The Highwayman in South Oxfordshire

We were looking forward to a Friday meal out as a treat at our local. It was a disappointing evening overall. Welcome was non existent, shown to our table, menu hasn’t changed much. Drinks arrived We had a starter to share Two mains (food quality poor) And a bottle of wine No check back, is all ok? No service at all really Plates cleared, then nothing for half an hour. Lack lustre service that evening, felt like no one cared and we were forgotten about which was a shame. No dessert menus, coffees or more drinks. We were prepared to spend another £40-£50 pounds that evening, but nothing. Such a shame, as we love supporting local and would much rather this than going to a chain restaurant in town. We spent £100 on what we had and could have and would have spent more. But the service was not great, not engaging. It’s hard to review when you work in the industry, it’s such a challenging time for hospitality at the moment, but we don’t help ourselves. Good service isn’t hard, and at the end of the day it’s the service and experience you pay for which was sadly lacking on this occasion.

This was the best sea bream dish I had for a long time. It was cooked to perfection! Coffee and apple/tarte crumble were delicious to finish the meal too.

Had not visited the Highwayman for quite some years, but it has been consistently recommended by friends - so we went for lunch. Warm cosy atmosphere with big log stove - very relaxing. Chose from a la carte menu (there is also a set lunch choice) as prices reasonable. Excellent meal and faultless service. Duck for main was plentiful and cooked to perfection for me. Wife's fish and chips also 'perfect'. We are looking forward to going back.

The soup was a little cool and the calamari slightly overcooked The main dishes were well presented and good. Haddock and chips and the salmon were good The chips were not great but we were at the end of the lunch serving. Service was attentive but overall this is currently not out of the ordinary However we are blessed in this area with several food places to eat so the competition is strong. Recommend but arrive earlier that we did.

Booked a family party of 14 for Sunday lunch. Brilliant food, service and atmosphere. Coped well with allergy requirements. You need to book in advance as very busy. Highly recommended

First rate service food is what you would expect from a high end restaurant. Can’t rate it enough have been there several times with friends who live locally and use it regularly. Look forward to our next visit.

I attended a wedding reception in the blazing September sunshine in the absolutely stunning setting of The Highwayman garden. It is a truly beautiful spot with breathtaking views of the open countryside along with an extremely well planted and tended garden. I have titled this review faultless because it was. The Highwayman staff were utterly amazing with first class attentive, efficient service alongside the most delicious food. It was without doubt faultless and I highly recommend this establishment.

Can't fault this experience at all. We shared a starter on a previous recommendation in order to enjoy our main courses, Halibut and Rabbit pie, delicious. Had room for a shared dessert too, honeycomb cheesecake, yummy. Will definitely return, 2 course Sunday lunch sounds good.

Went back for lunch after a business meeting. Asked for a quieter table & we went through to the spacious back bar which was ideal. Service very attentive despite it being pretty busy. The menu was varied & enticing. We had home made scotch egg which was excellent but very filling making the tremendous open pies hard but enjoyable to finish afterwards. No room for desserts but the staff were very keen to know that we had enjoyed our meals and we left feeling full and thoroughly well served.

Not surprised that this pub has become so popular. Very friendly and helpful team of staff, excellent menu choice, probably with something to suit most tastes. Yes, there are probably more elaborate food establishments nearby, but this gets my 5* award for overall combination of food quality, staff and value for money Would certainly not hesitate to recommend.

We had an excellent lunch today. I can thoroughly recommend the Guinea Foul, my husband had a steak both extremely good. Very friendly staff. A very enjoyable lunch and very good coffee! Thank you.

Went to this wonderful place on9th July for Sunday lunch. It was beyond excellent. Superb food. We were a table of friends and family and everyone agreed best Sunday lunch they'd ever had. Would definitely recommend.

I had not been to The Highwayman since I left The Oratory School as a pupil in 1976. 6 th formers were allowed to visit The Highwayman in those days which we did as often as funds allowed. Not surprisingly it has changed dramatically over the intervening years. It is now a wonderful pub with excellent food and service. The beers are still as good as I remember and the patio terrace above the pub is a great addition and an ideal place to eat on a warm summers evening. Lovely to return and remind myself of the misspent hours at The Highwayman.

Let’s do the good points first. From the outside the Highwayman is a quaint little pub but inside it’s a veritable Tardis with several, well decorated rooms and tables placed a decent distance apart. Overall this creates a pleasing atmosphere. The staff were attentive and helpful and the service, in general, could not be faulted. For a mid-week lunch there is a good selection of dishes and the prices, considering we are in inflationary 2023, seemed fair. However…. we were both underwhelmed with the food. I have no doubt the chef knows how to cook and present a dish well. But my garlic mushroom starter was pieces of chopped up mushroom in a soup (they give a spoon with the dish) swimming in an over-creamed sauce, with no trace of garlic whatsoever. My main course of rabbit pie came, as a previous report mentions, with an open top, so not really a pie. There were minuscule amounts of rabbit in it and what there was could hardly be tasted as, once again, it was awash in an over-powering cream sauce. The same one I wonder as my mushrooms? My partner often makes a rabbit pie (she gets the rabbit from Vicars not 12 miles away) which is much tastier and filled with meat. So relatively this was very poor but in absolute standards poor as well. A pity and I could not recommend the place based on this experience.

Sunday lunch was absolutely delicious . Tender beef perfectly cooked. Magnificent Yorkshires. This is fantastic food at a good price. I would recommend it. Great veg and starters as well desert. Apple pie was yummy.

All I can say is fantastic!!! We had my fathers funeral wake here. Louise, Poppy and there team did an exceptional job. Food was great along with the service. Can not recommend enough!!!!!

Young man who greeted us a real asset to the restaurant. Order taken for drinks and food in a timely manner. Prawn cocktail lots of leaves; scotch egg ok. When is a pie not a pie....when it come in a 'tart' case with no top....this...

Great service, delicious food. A great experience. The only reason I didn’t give this a 5 is because the spotlights really let the historical pub down decor wise….

A very nice gastro pub, tucked away in the Chiltern Hills, near Checkendon, Reading. We go to a lot of gastro pubs and this was certainly one of the better ones. The food was lovely, Lamb shank and Duck mains, which were both cooked perfectly...

Had a really great Sunday lunch with my parents and baby. The food was delicious! Opted for a roast main course followed by dessert. The beef was cooked perfectly and very much enjoyed the veg especially the cauliflower / broccoli cheese side. Sticky toffee pudding...

Excellent choice of dishes in a vibrant atmosphere. Very friendly and helpful staff. Great local asset

Extensive menu. Delicious, tasty food. Lovely setting. Good service. The staff are friendly and helpful Great place to enjoy a meal

Nine of us enjoyed a delicious lunch in the pleasant ambience of this ancient hostelry. The choice, presentation and quality of the dishes was superb. The staff were friendly and attentive. This was my first visit to the Highwayman for many years and if the...

Would highly recommend this place for a special occasion food and staff were excellent would definitely be returning perhaps in the summer next time as it has lovely gardens too

Excellent lunch for the “lads” all 14 of us. Food very good. Some had the steak others like me the traditional turkey. Even one Cod! I thought the Apple strudel was brilliant. Will have to go as a couple for the full menu. Wine well...

We really enjoyed our late Sunday lunch here. Having visited before, it’s always good food and service, and a warm atmosphere! I had the smoked mackerel rillette followed by the roast pork belly, and some warming red wine to was it down! You can’t be...

First visit to The Highwayman Inn despite only living a few miles away. Lovely atmosphere. Excellent service. Great Food and great value for money! Will be coming back soon.

Another fantastic lunch. Friendly service great choice of food and always delicious. Dog friendly despite our dog running off with the table !

Had a few Monday night sojourns of late and been in the culinary hands of two former London Street Brasserie chefs (known as Proper Takeout) who take over the kitchen on Mondays. Superb is the word. Curry and home-made pies beautifully dished up and tasting...

Return visit for early Saturday night dinner....quickly seated by friendly, welcoming member of staff who took drinks order. Drinks arrived quickly, food order taken. Food very good...cheese tart and scotch egg to start followed by Fish and chips and rack of lamb and served in...

We have been here several times before - stick to the pies and burgers and go away pretty happy. We went a month ago and were really disappointed with the food, in particular the floppy calamari and dry brisket burger, so we went back to...

We had a wonderful family celebration meal at The Highwayman. The food was all really delicious and beautifully presented. They have a talented chef and kitchen team. I was very impressed by the quality of the children’s meals and the care taken to cater for...

Very polite staff, excellent food and plenty of it.. lovely atmosphere.. would highly recommend and a lovely garden to

We were recommended to try by friends and we were certainly not disappointed and will be back again soon, for sure. A very professional, friendly team and delicious food and just a really nice experience on one of the hottest days.

Currently discussing with restaurant to ensure my criticisms are fair - negatives from me on a restaurtant of this class are the rare. Once agreed, I'll update this section.

Amazing food, lovely staff and great atmosphere. Every meal was delicious in the group and there were empty plates all round. Will definitely be back!

Had lunch with my son here and it was yummy. Freshly cooked, good quality ingredients. The whitebait starter/nibbles was absolutely lush and not the usual breadcrumbed catering pack junk with tartare sauce you normally get in pubs. Lightly dusted, larger type fish with a slight...

Lovely atmosphere, we both had the beef and it was the best Sunday lunch we have had in a pub (and we have tried a few). Great quality food well cooked, thank you.

The food and service is amazing I went here with my family and had a lovely meal definitely recommended for a nice night out. Dog friendly and staff are stars.

I never write a review, but after the welcome I received when arriving to wait for my partner at the highwayman this evening and after dining there I felt it was only write to write a review Complete to all the staff and more so...

A group of us lunch together every 2 months in the general area and the one pub where we know that everyone will enjoy their meal and leave nothing is The Highwayman. I had the risotto when we visited a couple of weeks ago and...

An absolute gem! The food is exceptional ! Every course for everyone at our table was perfect! What a chef ! The service is second to none and it’s extremely dog friendly. We had 2 dogs and they were each given a mat to lie...

Excellent Tasty soup, plaice tasted of fish - hot and garnish very good; chicken pie large portion (too much for Madam) but I'm told very tasty and hot. Been before and always leave satisfied with food and service. On our list of restaurants te recommend...

I had given no notice of my somewhat unusual dietary requirements. No onion or garlic and lactose intolerant (low FODmap) and was looking through the menu with one or two questions. I usually just find something to order once I know the details. To my...

I came here with two friends for lunch and we all agreed that the food was excellent and served in a very attractive environment. The meal was shortly before Christmas and we all had the Christmas menu which was very good value at £24 for...

In all the times we have been to the Highwayman we have never been disappointed only impressed with the food and the service. Don’t change what you are doing! It’s just great. The menu changes with the seasons, venison pave was a delight and the...

Good atmosphere , helpful staff and very well cooked generous portions. A bit off the beacon track but well worth it.

Came here for my birthday with our kids and their partners. Found it really difficult to choose, there were so - many delicious things on the menu. We each had something different, and we all enjoyed what we had chosen. The beer was from the...

A warm and welcoming place to relax, drink and eat excellent food . Beautifully and subtly decorated ,home from home with so much character, highly recommend

Fantastic food, great service, friendly staff and a wonderful atmosphere. The calamari starter was exceptional as was the salted caramel cheesecake dessert. All of the main dishes we had were well presented and very tasty indeed. A great dining experience

We ordered a rabbit, a venison and an steak and kidney pie to take-away. All were delicious. Lovely staff too! Very pleasant sunny beer garden with views, although the play equipment does need up-dating. Would recommend.

Our Sunday lunch last week was a treat and my ribeye of beef was as good a roast as I have tasted. It was so good, we chose to go back today. All present praised their meal and my venison pie was better than in...

The food was amazing. The change in management hasn't affected the service or quality of the food at all. Very surprised that none of the serving staff were wearing masks, mixing with all those people. The garden play area gets a bit noisy, especially when...

Highly recommended! The food is very tasty and the staff are extremely friendly ! We will definitely come back soon !

This is a spacious, comfortable pub with an attractive garden, and good car park. The whitebait starter and main course of sea bass were very good, as was the pear tart. My main course of venison pie was outstanding, with a generous meat content and...

We went for lunch today. The food and service were fantastic. Would highly recommend the Highwayman and will defiantly be back.

Not our first visit over the years. Very pleased with our Sunday beef roast, service fast, efficient, food delicious, staff very pleasant and helpful, great place to eat, will go again.

A Saturday lunch we didn't regret in the least. My pie was notable for the pastry - very good - and veg on the side smartly done. Mrs S enjoyed her fat sandwich too. It was quiet at 12 but was getting busy by the...

We have always experienced good meals at the Highwayman over many years, but in Covid times we decided to order a takeaway. We had really nice meals from a large menu choice and all parts packed in plastic boxes and hot dishes were nice and...

Granny, Grandad, two Grandchildren and Daughter enjoyed lunch at the end of August. Two 'growing' boys opted for the fillet steaks, much to the astonishment, judging by the comments of a nearby table; both excellent . Adults had chicken pie, steak and kidney pie (lots...

We are local and had been recommended this pub by friends. A decent rural setting and good atmosphere and welcome when we walked in were a good start. Service was friendly and helpful but the food was very mixed. Scotch Egg - excellent, 9/10 Garlic...

We visited on a sunny Saturday afternoon and enjoyed a delicious meal in the garden with our dog, who was made extremely welcome with a bowl of water and lots of fuss. The food was excellent, imaginative and arrived promptly. I had salmon with hollandaise...

Right from arrival we had a great experience. We brought our dog which was made to feel very welcome. The staff were brilliant - very attentive and friendly. Food came fast and was delicious. The tables were far apart and felt very safe given the situation. Would definitely recommend!!

We ordered takeaway pizzas, these were really good quality and you could tell homemade. I recommend.

We've used this service every week since it started. The food choice is very good and to the Highwayman's usual high restaurant standard.The social distancing collection works and prices are just right. Many thanks to Highwayman for such a great service and all the effort and work it takes. Richard & Anna (Checkendon)

Tucked away on Exlade St off the A4074. Both a pub with a large sunny garden and a restaurant serving better than average pub food with particularly fine pies. We have had three takeaways during the lockdown and await the return of service.

We have just had our First take Away from The highwayman Inn and can Highly recommend it. The food was very Tasty and hot and was ready on time for our Collection.

Went there for Sunday lunch - had a thoroughly good time. The food was very good, the staff great and the Hoppit as good as ever. Totally recommended - lovely place

We had a very comfortable seat by the log fire, service was excellent, as was the food, a very enjoyable lunch.

A great place to eat, drink and enjoy. Polite and helpful staff, a great choice of good food and the best beer (thank you West Berkshire Brewery) One of the best meals I have eaten!

After my Mum’s funeral we travelled to The Highwayman for a family 2 course lunch, I have to say that Paul and his team should be commended for their hospitality with very friendly and efficient service for our party of ~ 22, everyone I have spoken to after the lunch said how much they enjoyed the food (a range of starters, mains or desserts) from the 2 course menu, I had the fillet of Plaice as a main course that was beautifully cooked and presented, I’d have no hesitation in recommending The Highwayman, Paul and his team.

Eat here if you would like to have your evening ruined by an aggressive and verbally abusive chef. After complainig (very politely) to the waiter that my steak was tough and not like the other 2 ribeye steaks that had been ordered by other members of our party, the chef came running out of the kitchen, waving his fist very violently in my face telling me to 'f... off and leave'! A totally unbelievable situation that left all of my party staggered and speechless. As I tried very politely to rectify the situation with another member of his staff, he came running out of the kitchen again for verbal abuse round 2! Never have I ever been spoken to like that in my life, the other clilents in the restaurant looked horrified and it seems he ruined their evenings too. To top it all off, when we asked for the bill (as some of our party wanted to pay for what they had ordered) they had actually charged me for my steak and expected me to pay after after telling me to F...Off and leave!! Words fail me! They were lucky to get any money out of our party at all and myself and husband certainly didn't pay for our bill as we all left having eaten nothing. AVOID!

Locally sourced, beautifully cooked to bring out the excellent flavour. I’ve never had a better streak of any cut anywhere else. Wonderful

This pub keeps churning out the same old stuff with ultimate focus on profit whilst giving off a doubtfully genuine atmosphere. Plenty of meat in the roast yes but huge soggy bland roast potatoes, minimal veg, expensive limited choice wine. I’ve had far better quality roasts elsewhere. Parking a total nightmare and the insides looks quite tatty these days. Only ever been with friends, never a place I’d choose to go personally.

Booked for New Year’s Eve with friends who recommended the restaurant. We had a great evening, with excellent food and wine, followed by dancing and fireworks. Great atmosphere and perfect way to see in the New Year. We even enjoyed the 2 mile walk home in the dark but we were prepared with torches! Lovely place with delightful staff. Evening was a bit pricey but it was NYE!

Having walked out of another pub because we were ignored, having booked and sat for 15 minutes with no drinks, no menus we decided to visit The Highwayman which was the next closest. Welcomed seated quickly, watered and menus delivered almost immediately......staff friendly and very efficient every one working and busier than previous pub. Soup and pate for starters, both excellent, followed by brisket with mash and winter vegetables.....60 year since my Mum cooked me brisket and this was as good if not better. Could not resist sharing the caramel and chocolate tart with sorbet and raspberry coulis....and we were not disappointed excellent.

Can't rate The Highwayman enough. The welcome you get, the friendly staff and some of the best food in the area. Made our family group very welcome and helped sort out the right food for the little kids too. Food was amazing as always, the veggie lentil roast was spectacular as were the others having beef and lamb. Great starters and puddings too. Wonderful

Very good 3 course meal. The mixed white & brown crab starter was the tastiest starter I have had in years. Main course was venison with good variety of vegetables. I opted for the cheeseboard which was good too. I will be going back to eat there again

Fantastic food and comfortable and very friendly atmosphere. Vegetarian dishes are excellent. The Christmas menu options are brilliant. I had the pithivier which was amazing and the best Christmas veggie option I have ever had. Meat based options are high quality and have lots of flavour. Very accommodating for children with option to have smaller portions of the main menu rather than the usual run of the mill chicken nuggets and chips. Would absolutely recommend.

Cosy country pub with log fires and terrace/garden for the summer. My wife and I have visited each month for several years and have never been disappointed. Last visit was in early Dec 2019, again, excellent. The reasonable prices for great food and service mean we will keep returning.

Absolutely stunning food last night. We all had different starters and main courses and everything was perfect. The way The Highwayman serves up the veg is excellent, small bite size pieces soaking up all the flavours. The duck was tender and perfectly pink. Fantastic menu at the moment and a top night out for everyone. Good prices too, £140 for 4 people three courses and drinks. Spot on!!!

It must be 15 years since we last visited the Highwayman. As I'm currently unemployed and the Current Mrs C. doesn't work on Thursday we thought it high time we introduced Neville, our 2 year old Kromfohrlander to a new pub. We'd been in contact with the pub the previous night and were told it was best to book a table. I was a bit skeptical at first, but glad we did when on arrival as the car park was packed.

There are a number of more celebrated foodie places in the area, but this is consistently the best. Food is simple and well cooked, but is really confidently done. Service is great, really friendly and one of the few places that seems to keep their staff for ages.

Popped in with elderly mother as was passing and needed somewhere for a pub lunch. I had a lamb dish which was fantastic, portions were great (my mother couldn’t finish her prawn and avocado starter). Service was brilliant too. Better than many restaurants I have been to recently a real surprise.

This is a MUST place to visit! We tried different dishes here and EVERYTHING is sooo delicious, from startes to desserts !

My husband and I recently visited the highwayman restaurant for a rare evening out and we weren't disappointed. The food was nothing short of exquisite. I chose the cheesecake with glazed banana for pudding and it was probably the best cheesecake I've ever eaten. The staff were friendly and attentive. Nothing was too much. We left very happy.

Fabulous pub. The food, staff, and service is always excellent. The pub has a lovely ambience. A superb example of how a pub should be run. It is our go to place for food.

This is a hidden gem. Visited on a beautiful sunny day and sat out in the garden surrounded by beautiful countryside. The only noise was the birds singing. This is an old traditional Inn with great food and a pleasant service. The food was fantastic and piping hot. Will certainly be visiting again soon.

I’ve visited this pub before a couple of years ago and twice again more recently this weekend on the Friday evening and for Sunday lunch as staying in the area. The food was absolutely beautiful this weekend (I remember it being good last time but this weekend it was beautiful) and all of the staff were so warm and friendly. Best pub food, pub service and pub experience I can remember. We brought our dog with us and he was made very welcome, lots of fuss and super lovely French lady (sorry I didn’t catch your name!) serving us brought him water and offered to move us to a cooler area as she noticed he was too warm on the carpeted area. Left feeling like we’d jut spent time in the company of friends. Thank you so much for helping to make our 1st wedding anniversary weekend special!

Sunday lunch was excellent. The lamb was delicious and very tender, the Yorkshire puddings crispy and very tasty indeed. The gravy really made the meal as well as the excellent desserts. Having eaten dinner here the lunch was equally as good. Good atmosphere and really friendly, helpful staff.

The staff were very attentive and helpful. The food was very well cooked and piping hot. The atmosphere was very good. We will certainly be returning to the Highway man again.

De retour de Londres après avoir déambulés pendant 17km, quel plaisir de se retrouver dans cet endroit chaleureux. La fatigue a été vite oubliée, tant l'ambiance et la décoration étaient agréables. Après un apéro copieux, nous avons partagé un excellent repas. Pour ma part viande et dessert top. Personnel très agréable, attentif. Quant à la directrice, on voit qu'elle maîtrise son sujet

We stopped there on our drive from Streately to Henley. I had the chicken, mushroom, bacon pie with mashed. It was amazing, My husband had the ham, eggs and chips equally as good. Atmosphere is wonderful. A must stop!

Had lunch for four at the Highwayman. What a treat the food was fantastic. Starters of squid,pate,liver and pork belly were all lovely. I had steak and kidney pie with crisp pastry and luscious filing rich and tasty. The boys had Lamb shanks the best my husband says he’s ever had and they looked gorgeous. Dessert for me was gooseberry fool omg it was fab. A good price and the service was impeccable. Go there it’s great

Great service and consistently some of the best dining in the area. Gluten-free is taken seriously and with a member of the family being celiac this has become a favourite destination. The honeycomb cheesecake is fabulous!

The Highwayman team are always excellent, the food is always great. It has a lovely atmosphere. Nothing is too much trouble and the hosts are always available if you need to change something.

Very nice setting, surprised how big the restaurant was, all tables laid out immaculate, service excellent, staff very friendly, I had the garlic mushrooms starter, which was very nice, had the roast beef for mains, little bit disappointed with it, I like thin slices of meat, this was one lump, very thick, looked more like a steak, roast potatoes very dry, greens small portions and not very appealing, didn’t bother with a sweet, bit expensive for what it was, especially the drinks

A comfortable restaurant with friendly staff. Good quality food, the calamari starter was excellent as were the mushrooms. The game pie was well presented and extremely tasty. The honeycomb cheesecake was very good indeed.

We were a group of 20 celebrating a 70th birthday. Couldn't really fault it Eveline and her team did an excellent job. Nothing was too much trouble, the food was good as was the service. Many of the party hadn't been there before and said they would be coming back

We are regulars to The Highwayman, I can't recommend it highly enough. The staff are all very friendly, helpful and good fun. The food was, as ever, superb and the balloons and cake were a special touch. Thank you to Paul, Evelyne and the staff for making this a memorable evening for me and the family.