The Mole Inn in South Oxfordshire

Stopped for a quick coffee in the garden whilst on a walk. Nice setting, dog friendly. Staff polite and cheery. Had two coffees and two packets of crisps which came to £14 which I thought was very expensive! Coffee very weak, small cup and not very hot. Crisps were past ‘use by’ date by two months! They did hugely apologise and change them, but not a good sign. We were relatively early (just past 12), but it was very empty. Don’t think the visit would fill me with confidence to go and try food.

Muy agobiante. Fuimos a celebrar el cumpleaños de nuestra hija. Un catálogo de errores que nos ha dejado dandonos cuenta de que no volveremos... ... - llamado antes para solicitar una mesa de conservatorio . Respuesta muy inapropiada y grosera, Diana dijo que esta área podría no estar disponible. Llegamos - restaurante medio vacío (el Sábado. ¡Noche! ) llevado a la mesa oscura del restaurante, cuando hay muchas mesas disponibles. ¡Vino vertido sobre la mesa! -promedio inicial. Lo peor estaba por venir... La comida de pechuga de pollo fue la comida más horrible que he probado. Pollo empapado en salmuera - vergonzoso. Tómese toda la noche para deshacerse del sabor salado. NO VOLVEREMOS - Estoy seguro de que no les importaría un carajo en el Topo. Tenemos mejores lugares a los que ir para gastar nuestro dinero ganado. ¡Qué pena! ¡Nunca más!

Mi marido y yo vinimos esta noche a disfrutar de una comida. En el pasado el Topo ha sido nuestro lugar “al que ir” para celebrar un cumpleaños o aniversario. Probablemente fuimos por última vez hace 2 años. Sin embargo, tan pronto como me dieron el menú pensé, algo ha cambiado. Lamentablemente lo ha hecho y de la lectura de comentarios esta noche es nuevos propietarios! Mi pescado rebozado tuvo que ser devuelto por un nuevo tiempo ya que estaba tan rebozado que estaba armado, que no pude cortarlo en absoluto y cuando lo partí por la mitad apenas quedaba eglefino. Mi marido tenía el lenguado de limón y era literalmente eso, ni siquiera una judía verde como lado. , valorado en £ 21 y £ 25 respectivamente era horrible. Mi postre de suflé era como huevo revuelto y de mal gusto. No teníamos ninguna oferta de descuento, así que sugerí que redondeáramos la cuenta al número más cercano dado el hecho de que en realidad no podíamos comer nuestra comida principal juntos. En general, una gran pena, ya que este era realmente un lugar fabuloso. Ya no más.

We had a great Christmas meal with my work colleagues; it’s a cosy atmospheric pub with some decent food.

Great food. Very nice pub. Friendly staff. Star lost as on our visit they were short staffed and as such service was longer. Would have been nice to see owner or manager helping the single staff member dealing with about 8 tables. But overall positive experience & I would return.

One of our favourites and it never disappoints. Great new menu! The staff are always happy & welcoming. My family and I had a great meal and even managed to enjoy the sunshine in the garden. We’ll be back soon!

Mal servicio - solo un par de mesas tenían gente en el restaurante y esperamos una hora para el plato principal. A su llegada, la camarera apiló un lavavajillas entero antes de que nos sirviera en el bar. Nadie preguntó si teníamos alergias. El personal era agradable pero tan lento - cuando la comida llegó las patatas parecían haber sido calientes y la comida era generalmente abrumadora y demasiado caro. Esto siempre ha sido mi elección, pero no después de anoche error caro!

No lo he sido por un tiempo, pero la noche fue magnífica de principio a fin. Servicio excelente, comida increíble. Volveremos pronto. Gracias. Nuestra camarera, Jessica fue fantástico. Muchas gracias por hacer la noche encantadora.

I honestly can’t understand why anyone would give this place less than 5 stars. The staff are fantastic, giving a service that you’d expect in a Michelin star restaurant, each staff member was so attentive! We had our little boy with us who can sometimes be a little bugger at meal times but every time the staff walked by they interacted with him & he was loving it. We had Sunday lunch at 4pm but it felt like we were the first people through the door for Sunday roast & the food was excellent! We will definitely return again and again, a fantastic place & I would HIGHLY recommend

We were visiting oxford and came for dinner for my partners 50th birthday. The greeting on arrival was cold and unwelcoming, only one of the staff was friendly, smiley and welcoming throughout the meal, the others looked like they'd rather be elsewhere and couldn't even raise a smile (why do people go into hospitality when they don't want to be hospitable!) and the restaurant wasn't overly busy/full, so not due to being stressed/busy. The food was fine, but nothing special, so we did not feel that the food/drinks reflected the price charged. We'd eaten at a pub in oxford for lunch the same weekend, and felt the food there was as good, if not better, than The Mole, and the bill at the Mole was double the price (we'd expected to pay a little more, as we had wine, instead of beer/cider, but not double). I'd messaged on booking to say it was my partner's 50th birthday, so if there was anything small they could do to mark the occasion it would be appreciated. I wasn't expecting to get free things, I appreciate this hits their bottom line, but often restaurants provide a little touch to just mark the occasion, they did nothing, they did not even wish him a happy birthday. If I ever visit oxford again, I won't bother making the journey out to The Mole, I'll stay in oxford and return to the pub we felt was good value, friendly and hospitable.

I went to the Mole Inn with my family for a Mother's Day lunch - Such a lovely pub in a beautiful location. The food, staff, atmosphere and service was just fantastic! I highly recommend and will definitely be going back again!

Amazing meal, great quality, waiter was incredibly respectful and nice! Roaring fire, free WiFi, warm, comfortable. Overall top notch experience.

I used to love the Mole Inn until my visit today. I've been twice before and the food was wonderful and the atmosphere was fun and welcoming but this last visit just wasn't the same anymore... They've replaced everything that made the Mole Inn that quaint, cosy pub with plain, emotionless branding. Bring back the mole! Why is the only thing left (that's mole related) mole cheese? The food was also not as good as it used to be and now extortionately priced. The sticky toffee pudding tasted burnt but only on the inside. The service was also a bit off and we didn't feel very welcomed. I don't think I have the desire to ever visit again, especially as it's now not worth the journey.

My friends brought me here as they have all been and enjoyed it in the past. It has changed, And not for the better. I ordered a starter as a main, which is pretty normal to do in a lot of places. It was a gin cured salmon salad. It was a tiny slither of gin, about 20 marble sized balls of cucumber, and 3 leaves. My server also asked me if I wanted it as a main or a starter, and should have mentioned it is not much food and to order a side which I would have done if Id known, and considering it cost TWELVE POUNDS I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a decent amount of food. However this did mean I had plenty of space for pudding, which was unfortunately another let down. Somehow they managed to mess up a sticky toffee pudding and it tasted burnt and dry even with the sauce and ice cream on it. It also cost TEN POUNDS which is 4 pounds more than I would expect to pay for it and 7 pounds more than I think it was worth. I also got one of their special Easter cupcakes for the road. This was the best part of the meal - which is pretty ridiculous - and even so the cupcake somehow tasted of naan bread. Did they use chapati flour for the mix? Did they add a hint of tumuric or something? Very weird. Not necessarily bad, but certainly odd. The service was also pretty abysmal, they brought out two orders of chicken wings when we only ordered one, then brought back a manager who was weirdly insistent we had ordered two when we hadn't. The service was also INCREDIBLY slow, we were there for about 2.5 hours on a two course meal which didn't take that long to eat given the tiny portions. they also were not very accommodating or kind to my friend with food intolerances. The waitress also kept forgetting to bring us more water, didn't remember to bring spoons for the soup, and brought only 1 spoon for sticky toffee pudding even though we'd ordered two and had to go back for another. All these things individually aren't so bad, and if it weren't for the incredibly high prices I wouldn't have cared, but given I paid 32 pounds for it it felt ridiculous. The pub also has no personality now. You can see this from the sign, bland and trendy sage green everywhere and cursive writing. My friends who have been there before say it has gone downhill, and we've cancelled our plans to return later this month. Bearing in mind this is a place they previously liked enough to organise lifts to go the 20 minutes from Oxford. Massively underwhelming and a real shame as I wish I could have experience it how it used to be rather than over priced pretentious nothingness.

Not that great, it used to have more character and is way more expensive now

Oh Dear.....it is still not as good as it was 5 years ago and now it's charging 30 pence extra for a decaff coffee........... unbelievable! The pies were good but the special of the day was just fish with no vegetables....sloppy. I'll think we will skip it for awhile but at least it hasn't increased service to 12 1/2 %.

Everything was good, but not superb or fabulous. Just good, well cooked food, well presented and tasty. But just that, as a result it is overpriced. Saturday evening, the place was half full but kitchen and service looked stretched, they coped really well however. It was quite a pleasant venue and evening altogether, just overpriced.

Acabo de tener un almuerzo realmente excelente, que superó las expectativas a la luz de algunas de las críticas recientes. Entrantes, platos principales y postres todo de primera clase y el servicio fue muy eficiente y amable. Hemos estado en el Topo varias veces en los últimos años, pero esta fue la primera visita desde que la nueva dirección asumió el cargo y creo que ha dado un paso adelante, tanto en términos de calidad de la comida como de servicio. Sin duda volveremos pronto.

Lovely old pub, full of charm. Pretty standard cooking at inflated prices. Every itteration of potato was low in quality. Old and rather mealy. Undercooked (yet advertised as triple-cooked) chips at £6. Won't be back.

Fantastic staff and exceptional food. Came for a Sunday lunch will definitely come back.

A gem of a country pub. Roaring log fire, great menu & lovely, friendly team always give us the best service. This was our third or fourth visit & we’ll definitely be back!

Great food, great service - would recommend and return.

Slightly expensive but the food was great. Would recommend

Came on a Saturday evening, not too busy and amazing food with really nice staff. What more do you want…. Highly recommend coming with the family!

Last minute decision to go to The Mole Inn. Food and service were excellent. We will definitely be back!

Lovely setting, and delicious food, quickly served.

Lovely traditional food in beautiful country pub setting.

Not what it used to be…unsure if there has been a change of management but disappointed. Clear language barrier with servers, wait times for ordering. Food was amazing though!

Party of six, really looking forward to a lunchtime get together with friends. This turned out to be probably the longest wait and worst customer service experience we’ve ever had. Since timing and duration of lunch felt at a premium when booking our ‘slot’, we all arrived with prompt anticipation. Timely drinks, we ordered food by 1:30. After about 40 mins a small dish of olives appeared. It appears their computer system had ‘mislaid’ our order, quite a feat given only approx 5 other tables had diners eating, all within very close proximity to the bar and staff. Then a second small bowl of olives and nuts arrived followed by one hour 20 mins of verbal reassurances that our meals were ‘on their way’, almost 2 hours after our arrival. Meals were well cooked and tasty, albeit small portions and over priced. The waiter apologised profusely numerous times, taking our drinks and £20 off the food bill. In a hilarious aside he told us not to feel compelled to pay the automatically added additional Service Charge if we didn’t feel it appropriate! Shambolic. Now way this deserves a 2 * A Rosette. Go elsewhere.

Came with my friend for a catch-up. Lovely atmosphere and excellent service, I didn’t catch our waitresses name but she was from Russia and had dark hair. She provided an excellent service and was very accommodating.

Hmmm. Not sure what's happened here. For many years, The Mole has been our special "Go To" place . On the basis of past experiences we did not hesitate to take friends there for a Post Christmas celebration We have always been greeted by bubbly enthusiastic staff ; invited to explore the specials board and then taken to our table. After waiting by the board for a while, we were shown to a table by the street window where the seats were little more than a cold window ledge, Not at all conducive to a relaxing meal. We asked to be moved and were given another draughty table by the cellar door. In fact the warmest spot in the building was the toilets! January comes around with annoying regularity so I don't know why the heating could not be in keeping with the climate. It soon became apparent that the only table staff were two ladies and because of the lack of numbers, service was very slow. I ordered Venison Pie from Today's Special Board, only to be told (after some discussion with the kitchen) that it was off. Not sure why this could not have been deleted when it became apparent that Venison pie was there none! When the food arrived , it was good and up to the standard we have come to expect. When desserts were ordered we also ordered coffee for afterwards. The coffees arrived 10 minutes before the desserts. I do hope the current situation is a blip rather than a trend and we would all love to return to The Mole that we have grown to love . The food is pricey but good. Lets hope the staffing and ambience we have known comes back . If it does , I'm sure the lost customers can be enticed back

Staff very friendly on arrival and waitress lovely. However they have a huge allergy issue. Items marked as vegan on the menu actually contain eggs. The food was OK but very expensive for vegetable and putting whole unsoaked almonds into a sauce wasn't a nice experience. I had a very small peice of cauliflower on a few green beans in a tomato sauce with whole raw almonds for £18! Addition - the raspberry souffle was marked as vegan. I checked with the waitress as souffle.usually contains eggs. Another lady came over and said its not vegan and had been marked wrong. Wondering how many people ate it without checking and if the other vegan options were truly vegan

What a fabulous little find on our way to Oxford! We called in by chance and were rewarded with a super lunch, provided by such generous and friendly hosts. A thoroughly enjoyable lunch and The Mole is pinned on the map for next time we’re in the south Oxford area. Thank you

We were seated at a table in a cold dark corner while other guests were seated near a warm fire. We ordered chicken breast and several steaks but all dishes were incredibly salty (with no extra seasoning) but we didn’t want to make a large fuss by returning every single dish. When we did make a note to the server, no apology or goodwill was offered just sarcastic comments. Safe to say we won’t be going back. To add insult to injury, the owner posted a rude and obnoxious reply making false accusations and blaming us for the poor food. Such slanderous behaviour is very disappointing for a hospitality business. May I suggest learning some basic manners before opening a public house.

Absolutely loved my birthday meal here!

Seven of us went for Christmas dinner. £130 pp. upon arrival were greeted with Buck’s Fizz and hors d’oeuvres,little did we know this was to be the highlight of the meal. My starter consisted of 1(one) scallop. Very nice but seriously does this qualify as a starter? Main course My blade if beef was lovely along with mash and 2 broccoli tender stems,at tad tight. Two of my guests had the beef wellington once again very nice but served with 2 stems of broccoli and a smear of pomme mousseline however this paled into insignificance when 3 other guests received their Christmas dinner. The turkey slices yes slices were from a crown of turkey at best but looked and tasted like pre packed turkey slices,one piece of carrot not even a whole one ,3 small roast potatoes,spoon full of red cabbage but a bucket full of sprouts. No bread of any description on the table,drinks were slow to order and receive,definitely understaffed. Apple crumble soufflé was a saving grace and delicious,this may be the only reason the bill was paid. I’ve eaten at the Mole on many occasions and have always been extremely impressed so you can imagine my severe disappointment in the latest experience. Atmosphere was extremely flat also

Really lovely gastropub. Great service, from start to finish. My food was brilliant, gorgeous salad starter and sea bass main. My friend was a bit underwhelmed with her vegetarian cauliflower mains as it was quite small. Overall a lovely experience.

A poor experience from beginning to end. We booked on to the Xmas lunch only to arrive and be handed the normal menu telling us we won't booked on. The manager didn't even bother to come and speak to us and left it to the servers to explain. We were really looking forward to the Xmas meal. The table wasnt set properly. There was a sausage left on the table which was tucked into the Christmas decorations. I can only presume a child from a previous guest. Knifes and forks were layed the wrong way around. How can you get this wrong? No salt and pepper on the table. The food was ok but the meal was already ruined as we had to order off the main menu for items we didn't really want. How on earth can you justify charging £25 for a baked camembert? This turned up with burnt toast and large chunks of garlic which wasn't even cooked. Was clearly rushed. Main course veg was cold. The service was poor through out. No one bothered to come and ask if we wanted another drink and we left for ages waiting for staff to collect empties. We had to go to the bar and ask for the bill as we waited so long for anyone to arrive. The place was clearly understaffed for the amount covers. The entire meal we watched the staff bickering and arguing which made the whole meal a horrible experience. I do not blame the waiters as I could see it was not their fault and they were literally running around trying to do anything. I really doubt I would return after yesterday. I do feel for the poor waiters who were clearly being put under emence pressure. I really hope you read this review and make some changes as we've had good experiences in the past

This place treats you to not only wonderful drinks and delectable food but also to warm embraces from the people operating it. A homely institution where one feels at peace. Highly recommend a visit!

Después de visitar varios establecimientos en los alrededores, me he establecido en The Mole para mis cenas semanales. Nada pretencioso, simplemente bien cocinado, comida local con un personal amable que siempre le saluda con una sonrisa.

Beautiful village pub 🍻, with the highest quality of service and food ,I really enjoyed my experience here and I'll be going again

No habíamos estado en The Mole durante varios años, así que pensamos probarlo para el almuerzo del domingo. La experiencia fue tan decepcionante que no nos volveremos a molestar - carne asada arenosa, insípida, magra porción de verduras (¿cómo se puede poner media zanahoria en un plato? ) , fría y prácticamente sin salsa. Pedimos un poco de salsa extra y luego nos cobraron £ 2 por esto que nunca hemos experimentado en ningún lugar antes. El ambiente general era agradable, pero nuestra mesa estaba embestida en un rincón sucio. Para ser justos, nos quejamos del cargo de salsa y nos dijeron que tenía que permanecer en la factura, pero nos ofrecieron darnos un vale para café y pastel en otro momento - dado que la máquina de café estaba rota, así que no pudieron servir cafés decidimos cortar y ejecutar. Es una pena que tengamos buenos recuerdos de comer en The Mole pero definitivamente ha ido cuesta abajo.

Hadn’t been for a while so decided to try it out knowing it was under new ownership but in the end wished we had a takeaway instead. The service was non existent. Two young people serving but not really interested in the few customers they did have whilst one gentleman was frenetically wiping tables for non existent customers. The atmosphere was awful, with no vibrancy or buzz, which was one of the things we used to love about our visits to The Mole We waited 20 minutes for drinks and had to go to the bar in the end to see what was going on. Still no menu at this point and when that did arrive it was only one between us!!The menu was boring, uninteresting and was lacking anything which had any flair or imagination. Some items seemed to have been bought in. Fish and chips, burger, salad, goodness me! Who goes out for a salad in November, well, not me!! I wanted to see things I wouldn’t cook for myself at home but this menu certainly wasn’t even close, which, when advising itself as holding two rosettes I feel is both misleading and disappointing at best. It definitely needs reassessing as it’s nowhere near one rosette let alone two. It was also very expensive which wouldn’t have minded had the quality and service been there, but sadly not. It was a long time between visits but we won’t be returning as the whole evening was a complete let down instead of the treat we thought it would be.

Arrived for lunch today, restaurant was buzzing, lovely atmosphere. Very pleasant young lady behind the bar, we ordered drinks, I had a large glass of white wine, that had to have an ice cube in it as the wine was just chilled. We went to our table, ordered our starters, pate, mackerel and squid , these were on the menu as nibbles, but great size and price for a starter .. good start - we all ordered our main, one guest was a veggie - only choice, tomato risotto or a mushroom pie thing.. not great selection.. one fish and chips, .. a Beef two turkey and one lamb roast dinner. Our meal came out... nobody had cleared the starters, we then waited for cutlery, incorrect order brought out, two beef no lamb - this eventually arrived - looked nice, swimming in gravy and was cold, two potatoes eaten.. poor .. very poor. Drinks ordered, nothing turned up.. decided to have coffee and two guests had desert. Chocolate fondant .. no oozing chocolate, as desert was also cold. 3 capaccino ordered, one Americano with hot milk (no milk turned up had to ask for it) and a double espresso..Eventually received the coffee, well some of it as the machine broke, Cold coffee served. The whole experience was very disappointing to say the very least, Coffee and service charge was removed from the bill as a good will gesture. This was a family meal paid for by my father in law, who at 90 probably has better things to spend his money on than a very tasteless cold meal, not one dish, but the whole meal X 6.. We will definately not be returning,

I got charged £40 for a bottle of chardonnay Which I thought was expensive

A very friendly restaurant with an imaginative menu.

We love the Mole and have been many times. We went for the new owners opening night and were really impressed and looking forward to great things. However, we have dined there several times since then and each time have been a little disappointed. We dined as a family group in September for a birthday celebration and not once during our meal, or after we had finished, were we asked how it was. We dined again recently and the service was great, however, the food was not the standard that we would expect from the Mole Inn. The batter on the fish and chips was not crispy, but soggy and not particularly pleasant. The burger was ok, but nothing special considering the price. It’s a shame as the Mole has provided us with many great dining experiences over the years and we are keen to support it.

Visited recently for dinner, and we all ordered one of the specials. Each of us found the food excellent and thoroughly enjoyed the evening!

Very average Sunday Roast. 2 slices of beef (with a fair amount of fat), hard roast potatoes and not very appealing veg. This place has a good rep so expected much for a £24 roast.

I booked online and wanted 1.30 or 2.00m, but the earliest was 2.45pm. When we arrived the place was pretty empty. We could have just turned up. Our party consisted of 4 adults and one child who had just turned 3 years. We were at the Mole Inn to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. We ordered a white wine, 2 orange and lemonades, an apple juice, tonic water, with ice and lemon. No lemon provided and the party who arrived after us were served first even though we had a young child waiting. We ordered 2 belly pork roasts and 2 chicken roasts. Our child wouldn’t eat a full meal so we ordered him a Yorkshire pudding. (£4) All the Yorkshire were dry like cardboard and the potatoes were rather hard. Overall the meals lacked flavour. Some sage and onion stuffing may have given the chicken mole flavour. didn’t appear As we hadn’t been given enough gravy, we ordered more. Two quite small jugs arrived. (£2 each) even though they didn’t give us enough in the first place. I made a coffee and walnut birthday cake. It was on a cake board with candles and matches. They wanted £15 for what they call cakeage!!! This is to prepare the cake!!!! 🤨 We were all shocked and took the cake home. We ordered desserts. Mine was a ginger sponge with sauce. My son-in-law ordered a chocolate fondant and had the choice of crème anglaise and ice cream. I asked if I could have crème anglaise with my ginger pudding. I was told no, as they were all measured out, I then asked for cream, I was told No, the pudding comes only with ice cream and it goes very well with the sponge. 😏 The place lacked any kind of ambience. The bill was just under £177, that included a service charge that was around £17. We won’t be going back there. We think they’ve got carried away in thinking they are high end when really they are pretty big standard. ice cream.

Service was appallingly slow (to the point that we felt simply ignored the entire time and were never checked on) and food well below average. A shame as we had eaten here previously (albeit a while ago) and enjoyed it. We visited for a special occasion and planned a big meal, but were only able to have one course and one drink each after being totally ignored by staff the entire time we were there. We would have ordered more drinks and dessert but gave up on expecting any attention and left instead. The only positive point was the speed at which the food arrived after ordering - suspiciously fast and clearly pre-plated Sunday lunches resulting in lukewarm, dry food. I expected much more from the prices and based on previous experience.

Based on good reviews we took the family for Sunday lunch. Couldn’t have been more disappointed. Service was totally non-existent. We had to prompt for our order to be taken and ended up leaving almost 2 hours later after just 1 course - nobody came to take our dessert orders, despite asking for menus. The food certainly wasn’t worth waiting for. It seemed like all the veg had been pre-plated and the meat added later. Barely warm, portions not overly generous, and was not helped by having to wait another 10 minutes for horseradish and mint sauce to arrive (that were virtually thrown on the table without a word from the server) Certainly did not merit more than 1-star

Visiting from Australia, met up with some UK friends for dinner. The meals were excellent and made it a very enjoyable evening. Staff were very friendly and helpful. If I lived a bit closer, I'd definitely visit again.

This was a birthday treat for my 92 year mother-in -law . We'd heard of the reputation of the Mole for some time, but decided that today October 22nd was the right event to sample the fine fare! We started with a shared "nibble" of salt and pepper squid, one of my favourites, it was delicious with a roast garlic mayo dip. We then had a different main each - I had the sirloin steak , my wife had a pork belly dish and birthday girl had an Irish lamb stew - all the dishes were well presented and out-of-this-world!! We were quite full from the mains, but decided to just look at the dessert menu, we then had a chocolate fondant (shared with my other half) and b/d girl had sumac roasted plumbs! The desserts were amazing! What a wonderful treat, and to top it all b/d girl had a candle lit on top of her dessert! Well done to all at The Mole especially Elenita, we'll be back!!

Wonderful meal! Lovely atmosphere and helpful, friendly staff

Fantastic lunch. I had the tomato risotto with lemon ricotta which was gorgeous and so filling. My colleagues had burgers and an aubergine dish. Food is pricey but for me the quality was definitely there and I would order the same again, no doubt about it! Special shout out to Fleur who was so friendly.

We all loved coming here for Saturday lunch. I had the best liver I’ve ever eaten, each course had a sense of real quality and pride, highly recommended

Very bad experience at The Mole Inn today. We have met relatives there before as the pub lies between our two homes, travelling a significant distance for what should have been a lovely family meal. Sadly it was spoilt by downright rude and aggressive behaviour from two of the waiting staff. There seems to be a culture of aggressive table reclamation in place from diners who have yet to finish their meal. The restaurant was part empty and we were approached prior to finishing our meal off when about to order final drinks. We were told very firmly we must vacate the table. This was well before the time slot as advertised was up and after a relatively short meal. Following instructions we paid up after a rather hasty and aggressive payment demand was made. We left the table as directed but asked a more senior staff member if there was anywhere we could sit for the drinks. She then consulted the computer and said that the junior staff member was new and was wrong to have told us to leave as the table wasn’t needed for about 40 minutes, we could go back for that time. We did so and ordered teas and coffees. They arrived about 20 minutes later. A few minutes after they arrived and before we could drink them the more senior staff member came over and said that subsequent diners had arrived early. Therefore we had to vacate the table again. We scalded our throats and paid up and left as instructed a second time over. What an appalling customer service attitude this place has. Clearly some diners overstay their welcome but this should never be allowed to result in a culture of customer bashing for all regardless of merit. They seemed more focussed on throwing people out than bothering to either check their own computer or stick to reservation times for arriving customers today. Horrible experience and we are four customers who will never return as a result.

Lovely pub with a good menu and friendly service. Well worth a visit. Lamb was delicious and the ginger pear sticky toffee pudding exceptional.

A perfect Sunday lunch on a beautiful day at a great place. Loved everything. The friendly staff, the atmosphere, the food and the lovely secluded outdoor secret garden with a cozy gazebo. We enjoyed our beef & lamb roast meals and had our desserts in the secret garden. Idyllic setting. Absolutely must try if in the area.

Absolutely fantastic food. I had the special Sirloin steak, and it was excellent. Very happy to have found this place whilst visiting the area.

We visited the Mole for our wedding anniversary, the starter (flat bread and hummus) was passable but not great. My main course was (lamb shoulder) was delivered tepid and the veg was cold, I mentioned this to the staff and this was sent back to the kitchen. It was then thrown in the microwave for a minute and brought back out. Resulting in a portion of rubbery lamb. My wife’s risotto was also not good at all

This is an excellent & reliably high quality place to visit - always a delight & in a lovely part of the countryside.

Lucky to have this pub so local to Oxford! Lovely dinner on Saturday, great service & refreshing to see ‘specials’ that lived up to the name. Venison pie was a great way to start the Autumn.

Absolute explosion of flavours, one of the nicest evenings out we've had in a long time. The food was fabtastic 🥳 Glad we picked The Mole for our special celebration

Beautiful place, and excellent food with seasonal changes. We really like to come here when we have family gatherings, although it is quite expensive.

Really good location with some very nice delights, we found some aspects very nice and really enjoyed this making the day extremely nice

Lovely for a pub dinner - good quality Oxfordshire meat and beer in a beautiful location. Recommend the squid starter and the lamb.

Sunday lunch was very disappointing, irrespective of [high] price. The two roast potatoes were hard, and there was something strange about the meat (he had beef, I had lamb) - it was as though it had been sliced before cooking and then grilled somehow; also my lamb tasted like it had been reheated. Very poor.

Delicious food, amazing service. George and Elena were very helpful and gracious when there were a couple of issues with the kitchen. Would highly recommend a visit!

Sunday roast was tasty and good range of veg although service was almost too quick - food turned up within 15 minutes of arriving. Very expensive lunch for what it is though.

Visited the mole today for a special treat :) We were not disappointed 😋 Delicious Duck salad & cheesy croquettes to start , With fab company (dog & my partner 🐾!) Lovely atmosphere , &mains of filling pork belly & A perfectly executed steak - Left us happily content with a very good feed- And also wanting to come back again soon for more! Great we could bring our dog , As lots of great space for walks nearby 🪧

Overall lovely But for price expected table service And shandy overpriced?! The garden is lovely x Ice cream options great xx

This venue is simply a must when visiting Oxford. The food was delicious and the beef there is truly on another level. The drinks selection was also something that I definitely appreciated, and the service was simply outstanding. Furthermore the owner, Jack, is very friendly and really makes you feel as if you are in a familiar atmosphere. Would recommend, and will definitely return in the future.

I went to the garden for a few drinks with my nephew. Since the restaurant was full for lunch, they were making pizzas outside. The little guy gave it a 10/10.

We were told this is under new management. Good parking (and safe for a cherished car). Nice outside eating layout. Very friendly (especially Fleur). Good Sunday lunch. We will be back mid week.

Have not been to The Mole for about a year, which is a shame because I live so local, I went there for lunch on Saturday with a friend of not seen for many many years. We were so impressed with the food which was incredible, looked after by really friendly staff and in a lovely environment, looking forward to visiting that much more throughout the summer months, well done for a fabulous meal I would recommend anybody to go here, it really is incredible. The best food I’ve had in a long time

I organised a lunch for 30 people. We had a three course lunch with a restricted menu chosen by guests in advance. The quality of the food was excellent, prepared and cooked by Ranjit and Jack. The prevent planning with Elena was very efficient and the service on the day provided by Elena, Xhayra and Scarlet was first class. i would thoroughly recommend this lovely country pub if you have a small group of friends or colleagues to entertain

Thank you so much for the lovely service and food. People in general needs to be more understanding with hospitality in these times , when understaffed ,as it's very hard finding people to work but the staff that was there did fantastic job.

The Mole Inn in the countryside of Oxford is proper cosy, with a lovely vibe and nice outdoor garden seats. There are plenty of parking spots as well. We just popped in for a pint, but we're very keen to visit again for a proper meal or their Sunday roast. Top spot for a pint and a bite, can't wait to go back for more! 🥘

Lovely pub , our waitress/waiters didn't seem to want to be there,very abrupt, charged us £20 too much, and we were made to feel it was our fault. That aside the foods outstanding in lovely countryside,whats not to like.But when you spend £200 on a sunday lunch good service helps.we will be back and hopefully catch people on a happier day.

Stopped off for Sunday roast on way back home. First observation were the paper menus were not the prices advertised online (naturally higher). Roast Lamb whilst tasty, consisted of 2 measly slices. The majority of the meal consisted of shredded cabbage and Yorkshire pudding. the mash was no more than 1 teaspoon! We left very disappointed. Not cheap either (also wine ~£10/glass) shame as the reviews suggested otherwise. We won't return

We reserved a table to celebrate our anniversary at the mole Ona Monday evening & were surprised at how busy it was. As a consequence to this we had to wait over 10 -15 mins before we were offered drinks. We had olives & bread (very dry!) which we didn’t get charged for because of the wait. Both of us had lamb chops from the specials. Th meal portions were small which was a shame because flavours were delicious. The exception being that the lamb chop (only had one on our plate!) was tough. It was over priced at £28. My chocolate brûlée was ok. My husband commented that rhubarb crumble was the best part of his meal. But very pricey desserts. Service charge was added to the bill so we felt obliged to pay it.

As with other reviewers, my only complaint is value for money. For example, £30 for a 6oz steak is a lot to pay when five slithers of meat are placed in front of you. It’s a pity, because they get everything else right here.

We were given a voucher for a Christmas present from our children which we used this evening. We have just had a really enjoyable experience. The two gentlemen serving us were extremely efficient and friendly. We had three courses which we don’t normally do but everything we ordered was really enjoyable. I am vegetarian but my husband eats everything. He had crab and lobster cakes to start, steak for main and rhubarb crumble for dessert. I had a starter from the special board which was asparagus with new potato’s, salad and a very tasty dressing. I then had to decide between the sweet potato bean burger or the roasted cauliflower and I went for the burger, then finished with a dessert from the specials which was chocolate fondant with salted caramel ice cream. We loved it all. We used to go to the Mole a lot but this is the first time we have been back for ages, we certainly will be returning again very soon.

We stopped in for a quick drink and a break from a long drive and the place was packed, looked amazing food but we only sat at the bar and relaxed a while! The barman and all the staff we met were helpful and accommodating and we had a great time, thank you! And the toilets need a visit, fun pictures abound!

Sadly, this is not the place it once was. The lunch menu has shrunk considerably in terms of choice and the so-called Triple Cooked Chips were (it seemed to us) nothing more than frozen wedges. This used to be a great go-to pub, but attracting the serving staff's attention proved difficult (the pub was not full), and the prices charged are not merited.

Lovely surroundings and friendly efficient staff although they were clearly a bit thin on the ground and working very hard. Food is excellent and beautifully presented. Menu of main courses could be more varied on top of the pub classics like fish and chips and burger. . Quite pricey but definitely recommend

Visited for Sunday lunch on 17th March. Food especially the roast beef was to die for. Service top notch and good atmosphere. Returning on Easter Sunday for more. Could not fault it whatsoever

We were given a warm welcome on arrival and shown to our table by a very friendly staff member who explained the specials, which sounded great. It was a special occasion and my son had pre ordered champagne which was brought swiftly to our table. The staff were knowledgeable about the menu which offered a good choice. We ordered seafood starters, which came quickly, were good sized & delicious. Then we chose the special chicken pie, steak, and the vegetarian option, with freshly cooked broccoli. All were well cooked and nicely presented. The wine was excellent too. The serve throughout was attentive, efficient and friendly. The dining area was busy, yet our evening was faultless and other diners seemed happy too. I know it’s challenging times for the hospitality industry everywhere and all credit to The Mole for being able to offer such an enjoyable experience. We will be back soon.

Not great for vegetarian / vegan customers. The Sunday lunch option was Roasted Cauliflower. Sadly it was not even seasoned, and was literally just a piece of cauliflower alongside a sparse plate of veg and a Yorkshire pudding. Veggie gravy was nice. Not worth £18 and I left feeling hungry. It’s a shame as plant based foods can be fantastic, but this was unimaginative and bland. Service was slow and the waiting staff weren’t great at dealing with the volume of customers. (Apologies, smiles, and explanations go a long way!) The owner was friendly though, and the pub itself was beautiful and cosy.

Exceptional building and interior. Limited lunch menu but good food. Nice staff but not chatty. Definitely go again and recommend

Would have given the food 5 stars were it not for the prices. Very expensive for a pub but delicious nonetheless. Partner had fish and chips, absolutely perfectly cooked fish with crispy batter and soft, flaky cod inside. Because the fish was placed on the chips (although they were more like wedges) they were a bit moist and not crispy. I had lamb stew with polenta from the specials board and it was one of the most delicious meals I've had! However, for £21 it was a very small portion and I could have eaten more. Appreciate lamb is expensive but more polenta please. Both had sticky toffee pudding for dessert. Meant to be with salted caramel ice cream but no issue with swapping for vanilla. Extensive wine list but, again, the prices! Nearly £10 for a large glass of the cheaper end of the menu for a bottle that probably cost the same amount. Overall, delicious food, amazing and friendly service but not it will cost you.

Beautiful pub with good food and varied menu. Lovely atmosphere. Kitchen closes at 2:15 on Saturday though- which we were not aware of and put a bit of pressure on us to order as our booking was for 2pm.

Lovely Country Pub. Lots of parking. Nice Ales. Food was very well prepared. We had Lobster tail and crab cake. Burgers. Hake. Kids enjoyed their meals and lots of puddings.

Beautiful venue, excellent main meal, puddings were delicious and service was second to none. It was my 40th birthday, the manager and staff accommodated all my requests and even sung happy birthday. Would highly recommend a visit. Will definitely be going again soon.

The Mole appears to be trading on a reputation from long ago and no longer meets its previous levels. As we were a group we had to pre-order, but items on that pre-order were “forgotten” or “no longer on the menu”. Additional deserts were ordered, one of these was forgotten also and don’t ask about the raspberry sorbet farce! The food that was served was fine, but not worth the price tag. I’ll not be going back anytime soon!

We hosted a birthday lunch for 18 guests in total, and were seated in the beautiful conservatory. The food was excellent; our guests very much enjoyed the meal and atmosphere! Many of them complimented our choice of this venue. The service was great, and the staff very accommodating especially Elena, who all helped make it a wonderful birthday lunch!

Went for Sunday lunch, small portions not overly hot. Very expensive for what it was.

Came here for my partners birthday, he’d been wanting to visit for a while now. The whole group was disappointed. Service was poor, had to wait a long time between mains, getting desert menus and getting desert. Desert which was the sticky toffee and crumble was tepid. The crumble wasn’t a crumble with a buttery crumbly top. It was a seeded granola. This was not noted in the menu. The apple and pear contents was pink. This was apparently from the poaching liquor. We however had berries in it which again wasn’t mentioned on the menu. Even to catch someone’s attention to say something took a long time. Getting the bill took a long time, we had to stand at the bar in the end to get someone’s attention. And after all that we got the bill and they had already put on service charge. I’m sorry, I know there is a shortage of staff within the trade but if you automatically put a service charge on the bill then I think that attention should be made. I complained about the pudding but didn’t want to complain about the service charge. I was with friends and was embarrassed.