food was really great. The chips were crisp and very tasty. My partners steak was perfectly cooked and he loved the sweet corn purée - it was a lovely touch. The cookies were also a great way to finish! The service was very good. The staff are so friendly and made us feel very special. They informed us that the Bell Inn has only been under their hands for the past month meaning ANY REVIEWS BEFORE JUNE 2020 ARE DUE TO PAST OWNER. I was shocked to see the bad reviews on tripadvisor after we had such a pleasant experience.The atmosphere was great too, we liked the music very much. We will definitely be returning and recommending.

We visited this lovely pub with friends last Sunday evening The service was outstanding, friendly staff and nothing was too much trouble Relaxed atmosphere The food was outstanding

We just managed to find this pub with a small sign on the B4020. Under recent new management, the pub & Beer Gardens (large and spacious in these uncertain times) were full of the enthusiasm generated by the landlord and his staff. We just visited for a drink and were delighted to find a selection of Real Ales and Cider. The Shotover Brewery beer was excellent.Although we were unable to eat as we were staying at a nearby local hotel, the menu was enticing and diners were obviously enjoying themselves in the beer garden during a heatwave. We will return to eat and wish everyone well with this new venture.

This was the best meal of our holiday. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming and the staff couldn't do enough to make it a great experience. James, the manager, came to take our drinks orders and quickly offered a couple of tasters of the bitters on tap as we didn't recognise any of the names. He was also more than happy to answer our questions about items on the menu as he is so passionate about the quality of their dishes. I had the Dexter beef short rib which just melted in my mouth! At the waitress's recommendation, we shared a bowl of kohlrabi slaw and 2 bowls of their (very generous) triple cooked chips and aioli between 3 of us. The food was simply delicious. At the end of the evening we had a lovely (socially distanced) chat with James about local produce and pairing food and drink together over a glass of his very tasty special cider before walking back to our canal boat. It was quite simply the most pleasant of evenings.

Lovely food, warm welcome and very safe COVID procedures. So SO lovely to see this pub how it should be, super stuff

Amazing food. Its eight years since we last visited, loved this pub when it was more rough n ready and still love it now. Big change as the menu is now gastro pub/gourmet, more of the Heston less of the Brakes Brothers. We all had scallops to start, I had the beef rib and chips, it was all excellent. Great table service and friendly bar staff in a picturesque setting, easy to socially distance, vast pub garden out the back, everything was very clean. Dogs are welcome both inside and out (we had a puppy with us). This pub remains in my top five canal pubs that I’ve visited.

We were given a warm and friendly welcome even though we had not booked. The small staff could not do enough for us. Our choice of food could not have been better: 2 had the 'Dexter beef short rib' which melted in the mouth and I had the 'Dexter beef fillet', cooked medium rare which was the best steak I have ever had.James has only opened the pub for a month and is working with his chef and waitress to make this a 'go to place'. He is knowledgeable about his beer and determined to use local and/or small company suppliers. This is a comfortable place for a drink and/or meal.

We went for our first meal at this village pub since it has been taken over. Started with sharing moules marinere which were delicious served with homemade bread. Followed by roast beef - beef was 50 day aged Dexter rib of beef, so tender and tasty, served with yellow and purple carrots, a creamy cabbage and bacon mix, a great Yorkshire pudding and lovely roast potatoes. Excellent gravy too. We feel very lucky to have such a great pub in the village and with the new chef the food offering has moved up several levels. A great place to enjoy a long lunch.

The food at this pub was outstanding. There were three of us who all had something different and they were all excellent. The service was friendly and perhaps a little slow but I think because it was all cooked to order and also staff were having to do table service for drinks. The tables were sensibly spaced so felt completely safe.

Lovely food, great atmosphere, friendly staff. Had a great time and will definitely go back. Worth a visit and Lower Heyford is a beautiful village.