The Bystander in Vale of White Horse

Quality traditional Pub food very polite staff and a dog friendly pub definitely recommend!!

Slow service, wilted brown salad, dry overcooked food, Guinness tasted a bit funny. Pretty poor

Me and my husband have eaten here 3 nights in a row and have tried different meals each time and the food is amazing and great value for money. Our new favorite place to come. Lovely pub and great atmosphere. 5 * and dog friendly 🐾

Don't allow children in the main part of the pub (with the baby changing in it!) at 4pm, and don't tell you this when you book a table.

Great food, good price and service

Such a great welcome from Tracy. Lovely food and service. We highly recommend.

The food was very good value & very tasty. We had chicken katsu & it was 2 for 13.99 It came with rice & chips Staff were nice, but short staffed & we had to queue for drinks for a while. It was busy as Saturday night.

Excellent service and great food at a very good price. Perfect place for us to watch the 6 nations rugby. Thank you.

Excellent food, brilliant staff, nothing was to much for them. I recommend here for a really good meal.

Really delicious food. All the meals were piping hot! We had great service from Tom. We would highly recommend. Cannot wait t return.

Much improved food and service since management changes in November. Really good value food, well presented and great service.

We love this pub. The staff are so friendly, and the whole family can dine for under £50. Great deals. It’s a sports bar, so they’ll even put the cricket on the big screen in front of your table if you ask nicely (ok, maybe a different sport if you prefer). Lovely big garden. Always plenty of places to sit in the sun or the shade.

good food i recommend kind staff

We had fish & chips & my mother had scampi & chips. Beautiful meal could not fault & all the staff are really friendly. Would highly recommend. In fact we visit often.

Visited Bystander on 19 Febuary 1916 at approx 4 pm for birthday meal but disputed being fish Friday they did not have any fish . We found this was strange so had to order something else. No pleased at all.

This is the second time i've visited here, both times was to meet with friends/ family and both times were enjoyable and food was lovely but the thing i really like about here is the fact you have the table you book for however long you want, you're not rushed to eat and leave. The most recent visit was a meeting place for me and family who live in Banbury, Newbury & west Oxfordshire and this was a mid point place to meet. All family members enjoyed their visit and if I lived closer I would most likely be a regular.

Brilliant food and drinks offers - all delicious! Tracy and the rest of the team were so accomodating and we had a great afternoon watching the rugby! Highly recommend!

Great meal last week with my mum and her school friends. Great polite service and good food. Will definitely return.

Family of 8 eating lunch. Friendly, efficient staff and great food. Tracy very helpful 🙂

We came out for our anniversary meal and it was our first visit. It was quite and very clean and the staff were all so wonderful. The food was outstanding. By far the best Greene King pub we have been to before. Would highly recommend and we will be back

Sharon and Macca once again were great host. Always a pleasant evening when they are working. Bar always clean and tidy as were tables, with this duo Visiting again, unfortunately it isn’t constant, the place was on the way back to being a good place to go and eat. Now again very much hit and miss Do greenking want to run this down is there an agender we are unaware of? Last manager was powering forward in leaps and bounds… But no money offered to make improvements in the gardens It was a regular place for us to visit, but now, no longer the case, now visit infrequently

My family organised my baby shower here in September and they closed off a bit for us and catered wonderfully for us. Was a lovely atmosphere and staff were lovely. Me and my partner have been here a fair amount of times over the years and we always have a good service and good food. Reasonable prices too.

Staff polite and helpful. Good atmosphere on midweek evening

Apart from having run out of milk so we couldn't have a hot drink we had a pleasant meal, ordering via the app was easy and food arrived quite quickly, all meals were very nice. PS There's a Coop over the road, they sell milk!

Called into the Bystander on Friday evening - All the staff were very friendly & welcoming. The 3 of us ordered Chili Chicken, Mushroom Chilli & A Steak pie - all very nice & served up pretty quick. Good value for money, clean & tidy. A special mention to the lady behind the bar - I'm sorry I didn't get your name but you couldn't of been more helpful, thankyou :-)

Great local pub with good service and food

Great family friendly pub. great food and service and you can watch the sport on several TVs or relax on the big garden

Food portion was disgusting for the price of it but service was good need to work on the food

Called in 1630 today (Thur) nice & quiet (we're pensioners,1 Coeliac, 1 normal ! ) food was very good together with good beer & wine, what's not to like, all at a sensible price.

Poor slow service. Not many people there as in the past it has been very busy

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. Also there are different events /activites put on throughout the week. I look forward to another visit soon!

It was a quiet lunchtime when we called in for some food. We both had chicken and ham pie with gravy. The pie was well filled with meat, and the gravy was nice and thick. My wife ordered luxury hot chocolate, but they had no cream or hot chocolate. I ordered a pint of guest ale, and this was unavailable. So they recommend the guest lager. This was flat and taste less,like dish water. The whole pub looked like it needed smartening up. Food is good, and drinks choice poor.

Food was good, came out in timely fashion. Although wasn't busy. Staff were super helpful when realised another member of staff had left with the baby change door key. So he climbed in from the outside to open it so I could change my son. Muchly appreciated 👍

One of the best visits I've had. The lady on the bar was very friendly and welcoming food was quick the chef delivered the food himself and was again very friendly. Good value for money be back again soon

Always a favourite of mine, staff are lovely and always have a chat with me and my husband when we come in. Was with my friend today and we had coffees and tried out the lunch menu, was very nice.

The Food was amazing and affordable. And the staff were lovely and welcoming. Would definitely come again.

Great meals for 2 adults and 2 children. Staff were very accommodating and helpful as we also had a disabled person in the group. Altogether a very good afternoon.

We had a baby shower in the Bystander today and it was great! The staff are so helpful and friendly I would highly recommend if you are planning any events or parties. The food was excellent although too much! 100%!

Came in for lunch on Tuesday the lady on the bar was busy bit still delivered excellent service food was amazing the chef delivered himself as his colleague was busy on the bar which shows strong team work much better now than it was before

Great atmosphere, friendly staff who know how to have a laugh while being professional, tasty fresh tasting 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. Have also visited with with our 3 year old who is always welcomed by any member of staff. Would definitely recommend.

Food good with very reasonable prices. Service quick and friendly. Carling on special offer nice surprise. Lemon sorbet brilliant and new burger yummy !

Amazing food, lovely staff, Jamie in particular was great! Will definitely be back!!! Ordered the chicken burger and was delightful!

Great service and hot food compliments to the chef and staff

Came here with a friend to watch the football and something to eat. large space so easy to find a place sit with the multiple TVs. Good atmosphere and the staff were helpful and welcoming

Efficient and pleasant staff especially the South African lady food good all reasonably priced

We came tonight for the pub quiz and decided to have dinner here ! Staff were lovely food arrived hot and well cooked . I had chicken salt and pepper strips with chilli and katsu sauce . It was lovely very tasty and we both enjoyed it ! The quiz is good fun and the live music nights on the last Saturday of the month are great ! We dance all night and sing our hearts out 😁well done team loved it 🥂

Food is great, fantastic service, will be back

A great lunch had by my party.the food was excellent the staff were friendly and the service was prompt and enjoyable

Lovely food served by fantastic staff. We really enjoyed our family meal here today.

This is my local and I'm always made to feel welcome and staff always have my pint pouring when I come in the door. I've never had any complaints about the food as it's always well prepared and tasty, I'd go as far to say that I've enjoyed one of the best cuts of gammon here. The atmosphere is friendly and people are respectful and polite. Before Sean and team came here the pub was at a low point but they really turned it around, long may it continue.

4 adults and a toddler on Bank Holiday Monday pulled up into what looked like an almost deserted car park. Had we made the right choice? Yes we had! The pub was clean airy with plenty of room between tables. The menu was what you would expect from. a Green King pub, but the quality, service and presentation far outwayed expectations. We payed £69 for 5 2 course meals with drinks. To put into perspective the day before we had paid £116 for 4 adult mains and a toddler meal! If you was good, reasonably priced food with a menu to suit all please consider coming here. There is also a lovely pub garden area too.

Rude staff. Asked if they could cater for 9 people, response was 'you'll be lucky' walked away and continued clearing tables. We're now having a lovely lunch in The Fox

Food was amazing came in for lunch and the food was incredible highly recommend this friendly local pub and will be returning again soon

Arrived looking for some food Only to be told that the chef would be back at 4.19, So disappointed and was looking forward to some food after hearing good things about the pub Will definitely not be coming again

Visited recently the food and service was fantastic, was greeted by friendly staff who showed a lot of courtesy in helping my elderly mother. The food we did not have to wait long for, arrived hot and tasting great. Was much better than our last visit a couple of years ago. Definitely much better now, will be returning.

Great pub! Service is always good, staff very friendly and welcoming. Nothing wrong with decor, quite nice throughout. Always had nice food on each visit too. Previous reviewer complaining about wet toilet floor maybe needs to re-learn how to use the loo and not go on the floor in future.

Great food, big portions for a good price. Perfect value for money for a family dinner. Friendly and helpful staff, service was quick. Good selection of beers too.

Nice pub, service, food and drink. Gave the low score for the state of the garden. Came here with young children as remembered it had a playground (haven't been here for years though) , but that has all been removed and just left is the base of it. Trees have been cut back so you can see the containers from the trading estate nextdoor. Children were bored while we were waiting for food so they joined other children trying to climb trees and using sticks as swords. Couldn't leave quick enough once we had eaten our food.

Had a lovely family lunch here today. Service was lovely and friendly manner. Food came quickly, atmosphere was calm and chilled. Kids and adults enjoyed their food. Thank you 😊

Just had a lovely lunch here with family. Wonderful food and fantastic service. Will be coming back.

Lovely meal this evening. Great vegan burger and pie for my partner. Felt warm and welcoming. Staff were kind and couldn’t do enough to answer my food queries. Lovely atmosphere and will be coming again.

Lovely local pub in a lovely village the staff on shift were very are very friendly and food is delicious highly recommend haven't been for a while because of the old management but far better improvement from last time well done team bystander

Vastly improved since the new management took over. The atmosphere is friendly and warm. Food is the standard GK fare, but still nice. Best aspect is the service and care.

First time at this pub and most definitely the last. Love Greene King Pubs BUT this one is atrocious. Place was filthy and could do with a complete redecoration . Ordered food which two were sirloin steak, no sirloin steak available so chose two rump steaks, I know that rump is a cheaper cut ( I was a chef for 18 years before changing trades) but to say it was tough would be an understatement. I could have re- soled my shoes with it and it would have lasted for years, even the steak knife struggled to get through it. I did point this out to the manager who in fairness offered a free desert. Toilet - gents toilet floor was flooded in water well I hope it was water? Wet floor sign was on show but only after you had actually stood in it . Staff - they were ok but you could tell that they really didn't want to be there . Atmosphere - There is more atmosphere on the moon, the place was really quiet - now I wonder why that is ? This place really needs sorting out because it really could be a great pub .

A good pub with a reasonable menu. It is a standard menu that you'd expect from a chain. Food is fine but nothing to write home about - don't expect country village pub fare. The staff are lovely, very friendly and helpful.

Nice food. Wasn't very busy but took a while to come. We didn't have the kids that day, but the kids next door to us were losing the plot a bit because they were hungry! The staff were nice, though.

Couldn't even sort a bowl of chips out front to a passing motorcyclist, little balding ginger fella said," were not geared up to do that!" Not a hard request, certainly won't bother again.

Really great pub! Well decorated and lovely staff. Good service and really enjoyed the food! Thanks for having us!!

Very busy a peak lunch. Small amount of staff manager and Kitchen staff. Be patient for for meal Added job for staff you need now be waiting to be seated. We use this a pub lunch place on rota of Greene king owned pubs That all that's in the area. Now sadly and with disappointment the seniors menu has been withdrawn Ones with smaller appetites. Go else where. Food was good after the wait. My smaller appetite i had to sides. Just not the same as seniors meal. Age 73 years.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS …. The General Manager is an arrogant rude unprofessional moron … he shouldn’t be in hospitality and my family , friends will never go back into this pub whilst he is running it …. shame on you Greene King for employing this odious individual… no wonder this place has only 3.7 google rating and poor reviews across all platforms

Much better now there's a new manager

Good quick service and friendly.

Roast potatoes under done ...beef chewy and vegetables hard

Food was excellent and the staff were very friendly

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!

Just dropped in on our way home,very accommodating.

Love it friendly staff go there all the time

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.

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

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

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.

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 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

The bartenders and the owners are spectacular

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