The Bystander in Vale of White Horse

Needs to be reinvented ask the locals

Always a great time with family and friends! Great to see this pub doing so much better than in previous years! Staff are always super friendly especially the manager!

Beer and food was excellent and I will be back again!

Great friendly service and the chicken strippers in IPA hot sauce were superb!

The IPA hot chicken strippers were superb

Just dropped in on our way home,very accommodating.

Love it friendly staff go there all the time

Amazing what a change of management can do! Great atmosphere, friendly staff who know how to have a laugh while being professional, tasty food especially the small plates and overall a genuinely welcoming pub to visit. Quiz night is good fun too! Well done to the whole team to making the local pub a good one.

A beautiful and well decorated pub with a warm feeling and some well appointed distractions such a pool table and darts board. I liked the fact the locals started friendly and light-hearted conversation. The coffee is well nice. The garden is very neat.

Good food that came out fast, excellent service

Had a lovely meal with family. I was a bit disappointed that the 2 items I first tried to order were out of stock, and it's the second time the Pulled Mushroom Chilli was off the menu, so I've yet to try that. There aren't so many vegetarian options on the menu, and I was starving, so fish and chips again. It was lovely, though, and their raspberry gin is so lovely, too. It was busier than usual, so service was a bit slow as they didn't have many staff on: however, given the stress they were under they were welcoming, accommodating and still just as efficient as usual. I'm so glad this pub is just down the road for me.

Called in for Sunday lunch and the result was a bit disappointing. The price was good, so I guess you get what you pay for. There was quite a lot of fat and gristle on the beef, the roast potatoes weren't crisp, whereas the broccoli and carrots were almost rock hard. The beer was good though, so I might go back for a drink but probably not to eat.

Usual Greene King fayre. Quiet ish for a Monday evening but good prices and food cooked and served quickly. What stood out was the single gentleman working and doing all, serving on the bar, running food and clearing tables whilst providing a excellent cheery customer service focused experience.

Went in today with my partner and children, Staff were absolutely brilliant, friendly and helpful. Ordered food which came out at a reasonable time and was delicious 👌 Definitely worth visiting 100%

Great price for an excellent meal. Quick and friendly service.

Great local pub with good service and food

Absolute disaster & a bunch of time wasters ... On arrival at 12.15pm we were given a dirty sticky table 17 that I had to get their cleaning solution off the Bar to wash the table down ... We then placed our order to be told all items were off the menu so we told the Staff we were leaving ...I told the Chef (not that she had anything to cook) that it was a complete shambles ... Apparently they didn't get a delivery ... So on arrival why weren't we told items were off the menu rather than letting us wash a table, sit down & place our order ... Then go through the farce of choosing second options they couldn't also serve ... We left & went to another Green King pub whose delivery was a tad late but had a full menu & the food was excellent ... In reply to the owners comments ... 1) We reserved a table for 6 for 12.15 yet you couldn't clean it before we arrived 2) No apology for the dirty table 3) Why weren't we told on arrival that items were off the menu ?? 4) You let us order 6 meals before being told items were off the menu 5) No comment on the Bystander's pour customer service 6) I respectfully suggest you get your "customer service" house in order before criticising customers 7) As for not being welcome I wouldn't have come the first time if I'd read your 3.5/5 rating & the 113 - 1 star reviews

The waitress called ana was very cheerful and helpful helped alot to brighten the atmosphere

Great food, great host, So much better in a short space of time.

Excellent food, good variety on the menu. Clean surroundings, warm , not noisy.

Went here for lunch with my parents and my son. Really nice atmosphere and the food was amazing. The waitress that served us was really friendly and overall we loved it. We will def be back at some point as its a convenient place to meet up.

I can’t praise this place enough. Excellent and welcoming service from staff and owners.

The bartenders and the owners are spectacular

Went along again recently and have to say the food was superb and the service was fantastic. Added bonus being dog friendly with a dedicated menu for my four legged friend. Highly recommended ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I went to the Bystander a couple of days before Christmas, with my family, it was very busy, the welcome and service we received was lovely x The food I had and my Grandchildren was really good and a fast service considering how busy they were. Would highly recommend, for first class food and very friendly service x Looking forward to going back again real soon x

Visited again before Christmas, was really busy however service was great as ever. Lovely food, good service and nice friendly staff. Really nice atmosphere. The staff are very friendly and welcoming. Lovely outside area perfect for a sunny evening. A varied menu and the food was very good, especially the tacos! Also there are different events /activites put on throughout the week. I look forward to another visit soon!

Visited the pub over Christmas with some family. Booking a table was very easy, food was excellent, The staff were great. The football on the many big TVs around the pub was a bonus Will definitely be visiting again

WYSIWIG. Good bar, decent food and a small selection of beer.

Lovely pub with excellent food. I had a perfect mixed grill that was not only excellent value but top quality food too. Really welcoming atmosphere and friendly staff. Would come back for sure!

Food ,service and staff could not be faulted . It was just a shame that the music being played was not really very festive . Went here for a meal on Wednesday 20th December with three others and we all left feeling full and happy .

Excellent food. Tasty and plenty on plate. Roast turkey very good

First class service & food was lovely. Atmosphere brilliant, warm & welcoming. Would highly recommend, the new management are first class.

We had our Aerobics Christmas lunch there yesterday 5th December. The landlord and his assistant were excellent serving 35 women with a welcoming smile and the room, they had laid out looked lovely, very festive!!! The food was excellent freshly cooked vegetables and turkey dinners plus other choices and reasonably priced too. The staff were very friendly and looked after us so well. This is by far the best Christmas celebration we have had as a group (and we have had many). I am sure we will be using their services for our next Christmas meal!!!!!! The parking space was huge and we were relieved not to be watching the clock for parking meters, as we have done in the past. We enjoyed a thoroughly good meal with excellent attentive staff, fantasticly cooked fresh food, perfect parking spaces for all of us, it will be our go to place again in the future. Thank you to the two wonderful staff that worked so hard to make our Festive meal so great , and not forgetting the chef who did a wonderful job feeding 35 hungry women!!!!!!

Went with friends 1 of which has gluten free.We arrived no booking yet got table --- the food was good and had a good time We go quite regular now

Had an early Christmas here while visiting my family. Sean and the staff made sure we were very looked after and it was brilliant! (Thank you all so much) . I aso came in for lunch later the same week and had one of the best burgers I've ever had. Such a great place!

Interesting experience on Saturday. Pub fairly full for football and instead of the landlord offering his 6 seater table by the big screen to customers, he elected to sit there on his own, on his phone. 2 men were even advised to move when they sat there when he had gone to the kitchen because "that's where the boss sits". A little off putting.

Nice food and lovely staff with a nice warm atmosphere

Thank you so much to Sean and Sharon and her hubby who waited on our party of twelve all night !!! The food was lovely we had such fun singing dancing eating and laughing very much appreciated … our pub is back !!! Warm and Welcoming hooray 😁🎉🥂Thanks !!

Went to go in for food was told in quite a rude tone that food wasn't till 12 but we at first decided to stay and wait as we went to sit down we were 15cm away from the dining area with new born baby in pram and told in rude tone of voice well you can't sit there ..... we left and went else where glad we did not to far away. The staff were much nicer

Pre-booked for my son’s 7th birthday a table of 9 of us. Super clean. Kind, attentive staff and the food was delicious. Majority of my party had steak and they were perfectly cooked. We will all be returning x

Pre booked for 10 guests, food was great service was excellent, had a lovely time, made to feel very welcome, pub saw super clean and all for really great prices. we will be back soon.

Lovely evening with family. Good food, loved the small plates! Service was great and very friendly.

Wow! Went on a whim as just feeling lazy and couldn’t be bothered to cook. Checked they done Sunday roast before going, and it was absolutely delicious, had the Beef & Turkey duo roast, everything about it was faultless,best we have had in a long time and we eat out often. The welcome was friendly,and staff serving were very pleasant and helpful…. Blackberry and apple crumble was as good. We will definitely be back!

We took my daughter and grandchildren for lunch and the welcome we had was excellent. We were given a table big enough for us all including my disability buggy .The food we ordered was served promptly and well cooked . The staff were polite and courteous and also as they understood I was unable to walk made sure I was always looked after.Thanks guys we had a great afternoon.

Abosultly brilliant couldn't fault it food amazing staff friendly and polite the place has been done up and looks great thank you so much

Nice place for a cheap meal. The food is good of its type. We were a group of 5 so it took a while for the food to be served but was worth the wait when it finally arrived.

Food was very nice and service was delightful and friendly

We’re do I start? Booked table for 6 of us arrived and not greeted by anyone so we just took a seat anywhere. Went to the bar to order. Ordered a chicken strips and asked if we wanted it as a starter or a main. So we ordered it as a main meal with chips and a coke. Ordered off the kids menu as they get a main side and desert. Ok no problem. Chicken strips came out with no chips and asked were they were to be told the difference is between a starter and a main is it comes out with everyone’s main meal. Didn’t explain this at the till, meals were lovely apart from my daughters pasta which had a fly in it. For a restaurant to have a poor excuse of it wasn’t like that when it was brought out. Anyway they’re replaced it but took 15 mins for it to be brought back out after everyone had finished. Went to the bar to order the kids deserts to be told we never asked for that kids meal yet I was ordering off it it as a main side and desert to them try be charged more for it. The guy put it all through separately and not a meal. The lady was extremely rude and I asked for the complaint policy as I wanted to take it further. A guy I’m taking it who was the boss wasn’t having any of it until I told him I found a fly in my daughters pasta to which he changed his tune and was very polite and understanding. ( staff didn’t inform him of the fly in the pasta) he told us all deserts and drinks were free of charge and got a refund. I won’t be returning again even after they admitted their faults and had a refund. Shame it’s not a hungry horse anymore as the variety of the menus isn’t great. Anyone who orders a children’s meal please state you want the deal.

Lovely meal tonight and great hosting from Cheryl-Michell and hubby x

Sunday was the first time in 7 years my husband and I have eaten in the Bystander, this was mainly due to awful food and customer service in the past years. The current team under the new management of Sean, are a breath of fresh air, the food and service was outstanding. The professionalism and customer service and along with the food was commendable. Well done guys, we will certainly eat at the Bystander again.

Today was the first time in 7 years my husband and I have I’ve eaten in the Bystander, this was mainly due to awful food and customer service in the past years. The current team under the new management of Sean, are a breath of fresh air, the food and service was outstanding. The professionalism and customer service and along with the food was commendable. Well done guys, we will certainly eat at the Bystander again. Jim and Cathy

fab food and service :) vegan katsu curry and chicken tacos were junk food heaven!!!

I just had to drop you a quick note to say how much I loved my recent visit. The food was amazing! And kudos to your staff; they were so friendly and made the whole experience even better. I’ll definitely be back!!

Nice pub, lovely garden and fair price.

Extremely disappointing visit to the bystander last night. The place is no longer a hungry horse. The portions were TINY, and they have removed the playground for children in the beer garden. On the plus side although the portions were very small, the price was very reasonable and the staff were pleasant and attentive.

Served by Sharon, great customer service. New manager was proffessional and approachable. Seems to be doing positive things to turn the place around. Good luck to them all.

Lovely afternoon meal with the family, lovely food reasonably priced

Warm and friendly staff who once served with our food which was excellent asked if all was satisfactory. Would highly recommend. Added bonus is the price of the food. 2 meals for £13.49

We had a lovely family lunch. The kids enjoyed their burgers, my fish batter was light and crispy and the chips were top notch!

Fancied a decent pint and reasonably priced meal on a weekday eve so decided to try the Bystander. Very glad we did! The pub was clean and spacious. The staff were friendly, helpful and efficient. The cask beer was very well kept and they give 10% discount for CAMRA members so that wa a real bonus. The food was very good value for money, especially the chicken salad which was beautifully presented and a very generous portion size. Thanks very much to all the team..We'll be back soon!

Absolutely fantastic... I'm a huge green king fan.and the Bystander didn't disappoint... Lovely surroundings, great food and very professional and attentive team.All at a great price

Friendly staff and very accommodating, especially as we were a big group of Scouts and leaders.

very helpful staff and locals. I will definitely be returning.

Great night with excellent entertainment, everyone had a wonderful time

We used to pop in every now and then with the kids as it was a nice family orientated place. You could sit in the beer garden having a cold drink, and the kids could play on the climbing frame. The time before this visit we were told that kids could not be inside the building (the building and not just the bar area) after 9pm. We thought that was an unusual but reasonable request, so left anyway. we visited again today. There is no child play area or climbing frame in the beer garden anymore. So the kids were extremely disappointed, we went to sit inside on some comfortable looking chairs to be told kids are not allowed in the bar area. We then got pointed to an area that kids could sit, that only had uncomfortable spindle chairs. I don't think we will make the effort to visit again.

Steve was absolutely brilliant! There was a slight miscommunication on our order but this was quickly fixed by Steve and the chef. He was very professional and helpful. Our burgers were delicious too.

We came into the Bystander for a drink and a meal and ordered it from the table, table 15 and it was very lovely and the wine, plus ad a lovely time, friendly atmosphere and friendly staff plus very helpful, the food was excellent

Just returned from a lovely late lunch. Food and service perfect. Although my lunch was interrupted by an important phone call as the meal was being delivered to our table, a member of staff quickly took it away to keep it hot for me, no trouble at all. This was really appreciated. We have been coming to The Bystander for many years and have certainly seen some ups and downs. Based on our visit today, it was faultless. Thank you.

Many years ago and l mean many I used the Bystander a lot for food and it was good. I have lived back in the village nearly 4 years. And used the pub 3 times. I honestly think Sunday will be my last time. The menu choice was shocking, our first 3 choices were unavailable and there wasn't any San Miguel, no mustard and deserts were served with soup spoons, service was very slow as there was only one person taking orders, but she was very apologetic

Standard big chain pub food menu. Cooked quickly and staff friendly.

It's a great pub . I've been coming here off and on since my kids were small and there in there 40s now . The honda gold wing club used to meet there.

Called in to our local pub. Place was very quiet more like the graveyard So we checked the menu. Ordered food to be told not got it. So we checked again. Not got it. I said what have you got. ….. and walked out the pub if you wish to kills pub you have done it. Trust me I’ll not bother again. If you want a pub to work make trust you order the food. You can popover the coop lol 😂

How to destroy a great pub. Today the chef didn’t turn up so no food available, last time on fish Friday they had run out of fish at 18.00! They can’t get staff to stay here and usually no Manager at he weekend. Not sustainable and so frustrating.

Fish batter was burnt, chips were overcooked , peas were cold, the gammon was perfect as was the pineapple.

Just stopped off for a beer and and bite on my way home from stonehenge and beer , food and service was excellent. I then drove 100 miles home and was contacted by Emma from behind the bar to say I'd left my wallet behind. With me being so far away she's gone out of her way to post it for me . Very much appreciated and I'm passing will certainly pop by to say thanks in person and get her a drink.

Lovely staff, we always had great service there. Food is delicious as well. I'm very rarely visiting my friends there but I'll be back for sure when we're in the area next month.

The Bystander is a great pub - Emma in particular is lovely, always friendly, as are all of the staff. Great place to grab a drink (including a cocktail menu)!

Pre booked a table. got there, tables are sticky, half of the menu not available no roast dinner at 3 o clock on a sunday play area for kids has gone but web site still says its there ordered thatchers cider and it was flat. Teerrible evening out!!

If I could give zero stars I would. The lady behind the bar serving all the customers on her own was a lovely lady doing a great job. The three people cooking in the kitchen have let the pub down. The food I wad served was awful. I ordered a salad with grains and rice and rosted peppers and chicken. Everyone else on my table had got their food and I had to go up to the bar to complain that I didn't have my salad and chicken and with the hunters chicken someone had ordered they didn't get their onion rings. The bar lady went to the kitchen to find out what was going on and I was told that my salad and chicken wouldn't be long and they were just putting the onion rings on to cook. My salad and chicken took ages to come after I complained and we never got the onion rings. When my salad came the peppers were not roasted as stated in the menu and they were raw with the seeds still in them. I went up to the bar to complain and the lady said she could roast my peppers for me and so I took my plate up to her and also asked for my food to be takeaway as we had been waiting so long we had to go home. They had no takeaway containers and I could of taken the whole plate home wrapped up, but I didn't want to do that so I just got a refund. I will not be going there ever again. I feel so sorry for the lady behind the bar as she was doing such a good job. It was the three kitchen staff who let the place down.

I used to live in the village a few years ago and this used to be our favourite pub until things started to go downhill shortly before I moved away, I’ve just been back for the first time in a couple of years and and the place has been completely turned around! Excellent well cooked food served in a timely manner as well as quick bar service with a smile! Couple that with the massive beer garden and you really couldn’t want much more from your local pub! Will be returning again as much as possible

Shocking treatment from the management. Went to watch the football and was made so unwelcome we wouldn't come back. Awful attitude from the landlady. The place has gone downhill from our last visit, so we won't be returning.

A beautiful warm friendly smile on arrival very welcoming Lovely atmosphere carm and chilled. The food was excellent piping hot and cooked to perfection myself,my daughter and my grandson had a lovely afternoon here .. We will definitely be returning with our family and friends....

Had nothing available on menu except 3 things, we just left

We came this evening for my daughters 13th birthday service was absolutely amazing staff were incredibly friendly the food all came out at the same time (there was 10 of us on 2 different tables) no problem's with any of the orders and the food...

Lovely Big Spacious Pub with 3 polite and friendly young ladies on duty, but all 3 overworked. The Beer garden is Child friendly and Spacious. The Menu was limited, but the food we ordered was well presented and of good quality, as were the deserts....

Booked for a pre wedding family gathering for a group of about 20 including young children on a Friday evening and service was brilliant! As someone who works in the hospitality industry I know how daunting a large group can be and the pressure it...

Very helpful and friendly staff always go above and beyond. Very great management team

Loved it there for dinner today, very friendly pub for all the family. BUT BRING BACK THE OLD PUDDINGS. THE NEW SWEETS ARE NOT UP TO STANDARD of before. we will go again 2nd time this week.

Good food, great service - even though we were a party of 8 who walked in on a Saturday afternoon.

100% recommend this pub. All the staff are so friendly and made us feel so welcome. Top quality food. Fully intend to become a regular visitor

Brought the family here for Sunday dinner and we were not disappointed. Very good food and amazing value for money

Nice public house very clean and tidy and nice staff

Very good food, would defo come again

I have always wanted to visit this pub as my Great Grandfather Gilbert Gooden owned it in the 1950s and apparently my Grandfather and Father both worked and stayed there at some point all those years ago. Our visit was pleasant , we were on...

Visited on Saturday when there was a live band, as there is on the last Saturday of every month. Great evening, friendly staff and warm atmosphere. Everybody was enjoying the evening a had a good time. I have also been for several meals and always...

We stopped and had a meal here on our way home. The staff were friendly, the food was good and also the food was hot, which it of course it should be.

Went here for a wake, terrible manager, took my drink when I went to the toilet, she was there cleaning up and it was gone, she said with a "face on" there was nothing there, I was gone 2 minis and the place was dead,...

10/10! Great Service, very friendly Staff, Value for Money and the food was absolutely delicious! Nice large Car Park (I own a long Van, so very handy!) We are looking forward to returning very soon!

A lovely pub with a mix of regulars and visitors. Great selection of food with something to cover all tastes. Food cooked to perfection and served without much of a wait. Chef happy to oblige with dietary changes. Friendly atmosphere and we were all made to feel very welcome.

Not the best food. Slow service.