The Crazy Bear Stadhampton - English Restaurant in South Oxfordshire

The Crazy Bear used to be such a wonderful “Crazy” culinary & visual experience but things have certainly changed. We decided on the 12 course Thai Signature menu which was below food court standard & that’s being kind…in fact, I’m not actually sure there was any Thai apart from the stodgy Pad Thai…& that may have been the best dish. If like us you’ve had many memories of the Crazy Bear, those days have passed I’m afraid

We booked Crazy Bear Stadhampton as a treat for our wedding anniversary and were looking forward to our 2 night stay and dinner in the Thai restaurant on our anniversary day in early November. We were a bit concerned that we didn’t get a response to an email (sent prior to booking) and couldn’t get anyone to answer the phone when we tried to call prior to our arrival. This lead us to check online reviews which were mostly negative particularly for the restaurants. We had a feeling of trepidation. However, everything was excellent. We had booked a Boujee room (these I understand are just down the road from the main hotel) but were upgraded free of charge to a Decadent room. The room was fab, very spacious and had a copper bath at the bottom of the bed. We had a wet room with lovely fluffy towels and robes. The grounds and hotel were lovely, very funky and fun - would be nice to go back at a busier time in the summer. Staff were all lovely and took care of us. Our Thai dinner was really nice with good sized portions. We had a starter each, a main and a shared side dish. Just a few observations to be aware of: Drinks and food are pretty expensive with added service charges. There was only a coffee machine in the room, no tea making options. (I popped round to the garage and grabbed a couple of tea’s on the first morning) Our room (room 10) had another room above. If the occupants of that room are a bit inconsiderate and up and down a lot, it can be irritating and noisy. But over-all we had a wonderful stay and a good experience.

We overnighted here and didn’t dine. On checking in (reception staff polite) we did not appreciate being taken to a town house 150 yards off site and given a room bang next door to an all-night service station. There had been no warning of the location of this « superior » accommodation. We had to pay a substantial premium to get back into the hotel complex with a reasonable but heavily overpriced room. Complete general absence of staff in general. Breakfast was served - if one could call it that - in a pokey room along from the bar. Maybe we could have asked for it in the garden but who to ask? Not the gentleman who walked into the breakfast room after a considerable delay and bellowed « who’s next? » . Shame because the venue itself is potentially spectacular if only the service matched it. Additionally rooms in the annexe should be advertised as such.

The zany atmosphere has to be seen to be believed - its like falling down Alice in Wonderland's rabbit hole into a mix of Thursford lights and the Arabian nights. Gloriously spread across so many delectable areas indoors and out I was only sorry we didn't get to stay the night. Take time so you can wander the outdoors, or just sit and chill - admire the lighting and the fish filled pond. I gather there is a fab farm shop on site. Much of the food is in house from their own farm and smokery. Reports on a bedroom was that it was plush, velvety, with a comfy bed, but a free standing bath at the bottom of the bed and no door to the bathroom? Nice continental breakfast in the morning. Amongst rooms, some are in the main building, others in the garden area - so you need to be specific when booking. Snug bedrooms are very snug. A marvellous five bedroom house on site is good value to rent for your private party. Be aware that if you follow sat nav you end up at the front of the building in Bear Lane you need to continue past to the car park and entrance round the back! It took us twenty minutes from Oxford. Entrance from the extensive car park is via reception in an old red double decker bus. You wander through numerous areas - I have to say the wooden tables and benches in one area looked a little hard but there were fur rugs to sit on! Our meal was set in a stunningly set out Arabian styled tented area room , with adjacent bar and dance floor. Despite a chilly day it was warm and toasty when we arrived. Drinks were on the patio outside. The table decorations were magnificent - glorious high standing candelabras and high banked piles of deep red roses. The Moroccan style lamps and fairy lights all contributed to the atmosphere. Comfy sofas around the dance floor with bar right behind. We had a three course meal and I found the service to be attentive without too long a gap between courses. The soup did not come with any separate roll or bread which I found strange - just a large soggy giant crouton. My smoked salmon roulade was exceptional. The main course fish was beautifully cooked and presented and I had a marvelous crème brulee. for pudding. The wines were of a good quality - smooth and served at the right temperature. Coffee came out in an actual coffee pot with milk in a jug! They offer seven and eleven tasting menus and I guess the portion sizes might have been based on these. A really hungry person might have found the portions a little minimalist! I gather a lot of people have used groupon vouchers for this venue. In summary - Some reviews have been less than positive - so I am guessing that sometimes staffing has let things down. Post covid investment restrictions may have also meant some things are not quite as good as they once were. But for us it was a totally memorable venue for all the right reasons, quirky, atmospheric and fantastic for all those photos! Look on the Crazy Bear website for more details. For a function with the star factor it would be hard to beat., we are still all talking about it. ps if you have never been to Thursford , Norfolk, and it's Christmas Show go - its amazing too!

Wonderful Sunday Lunch we had booked Beaconsfield by mistake however they were so helpful and managed to fit us in The food was delicous and your staff are the best very attentive nothing was to much trouble A credit to your company Would highly recommend this Restaurant Hih

Great venue in a sort of random setting BUT food and service were spot on.

Really enjoyed the English taster menu for my birthday celebrations!

Delightful three course dinner dining, very good menu choice with food that was very well presented, tasty and a good portion size. Service from the staff (Annie) was excellent, she is very friendly and chatty. I would say that food/drinks are quite expensive, perhaps if they offered something like a 2/3 set menu meal (choice say of 3 starters/mains/deserts) they might attract more diners.

Had a company meeting here and thought it was great, very quirky and the staff couldn’t have been more friendly or attentive. Food was excellent and if you order the sticky toffee pudding share it with someone. This place really is a tardis with so many rooms and so much outdoor space to eat or drink. Not sure why the place receives a lot of mediocre reviews and all of us really enjoyed it and there were 20 of us. Keep up the good work

We picked here because the rooms looked unusual and we wanted to check it out and we got a last minute deal. There is a lot that I need to say about this place so I'll split it up into categories. Rooms: Pros - the beds were comfy, the ambience looks like the pictures, there were clean, and I like that you get a proper key instead of a key card. Cons - the stairwell to the rooms smells more like a London Underground train at rush hour than a 5 star hotel and the smell of pungent BO follows you into the room. They just need to give the carpets a thorough cleaning and this could be fixed. The shower was also impossible to get to the right heat and it was a wet room, which doesn't make sense for a 1st floor room. Hotel / restaurant decor: everything was spacious, clean, and looked amazing. The only issue is the lack of signs as it can be easy to get lost and it isn't clear which part is part of which restaurant/ bar. There is also ample parking. Breakfast: Pros: the quality of the food was amazing and there is a decent selection. Cons: it's confusing what you are actually allowed when you have booked breakfast in advanced with your booking. I could hear other people confused as well as when given the menu it came across as we had to pay extra for the continental section if we wanted that and you were only allowed a cooked breakfast which was not explained in the booking. Also, the duck eggs royal was not a duck eggs royal. What I expected was poached duck eggs, smoked salmon, and hollandaise sauce on toast or a muffin, but what I got was just smoked salmon and scrambled chicken eggs (it was exactly the same eggs my partner requested for his full English breakfast). English Restaurant: Pros: the quality of the food was amazing and the staff were very friendly. The dessert I originally wanted ran out so I had a different one but was not charged for it, although I still would have paid as it was really nice. Cons: there was a lack of vegetables with the mains. I didn't realise you needed to order these separately, partially my own fault but I would expect for those prices to have more than just pork and parsnips. Service: The girls at first were very friendly, and most of the staff were throughout. The lady at the English Restaurant was really kind as well. There was one man on breakfast though who really did not look like he wanted to be there and I did see him ignore several people including us (whether this was on purpose or not I'm unsure). As someone who was worked customer service and pubs jobs in stores and pubs with a lot less quality, I still made sure I smiled at people when I greeted them/ took orders etc. If this place just cleaned it's carpets, updated it's showers, trained a couple of staff members on approachability, had more clear menus, and had a few signs it would deserve the 5 stars it states it has. I would not recommend this place to friends or family.

Had a thai massage and dinner. It was lovely. Great place for date night.

Stayed here for 2 nights, I booked it through a third party and didn't realise the room was was small as the third party described it as supreme room but it's a cosy room on thier own site but the surroundings certainly make up for it, the outside area is amazing with lots of covered areas, you feel like you're in a different country in the many different areas outside and no expense has been spared. The food was delicious and just the right amount.

Had a meal with friends on Saturday night ,4 of us it total, Really nice atmosphere my partner had a slight problem with her meal but the manager went above and beyond to rectify it all of us Really enjoyed are meals ,started with black pudding scotch egg ...Excellent, then had the gnocchi it was perfectly cooked and very tasty i actually ordered the ham hock starter with mains because my partners looked so good, service was excellent I feel so bad I can't remember are waitresses name because she was great, we had the English menu on sat the 15th ,can't speak highly enough about are night felt very welcome all the staff were great made efforts to get heaters going outside and served desert outside despite being busy ..Will be back soon

Probably the worst service I and my family have ever received. Almost 90 mins waiting for food, we never did get to choose a wine with our meal. When the food came it was nothing speacial, no mint sauce with lamb, no condiments with your food, deserts I could have got at any supermarket. All we heard was excuses. Then when it came to payment that in itself was an ordeal.

Don’t go here for a Thai massage! The therapist was unprofessional lazy and disappeared during the said massage supposedly to wash her hands then showed up again once I had almost given up any hope of her returning! The concept of the place is wonderful; but… wow! The delivery of service leaves a lot to be desired, they need to retrain the bar man as well as the therapist to deliver quality service, particularly if they want to charge astronomical prices. Super underwhelming.

Food was great , however when we arrived we sat at the bar wasn't aknowledged for a while , instead had to listen to the two staffs conversation about their weekend , Then they decided to look at us and ask what we wanted to drink very unprofessional

Nice place but take out a mortgage if you dine...not as good as it once was,need to look at their flavours and meat

We had an afternoon tea at the Beaconsfield crazy bear . We got lost and phoned them up . The lady was very helpful and we managed to get to it . But the parking is awful as small car park was full then had to walk half a mile to it. No sign on the road saying it was the crazy bear so drove by it about 5 times. We were greeted by very nice staff and shown to our table . The food and tea came . The cup of tea we had was very nice. The sandwiches were lovely . The scones were hard and claggy. We took the rest home. I would say we don't think its worth £36 a person. It could of had some salad with it and maybe some small quiches, sausage rolls etc. Not worth that much. Just think your paying for the environment. I think its only worth about £25 each. Wouldn't go back.

I really liked everything, but there is a small but, there was not enough light in our room.

Mid afternoon visit. Had late lunch. Parts of the premises were a little tired. Toilet in bar area did not flush. However, excellent atmosphere, food and service.

Thai taster menu on a Sunday lunch time was super! Staff were very attentive. Restaurant a little cramped but good fun.

Went there for dinner it was my niccie. S birthday dinner

Fantastic stay and a wonderful meal! Perfect wedding anniversary for my wife and I… thank you!

Went for afternoon tea. Really nice

Amazing time at the crazy bear Stadhampton! The room was stunning and the staff were lovely. Definitely Recommend a break here!

My girlfriend and I went here for an evening meal, specifically for the Thai tasting menu (12 items and champagne). The venue itself is stunning, it's genuinely very pretty, with great parking. However, the Thai part of the restaurant is underground, with access to the area being next to the main bar. Aesthetically, it's quite lovely, but if you're over 5ft tall (yes 5ft, not 6ft), you'll basically be ducking any time you need to stand up to avoid banging your head. My girlfriend and I were seated in a corner of the room, between two other couples that were already seated, and we barely had room to even sit next to each other, let alone eat at the table. We were fighting for space the entire meal, with the table being tiny, and we had to keep apologising to the couple next to us for hitting elbows as we ate - incredibly claustrophobic to say the least. On top of this, the room itself was absolutely boiling, with no signs of air conditioning anywhere, except for a tiny fire escape door just about large enough for a hobbit, which of course wasn't open. We both had to regularly get up and go to the bathroom just to get some fresh air. As for the food, we given menus that were entirely different from the menu found on their website, with the choice of the classic menu, and a vegetarian option. Only when we sat down and ordered drinks were we told that we both have to choose the same menu, and due to my girlfriend being vegetarian, had to go for that. I can't comment on the English side menu, or even the classic Thai menu, but the food from the vegetarian menu was very basic / bland and not what we would expect from a restaurant with such great reviews. Just as an example, part of our starter was seaweed, the normal cheap stuff you can usually get from a Chinese takeout, except somehow it was even worse than a Chinese takeout. There was only a single dish both of us found okay, and that was their egg noodles, which again, weren't anything special if I'm being honest. I will say, that the staff were very friendly and even as we walked in the gentleman we spoke with was really nice and seated us very quickly. In short: Lovely venue, friendly staff, below-average food, awful seating, very uncomfortable, incredibly claustrophobic and way too warm.

This is a pub on the side of a housing estate ! Bar cramped and food poor considering cost! Our suite overlooked plastic grass on a vertical board Very disappointing . Million miles away from places like the pig

A lovely warm welcome and show around. A two min walk to the room in another house to the room. Spacious with own garden - great!

Booked one night Junior suite room with 3 course dinner for my hubby’s birthday via Groupon. We arrived on Sunday the 3rd of March at 2pm. Sadly the check-in is very late (4pm) although we had the time to relax at the bar. When we arrived to the hotel we were a little confused as where was the car park - no signs and if we have used the main road entrance we would step to the bar. When we drove around the property we found a car park and found out the reception is located in old double decker red bus. We were welcomed with a smile and good manners. As we couldn’t check in earlier we were invited to the bar. We have ordered dirty martini but they had no olive juice although bartender offered us vodka martini which was very nice. £15per tiny drink was a little bit pricey. After that we went to the local farm shop where we also could see a lot of goats and lamas. At 4pm we went back to the reception to check-in. Charlie was very kind and friendly (also prior to our visit we have exchanged many emails and she was very informative and prompt). After all check-in Charlie walked us to our room. We have stayed in room no.9 which is on the ground floor. Room is very dark, windows blinds cannot be fully shut, one of the windows couldn’t be fully closed so when we wanted to use the bath tub in our bedroom it lacked privacy. We had Thai restaurant dinner booked for 7pm. We went to the bar earlier and had a drink. Hubby had a local pint and I had bison grass vodka with an apple juice which wasn’t served for a 5star hotel standards. At the time of the dinner we were welcomed straight away and with the hand just pointed out where we could sit which would be expected to be taken to the table. 9 tables at the restaurant (5 taken) and 3 waiting staff. Waiting time to order drinks 15-20min and food no water offered. Another 15min for our drinks to be served. Food was ok, didn’t wow us and I found it far too sweet. After dinner we went to our room where after sitting on the bed we started smelling mold. It was so strong and bothered us to the point where we lifted our mattress to discover that the bed base was with concrete floor, full of little guests trash, spider webs and the smell was killing. We ended up sleeping in medical face masks. Another thing which we discovered was under tv storage full of few years dust and webs. Next day morning we had continental breakfast which was fresh and nicely presented. I asked for a gluten free bread which waiting staff wasn’t aware of but offered asking at the kitchen. 10min later we got our coffee and I asked if they have gf bread and been informed that it’s coming. Over 15min wait for bread which only proves that service is lousy especially when we were the only table. After our breakfast we went to check-out where we were asked about our stay. We have mentioned about our experience and Charlie said that they have new manager now and she would like us to speak to him. We were taken to the bar waiting a little while for manager to show up. Upon our request (not to speak in the front of other guests) we went to the Thai restaurant to talk. We have expressed our experience and disappointment. Conversation was very calm and friendly, manager Zach thanked us for the feedback and it seemed like he took it on board and would like to make some improvements. To rate our one night stay and first time experience, I would not give this place 5stars. Condition, lack of cleanliness, lack of maintenance (haven’t mentioned but a lot of good quality items, furniture looks like not looked after, lack of attention to details, glasses stored on the bar with face up where everyone can cough or sneeze - later used for someone else’s drinks etc). This place is unique with an amazing idea for stay which is not very common and gives excitement prior to visit. The owner can make this place more successful with a little touches and especially having high expectations toward the staff he is employing.

Great food, but ruined by the waiter in the Thai restaurant. We had been there about an hour when the waiter delivered plate 9 of our 12 plate taster menu and said "Just to let you know, we will be needing the table back in around 15 minutes". I noticed there was a group of people on the table in the corner which had been there well before we got there, yet I did not see the waiter say the same thing to them. Have been a few times but I won't bother in the future. Spent well over £160 for that kind of treatment, no thanks.

The deco is great and is a quirky bonus to the atmosphere. The food is very good and a good variety. Unfortunately the place is let down by the service. Although there did seem plenty of staff, they were not attentive or responsive. I had to gain their attention and ask for everything from menus, drinks, ready to order etc. They then put 13.5% service on the bill - steep at the best of times. I’m sure I could have requested it be removed but as I was treating some family members I did not want to draw attention at this time. I just think some customer service training would be worthwhile.

Dinner for six in the English restaurant on the 10th Feb. Could have been so good but……. On sitting down the six of us were given a new and much reduced menu on a single printed sheet. I think there was a choice of about five starters and five main courses (please don’t quote me) this was a bit of a surprise but we felt there was something for everyone fish/meat etc so we chose assorted starters plus mains of five steaks and one cod. The starters were good but not exemplary. The mains were all delicious but cold, I really mean stone cold and served on cold plates. I’ve never actually experienced this before, how could this be possible? It’s like they’d been resting for 15-20 minutes. The waitress did her best to rescue the situation, she was so good, she even offered to re-heat our food which you really shouldn’t do, especially to a £45 steak. Another strange one. The menu didn’t offer any side dishes. Absolutely no vegetables could be ordered whatsoever! We also wanted some chips to accompany the mains and so our waitress organised three dishes from the Thai restaurant downstairs. The waitress did organise a complimentary bottle of wine and two drinks for the non wine drinkers. We still tipped the waitress as she’d done nothing wrong but we all felt ripped off with a bill of just shy of £800 (only six of us including puddings) Definitely not the Crazy Bear fine dining experience that we’re used to. We won’t be rushing back.

Over £1300 family treat completely wasted by incompetent staff and a disorganised event! Having eaten at the Crazy bear a number of times over the last ten years and experienced great food in a unique setting, the family (11 of us) were exited to be going here for Christmas dinner '23. Unfortunately the day was a complete shambles, and if it wasn't for their outsourced band, I think the whole restaurant would have left! The table hadn't been laid properly with napkins and glasses missing. We had to ask twice for some napkins. We got the starter after about 45 minutes, then had to wait over 2 hours for the main course, with our dirty plates from the starter in front of us the whole time! The kids were so starving (as were the adults) that one of the party had to walk to the main bar and ask for some bar snacks to keep them from keeling over! When the main course eventually came out (after asking 3 times how long it'd be) some of the party had the wrong meals (but they were so hungry they just ate what they were given). The meal portion was tiny, and worst of all cold. We had to ask for the veg as nothing arrived, then one small bowl arrived 10 minutes later for 11 people! We also asked for some gravy, as the food was so dry....never arrived. The cheesecake was so dry it absorbed all the moisture in your mouth, so nobody managed to eat it. The head waiter didn't know his arse from his elbow, had no idea what wine they were selling, and the contracted staff were terrible, clearly they had no idea what they were doing and it was a complete let down. I was waiting to give this a 2 star review, but having complained to the Crazy Bear (on Boxing day) management who have completely ignored my emails, I've lowered it to a 1. In fact I'm so peed off with the waste of money this day was, I'd give it negative stars if I could. None of us will ever be going back here ever again. What a complete let down for us and many more that chose to celebrate Christmas day here. Hungry horse would have been better, at least you'd expect it to be turd!

As a young couple we are not people to complain ! But I am appalled by the shocking standards that this hotel hold. Once shown to our room we was overwhelmed by the smell of wee as we walked in not only this but to find our room had not been clean ! Leftover make up brushes , hairs /hairs pubic in the bed and not to forgot the dusty sides . We couldn’t wait to leave ! We complained to head office and in return was offered a glass of champagne if we return ( which will never ever happen ) . If you are looking for a nice get away with your other half this is not the place to go I’m disgusted!

We have visited the Crazy Bear twice in the past few months, once for a 7-course signature meal and the other for a Sunday lunch and both were superb. The food was well presented and tasted great and the staff were attentive and not overbearing Would highly recommend The Crazy Bear

I am very surprised at all the good reviews of the restaurant. Did we visit the same place?! My family and I had diner at the Thai venue and the whole experience was appalling. The food is on the average side with little portion sizes. Nothing you can not get from your local Thai food delivery. The decor is funky if you like being in a basement where your head touches the ceiling. The service is more faulty towers than Le Manoir. And for £95 a head, it is highly overpriced. We felt scammed which is not a nice feeling especially during the Christmas season. One thing for sure, we will never return.

Great place for lunch or supper.

So the whole idea of this hotel is to be a little different. It is different but expensive for what you actually get. We went here for pur wedding anniversary to try out something new. There is no sign posting. We drove round in circles trying to find the entrance. We had to ask a passer by. When we parked up, the main reception is located inside a double decker bus. It was freezing inside, the staff had woolly hats and coats on. We were offered a glass of champagne that was warm and already open, clearly been sat out for hours. The lady then took a £150 damage deposit on top of the £369 we already paid for the room. Lucky we had some left! We paid for a junior suite and was rushed round to it walking through a maze of lights and tables. They were clearly understaffed and had no time for us. Our suite was black and gold. The lighting was very dim and we could barely see anything. We had to use the torches on our phones the whole time. I get the romantic atmosphere they are going for, but a dimmer switch would have been appreciated. If you want good lighting to be able to put on your makeup, you can forget it. The metal bath tub was scratched to bits inside. The toilet seat was plastic and scratched up. The room had a few dusty spots and we had to ask for toilet roll. There was plenty of shower gel and soap around and lots of clean towels. The room was in good repair. The bed was super comfy. We booked a table at the English restaurant. When we wandered out of our rooms, we were turned around trying to find where to go. There is no signage apart from the Thai restaurant sign which was infact pointing to the wrong restaurant. We again had to ask for directions. We had to walk through a bar that looked like an English pub, about 5 steps before walking up a small set of stairs into the restaurant which looked down at the pub goers. It was a really weird set up. We had to move table as we put in the gangway and the wholearea smells of damp. The walls are decoratedand in an old converted cottage like this, there should be better ventilation. I felt uncomfortable, being stared at by the pub goers . I felt a bit over dressed for the pub, when my impression was to fancy up a bit. The food came out warm. My main was cold. It had been sitting a while. And overpriced. Very expensive. It cost £16 for one cocktail. £18 for a vegetarian burger which had nothing with it. I paid an extra £6.50 for a handful of fries that again were cold. We were not offered water and didn't want to pay for any as we had two bottles given to us in our room. For the price, the restaurant is well overrated and the room no different to a family Premier Inn room apart from the fancy decor of course. We tried to check out at 7am as we had a long day and the reception was shut. We had to walk around to find someone and eventually found a bar tender setting up breakfast. Apparently people dont check put before 10? Never heard that one before. Not a good experience here, Its a shame really. This place looks pretty but unless someone else is paying... use your money for something else.

Went here for our work Christmas Party. Nice place, service was great, food was nice snd entertainment was interesting.

We purchased the Twelve Plate Signature Sharing Menu Dinner as a voucher for ourselves and friends (four of us in total), and booked online direct with The Crazy Bear for 3pm Sunday 17th December. We followed the online booking up with a phone call to The Crazy Bear say we had a voucher, no problem and thanks for letting us know they say. So far, so good. Imagine our surprise when we arrive we are then told the restaurant had stopped serving the 12 plate sharing menu. We're told that we should have contacted them directly (we did - well, we phoned the number on their website so if it wasn't them then I don't know who we spoke to) to make the booking because whoever took the booking didn't know what they were doing. Having said that, our booking was on the system so if they knew they were stopping serving at 3pm perhaps then the staff at Stadhampton could have seen the error and phoned us beforehand to explain there was a mistake. Anyway, after a few minutes a table is found for us and the food is rushed through to us very quickly. Nice flute of champagne served (part of the voucher). Whilst we appreciate the effort made to serve us, to constantly be told we are very lucky did make us feel guilty (not sure why we were lucky as it was The Crazy Bear who messed up the booking). Not sure how many plates we were served but didn't feel like 12, but if you count prawn crackers and dips then maybe there were. Food very pleasant. Nice dessert but when we asked what it was the waitress told us "it's something I can't pronounce but it's part of your 12 plates". Not once were we asked if we would like another drink until we had finished eating, when we were offered coffee. We're then asked to vacate our table, I assume for their next booking, but we were welcome to finish our coffees in the bar. That would have been nice to do but there were no tables or chairs free. Such a shame that the experience wasn't what we hoped it would be. Lovely setting and decent enough food but with everything else that went on and being rushed then, unfortunately, the vouchers and coffees, which in total cost the best part of £180, weren't great value for money.

The menu on line is not what you get when you attend. They have had a change of chefs and it shows in the food be aware they take a tip from you in the bill quite a high price. The food quality and amount you get is small and not great but they still charge you high end prices. very disappointing

Xmas party good entertainment but it was over booked.

Went for one of the Christmas party experiences with work. Great venue, food, drink selection and outstanding entertainment

It was a company Christmas party. The events area is vast and well catered for with multiple bars. The positioning of the entertainment area is poorly located, affording views of the entertainment only to those closest to the area without standing up. The main bar & dining area is very quiet and nicely decorated. Good selection of food, if a little on the expensive side - but for the atmosphere and setting understandable.

We have been here twice for a company Christmas event and stay over, the staff are everything you would like them to be, professional, courteous, polite and nothing is too much trouble. The venue has a charm about it that you don't get from modern premises, very eclectic but at the same time, warm and inviting that you feel all your needs are catered for. Highly recommend!

Lovely place , only problem was a load of women stood in front of the gap in which we was watching the show

We came here for the festive 3 course meal. Staff were fantastic and attentive. Gorgeous decor outside. The food was sublime, delicious flavours and very tender. I will be returning.

Avoid at all costs, hot air balloon scammers We booked a hot air balloon ride through virgin experiences and it was possibly the worst customer experience we have ever had. Read on for the full facts on how this company is scamming customers with a less than 20% flight launch rate. If you have a hot air balloon ride with them booked, get your money back asap because you are 80% likely to NOT go! When we booked back in March 2023 we were told by virgin we needed to call at least 8 weeks beforehand to book, the only date that Crazy Bear had available was October 2023. So we booked it knowing that occasionally the weather would result in a cancellation. As it got closer to the time we started to come across other negative reviews, constant cancellations all year long with ridiculous excuses. One person had their flight cancelled due to the coronation... apparently all flights got cancelled that day but noone was told this would happen until the morning so Crazy Bear didn't inform customers until the day. What a lie. All flights were not cancelled and flight notice given for the Kings fly over was not on the day. We decided to contact Crazy Bear and ask why there were so many reviews saying the flights had been cancelled. The information they then sent us was shocking. 60 Scheduled April, May ,June. 10 went ahead July terrible weather for ballooning 32 Scheduled only 2 went ahead. Upped our scheduling in August to 45 and did 11. Done 14 in September. 1 so far in October (as of October 5th 2023) As you can see the success rate of flights is appalling. Crazy Bear tried to claim that 2023 was just a blip and a bad flight year. So we asked for evidence that they had more success last year. They replied that this is the first year they have had hot air balloon rides. So not a blip then this is their standard. The phone line you call the message relays ridiculous excuses for cancellations. We eventually got our money back via virgin after a long process of starting legal action via MCOL. Avoid.avoid.avoid. They are still selling these vouchers despite all the cancellations, dishonest and scamming money from customers without telling the truth about how much they cancel the rides and how long it will take you to get booked onto another flight (which will probably get cancelled again!)

The food was great, for the price though the service was average to not great as we had to ask for drinks and chase them up. The menu is also different to online, online had more choices and several desserts but on the day there was only 3-4 desserts, which were not to our taste. One issue we didn’t ask at the time but the lighting kept dimming and then got bright every 5-10 minutes, which was off putting. It was all very nice but I would expect better for the price.

Went for a Virgin experience 7 course taster menu......food was excellent and staff very helpful.

Such a disappointment. Went for Sunday lunch, quite straightforward but poor food and absolutely terrible service ruined what should have a great birthday celebration. Went home hungry, that's never happened before.

a 7 course tasting menu for a wedding present. Fabulous food and service. Second time we have been and both times terrific food.

Great experience and great quality 👌❤️

12 course Thai tasting menu was absolutely fantastic. Very nice venue. Didn't stay in the hotel but worth a visit.

Sunday lunch for 5. Pretty easy to get right but no...we were on time but the table wasn't. Asked to wait in the bar was fine except that barman was very busy and we waited for 30 minutes unable to order anything. Thirsty and by now starving (4pm) we went to the restaurant unprompted. Our orders were taken quite immediately in a very rushed manner but the drinks took forever to come, our pre dinner cocktails arriving after the starters was a bit disconcerting but not as much as the flat prosecco. It was changed without hesitation but that is really not the point. Starters were nice, well presented apart from the belly pork, a bowl containing a jumble of random bits and pieces covered in gravy (I couldn't help picturing this as left-overs from someone's plate, fairly sure it wasn't). I would recommend avoiding this. We waited so long for our mains that the waiter bought our dessert menu then scurried off to chase up the main course. These were the biggest let down of all: two of our party had great roast beef, mine was couple of slices of fat and gristle. The vegetables were terrible: three 1" long carrots with a mystery glaze (mulled wine maybe?) and 1 limp piece of tender stem broccoli. This was bolstered by some additional cauliflower cheese (£7) lacking very much in the cheese department). The single vegetarian option was an insult, the smallest piece of celeriac you could possibly imagine, especially given the price. The roasties were the worst ever encountered any where. Pale with no hint of ever having seen an oven, the 3 small pieces had a thick rind making them almost impossible to eat. I guess they had been under a heat lamp for hours. Unfortunately my family were so hungry they took them off my plate and ate them anyway.... The desserts barely made up for the overall disappointment and were not large enough to assuage the growing hunger. If anybody had checked whether we were happy I could have told them this but the staff were invisible and also indifferent. Given that we had gift vouchers (which at the time of purchase cost much more than the actual price today ) the bill for a few drinks and extras was over £100. We all left hungry which is shocking after a 3 course meal. The cheese on toast at home was sorely needed and also much better quality. Save your money and eat somewhere else where they care about what they are serving and the guest satisfaction.

I did consider giving this place a 4-star review. The description for a 4-star review is "very good" A 3-star review is "Average" I'd say this was just about good but certainly not very good. Anyway, I'll start with the good bits. The roast beef I ate was delicious and cooked to perfection and was a good sized portion. The dining area was stunning and had a great feel about the place, also the entertainment was very good. Now the bad bits, or as people like to say these days the "opportunities." After sitting down we were just left, no menu, no drink order taken. It was several minutes until a menu arrived, several more to take our drink order and several more to deliver our drinks and take our food order. In fact it was just over 25 minutes from seating to receiving our drinks. The starters came out after a short wait, nothing to worry about but probably could have been a touch sharper, and the subsequent main course arrived after another short wait. I had roast beef and as I described already the beef itself was superb. Sadly, the accompanying veg/sides were not so great. They were average at best, the veg portions were small and no where near generous enough and the potatoes lacked in something, they were small and kinda tasted a bit old and unseasoned. Now, we certainly would have mentioned this had someone come back to check on us or even take another drinks order, sadly no one appeared. We were just left, drinkless, hungry and unsatisfied. We soldiered on showing that unwavering British spirit, after all it was Rememberance Sunday and opted for desserts. The cheesecake I ordered was nice but very small,like one of those mini desserts some places sell with a coffee after your meal. My wife's dessert was odd, she ordered a crumble with ice cream. What appeared was some fruit, cream and some kind of sesame snap thing on top, it was very weird and extremely bland. Then, a server appeared with her actual dessert and apologised. Again it was nice but small. My main concern though was not the size of the portions or the old potatoes. It was the service, it wasn't great, we didn't feel like we were important and we didn't feel looked after, we just felt let down by this experience, I definitely can't forgive not being asked if I'd like another drink! There appeared to be plenty of staff on duty but it did look like some were busy doing nothing. I'm sure there were/are people who think this is an amazing establishment and I'm certain that it could be, sadly for us it wasn't great. Not sure if I'll go again, I think it could be good but do I want to risk the cost it is to eat here and risk another bad experience? I'm not sure

Absolutely loved our stay here. Great place, lovely atmosphere and very helpful and friendly staff. Definately stay again

Crazy bear is fun, it's all done very well, just not everyone's cup of tea

We had an overnight stay in a deluxe double bedroom, however there wasn’t anything deluxe about it, a very small dark room with a cold badly designed wet room. Unprofessional staff in all areas of the hotel. There was only enough hot water for one shower. Dinner arrived cold so had to be sent back, burger was hardly cooked so totally raw and cold in the middle. We were then rushed to pay our bill before we had even finished our drinks as were informed that only one member of staff knew about to work the card machine and she was leaving for the night, the staff clearly wanted to clear the restaurant and finish setting up for breakfast the next morning, even though it wasn’t even 9pm. We had understood breakfast was included in our stay, this was in fact only a continental breakfast and if you wanted a full English you needed to pay extra. Won’t be returning!

The high expectations of our overnight stay for a birthday celebration with 7 course English dinner were not lived up to. First it was difficult to know what room you were booking on the website, had to email/call to confirm which room we would get. It turned out to be one in a converted house 2 minutes walk away from the actual hotel. Not quite the same as staying in the actual hotel. The toilet is not in a separate room which lacks basic privacy and is a pet peeve of mine. The 7 course dinner was ok but nothing special (nowhere near a Michelin star meal if that’s what you are expecting) and we had to pay extra over and above the £45 per head we’d been charged when booking (with a few drinks it was over £110 more added on). So an overnight stay with dinner approached £500 which was frankly overpriced. Yes it’s a whackily designed hotel but that’s all really. Staff were clearly overheard talking about how they’re overworked and the high level of complaints they’d been handling that day, which isn’t very reassuring. Sadly I couldn’t recommend this place and would look for a spa package with dinner included instead which would be more luxurious, restful and better value whilst still cheaper.

Had a really nice sharing Thai meal here. Lovely bar with great atmosphere.

Excellent service and good food

Crazy Bear Stadhampton blew us away with its exceptional food, offering a tantalizing blend of flavors that left our taste buds dancing with joy. The service was top-notch, with friendly and attentive staff who went above and beyond to make our dining experience unforgettable. The restaurant itself was a feast for the eyes, with its funky and beautiful decor creating a unique and vibrant atmosphere. A truly remarkable place that exceeded our expectations in every way.

Amazing dinner at the Thai restaurant

Well, I guess the name says it all! ‘Crazy’ but in a good way. Reception is an old London double decker bus and there really is a bear in the bar! Our room was great with a very comfortable bed and a massive infinity bath that filled from a hole in the ceiling. We ate in the Thai restaurant and the food was delicious. Two drawbacks; 1) Dial 0 for 24 hour Room service … except nobody answered the phone? which is unacceptable in a 5 star hotel. 2) Continental breakfast was pretty poor and the ‘supplement’ to upgrade to a Full English was in fact the full price, so made no allowance made at all. I’d still highly recommend this eccentric hotel but would also definitely recommend that the owners address these two issues which just took the shine off an otherwise wonderful break.

Lovely 7 course meal In beautiful surroundings.

Lovely food, nice venue but word of advice, a 13.5% service charge is added to bill automatically which is not passed on to staff! Ask for it to be deducted and then leave your own tip if you want to which they can keep!

We went for a groupon meal, which was very tasty. The food was amazing, but the Service was just ok. It felt quite rushed and cramped, so I'm not sure I would have paid full whack without the voucher.

Interesting and unique decor but rooms were so basic. There was absolutely nothing in there apart from a velour wall! Food in the restaurant was really good but we were absolutely crammed in - I was almost on the lap of the couple sitting next to me! Felt that it was overpriced and was disappointing!

Dirty, tatty, and very poor customer that have an attitude, including the manager. Don’t bother. The one is Beaconsfield is much better

My daughter took me to the crazy bear for afternoon tea for my birthday. The tea was lovely delicious sandwiches and cakes etc. But a tiny pot of tea which just isn't enough. And the restaurant was roasting we got so hot it spoilt it so we got some of our food put in goody boxes and went for walk outside. The staff were very pleasant. But more tea and turn the heat down.

Awful experience. Dirty rooms, cobwebs and dirt and floors not clean and lots of cobwebs. Air con doesn’t work so boiling in the room. And so had an awful nights sleep. Sink tap broken…Communal area carpets are absolutely filthy - called to discuss prior to posting to see if any reasons for any of the above but they don’t seem to care - they say they don’t even know who owns the hotel now…

We had a lovely 7 course meal and it was the perfect amount and a nice location hidden away. Would recommend only downside is they put on a charge for service when your paying alot for everything abit cheeky I'd rather leave my own tip only thing to beware of if your going to vist.

This is a review of the hot air balloon flights advertised by Crazy Bear. We booked a flight for my Dad's 90th Birthday for April this year, so far they have cancelled the flight 8 times and the next available date is now next year. I know they have to be aware of weather conditions, but my issue is that once your first flight is cancelled, you go to the back of the queue, as they keep selling flights, so anyone who books after you will get the next available flight, not you. Once a flight is cancelled, no more bookings should be taken untill everyone who has already paid has had their flight. Once booked, even if they cancel 8 times, you can not get a refund. So we have 2 options, wait and see if they manage to find a flight when they restart next year, or write of a few hundred pounds and rebook with a more responsible company.

Love this eccentric venue. Pricey, but you'll never forget your visit. Keep an eye out for the catfish that stares constantly into the bulb in the pond.

Our family had bought us a voucher for the 7 course Signature Menu. We decided to book an overnight stay as well as it was our wedding anniversary. The room was all dark velvet and gold, would have been 5 star apart from blinds which were in need of repair and the inside door handle in the bathroom was a little loose. On check in we offered a glass of champagne which was a nice touch. The meal was delicious and beautifully presented, the main course wasn't very hot and the waitress offered to change it. We declined but suggested hot plates would have helped. Continental breakfast was included in the room price. A good selection of cereals, cold meats, cheese. Plus fruit juice, fruit salad and yogurt and choices of fresh baked breads. Jams etc at the table, tea or coffee as hot drink options. Cooked breakfast was an optional paid extra, whilst I would normally have that the continental offering was good so chose that. Overall a lovely experience and a great gift for someone.

Stunning food, simply delightful, and excellent service.

English restaurant - food and service very poor. Food way nothing special and the staff made you feel pressured/ rushed into choosing your food. Breakfast- poor layout, very limited and in the same crampt area as the evening meal. Sunday lunch was very nice, great food with great staff. No tea and coffee available in the room. We're told tea and coffee we could order to the room we're complimentary then tried to charge us 12 quid for a tea and coffee. Overall stay MASSIVELY OVERPRICED for a weekend stay. Nice concept but very very very poor delivery

HORRIBLE! FRAUDULENT! DISGUSTING! and many more things can be said about this company, flights are always delayed and cancelled due to weather even though its a perfect day ! Don't waste your money on FRAUDULENT money black holes where you don't get anything you paid for like this !

We visited the crazy bear Stadhampton for a Sunday roast in September. It was a wedding gift. We have been to the Thai restaurant before and weren't totally impressed for the price we paid, compared to any other thai restaurant. We came back with low expectations, but at least knew we wouldn't be paying! We arrived and were asked to go wait in the bar. Whilst watching 5 staff faffing, we were finally served and ordered a cocktail and a pint, and then sat on a table, in a half empty restaurant, 15-20 minutes after arriving. It seemed clear that anyone with a voucher was sent to the bar to buy a drink, to make their moneys worth. It's understandable but frustrating to then wait a while to be seated. The tables were already set up. We finally ordered our meal after again waiting on slow, unresponsive service. It was an hour in total before we had our food ordered. We heard a couple next to us order the last lamb.. this becomes relevant later on. We had croquettes for the starter. These whilst rather deep fried were tasty. Overall. The starter was tasty! Shortly after, we were served our mains to the dismay of tables around us, who had also been waiting a very long time for service, drinks, clearance, and of course their mains! My wife started eating. However, I tried for several minutes to get the attention of the staff to request my missing Yorkshire pudding. (We both ordered beef, mine was missing the yorkshire). After a few minutes, we finally got a staff member to come over, and they explained it wasn't Beef I'd been given, It was lamb. I should have noticed, but thankfully, I hadn't touched it. The couple next to us, who'd ordered the final lamb 10 minutes before us, looked rather frustrated. Shortly after, they sent out my beef and sent 2 plates of beef to the other couple. Who angrily questioned why I'd received the lamb. Where they tried to lie and rectify. The couple ended up leaving without eating their main. After the confusion, which could happen to any waiter, we ate our meals 5 minutes apart from each other. We were approaching 2 hours in the restaurant by this point. Again, thankfully, the food was of a fairly good quality. The only saving grace (and the reason for 2 stars). We finally ordered our desserts, which were, again, fairly nice. To top it off, we ordered a side of cauliflower cheese, so when we came to pay for this element, we were confronted with a £15 service charge relative to the whole bill. I couldn't help but chuckle whilst asking for this to be removed. We saw many people complaining during the meal. It didn't seem as though anyone paid at all or full price. A small team of unexperienced waiters and waitresses were a mix of disinterested on one end to really trying their hardest with little to no training. For the latter, we felt rather sorry, as one waitress looked as if she could cry. Tl;Dr. If you're desperate to go to this Instagram hotspot to take some pics, fair enough, that's not our bag. But if you're coming here for a decent meal, or for a special occasion. Do not bother! Go to your local pub or another restaurant. The service is shocking, and the food is average and overpriced.

This was our 36th Anniversary and I wanted my wife to experience the Crazy Bear...the last time we booked she couldn't come because of Covid so this was long overdue. We opted for the 7 course tasting menu. It was exceptional!!!!..it was very hot today and we ate outside under cover..just beautiful!!!...service was amazing..shout out to Jodie she was attentive but not over the top..she was brilliant. We loved every course and couldn't have asked for more..we will definitely be back on another beautiful day...Thank you very much for making our special day and experience to remember for all the good reasons....

Great to spend the night in a totally different hotel. From the quirky reception in a double decker bus, to the lavishly decorated room. Great for a special night. The food in the restaurant was so tasty, service was great too. Continental breakfast had so much choice all could be sourced from the farm shop. The Cheeses were especially good.

I was there for a sunrise balloon flight followed by afternoon tea. My flight was one of the best experiences of my life. The staff looked after us so well. The continental breakfast was an added bonus. We came back a while later for our afternoon tea. The food was delicious and so very fresh. We could not find fault with anything. Great staff, great service and wonderful food. Would highly recommend The Crazy Best.

We booked the English Restaurant as a special 60th birthday treat for my mum, hoping to all have the 7 course tasting menu. From the minute we were seated, we were all so disappointed...it was a very warm evening and we were seated in the tiny dining room (which has padded walls and no room between the tables, or space for the waiters to serve!) It also had incredibly heavy leather table cloths which draped over your legs...pretty rediculous especially in summer! We asked for the tasting menu and were immediately told by our waitress 'oh you don't want that, you might as well spend the money on a steak or something to fill you up...' we were all a bit upset by this as we had driven 2 hours especially for the tasting menu. We ignored the comment and ordered anyway, as her main issue seemed to be that the portions would be small, to be expected when there are 7 plates! The drinks came out wrong, slow and after the first plate was already served. The servers were incredibly young and inexperienced, not trained for a gastro pub let alone a fine dining experience. We were thrown the plates, passed them down the table (as there was no room for us to be served properly). As I ordered the vegetarian tasting menu, the server brought it out and said 'er...the veggie thing?' not exactly what you'd expect when paying £70 for the tasting menu. The servers didn't tell us what each dish was, just dumped it down, in the end we asked for a menu back so we could see what we were eating next. The main course came out after 40 mins, and was stone cold. We had to send it back, much to their annoyance. It was eventually replaced and we got a sorry, but we just felt like we were inconveniencing them. On a positive note, the non-vegetarian courses were really tasty and well presented, the brownie and cheese courses were everyone's favourites, along with the pork belly! As the vegetarian tasting menu cost the same as the meat/ fish option I would have to say it didn't represent good value (the sample menu on the website was far more interesting than what was actually served.) Overall, the meal took over 4 hours due to the long waits between serving, and cost £600 with a couple of bottles of wine and a few other drinks. Having had tasting menus in other places, this was a poor comparison unfortunately. If anyone from the restaurant reads this, ultimately the main feedback would be to train staff properly suitable to restaurant standard! We were not the only ones disappointed that evening, and it was a strange atmosphere listening to the other tables complain to the staff for similar disappointing meals.

We had a nice meal and the surroundings are great but the service was disappointing for the price range. When we left, the bar called us a taxi who tried to charge us £30 to travel 4 miles down the road. He called control who after some negotiation charged us £20 still way over the odds

Having read the reviews I was a little sceptical about our visit but I really didn’t need to be. I never write reviews but I wanted to take the time to do this for anyone else who may be worried about an upcoming visit (like I was). The staff were all absolutely incredible… from the moment we arrived to check out everyone was friendly and professional with a massive shout to Sophie who is so personable and a real asset to the hotel. We managed to book in for a Thai massage which is something we wouldn’t normally do and it was just amazing. We only booked this due to the reception team mentioning about availability and sooooo pleased they did! The food was incredible too as were the grounds. Our room was very compact but was so quirky with it. We really couldn’t fault anything about our stay!

We've been the this restaurant several times and the English Tasting menu is, without doubt, the best offering. We were slightly disappointed we could not sit outside since the weather was fabulous, but the tiny English restaurant was great and they'd gone to the trouble...

We had a voucher for a champagne afternoon tea which was gifted by friends. Having had the afternoon tea at the Crazy Bear Beaconsfield a number of times, we decided to try Stadhampton which is nearer to us. Sadly, a big mistake! Not a patch...

Could not fault the food or service. The surroundings were beautiful giving a real sense of being somewhere special. It was the first time one of our group had been, and we will definitely be back. A special mention to David, he was a wonderful...

Relaxing pleasant afternoon spent with freinds enjoying an afternoon tea Everything was fresh and tasty with plenty to eat Champagne was flowing Great service Thanks

Terrific venue, lots to look at, but watch out for unexpected taxidermy if its ot your thing. Very opulent, terrificly attentive staff and wonderful food.

Crazy rooms I loved them we saw 2 and the decor is exceptionally well done . The Bar ,gardens even reception where we were greeted nicely and to a glass of cold Lanson very nice touch . Thai restaurant, food was above expectations albeit the...

Wouldn’t waste your money, over rated, stayed for the weekend, food wasn’t great, service was poor and both me and my partner were disappointed, emailed to share our concerns and no reply to email spent nearly £1500 in two days.

Lucky enough to have a 12 course Thai menu voucher gifted to us. Have been to the Beaconsfield restaurant previously and loved it! Was intrigued to see how this location would compare! The food was amazing. Very tasty, good portions, great flavours. Drinks were nice,...

My daughter has been raving about this place so we booked a nice little surprise for our daughter's birthday. The most important thing is our daughter loved it and the food was pretty good. The surroundings are wild and interesting. It was not a place...

We live locally to the Crazy Bear, and have visited on many occasions. Over the years, we've notice the level of service and quality of food degrade. Yet, we like to be optimistic and kept the faith in the Crazy Bear brand. Today we visited...

We arrived and we shown into a large conservatory area instead of the dining room we had dined in on a previous visit. We had the added surprise of a singer who was very good but felt a bit awkward when he moved around the...

Dear Crazy Bear 15 February 2023 0940 (No response) Thank you, food was appreciated. Booked a table in the English Restaurant where my wife loves the atmosphere created by the retro and unique decor as much as the food. On arrival was simply told our...

Quirky but in a brilliant way. Great food, comfortable room, friendly, efficient and very helpful staff. English or Thai restaurant, we were in the English restaurant. Great food and service. Wine a tad expensive but good selection. One niggle however, the shower water ran everywhere...

Absolutely excellent! Service was amazing! Food the best ever. The band were awesome! Will be returning this year! What a fantastic location!