The best restaurants in West Oxfordshire South East

Went to Sandy's last night. Big doors to outside seating area were wide open but we were told not to go in that way but to go round to the small front door by some bloke who didn't even introduce himself. Who wants a welcome like that? We left and won't go back. Only a few people there not surprisingly. It's a pretentious and overpriced "piano" bar.

Food stone cold food placed onto floor

Sunday Lunch We had a fantastic meal at this renovated gastropub in the Cotswolds. I was worried the venison portion was on the small side, but the meat was very flavourful and well cooked. The pork was very tender with excellent crackling. We waited 10’+ for our dessert, which the waitress was kind enough to comp from our bill. Extensive wine selection and a good choice of beers and mocktails. Service was friendly and attentive. Great to see dogs are allowed!

Everything went seamlessly from using the website to reserve our table right through to paying our Bill. We arrived early to have a drink before our meal met with A welcoming smile and greeting from Aimee offered us the choice or sitting in the comfortable well decorated and furnished bar or going through to our table in the equally welcoming dining room . We chose the former as we like Weak coffee Aimee immediately offered to make our lattes herself as the machine coffee would be too strong, they were perfect just the right strength , much nicer than we have been offered in many coffee bards . The menu was extensive and the food was delicious hot , plentiful , wel! Presented . my thanks to the chef s who produced this all the time accommodating my dietary requirements , diabetic on a low carbohydrate diet and a mustard allergy. I was able to order and enjoy my meal confident in the knowledge my food was appropriate for me . Throughout our meal Aimee kept checking that everything was all right and seeing if there was anything else she could do for us. There was only one thing my husband and I regretted and that was it had been far to long since we last visited. We will definitely be returning on a more frequent basis as it is one of our favourite restaurants in a delightful setting on the river bank

The staff were amazing, very friendly and polite, always smiling and very attentive. Service was also quick, not waiting too long to order drinks and food. But we was waiting for a bit to receive drinks and as well as starters and mains. Which was okay as we were having a long catch-up with our family. So we didn't mind the wait. But others might be more impatient than us. Food came out pipping hot. The starters went down like a treat, and two of our party had the dirty fries. Which they thoroughly enjoyed. One party member had the prawns and said it was delicious and the other the H fries. The mains I was slightly disappointed in the rack of ribs, really lacked of flavour. But once I spread it in BBQ sauce, it was fine. It was very well cooked and a good portion too. Two other party members had the traditional subday roast beef and said it was delicious, and my partner had the pie of the day. He said it was okay. The puddings were a real hit. I have been here a few times and will always return. A great place, good atmosphere and the staff are really wonderful. Very modern restaurant great atmosphere. I definitely would visit again.

The historic ambience of this old Coaching Inn makes for a pleasant spot to have dinner . Staff were friendly and helpful . However .... Many menu items were missing ( e g only 2 desserts ) although some extras were offered . Some items were significantly over priced e g > £6 for a few 1/2 slices of bread and the desserts . The quality of the turkey main was poor ( dry & overcooked ) . When it was mentioned a free dessert was offered - thanks . Overall not what I would have expected for the price charged .

Are you for real??? 2* rating is so mean. Good beer good music,clean toilets, what more can you ask. Go slip on your matchstick 🤨

Second visit since its takeover by Daylesford/Bamford’s - vastly improved! Menu was comprehensive, varied and exciting with a focus on produce. Food was excellent quality, cooked well and delicious. Service excellent. Love the addition of children’s menus. Clearly some large improvements behind the scenes. Highly recommended.

This morning when I stopped by to get coffee I ordered my coffee and they gave me coffee that was as good as water. The same thing happened yesterday. Normally when others make it it's good but when the bearded man makes it for some reason it's just sour water and it doesn't taste good.

We just got back from The Marlborough Hotel in Woodstock and ate at the Woodstock Arms on both evening. Having visited Blenheim Palace we spent a good deal of our time in the Woodstock Arms because the weather cold and wet. The atmosphere was great and the open fire very welcome. Our first night was a Thursday which turned out to be their steak night which included a free glass of wine. We both agreed it was one of the best steaks we have ever had. All the staff were, without exception, lovely and attentive. This was, to our mind, the nicest pub /restaurant we tried.

“Does exactly what it says on the tin.” Great pub, great food, great punters! Roast is banging - definitely try the wings. Owners not too shabby either.

Went today for the first and last time. The ‘system’ of queuing & ordering food at one counter, then queueing some more before ordering drinks at a different counter was PAINFUL. We queued for about 20 minutes in total before reaching the till to pay. As we paid for our orders we noticed a lady who had been wondering around with our food - presumably trying to find where we were sat! The thing is - we hadn’t even sat down yet and you were looking for us to deliver our food to our table! By the time we sat down our food was stone cold. Throughout the whole queuing escapade we did notice the younger staff members were trying their hardest to keep up. However there were three older (balding & bearded) men who were presumably the ‘managers’ who just seemed to be standing around full of self importance supposedly ‘supervising’ the younger workers. These chaps need to realise that they are not above serving customers during busy spells and they should be more ‘hands on’. Instead they just walked around constantly behind the counter giving out smug looks and not helping the girls who were run ragged trying to keep up with the demand for coffees. Very bad service and the managers/supervisors could do with going back to basics of customer service & rethink how this place works. It was sheer chaos and other customers were equally frustrated at the disorganised set up. And before you reply with a smart comment, I have worked with the public for over 30 years, so yes, I do know a thing or two about how to exceed customers expectations. I expect better when paying YOUR prices. Why not just do table service? You have enough staff!!

We stayed for 2 nights with a fantastic deal that made the room and dinner great value for money however, I would have been disappointed if I'd paid full price. We'd paid extra for a premium room however weren't given this on arrival with no mention or apology. Only when we'd realised and raised the issue were we offered the refund for extra money for the premium room. The room we had was lovely and spotlessly clean. Be aware, rooms are on the main road and we were woken early both morning by noise outside. The staff were all very friendly but not very attentive. We only ate in the restaurant one night and our mains got lost in the kitchen, we had to wait an hour between courses. The waiters were non the wiser until we'd raised it. The food then wasn't fantastic as it had been rushed out the kitchen near the end of the night. We then had a real mix up with our bill at the end, they'd tried to charge us an additional £20 over what we actually owed. Overall lovely room and staff with a great deal but just had a few too many issues which was disappointing.

We went here for my birthday - an overnighter and from the pictures I was quite excited and certainly from the front it looks and is, beautiful. We stay in a lot in pubs of this type and all my remarks are in the context of other experiences. Let's start with the not so good and finish positively. Not so good:- We had dinner in the Swan Room which despite a radiator under the window was cold. Before we moved to the window it was cold enough for my wife to leave her outdoor coat on at the table. This room is in desperate need of 'warming up' and I'm not only talking about the heating. I know this stuff is subjective, but dark stone, white walls and bright 'naked' type light bulbs are not "cosy country inn". The room is cold and atmosphere-less. Some warm paint tones and colourful accessories to brighten the room up are desperately needed. Softer, warmer lighting should be tried - maybe colourful shades? The effect of the cold decor is that we weren't encouraged to stay longer with our meal and hence ordered less which translates in to lower income. The online menu differs slightly from the printed one. I really fancied the Sheperds Pie as advertised online with a pint of Hobgoblin Ruby, neither of which was available. They don't do Irish coffee!? Why? It's not rocket science and pretty much anyone can make it and it wasn't as though they were busy. The stairs from the lounge area to the bedrooms is STEEP and WINDING, beware! Another stair case from the carpark is available. Our room was overall nice but, some paintwork in our ensuite needed sprucing up and the divan base to the bed was yellowing discoloured - a bit yucky. See photos. The shaving mirror in the ensuite was missing and you needed training in Hogwarts magical skills to get the wc to flush. Finally, the good stuff. The meal was delicious, my steak being perfectly cooked and my crumble was yummy. Carpark is private and spacious and the staff were friendly. In context, the room was £155 for the night. Remember, this is a mid week low season rate without breakfast and quite frankly, not worth the money. Based on our experience, £110/night would have been a fair price. Lord knows what it is in the summer, but sadly there are so many others of this type to try, we wont be back.

Enjoyed a 2 night stay here. Lovely modern room with great facilities. Location is very good, just a short walk to Blenheim. We managed very easily to get a parking space with a 24 hour £10 permit bought from the hotel but can see parking being an issue at busier times. Breakfast was excellent, really good choice and cooked to order. Didn’t eat dinner here and think the evening menu could do with a bit of updating but overall would definitely return.