The Hart of Harwell in Vale of White Horse

Sunday Lunch. Forgot to take photos as we were too quick to get stuck in. Roast Pork and a Roast Beef. Delicious and large portions. Great value and such a warm welcome from all. Will def be back.

Great new ownership lovely food friendly staff

Came here Sunday to try the roast, have to say I wasn’t disappointed the food was delicious, staff were welcoming and very attentive. The atmosphere of the pub is lovely and we will continue to visit. Well done Pete, Teresa and all the staff!! Your hard work is paying off!!

I heard The White Hart was under New Management and visited for Thursday lunch. The pub is now very clean and tidy and the new owner & staff welcomed me warmly. I had a Cask Ale served in perfect condition in clean matching glassware and chose the slow cooked pork belly from the lunch menu. This was tender and juicy, served with spectacularly light crackling (I called it Popcorn Crackling), a selection of autumnal vegetables which were perfectly cooked and a delicious Potato Bon Bon. A wonderful midweek treat, I'll return very soon!

I popped in with my husband to check out the pub as it is under new management. It was 4.45pm on a Saturday and it was buzzing! We received a very warm welcome from the new owners who were very friendly and had a great understanding of what our village wants and needs out of our local. We are booked in for Sunday lunch soon and we can’t wait. It is fab to have our local back.

Lovely pub, local ales, tasty food! I'll be visiting at least once a week now.

We visited on Wednesday and the place was humming - fabulous evening. We went back on Saturday to eat and the food was amazing. One of our party had food sensitivities and the staff were all over it. The landlord is also supporting locally brewed guest ales as well as GK regulars - one was from Milton - very local ! Great pub.

Note that the pub is under new ownership since October 2024 - so previous reviews relate to a very different experience! Its good again!

A new landlord has taken over the pub (Oct 24). What a difference already, a lovely atmosphere and welcoming place to visit. Thankyou!

Under new management and newly opened (October 2024) they do an excellent Sunday roast. This village pub had deteriorated over the last few years/ great to have it back with the lovely Teresa and Pete running it successfully

Good roast, very good staff. I would recommend this place if you are around Didcot and you want to have a nice meal.

Reopened under new leadership, also due to go back to being the White Hart. Food good, staff good, beer great (Greene King, LoveBeer, Loose Cannon) great to see the place buzzing again!

The pub is under new management thought it would still carry the same vibe like it used to be was very empty and food was limited to just indian was hoping to see a green king menu but no . looks semi tidy just needs a freshen up outside as doesn't actually entice new costumers inn unless you been before well off to another pub now what a shame

Just stopped for a pint of Tribute half way through a long dog walk. It was quiet, the staff were polite and very friendly. The dog was welcome and enjoyed sitting out in the garden. I returned to sample the food and the chicken jalfrezi was great.

Fantastic Pub with amazing service. Can't wait to try the new Indian Menu!

I’m not usually one to leave bad reviews but in this case I feel I have to be honest. Sadly, it was an absolutely awful experience visiting. Poor service, poor attitudes, and the place seemed generally badly managed. I was really looking forward to having a pub in harwell again but sadly my expectations have just not been met at all, or even come close to what I’d hoped for.

Lovely indian food, great atmosphere.

The pub is under new management and the new go-to for our Friday night curry. Great service, authentic dishes and no clearing up! Why would we stay in for a takeaway when the pub is down the road! We wish the new team every success.

Came for the barbecue. One chicken piece per person they used thighs and cut them in half. If you don’t like majita don’t go!!

Beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon and the pub is dead, food was woeful, clear they have bought the cheapest of cheapest ingredients. Apparently new management but they are not going to last long. Go here for a drink and relax if passing through but do not expect decent food. Even the ketchup was given in the cheapest sachets

Indian delicacies are available here, we enjoyed it very much, Along with Indian food, Italian and other countries are also available

You can see that the owner has changed. No one knows how to cook. the worst burger in my life. You can eat better burgers on carboot. I DO NOT RECOMMEND.

Only just opened so very quiet at the moment but the food was very nice with good service. Needs a bit more time but I believe will be a fantastic pub shortly.

New ownership, so hopefully better than before.

This pub has deteriorated. They had almost no drinks in stock during their grand opening, which was a disaster. The pub has a bad smell, dirty glasses, and the carpark is a mess with rubbish piled up everywhere. This place has the potential to be a gold mine, as the village and a large number of locals want a good pub with a good selection of drinks and quality, well-cooked British food. The temporary landlord should be embarrassed that the once great pub has now become an abandoned and badly run establishment. What a dump—I wouldn't even bring my dog here!

We popped in on our way back from the Harwell Feast event for a drink to see the “grand opening” of the new management. The pub was empty, dirty, and there were no local ales on tap. The bar staff were unfriendly and challenging to communicate with. The lights were turned off halfway through our time there (yes, really…), and there was no lighting in the toilets at all - which was actually quite dangerous. The whole pub looked tired, uncared for and the food options were so random. Really disappointing.

We popped in on our way back from the Harwell Feast event for a drink to see the “grand opening” of the new management. The pub was empty, dirty, and there were no local ales on tap. The bar staff were unfriendly and challenging to communicate with. The lights were turned off halfway through our time there (yes, really…), and there was no lighting in the toilets at all - which was actually quite dangerous. The whole pub looked tired, uncared for and the food options were so random. Really disappointing.

Booked lunch online for 10th Feb, entered all contact details as requested when booking online including telephone number. Received email confirmation of booking also. Family arrived at the pub at 1pm, to find a scribbled note to say opening at 5.30 pm! Surely good customer service, would be to make contact with myself to say the booking could not be catered for. Shocking. With service like that no wonder you need to close.

Nice Sunday lunch. Good menu options and portion sizes. Nice decor, and only marked down on atmosphere as venue was unusually quiet.

Really really nice lunch. Steak baguette was delicious. Nice relaxed atmosphere and a nice Tim Taylor on tap so can't complain.

Staff could be more welcoming and cheerful, Sunday roasts were average, a bit disappointed with frozen roasties.

Uncomfortably cool temperature. Same can be said about the barman/waiter. This is the hospitality industry after all, so try being more hospitable! I went to the bar and was greeted with a very gruff "Yes!" I stepped back in surprise, never having been spoken to like that in such a situation. I noticed he was far more amenable to the men at the bar, and he used his attending to them as an excuse for his rudeness. Sorry, sunbeam, no excuses for that. Avoid the garden burger. Impossible to eat in the bun because it just squeezes out the side and plops on the plate in a very unattractive mush. Take your own toilet roll, ladies! Only one of the three had anything left on the roll. We obviously don't matter...

Terrible. Get rid of the landlord!

Lovely setting, very clean. We use to come here for a roast on a regular basis but it has massively dropped in standards. There is NO VEG! Frozen parsnip and a portion of dried up carrot. Where is the VEG? The young girl serving was very helpful and sweet, the ‘manager’ was very gruff. I appreciate it’s his personality but please try to be just a little bit more polite and friendly! Such a shame because the chicken the chicken, potato & stuffing was great, but how can you serve a roast without any veg? There was broccoli last week but not this week. There is a reason why this place was ‘packed’ a year ago, but empty on a Sunday now!! How do the owners not see it….

Large portions, reasonable prices but food is nothing special.

Rude and inadequate service start to finish. Food was fine but we will never be back

Just had Christmas dinner with my wife and mother in law and must say it was one of the best experiences I’ve had. The staff were so attentive, polite and welcoming, the was brilliant and the atmosphere was lovely. Would highly recommend it and we will be looking at going back next on a regular basis. 👍

Très bonne adresse : tout est parfait du service au contenu de l assiette. A recommander.

One of the rudest owners I have ever met. I booked by phone, arrived with my girlfriend and was greeted by the owner, shown my table and we sat down. After about 5 minutes I had a phone call on my mobile from the owner reminding me I have a table booked and why I hadn't turned up yet, I said "I am already here, you have just sat me down" The call was then ended and I was sat there confused. Really nice food but ruined by hearing the manager ringing up everyone that hadn't arrived in time and lambasting them over the phone from behind the bar. I understand it must be really infuriating people not turning up once they have booked, but shouting at them over the phone is not going to make them want to come ever again.

Ok village pub, nothing special.

Great food, service, interior. Steak was medium, not medium rare.

Pub was empty when we arrived with a pre booked party of 13. Nice pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord and proper steak and ale pie for lunch.

Not been to the Hart for a while. We dropped in for a Sunday lunch. Very quiet and unlike previous visits, the barman was doing everything. Running the bar, serving food, taking orders, cleaning tables. I would not be surprised if he was also cooking. Everything was very average including the food.

The food was really nice some unusual dishes but what spoilt it was the attitude of the person who served us. I'm not sure if he was the manager or the owner but it was as if he was doing us a favour by even serving us. I've never been in a place and made to feel so unwelcome before. It's a shame as I would have definitely gone back for the food but not with that person serving us.

Just had an excellent meal. Food arrived promptly. Very good service. One of the best steaks I've ever enjoyed.

We went for an early Saturday evening family dinner, had great service and the kids meals were perfect, fresh chicken and sausages, the specials were great and a cosy atmosphere. Great value for money, very impressed for a local pub.

The Hart of Harwell is nice inside and has a couple of good outdoor areas, but often under staffed. The beer was good on my last few visits. Food used to be nice, but I have not eaten here for a long time, so can't comment now.

Very late lunch, food was hot & enjoyable. Friends both had pudding, which looked good.

Lovely pub with very relaxed atmosphere. The food was very tasty, well presented, and the portions were large, accompanied by a good English beer. The personnel was kind during dinner, and the owner of the pub makes sure everything is ok. At closure time, he was patient to wait for the patrons to finish their drink and not usher them quickly out as happens in other places. And when we were stood up by our taxi, he event went so far to give us a ride to our nearby hotel! This extremely kind gesture shows how much he cares about his patrons.

We had dinner in the Hart, food was very good, both the BBQ rib and the NY cheesecake. As for the service, the manager was very nice, he gently brought us to our hotel since taxi didn't arrive and it was time to close. 100% recommended.

Once again an amazing Sunday lunch - food fantastic. Service brilliant! Great to have this pub on our doorstep.

TOO LATE FOR PHOTOS; I ATE IT! This pub has a very well-kept secret that should be advertised more. I should have taken some pictures, but it was too late. I ate it, so I will add a picture on my next visit! It's a burger and a pint, but not just any burger. Hart's version is more like a giant gourmet burger as it has all the ingredients that make a great beef burger and a tasty vegetarian version fantastic. Just compare the burger you would receive at the Hart with many other burgers offered in the area, and you will see and taste the difference. It is served with very tasty fries, a well-seasoned salad and a pint of beer. Fantastic deal, fantastic price, fantastic flavours. Well done, Hart of Harwell.

Had a nice dinner, service good. Would go again.

Needs a bit more friendly service.

Very good, and very accommodating, managed to squeeze us in at the end of service

Lovely little pub, great food and friendly staff :)

Friendly and helpful, food well priced, good vegi option.

We made an impromptu stop during a long cycle trip. The menu looked appealing so we found a table. The service was exceptional from friendly staff who took an interest in our journey to get to the pub. The food was served promptly and was delicious and kept us well fuelled for the rest of our ride.

Nice pub for playing board games

Cozy and comfy is how to best describe, Food is great and is served quickly, portions are excellent. Highly recommended Sunday roast!

This was a birthday celebration with 4 friends. We were 6 in total. The meals were great and the service outstanding. Please use the lovely facility now being the only pub in our village. Use it or loose it!!!!

We had a lovely meal here whilst staying at an Air B&B down the road. We both had steak (mine well done, my partner's medium rare) and both arrived perfectly cooked. We had a bottle of pinotage with the meal which was not stupidly price. The staff were very attentive, polite, there exactly when you needed them but not fussing over you. It was a shame to see such a lovely pub so quiet, especially on a Saturday night, and I hope the locals realise what an absolute gem they have and support it as it deserves. Wouldnt hesitate to eat here again and would highly recommend it

Good food, nicely kept old pub, service a little slow at first, and the staff don't smile, I was cold sat near a draught, and mentioned moving seats but was told quite directly, no. We did enjoy our meal though, pricey. Wouldn't go back in a hurry.

We love this place. Very nice food. Friendly atmosphere.

An ad hoc search of Google for somewhere to eat on our way back from Bicester to Southampton offered us the Hart of Harwell, amongst others. We liked the description and photos and so into the sat-nav it went. A pleasant setting with a reasonably sized car park. There was outdoor seating for eating but today’s weather ruled that out. The Hart describes itself as a gastro-pub and certainly the food was to a good standard. I would have liked a better choice of alcohol-free drinks - just two where on offer. Service was reasonably quick and Leonardo was cheerful and efficient. We would certainly drop in again when next in the area. Thanks.

Simply Fantastic. The team at Hart of Harwell accommodated myself and my team of 15 for a team meal with a weeks notice. We pre-ordered with ease a couple of days before due to our party size. The food and service we received was amazing all round. A big thank you from myself and my team for a fantastic evening and I’m sure we’ll be back soon!

Went for dinner. The menu choices were varied. Food was excellent as was the service but the restaurant was very cold. Could turn the heating up a bit.

Great spot for lunch, especially if you have a dog, so welcoming, food was delicious, great service and they even brought a treat over for the dog 🐾

Excellent main course beefsteak burger and uniq desert cheese cake with chocolate ice cream. Best meal ever. Great place, placement atmosphere and nice stuff.

I stopped here for lunch just before Xmas. Food was very good and fairly standard for what you expect from a more premium place. The menu is very much 'English' pub food. The price wasn't cheap but not really expensive either. Service was good from staff who were obviously trying to keep up with the afternoon rush. The venue itself was nicely kept and decorated - I didn't quite get that cosy feeling but it was fine really. I did like to see a lot of space which might sound bad but when families came in with pushchairs it really works and allows true access for everyone. I was glad the kids could run around the Christmas tree which you can't say about alot of places you eat in. Would I visit again? Maybe, like a few pubs in Oxfordshire their good but nothing out the ordinary. I guess Oxfordshire is just lucky it has so many nice pubs... Just none of them stand out for me.

Dinner with colleagues. Nice place

Business dinner - easy to book, great communication to ensure the dinner was a success, great food and drink enjoyed by all. Very highly recommended.

Relaxed Sunday lunch dining - meat & Yorkshire pud excellent, roast potatoes & veg disappointing

Dined there today with 4 family members and to be honest the chef needs to lift his/her game a little. Whilst the venue is lively, service excellent, the food left a lot to be desired. I had lamb dinner, the plates were cold, consequently the weak gravy was also cold. Roast spuds were roasted too much. Lamb was tough and full of inedible tendons. Just wish I had asked for a steak knife like my son and another lady had to, to be able to cut the roast beef. My sons beef was grossly under cooked so much so the plate was full of blood, but it did add to the colour of the gravy. The Yorkshire pudding was however delicious as we're the carrots, just could have been warmer. The puddings were all lovely and fully appreciated. Sorry if this review does not match previous reviews, it was probably just a bad day in the office. But won't visit again.

Like always we came back happily and we’ll always return, incredible food and table service, big up for all the friendly staff and kitchen team

Delightful service and excellent food. The Hart of Harwell has a compact but varied menu with some wonderful dishes to choose from. Service was prompt and the atmosphere cosy. We had a lovely early Tuesday afternoon lunch in the sunny dining room.

Went here for a birthday celebration lunch. Food was delicious with plenty on the plate. The children's portions were really large and both granddaughters (7 & 2) ate really well and thoroughly enjoyed their meals. The roast pork was fabulous and was topped off with tremendously tasting crackling - a terrific taste and a great snap. Service was attentive, friendly and polite and everyone in the party had a wonderful meal. Overall top notch for food quality and portion size and excellent service.

This is my local pub, I’ve always had friendly service and incredible food! not one complaint. The deserts are especially tasty and the Sunday roasts are fantastic! I highly recommend going. The hart is also dog friendly so that’s a bonus♥️

Wonderful relaxing Sunday lunch, great portions and the pork was beautifully cooked. Dessert was divine. Excellent service and atmosphere, they even had a treat for the dog.

Had a tasty lunch here, but found the manager/owner very brusque and unfriendly on arrival, despite booking in advance, and it was all a bit too much trouble showing us to our table. The food was good but for some unknown reason every dish came with shavings of either baked carrot or sweet potato (difficult to tell tbh) - don’t know why as it didn’t enhance any of the dishes and simply shattered on your plate. Whitebait starter was a little frugal but fine. The duck salad was nice, if padded out with lots of leaves, and the steak was well cooked. Overall the meal was good, but front of house staff who are not so fierce would be a bonus…

We had a late Sunday Lunch yesterday, probably the last table ordering. Didn’t seem to be a busy day, just couple of tables still in the pub a few more outside. Even so, the service was polite and attentive and the food great and plentiful, same as the last time we came here.Loved those HUGE Yorkshire puddings and the new dessert, Banoffee Meringue roulade. Definitely recommend.

My family recently tried The Heart of Harwell for Sunday lunch. The pub itself is lovely, the service was polite and efficient but that’s about as far as the good points go unfortunately. The Sunday lunch was mediocre at very best, the pork was overdone,...

Roasted chicken leg - a first for me and very slimy Potato's - very hard must of been cooked at 8am Beef - very fatty no taste- cheap cut Gravy - must of been at least a litre on the plate still couldn't soften the...

My first visit to Oxford for work was topped off when I found an amazing gem nestled in the Oxfordshire countryside The Hart of Harwell is welcoming to all from far and wide. A beautiful atmosphere and fabulous gardens, perfect for outdoor dining at the...

We happened upon the The Hart of Harrell as we were staying locally for a wedding. Great staff and very welcoming. I thoroughly recommend the Beef and Guinness pie. Worth a detour if you are in the area.

First time we have visited! Had a lovely welcome, the food was incredible and cold cider too! What more could you want! Will definately be back it was really nice. The food was really tasty too. Also catered for a childrens menu too. Thank you...

Lovely pub in beautiful village of Harwell. Very clean, cozy and very nice garden.The staff are very friendly and the food very nice.

Met by smiling friendly waitress who was very helpful, the food was excellent, beautifully presented and delicious, I had the chicken dish, so tasty, will definatly be returning to sample more dishes on the menu.

Visited The Hart last night to be greeted by the wonderful Leo. Smiling, welcoming, happy, chatty and as ever customer focussed. It was refreshing to visit and get good service and feel welcome! Food as ever was AMAZING, but perhaps a whole menu change is...

Visited many times and always been happy, good menu and atmosphere, friendly staff. However, this time something wasn't right. The waitress was very friendly and helpful. The menu though was disappointing. Most dishes came with mashed potato??? Nearly all the dishes came with some sort...

Wonderful family Sunday Lunch. Brilliant, reasonably priced tasty food (very generous portions) and friendly staff - all topped off with some excellent craft ales (or alternatives if you wish)

Often visiting this place and it's always great! But this time they introduced a liver to the menu, which is just straight outstanding! Cannot recommend it enough!

A beautiful pub in a small hamlet. We were a party of 19 for lunch yesterday. We pre-booked our selections. The bar area is welcoming and the whole pub offers a warm ambience. Lovely service, lovely food Thank you to Dan and the team

Visited the pub on Mother’s day with three friends. We really enjoyed the roast. I had beef, one of my friend had two meats; beef and pork, my Mum had chicken and we were very pleased with the quality of the food. Despite being very...

Had a lovely lunch with my niece and her young son. Food was delicious and the staff very helpful. Will definitely go again 👍

Had a lovely birthday lunch, staff very friendly and food was great. And the childrens menu is brilliant 👍🏻

So this is now my 2nd visit and my Mother’s 5th visit since she moved to the area and with 2 independent views having 2 separate opinions in many ways but not with Hart of Harwell what a complete disappointment, whoever the “Team Leader” is...

Like always very pleased with the staff, the food, nice and fast service with high quality food, big up for the chefs and the waiters and we’ll come back like always.

A nice pub with a smallish car park at the rear. We went as a party of 10 and had to pre-book our selections. Only 4 of our party had starters but they looked very nice. I had the haddock and chips personally, little bit...

Very nice Sunday lunch in a great atmosphere, staff was exceptionally friendly too! Thank you for making us feel at home!