The Bear in Vale of White Horse

Went to the Bear for dinner with my sister and her partner who were visiting from Cornwall and we were all agreed that the experience was excellent. We are residents of Wantage and we have often enjoyed a nice lunch at the Bear but this was the first time we had gone for dinner. The menu was really good with a gastro pub feel and lots of choice and prices are very reasonable too. The pigeon and black pudding quail scotch egg with black berries was stunning, the cod dish, Thai style was a real treat. Excellent fish & chips (small portion is more than enough) and perfectly cooked steak. The place was packed and extremely busy with large parties but the staff were excellent, no untimely waits, great service with plenty of smiles - keep it up, you are all doing a great job and the chef and their brigade seriously know what they are doing! We will definitely be back!

Been coming here for years on and off, and the Bear never disappoints. Looking to celebrate an early January Birthday, I was struggling to find anywhere open for dinner, but of course the Bear was reliably open as usual, and indeed busy. The menu is varied and reasonably priced, offering good vegetarian options as well as steak, burgers and homemade fish pie. The tomato soup starter was super tasty. Service was good and we had a great time, so thank you

We visited for an evening meal with family, five adults altogether. The menu is good but not too extensive, which usually indicates freshly cooked food. We weren't disappointed. All our meals were delicious and well presented. The portions are generous, so there was no room for dessert. The service was on the whole, good bar one waitress, who could do with a bit of attitude adjustment!

Family lunch following a wedding. Everything from start to finish was lovely. Great welcome in the bar and good service. Restaurant team were so helpful in letting us make it a special lunch. Service 100%. Food outstanding. Thank you as you made our day.

We went for a family Birthday lunch, service and food was excellent, staff very friendly and helpful Menu, wide selection of foods to cater for all tastes Really would recomend

The bear is a lovely spot for both a drink and food. The restaurant is nice with great quality food - very good for a special occasion. The staff are polite and friendly. The bar area is small and can get busy and noisy. There are a few outside tables available too.

Excellent meal at The Bear on Friday night. The food exceeded our expectations. I had beautifully cooked lamb, with a crushed pea dish and potato rosti and my husband had beef Wellington - again the meat was beautiful and it was accompanied by a very imaginative range of vegetables. We both had Eton Mess for dessert. Lovely evening - thank you!

It’s not a fancy, all frills hotel but it’s welcoming, comfortable and clean. The breakfast was exceptional with the full range of options.

I wrote my last review in October '23 following an excellent Sunday lunch. As a reasonably regular contributor to T/A I find it VERY difficult to do "follow-up" visit reports, the system does not seem to cater for it and my October submission might well have been deleted when this one is submitted! We will see. I have actually had Sunday lunch here several times since October and recently took a party of seven for the same meal it being good quality and value for money compared with most venues in the west of Oxford area. And we were not disappointed - all of my guests were delighted with their meals, the attentive and helpful waitresses were a credit and the food very good. Highlight dish was the rhubarb and apple crumble - yumx2! So good to be able to report that standards are consistently high.

Nice cosy interior & tasty food (with a couple of vegan-friendly options) but rather expensive for the portion size & service was a bit slow.

Was a regular spot for a pint at lunchtime Good pint - Guinness Service always good Nice place for a bit of space at lunchtime Thank you

Ordered rare beef, five minutes later the waiter tells me they can’t serve rare beef. So I ask for medium rare. The Starters arrive which everyone enjoyed. The mains arrive with lots of veg, but only two rather small slices of beef. I’d noticed on...

This is the restaurant we usually choose when we go out. The lunch smaller portions are spectacular value in our experience, the burger, fish pie and "pie of the day" are super. It is more expensive on the main menu, naturally, and more choice. I...

Just got back from a superb New Year’s Eve party. The food was excellent; good quality and piping hot. The DJ was great and the staff made it a lot of fun. Thank you!!

Works Christmas meal last night. Too noisy. Sad vegan choice so I had 'chips!' Animal suffering and waking up to the abuse and this educated country, just thought there would be more choice than 'risotto!' : (

Great room--terrific character--good dinner average breakfast but overall a value for money break . Staff helpful too

Upon arrival receptionist was blunt and unhelpful. The room (38) had not been sufficiently cleaned for new guests and the price of the room (dingy bathroom for a family room!) - had not been hoovered, tiles not wiped, shower rail completely rusted, toilet was stained...

We had sunday luch here with my son. This place is obviously well known locally as it was almost full. The food was good and wholesome and good value at £68.00 for three people and two courses,

I have eaten at the bear on many occasions over the last few years and i have never had a bad experience. Last night was no exception. The food is amazing and they offer some good beers too. The crispy pork belly is fantastic, as...

Where to start. Hair in my glass of coke while having a drink before dinner. Then sat to eat in the conservatory and the whole place is full of tiny little flies. I looked up to the centre of the roof and theres a swarm...

We booked a table for 1.15pm after phoning in the morning to check that they did Sunday roasts, it was recommended to book. On arriving there were quite a few guests already eating and the food aromas were encouraging. We were shown to our table...

Stayed here as it was convenient for some work on the area. Booked by my company. Food good Staff generally good Rooms in need of updating / clean and tidy. But our room was at the end of the decking and windows could not be...

I stay at The Bear every couple of months and am always astonished at how good it is given how busy each department is. I book well in advance as it’s often full and always book a table. The restaurant is exceptional with my personal...

My daughter got married last weekend and The Bear is conveniently situated near the church so we stayed there. The rooms were small and the hotel looks ready for a refurb with grubby carpets. My room window didn’t even close. No air conditioning but all...

Had contacted the hotel prior to arrival asking to check in for 12 as attending a wedding at 1pm. Was agreed but when we went to our room we were put in an unclean Ed room! Went back to reception and there was no apology...

Hotel is lovely , situated in The heart of Wantage , has nice bar area , restaurant and courtyard . No onsite parking however not a problem as car park at the back and is a short walk . Rooms are clean and beds comfortable....

Popped into here for a coffee while visiting the town en route back home. Coffee was served hot in a large cup at a reasonable price. Observations while in there, was that the place looked a little tired and dark! There were plenty of customers...

Had a family gathering for a few drinks. Stayed the night and had a lovely cooked breakfast! Would definitely recommend this to others!

Good quality bar and restaurant area with comfy seats and a relaxed atmosphere. Good beer choice and quick service from the barman.

Excellent Sunday lunch on Easter Sunday. Great roast beef, very well cooked and good quality, lots of crispy roast potatoes, good parsnip and a generous yorkie. Side vegetables were an interesting mix, nice carrots, good cauliflower cheese and rather disappointing sloppy white cabbage. Ice cream...

Had Easter Sunday lunch today which was really good. Very generous portions. Very tasty menu. Excellent value for money. Nice Setting and very friendly staff. Highly recommended and am not related to the management :)

A good bar area with comfortable chairs. Capacious restaurant area with a small selection of tables outside undercover Service was good on a busy Sunday lunch time. Food was very good and reasonably priced. NB no real parking outside and the nearest public car park...

The restaurant “26” has a lovely warm atmosphere which suited an afternoon lunch for a catch up with a friend. Ideal location too. The staff were friendly especially Ellie who also gave recommendations from the menu. The menu caters for the mass majority as well!...

Visited this evening for a few beers on way home . Nice bar with a very relaxed feel with friendly staff . Plenty of banter between the other customers

Always good food and a warm welcome at the Bear. Wonderful steaks and an excellent variety of meals.

Have eaten here many times in the restaurant but never had a breakfast. I don’t know why as I have driven out to other places. Anyway, popped in last weekend to try it (car was being serviced so had time) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Upstairs...

Well I don’t know what they call a full lunch round here but we went for the “light bites” menu and the meals were huge! My steak and ale pie with veg was as full a plate as I have eaten full price anywhere. We...

So we have previously eaten hear once before and absolutely loved it, since then we have tried 3 times to have lunch or dinner. Each time we've been met by a not so pleasant lady who told us "we are fully booked", even though each...

7 of us (Inc 3 kids) turned up 5 mins before the kitchen shut for midweek lunch. They kept it open and made us really welcome. The steak and Stilton burgers were superb and the kids meals were very generous. Polite and attentive service, if...

Absolutely brilliant, service was great, staff polite and the food was fantastic. Really nice experience at the BEAR in WANTAGE, can’t wait to come back 😁

We have spent New Year at this hotel for the last 10 years.