The Bell Inn in Cherwell

This is one of the best pubs in Oxfordshire. It is quirky and has a great atmosphere with a wonderful selection of draught beers. We went on Good Friday when they were doing 2 for 1 pizza and it was such delicious food! I have been told their burgers are even better so I will have to stop in again - I look forward to the next visit.

Stayed in Shenington and used the Pub twice. The food is on another level & Sunday lunch is a must, make sure you book. The owner and Chef obviously has an excellent pedigree xxxxx

My partner and I visited on Friday 11th April as we were staying in the area for a couple of days. As soon as we got into the little bar area, the staff were super friendly and welcoming. They let us know there were a couple of larger tables than ours coming in shortly so there may be a wait on food if they ordered first, which was really lovely of them to let us know. It was so refreshing to have been kept updated but without being rushed. The food was INCREDIBLE and there was a great varied selection on the menu. Lovely fresh, high quality ingredients were obviously used. We had our dog with us, who settled immediately as he felt very comfortable. We're already planning on visiting the area again and The Bell will definitely be one place we go back to as it is one of those places that just feels like "home from home". Highly recommend!

Lovely atmosphere in the bar and restaurant area. Fine food. Great chef. Best chips ever. Quality food. Lovely friendly waitresses

Wonderful Sunday Roast - enormous helpings good beer -dog friendly

We found this little gem after a super long walk with our dog and it was absolutely perfect. We managed to get a seat in front of the fire the beers that they have on tap here are local and really nice. Plus the food was 10 out of 10 and the staff were really nice and accommodating. Just what you need after a big long walk. Would definitely recommend stopping off here if you’re in the the local area!

Lovely rural pub with great Sunday lunch

We went for Sunday lunch .. got seated immediately.. the bar area is great , real oldie worldie . Good beer , staff very good . The lunch itself is 1st class ... 1 half chicken & a mixed meat .. pork and beef , 8 different veg which were cooked perfectly rare beef and lovely pork , lots of gravy . 100% we will return even though the owner / chef is a rangers fan I belive ... well done all .

Very nice little pub with amazing food at a very good price.

My friend came down from Marske by the Sea and we needed somewhere for Sunday lunch. The Bell never disappoints so we booked a table. It's definitely a little gem of a place that you almost don't want to tell anyone about. My friend ordered the mixed roast dinner and I had the vegetarian roast dinner with halloumi. It's not currently on the menu, you just have to ask. They were both delicious with all kinds of different roasted vegetables and a giant Yorkshire! My friend said it was the best roast dinner she had eaten in a long time. We then ordered the lemon, plum pudding with custard which tasted amazing. The staff are all lovely with nothing being too much trouble. Definitely recommend!

Went in on a Thursday evening. Fires roaring, food absolutely sumptuous. Fantastic fresh fish & chips, beautifully made pea puree. I had a cauliflower soup starter that was as good as I've ever tasted. This is cooking from another level, what a find. Go!!!

Only called in for a drink as we passed while out hiking. Always great service

This pub is wonderful. It is cosy but has a great selection of wines, beers and gins. The food is absolutely delicious and the service is good. On top of all that it is dog friendly. Main reason to return to Shenington! Sets the place apart from other Cotswolds villages.

Lovely old fashioned pub, nice friendly staff. I had margherita pizza with olives and mushrooms and a mixed salad-was delicious. Nice thin base, tasty sauce-cooked lovely No soggy bottoms here :) My husband had the fish & chips which was equally nice. We shared their special whisky & ginger cheesecake for dessert which was really delicious.

Lovely lady behind the bar, chef not too happy we did not book! Able to have a drink outside whilst we ordered and food choices were good, portions large so go hungry. Chicken kebab thoroughly recommend and Pork dish. Good local pub feel and attentive service but a very skilled bar person.

Great homely food, reasonably priced and the staff are lovely. Venue also has a comfy homely feel to it. Definitely recommend the fish pot.

Excellent friendly pub providing choice of two Sunday roasts. The best roast potatoes I have ever had and well cooked, not over cooked, variety of vegetables. Satisfying. I enjoyed a cider and there is a good choice of wines by the glass.

Great food, nice staff, would highly recommend

Good place for family Sunday lunch, especially as our dogs were allowed inside. Food and service excellent

Fantastic little pub. The food is really amazing - I had the chicken kebab, Caesar salad and prawns and all were awesome.

WOW what an outstanding lunch!!!! My wife and I along with our 2 little dogs had just walked 2miles from the nearby Crofts Barn camp site and were met with a very friendly warm welcome. We had booked a table but were aloud to sit anywhere we wanted. The menus had a good choice and we went for Olive and bread to share, steak for my wife and chicken skewer for me, it all was 5* ++ could not fault anything, The chap behind the bar was attentive, friendly and happy to help, the Chef check in to ensure everything was ok. We had 2 pints of Peroni, one large and one std glasses of white wine Total cost £74 Excellent value, quality and service Thank you

Recommended to visit by Catherine from Hornton Grounds B&B. What a great recommendation, the owner was very welcoming. Very friendly staff. I had the fish and chips and my friend had scampi both were delicious followed by some very tasty homemade profiteroles. Well worth a visit, hope we can visit again.

A wonderful pub with absolutely delicious food and a knock out Sunday lunch. I’ve eaten here a lot and never had a meal that was anything less than fantastic, not to mention the generous portion sizes. The atmosphere is also great, the landlord has created a real community gem. Everyone is made to feel welcome here and the staff are fab.

We had a delicious meal at The Bell. The staff are amazing and friendly. All the food was delicious and cooked to perfection 👌

Lovely pub, lovely people. Wonderful food. It was the perfect place to spend a Sunday afternoon. Highly recommend!

Best Roast we have ever had! Incredibly generous portion with a lovely view out the window. :) perfect for a cozy sunday!

One of the best pub foody in the banbury area .

Loverly place..Great staff really looked after us Food fantastic 😋

Would 100% recommend coming here! Food was unreal and the staff was so so lovely amazing service!Had a brilliant time will defiantly be coming back again soon!😊

We had a Sunday Lunch which was excellent, the staff were very friendly and the pub is in a good setting. We will be back.

Just had a wonderful Sunday roast… superb meat (pork & rare beef) superb al dente cauli, broccoli, carrot, parsnip & beetroot. Purified celeriac, fluffy roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. Huge portion, very well presented and delicious! Amazingly.. it was cooked by a Scot! 😉

Excellent drinks and food, the Scottish fella is a really nice guy 👍🏻

A beautiful village pub. All the food, but particularly the Sunday roasts, were fantastic.

Lovely food in a nice countryside setting and very friendly owner. Dog friendly!

We booked the Bell for a family birthday celebration Sunday lunch. Four adults and 2 children. we ordered various meals 2 Mixed roast dinners, 2 Fish & Chips, 1 Burger and a childs fish & chips. Thoroughly enjoyable couple of hours and the staff were attentive and efficient. Decent pub atmosphere to boot. Real hidden Gem and suggest booking in advance a proper village pub in a lovelypicturesque location. Next visit will be in the Summer to enjoy the scenery.

Most excellent dinner. Its on special occasions that chef Mikey can show off his real skills. Lovely evening greeted with a glass of fizz by attentive staff. Red rose awaiting on our table. Amuse bouche of Pea and mint Arancini. Homemade foccacia and sourdough bread. Then the main event. Every course was perfectly presented and full of taste, all the ingredients were fresh and complimented each other perfectly. It's not often that you can go out and nor find fault in something, but everything was truly lovely!

As this was a special birthday we thought we would invite 20 friends for dinner at our favourite eating place. Mikey the chef patron who cooks everything from scratch rose to the challenge beautifully. As he has previously worked in Michelin starred kitchens he was able to go up a gear or two without difficulty. We had a fantastic meal and all our guests were so impressed. Money really well spent. Must find an excuse to do it again.

Absolutely delicious food we returned another night. The ribs were so tender and melt in your mouth, and not an ounce of fat. Memorable village and location for travelling senior Aussies. Would love to stay here.

Called in and spent a pleasant evening chatting with the locals and the staff. Very friendly and helpful and it bieng dog friendly was an added bonus. Food was well prepared and presented and arrived piping hot and plentiful. Well, it's worth a visit if you're in the area.

After a weekend in Warwick, and visit to Upton House, we chose the Bell for Sunday lunch. The 6 of us all had the roast beef, and we all agreed that it was one of the best Sunday roasts we had ever eaten! Absolutely gorgeous food, and plenty of it. Friendy staff in a lovely village.

A proper country inn! Walk in and there is a lovely country pub atmosphere. Welcoming staff. The food was sooooo good! Big portions, good quality produce and delicious!

First time been to this pub. Thought book as had friends visiting. Heard good things. We weren't disappointed!! Beautiful old pub..staff really friendly and welcoming too. The food was amazing!! Best Sunday roast ever had!! Eight different sorts of veg, plus separate dishes of roast potatoes extra veg and gravy too. Food was so fresh and was delicious!! Worth every penny . Wasn't too expensive anyway. Other food we saw coming out looked just as fabulous. We will definitely be back. Can't recommend The Bell highly enough . Well done all in kitchen!! Wonderful food.

We live in a village close by to Shenington and are avid patrons of many countryside restaurants and pubs in North Oxfordshire. We're not that easy to please either but none of us could find fault with this small, exceedingly appealing pub nestling in the centre of the pretty and very quiet village of Shenington, about ten minutes drive from Banbury. Firstly the bar area itself is of classic country style with a few chairs, tables and even a dart board. There are also several tables outdoors in front of the pub which we will doubtless try next spring. The restaurant section is small and tastefully decorated with pale blue-green wooden panelling and rustic tables. A lovely ambience, in other words. We were initially drawn to this pub because of its menu which seemed to be spot on with seemingly something for all tastes. We ordered whitebait and teriyaki prawns for starters and both were delicious. In fact, for my partner and I, the teriyaki prawns mini casserole was one of the best dishes we've ever tasted. I can't tell you how amazing it was – crunchy prawns, al dente carrots and other tantalising things in a sauce you want to drink straight out of the bowl. Wowsers! For mains we had the chicken kebabs that were recommended by the amazing waitresses. It was a huge plate of sublime indulgence with a large skewer of tenderised char-grilled chicken that must have been marinated in some kind of magical secret ingredient. On the side was a Sriracha-style sauce with high heat clout and scrumptious tang. And taking up a lot of plate space, a circular flatbread piled with homemade red-cabbage coleslaw, a long slice of cucumber and other delicious items I can't recall. To top it off, it came with a dish of skinny fries. The helpings were enormous. A friend, meanwhile, had the katsu chicken burger which he said was very satisfactory. It, too, was huge. Granted, the dessert menu is very small but that didn't bother us because we had no room left for any. Just wish I'd taken some pictures of the food but I'd already eaten it by the time I thought about taking some snaps. Amazingly, the bill turned out to be a lot less than most other pubs we've visited. If you're looking for a truly lovely small country pub with exquisite food, amazing staff, awesome chef and cosy ambience, The Bell is thoroughly recommended. We will be back – many times.

What a quaint village pub...the staff are friendly, the food is awesome with good positions too. I recommend going here...has a rear garden and front seated area for those who like to watch the world go by.

We were staying in the village and absolutely loved visiting this beautiful pub, it really did make our stay, like a home from home! The owner was great and his barmaid was lovely. The food was excellent. Couldn’t have faulted it. Great selection of beers, we loved chatting to the locals too! If we are ever in the area again we will 100% return and highly recommend this gem!

10 of us dined at The bell inn Shenington, the staff and the chef was absolutely amazing. The food was the best meal we had in years, the chef went far beyond our expectations. The staff and service was brilliant too, everyone could not do enough for us. There was 10 of us dining and all our starters came together, main courses came together and not long after, our desserts came together. This is the way it should be and The Bell Inn does it all. Thank you all so much for your generosity and when we come back to Shenington Racing / Karting soon, we know where we will be eating every night. Thanks again from 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 us all. 🏎 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏎

Lovely meal out with the family. Food was amazing and so much of it! Saw the fish and chips as soon as we walked in and knew our menu choices were made and we weren’t disappointed. Portions were large but that did not detract from the quality which was excellent. Excellent service from all staff who couldn’t have done enough for us and the dogs. Would highly recommend a visit!

The greatest Sunday dinner I have ever had!

Really great food. Sunday roast beef was delicious and huge portions. Definitely recommended.

We had an absolutely incredible meal here as a group of 12 and the chef catered for us brilliantly with everything arriving at the same time to an amazing standard including all of our annoying dietary requirement tweaks. Amazing food.

Superb pub for a meal, friendly staff and a lovely picturesque village setting. Our mains (Haddock and Chips, Burgers and a Lamb Kebab) were cooked absolutely perfectly and well worth the price! We’d recommend dropping in if you’re passing!

Great service and excellent food.

Amazing place with lovely people! Cycle friendly! Brilliant place for a drink!

Lovely quiet village pub great food

We were visiting the area for the weekend as we had a friend's wedding nearby and had the best night here - food was delicious and staff were AMAZING. Super attentive, up for a laugh and made us feel so welcome/at home. Special shoutout to Mike who made us a peppercorn sauce that wasn't on the menu and even gave us a lift back to our airbnb!!!! Also super reasonably priced - worked out at £46 per head for starters, mains, desserts and a lot of wine. Brilliant night, brilliant pub.

We had the most wonderful dinner on Friday, one of the best steaks i've ever had, lovely beer selection, lovely ales, lovely staff and we even got a lift home at the end. Can't wait to visit again. Louisa x

Welcoming landlord Mike. Friendly locals. Amazing food

Visited on a friday lunchtime on a whim as had passed the pub a few times and always liked the look of it. Superb food. Seriously cannot fault it. Really appealing menu and it was all delicious. Big portions and fresh ingredients. Friendly staff and the food service was efficient. Fab little place and we will definitely be back!

Nice meal. The staff were friendly and helpful, and the food tasted good. Korean pork belly was a hit with my daughter and the piri piri prawns were great.

Lovely Old English Pub . Friendly staff lovely Atmosphere

Great food in a friendly atmosphere. Strongly recommend!

Great beer, great staff, fairly pricey!

Loved it! Very dog friendly. Food was delicious and friendly service. An excellent meal out - would definitely go again

We stopped here for lunch a couple of weeks ago, charming lovely pub with friendly service. The food was absolutely exceptional, I had the Katsu burger which was amazing! Such a a gem of a pub, can’t wait to return! Just wish it was my local!

Visited this pub for a private function, very busy, staff worked very hard to keep up with customers orders. All staff very friendly. Food was arranged excellent, curry with all the trimmings, very tasty.

Typical village pub with the added bonus of fabulous food rather than basic pub fayre out of a fryer or bag. Go for Sunday roast or dinners Wednesday-Saturday and you'll not be disappointed. Sit inside by a log fire in winter or outside under the oak tree or on the village green.

Great food, helpful friendly service. Thank you the Bell

Recommended in the information book of the cottage we stayed in nearby we turned up without booking. The chef informed us that as he had orders for a table of 8 and a table of 4 it would take some time before he could work on our order, this suited us fine and in fact meals were served quicker than we had expected. If we had to wait longer it would still have been worth it as the food was excellent. I had the half rack of ribs which almost covered the plate together with an Asian style salad and separate chips, Mrs had a good serving of scampi with chunky chips. With a couple of good beers and soft drinks, the bill came to around £45 only and well worth it. Very friendly place and good attentive service, highly recommend a visit!

What a great find!! Beautiful country pub - so cosy and intimate. New menu just launched which was tasty and innovative!! A bit different from the usual pub grub but so much more interesting. A great way to pass a few hours with friends 😊

Very good evening out with my wife and son. Friendly service and we all loved the food. We will definitely return.

Fantastic food, lovely location, friendly faces, and more importantly, top notch fish and chips! Highly recommended.

Everything on the menu sounded delicious and we were not disappointed. Amazing Chicken Katsu burger and it came with the best chips I've had in ages. Highly recommended and can't wait to come back for another lovely lunch in this cosy, friendly pub.

Thank you for an absolutely delicious Mothers Day Sunday Roast. The meal was spot on! Lovely big portions, the beef perfectly cooked and plenty of extra gravy which went down a treat. The staff were fantastic and deserve a mention. Fully recommended and we will definitely be coming back again.

Hands down, the best Sunday roast we've ever had!! Cozy pub with friendly service and dog friendly, we love coming here.

Absolutely amazing Sunday Lunch, still our favourite Sunday lunch in the area. Everything is just so flavourful. Great service and a really nice cozy pub. Highly highly recommended!

Super cute pub with wonderfully friendly staff and great food! 100% would return if only we lived closer!

Friends took us to their local pub for Sunday lunch after a long dog walk. They had booked a table for 2.15/2.30pm so a late lunch! You might have been forgiven to think what will be left on the meat side for the roasts but I was pleasantly surprised there was a wide choice of other meals on the menu too. Having said that, the men chose Roast Pork and my friend and I had the haddock and chips. All I can say is that both meals well exceeded expectations. Hard to explain but all I can say is please give this chef a try. He knows how to purchase fresh quality produce and also how to deliver the most sumptuous meal, we just could not fault. So much so, I am taking the time to right this. Just wish we could have food served up to us in this standard where we live. Sadly, we get let down. Lucky Shenington residents! The Bell deserves recognition.

We went to this pub because it was a 30 second walk from our Airbnb but we were so lucky that the proximity was not the biggest perk...! The food was really tasty and the customer service was superb. The icing on the cake (or bun...), however, occurred the day after our visit. We had forgotten to buy burger buns for our grill and since there was no shop within walking distance - we went and asked if we could buy some off the pub. The very likeable Scottish proprietor donated us ten beautiful buns. Excellent establishments on all accounts!

I wrote a longer review but it disappeared. The ribs were fabulous! Can’t recommend this pub enough for the welcome, service & amazing ribs, Asian slaw & fries. The Biscoff cheesecake was delicious too! Definitely worth the drive out to Shenington.

Beautiful village with The Bell Inn at its centre. On a 7 mile walk from Upton house, NT, no sandwiches but good traditional pub menu. Lovely small bar and eating area with warm welcome from young man behind bar. We had scampi with freshly made pea puree and tartar sauce, just delicious and the burger meal, great taste and quality. Defo visit again. Closed on Mondays. Do Sunday lunch but really need to book that. Super find.

Had a lovely meal and welcome last night Friday all so a decent pint of cask beer Carys & Peter

Food was absolutely amazing, but the wait to be served and for food to come out was longer than expected. The quality of the food did make up for it though.

Great food and picturesque setting

Wow, randomly popped in to this lovely little pub only to find the food to be absolutely fantastic. Met the Scottish Chef who should be proud of his dishes. Simply amazing. Lovely little covered courtyard setting out the back makes this an ideal stop if you are in the area whatever the weather. Thanks for looking after us :-)

Although I’m a foodie, this is the first review I have left for a restaurant and I’m happy it’s for this place. The food is simply A1. The owner and head chef is a down to earth, humble incredible chef. Friendly, accommodating with great customer...

Recommended to us by Hornton Grounds, fantastic place and amazing food the scampi literally melted in your mouth, wonderful. And biscoff cheesecake in a coffee cup with fresh strawberries, well and truly stuffed thank you. Staff very friendly too.

Very friendly staff who went out of their way to accommodate our wishes. Food was amazing! Compliments to the chef.

Have been here on quite a few occasions and, with the limited menu, thought a Sunday lunch would be our best bet. Service has always been on the slow side with a very young staff but they are always pleasant. However, today wasn't a success....

An absolute jewel of a pub. The lightest floatiest fish and chip batter I’ve ever had, and one of the best places in the area to experience Hook Norton ales at their glorious best.

We had a lovely post lockdown family meal, all three courses were of a very high standard and tasted delicious. We can’t wait to rerun.

Excellent friendly staff nothing to much trouble

We were staying near Banbury for our honeymoon and The Bell Inn was recommend to us by the owners of our B&B. We had a look online and found the small but very tasty looking menu. We personally prefer a smaller menu as it makes...

The Bell is a charming & characterful Inn, located in the impossibly pretty village of Shenington. Inside is cosy & quaint, outside there is a beer garden plus tables out front. We dined inside & tables were well spaced & Covid security strictly followed. Staff...

Really wonderful people with which we had a fun time eating and talking to, as well as great service at which they went the extra mile to feed and look after our family-even the dogs! Definitely recommend a drink or a delicious meal here :))

Kind helpful staff. Covid aware child and dog friendly.Good qualith pubgrub servdd hot and promptly. Spotless toilets . Higy recommdnded.

Absolutely fantastic. The food is amazing and the price is very good. The serving staff are friendly and with the outdoor seating because of covid were happy to provide take out containere for dessert and drinks when we got too cold to stay. We will be back when we are in the area next month.

Popped in post covid lockdown. Booking essential, but was easy. The food was excellent both in taste and value. And there is the option for takeaway whilst covid restrictions are in place. We are in the area once a month and will certainly be back.

Plenty of outdoor space with great views. Friendly and a accomodating reception.

Walked here, had pint & went home. Recomended

Fantastic lunch! Cosy warm friendly pub! Cant wait to return!