Polhill Arms in Bedford

Home made soup and a cheese toastie, what's not to like?

Great pub, plentiful parking and an excellent weekly quiz (now on Thursdays). A recent refurbishment has just been completed.

Had a hot chocolate as popped in during a walk. The refurb is really nice and the landlord and landlady were really friendly.

An absolutely amazing village pub, quite possibly the finest in this fair land. Superb selection of real ale, gin, and wines. Family and dog friendly, too. See for yourself, you'll love it.

Small and friendly local with excellent beers/ciders and a limited but decent range of snacks. Welcoming even if you're muddy and with a dog. 2023 update: new owners, pub more popular than ever and they get involved in running some nice community events, such as a recent Cancer Research fundraising fair hosted in the pub garden. 1st October 2023:Currently closed for refurbishment, believe pub is due to reopen 12th October 2023 (check their Facebook page). Looking forward to seeing what changes there are inside. 2024 - The pub is looking really nice after the refurbishment and it has created more space inside without losing the atmosphere. Still really good bets on tap, and nice to see that the pub is so popular and busy. Staff always friendly, and the visiting bbq and fish & chip van are a really good idea. A great local pub.

First visit today for lunch, food was delicious , staff were really polite and friendly. Will definitely be back for lunch very soon.

Very pleasant recently refurbished pub.

Quick pint...Steve and Lucie are great hosts!

We recently held our daughter’s 21st birthday in part of the pub, we had a fantastic evening, with wonderful food provided by lucie and Steve, great atmosphere, fun and polite staff. Thank you so much

Did a candle work shop there from @fire.nest had a great time lovely people in there and everyone behind the bar so friendly definitely go again if have anymore work shops on, thank you :))

Did a candle work shop there from @fire.nest had a great time lovely people in there and everyone behind the bar so friendly definitely go again if have anymore work shops on, thank you :))

Nice decor, friendly staff ,plenty of parking spaces

Great pub with a lovely atmosphere. Very nice patio area and lovely garden. Very tasty bar snacks, too. Great decor and ambience since the recent refurbishment.

Excellent village pub… welcoming and with a fantastic ploughman’s meal on the menu. Made a nice walk in the sun a really great day.

It's a good traditional country pub. We took a walk across the fields from the local chavscum estate and I can assure you there are far worse pubs in Bedford. It's not a gastro-pub full of hipsters - just a good place to spend a couple of hours on a warm day with ordinary people. The word I am looking for is "unpretentious". I'm going to give it 4 stars.

Absolutely brilliant little village pub, meet here regularly with an old work colleague the atmosphere, service and food are outstanding. Definitely worth a visit and a credit to the owners.

Warm welcoming atmosphere, good beer selection and great service by Jamie

Great place and lovely service.

A great pub with great beer, lovely food and excellent staff - in particular Jamie

Lovely little pub made to feel welcome. Nice outside seating. Very friendly service by Jaime. Highly recommend.

Great pub, great beer, excellent service from Jamie as always

I lovely traditional village pub, only bettered by its impeccable service (Jamie, the fastest glass collector in Bedfordshire) great atmosphere and lovely selection of beverages. Personally I think the Guinness is fantastic. Just a Top Pub!

Great pub, great atmosphere, always friendly, very welcoming. Zak props to you best bar man going :)

Such a shame after moving to the villiage recently that we’re weren’t able to have a drink in the pub today on bank holiday. Lots of locals in the pub & enjoying the sunshine. But not open for incomers

Called in today as heard that the ploughman's are very good,we were not disappointed, partner had the ploughman's with ham which he said was delicious and I opted for a panini again lovely. Both came with salad and crisps. Definitely will be calling again

Came for a Sunday lunchtime drink and a bite to eat. The food was really good, I had the Tuna and Cheese Panini, and my husband had the Ploughman's. Both meals came with a green side salad, which was very tasty. We were served by Zak, who was polite and curtious and informative about the dishes on the menu. We would highly recommend this pub for a relaxing bar snack, especially on the pretty outside patio.

The Polhill Arms is a great place to drink with brilliant service! Tilly and daisy are polite and always pleasant :)

Nice country pub with outdoor seating area.

lovely little pub, lots of parking, easy walk from the local 4 estates through the fields

Visited again today for drinks and nachos, came here 2 weeks ago and it is well worth the 20 mile drive, landlord and barman are excellent and the prices are low for drinks and food, this pub is in our top 5 ever, small menu but it's all you need, this is a proper pub how they should be, we'll done guys👍

Lovely little pub with a large garden.

My daughter and I stopped for lunch for the first time a couple of weeks ago. We both had panini and they were delicious. The landlord and landlady were warm and welcoming. Great value, good food and a lovely setting. We will definitely be returning.

Lovely local family pub nice n cozy

Great little pub with the right balance of wet and food based business. A couple of ales on tap and a good selection of lagers for all tastes.

Great pub now it's new owners have had time to stamp their personality on the place. It's slightly limited by Greene King's lacklustre range of ales (in my opinion) but that doesn't take anything away from the feeling and atmosphere. These tenants know how to do it right, and there are elegant and claasy touches around the place that give it a warm and friendly vibe. Long may it continue.

Great local pub. Great atmosphere fir a Sunday afternoon.

Very nice Pub great landlord and staff.

We booked a wake here after we had researched a number of local places to go. We chose the Polhill as during the week the pub does not open at lunchtime so we had the bar to ourselves. The buffet menu looked good and was reasonably priced. We made a good choice, the food was freshly made sandwiches and a selection of hot dishes some home made, all freshly cooked. Service at the bar was very good and they had a good range of beers on tap. I can recommend this place

Excellent lunch for our walking group. The cheese board is the best in Bedford !

Lovely village pub, played there with my band and we were made to feel so welcome, and boy do the regulars know how to have a good time. The bar is slightly smaller than I anticipated, but its stacked with everything you need for your alcoholic beverage needs. Frequently features guest ales too. Highly recommend!

Great location, a warm welcome and good beer, what more could you ask?

Lovely pub in the Bedfordshire countryside, lovely atmosphere and great service... thoroughly enjoyed it

Only visited this place twice since the new landlord/lady took over and they are doing a great job. Very warm and friendly staff. Plenty of seating outside, Menu looks good too.

Lovely atmosphere, good prices, friendly staff 1st visit for a long time look forward to becoming a regular when my friend moves to the village.

We had been here before in August 2020 and we came back today. Proper pub with wonderful kerb appeal. Friendly staff and locals. We did not eat, but prices are great. People on the table next to us had the Ploughmans lunch, and it looked fantastic. Green with envy, of everyone who calls this their local!!!!👍👍

Great wonderful food, and service, very friendly staff, best pub I have been in for a long while.

Me Karen and Bill love it there and really enjoyed the quiz with Steve and Lucy...and great to see lovely staff and will be back for more lovely times xx

Great spot. Well kept beers. Proper country pub with lots of parking.

A fantastic evening in the company of Bedford Morris Men. Thanks to Barbara and all the staff 🤩

Always a friendly atmosphere and an enjoyable time!

Absolutely loved it. Had a little break in York and staff is very approachable. Great food 👍

Excellent service. Beautiful location exceptional hosts.

Nice place with good service but average, overpriced food.

Great little pub and it won the pub of the year on 2019. They have a masquerade red on tap-- very good taste and smooth- higjy recommend this little gem ans a beautiful garden to boot

Great little pub in the middle of Bedford and Renhold.

Visited Friday & today (Sunday) Made to feel very welcome by new staff. Looking forward to the imminent fish & chips. Good Luck

A proper pub, good beer selecfion friendly staff. Dogs very welcome

It's closed at the moment, but we have been before. Cracking little local

Was a friendly pub with a small selection of real ales, hopefully it won't change much when / if a new tenant takes over.

First time of ever going there and I cant say a bad word about it.

Very friendly and efficient pub and doing everything very well to adhere to present guidelines! Feel very safe!

Good precautions in place. Sat in the garden in the autumn sunshine.

Friendly place with a great garden for outdoor socialising. Good play area for children

Great service doing the covid thing superb

Friendly staff - perfect for a post run pint. A small group of us parked at the pub tonight and checked we were ok to go for a run from there. The bar man was very friendly and happy to let us use the car park. We all had a drink afterwards and again we found the staff to be friendly and welcoming. Covid-19 measures were very comprehensive and we felt very safe. Knocked off a star on the review as the range of lagers and ales was a bit reduced, but other than that really recommend it as a friendly pub welcoming to runners.

Glorious friendly pub. Just what a local should be. Loved it.

We popped in the Polhill in Friday night as we saw there would be a BBQ and with the restrictions of covid thought what a good idea as it is outdoors and is safer. Although it seems this brought in more people and it was quite busy it was still well managed in accordance with the Covid guidance and we were able to sit down and eat (which I must add was the best burger I've had) and have a nice drink in the garden. Staff are always pleasant and we look forward to coming back again.

What the hell has happened to this pub since lockdown? The car park is looking like a scrap yard with a dumped yellow car, a dumped van and some redundant trailers taking up at least 5 places. The planters have not been touched in several weeks and are full of weeds. Bits of bbq equipment look as if they have been dumped in the outside seating area. It has developed an air of neglect.

Good customer service & will recommend it if we get a free drink

Great service and lots of outdoor seating in the sun 🌞

Food was great. Service efficient.

Lovely food but most of all great ale

Perfect country pub to stop on a long dog walk for a refreshing pint and some nibbles, staff and locals very welcoming.

Pleasant company with friendly staff.Good skittles team. Excellent beer at a reasonable price.Good banter from all.

Small village pub serving very reasonable price lunch. Usual lunchtime menu. Good for a quiet lunch in a beautiful atmosphere where you can enjoy and hear everyone sitting at your table.

Great local country pub. CAMRA local pub of the year since Noah built his Ark.

A1 pub nice location great landlord

Great local pub serving good traditional food. Set in a pretty country location with gardens and lots of parking

A nice country pub, friendly staff and great pub grub. What more could you want.

Good to catch up-- good beer as always-- top pub

Decent small local pub doing good quality beer. Deservedly, this pub is a CAMRA regular and my pint of Black Sheep was in good condition and very drinkable. Seemed to be a good range of drinks on offer including coffee & tea, though I'm not sure about food. Pretty steady trade on a Thursday evening with two tables of people quietly playing cards later on. Decent ambience, nice outside seating area, children's play area and good parking. Worth a visit, if you don't know it.

All way the best fish and chips and some great beers to follow 😀

The food was not as good as we have always had before

8 pieces of slimey scampi with some chips for £9 this is too expensive for the quality and portion size. Even though it’s a lovely pub with nice outdoor space I will not be returning any time soon.

Great village pub with lovely food and garden for the family. Bouncy castle for the kids too. Friendly staff and clientel

On a sunny day, the beer garden is perfect for kids. Inside is quite tiny. Service is nice. We didn't order food so I keep the fifth star for the next visit

Great atmosphere and people are very welcoming and friendly.

Re-Visiting the Polhill Arms for lunch. Great food. 3 excellent chicken burgers with salad & fries. 1 superb fish & chips. Surroundings good (a traditional pub). Parking easy, service good, quality food arrived in excellent time. Rated highly. 🙂

Lovely friendly counrty pub with a great play area. When your a mum of a 5 year old, I value a bouncy castle in my country pubs. Highly recommend the fish and chips, and enjoyed the horse's in the garden.

Food good ,but not the dessert.

We are always happy with the welcome, the drinks and the food here. Dogs being welcome is a positive though with ours being reactive best to make the most of the tables outside

Great bar! The mini play park putside could do with some work though

We were summoned to my mother in laws (in Bedford) for her 87th birthday celebrations. Noting Prince Philip has given up his driving licence, she (my Mother in Law) has also given up her pilots license for flying broomsticks...... enough of my mother in law!!!!! They arranged a pub lunch at the Polhill Arms. This is a pub that is a locals pub for most of the time however, it is a pub that will attract people that like good honest pub food, good ambience, and fantastic real ale! I live near Southampton, and it was a pleasure to be welcomed in the the Polhill Arms pub like a local. I enjoy my ale and having spoken to the barman, the Landlord (and a local), I felt at home here. As for lunch, I went for the beef and ale pie. (My image doesn’t do it justice as I had broken the lovely pie crust and was too eager to tuck in). Good flavour. Good amount of food. No room for pudding! However, I did manage another pint of Timothy Taylor’s “Landlord”, to wash it down with! Well done everyone, and look forward to seeing you again, but this involve me having to meet up with my in-laws again!!!

Very friendly staff, well organised, great pork pies and coffee, clean: a good combination!

Your always greeted with a friendly smile and comfortable place to rest your feet . Enjoy the pub garden in summer with child friendly play area . Food and bar prices reasonably as well as tasty

Great food, price and friendly service.

Great traditional pub. Plentiful array of drinks on tap and guest ales. Lovely atmosphere and welcoming staff. Also family friendly with large garden. Definitely recommend a beer here

North Beds CAMRA pub of the year 2018

Very well kept beer with several real ales on offer permanently and good quality pub grub. Fish and Chips are a must.

Nice place, very kind, excellent beer, very busy in the late afternoon despite being a bit isolated.