Rainbow Inn in South Oxfordshire

Posted as open on website on arrival closed despite welcome board outside. So very dissapointing

A lovely little village pub. Good priced meals. Friendly staff.

Excellent pub with very tasty homemade food, a beautiful seating area and very quick foodservice! my family and I all enjoyed it thoroughly.

Nice place lovely location. Unfortunately it was shut so can't give an accurate review. Went because it was in The New Avengers.

A great, couple run, traditional PUB. Small tables, meet and chat to a stranger atmosphere. No screens, or loud music. I wandered in on a whim. Met a stranger, who was not a stranger to the pub and had walked over the fields from Henley with the intention of having lunch. A friendly chap I was able to chat to. While I had not intended to eat, I ordered soup. We agreed the food was excellent and fairly priced. Normally a good selection of beers. I am planning to return next week!

This was a great destination for a Saturday lunch mid-way between Christmas and New Year. A husband and wife business, with a good offer of local beer and a wine list. The menu is a list of a few old-school pub meals (think steak and ale pie, chicken and ham pie, about £12 per dish), prepared by the landlady to order. There is parking and it is a good spot for ramblers. It can be a bit draughty inside so in the winter don’t leave your coat in the car in case you need it. Go and see good pubs pre-gastropub.

The Rainbow is an unpretentious local pub. It offers the usual range of drinks plus home-cooked food. Pies are good and so are the puddings! Not often crowded so you probably don't have to book. Parking on the premises too. They do stop serving food at 2pm though, so get there in good time.

We have been twice to the Rainbow Inn after being at Stonor Park. Ham, egg and chips. The ham is home cooked and a good amount is given. The chips are thick and just enough for the meal. Both of us left an empty plate. The pub is old fashioned and small. It is family run. Inside and outside seating. Will return.

A great traditional country pub.

Can't comment it was shut. We were there in an afternoon.

Friendly pub run by long established landlords

This pub could be so much more, and is definitely a step back in time, but we enjoyed the pub grub food. Burger and chips for me, Scampi and chips for my friend. Both agreed tasty and good value. We did a lovely circular walk in the area and have said we would return in the summer when can sit outside.

Proper pub with great home cooked food inc. Sunday lunches. Good base for walks just outside Henley.

Just had a Wagyu burger, my wife leak soup - wow ! So glad we found this place. Cannot recommend more highly.

Between the landlord's grunts and the dings of the microwave, you'll barely get a chance to enjoy yourself. It's a lovely building, so it's a shame to see it go so completely wrong.

Been going here for over 50 years more often again recently for Sunday lunch. The Landlady cooks a delicious Sunday roast and nice meal throughout the week, the Landlord "curly" pulls a mean pint of Henley and other beers. Nestled in Middle Assendon en route to Stonor Valley it's a proper country pub with a warm welcome

Excellent food in this small country pub. On a January evening it was very quiet in the restaurant although a few locals in the other bar. Have previously been here in the summer and much busier. Everyone here is obviously working hard to keep the pub traditional.

Pleasant typical country pub in the centre of a small village. Handy for local walks. We stopped for lunch. Food typical pub grub well cooked and good value. Sadly no cask ale on when we visited. Guinness was a poor substitute!

Just good honest home cooked food and great beer. How refreshing. If you are not familiar with how a traditional English Country Pub should be, visit The Rainbow.

Extremely reasonable priced sunday lunch, the cheapest around however quite ample for most. Yesterday was roast pork cooked just right.

Picturesque rural pub in a quiet village 👍🏻

Came here has my girls were at a festival down the road lovely pub Curley and Jean were superb (owner's) good conversation, nice and relaxed, locals popping in and out, Camden Ale on pump lovely. Ordered Salmon pate for starters, then Ham chips and egg whlie the misses has sweet chilli prawns with salad and chips, all dishes were delicious thankyou if we pass through again definitely popping in.

Quaint pub in lovely flowered garden. Serves with great food. Welcoming host. Real ales in great condition. Walking trails to and from the pub. What more do you want, give it a visit

Rustic feeling rural pub. Pretty setting with pleasant seating in the front garden. The interior has not been too altered, with low wooden beams (watch your head if you're 6ft) . This is a 5 star pub because it is a pub. Make the effort to visit it, I visit around 200 pubs a year searching for authenticity like this. Kev Mitch.

Walking part of the Oxfordshire Way which passes The Rainbow Inn. It’s a Monday so quiet. Warm welcome from the landlord. Fine ping of IPA. Top notch Wagu Burger - probably the tastiest, least greasy burger I’ve had in a while. Sat in the pretty garden with my dog. Thoroughly recommend and encourage you to support a proper British Pub.

Friendly staff. Nice food in a lovely little country pub. Good beer as well. Had a lovely group dinner here last weekend. They did a great job with so many people.

This is one of our favourite pubs. Unpretentious, welcoming & traditional. The menu is not large but the food is freshly cooked & the portion sizes are just right for lunch

Peacefull and quant, an excellent menu and beers

My sort of pub! I go to a lot of pubs, and this is the sort I like the best. Old fashioned, unpretentious pubs like this are sadly becoming a rarity in England. Long may this one remain unchanged. It also happens to be in one of the most beautiful areas of Southern England. Plenty of superb walks in the wooded hills reaching down to the River Thames. Worth making a day of it, with a pub lunch! This is the sort of pub we should all be supporting.

Cold, even on a sunny day. Was looking to have lunch, but very little food on offer, and internal condition put us off, so went elsewhere.

Very rude landlord unfortunately. No lunch apparently on a 20km walk, but then after half an hour of telling us there is no lunch offered a group dessert. We had to eat crisps and beer for lunch. In an area where there are a lot of closed pubs very disappointing. On the bright side it’s a beautiful pub with a stunning garden.

Amazing delicious Pizza, better than we have had for a long time, nice cold beer and met ‘Brian’ the spaniel. We will be back

Great Takeaways during lockdown. Pizzas on Thursdays and Saturdays are a particular favourite as toppings are tasty and plentiful. Had a burger on a Friday recently and it was great. Lots of popular pub grub options on the menu. All the best from Dunlopadus

Very friendly landlord who serves a good pint. Lovely setting. Food is in line with country pub fare and price charged. Somebody should probably tell the chef the difference between a sticky toffee pudding and a sponge pudding though! Lol.

This is a pretty little pub with ample parking in a quiet area. The garden is pretty and the interior traditional. The people who own the pub are friendly and provide a quick service The menu is simple and filling. There's a number of circular walks from the pub which allows visitors to appreciate the surrounding countryside

Really unfriendly barman. Took no interest in his customers or their questions about the menu. Only people there at lunchtime and totally ignored out in the garden. Will never return.

It's my local, he's still as grumpy as the first day I went in, love it 😁

Always love our post-cricket drink here

The Rainbow has just started pizza nights on Thursdays and Saturdays. We had a couple to take away which were really good. Highly recommended.

What a beautiful discovery of a real pub, as if from a bygone era! A beautiful quiet evening. Very occasionally you find a place that you think "oh this is Good!!" A lovely evening with my partner in a place we both thought was delightful. England at its best! Landlady/landlord were both lovely.

A jewel in the crown, what a lovely place. Stopped during our Oxfordshire way walk. Only had drinks,but the menu looked very tempting.... unfortunately for us we'd packed a picnic which we eat later...had a nice chat outside with the couple who own it.... personally I wished I'd stayed all day....Note to the locals of the village, use your pub !!! For the sake of your community. Once it's gone ..that's it.😃

Curly the landlord and his wife have always been most welcoming and their Japanese Prawns are to die for. it is so nice to go to a pub where there is no loud music blaring out, where the noise is so deafening you have to shout at your dinner partners. It is a traditional, English country pub with a lovely garden and kind staff - what's not to like?

We planned the Rainbow into our walking trip for a nice lunch break Website and the placard outside started open for lunch and meals Arrived in heavy rain looking forward to a nice break and was turned away - with no interest that we were cold and wet as they had a private function on. The separate bar area was empty Mentioned the sign said open for business and was told “that’s always there “ by an unfriendly chap behind the bar Bit rude and poor service approach - disappointing to be turned back out into torrential rain So much for the travellers rest

Always a great place to visit with good home cooked food

Being regularly visiting for 3 to 4 years now. Never...disappointed! Excellent roast lunch.... this Sunday I went with the roast beef, my partner went for the chicken ham and mushroom pie. Quality home cooking!!....we love it!

Traditional pub with good and honest grub. Perfect for a Sunday roast after a trip to Warburg nature reserve.

Great meal plenty of food, service very good also. A good choice of menu from traditional Sunday Lunch to burgers and vegan food. Deserts were nice and drinks and food reasonable prices for area

Not fancy, just a country pub with rickety benches, Brakspear beer and simple food. I'm sure if this wasn't near Henley it would have a higher rating.

Arrived really hungry just as pub opened at Sunday lunchtime. Roast was ready and served within minutes. Excellent beef and trimmings. Very good value too! Highly recommended.

Had a Sunday lunch in this dismal place, we asked if the roast beef could be well done, were told NO, it's as it comes, the meal was cold, the service bad, my mother in law had quiche served with roast potatoes!

Traditional pub grub at a good price, lovely welcome from a nice couple who own it

Food was good, place is quite old.

We arrived for Lunch today the pub was very quiet on a lovely sunny day!Very miserable Landlord, we tried to talk with him but no real response, don't think he was pleased to have customers it was only 13.10.We asked for a pot of tea for 2, 2 half empty cups of tea arrived on the bar, and a small jug of milk, no pot. The Cheese Platter costing £8.95 arrived 3 halves of mini Tomatoes tiny amount of Green salad , nice pickle and nice cheese with a small roll and butter, all fitted easily into the small roll, the food looked lost on a big platter.The quiche was nice but had a soggy bottom, chips good.Asked for a glass of water, which came in a very dirty glass. We will not be going again shame as nice clean pub

Not sure how this pub can still be in business. The building is lovely - and that's it. Check out the number of cars not in the empty parking lot - they don't get a lot of return business. It was just awful hearing the repeated dings of the microwave before we were served food that was mediocre at best. No atmosphere, no decor, no music, no other customers but still pretty much ignored by an apparently bored proprietor. Locals traveled miles further out in the country for better service and food. Very sad.

This could be a great little pub but the landlord seems to have lost all enthusiasm for it and it's starting to look and feel a little tired and dated.We had checked the website in advance to see what food was available on our Sunday walk. The 'Light Bites' section looked fine. However, on arriving, when we asked for the menu, we were told curtly that it was 'on the board'. Mentioning the 'Light Bites' quoted on the website we were told that he hadn't looked at the website for 'years' and simply reiterated that all they did was what was on the board.We were upset by the rudeness as much as by the lack of food options.And don't expect a modern coffee machine either - no chance I'm afraid!

Just had a great lunch here, wonderful home cooked food (we both had the Stilton & broccoli tart), proper pub with lots of sole run by a lovely couple, stunning scenery if you wish to sit outside. We must go more often!

Just a friendly local pub, serving decent pub grub. Nice beer too. An old fashioned country pub and none the worse for it. I'd happily go back.

We stopped at this little country pub for a quick bite and a welcome drink. Good choices of food and obviously well liked by the locals who were almost queuing out the door. A genial landlord and well worth a visit.

Had an impromptu lunch with some lovely friends at this super pub. Great beers and wines and fabulous hot food, possibly the best chips for miles and a great steak and ale pie. Will definitely re visit. Great part of the world for walkers so makes an excellent place to take a break.

The Rainbow Inn is a fantastic pub. We experienced a very warm welcome, absolutely delicious food, great conversation AND left with new friends in the landlords - it is not every day you can say that! I would thoroughly recommend ending your walk here for a pint and a hearty meal in this warm, cosy and quintessentially English gem. Curls and Jean, thank you so much and we can't wait to see you again!

I couldn't believe the food selection for lunch today. A dozen imaginative meals for under

Thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Good home cooked food

Great food and quiet on a Sunday afternoon. Children and dog friendly (I don’t have a dog myself). Friendly owners. This is a smallish traditional country pub with the owners cooking and running the bar. Highly recommended.

I wish I lived closer to make this gem of a spot my local. Popping in for a pint before one of the walking routes is always a great way to start any adventure. However it’s not often you leave making new pals in the Landlord and Lady. They were an absolute dream, so much so we came back for ‘Apres walk’ and didn’t leave until the next day! The food was outstanding, the drinks sublime and Curls, Jean and Brian (the dog) were so open, friendly and warm (not to mention a bloody laugh to be around). Can’t wait to return and hope everyone else can find their way to the treasures at the end of the Rainbow 😏

I wish I lived closer to make this gem of a spot my local. Popping in for a pint before one of the walking routes is always a great way to start any walk. However it’s not often you leave making new pals in the Landlord and Lady. They were an absolute dream, so much so we came back for ‘Apres walk’ and didn’t leave until the next day! The food was outstanding, the drinks sublime and Curls, Jean and Brian (the dog) were so open, friendly and warm. Can’t wait to return and hope everyone else can find their way to the treasures at the end of the Rainbow

When we first arrived at the Rainbow Inn we thought we had found nothing more than a quiet, unassuming pub for a quick bite to eat. After a delicious lunch in the company of the landlords and Brian the dog we left with happy stomachs and smiles on our faces, only to return a few hours later to spend the rest of our day there. The pub is warm and cosy, the food is great and the company was brilliant! We had such a memorable evening and only wished we lived closer so we could visit more often! Would highly recommend the Rainbow Inn as the start and end point of any (and many) visits to the area.

When we first arrived at the Rainbow Inn we thought we had found nothing more than a quiet, unassuming pub for a quick bite to eat. After a delicious lunch in the company of the landlords and Brian the dog we left with happy stomachs and smiles on our faces, only to return a few hours later to spend the rest of our day there. The pub is warm and cosy, the food is great and the company was brilliant! We had such a memorable evening and only wished we lived closer so we could visit more often! Would highly recommend the Rainbow Inn as the start and end point of any (and many) visits to the area.

Cosy pub and great homemade food!

Food was very poor. Landlord spent his time shouting at people. Needs a refurb. Such a shame as it could a great pub.

Steak and ale pie (with a pint of Brakspears bitter) followed by treacle sponge pudding with custard - both excellent and both made by the landlady. Add friendly service and warm atmosphere, what’s not to like?

Quaint little pub. Food is ok.

N9ce little pub to stop off after a long walk. Great Sunday lunch. Friendly staff

My partner and I often walk from Henley to the Rainbow and then back. It’s a friendly old fashioned pub with a lovely that will do you a Sunday lunch cooked there at home like your mother would have done it for really good value. We will carry on going.

Not the most friendly landlord I ever come across, food not cheap, beer was flat and the bench garden was so rotten that it collapsed under my friends and all we got as an apology was 'sorry about that', not good enough. We won't go there any more.

Lovely meal friendly staff beautiful setting just right for a summers evening Sat outside with drink in your hand ..

A group of 4 of us stopped on a sunny Saturday afternoon during a long walk. The beer was good, the garden gorgeous, and the landlord, his wife, and their dog Brian were really welcoming and friendly. We will definitely return.

Had Rainbow platters for lunch was superb, loved it and can't wait to return

No welcome when entering, devoid of personality. Food disappointing. Two large slices of poorly reheated steak pie with a nice selection of vegetables. We skipped desert and popped to nearby Henley

Had a lovely lunch here today. Good food, nicely served. Will definitely go back.

Horrible place! We were in distress outside and needIng help. They waved us away and said they were on their break. Finally they came to the door, shouted a taxi number at us and slammed the door.

Nice garden expensive drinks looks very tired inside and old fashioned , the landlord could take timeout to improve customer service skills Would not use again

After a great walk in sunny weather, we very much enjoyed sitting outside in the pretty garden of this pub (not noisy, even though near the road - there is also a small rear garden with a view up the hill). The pub was recommended in our walking book and serves good portions of honest food, which we all enjoyed, though nothing particularly stood out. I did note that my friend's cheese [ploughman's] platter was well presented. The ham was home-cooked but not a stand out taste and would have been better with two eggs. The Brakspear's was perfectly serviceable but I have had better ... and, sadly, often less good. Curly was friendly when we parked before our walk and efficient in taking / delivering our orders. Conclusion: don't have excessive expectations and you should enjoy a filling lunch in a great setting at this pub.

A cosy little place with a small but perfectly formed menu and good food off the normal beaten track, well.... my beaten track. Not strictly an INN as no accommodation provided.

We have used this pub for years and suffered the unfriendly and rude behaviour to our children by the landlord due to its locality and no other choice of venue. The landlord is keen to correct the manners of the children but has very little of his own. Even the simplest request for water is frowned upon. If you have children leave them at home, in the car, but for there sakes don’t take them in.

Great little spot to stop for Sunday lunch while walking in the Chilterns. Wish there were more real ales to choose from, but the place felt cosy and there was a good vegetarian lunch option.

Lovely pub full of friendly people.

my wife and i had lunch at the rainbow. not a pleasant experience. the fish was not cooked properly and no veg . perhaps the decor put people off and the lack of interest by the host spoke volumes.

A landlord who shouldn't be a landlord. I asked for a cup of tea and before I had told him how I wanted it he was making it. Black strong tea arrived in a small cup. What I wanted was a mug full of boiling water and a tea bag. I did use their toilet which I am grateful for but otherwise I will not return to this pub. I went to The Golden Ball a few hundred metres down the road. The Luscombes restaurant is excellent.

Llegamos 45 minutos antes de la comida anunciada de corte. Cuidado con los horarios son limitados.

Unspoilt, original country pub serving good food and drink. (Surrounding pubs have been converted into a restaurant, a cafe/cafeteria, and a 'wedding barn'.) Very nice gardens.

This place has changed little on 25 years and is perfect (comfortable and clean) - well kept cellar/beers and decent choice of wines and a nice setting with good food and a nice landlord - what more do you need. delightful area

A diferencia de muchos pubs alrededor de esta zona de los Chilterns, el Rainbow Inn ha mantenido sus raíces, como un pub del campo. Especialmente en un soleado domingo de primavera y verano, no se puede mejorar de estar fuera (con unas vistas preciosas, sobre todo en la parte trasera del pub, lejos de la carretera) con una pinta de Brakspear amargo mientras comíamos carne asada. Si el tiempo es inferior dentro de clement muy tradicional con dos habitaciones, una extendida para comer. Una buena experiencia si te gusta el pub más antiguo con comida de pub a un precio razonable.

After all the good reviews we were both disappointed with our meal. The pastry on the pie was really soggy and thin. If pushed I would say it had been microwaved. The pub itself is unspoilt and the hosts were friendly.

The food is not fine dining, but proper pub grub. Curly and Jean give a great welcome and there is a good choice on the menu. Some of the food is sourced locally, free range eggs are amazing !!

Nice pint breakspears bitter friendly staff reasonable food and parking

Visitamos el arco iris para comer asado los domingos.

Rude landlord told me to eat something healthy when I popped in for carbs on a cycling tour. He had a beer belly. Talk about ironic! Avoid if under 60.

He estado yendo a la Rainbow - normalmente para comer el domingo, pero a veces para cenar, cuando estoy en la zona visitando a mi familia durante muchos años. Me encanta este acogedor pub tradicional, pueblo. El domingo asados, empanadas, carnes, jamón cocidos y todo...

Always good food here. Different from the standard pub food, something more. Very good place for Lunch and supper.

Pequeño y encantador hotel de gestión familiar, el servicio fue amable y sensato y rápidamente hecho - todos llegamos a tiempo