Red Lion in Cherwell - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Beautiful, well kept pub, hidden away in a pretty little village off the beaten track. Great selection of beer from Hook Norton, a decent range of wines and spirits too. A sensibly simple unpretentious menu and well presented food.

I had lunch at the Red Lion with my parents and my 8yo son. We had delicious food, fantastic service and an extremely good value menu. What more could we have asked for!

Beautiful Sunday roast, sat in the front terrace with my partner and young baby. Food was fantastic and it was a lovely summers day. Very peaceful, felt like being on holiday.

Delicious food, great and friendly service, wonderful setting. In fact there’s nothing I can fault. They even forgot to add a couple of drinks to the bill that I was happy to point out and they gave us a couple of extra ones for the honesty! I wish we had a pub like this where we live!

Beer & pizza 🙂 casual Monday pub crawl and what a treat it was. 2 for 1 pizzas and a great selection of beer. Beer very tasty, and pizzas were just great! Thank you for having us and complements to the Chef!

A lovely pub transformed by its new management. We sat down it the back in the late afternoon sunshine. Bliss!

Walk from Holts hotel, sat outside in the sun with my dog. Beer was fresh and food was stunning. Totally worth a trip.

Beautiful country pub. Very clean and restaurant beautifully presented. Young lady waiting on us very good. Food not so. I ordered a supposedly cod loin which turned out to be a tail end ....and only half of it. Husband had battered cod, again poorly executed with soggy batter. Our bill was adjusted accordingly as I would have refused to pay full price. A cheese board was very good. Overpriced food served in a lovely country pub.Could have been a poor night in the kitchen, but wouldn't return to find out.

The owner is extremely rude to women and foreigners. The food isn’t worth it. The issue isn’t with the servers, who are lovely. The owner just went out of his way to be mean to us for no reason.

Went for lunch with my boyfriend and a friend, the overall experience wasn’t great. We were told someone would come to the table, ended up having to go in to order food. Waited a long time and when our mains came out, my friends burger was raw, my chips were supposed to be with truffle and Parmesan, I could not taste the Parmesan (more like a hard cheese substitute I’d say) nor the truffle and my jus tasted like I was having a glass of red wine, which I don’t like. We wanted to order dessert but were put off as after they cleared the table they brought the bill straight away. Was not impressed by the service or food, specially for the prices on the menu. As a chef myself, I highly recommend checking all the food before it gets sent out to avoid these type of situations. I don’t normally like to complain, but I don’t think that meal was acceptable. Would not recommend. The raw burger was taken out of the meal which I can appreciate, but no one ever came to check if everything was okay during the meal, or offered an alternative.

We had a very nice lunch at the Red Lion. We had cheese burgers which were very tasty - the nicest pub burger I have had. Nice amount and good balance of flavours. The staff were friendly and it is a nicely turned out pub, both inside and out. Would definitely recommend. A nice spot if you are visiting Rousham House and Gardens as it is very close by.

Had a very nice meal, I’m vegetarian and opted for pasta of the day which was spinach and ricotta, followed by a lovely creme brûlée. Friendly helpful staff.

We hadn't booked, and they were very busy, but the staff were lovely and they sorted out a table. The food was excellent ( I had the duck,) and the waitress was very confident explaining what gluten free options there were on the menu.

So, Trip Advisor suggests your pub closes at 23.30 on a Friday. Google says 00.00. On this particular Friday (3/5/24) I am refused a pint at 22.55 and I'm told the pub closes at 23.00. I.e everyone is kicked out at 23.00. Shorter licensing hours than those I endured nearly 40 years ago. This for a village pub. I had only had 3 pints at this point!

Amazing food, perfect service, great atmosphere. We have been there twice, and both times we had a pleasant evening. The people are great, kind and thoughtful. The food was just great and the atmosphere -> probably the best pub I have been in Oxfordshire. I would like to also note that they keep the place clean and tidy.

Fantastic Pork Belly, absolutely delicious. And THAT Yorkshire pudding.... Delicious....

Great Sunday Roast. Great Roast Beef Striploin, perfectly cooked. Best Roast out in a long time.

Back up to an excellent standard, with a taste of it's former glory. After changing hands a few times it looks like the new people have got it right. Just popped in for a quick bite, food was excellent, really good quality home made burger, and service with a smile. Well done to the new landlord/lady. Lovely to sit out on the patio and enjoy a perfect pint of Hooky, too. The rest of the menu needs trying, and they serve all day! I could have stayed all day, but I'd get in trouble with the missus 😅.

They accommodated 8 of us over easter. Excellent food. Great fish and chips pies and vegetable Wellington. Great atmosphere.

Greatly improved with the new management. Friendly atmosphere, good efficient service, nice food and like the new decor too. We had a very enjoyable lunch.

i was eating dinner and a lady waiter was terrible and served us badly with a short temper and then lovely jack came along and was perfect helped us and recommended the duck leg which was scrumptious and i would recommend

Really friendly atmosphere, nice setting and good food. Jack was our server and looked after us really well. Would recommend a visit.

Me and my family had a great lunch at the red lion , the roast dinners were lovely and our server Jack was very kind and polite to us and explained the menu to us and brought our food and drink brilliantly , definitely recommend to others as it was a very nice place to go for a relaxed meal .

Just home from having a really lovely lunch at The Red. It’s turned around so much. Warm and welcoming with more improvements in the coming week. Food was amazing! Thank you. ☺️

The Red Lion is back and in better shape than it has been for over 20 years and after the past 5 years rotating doors comedy show….. Running a village pub well is difficult to achieve yet in the space of one evening the Red has already moved to a completely different level.

New landlord, new team. Soft opening tonight after taking the keys on Tuesday. A few subtle changes to layout and decor. It all works really well. Place was rammed. Really nice atmosphere, still a proper local but new bar staff and kitchen properly on their A game. We had steak, salad and truffle/parmesan chips. £19 and absolutely delicious. Well worth a visit, especially as the coming weeks likely to see ever more upgrades. Loved it. Well done Harry and team.

Lovely village pub, delicious food and friendly staff

Great food, welcoming atmosphere, and really friendly staff. Thank you

Marvellous. Good beer, great food. Friendly locals. Parking a bit sparce.. 🍻

Forget about the negative reviews, the couple have been running it for less than a year. Craig and Mrs run a beautiful wee pub, full of character and dinner was beautifully presented and tasted just delightful. Pity the regulars all seem to think they are snobs or wannabe snobs which is really sad but hey small village big egos. Overall worth every penny and we will go back

Really lovely friendly pub - we came by accident due to a road closure, but they squeezed us in on a busy sunday lunch and we had one of the nicest roasts I’ve had in a long time and scrumptious cookie dough cheesecake. Also dog friendly - we chose to sit in the bar with our hounds, so had the added benefit of meeting the local community.

Geat Pub but ... Disappointed on food and service, without apology when asked to reheat. Good local atmosphere.

Lovely Sunday lunch served by very accommodating staff. Good selection of fresh vegetables.

Nice little pub, drinks options are good for a village, seating could be a bit more comfortable for drinkers - would have stayed longer and taken advantage of the woodburner if so

Lovely old fashioned pub with gorgeous fascia. great outdoor space. Very relaxing. If you're out and about in the area, well worth a drop in

A proper, welcoming, Friendly Local, where the staff (and customers) remember you - or maybe that was just my dog... The 'themed cuisine' nights are a big draw, with all-you-can-eat buffets of Chinese, Indian, Thai, etc., or there's the take away pizza selection. And for traditionalists let's not forget the Fish and Chips. Highly recommended.

Atmospheric village pub with good service and great value quality food. Fish and chips were some of the best I've had (fluffy crispy batter on the fish with hand cut chips). The other food looked really good quality and appetising.

Excellent food and great relaxed atmosphere. Great traditional country pub .

My wife and I had a meal here the meal was absolutely gorgeous the staff brilliant the service could have been quicker but couldn't understand why you had to order before 8.30pm as the closed by 10.30pm because they seemed to open when they wanted to and closed when they wanted to and didn't open if they felt like it because the place could earn a fortune if they did proper opening hours

Craig’s menu is modest but he excels at everything you might order. And his Sunday lunch roast is a beauty. Looks and tastes delicious and very doubtful you’ll have room left for pud! Highly recommend.

Sunday lunch, we had another excellent roast dinner yesterday 21/5/23. This time there were 7 of us. Our food was delicious, out in a timely manner and no dramas. Needless to say a vast majority of us didn't need a dessert! We will be back! Thank you.

I lament the pool table's absence. Staff could be more attentive, it's OK but for a village pub some games/more casual atmosphere - less reatauranty would be a welcome alteration.

Very nice pub and restaurant with good food. The veggie option: pumpkin and beetroot Wellington, is very good! Large portions, nice service.

The new landlords have great ideas for the pubs future .it's a great village pub with a good varied menu and friendly welcoming staff

First beer in the village! Very warm welcome from Victoria and Craig, the new Hook Norton Brewery tenant landlady and landlord. They took over at the start of March and have already started making their own mark on the interior and facilities, dialling down a little of the brightness from the previous tenants’ tenure. Great big log burner in the corner. Dogs welcome. We had a tasty vegetarian risotto and traditional ham egg and chips. No doubt we’ll work our way through the rest of the menu in due course. Steak next time. A steady stream of locals filled the main bar and the chat and hubbub created a pleasant vibe in the place. Wishing Craig and Victoria the very best for their new venture. 👍

Had a lovely meal here with friends on Thursday evening. Lovely menu selection. My husband and I had the ham, egg and chips. Delicious home made chips, and generous portion sizes. Nice little touch with mustard on the ham. Our friends opted for the fish sharing platter, which they said was amazing! Reasonably priced, great service. Great to see the pub so populated as well. Well worth a visit.

Lovely pub. Well worth a visit. Great owners

Hook Norton pub located at the far western end of the village. There are newish, friendly licensees in here and they appear to have given the place a bit of a refresh, but without spoiling the character of the pub. They have three well kept Hook Norton ales available on handpump and a menu which focuses on pizzas and burgers, plus a traditional lunch served on Sundays. The main bar area is fairly small but there is a separate restaurant area to the rear and there are a few tables outside.

Husband and I were the only people in the bar around 12:45. Took 30 minutes for two small orders of wings. The wings had more bone than meat and the blue cheese must have been expired. I’ve never had blue cheese taste like vomit before. Absolutely not worth the wait.

Overnight stay nearby and needed a quick bite. Excellent burger & fries (pizza oven not working), not McDonalds, better than them, value for money excellent beers, friendly staff & locals. Will definitely be revisiting, happy days

Very disappointed to find the pub closed yesterday after we'd walked 2 miles. Website clearly states open.

We called in at this pub as we were in the area, and received a very warm welcome from the landlady, who told us they had not been open long. It was a friendly atmosphere, and was welcoming to all. We wish you every success...

The pub is spacious with different rooms and outdoor tables as well. There's pool table available to play. There's plenty of drinks to choose from and pizzas and chips to eat. Everything reasonably priced and food made then and there, very tasty. Recommend a visit :)

Run by a nice friendly couple. Pizzas were great. Would recommend.

Great pub - got food here and it was delicious. Bar staff were very friendly and the view from out front was lovely.

Really nice traditional village pub. Friendly landlord, Chris, staff and locals happy to chat. Landlord has made available a tasty menu. An asset to the village that is well worth looking after before it is too late. In these pandemic times we all need to get behind the ancient pillars of the community like the Red Lion.

Lovely coffee shop attached to the pub, seating is limited, there is outdoor seating but you are made welcome in the pub. Great coffee and cake.

OK as a drinkers pub. Food not very good (plain, veg was cold) Very new chef apparently. Usual current issues with getting decent chef.

Great food amazing staff and a lovely atmosphere

Lovely village pub, great food at reasonable prices would highly recommend. The Chicken in tarragon sauce delicious. My husband had the gammon and said it was lovely. Dog friendly which is always a bonus, she enjoyed her treats thankyou!! Friendly landlord and staff well worth...

Lovely village pub,great food at reasonable prices would highly recommend the Chicken in tarragon sauce delicious . My husband had the gammon and said it was lovely. Dog friendly which is always a bonus. She enjoyed her treats thankyou!! Friendly landlord and staff well worth a visit.

Fantastic beer and cider. Great and friendly staff. Dogs welcome. Visit the "bit on the side" for cakes, coffee and tea.

We went to The Red Lion in search of food which they were not able to provide owing to being a chef down (or something). But it was such a welcoming atmosphere we decided to stay for a drink and proceeded to have such a...

Having visited Rousham House nearby, our garden group had tea and cake at The Red Lion. We were faced with the most amazing selection of homemade cakes, tartlets, scones etc. The slices are very generous and I had to take half of my fruit cake home to have the following day. Naomi is friendly, professional and helpful so I do advise anyone in the area, or out of it, to go and treat yourselves. The bar menu looks excellent too so I can see a few more trips coming up!

Fabulous pub with a lovely terrace and a friendly landlord , had late afternoon drinks in the sun and went back in evenings for food, pizzas are superb, but advised to book for full menu as only a small place and gets busy

Great hooky beer, in a traditional family pub. Outdoor and indoor seating. A great place to visit, bar staff very friendly.

Visited this lovely place as was staying at the local hotel up the road but hotel not doing food found this little gem on the doorstep in the gorgeous village very small local pub but a lovely relaxing atmosphere food on both nights of our stay was absolutely gorgeous proper chips all home made food you have to wait a bit for your food bouweight but with it freindly staff would visit again if in area

We popped in here with our dog on a walk and ended up staying for the whole evening and ordering food. It has a lovely beer garden and is being refurbed inside and upstairs. The owner Chris and bar staff were great - Chris was...

Had a warm welcome. Great service and great beer Perfect toome

My partner and I visited the pub this evening after searching online for a local pub. Such a lovely time and we were made to feel extremely welcome. AMAZING pizza and equally amazing company. Ran by a great family. See you all again soon!

Lovely hidden gem of a pub, friendly staff, good food and drink at good prices.

Friendly staff, pretty beer garden and delicious food.

Unfriendly welcome dirty glass we were supposed to go back to eat that evening but after our drink in the day decided to go somewhere else !!

A real shame that this local pub is not able to serve basic food well. If you want a raw carrot to take home for a pet this is the place for you! Chicken burger was so hard you'd need a very sharp tool to...

Top class to say the least,food devine,all food freshly cooked,chips best ive had in years. Owner Chris gentleman,cant wait till im back in christmas to get the same treatment. Prices perfect also.

A lovely pub with good food and a warm welcome from Chris and his staff who went out of their way to provide lunch even though we arrived after hours. Lunch was a superb authentic thin pizza with roasted Mediterranean vegetables and a half of...

Really nice pizza, great welcome, beautiful place to sit outside surrounded by flowers with cover if raining.

Went there for an evening meal while staying locally. The food was poor and made both of us ill. The menu had minimal choices. I had scampi and triple cooked chips, the scampi was very wet inside and bland tasting and the triple cooked chips resembled burnt scrapings from the bottom of a fryer and were mostly inedible. Would avoid eating here and won't be returning.

Red Lion is a small village pub nestled on a hillside in the heart of the village. We were a group of 11 (2 families) that came here for evening meal a few nights ago. Bit disappointed that we were sat in the cold outside due to no space inside - although we had booked. Having said that the food was fantastic. Everyone enjoyed their order and there wasn’t much left for me to finish off! :-( Recommended.

I’ve just had possible the best steak I’ve ever eaten with homemade thrice cooked chips and a perfect salad. My daughter had a pizza (you can individually choose your toppings), cooked to perfection in their pizza oven. We will definitely be back.

Unfortunately it was just not good. The menu on the website was completely different to the one we were shown. No veggie options and the food was poor. All frozen and deep fried but the pizza was alright. An unwelcoming service, along with slow service. I'll admit it was busy and short staffed but we did try to book and was told there was no need and just to show up. It's a shame really, especially after reading the good reviews.

Great meal, nice sized portions, very friendly staff, ( not a great variety on the menu) I think this is to save on wastage with the covid-19 pandemic, but looking at other people's food as it arrived it all looked very nice.

Very friendly staff. Good food Lovely location

Was staying at The Holt hotel, so had a walk to this gem of a pub. Great beef selection, staff very friendly, all following COVID-19 procedures, felt very safe. Beautiful garden, well worth a visit.

Local pub to where we were staying. Good service we were even given a tab. Food was really nice and plenty. Good choice. Really enjoyed the pizza. Very friendly staff.

Great atmosphere, efficient staff and good pub grub.

Had a lovely meal with friends can recomend it also such friendly and helpful staff.

Excellent service good food friendly atmosphere Would recommend and go back again Prices where average

Went for dinner tonight with friends great service very friendly and helpful staff, manager is a great character to chat too, highly recommend this pub Also has written a lovely children’s book called The Dragon Mouse is a must read book.

Nice friendly pub, would have been nice if there was a lunch menu with sandwiches, jacket potatoes etc. We visited on a Sunday so maybe they do offer a lunch menu during the week.

Nice food in a lovely village. Out waiter was very attentive and pleasant sorry but we did not get his name.

Fantastic pub. Fantastic food and really good value. Highly recommended

Found this place by accident. To be honest, staff not brilliant, in fact she was clueless, but we ordered fish and chips and other than the skin on chips (not nice) it was lovely. Quality of the food was lovely. We will be back.

Great country village pub under new management ticks all the boxes with great beer, food and friendly staff

We wanted to have lunch, but sadly, at present they are only serving food at night. There is a nice outdoor area, if the weather is good.

Good pizzas! Beer was good too but sat outside due to Covid so cannot comment on atmosphere and decor inside...

Friendly helpful staff, great price with eat out Monday to Wednesday deal, however limited menu & no puddings

Enjoyed a pleasant pub meal and drinks outside after a day out nearby with friends. The staff were very helpful and welcoming. Our large table for 4 from 2 households was ready and waiting allowing us to chat comfortably whilst at an appropriate distance. A...

This is our local pub nice cosy atmosphere in front of the fire . I take my son for a sunday walk and a pint

Traditional pub good service and dog friendly