The Golden Ball Inn in Cotswold

We had a cheeky weekend break in our camper and found this lovely, proper country pub. We both had a meal and could find no fault with either meal. The beer was well kept, the licencees welcoming and the obvious regulars friendly. Dog friendly, though we left our terrierists in the van. Food area in the main away from the bar, so diners get the pleasant experience of not having other customers traipsing by, unless of course you choose to dine in the bar which we did. If I lived closer it would definitely be a regular haunt.

Lovely pub in a quiet Cotswold village. Good wholesome food at a reasonable price. Becky the proprietor is friendly and helpful. Giving us tips and directions. Her mum, Fi cooks up a good meal, always checking everything is ok. We enjoyed our visits for both food and drinks. Would definitely go again

A charming dining experience to match a stunningly scenic town, we were a family of 4 that all found the meal tasty, the drinks thirst-quenching and the service quite hospitable. There's a timeless charm to this place, like you're dining in history aside the mammoth fireplace and amidst art depicting the centuries-old building and it's many uses through the years. This restaurant is split into 3 rooms, one is a live music area and sort of off to the side, one is a main dining area opposite side of the building from the bar and the third is a sit down pub with locals of all ages having a chat while their dogs keep them company. The bar has a wide range of drinks and local beers available, as to be expected in a tied-house. Service was top notch. Friendly, prompt and helpful on suggestions.

We stumbled upon this place unexpectedly and rushed in before the end of the lunch service at 2.30pm. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food which was beautifully presented and freshly prepared. It was not the biggest menu range but there was enough choice and when the quality was as good as it was, it is this that you remember! I would not hesitate to go back if we were passing through the area in the future - it was a gem of a find!

Great New Years Eve meal. Food was great & service was very personable. We had a wonderful evening Staff were very friendly, the portion sizes were generous and a nice touch to provide a bowl of veg on the side. We will be returning when next in the area

We were staying in am airbnb nearby and visited a couple of times. Really friendly staff, good choice of drinks and great food. Especially the pie! Dog friendly too which is a bonus!

This is everything you would want from a Cotswold country pub at the Golden Ball. The Sunday roast is first class, fantastic ales, warm welcome from a local family who care. If you’re walking through the slaughters, visiting Stow on the Wold or locals living close by, visit this local pub you will not be disappointed . Sunday Times you must visit soon!

What a transformation! Since the new owners took over last year, the quality of food, standard of service, and ambience of this lovely Cotswolds pub have improver considerably. Sunday lunch is one of the best we have ever had. The staff are lovely, and the setting was perfect for a stroll to walk it off afterwards Highly recommended!

Travelling from OS (Aust) but staying nearby I insisted we go local. This was a FANTASTIC local pub experience - walking distance from where we were staying. Genuine people and genuine food. Overall highly rated and a bloody great feed. We had 30 days around the UK, this was THE BEST local pub we encountered across the UK.

Well filled and tasty sandwiches, a good selection served with root veg crisps and salad leaves or chips for an extra £2 all served with a smile.

My partner & I have recently moved back into the Cotswolds, after a 6.5 year hiatus in North Oxfordshire & I can tell you, we are so pleased to be back here, wasting no time exploring what was my old stomping ground, catching up with old faces and acquaintances in some of what I consider, are the best pubs in the country. One of the hitherto undiscovered gems, has been The Golden Ball at Lower Swell, which is run by a Mum & Daughter team, being Becky & Fiona, or Fi as she is better known. This a traditional, cosy, inviting and friendly pub, well supported by the villagers and they serve lovely, tasty, home cooked food, at very sensible prices and I've been meaning to write about our visits for more than a week now, but it's been worth the wait. Having popped out for what we thought was just going to be a drink and discover trip, we ended up having an early supper and we were hooked. So much so, we went back there today to sample their Sunday roast menu and it was just delicious, plentiful and extraordinary value for money. It was lovely to have a bit more time for a chat with Becky and to meet Fi, as they are such perfect hosts, making you feel valued and welcome. I cannot encourage anyone reading this enough, to go and pay them a visit, as I assure you, you won't be disappointed. So whether you are lucky and privileged, as we are, to live nearby, or you're a visitor/tourist, looking for some truly authentic Cotswold hospitality, then make sure you drop by The Golden Ball. We'll be making a regular trip to support them, I assure you of that.

An unpretentious and comfortable pub. The Donningtons beer was well kept, the wine was nice, the grub was decent “pub grub” and the service was efficient and friendly. Just what we wanted.

This pub does delicious food with big portions. All food is really tasty and everything on the menu is really nice. We went twice in one week and had consistently good service.

Had a roast dinner here today, which was superb. Lovely setting with very friendly, welcoming staff. Highly recommend!

Excellent lunch and the best crab sandwich I ever hadl Friendly pub in a lovely setting. Good range of desserts.

We were lucky to chance upon this lovely pub on a circular walk which started at Stow. What a find! We have visited three times now and enjoyed lovely lunches. We had crab and beef sandwich specials which were delicious. Plenty of filling and lovely fresh bloomer bread. The staff were really friendly. We also enjoyed chatting with the locals. If you are staying in Stow it’s a couple of minutes in the car or a 20 minute walk. We’ll certainly be back!

Went on trip advisor recommendations,looking forward to trying bloomin onion,told at bar it was off also steak,both opted for fish and chips extremely disappointing,spoonful of shrivelled garden peas,no idea what' sort of fish it was and the chips were hard scrappy and small, certainly not like the reviews people have left,wonder if it's chefs night off?

A really fun evening with delightful staff and excellent food. We so enjoyed the experience we booked again for the next evening. Their ‘blooming onion’ was blooming marvellous. A great family team with Mum in the kitchen.

This pub is great for craft beer, service is also good, but I’m sorry to say the food is not good, my husband had chicken katsu curry, which was basically battered chicken with a shop bought curry sauce, my meal wasn’t much better, ravioli which was fresh from a packet and not cooked properly, both meals £30 we won’t be eating there again whilst on holiday.

We booked our table back in November 2022 so we were certain we would get a table. We were there celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary with family. The lady who served us was exceptional, went out of her way to make sure everything was okay for us. Even gave myself and my husband a celebratory glass of fizz 🥂🥂. The food was absolutely delicious, we've eaten at some 5⭐️ restaurants and The Golden Ball is up there with them. Thank you for your hospitality on our anniversary.

Had a fantastic meal Wednesday evening and then drinks and nibbles Friday & Saturday. All the staff and Becky the landlady are very helpful and friendly and the local Donnington beer and Cotswold gin is fantastic. Can’t wait to come back later in the year...

What a fantastic pub, great food and the most friendly atmosphere. Becky is a wonderful host and the food we had one evening while staying in the village was fab

Absolutely disgusted After a very long walk with family we were bursting for the toilet so decided to pop into the customer toilets we then looked on our phones at the drinks and decided it would be a great pit stop for a refreshment As...

A really great traditional country pub. A friendly welcome and always someone interesting to talk to. Proper pub food and lots of it. A lovely place to spend the evening.

Golden Ball Funny story: On the day when my daughter, my daughter-in-law, and I arrived in Lower Swell we had just flown from the western U.S. ; just driven in our first electric vehicle through very narrow roads to get there; played hide and seek...

Called in for a Sunday roast with the family, great food ,beer and the service was brilliant. Yes I know the new owners and have done for years but they know how to run a pub . You will not be disappointed in a visit.

We stumbled across The Golden Ball whilst visiting the area for the week. The pub changed hands in November so please ignore some of the previous reviews. The brewery for the pub is a stones throw away, so your beer is local and made in...

My wife and I had a super meal at the Golden Ball in the first week of January. Everything was perfect, freshly cooked food, good portions, fantastic service. Not forgetting Donnington Ales.

5…. Really friendly local service. So nice to meet the youngest female publican doing so well. Excellent local ales in a lovely historic village. Nice surrounding countryside and some very relaxing walks

Called in whilst on a walk. Greeted by a somewhat surly guy at the bar, who said “no” when I asked if there was wi-if, only to be told there was later by another member of staff. It was fairly quiet, and so we enjoyed...

Excellent food and great service. Allergies well catered for. Would highly recommend, and landlady could not have been more helpful.

Attended this pub for lunch today. Service was terrible. Waited 35 minutes for main course to arrive and then a further 27 minutes for dessert even though the pub was empty. Burger was disgusting, cheap patty used and was over cooked with McDonald style chips...

We popped in for a pint after our walk, absolutely lovely landlady. After chatting we decided to come back for dinner, it didn’t disappoint food was great top end pub food and the price was great. They also found out there was a birthday, and...

We rang to check an item on the sample menu online was available as the fussy teenager probably wouldn't eat anything else and it was. The service was outstanding and the landlady came over to see the dog who lay under the table and everyone...

Our table was booked for 12:20 pm and we arrived shortly after and looked around inside for some staff. We found a lady who pointed out our table and hastily called through for assistance. Someone was instructed to wipe down the tables. She came to...

A must stop in lovely countryside, a warm welcome from the locals who are keen to exchange views and local knowledge.

This charming English pub, set in the heart of the Cotswolds, not far from Stow on the Wold is totally authentic and serves great food, very reasonably priced (unusual for the area). An outstandingly honest menu serving extremely tasty pub food and a warm and...

On our way back from a day out in the Cotswolds and fancied something to eat. Gave them a call and booked for 5. Arrived half an hour before food service began but the chef fired up the stove for us and fed us. Food...

We were out walking, using the OS map - and for some reason this pub does not appear on it, so we were delighted to find the pub (having been turned away from the Slaughters Country Inn by a sourfaced waiter who told us they...

Great lunch in front of a roaring fire, thank you Maria and the team for making us feel welcome. Generous portions and our kids felt like they were at home.

just wonderful staff, food and atmosphere. They were accommodating, polite and kind. Really felt like you were a guest in someone's home.

Staying in Stow 6 couples booked in for lunch after a short 15 min walk. Brilliant beer, great guns all served by welcoming staff. Perfectly varied menu gave choice for all. Food arrived at the same time and perfectly cooked, having read one of the...

We drove past at first we thought the premises were closed but then noticed the lit candles in the windows further along the building. The weather was dreary so the warmth of the lit candles drew us in, although the pub seemed quite empty of...

So we ended up at this pub after reading the reviews and the way it was sold on the website we pride ourselves on our generous portions it said opted for the Shepard's pie served with mash potatoes and peas what turned up was very...

The Golden Ball is a lovely country pub less than a mile from the busy town of Stow, and the perfect place to eat and drink. Well stocked bar and an even better menu, would totally recommend and defiantly eat there again.

We booked Sunday lunch here whilst on holiday based on other trip advisor reviews and we were so glad we did. Nothing was too much trouble. Food delicious and portions generous. The roast beef was amazing. No specific kids menu but they just halved the...

I had a very nice vegan curry and one of the local Donnington ales, my partner loved her chicken schnitzel. Friendly staff and atmosphere, and the most picturesque setting you can imagine. Also an easy 30 min walk from Stow-on-the-Wold where we were staying, via...

Food was very uninspiring, I ordered Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie..! The pastry top looked as if it had been in a fight, cutting into the crust revealed a tasty chicken and vegetable broth. Very watery consistency, it was fortunate that the excuse for a...

This little pub was a joy to visit! The food was fantastic and the waitresses were very attentive! We had the chicken schnitzel and the fish and chip, both were absolutely delicious! We will definitely be returning. All round lovely place for lunch!

A group of eleven of us dropped in for some ales on a Saturday afternoon and had an excellent time. Friendly service and great beer

I came here for my family birthday, it was lovely one of the best pubs I’ve been to. The staff was lovely and the food was delicious even through theses hard times they made me and my family feel very safe, would 100% come back

Best Sunday roast, Myself and my husband are both coeliac, so trying to find a good gluten free roast can be a challenge! This place was spot on, lovely fresh food, meat was full of flavour and cooked to perfection, brilliant selection of vegetables and...

Came for a meal with family. Asked the waitress whether all the staff, including kitchen staff, would be wearing a mask and we were told that they would be. Unfortunately once we had finished eating we saw that multiple members of the team were working...

Stopped off for a meal and a pint was not disappointed with either, great local beer-Donnington- the beefburger was fabulous and BIG, Will be back again. The staff where friendly and efficient. Good to see a marquee outside which has disabled access.well worth going too.

Far better boozers in the area.This is a locals local....Think of the worst Wetherspoons you've ever been in, this is worse than that.

Drove all the way from Bicester arrived only to be told we’re not doing food today any other day we would have food - nothing on the website to suggest no food on this particular Wednesday - unimpressed and won’t bother again.

We visited The Golden Ball for a meal and drinks with friends. We sat outside, which was lovely looking out on a beautiful view towards Stow. Food was lovely and reasonably priced. Staff attentive and friendly. Would definitely recommend!

Excellent service and very friendly and welcoming staff. Lovely outside eating and drinking area with a proper country pub feel.

Very welcoming and helpful. Great food. Highly recommend and great service. Good prices all round and good seating outside👍🏻

Lovely location, friendly staff, nice atmosphere. Nice sellection on the menu. the food came quicklyand was tasty. Nice size portions too! I had the steak, which was nicely prepared and went down well with a pint of the local ale! Well worth a visit.

We stopped here as everything else seemed full, the service was extremely slow, I’m talking at least 20 minutes to get a menu and things didn’t improve from here. Food once ordered actually came quiet swiftly but disappointed that it’s was just frozen fries rather...

Went in for Saturday lunch with partner. We both really enjoyed our meals and the atmosphere. Would recommend, a real local Cotswolds pub which is welcoming to all.

Good Staff, Good Food, Excellent Beer, Friendly Locals. Who could want more. I have been to this pub a few times before and always find it friendly and welcoming.

Excellent evening spent here. Friendly service and wonderful menu and meal. Cannot fault it in any way.

A lovely country pub in a Cotswold village. Service and food is good. Always a smiling welcome! Well worth visiting!

Great Cotswold pub. Local Donnington brewery beers and good pub food . Chicken snitzel a favourite and Sunday roast. A locals pub but very friendly .

Cracking little boozer, waitress service in the garden when we visited, very friendly locals, real fires, oak beams, excellent food and an especially good pint of real ale from the nearby Donningtons brewery; CAMRA enthusiasts take note! My wife also really enjoyed her red wine....

We visit frequently and are never disappointed. Maria and her team do a great job serving good, substantial and very tasty pub food, with well kept beers and a good wine selection. All at very reasonable prices. What a proper pub should be. Best slap...

Able to seat inside now, and the usual chicken schnitzel is great, every time I go there I think of having something else but end up having the schinitzel, but my husband loves the burger and now they have veggie burger as well so our...

Not very good for people with specific dietary restrictions - cramped seating, unattentive staff (there was only one person on the bar) and bland food that tasted like someone had microwaved something from a tesco box. One to miss, and a shame, as the cotswolds boasts an impressive number of awesome pubs.

Such a gorgeous pub with lovely staff and probably the best halloumi burger I've ever had. Can't recommend it enough!

Friendly staff, great draft ale and a good selection of other drinks. I'm veggie and often find it hard to find a decent option at local pubs but the halloumi burger here is absolutely fantastic. Since lockdown a marquee and deck has been put outside so plenty of outdoor space, but i look forward to when i can visit the inside again, as i remember it being really lovely.

Absolutely tremendous time. Good outdoors space with lovely indoors aesthetic. Thanks for an excellent stay!

Ate here two nights when we were stopping in the village. The pub is a small village pub and it was the two nights prior to lockdown so it was busy with locals but the atmosphere was warm and friendly. The food is pub food but it was very tasty and well priced. The portions were huge too. The village is a typical cotswolds village and very pretty. Well worth a visit

Understated but brimming with excellence- excellent welcome, excellent food, excellent ingredients, excellent location. It is so good I almost don't want others to know about this place. Well done and keep up whatever it is you do. Cannot fault any aspect of this establishment. We tried calamari starter (outstanding), lasagne, pork belly, lamb burger, sausage and mash, and steak pie. I tried all of the dishes and would choose any one. Superb.

Almost missed this lovely pub due to no online booking system, however was well worth the phonecall! Accomodating staff and really tasty food with great value for money! Portion sizes were huge and the atmosphere was cosy and relaxed with log burning fires and candles. Would definitely recommend!

Stumbled upon this gem of a pub. We were passing and called in for lunch and they managed to fit us in. Good choice of meals including for gluten free. Good arrangementThanks for allowing us to have a meal on Sundaty lunchtime for eating outdoors

Estábamos visitando a un amigo en la zona y nos llevaron a almorzar aquí. Es un pub encantador con un personal amable. La comida estuvo fabulosa. Pubby pero diferente. ¡El halloumi frito con chili era terriblemente maravilloso! Había un montón de desinfectante alrededor y el área de comedor exterior construida expresamente parecía bien diseñada, aunque hacía un poco de frío para eso. Aunque ocupado, no nos sentimos demasiado cerca de otros comensales. Definitivamente recomiendo este lugar.

You can’t help but feel relaxed and comfortable here. Good choice of well priced food, good selection of drinks and friendly landlady

Estábamos parando en una cabaña a la vuelta de la esquina, los 8 de nosotros caminamos hacia abajo para comer una noche, 4 de nosotros para tomar un aperitivo y beber otra noche. Es un gran pub, muy agradable y la comida era deliciosa.Buena comida, buen personal, gran pub?

Un pub encantador para tomar una copa y cenar, con un personal atento que estará encantado de ayudarlo en todo lo que pueda.Paramos para tomar algo y cenar, sin tener la previsión de reservar mesa. Esto no fue un problema, ya que el personal hizo el esfuerzo de "encajarnos" una vez que hubo una mesa disponible. Ambos disfrutamos de nuestras comidas, que nos pareció muy buena relación calidad-precio.Con respecto al distanciamiento social, estábamos nerviosos por aventurarnos socialmente, pero como estábamos de vacaciones, pensamos que teníamos que dar el paso. No teníamos por qué preocuparnos. . . . . Existe un sistema unidireccional para entrar y salir del establecimiento, con dispensador de desinfectante de manos en cada puerta, incluidos los baños. También contamos al menos 4 dispensadores de bomba grandes repartidos a lo largo de la barra. Han espaciado las mesas de comedor para permitir un distanciamiento óptimo y el personal desinfecta cada mesa a medida que se desocupa.Me cuesta creer que los recientes "puntajes de uno" sean cualquier cosa menos "uvas amargas" o de alguien con rencor, ya que descubrí que cada uno de los puntos planteados estaba muy lejos de la realidad.No somos ni locales ni asociados con El Balón de Oro, todo lo que ofrezco es una opinión honesta. De hecho, lo disfrutamos tanto que hemos reservado una mesa para más tarde en la semana.

Después de leer algunas críticas muy buenas de esta "pequeña joya", el viaje pareció merecer la pena. Sin embargo, el servicio al cliente y la profesionalidad del personal fueron pésimos. La forma en que se habló y ordenó a la joven camarera fue terrible y muy triste de ver.También es decepcionante ver que las personas escriben críticas muy positivas sobre un lugar en el que claramente no han estado (se puede decir por los lugares que han visitado en todo el país al mismo tiempo y el hecho de que abordan todos los aspectos negativos punto escrito anteriormente).

Drove off to this country pub based on Trip advisor reviews. The disconnect between the reviews and our experience was astounding. Didn’t feel at all welcome, and there was very little organisation. One waitress dealing with everything.During this COVID crisis there was very little hand sanitizer and a token gesture at sanitising tables in between customers.It’s obviously a locals’ pub which has no need for passing visitors. Disappointing.

We had the misfortune to stumble past this pub in the Cotswolds. The reviews were good but we met by very hostile staff who were unorganised and unhelpful. The manager was sitting on her backside smoking outside, shouting at staff and customers including us when we walked through a door which was staff only, although there is no sign on it to inform customers. The young girl who works there is the only one who tried to help but after waiting for some time for someone to take our order we gave up and left. The good reviews must be fake.

El resto de la zona estaba repleta de gente, pero nos topamos con esta pequeña joya para almorzar.Personal muy amable y ambiente acogedor. Desinfectante de manos en la entrada y nos sentamos afuera en la terraza.La comida era excelente y las porciones eran muy generosas. La parte del menú de "pedazos y piezas" era genial para una parada rápida a la hora del almuerzo y una excelente cerveza local.Fue agradable sentirse en un pub verdaderamente local, pero fueron bienvenidos como turistas a la zona.

Stopped at this pub for dinner and we were not disappointed. The staff were friendly and the food was amazing. We had the beef and ale pie and there was so much meat. The veg was fresh and cooked perfectly. A great find!

Nice outdoor space with new decking, very welcoming and friendly staff. Good sized car park with roadside parking also available. Great to be able to get out again and enjoy a proper pub.

We were a party of 5 for (birthday) lunch on Sunday 19th July. Fortunately the weather was fine for outside dining - on the new Covid friendly decking. We had the Sunday Roast, four beef and one pork. Our meat was cooked as requested, the veg were good, particularly the roast potatoes (drool!) and heritage carrots. Being northerners, we asked for extra gravy which was delivered hot and plentiful. Service as usual was good. Thank you Maria, we really enjoyed our lunch and would definitely recommend - and we will be back!

The Golden ball is better now than it has been for the past decade! Its so nice to have a local pub with quality food at sensible prices. Add in to the mix nice decor and a good atmosphere and you have a proper traditional Cotswold village pub.

Niño viejo al final del bar - marquePerro peludo - garrapataInterior genuino del pub del país - marcaMenú de comida de pub adecuado - marqueExcelente cerveza local - garrapataSmiley staff - marcaClientela realmente feliz - tickLa comida era muy buena, la cerveza de la cervecería Donnington Brewery excelente y tuvimos una gran noche. Lento cocido cordero y el pastel de carne y riñón más allá de la crítica.

The most friendly of atmospheres and a great set of locals. The beer is well kept and the food is keanly priced for the area . I would be happy to have this as my local a great place for food and drink.

Lovely Sunday lunch Really cosy with very friendly staff. Feels like a real local spot. Worth the visit.

Hemos pasado por este lugar tantas veces, valió la pena detenerse.Bonito edificio, decoración, etc., estuvimos allí para comer,Tenía la terrina de corvejón de jamón, que era tan buena como se pone, es decir, genialEl pastel de salmón, `` De nuevo, genial.Los fagots caseros, con puré Una gran sorpresa, mucho mejor de lo esperadoLuego BOO HOO The Bought in Venison Burger,,,, EVITAR Nada para recomendar en este plato, excepto el baguet quizásAsí que todo no está tan mal, y espero, la próxima vez que la hamburguesa de venado vaya a la papelera a la que pertenece, y sea reemplazada por más delicias "caseras"

Lovely selection of food. Very friendly and helpful staff. Just what we wanted on the day. I look forward to going back.

Excellent Sunday lunch. Home-cooked food in homely surroundings. Good quality food cooked to perfection. Would return again and again.

Not too busy, not too noisy, very welcoming and as good roast beef as you will get from local family farm. Lots of tender beef cooked perfectly, crisp roasters and lots of juice. Fruit crumble was superb.

Brilliant service, enjoyed our brief stopover. The food was good, the service was excellent and the Donnington ale served in the Donnington brewery glasses went down a treat. Well happy!

Now under new management with Maria and Thomas, the Golden Ball is a revelation compared to our last visit (and review) in August 2019.Six of us had lunch there last Sunday, great roasts and lovely deserts - would definitely recommend the brioche bread and butter pudding. When we booked a couple of days earlier, they were very accommodating with special requests.Everything looked bright and fresh. We will definitely be back!

Passing by the Golden Ball I had to pop in and take a closer look, not only is it surrounded by beautiful scenery but the pub itself is a fantastic looking building. The choice I was offered for drinks was extensive and affordable, but once I saw the menu and chef I was spoilt with a fantastic starter, main and coffee. Can’t wait to go back to try more items from this hidden gem.

We were driving past and popped in for some lunch and a few drinks. Service was really good, staff were very friendly and food was nice. Good selection of food for a Sunday. Had the fish finger baguette and steak and ale pie... both very good