The Bull - Charlbury - (Near Oxfordshire, South East)

5 /5 T Sarris: We took a day trip to Charlbury and found this pub. Walking through the doors was magical. The rooms are cozy and there are several fireplaces to keep you warm. The atmosphere was incredible. Instantly we were welcomed by a delightful server (wish I’d gotten his name- I’d give him a shout out) he was darling and kind and attentive. Made us feel welcomed! The food was absolutely amazing and delicious! The rump was so tasty!! This place is definitely worth the trip! Highly recommend! And don’t forget to have the sticky toffee pudding. It was so good!!

5 /5 hayley schofield: We Stayed here at the beginning of the week for a special occasion. The team went above and beyond (bubbles and cookies to the room on arrival). They gave us an intimate dining spot. Both Charlie and Leo are an asset to the Bull, they were both lovely. Nothing was too much, they had time to talk and make us feel welcome. The room was lovely (soo cosy). Only thing is the step into the en suite in room 10 needs to be more made aware of as we did trip. Will definitely been returning soon!!

5 /5 Matt Hale: An absolutely delicious meal at The Bull! We stayed in Charlbury for 5 days and visited several evenings of our stay for a couple of drinks. Very much enjoyed sitting by the fire playing cards in the bar area. On our final evening of our stay, we visited The Bull for dinner and what an amazing experience it was. Our waiter for the evening was called David - for someone who had only been working there 4 weeks, he had the most incredible knowledge of the food and was unbelievably helpful. You could really tell his passion for the place and the food! We had cured trout and mackerel pate for starters, followed by chicken pie, pork chop, roast potatoes and sprouts for main. The sprouts were a personal favourite - cooked with roasted garlic and salsa verde, just incredible! To finish, we had chocolate moose and sticky toffee pudding. It was all so well cooked and unbelievably tasty! If we are ever staying nearby again, we would definitely be having a second visit! Biggest thank you once again to David for making our experience even better!

3 /5 Aaron Coltman: We visited for the first time after hearing so many glowing recommendations and publicity calling it one of the best in the UK. Expectations were understandably high. The setting in Charlbury is lovely and the dining room is traditional and characterful, although the timber furniture wasn’t especially comfortable and the afternoon sun in the main dining space was quite overpowering - some blinds would really improve the experience. Unfortunately, the welcome felt a little frosty. We arrived 11 minutes late (parking in town was very difficult) and were immediately told by the host we’re running late and that we had 1 hour 15 minutes left on our table. It came across more as a reprimand than a greeting, which set a slightly uptight tone from the outset. That said, the rest of the service was much better. One member of the team in particular was excellent: knowledgeable, warm, and thorough when talking us through the menu. She made us feel genuinely welcome and looked after. The food was good and well executed, though pricing felt high, particularly for the vegetable small plates given their size. Four small plates, two desserts and two pints came to just over £100. A 12.5% service charge was automatically added (which we were happy to pay), along with a pre-added additional charity donation. A couple of service details were missed - we were never offered another round of drinks and we only had butter knives throughout the meal. Interestingly, despite the initial emphasis on our time slot, the kitchen experienced delays and we ended up staying almost 30 minutes beyond our allotted time without issue. Overall, a good meal in a nice setting with strong food and one standout staff member. However, the atmosphere felt slightly pretentious and uptight rather than relaxed and welcoming, which isn’t quite what you hope for from a country pub experience.

5 /5 Magdalena Opoka: Lovely place with absolutely delicious food. We tried the bull pie, beef rump with horseradish, pollock and mussels – every single dish was outstanding. The service was exceptional. I didn’t catch the lady’s name, but she was incredibly helpful and genuinely lovely, which made the whole experience even better. The only small thing for me personally was that it felt a bit too dark inside in the evening. I understand it’s probably to create a cosy dinner atmosphere, but it wasn’t quite my preference. Next time, I’ll definitely come back for lunch.