The Bear in Cotswold

Myself, my grandchildren and my children eat here at least every few weeks. The service is fantastic, and the food is always well prepared and served. It has a lovely atmosphere and we love going here. The children enjoy it and you feel very comfortable taking children in. If anyone in management reads these reviews can I please recommend that you put scotch eggs back onto your menu. We always have them as a starter and they are one of the best I have ever tasted. Unfortunately this time we saw it had been removed, also unfortunately there was nothing else any of us could find on the starters so we all ended up having no starter at all. This was a real shame and meant we spent less than we normally would have done with yourselves.

I had roast dinner here on a Sunday with my family. It’s a very cozy pub with a good vibe. The roast dinner was ok, little bit cold and taste a bit bland however the service was great and grace was brilliant at serving us and making us feel welcome

MDS Ltd Business trip to RAU saw myself and my colleague wanting somewhere for a bite to eat. Great food, we split an amazing pie and mash and chicken burger with skin on fries. Tasty non alcohol cocktail served stylishly and glass of delicious house red, the latter two not on the company!! Decent glasses which were spotless - important detail... Vicki was perfect with her service, attention to detail and helpfulness. So pleased we found this place.

Returning to the Bear for the first time in a while we were impressed at both the level of service and the menu ... much improved. Our server, Grace, was attentive and extremely courteous. The menu provided good choice and the fish (fish & chips) was the best I had tasted in the last few years. My wife and I are already planning on returning ... It's a great place to eat before going to a performance at the Barn Theatre.

Booked a Sunday lunch at the Bear in Cirencester as it was half way to our end destination and it looked good on the reviews. So glad we did as we had a superb lunch in a lovely pub, served by a cheerful and helpful Alannah. Thank you for making it an enjoyable meal, Alannah; and compliments to the chef!

Fantastic birthday lunch, catered perfectly for vegan, vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Great service from all the staff. I'd highly recommend and very happily return.

Atmosphere and service 10/10 . The food however the roast chicken is served on the bone after removing the bone very little meat and for almost £19 I expected a lot more portion wise . I would definitely order a different roast dinner as I have done for Christmas Day , I Thought me and my daughter would check it out before our Christmas Day lunch here a little disappointed but food quality was good portion side could have been bigger .

Fantastic pub, lovely food and Chantel was a very attentive server

Wandered into this pub on our first night in town. Roger was very accommodating and the food/drinks were phenomenal. I recommend a pop in if you are in town!

I was there on a Tuesday afternoon and I quite enjoyed my time there. Good food. Good atmosphere

I am visiting from the US and I have to say, this was by far the best meal, drinks and dessert I have had in the last 9 years of traveling to the UK. Thank you for the wonderful hospitality and delicious dining experience!! The roast chicken dinner was delightful and quite tasty, the espresso martini was top notch and the Affogato was the best desert I have had in my life. As a certified chef, I can appreciate good food, but this was way beyond my expectations. If in the area for whatever reason, please stop by and enjoy.

Grace provided amazing service and made fantastic recommendations! Love her enthusiasm!

Went out for an evening meal on a Friday night, expecting it to be loud with Friday night drinkers, but I am glad to say we were pleasantly surprised. There was a great atmosphere, and we were still able to talk at a normal level. The food was exceptional with service to match. Having been to 2 other Butcombe pubs in the area, I can safely say that this was the best one by far.

Had a lovely meal here when visiting Cirencester for a weekend away. Michela and Nikki made us feel very welcome. Would go back!

Food is incredible, never had a bad meal here! Really lovely menu and the staff are very attentive and friendly. Would highly recommend

Crap, poor quality food. Do better please. Fish burgers especially - tasted about 1 hour away from actually being off.

Excellent food, brilliant service in a lovely setting. Would highly recommend 👍

Fantastic food and service thanks

Merli loves the gammon! Thanks Chantel :)

Lovely cosy pub, food and service was great

The bar tender is extremely rude. It's a pitty since the place itself is really nice, but the person taking your order would do well with a lesson in manners and learning how to welcome customers

Great service and food delivered by the whole team. Bustling and vibrate atmosphere inside and on the terrace.

Fabulous food excellent service from Michela and Uikki

Really nice pub and restaurant. Great atmosphere, staff friendly. Food was very good and a good range of drinks too!.

Wonderful relaxed evening … service fantastic and the food was incredible … can highly recommend the scotch egg and calamari. Loved the fact I had whipped cream served on my hot chocolate will definitely be visiting again soon

A great British pub in Cirencester. Good food served by friendly staff. Cosy atmosphere, too. Dog friendly.

This has such a friendly welcome and this was our 2nd visit. The food was fantastic and the service was delivered in a welcoming and friendly way. Great value for money too and we will be back again soon

Fantastic lunch, food was delicious service was excellent, even our dog had a doggy menu!

Very lovely food and friendly staff. Enjoyed our evening here very much.

Although town centre this pub had a friendly welcome and was dog friendly. The restaurant area was clean and attractive and the staff polite and professional. The menu was varied with an excellent choice of mains. The food was very good and served in good time. All in all a lovely pub that is well worth a visit if in Cirencester.

A group of 25 of us booked dinner here. Good food, very good service, nice atmosphere. Menu could do with having some healthier options but otherwise excellent

We had a lovely Sunday roast here for my mum's birthday in August. From the initial phone call, Vikki and the team were so friendly and accommodating. We had two young children with us and they made them feel welcome. The colouring kids menus were a great touch and kept them busy while we waited for our food. The food itself was delicious - sadly, I couldn't finish it all - and the team took extra care with my allergen friendly option, too. I'd highly recommend the vegan mint ice cream or Biscoff style doughnuts for dessert. We'll definitely be back!

Lovely atmosphere good friendly service mediocre food.

Really good experience at the Bear Inn, made extra special by the lovely girls who work there - Vikki and Michela. So friendly and they couldn't do enough for us. Helpful without being intrusive. Good menu, and the food was really well presented and cooked beautifully. Would definitely recommend!

The best home made pie I've had in years. Genuinely home made, proper pastry, big chunks of steak and you can even taste the ale.... delicious!! Really warm and friendly service. Well worth a visit.

Having been to the bear before we were looking forward to our Sunday Lunch. In the past food has been good this visit food very mediocre. Friendly staff poor quality food.

I enjoy the atmosphere in this pub and this is the second time I visited . I found the fish in the fish and chips main meal very small for the prices but everything else was excellent,

Awesome Sunday lunch. Beef was gorgeous and veg were tasty, glad we booked

Visited on a Saturday evening for food. Team are amazing and attentive. Great service. Food was well presented and tasted amazing. Would definitely recommend if visiting the area.

Friendly staff, efficient service, very clean, good food.

A great place for dinner. We were travelling home and this was conveniently located and offered a varied choice on the menu. Our server Grace and other members of the team were welcoming and friendly. Very relaxing place for dining in or outside.

Lovely Pub! Our waitress Grace was lovely, our food came quickly and was delicious - steak in particular was yum! If we visit again this will be our go to for a nice meal out. Thanks to all, we had a cheerful family meal - Lucy King & fam x

Lovely dinner and drinks last night. Good food, friendly service and 25% off food with the app. What a bonus!

Friendly, happy staff.. lovely food. I wasn't overly impressed to see waitresses stroking and fussing dogs inside the pub when they were serving food (the waitresses, not the dogs!)

I enjoyed a steak dinner and a few beers with out of country friends. My friends thoroughly enjoyed the food and atmosphere. The service staff was very friendly and attentive.

We had an amazing pre-wedding day event last Friday night. The owners went above and beyond to make this very, very special. The pub was beautifully decorated, staff extremely welcoming and helpful, first class food for 90+ guests, so delicious, such a fab atmosphere. I am delighted to give the Bear 5 gold ⭐ and recommend it unreservedly. Huge thanks, Rosi (mother of the bride) x

My sister used this pub for a private event the night before her wedding and they were incredible. The team were so friendly and helpful, the food was delicious and there was so much if it. Everyone had such a happy and easy night because of the excellent service. Thank you!

We had an amazing meal at The Bear Inn after being recommended heading there by our local hotel. The owners and staff were super nice and made us and our small dog, Moose, feel very welcome! The food was tasty, flavourful and colourful and they even had a mini dog treat menu for Moose to choose a snack from. The next time we are visiting Cirencester we will most definitely be back; and we highly recommend! Thanks Bear Inn team for a lovely couple of visits :)

Lovely vegan sunday roast would recommend

A great friendly pub restaurant with all the usual Butcombe pubs charm, very attentive staff and good quality food. Enjoyed a great dinner with friends last night and was thoroughly looked after by the manager and his team. All was fine but they took the matter seriously and went above and beyond to ensure all was okay. Thank you again!

Atmosphere was great, friendly staff, excellent service and food was fantastic, all served together and all hot. Staff were very attentive even though it eas really busy. Would definitely recommend.

Had an excellent Sunday lunch here Sunday 25th August. Staff were friendly and service excellent. We sat outside to begin with and as they knew we were eating they came and asked us if we wanted cauliflower cheese with our lunch as they only had two left. Absolutely outstanding service from Max and Milly in particular. Roast Beef was lovely and tender and the pork was to die for.Will certainly be back.

Lovely pub, great food and friendly service. Highly recommend.

The food is exquisite, and the price reflects that, although I thought that my portion size was small for the price. Beautiful building and great atmosphere.

The food was good overall( ordered fish and chips and beef burger) however the burger was a bit overcooked and tasted a bit burned. Some of the staff are excellent, very polite and the service is quick , however some others are just rude. Talking to them and looking the other way and walking away.

Popped in for a quick lunch today with a friend. We both had the fish finger sandwich. The food was hot and tasty. The staff were friendly 😁 didn't have a beer due to driving but seemed to have a good range of ales

A lovely pub, great food, friendly atmosphere and terrific service with a smile from Tazz

Fabulous food and service. Burgers amazing, great kids menu and staff were wonderful. Heartily recommend a visit xx

Fantastic atmosphere. Amazing south African cuisine

Had a fabulous family meal here without a reservation and with our puppy. Our waitress Vikki was just amazing and made our evening. The food was fabulous (I had the lamb kofta)

The pub was bustling and busy when we arrived so we expected a delayed service but we were served promptly by friendly, attentive staff and food was amazing. Great experience - would definitely recommend 👍

Great bar quite large inside and with a good atmosphere due to the pub being a really old building

Sat outside for a beer on a street corner. Did not eat.

Alright for a commercial pub. Beers aren't too bad and knowledgeable staff towards the beers.

A good pub lunch option in Cirencester.

We enjoyed our meal here the best in Ciren. And it's comfortable too

always fantastic, can't fault venue, staff, service, food and drinks, this is our go to place for special occasions, love it

Roger, his wife and team are extremely hospitable, kind and caring. The food was outstanding - my kids ate every morsel!! Will definitely recommend The Bear Inn and will definitely come back

Outstanding food, I had the beef burger which was one of the best ive ever had. My fiance had the pulled pork burger which was also amazing. Friendly staff, good atmosphere. Would definitely reccomend.

Our 6 th visit , fantastic service and food

Food was tasty, a little salad garnish would have completed my pulled pork dish. The pork was tender! To me, the meal felt a little incomplete for the price. The chips were a little on the chewy side, rather than crispy. Like they'd been sat a while and were warm rather than hot! I have a small bottle of prosecco, but l'd seen a member of staff restocking the fridge so was not surprised it was warm. I mentioned at the bar. For my second drinks order, she gave me what she thought was a cooler one, but it still wasn't chilled! Disappointing on such a hot day when we were lucky enough to dine outside! There was only one person at the bar on those Friday evening, but to be fair she was very efficient getting through the queue that had formed.! The outside area was pleasant. Staff were cheerful and polite!

Stopped for a light lunch, very nice food and staff.

Our food was fairly low to average and was not hot enough. One in our party at less than 20% of her chicken meal.Whilst i accept some like al dente, my cabbage was close to raw. The service was on the whole, rushed and not attentive enough, ie, only two water glasses on the table, when my smerican friend asked what beers, the server hadnt got a clue and said he coukd look them up. And when we were hasstled 3 times for our desert order, twice we asked for additional time, we were talking and three times it was the servers who were pushy when in reality we still had good time on our table allocation. Automatically adding a service charge when the staff had not gone the extra mile is presumptious and this is starting to be come an issue in the restaraunt trade. If you think your staff deserve more, you can pay them extra or at least let them earn 15% to 18% Auto tip, means they stop trying and standards drop. As a buttcomb loyalty card holder i was dissapointed. Its ok ill go to a different pub next time and my lotalty will mean nothing.

Friendly staff, great service and of course good food again

Lovely place for a pit stop... Nice cider! Used to go there with my mam when she visited when she was alive. Holds nice memories..... Good tomato juice!

Delicious hamburger and very friendly staff in a beautiful location

Lovely light lunch with old friends.

What a great place! Wonderful, friendly staff offered us a free drink the day after our wedding to celebrate, what a lovely sentiment…

Great place on a sunny lunchtime to have a drink. Really friendly bar staff, nice buzzing place. Didn't eat, food looked good. Doing a decent job here since its reopened, I'm assuming it's owned by Buttcomb.

Nice bar in Cirencester. You can get food and some shared plates. We had the mezze, which was very good. They serve local beers.

Delicious food and helpful, friendly staff. Properly dog-friendly too!

Popped in for lunch - food was delicious, highly recommend the fish fingers sandwich. Staff were lovely and friendly. Would go back!

seems always busy, but great service

Excellent city centre pub, good range of real ales, extensive menu, friendly staff. Enjoyed it, which, essentially is all you need in a pub

Excellent place for a pitstop. Lots of seating for small or large parties

Only had chips and snacks, all very nice , lovely pub and staff , would visit again

Great food, great staff, great atmosphere, great prices

The food we had was good but we noticed a sign up for a burger deal on Tuesdays (burger and a pint for £15) with their loyalty membership. We signed up and mentioned the sign upon ordering but the waitress wasn’t sure and didn’t follow up so we ended up paying a lot more (£19ish for the burger alone).

Very nice place to drink beer and eat something!

Really great service and delicious food. Thanks so much for being patient with our multiple requests today.

Nice dog friendly welcome from all staff

We spent several hours here for drinks as a group of 8 on Sunday afternoon, we would have loved to have eaten as the food looked and smelt great but they just didn’t have any tables available. The drinks were great, Roger the barman is a legend and served us faster than you would have thought possible. A great pub that I’ll definitely return to, hopefully for food next time. PS Sorry if we got a bit loud near the end Roger 😉

Mooie setting om rustig te lunchen, zeer vriendelijke bediening, goede adviezen voor wijn en wij hebben erg lekker gegeten.

Colleagues leaving Lunch, delicious food, great service. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Excellent evening meal , service was fantastic wine list was good , atmosphere was perfect , the staff were extremely attentive

Nice pub, on the more expensive side and food is decent but I wouldn’t say incredible. Staff are friendly, there are toilets upstairs. One side is more the restaurant the other side is more bar area seating. They have an outdoor area with heaters. They also hold South Africa Brai’s and quiz nights. Halloween Quiz night 2023 was a 7/10. Definitely a nice place for a drink or to have food but I’m not rushing back for the food.

Arrived 12:15 weekday. Butcombe owned pub run out of Butcombe Original. Not a good start. Service satisfactory but food was really disappointing. The small fish and chips was tiny - hardly any fish inside the thick batter. The batter on the large fish was greasy. The ham was very thin and overcooked so very tough. The kedgeree was very dry - we only found 1 piece of fish in it. Complained when asked how the food was, but no feedback. Sent email to pub, unhelpful reply saying "Head Office specify the food - nothing to do with us". Never heard anything from Head Office. Very disappointing dining experience. Won't be going back - you only get one chance to make a good impression.

Arrived 12:15 weekday. Butcombe owned pub run out of Butcombe Original. Not a good start. Service satisfactory but food was really disappointing. The small fish and chips was tiny - hardly any fish inside the thick batter. The batter on the large fish was greasy. The ham was very thin and overcooked so very tough. The kedgeree was very dry - we only found 1 piece of fish in it. Complained when asked how the food was, but no feedback. Sent email to pub, unhelpful reply saying "Head Office specify the food - nothing to do with us". Never heard anything from Head Office. Very disappointing dining experience. Won't be going back - you only get one chance to make a good impression.

Great place and great food. Had beef pie special which was excellent, and very good desserts. Very friendly staff and reasonable prices.

First time visit to The Bear and not disappointed. Food and service (thank you Maxine) were excellent, decor very nice and place is spotless including loos. The management have clearly put in a great deal of time and effort in getting the staffing and the service right. It’s interesting to note that the overall rating for The Bear is 3.5 but nearly every recent review has given a big fat 5. We’ll done and, this is the tricky bit, keep it up!