The Bell Inn in Cherwell

Lovely local pub, we arrived just as the kitchen was closing and the chef agreed to still make us food if we ordered quickly. The guy working at the bar was really friendly, good drinks choice and the food was very good.

The bar staff were very welcoming and bubbling with enthusiasm! Although there is only a limited menu, the choices we made were stunning, the camembert was the best we have ever had. As my wife is vegetarian, there was only 1 option but they were willing to create her an off-menu veggie sandwich which she loved. Thanks for going the extra mile!

Nice food although a bit pricey. Lovely 'proper' country pub with friendly service. Had their burger which was delicious. Chicken wing starters so good though served Chernobyl reactor hot.Their online menus are a bit hard to interpret and seem to default to the Sunday and as I say, prices are a bit high.But, would defo come back.

I've reviewed this before but the excellence and accommodating staff deserve another great accolade. These guys bring a great event to a beautiful village. Thanks as ever James and co.

My other half and I had the pleasure to stumble across the bell inn after an impromptu trip to the cotswolds. Last night we came into the establishment and were greeted by the friendliest wait staff I have ever met. We were offered either a quiet corner or busier table in the restaurant, he gave food and drink recommendations and was not the slightest bit pushy.The food was fantastic. Two drinks each, starter and a main for about £50 collectively, which was fantastic value as the food was AMAZING. Will definitely recommend to anyone I know visiting the area and some family who are more local.

The best Yorkshire pudding ever, excellent food and very nice, attentive and kind staff. We will certainly go back.We went on a Sunday evening after a busy day and the staff were kind and attentive despite they had a long day.Thank you so much

I give it 3 stars as all I know is it looks lovely inside. Arrived,13.35 on a Wednesday (you know, lunch time!) having walked for an hour, was about to go back across the canal when we came across a sign saying "The Bell 2 minutes->"... walked for 5, found it, went in the outside door, which was closed but not locked. On entering the establishment, we noticed the sign that was leaning against the wall just inside, it had chalked on it "open from 12 to 11pm" . We waited at the bar( as I said it's lovely in there).No one came so my other half went off looking, looked in the kitchen, found someone working in there who confirmed they were actually closed. Only wanted a rest and a pint....never mind, had a 5 minute rest but remained thirsty for the walk back.

A quirky menu, most meals are sharing boards. We had mussels, king prawns, fries and sourdough bread. Absolutely top notch tastes. A very good choice. We travel that route a few times a year, so will definitely call in and dine again. The staff are very friendly and fun to chat to. There taste in music is pretty cool to. We highly recommend.

Cute and quirky. Don't be put off by the rather over-wrought menu, the ditzy decor or the prices that seem ridiculous until you realise they are for sharing platters. The Bell is a good pub in a stunning location.I tried an English IPA which was fantastic. There are no house wines, so the drinks bill adds up rapidly.The food is served on wooden boards (haven't we got past that yet?) but it is excellent and actually very well priced. You may baulk at £10.50 for a salad but if it's a duck salad and as substantial and delicious as the one served at The Bell it is well worth it. The chicken wings were really chunky wings with a delicious sauce and salad. The raw chilli was a surprise as it isn't mentioned on the menu but it was all superb.The children's menu is simple and well presented although we were rather rather bamboozled when asked to choose between the two options "plain" or "normal" 😊For dessert, the rhubarb posset was very good and the cheeseboard had three delicious cheeses which went together perfectly. Ideal.The staff were friendly and helpful, probably needed to leave a few minutes between visits to the table but overall the whole experience was just somehow... like being in someone's home rather than a restaurant or pub which made the whole meal rather special.Go and try it out 👍

I visited The Bell with my wife, mother and father, we were cruising south on the Oxford Canal on a narrowboat. Thankfully we booked from a few miles north as with the covid restrictions tables were limited.The menu at The Bell is a little odd (IMO) with most of the mains listed as ‘sharing’. Don’t let this put you off, we spoke to James the landlord and he assured us that the fish and chips (our choice) was 1.5kg of fish. The meal came on a wooden board and the fish was two individually battered pieces, so easily shared. With the good amount of chips the portion was plenty. I’m pleased to say there was still some space for dessert, I went for the warm ginger cookies with ice cream, these were super tasty.
 My wife had the peach Melba mess which she too commented on how good it was.The only slight negative would be the choice of beer, I went for an off the wall option of the Raspberry Gose, it’s a raspberry beer with a hint of salt… I know it’s personal taste but it’s as bad as it sounds.Beer selection aside I can’t recommend The Bell highly enough.