Wildwood Kitchen in Vale of White Horse

Dire experience from the get-go. When our lingering presence was finally acknowledged, we were left in no doubt that we were far from welcome and shown to our table with no smile, instead what felt like cold tolerance of our presence. The food took absolutely ages - simple stuff like pizza and lasagne. So much so, we had to skip pudding because the 2 hour car park ticket was running out. Finally, I really don't appreciate having our conversation interrupted just because your job manual requires you to ask whether everything is ok - wait until I've finished speaking and if you actually give a damn about the answer, try smiling or otherwise taking the look of utter bored contempt off your face. Won't be going back. My parents haven't visited me for a long time and I'm only sorry this is how I treated them for lunch. Note the reply from Wildwood customer service (or rather PR) below - needless to say, Cyntia and her team didn't follow up on emails.

I popped in recently and had a fantastic time! The food was absolutely top-notch, especially the Tuscan sausage ragu, which was unique in flavour and beautifully presented. The staff were brilliant too – they welcomed us warmly and made sure we were enjoying everything. The whole atmosphere was just spot on for a relaxed evening out. I can't wait to go back and hopefully see some old favourites like the wild-boar burger back on the menu!

Service was fantastic, all the staff were amazing. The food was as expected, didn’t blow you away but hit the mark.

Great place for easy quick bite whenever u want as open all day

Service was good however food was not very appetising. Calamari portion was very small for the price and very dry. Chicken burger arrived with the brioche bun burned to a crisp. Presentation of food was poor. Kids pizza was lovely. My son pointed out chewing gum on the floor under the table which I had got on my shoe. When a I looked under the table there was 4 bits of chewing gum stuck underneath. Not a very nice dining experience to be honest. Will not be returning.

Good service and very tasty food

Very pleasant and friendly service, good choice of good food.

Been coming for years, says last order 20.45 online and previously ordered even later. Today at 20.33 was told kitchen is shut. However the first person to answer started taking my order and feels like they gave up due to poor telephone line. Then someone else came on and said they're shut, feels like they're just being lazy and don't want the order.

Very good (surprisingly good, in fact!). Friendly staff.

They’ve got the look down, but a real let down on the service. Had to wait 5 minutes upon arrival despite there being plenty of empty seats. The waitress making coffee was absolutely miserable and very blunt when I asked her for something, borderline rude. We ordered pancakes with bacon, then after waiting for quite some time were told they don’t have any bacon left…zero apologies too. Admittedly our waiter was very pleasant, aside from that. And to make up for the bacon he gave us extra pancakes. Overall food was decent, atmosphere and ambience great. If they levelled up their service it’d be perfect. I’d be willing to come again and give them a second chance

Excellent food, very friendly service. Menu with tasty mix of ingredients, including excellent vegan options..

Nice big cup of tea, sandwiches look yummy

We were really looking forward to a breakfast but after waiting 40 minutes for the food to come out, it arrived cold. We complained and they said they would make it again, but we didn't have time to wait so they didn't charge us and we left.

The food was pretty good, but the waiter was totally overwhelmed by our large party size (booked months before). The place did try it's best, but splitting the bill became very challenging.

We visited as part of our graduation celebration on the 3rd of September what can I say it was so busy which had clearly taken them by surprise for a Tuesday night but the waitress was on point nothing was to much trouble we tried to be as un needy as possible to cut them some slack but we were looked after regardless she was a superstar. The food was beautiful and prompt high five to the chef we were sat close to the kitchen and he worked like a machine what was an emotional proud day ended as a special fun night worth every penny

Very suitable for the occasion, family meet-up, casual and friendly. Will probably go there again.

Lovely restaurant with Woodfire puzza oven which I personally very much love...great choice of food and prepared very well along with great service...will regularly visit it..

Ordered a full English (drink included) Beautiful presentation , very tasty and cooked perfectly. Service quick and hospitable. Highly recommended. Amazing surrroundings with the bonus of a lavish cinema room

Great service, good food and friendly staff

I had 2 course lunch menu, soup and Bolognese. Food was really good, Nicki was very friendly and helpful. Definitely going again

Great breakfasts. Food always nice.

Food was lovely, and we had a lovely waiter which I can't remember his name, but he had curly dark blonde hair. Good service

Death by pizza. The biggest and tastiest pizza I’ve had in a long time. So big even I couldn’t manage it all. The waiter was very quick to offer a takeout box so I suspect I wasn’t the first one not to manage it. The garlic bread was also great. Plenty of fresh garlic and a great pizza base. Good choice of drinks available too.

Giving this place 10 out of 10!!! I met up with a friend from school whom I've not see in over 25 years!!! We had an amazing reunion and the staff and servers interaction was excellent. We were there for hours laughing, drinking and eating. Lovely place great atmosphere, wonderful experience.

loved wildwood, but recently the service has been awaful!! the barman said did we book, husband send no and he said cant help you then ;( in the end we got so fed up of waiting and other people going in before us ;( we said we were leaving

Please don't waste your time and money. Pasta was like rubber, pizza was dry! Service is non existent at a quiet time. Complete waste of money, wish we'd not gone

Service is bad, food was awful and staff aren't bothered. How can a restaurant exist like this? Maybe employe staff who are a bit more interested in their customers

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Wildwood, and I must say, it was an exceptional experience! From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with a warm and friendly atmosphere that immediately made me feel at home. The menu offers a delightful selection of authentic Italian dishes, each prepared with the freshest ingredients and utmost care. I started with the bruschetta, which was a perfect blend of ripe tomatoes, basil, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. For the main course, I opted for the classic spaghetti carbonara, and it did not disappoint. The pasta was cooked to perfection, and the creamy sauce was rich and flavorful, with just the right amount of pancetta. The wine selection is impressive, featuring a variety of Italian wines that perfectly complement the menu. I chose a glass of Chianti, which paired wonderfully with my meal. The service at Wildwood is outstanding. The staff is attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about providing an excellent dining experience. They were more than happy to accommodate any requests and provided great recommendations. The ambiance of the restaurant is cozy and elegant, making it an ideal spot for both casual dinners and special occasions. The decor is tastefully done, and the soft lighting adds to the overall charm. In summary, Wildwood is a gem of an Italian restaurant that I highly recommend to anyone looking for a memorable dining experience. The food, service, and atmosphere are all top-notch, and I can't wait to return!

Unfortunately, the food was cold, the order was messed up, we were told the wrong item will be taken out of the bill but then they came back to say if we don't want it they will take it off the bill, otherwise we have to pay for it (it was a portion of chips and my child had a couple so we didn’t feel we could just return it)?! The staff was overall nice but were all staring at us when we asked for the service charge to be removed since we didn't think we should pay for that too after all.

Went for breakfast. Absolutely fantastic. If I had any gripes it's that black pudding should be included not extra on a full English. Other than that everything was excellent and the toast cooked in the wood fired oven was superb. If you use the £10 voucher for a full English and a drink it's also great value. 10 out of 10 recommend. Best breakfast we have found in the OX area

Wow, what a lovely meal. The staff were fantastic and the food was really really good! We will definitely be back☺️ Xx

Great take away pizza's. Quick & tasty

Been a couple of times recently and had great food and service. It can sometimes be a little slow but the restaurant was full so we understood.

The English breakfast was amazing. Lovely waitress.

we love wildwood ! The breakfasts are great !

Very very rude waitress. Had to ask for cutlery and condiments. No straws for children. No children’s cutlery. No crayons for children. Starter missed off order and served out of sync. Had to ask for the finished plates to be cleared from table after starter. Incorrect bill at end which we reported and was amended but with no apology. Salty food. Overall disappointing for an expensive lunch.

Walked in to grab a late lunch having paid for parking (and been ignored for a good 5 minutes on arrival) to be told that the EMPTY restaurant couldn't accept walk in tables. Hurry up and close down if that's the attitude customers are greeted with!

Came here for the cooked breakfast and was not disappointed. I'd go far as to say this is one of the best I've had in Oxfordshire. It really hit the spot. The coffee also keeps the quality levels up. Not to mention the great service. Sorry no picture of the food, it was too good.

I love coming to this restaurant for all occasions and staff are always lovely ❤️

Lovely little note handwritten on the food bag

Good food, when it arrived... staff were lovely, but seemed preoccupied, even though it wasn't busy. Not bad.

What can I say, pizza and pasta but everyone enjoyed the meal and the staff were very attentive.

I love this place. Food is always amazing as well as the service. Oh and don't forget to have a cocktail or two. French martini is the best

Very straightforward diner style restaurant

Probably won't ever try and visit on a Saturday evening again. The restaurant was very busy and our main waitress was fine but everyone else was very poor. There were lots of teens serving who were more interested in chatting and having a jolly amongst themselves at the bar than doing things like bringing water to tables who had asked multiple times. We were also told at one point they had run out of ice so couldn't make any more drinks. On a Saturday. We said fine, make them without the ice but interestingly, they then appeared with huge ice cubes in. So not sure what that was about. A table near us was having their drinks served in plastic children's cups as they'd run out of glasses. Probably as the teenage wait staff were gossiping instead of washing glasses! I feel that if they are going to raise their prices as much as they have, a meal out is now quite a special treat that fewer people can afford as regularly, and you should be able to expect a certain level of service. We complained and were told the manager would come and see us but they never did, just took a small amount off our bill and sent us on our way. I think I'll stick to a weekday lunchtime, if anything!

Lovely restaurant and the vegan food was pretty good apart from overcooked sweet potatoe fries. Service was quite slow, but the staff were friendly.

Chose the spare ribs in BBQ sauce - very meaty and succulent, had a side salad which was very fresh and tasty. Hubby had the chicken and chorizo calzone which he enjoyed. Despite being extremely busy (Friday evening), service was very attentive from lovely, cheerful staff. Great buzzy atmosphere. Really enjoyed our spontaneous night out. Great that we have this restaurant where we live and we can walk there.

We have genuinely never had a bad meal here, service is always immaculate, customisation available, and even on the busiest days they have made space for us on occasion! (Even though I recommend booking in advance). The food would be a 5, however they change the menu too frequently and have removed some favourites, but the quality has been consistently great, we go there when we want to be guaranteed to leave happy. Food comes quickly, staff are attentive, well organised management. It can get really noisy in there (hence the 4) but they do host children’s parties etc so that’s understandable. Just know before you arrive that may be the case if there is a party happening. Huge menu selection, but please don’t get rid of great classics like the tomato bruschetta! It’s one of the best I’ve tasted! If you want consistently good food and service, just go here, easy and pretty restaurant too!

Nice to eat in but bad takeaway experience. Ordered Saturday night (24th Feb) via website (starters and mains for two of us) and given an estimated time to collect 15 mins later. I arrived at the restaurant exactly on time and was told it would be a "little" while longer. 45 minutes I waited before given the food. I appreciate that it can take longer when the kitchen is busy but there was no effort made to update me on when the food would done, no interaction from anyone at all in fact, just ignored until they brought it out. When it eventually arrived the pizza box did not feel hot like fresh pizza should - I was assured it had just come out the oven - but when I checked it was lukewarm at best. Told the staff I was unhappy and would like to cancel my order having waited nearly an hour for a pizza and a lasagne and at the very least I wasn't happy paying full price for late and cold food. Was told that was fine, but they could not issue a refund in the restaurant as it was ordered online. Asked what to do and they said to "request a refund via the website" and to take the food. Of course there is no (certainly no obvious) way to request a refund via their website other than sending them an email which I did and it's now been nearly a week and have heard nothing back. I would love to say this is likely just a one off bad experience but almost exactly the same happened last time I ordered takeaway here about a year ago- hence checking the temperature of the pizza this time. I've had eaten in the restaurant many times and it has always been fine but it seems if you want takeaway you're very much at the bottom of the queue

UPDATE: I was informed this was due to a glitch and was compensated with an apology and a voucher, so I'll be amending this to a more neutral score until I can try the food myself. Ordered food for 11:30-12:00 delivery, order was delayed, delayed, delayed then cancelled without communication at 12:50. Shocking service, the worst I have ever encountered.

Go here every 6 weeks with my grandmother and kids. They always have pizza and love it. I go for Pasta or fish. It's always really tasty but sometimes the portions are small. It is expensive but everything is these days, it's in line with pizza express, Bella Italia etc. service can be slow.

Really glad we went! The portion size was fantastic and great quality! The staff were fantastic, especially the fact we were there for partner's birthday and the 2 waiting team sang happy birthday. They did an excellent job! Convivial place to be with good drink prices.

We had a really lovely night at Wildwood in Wantage for Valentine's night. I had mushroom and mozzarella brushetta and the Chicken Caesar Salad. Both were excellent. Lovely crispy fresh salad , with plenty parmesan and chicken and a few anchovies just made it delicious. My partner had prawns to start and the steak, all really excellent. Definitely will go back again! The staff were super friendly. It was nice and busy with a lovely atmosphere.

Amazing food. Vegan options also available. 100% Recommended

Dined here while visiting our daughter. The food was really good, the service was great and loved the atmosphere. There was plenty of seating.

We went as a group of 11 for a friends birthday last Saturday (3rd Feb) - we all pre ordered our food to speed things up a little and were happy that when we arrived we were shown upstairs - the room upstairs felt more private although towards the end of the evening there were more people dinning upstairs. The food we had was very good as were the portions - I had BBQ Ribs and chips and it was all very nicely cooked and seasoned - not too much BBQ sauce on the ribs either which is always a good sign. The only thing that would have improved the meal would have been a little salad with it as it was literally just meat an fries but still very nice & i could have ordered that on the side had I realised it didn't come with it. The service was friendly but slow due to how busy it was .

Great food, good atmosphere, lovely staff. 10/10, will recommend to everyone.

I was very late in planning my son’s birthday party- but the process could not have been easier and the staff could not have been more helpful. We booked the private cinema for a Saturday morning and it was an experience that they the whole party enjoyed. We moved on to have a family dinner to celebrate another birthday in the family. We moved smoothly from a children’s party to a family dinner. Again, the staff went out of their way to be helpful.

Went here for a family meal. The food was very nice but it did take quite a long time to arrive (to be fair there were 11 of us). The prices are average, about £22 for a main and a drink. Would definitely eat here again when I next visit the area.

Came in to Celebrate my partners birthday. Food was great. Service was brilliant, and the final personal touch at the end to aid in celebrations just topped it off. A great team. I look forward to coming back in the future. Thanks :)

Met my son here for Xmas Eve Lunch. The food was OK, nothing really special. The service was a little slow and it wasn't busy. We liked the atmosphere and it has a nice 'vibe' . Nice enough.

All mediocre, sluggish service, long wait for food and even longer for drinks. Beware service charge automatically included in your bill.

Great place, atmosphere and people. Food could be better

Lovely food just wish they'd bring back the duck in Hoi Sin Sauce pizza and have more toppings like jalapenos and Chillis (especially now we're in winter.

This place is great other than the take away. Always cold and always poor quality- I’m done with keeping trying :(

Im on a work gig near Oxford and I found this wonderful restaurant in Wantage! Absolutely the best gluten free pizza I ever had!

Decent pizza, nice decor, a little quiet, attentive staff. Should promote the internal cinema a bit more. A great feature.

Good food, friendly staff. Service can be a bit slow when busy but otherwise it's great.

Really don’t want to rate it too negatively as it’s one of very few places in Wantage you can actually go out to dine in, but the buttermilk chicken I had today was sad and dry. The burger came with goats cheese instead of Monterey Jack; it was rectified quickly but the burger still smelled of goats cheese. But mostly disappointing was the lack of any condiments on the burger with just a small piece of lettuce and chicken on the bun; very difficult to justify the £17 price for something equivalent of Tesco Cafe chicken burger that will sell for £4. Overall atmosphere is nice, very polite and professional waiting staff.

Superb meal and the atmosphere I did feel for any restaurant was a place you would want to revisit. Been twice and both times the food was really nice. Happily go again as it's a great place to meet up with a friend.

We go every couple of months as it’s our son’s favourite place to eat. Last time we had to send his margharita pizza back as not cooked. This time it was the same. I had the calzone which was just a soggy mess and hubby had a very underwhelming chicken burger. Sad to say the food has really gone downhill and we will be giving it a swerve from now on.

Lovely meal and coeliac friendly. Warm welcome. Attentive service and excellent food. It's always nerve wracking trying somewhere new but we felt reassured that they could meet our dietary requirements and they did. Highly recommend the steak, prawn and courgette risotto and spicy pasta - all gluten free! Keep up the great work. We will be back. 😊

Wow. Weird evening of pretty nice food but an expensive pizza. Service was very slow.

Nice place, good prices, tasty and good quality food. Beat breakfast in town! Good service. Ticked all the boxes. Definitely will be back again

Friendly staff. Vegan choices. Good service but not mentioned that my meal of lasagne was extremely hot! I burnt my fingers on the dish then had to wait until the meal cooled as it was boiling. When I finally ate it, the taste was good and my other family members enjoyed their meals. I mentioned it to the staff and they apologised

Went to the restaurant to celebrate our wedding anniversary for what we thought was the cinema night however we had booked the wrong night but this turned out to be not a problem.The staff allowed us to choose the cinema night 3 course menu and then we had a private showing of the movie while we eat dessert and drank our wine big thank you to Nathan/Rob and the staff who went out of their way to make the night special

Great food and service. Love the decor and atmosphere. A real asset for Wantage.

We had a takeaway. It was brilliant 👍 😄

Took 20 minutes for someone to come and get our drinks order, didn't get the drinks till past half hour after our arrival, food later than an hour in, had to call staff over to order our food, of it were busy I'd have been a little bit less annoyed at this but it was 8pm on a Wednesday night and was less than half full. Food was great when we got it.

Very small portion of calamari for the price and compared to previous orders. Had a child’s portion of spaghetti bolognaise and this was a perfect size for me (added a little extra chilli, garlic and Parmesan cheese to taste!!) was perfect.

Nice place but the coffee l had a latte was very weak it was like hot milk absolutely horrible you need to make them stronger.

Over prices poor customer service i

We had a family meal tonight. The pizzas and staters were very good but sadly the baked pasta had been baked far too long. Tasteless and crunchy. Also we waited over an hour for our food and we had to grab someone if we wanted a drink. They just didn’t have enough staff to cater for the restaurant capacity. The staff were friendly though.

I go here regularly with my 1 year old son and the food is always on point, the staff have the best customer service I have ever encountered and the atmosphere is beautiful! My favourite restaurant ever!!

We have been there on three separate occasions, lunch and dinner and every time we have had great friendly service good food and good value for money. Would definitely recommend and it is a safe choice to go with people when you want to have a good time.

Such a lovely place. The team were friendly and service was excellent. I didn't eat as I was only having a coffee but the menu looked good.

Food is good, service can be hit and miss. On our 2 most recent visits the service was good.

Popular restaurant with simple food but well done. Pizzas, burgers, fish cakes etc. Tasty and nicely presented, great chips. Large and a bit noisy. Service quite slow. There is a cinema upstairs. £40 for two mains and drinks.

UPDATE. We eat here at least once a week, tonite we both had the steak, they were excellent, both cooked to perfection, very busy tonite 10/8/22, and the staff were excellent as usual. Excellent all round, only thing is the service charge, we are not in America, tips should be down to the customer, are service charge was £6. I usually give £10!!

Service has been great the last couple of visits!

Carbonara was good and flavourful Calzone was good and had a nice Smokey taste Confit duck was nothing like the picture the veg was overcooked and soggy and the meal lacked sauce/colour as the picture had shown

Great food options for lunch with set menus and lighter options. I had the fish cakes which were gorgeous

Food was fine but the service was very slow and had to wait far to long for the bill. It was less than half full and already very noisy. Won't return.

Food and service both poor. Service now marginally better but the food is still dire

Do not order via Uber Eats (or in reality delivery of any kind) We waited for nearly 2 hours only for Uber Eats to cancel the order on us, whilst on the phone to Wildwood We'll no longer be visiting them, though we got an apology, which in our minds after nearly 2 hours wasn't worth it

Great!..... But, like everywhere right now. Got pants pulled RIGHT down!!!

Great food and friendly, efficient service. Air conditioned and family friendly. Will come back.

Food was delicious and service very polite.

I’ve ordered the Beef Burger. I have to say that meat was absolutely amazing. A proper beef with great preparation! The only one thing what I suggest to pay attention is a level of grilling the burger’s bun… mine was cold and not tasty. Very nice staff and atmosphere.

Love it and the food etc is amazing