Old Bell in West Berkshire

The staff were polite quick to get us seated . We ordered our drinks food. The food was outstanding thank you so much . The roast turkey dinner was delicious the amount of food was excellent . The chicken cheese leek puff pastry pie chips asparagus dinner was delicious too we will be coming back . It was our first time here . Thank you to all the staff at Old Bell . The salted caramel sundae was tasty . Outstanding in all areas thank u 😃

Had breakfasts and dinners here on business and I can confidently say I’d return as a paying customer. The service is friendly and uber-efficient. The food is gorgeous and there are plenty of options too. My special thanks to Mary who served us for our breakfasts during our stay. She served us with a homely demeanour and whilst seemingly running the customer service elements by herself, still managed to keep us entertained as well as fed and watered! A valuable asset to her team :)

Lovely breakfast this morning while staying at the premier inn. Food was great, service was really speedy and Mary was so lovely!

Very nice pub. I may have chosen the wrong food, will definitely try again

Had the Premier Inn breakfast here on BH Monday and Tuesday. The hot food was cooked to order, whilst the continental was buffet style. Mary was both friendly and efficient. The selection of food is good and the breakfasts were cooked very nicely. Overall, I prefer the cook to order system as it means the food is fresh and there is less waste. We were staying at the adjoining Premier Inn as it was close by for a family wedding. Despite being very busy, I thought Mary was really on top of everything and obviously whoever is preparing food back of house was doing a great job too. We also had a very light lunch on Monday prior to leaving for the wedding. Again, the staff were really friendly and the food was very well cooked and presented. The prices seemed reasonable too. I had read the reviews before my visit and some people clearly had a different experience, but having worked in retail and leisure, I think a smile goes a long way, as does having a little bit of understanding that service industries are hard work. The quality and service were great.

I would like to say a massive thank you to the staff of old bell I was there not so long ago being trained for my new guide dog these people in the pub would just absolutely amazing they were so friendly and were very clued up on how to put things in front of visually impaired people I can highly recommend this place a friendly atmosphere and the staff are great thank you once again for a lovely experience

We were warmly welcomed by Mary at the door, our lovely, very kind and efficient server. She was so bright, professional and happy, made sure we felt welcomed, showed us where everything was and took our order swiftly. She came back very quickly with our cooked breakfast and she was so warm and kind to us the entire time, particularly to our children. Absolutely fantastic service and just a lovely lady. The cook and manager, Maria I think was her name, was fantastic too and the food was delicious and hot which I loved. Having not had the best of experiences at premier inn the night before, our delightful breakfast experience at the Old Bell completely made up for it and we left well fed and blissfully happy. A special thank you the the lovely Mary. Any business would be lucky to have you. Thank you for chatting with us and making our day.

Would definitely recommend been having breakfast here alongside my hotel stay and every morning it’s been perfect. Would like to say a big thank you to Mary for always going above and beyond for me!

Enjoyable visit. Good selection of on tap drinks. Nice atmosphere inside. Food was very nice. Plenty of outdoor space. Would recommend.

Chef’s cooking of fish is amazingly good

Nice atmosphere and good service.

We went there for a Sunday lunch and are very impressed! We used to frequent The Cunningman but had issues with their service, and availability of their food, as well as how busy they are so we decided to try this place. It was quaint, quiet and pleasant. Everyone was much friendlier and personable, the service itself was also really good and we very much appreciate how accommodating they were for my 13 month old little girl. We asked for a plate of broccoli for her which wasn't on the menu which they happily did for us no question. The food itself was plentiful, homely and yummy! I had the 7 hour beef on the bone and honestly, I could eat it every day, along with the yorkies - I wish I could have eaten it all but there was just so much food ! (Not a complaint!). Lastly to add, we weren't expecting live music, but we very much enjoyed hearing happy chefs singing along to old classics. The atmosphere as a whole was just so much more fun, happy, and relaxed, versus our experiences at other pubs (looking at you Cunningman). We'll be going here for our Sunday lunches from now on!

Nice old refurbished pub. Just popped in for a quick drink. Staff are friendly. Ample parking. Nice outdoor area also

Food tasted amazing and beautifully presented, Naomi couldn't do enough for us and is a credit to the Old bell Will 100% be returning

My friend and I went for lunch, as soon as we arrived we were greeted by a smiling, lovely lady Anett, she was very helpful with everything, the food was fantastic and we didn't have to wait long. We look forward to going back next time.

Really great place, lovely staff and amazing food!!

I went out here with my family last night, it's a nice spot that's not very far out of town but doesn't seem very accessible without a vehicle. We had excellent service, we were served by a lovely young lady I think she said her name was Ella. The food we ordered was pretty good for the price it was, it came quickly even considering we were a larger group.

a welcoming cozy pub settled in the British countryside. i went with friends for lunch and we had an amazing time! they have a lot of selection from the lunch menu and the staff were friendly, quick and polite! i really enjoyed it

fantastic atmosphere at the old bell, lovely staff and impeccable food.

Great time at the old bell Great food atmosphere and drinks

Pleasantly surprised by the service and food, much better than we thought. There was a group of four of us and having had starters and mains could not find space for pudding. Our son has a dairy allergy and the waiting staff checked both the allergy book and the kitchen before confirming his order. A few beers, some white and red wine and still got change for less than £50 a head. Would go back

Recommended by Alok Gurung. Absolutely brilliant service, welcoming staff, great ambience, did not feel rushed like in some places. Would visit again.

We had an incredible family member birthday party at this Pub. The atmosphere was vibrant and welcoming, making our dining experience truly enjoyable. Each dish we tried was bursting with flavor, showcasing the chef's expertise in crafting delicious meals. The attentive staff added to the experience, providing excellent service that made us feel valued. Overall, this place is a must-visit for anyone looking for outstanding food. We can't wait to return for another memorable meal!

Really nice place! Great ambiance and food! Perfect place for family!

Thanks Maria and team for looking after us so well today during our team lunch. Organising everything was so easy and you were so lovely to deal with. Food was yummy and delivered piping hot.Will definitely be back..the sticky toffee pud is AMAZING!!!!!

I have to say thank you to both Maria and Reece for a extending such hospitality and professionalism and massive thanks to the kitchen for feeding me when I arrived 5 to 9 - great people great place - recommended

Propped in for a quick lunch on the way back from a meeting. The food was good and the beer I had was on the specials and was a well kept cask ale that still tasted nice and fresh. It was super quiet though! Felt like I had the place to myself.

I recently visited the Old Bell Pub and enjoyed a delightful English breakfast that truly captured the essence of a traditional meal. The menu features other fantastic dishes as well, making it a wonderful place to dine. The staff were polite and professional, which greatly enhanced my experience. I highly recommend the Old Bell Pub for a delightful breakfast and an other fantastic dishes in a charming atmosphere. I look forward to returning soon!

Had an amazing smothered chicken meal compliments to chef Aden plus the waitresses/waiters were very polite and looked after me well definitely recommend to anyone looking for a good meal at a lovely restaurant il be back soon to visit

Food was cold but was returned and came back pipping hot

Thank you Maria and team for a lovely Sunday roast Very cute pub out of the way

Dreadful the only shining light was Emma the waitress. Long long wait for food soggy garlic mushrooms as starter then garden plot medley a complete mess. Chef needs to go to the Rushcutters in Norwich to see how to do food. Team leader v responsive and knocked money of the bill but what a mess

Fantastic food and the.team is great! Thank you for.a great Sunday roast! We will be back soon!

Very friendly staff wonderful food and great atmosphere!

Had a very poor experience last night whilst staying in the attached premier inn. Took over an hour and a half too be served with our mains. Poor stock of drinks and food off the menu.

It was a very good experience however the pie that was ordered was freezing on the inside and they got a chip order wrong. However employees were very nice and service is pretty good if this situation doesn't happen again I would rate this higher

Great lunch, well looked after by Kathleen 👍

Visited today with two female friends for quick lunch. Staff were incredibly friendly and helpful and we weren’t rushed at all. Food was very tasty and I have no doubt we will be returning.

Fings ain't wot they usta be. The soul has been taken out of this pub and given to beelzebub. What was a nice pub is now an asceptic, open plan, bland and boring building. The service rose to the heights of surly, but only briefly. No proper ales on tap. Let me outta here, I'll never sin again.

Late afternoon yesterday for Sunday roast was rather disappointing as the vegatables certaonly did not live up to previous experiences and the trio of meats didn't have stuffing as I subsequently discovered should have. Meats were all good. Maybe just not a good time to visit if they have been busy? Staff attentive as always. That said always enjoy the Old Bell over many years.

Really good food. Nice atmosphere

It's a nice place foods pretty good as far as chain restaurant food gose. Prices are pretty good. Service the day I went was pretty slow but not to bad. In all I'd recommend the old bell as a budget friendly place to eat with family and friends.

My friend and I went to the Old Bell yesterday for lunch. We had a lovely meal and were looked after by Nelly and Kathleen. Very attentive service and good attention to my friend’s allergies. The food and the wine were delicious. Highly recommend.

Awful place staff miserable especially breakfast staff,

We live close to the Old Bell and our like the menu. We stopped going for a long time because our kids have intolerances and the pub kept making mistakes. However, it is now under new management and they took the intolerances very seriously and clearly took great care. The food was great, the team (Nelly and Adi) were brilliant and it’s great to have the option of going there regularly again.

Whilst there were only two waiters/waitreses working, they wereboth VERY efficient and polite. We had some lovley food and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming.

I visited the Pub today morning and the guy serving the breakfast was very rude and unfriendly at all. I asked for cheese he said we are not serving cheese for breakfast however I get cheese for breakfast before when I was in Premier in as guest and normally we use this hotel for business purpose. The coffee was cold , the egg was not properly boiled , the sausage quality was bad ; the toaster is not working properly Actually It is the worst breakfast I have ever had

Staff need a little more customer service training

A great place to visit with friends and family. The food was perfect. A great evening out

Great service at the Old Bell. food was delicious and cooked to perfection

Very good food and drink offering. Service excellent. Price does reflect the quality of food and service. Well worth a visit

Not decorated very christmasy, meals wasn't that special, pudding wasn't nice, brandy sauce cold

Took the dogs with us for Sunday lunch. Food was great pub is dog friendly

Usually, I have a horrific time trying to find something to eat out as I am highly sensitive. Steve handled the situation amazingly and directed me to the app and showed me how you can cater any menu to your sensitives at the click of a button. Highly recommend. Thank you Steven. P.S are you single?

Fully recommend , have been looked after by Steve on a few occasions and he is brilliant! An asset to the company and will definitely return in the future

Really enjoyed my visit and the service from Steven was exceptional!

Great food and special thanks to Steve 👍🏻

In our party, there were seven of us: four adults, two 3 year olds and one 2 year old. One of the 3 year olds had an egg allergy. Upon arriving at 1pm, we were seated and given adult menus only. We asked the waiter who seated us for the allergy menu. 20 minutes later, we’d still not been given this so we asked another waiter to bring this over, along with menus for the children. He did so and gave me the allergy tablet menu to look at. We then waited for another 20 minutes to have our order taken. Upon finally ordering, the children were given some colouring to do which was a nice touch. We then waited for 45 minutes with no sign of food. My husband enquired and we were told it wouldn’t be long. Within 30 seconds, two of the adult meals were brought out shortly by the other two. We were then asked if we wanted the children’s meals now which completely baffled us; surely the meals should all come out together. By this point, we’d been in the restaurant for well over an hour and waiting for food for 50 minutes since ordering so the children were incredibly restless. Eventually their meals came. We did enjoy the food and cannot fault it. However, the wait and total shambles of a service really did spoil the afternoon. No one checked how our food was during our meal and we were not asked if we would like any more drinks. The family next to us had the same experience and their child (similar age) was also restless with the wait. Completely unacceptable. If we’d been told there was a wait beforehand, we could’ve distracted or offered snacks which would’ve helped a little. We left feeling very disappointed.

We like Chef & Brewer as their menu is a bit different from the norm. We had a great server , Steve. He was very friendly and attentive. He was able to accommodate our requests for alterations to the set dishes. Unfortunately the chefs were on leave so the food was not up to the usual standard

Was served by Tom I believe and had a wonderful time! Food was amazing, I’ll definitely come back.

Friends took us here when we were visiting and it was lovely- friendly staff and good food. Steve was particularly friendly and helpful. Would visit again!

Great place for breakfasts and Sunday roasts. Staff are really friendly and helpful. Special thanks to Steve for exceptional service and friendly attitude.

Always really enjoy going to the Old Bell, it's a lovely pub and the food is great. The staff are always helpful, especially Steve.

A group of us dropped in short notice and Steve was fantastic at accommodating us. He went out of his way to find a suitable table and ensure we had everything we needed. Thank you

Just went yesterday for a lovely dinner with the Mrs. Thomas and Josh were both superb waiters.

Went recently and I had pork belly followed by the melting Christmas bell which was soooo good. Would strongly recommend going before the festive menu finishes! Shout out to Tom and Christian for excellent service 😁.

Served by Tom. Really good food. Definitely come back again. Tom was very sweet and a great waiter. 5 stars.

Went to Old bell yesterday for a lovely lunch with the ladies. Food was delicious and was served by the amazing Tom!

Good food and service, was served by Tom

The Old Bell has become a favourite of ours. The quality of food, superb service (shout out to our regular waiter Tom) and cosy atmosphere bring us back time and time again.

I went to the pub for dinner a few days ago and can’t say a bad word about it. The atmosphere, food, service and fair price. I do have to give a special mention to our waiter Thomas, as before he treated us very well!

Very comfortable old hotel and restaurant , very friendly staff , very comfy rooms. Only negative is horrible stuffed giraffe in the entrance

Had a awful evening. Pre booked to have the festive menu. Upon arrival was told they had no festive food it was all sold out, Then was they did as we had said that’s what we wanted and had booked. They didn’t have most of the meals wanted so one of our group ended up having just a main course from normal menu. Food quality was not great. My partner had the festive burger which was horribly salty which left him feeling very sick. The whole thing fest very unorganised. Will not be returning.

Lovely food and service by Cristian

What lovely pub, Maria and her team we exceptional 10/10 would recommend

Lovely service and excellent atmosphere

Breakfast, crispy bacon, sausages, beans, mushrooms, and poached eggs. Freshly cooked. Cheerfully, waitress and cook.

Well priced food. Attentive and helpful staff. Especially the assistant manager who made sure we were looked after throughout our stay. Thanks for the good atmosphere and lovely food

The service from Reese was absolutely brilliant—attentive, friendly, and efficient. Any small issues were promptly addressed without hesitation or fuss, which made the whole experience feel seamless and stress-free. The Sunday roast was delicious, with all the traditional elements done well. However, the cauliflower cheese —it could have been a bit cheesier! Overall, a wonderful meal in a welcoming pub setting.

Lovely service from the lady maria I think was her name , the food was horrible I asked for mixed grilled the the meat was taste burned. Never again

Great experience at the old bell today, lovely roaring fire, great service and great food. James and Nelly were really thoughtful and kind and made the day for our 4 year old daughter, getting to choose the log to go on the fire!

Delicious meal, served by an attentive waitress called Reece. She made us feel very welcomed and checked by our table multiple times. Will come again!

Came here for a lovely meal yesterday. Food was great, service was fantastic. Shoutout to Reese and Steve, who were very attentive and welcoming! Would definitely recommend this pub, will be back soon!

The food was lovely but the service was diabolical, slow and ruined the visit for us. I will not be returning. We stood waiting to be seated and there was no one around, eventually someone came to show us to our table. Then our waitress came over and said 'oh I think I'm at the wrong table, I'll do your drinks order anyway' so we ordered drinks. We had to ask for food to be ordered because it was taking so long. Then after our mains I said, I asked for pudding menu in which we were informed the kitchen closed 45 minutes ago. We were not notified of that at any point and if the service didn't take so long we may have had time for pudding. It would have been nice to have been told the kitchen was closing so we could make a decision whether to put an order in. Overall, pretty poor.

Can’t fault anything at the old bell. Great restaurant, great staff, great atmosphere. Good was top tier and came out very fast. Can’t fault it in anyway. Compliments to all the staff!

Went for an evening family meal. Nobody to seat us at the service area so we chose a table. The waiter then came up 5 mins later and in an incredibly sarcastic manner made us feel horrendous for not waiting for a seat. Treated us like we had walked in and smashed up the place. Disgusting treatment, horrendous service. If it were my business he would have been sacked on the spot. If I could give it zero stars I would. Avoid.

Recently had the pleasure of spending an evening here while away for work, can’t rate the place high enough, food was superb, staff were friendly and attentive and the bar staff were exceptional, will definitely be returning soon

Early lunch weekday before 12, and got a sunny window table and great service

Maria was such a sweetheart, she’s definitely changed this place for the better

A hidden gem. They had some very interesting options on their specials. Me and my husband went for the salmon wellington from the specials menu, it was delicious and well made. The girls looking after us Kathleen and Niomi made our visit special.

Came here after seeing such good reviews and it was so worth it. Very generous Sunday roast portions. The staff are really lovely and looked after us. Quality food too. Will be back!

Delicious food, great service. I recommend

I was there today . Very friendly staff nice place . 100% come back soon

I had a great meal with family today , my food came out very quickly. We was served by an attentive waitress Maria , Maria recommended some nice pudding s so I went for sticky toffee pudding it was fab , I would definitely return again .

I recommend it 100%. Nice place, tasty food and very smiling service. Thank you all for a wonderful time.

First time for a while and the "pub" still has plenty of charm, though clearly part of the Green King empire. The food was good but there was quite a wait for two main dishes to arrive. Only two front of house staff at lunchtime left them rather stretched as it is a large venue! We did enjoy our meal and would return.

Emma & Steve provide a lovely relaxed and attentive atmosphere in which to eat and spend an evening

Really not great. Short staffed. Food basic. Shells on the prawns in a fish pie? Lots was just warm. Shame.

We arrived at the Old Bell, very weary after having travelled a long way, without a booking a table. With only a few minutes to spare before the kitchen finished cooking, James very kindly rushed an order through for us. We sat down, were served drinks immediately by James and within a very short time our meal of fish and chips appeared. The fish was the best fish we had tasted in a very long time, cooked to perfection. Thankyou very much to a very friendly James and the chef.

A solidly adequate pub next to premier inn. Excessively sign posted, priced according to how few alternatives there are around. You can't do more 4 out of 5 than this pub.