The Old Bell in Breckland

In summary, The Bell made our long weekend break. We stumbled in by accident and were greeted by Carole, who made us feel welcome although we were staying elsewhere. Carole was so natural and brought such warmth to the establishment, we came back for lunchtime drinks, then booked for dinner next day. The roast was superb and service was perfect, so we came back for breakfast the next day. Again, superb food. Could not recommend enough for service, quality of food and value.

We came here for a Sunday roast last weekend and had one of the best roasts I’ve had in a long time. The atmosphere was lovely, the restaurant had a lovely cosy Cotswold feel, the food was amazing, the service was very efficient and friendly. Would most definitely visit again and really recommend if you’re visiting Stow.

We drive for 1hr and 15 mins to get to the Bell in Stow whenever we can find the time. The Sunday roasts are amazing. We also love their Ploughman's to share which comes with one of the best sausage rolls I've ever had. The staff have always been super friendly.

Found this place purely by chance so booked a table. OMG we weren't disappointed the food was absolutely beautiful. Lovely clean pub throughout inside. Very friendly staff. Lovely warm inviting pub with a great atmosphere Wish we'd found it earlier in the week

Busy Sunday dinner time but a nice pint and dinner 👍

Polly was an excellent waitress, 10/10 service and food, very dog friendly. Can’t wait to return!

As usual, the staff at The Bell always deliver. Friendly and welcoming. Great food (and great tableware 😊)

Great family meal. Good traditional pub food, attentive service and a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Will visit again!

Beautiful pub with free parking included! I went for lunch on a Saturday with a group of friends of 40 people... very kind and helpful staff for all our requests, fast and impeccable service! Delicious food, the homemade focaccia is the dish that amazed me! 😍 Thank you for your patience and for a beautiful day 🙏🏼

Stayed 2 nights October 2024, parked in small pub car park (free), great Guinness, friendly, quiet. Had a great time. Thanks for hosting. P&S

Took a booking for a very special occasion for my family (which I told the staff about); we turned up as a group of 10 from different directions and the pub had shut for a few days. Livid doesn’t cut it. Do not recommend. Can you imagine the success I had trying to find another table to celebrate my elderly parents’ anniversary? It didn’t end well for us. Why why why wouldn’t they contact customers with bookings to give them fair warning of such closure? Clearly not a fair establishment and one I definitely cannot recommend. Do not trust their bookings system, even when it’s been personally responded to by a member of staff.

They were very rude and didnt want to seat us to have lunch

Been visiting this place for 21 years, they’ve had great owners and not so great, but the current owner (Cindy), is your dream landlady, if you want a good pint, a excellent meal, served by staff that are like family then visit the Old Bell, if you go once you will go again and again. Great pub, well run, a must visit if in the area!

Great location and really nice rooms. We were given a free upgrade on arrival which was much appreciated as we had only booked a small double as it was only intended to be a stop gap whilst travelling home from Cornwall. The room we stayed in was actually around a 4 min walk from the main pub in what looked like some recently refurbished buildings. Ample free parking right next to the accommodation which was a bonus. The room was well equipped, luxurious and spotlessly clean. We didn't stay for breakfast but did eat in the main pub on the evening and the food was very good and reasonably priced. Staff were all very polite and helpful both during check in and whilst dining. Would definitely recommend and would certainly stay here again if we are ever in the area. An added bonus was that we even saw the northern lights through the roof windows into the room.

Had a wonderful lunch in the restaurant. Food was plentiful and service was very good. Went in 2016 and went back again when we came back to the UK and were not disappointed.

Lovely cosy vibe. Food was great (Nduja Chicken Kiev and Beef Burger), drinks were great (Hawkstone lager and Hugo Spritz), and the service was very attentive and friendly - despite it being a busy Saturday evening!

This was a lovely stay at The Bell. The customer service was brilliant. Rooms was lovely. Very comfortable bed and nice touches like home made shortbread and port in the room. The food was delicious. A really great stay in a beautiful location, near shops and great walks.

A little disappointed with our visit.

Absolutely fantastic. Wonderful venue and great staff.

Frustrating experience. I bet the food is good, but we wouldn’t know. We weren’t served in the pub. We had to eat snacks from the convenience store instead. We stayed in one of the rooms above the pub for two nights. We made dinner reservations our first night and were a bit late checking in. The host said it was no problem, the table was ours the whole time anyway. I had read reviews about people being ignored.. and that’s what happened. We were set in the corner.. five minutes went by, 10 minutes went by, 15 minutes went by.. nothing. New people were coming in and getting their drink and food orders in the meantime. We knew from experience in the Cotswolds that if you don’t have reservation in a pub for dinner— you may go hungry. After the bad and frustrating experience, we skipped breakfast in the mornings.. with a 2 year old we couldn’t take a chance sitting for 15 minutes, maybe more before someone would acknowledge us. Great other places in Stow though.. go to the Porch House or Old Butchers.

Beautiful smoked salmon sandwiches and friendly atmosphere.

Lunch at the Bell was a delightful experience. Excellent food and friendly staff made it worth finding.

Excellent product offering. Careful service and the place and its historical surroundings of authentic beauty.

Food was amazing a good selection of drinks and the staff were all wonderful and friendly and a very special mention to Carol who was so kind to Bruce our dog. We would really recommend The Bell at Stow for a visit

Amazing place to stay. Stuart house is a lovely quaint, old-school hotel & the Breakfast I had at the bell was one of the best I’ve had

Had lunch here with friends, on the outskirts of the small town, some parking is available, but a bigger car park is just across the road. Two of us had the sausage sandwich, the sandwich and salad was lovely, would definitely have that again.

Lovely friendly staff. Lovely tasty food. Lovely pleasant atmoshere

Lovely place, great food and friendly service. Enjoyed our lunch and a drink on a sunny day.

Good beer, friendly staff. Visited on a sunny day and sat in the garden

Went on holiday for a meal was superb staff really nice Alex had attention to detail which I really liked Fish and chips and sausage and mash were perfect plus beautiful starters We will be back

Excellent. Beautiful environment

Had dinner at The Bell to celebrate a wedding anniversary. The food and wine were absolutely lovely, we thoroughly enjoyed the ambience and the staff were very nice and courteous. Highly reccomended.

Fantastic food, wonderful staff.

Extremely warm welcome by friendly staff. Great food and a very pleasant atmosphere. Definitely recommend

Family lunch for 6 with 2 well- behaved dogs. Varied menu, delicious roasts, good wine (which we had a bottle), tasty local beers and always attentive service. It’s a popular spot but Alex makes sure we have the best of everything. Outside seating available for sunny days. Love this place!

We enjoyed the most delicious Sunday Roast, food was so yummy we didn’t leave anything! Staff were lovely, friendly & attentive. Great value for money! We were visiting Stow on the Wold & booked it via internet searching, & we’re so lucky we found it! Thank you 🤩

We just ate in the Bell, staff were really lovely, restaurant had a great atmosphere and good was brilliant.

Wonderful Sunday lunch, the food was superb! Well done to the chefs! Welcome, attendance, service, excellent! Lovely table position, all good. For our table of four, we all are sad that the drinks are so expensive, too expensive, £10.85 for a large glass of wine. Nearly £50 on four drinks. We all know hostilaries make up 'good deals' with overpricing the drinks, but we weren't on a 'deal'. It's no wonder folk are not eating out as much.

Had lunch here in the garden. Great setting near the centre of Stow and adjacent to public parking. Extremely helpful staff and good selection of light lunches. I had whitebait, which was outstanding.

Sorely understaffed for breakfast and lone person manning the full breakfast rush was maybe understandably not the friendliest. Online menu options aren’t the same as when you’re there so very misleading since items on real menu were the same as any other place in Stow. Breakfast plates still wet from the wash along with service from a terse, stressed server with a pained smile made for a low-class experience. Definitely not the way to start a day in the Cotswold.

Customer service first class. Only personal gripe was the menu wasn't a little more varied. I had the fish and chips. Chips were amazing.

Good food, good service, good beer, dog friendly and WiFi available. Perfick!

We had a late lunch here today. Food and service top notch. The desert was stunning. Highly recommend

I didn’t stay there but had a lovely meal there. Staff are very kind and attentive. The food was delicious. I highly recommend this lovely pub. Excellent value for money. Will definitely go again.

A very Nice pub with great food and drink. Great atmosphere and a lovely team.

Went for the Sunday lunch as on holiday locally. The carvery was a real treat we both had beef but the grandson had gammon and beef. Everything was cooked to perfection, deserts were great, beer was excellent and staff were great. Well recommended.

Nice place had a nice pint in the bar friendly staff

Sunday roast was excellent as was the service from Carol, friendly and helpful, would highly recommend Bailey Boo (dog) says thanks for the treats!!

Unfortunately, I can't say as many good things as many others here. I had booked for 5 people in 2 double rooms and 1 single room. I also wanted a table to eat and watch TV (football) in the evening. Everything was confirmed to me, my friend was supposed to move to another house for 1 single room, which wasn't a problem for us. The rooms and also the space in the pub were confirmed by email. Everything okay. Here's what we received: 1 lovely double bedroom above the pub, 1 double room in the other house, about 400 m away. The room was very small and so low that you couldn't stand upright. The single room above the kitchen was a disgrace. A storage room, about 4 square meters small, the door could only be opened halfway because that was where the bed was, you couldn't put any suitcases down or you had to step over the suitcases. The bathroom/shower was no larger than 1 square meter. To go to the bathroom you had to climb over the bed. This room was the reason for my complaint because we paid 140€ / 114pd just for this small room. When I complained to the blonde woman, she just laughed at me and said, we're in Stow, it's more expensive here. A double room cost 194GBP, including the small room in the other house. I asked for a cheaper price for this room, the woman wasn't interested. The table we ordered in the evening was taken despite being confirmed, so we had to look for somewhere else. I will not recommend this house to our motorcycle groups and will warn as many friends as possible not to book a room here. It's a shame, because Stow is a very nice place. For all of us this hotel was a tourist trap. We were taken advantage of and cheated. We were traveling in Ireland and England for 3 weeks, and luckily we only had such an impudence happen to us once. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::: Unfortunately, I can't report as much good as many others here. I had booked for 5 people in 2 double rooms and 1 single room. I also wanted a table for dinner and to watch TV (football) in the evening. Everything was confirmed to me, my friend was to go to another house for 1 single room, which was no problem for us. The rooms and the place in the pub were confirmed by email. Everything was fine. We received the following: 1 nice double room above the pub, 1 double room in the other house, about 400 m away. The room was very small and so low that you couldn't stand upright. The single room above the kitchen was a disgrace. A storage room, about 4 square meters, the door could only be opened halfway because that was where the bed was, you couldn't put your suitcases down or you had to climb over them. The bathroom/shower was no bigger than 1 square meter. To go to the bathroom you had to climb over the bed. This room was the reason for my complaint, because we paid 140€ / 114 Pd for this small room alone. A double room costs 194GBP, also the small room in the other house. When I complained to the blonde woman, she just laughed at me and said that we are in Stow, it is more expensive here. I asked for a cheaper price for this room, but the woman was not interested. The table we had booked that evening was taken despite our confirmation, so we had to look for somewhere else. I will not recommend this hotel to our motorcycle groups and will warn as many friends as possible against booking a room here. It's a shame because Stow is a very nice place. For all of us, this hotel was a tourist trap. We took advantage of and cheated. We were traveling in Ireland and England for 3 weeks, and luckily such a cheeky thing only happened to us once.

Lovely place to watch the euros. The roast dinner was delicious too!

My wife, her sister and myself stopped for lunch and were immediately shown to a table. The menu was good, so we all ordered. Our meals were served swiftly and were delicious. My wife's Haddock and leek fishcake was the largest she had ever eaten and was very good. Her sister's sausage and mash was also delicious and my Fish and chips was more than I could eat. My Youngs ale went down a treat. The staff were very friendly and polite, so all in all a very pleasant stop.

Fabulous bedrooms with a comfy bed and a couple of free mini-bar items thrown in for good measures. Room prices are on the high side and you’d expect breakfast was included but that’s and extra £30 for two. Not good value I’m afraid. Nice food but very limited options for veggies.

Quick stop passing through, beautiful little place for a drink

Had dinner twice - best food we've had ln England so far.

I went to the Bell for Sunday lunch with my family and Grandchildren. Service was ok and friendly staff but the food was terrible worst roast dinner I have had anywhere. The chicken was dry as though it had been deep fried. The vegetables well I have never seen parsnips or carrots like it they were disgusting we will never visit again. It’s a shame because everywhere else we had food in the Cotswolds was very tasty and fresh produce.

Never have I ever left a restaurant in tears. You know when you just *feel* the racism? It doesn't need to be blatant but is usually subtle. POC will 100% understand that feeling. We booked this last minute and as soon as we walked in, were ignored. A white couple came in after us and the blonde waitress went directly around us and took them to a table. I made direct eye contact as she was taking them, as if to say, I saw that and yes we're still here. She intentionally avoided us completely after as we were standing there waiting to be helped. The man behind the bar saw, seated us instead, and then we were ignored for another 20 minutes. I asked another blonde waitress if we could be helped and she said WE'LL GET TO YOU. She had never even acknowledged our presence or existence prior. I was already so upset we just decided to leave after that. We left with empty bellies and a trip to a local grocery store instead. There's a Yelp review from 9 days ago about this and one on TripAdvisor from this month saying the EXACT SAME THING.

A group of six of us had a lovely lunch here. The food was great as was the service. A quaint Cotswold pub that I'd highly recommend.

Breakfast and Coffee over £15 definetly a tourist trap

What a fabulous pub! Great location, super helpful and friendly staff and delicious food. Best chips I’ve had in years.

Came in at around 8:30pm just hoping the kitchen was still open. Left after having possibly the best burger I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. Superb! Gotta try it

Lovely meal here this afternoon, we were just passing through as staying elsewhere in the Cotswolds. Very warm welcome, great service and a delicious meal, very busy but the quality of food and service were not compromised couldn’t ask for more. Thank you

Friendly quick service and lovely food. We all had different roasts, and couldn't finish it all as very generous portions. Nice clean toilets too!

Very nice pub in Stow-on-the-wold. Friendly and helpful staff. Very good food. Super approved for the vegan option too: one of the best vegan burgers I've ever eaten! Approved with flying colors

Very nice menu. Good variety for all tastes. Large portions. Lovely atmosphere. Would recommend.

THE BELL IS A COZY PLACE TO VISIT STOW-ON-THE WOLD. A TRADITIONAL PUB OFFERING DELICIOUS FOOD AND COFFEE.. THE OLD CAR LOOKS GOOD AS A DECORATION IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING.. PARKING POSSIBILITY GIVEN.. THE TRAVELER CAN ALSO REQUIRE ACCOMMODATION, ACCOMMODATION IS RECOMMENDED...

Wow ! What an outstanding place. We were warmly welcomed by the staff who were lovely. The pub is very traditional inside and warm and cosy. Our meal was delicious we had the Scotch Egg for starter, fish and chips ( very generous portion size) and apple crumble, the crumble on top was out of this world so crunchy & hubby had sticky toffee pudding his favourite but this one was different than others he has had before, you’ll know what I mean if you try it yourself. Overall we had a wonderful evening and wasn’t rushed through our meal. Parking is easy as there is a large car park across the road ( free after 6pm ) We highly recommend you try The Bell you won’t be disappointed.

Highly recommend this restaurant. Everything was delicious, from Sunday roasts, to fish pie, to fish and chips. The side of cauliflower cheese is possibly the best i have ever tasted. Desserts were delicious too. Excellent, friendly service and atmosphere with log burning fire was perfect. When back in The Cotswolds I will definitely return.

rode our horses here for a few drinks yesterday and the staff were so sweet they brought our horses some apples 🥹

Had a really nice Sunday lunch with my family. Roast dinner really nice, burgers and fish and chips fantastic. Service was really good too. A really great couple of hours 😁

Had a lovely afternoon watching the rain fall outside. Lovely food, service and drinks. Thanks Alex for a lovely visit

Never been before.It was a lovely place.Lovely menu.Staff friendly.It was quiet due to the bad weather.

Booked a table for 5 on Saturday for Sunday lunch. Arrived and the highchair we had requested wasn't set up, but to be fair to the staff was corrected and set up swiftly, with no issues. Staff were good and generally attentive, however there did seem to be a shortage of bodies available to help. The food generally was just about a three, good volume however little taste. We probably will not return, which is a shame as the pub itself felt welcoming.

We stayed here for one night last week, and it was fabulous! We stayed above the pub, and the room was lovely. It felt like such a special treat! The bed was comfortable, though the pillows could do with improvement comfort wise. The bathroom was lovely with fantastic toiletries. It had all the little extras you'd expect plus a great view. Also, the first hotel I've stayed in, which had straightners in the room as well as a hairdryer! The staff were all fantastic and very helpful, we found a half empty beer bottle in our mini bar, and they sorted it out quickly! My partner proposed to me here, so it will definitely always be a special place to us, and we will be back! Hopefully, next time, we'll have time to dine in the pub as the menu looked great and the pub was lovely!

What a treat. Lovely food and service and very dog friendly..

The Bell exceeded expectations. We booked here for an early dinner on a Saturday and we were incredibly pleased with the service we received. We had booked because we knew we would have 2 dogs and would need a high chair for a toddler. They placed us in a great space with plenty of room and looked after us very well. The food was also very tasty and reasonably priced given the portion size. Very pleased with everything and well worth trying if you are in the area.

The whole family had our New Year Eve dinner here. The portion of the dishes was generous and very nice. It was busy with only 3 people serving, so getting the waiters/waitress attention was difficult.

met friends here as its an ideal half way place to meet. One had teh dea bass - nicely presented and well cooked - and three of us had the fish and chips - among the best I've everr tasted. Soft flaky fish, cruchy batter and crisp delicious chips served with a smile. I had no roome for pudding but everyone else managed the excellent crumble and ice cream, and not a crumb left! Highy recommended.

Great place, good food and friendly welcome! We'll be back!

Love this pub, fantastic atmosphere, good prices and a fantastic Sunday lunch. Lots of characters is this pub and it is a must do if your in the area. Moving to the village soon and looking forward to becoming a regular.

Excellent Pub in Stow would definitely recommend! Would be worth booking as was very busy! Staff very friendly and food was excellent!

Great meal and staff very helpful for my grandson Definitely go back

We had the Christmas lunch on Sunday. Superb! Staff friendly and helpful with a great wine selection. Highly recommended!

We have recentlymoved to Saham Toney, so as family were visiting booked in for Sunday Carvery. Very accommodating for a vegan family member, who had a lovely nut roast. Food was delicious and plentiful, and gorgeous selection of deserts. Roaring fires in he pub, gave a homely feel and wonderful ambience. All the staff were lovely and attentive, feel so lucky to have a lovely local pub on our doorstep.

Lovely dog friendly pub, very attentive and friendly service - food delicious too, typical pub grub but high quality 👌🏼

Nice pub only had a drink. Staff were friendly.

Lovely open pub nice atmosphere friendly Staff. Good service:). Sausage portion a bit small for the pirce.. two larger sausages. Or three the size they we're.. would have been better..

Lovely pub, stopped for a snack and a few pints. Very dog friendly, Wally managed to talk his way into a couple of sausages!

Called here for Sunday lunch. Had the roast pork. It was very good, big servings. Would recommend booking in advance, we saw several walk-ins turned away.

The team were fantastic from start to finish. Our party of 12 adults and 5 children under 8 were made to feel very welcome. The food was excellent and plentiful. Nothing was too much trouble and the birthday celebrations were enjoyed by all. Will be back!

Great find. Great menu, food was delish. Wo Derulo pubby atmosphere yet without of old world charm.

Excellent Sunday roast I had pork with scrumptious crackling and my partner had beef, along with a decent ale and a cider I would recommend it to anyone with a large appetite

Food, lovely - generous portions. Staff were also nice. Overall, lovely experience.

Lovely food. Great interior. Dog friendly.

Lovely pub great service, good food only gave it 3 stars as main meal didn't come with any green vegs, it might have been an extra but was not pointed out

Had dinner here while visiting Stow. The melted Camembert was brilliant as were the fish and chips. They also have an excellent selection of ales on offer. The location is great as it is near the edge of town and they have a large outdoor space that is great for relaxing after a day of exploring. We didn’t stay at the pub, but met some people who were and they said the accommodations were great. Highly recommend stopping by!

Superb all round, thank you...

Good food but service severely lacking during our visit

Bottom of the village / town . In a nice position, especially on a sunny day . Food a little ££ Easy parking near by .

If you're looking for great food, good service, a friendly atmosphere and a warm welcome, The Bell, Stow-on-the-Wold is the place for you.

Shared a ploughman's lunch with my wife and had a pint of ale to wash it down. Absolutely lovely, and because it's on the edge of town It didn't get busy as early. Lovely pub, amazing grub!