The Lion Bicester in Cherwell

The Lion at Wendlebury – A Hidden Gem Just Outside Bicester Tucked away in the quiet village of Wendlebury, just minutes from Bicester Village and the M40, The Lion is a real find — the kind of place that perfectly blends countryside charm with modern comfort. Whether you're stopping by for a relaxed meal or staying the night, it delivers a warm and memorable experience. From the moment you walk in, The Lion feels welcoming. The interiors are a thoughtful mix of rustic and contemporary — exposed beams, soft lighting, and a palette of muted tones that create a sense of calm. The conservatory-style dining space is bright and airy, while the flagstone courtyard with its outdoor log fire offers a lovely spot to enjoy a drink whatever the season. The menu is solidly rooted in British pub classics, but elevated with care and seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. There’s something for everyone, with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options available. The drinks list is equally well-curated, offering a good range of local ales, wines, and spirits that complement the food beautifully. For those staying overnight, the accommodation is just as impressive. The 13 boutique-style rooms are stylish, comfortable, and thoughtfully designed, with plush beds, modern bathrooms, and charming touches that make you feel right at home. It’s also family- and dog-friendly, which is a huge plus for many travellers. The service throughout is warm and attentive — the staff are friendly without being overbearing, and clearly care about making your visit as enjoyable as possible. In short, The Lion at Wendlebury is more than just a country pub — it’s a destination in its own right. Ideal for a weekend break, a stop on your way through Oxfordshire, or simply a great meal out, it’s a place you’ll be glad you discovered.

Stopped for breakfast on our way north. Efficient and friendly service and superb food.

Plenty of tables good menu choice. On a sunny day very good outdoor space

This is not my first complimentary review of the Lion, and it won't be my last. I met my best friend here on saturday for a belated celebration of our birthdays. We each travelled two hours to meet here, as I've had several wonderful meals here. The food and service were, once again, impeccable. Please try the sea bass and lemon meringue pud! We had two mains, two puds, several soft/ hot drinks, a cheeky glass of prosecco, and it came to £80. A huge thanks to the chef and his team, and the wonderful Dot, who looked after us as if we were the only customers in the room. We cannot wait to come back.

Great food on menu - twice I've been so wasn't a fluke! Hat off to the cheff 👏 👍

Called in off the cuff during a busy Sunday lunchtime but still got excellent service.

Great food. Happy, smiley, accommodating and welcoming staff. Lovely location and the place has a nice feel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beautiful little pub doing fantastic food. The kofta on the menu is fantastic and a fantastic size.

The location is great and the building is atmospheric and well refurbished. We didn’t try the food from the menu, but the variety on offer exceeds that of many hostelries. Breakfast was tasty and adequate VFM. Our room was not cleaned during our weekend stay and the bed wasn’t changed.We explained this at Reception to be told we should have asked for the room to be attended to in line with a booklet guests receive on arrival. This was a special birthday treat for my wife who told the member of staff we hadn’t been given the booklet. The member of staff just reiterated this point and paid no heed to my wife’s comments which was disappointing. Separately, the toilet seat in the bar area. remained broken during our stay and there was no toilet brush which was a big concern. We enjoyed our breakfasts, but a request to be seated at a specific empty table was not met with the anticipated warmth of a host who works for a provider which needs to improve to justify an excessive room price.

Lovely village pub, good service, good food.

We had an amazing stay at The Lion in Bicester, both the restaurant and hotel exceeded my expectations! We had the pleasure of meeting Chef Mariusz, who crafted great breakfasts for us. Every dish was full of flavor and expertly prepared. Our waiter Ryan provided exceptional service, making breakfasts even more enjoyable. The combination of great food, excellent service, and a comfortable stay made this experience truly special. Highly recommend The Lion :)

Perfect spot for my friend and I to meet half way through my journey from Birmingham to south coast. Great service, lovely setting and the food was fabulous.

Great food, great atmosphere, lovely staff

Great meal and excellent service.

Didn't stay in the hotel, but had a meal in the restaurant. Good sized portions in the restaurant with massive apple crumble dessert, plenty for two to share! 😋 Reasonably priced for the area. Excellent service. Would definitely go again when in the area. X

Excellent fine dining with high standard rooms.

Lovely local pub in a country setting with a relaxed atmosphere. Good sized portions in the restaurant with massive apple crumble dessert, plenty for two to share! 😋 Reasonably priced for the area. Excellent service. Would definitely go again when in the area. X

I had the pleasure of dining at your restaurant today and was absolutely delighted by the Sea Bass special. The seasoning was flawless, enhancing the natural flavors without overpowering them. The vegetables and fish were cooked to perfection—rich, aromatic, and incredibly well-balanced—while the dish itself was utterly free from any fishy aftertaste. The accompanying sauce was the perfect complement, tying all the elements together into an exquisite harmony of flavors. It was truly one of the finest meals I have had in a long time. Given how exceptional this dish is, I sincerely hope it will become a permanent addition to your main menu, allowing more guests to enjoy it regularly. Thank you for such a fantastic dining experience. I look forward to visiting again soon!xx

Went for a meal and god will never return. The service was atrocious. Food was undercooked and served in broken plates. The wait staff were rude. We ordered wine and the wine was plonked on the table. For the price we paid the food and service left way too much to be desired. The chicken was barely done and the pie had whole shallots in them.. like how they chatrge that much for that quality of food and service is beyond me. Anyways fair to say I won't be returning again.

Lovely food, great service, nice atmosphere

Really lovely rural pub/restaurant/hotel, with so much character. Dinner and breakfast was delicious, rooms comfortable, bed soft. Great tea. I was with a couple of overseas colleagues who were very impressed. And good value

Stopped in for lunch with friends and had a great meal. Good food (tasty and good portions), great service from a lovely waitress (Amy?). We suggested it as had been before and it didn’t disappoint.

Lovely food and great service. Highly recommend, will go back for sure.

Fantastic family dinner, food is delicious and staff is very friendly .Special shout to Mario and Jd. They Highly recommend the Wagu burgers and was excellent!!!

Recently visited this pub for lunch and it was great. The staff were so friendly and welcoming and the food was delicious. I will definitely be going back again soon! A special mention to Natalia and Mario who made our visit that much more special!

Had a lovely lunch meal out this afternoon at this pub for my other half’s birthday. The staff were ever so friendly especially the woman who served us ( Natalia) and the chef ( Mario ) who even sang happy birthday with a surprise cake. Also credit to the lovely lady who does the housekeeping, she seemed ever so funny when speaking to her at the bar. Highly recommend.

Had a delicious meal for my daughter in laws birthday, food was amazing, many thanks to Natalia and Mario for taking the time to sing happy birthday, we had a lovely afternoon, Staff were amazing and made our afternoon enjoyable, will definitely bring my family again xx

Parking awful, car park not big enough Took time to find a space on the road

We went to the restaurant for lunch as a group. Food was nice, no complaints from anyone at our table. Table service was slow but equally it was a Tuesday lunch and quiet

Met friends for dinner on Saturday night, the bar and dining room were busy with a number of different dining areas. The service was excellent. I ordered Pork giblets for starters and Pan roasted salmon for mains. Both were really good. The wine menu was very comprehensive and reasonably priced. We will definitely visit again.

What a happy find today. An impromptu lunch with my husband at The Lion. We hadn't booked in advance, but a table was found and the welcoming staff soon had us settled with a glass of wine and the menu. The food is delicious, we can definitely recommend the waggu burger and the chicken liver pate. Having finished our main course we were tempted with the dessert menu. A difficult choice as they all sounded very tempting, we decided to share the apple honey crumble which was as delicious as it sounded. A very relaxing enjoyable experience. Thank you Dot and all the staff. A beautiful place, delicious food. We shall be back soon.

Chose The Lion after reading great reviews and it was halfway between us and my son/family. On arrival we were greeted by lovely staff and were seated. This was a special occasion as my parents were meeting their great granddaughter for the first time. I feel like we hit the jackpot finding this lovely place. The food was absolutely delicious. We couldn't fault it. A special mention for the lovely Dot who looked after us. We will definitely be back

Amelia was such a lovely waitress and the food was delicious ! I will absolutely come back !

Great place to catch up with friends...

Had a lovely meal at The Lion last night, great food, lovely beer by the fire and great service from Carla - We will be back ! :)

Came here with my son and partner today. All the staff were amazing, friendly, welcoming and very attentive towards my son which was so lovely. Especially Dot, lovely lady!. But unfortunately the food was a complete let down which is such a shame. My partner and I both had the chicken roast dinner it was average. The potatoes weren't roasted potatoes they look liked boiled potatoes and they quite hard. Not sure why you would have that with roast..parsnips were rock hard. Would of preferred chicken breast than in the bone. My son didn't like his macaroni cheese as he complained it was to salty. I tasted it and it was slightly watery and bland and I would say it was slightly salty because of the cheese. Such a shame as the staff are great!

Came in today with two of my work colleagues after a client meeting. Not from the area, so found this little gem. Location is good, and from outside the place is lovely. Step inside and the decor is warm, stylish and inviting. The staff were very friendly. We ordered our lunch and it arrived lovely and hot. We really enjoyed it. And the bonus we got to pet Billy the resident cat. He was such a friendly boy. Would recommend and would love to come back for another meal or even try out your rooms with my partner. Thank you

We came here for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. Such a lovely looking hotel and restaurant - modern but cosy. We ate in the bar area which is dog friendly with loads of space and plenty of places to sit. The homemade focaccia bread was really delicious. I had the wagyu burger as a main which was amazing. The brioche bun, sauce inside and the quality of the beef were top notch. Perhaps the best burger I've had for a long while! The waitress was also lovely and made a big fuss of the dog who greatly appreciated the attention. I was really impressed with everything and would definitely return.

It's a lovely pub and clearly very popular. But given how vocal the staff are about their unhappiness and frustrations (particularly with how management speaks to them) it's clearly not a happy place to work. That inevitably has an impact on quality of service.

I rarely write reviews but feel so annoyed about this that I've put it on Tripadvisor too. We visited this pub for a major family birthday celebration on a Sunday. There were 16 of us including children. The main course seemed to be well received around the table so I didn't mention that my Brakspear steak & ale pie (£22.95) had very little meat in it, as I didn't want to spoil the celebration. It was mostly watery gravy and really disappointing. However, when it came to desserts, my wife did complain. She had the Key lime pie (£9.45) and it was a ridiculously small portion. Some of the others had the chocolate orange tart (also £9.45) which was twice as wide and a little thicker. My wife quietly mentioned this to the waitress who responded by saying, "that's the size of a portion". My wife said that it was half the size of the tart, but a little shrug and that was the end of that conversation. Of course, we didn't want to make a big fuss at a family gathering, but we certainly will not be returning. Nearly £10 for a couple of bites of a dessert!

A delightful little pub not for from Bicester. Our waitress Dot was humble, modest and spectacular and so was the food and atmosphere :) amazing place.

Hosted a family gathering here this weekend. The staff were incredible and the food was even better. I could not fault their service and hospitality in anyway. 10/10 would go again!

Lovely pub and lovely staff - had a great stay!

Nice coffee! We where a large party and rented out the back room which was lovely! It's a wonderful setting, the food came out quickly and not only looked great but tasted amazing :) the staff where very attentive and kept the drinks topped up! Thank you for a lovely evening, we hope to be back :)

Great pub a lovely stay. We had a family party in the pub’s private room and stayed over night. The staff were all great; delicious dinner and breakfast, and the room was really nice.

We met friends for lunch here and it was very good. Good food, good service and good location

Gorgeous rooms. Good location. 50/50 on staff. There was a blonde lady working front of house and in the bar area who was excellent and had to pick up the slack for the other staff. We were sat for 15 minutes for a drink before menu's were given and drinks orders taken. I can only assume our waitress was on a break at the time because when she did serve us she was also very good. (Red hair potentially Eastern European). Finally I think you should keep the bar open a little later on a Saturday for hotel guests. I understand you don't want drunk people upsetting the other guests but 11pm is a little early to be kicked out the pub on a Saturday night i'd say midnight is more acceptable. Finally breakfast was a let down, slow, wouldn't serve latte's or cappucino's despite them being on the menu and the food looked and tasted like it had been left out for ages. Other than these points its wonderfully decorated and the food on our evening meal was lovely.

I love this place. I've stayed there three times now. The rooms are fabulous, the pub is very friendly and the restaurant is excellent. I heartily recommend this pub to anyone.

Nice b&b, nice room, great service and lovely food, ideal location for Bicester Village

Good food, good value lunch menu weekdays. Service was extremely slow despite the fact they didn't look very busy.

My partner and I had an unforgettable staycation here! The room was exceptional – spacious, spotlessly clean, and wonderfully comfortable. Every aspect of our stay was enhanced by the attentive, friendly service from the entire staff, who truly went above and beyond. The food was a real highlight too, with each meal (from breakfast to dinner) being absolutely delicious. A special shout-out to Natalia, who made our experience even more memorable. Despite the busyness, her service was consistently outstanding, and her warmth never faltered. I wholeheartedly recommend this place to anyone looking for a perfect getaway. You won’t be disappointed! Also extremely close to Bicester.

Can highly recommend. Had the roast dinner. Absolutely gorgeous home cooked food. Gravy was amazing. Portion size very good. Service very good. Will definitely go again.

Lots of things out of stock. Some things came out cold. 4 stars instead of three because the blonde barmaid was really cheerful and nice to chat with.

A very nice quaint little pub that has some really good food. I recommend the Fish and Chips. However the pints are slightly more expensive then expected.

Lovely food Nice atmosphere The servers Elisa and Clara were very nice

Rachael and Natalia were super attentive whilst serving us and the food was great as always. Will definitely be back

Great restaurant, pub and hotel. One minor point. Please get the cleaners to look up. The cobwebs in both the room and the conservatory areas of the bar are an easy fix. Would definitely stay again though as the food and staff were both excellent 👍🏽

Came here for birthday meal. Good food but lacks a bit of atmosphere. Butter with the bread could do with being left to get to room temperature before being served but the Cote de Boeuf was fantastic and cooked perfectly! Our service with Janine was great too!

Great lunch at this country pub.

Very welcoming and cosy atmosphere. Very clean rooms and very comfy. Food was lovely and a great service from the staff

All staff were so nice and very good customer service.

Fabulous room and great breakfast.

Lovely Sunday lunch, with various vegetarian options Great service

Great food at a reasonable price. Booked here for an anniversary meal with my other half. I had requested to have some fizz on the table and also dropped off some flowers earlier in the day for them to be there for when we arrived set on the table. They perfectly obliged to this and food was excellent. Will be returning.

We were staying locally and found this place on line to get dinner on Sept 01. Everything looked great, read menu outside, went inside. Lady serving at the bar then told us “we don’t serve food anymore”, so why advertise on line, have menu outside and waste people’s time? Best avoid here, clearly has some issue going on.

Excellent food! The filet steak was perfect 👌

Wonderful atmosphere, friendly service, great food and drink.

Bit disappointed, really. The smell of food was lovely and the place looked beautiful. I'm disabled and struggled down from overflow car park as we couldn't see any special parking. My husband went in and asked about a table and was told 20 mins. Great, we can wait. We had travelled back from London so hungry. We waited 20 mins a few tables empty (but hey, they know what's what). Then, to be told, it will be another 15 to 20 mins with no promises. People were leaving all the time we were there. I'm also diabetic so the uncertainty was also a problem. So we left. I was so disappointed as it looked and smelt lovely, but please don't make false promises. If I had taken insulin based on the first promise, we would have had a big problem. So please, in the future, just say I'm sorry we are super busy, and no, we have no tables.

Beautiful pub with fantastic food and staff 10/10 experience

Really lovely place. Room was beautiful and comfortable. The pub and restaurant are stunning in a gorgeous little village. Food was top notch. The staff were so polite and helpful and the manager Ryan went above and beyond to make our stay perfect. Would strongly recommend this place.

Lovely meal in beautiful surroundings with charming staff

We popped by to the red lion yesterday as a group with a baby and the staff couldn’t do enough for us. The food was cooked to perfection and the portion sizes are great. I will definitely be visiting again

We came here for lunch and tried the new set lunch menu. Chose the chicken milanese. Chicken breast in panko crumbs with fries It was perfectly cooked,soft juicy chicken and yummy fries For dessert we chose the pecan and maple syrup pie with ice cream. Gorgeous Rachel was looking after us and was really welcoming and helpful. A perfect hostess. Thank you Rachel. We had a great lunch experience. I would definitely recommend this venue for lunch.there are lots of indoor and outdoor seating for cosy twosomes or big gatherings.

Great venue, served by Rachel who was very pleasant and helpful. Will definitely be returning

Driving through the village we decided to stop at the lion for lunch … we hadn’t booked but from the moment we arrived we were made most welcome. We both had the specials, Salmon for my husband and I had the mushroom risotto both were absolutely delicious and as much as we tried to decline a dessert we shared the pecan pie which was in my opinion the best pecan pie i’ve ever tasted! lunch was fabulous and our entire experience was topped by the lovely Rachel who’s customer service was second to none! .. we certainly hope to visit again in the near future … The lion is a beautiful pub, great food and wonderful staff …Thank you Rachel for making our visit today so pleasurable!!

Absolutely brilliant food I had chestnut mushroom pie it was the best I've ever tasted Great fine food at an affordable price Lovely service from the staff

Went for a quiet lunch on a Saturday in the bar area. Charming old pub, great food and a warm, friendly service. We will return. Can't review hotel as we didn't stay over.

Disappointing meal. Homemade mini beef pie and sausage dish was clearly heated by microwave as the pie was completely soggy, the sausage was hard as was the mashed potato also. The gravy tasted like it was made from instant mix as well. Overall a poor offering which spoiled an otherwise nice experience.

Natalia was absolutely amazing serving us with amazing food. Steak was on point and couldn’t taste better

Food was amazing and Natalia was very helpful, highly recommend the lion

Terrible service and the worst Guinness I've had for a long time. I'll be honest I didn't try the food but I can't imagine that would make up for my experience

The Lion at Bicester is a beautifully presented pub where we were met by very friendly staff. The food was excellent and the service perfect. It was the first time we have been but it certainly won't be the last!

Went for Sunday lunch. Very disappointed service intermittent at best Food was only Luke warm which was dissapointing and roast potatoes had been shown the oven but not roasted. The waitress asked if we wanted cauliflower cheese and pigs in blankets with our dinner we said yes but no mention that each one was £4 more also none of us had much gravy so my husband asked if we could have more and they charged £4 for a tiny jug of that aswell. They Muddled the bill up several times so took ages to pay. Not the best experiences I appreciate it was busy but staff all over the place and not really looking after us had to ask for some water 3 times. Very very expensive for what it was burger was £21 and £4 for cheese and £4 for bacon on the top. I paid £16 for a burger which had all of that and some onion rings in a pub in the peak district.

Truly woeful service from the extremely rude manager.

Amazing roast served by the ever so lovely Rachael. Was so nice to visit a place where you were felt so welcomed and left feeling like you will definitely be back

Lovely meal, great honeycomb. Nice atmosphere. Service was so friendly, particularly Faye

Comfy rooms. Really super staff. Very welcoming and helpful.