Nice place to indulge myself in England countryside... cozy accommodation and quality F&B in the restaurant. Staff is very friendly and helpful! read more

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Stopped in for a bite of lunch after finding The Fishes down the road closed for a kitchen refurb. We opted for the Bar side of the pub which was pretty quiet at Friday lunchtime compared to the restaurant side and the atrium. We had the beetroot falafel wrap with chips and the toasted gruyere sandwich with chips and a couple of coffees. Just what we were after and lovely to be able to take our time and chat. Very welcoming. Will be back. read more

This is the most beautiful place that we've stayed at in England by far. The decor is perfectly cozy and old fashioned while not sacrificing the quality of its modern amenities. We stayed in the family room and the layout was spacious enough for four people and had a beautiful bathroom with the hot towel racks that I love so much. Dinner on Sunday was sublime and I highly recommend the vegetarian roast (there are three different roasts served only on Sundays I believe). Better than anything else was the wonderful staff. They were so kind and warm to us, making us feel at home immediately. And oh so helpful! It felt as if they were glad to accommodate any extra needs we may have had. This lodging, just a few miles outside the beautiful city of Oxford, is a winner! read more

can i give half stars? if so i give it 2.5/5. Ok, maybe i'm doing it a dis-service. It was better than most but the food wasn't that tasty. It's had a refurb and is an attractive place. Friendly enough staff and the food was presented very well. They said they'd got rid of the microwave and they didn't have baked beans (for the nipper), all food is sourced locally, which was promising - but the taste just wasn't there. I had pork belly and it was chewy and tasteless unfortunately. They catered well enough for children. The beer selection wasn't great - ended up having Abbot as the only other all was IPA. I think they are trying, and conserving expenses in the current climate but the taste and flavour suffers as a consequence. read more

Our second visit in twelve months staying overnight and eating there and every bit as good as last time. The room was bright, very clean and very well appointed (only tiny niggle was the very noisy fridge there to keep the fresh milk provided cold which I turned off in the night). The meal we had that night was excellent in every way great choice and superb quality smoked duck scotch egg starter was unusual but lovely; tuna and pork main meals were perfect. We were late for breakfast but made very welcome and well fed once again. We will certainly be back again. read more

Ended up here on the recommendation from the B&B but it happens to be Mothers Day and we had no reservations. So rather than waiting for table at restaurant we ate in the pub. Food was excellent and was served after only a short wait. The roast pork was one of the best and all the sides were outstanding. All the staff was very friendly and helpful. I can't explain the poor reviews but my experience was definitely 5 star! read more

We went there August 2015. Lovely location, great outdoor play area for the kids. Really lovely looking deck and overnight accommodation though we didn't stay. Dinner was lovely. A cut above, and higher class than normal pub fare but really really good. Enjoy!!! read more

Visited this place on several occasions for a drink and it is a nice pub. A nice mix or old & new. Nice separate lounge area and many tables available in the dining-room. We thought we would give it a go on a Sunday lunchtime. We didn't book and were nicely surprised to get a table especially when reading outside book early ! Shared a starter of bread & olives with oil/vinegar. The bread was probably a day old but as it was dunked into the oil it was still ok. We ordered 1 pork & 1 roast chicken and waited over 1 hour between the starter and the main. We don't mind waiting between 20mns & 1/2 hour between courses but over 1 hour is not acceptable. Sadly we weren't alone. Tables in the vicinity were waiting. 2 people actually asked when they were getting their food. When ours finally got to us it was disappointing. A few tasteless carrots, roast potatoes which weren't roasted all over. My husband who had the pork only had 1 pork crackling ! We thought ouaah we waited that long for that !! I have to mention that I had dinner there once before 30 of us and had pre-ordered our food so service was fairly prompt bearing in mind the number of people served. However. some felt that the portions served were on the small side but in all most of us had a good main course. The deserts on the other hand were all disappointing. None of them were what they were supposed to be! Now that I have been to lunch & dinner, I wouldn't recommend it. Do go for a drink though. read more

Went there today food was ok if a bit bland but after waiting for an hour for it i'd eat anything . But they did say sorry and buy me a drink so i'll give them one star read more

I discovered this great charming place last February when I had booked a table for a friend and I to celebrate his birthday one Thursday evening. We both had such a lovely meal, service and evening that I didn't hesitate to bring there last April, about 2 months later, another dear friend to also celebrate his own birthday. This second time around, dinner was once again a resounding success and I can't wait to take more friends there to taste more dishes of their lovely 2012 menu. Starters to Mains and Deserts, it is difficult not to desire the full three course meal and both times I came out truly satisfied and more than greedily stuffed! Price wise, some dishes can feel on the pricey side but so far I have not found portions to be stingy nor unappetising or deliciously tasty. I hope next time I will be invited there so I feel even more pampered in my tummy once hungry Sunday lunch! Truly worth a visit :-) C x read more

The most charming place I've ever seen. Felt like we were in the movie "The Holiday". We sat in the back room by the fireplace and had the place to ourselves. Food was excellent. read more

I went to the Bear 28 years ago, and swore I'd never go back. It was over-priced, minute portions (A tiny piece of meat, about four oxo cube sized portions of potato, and 6 mange tout if I remember correctly). I always said it was the most expensive meal I'd had, and the worst! I went back there last night. The mushroom starter wasn't too bad, (lots of rocket filling the plate, but a reasonable size portion). The main course arrived and I'm sure the disappointment must have shown on my face! Canon of lamb..2 tiny pieces of lamb cutlets, 3 tiny baby carrots, 5 mange tout, and a round potato! To be fair, when we ordered, the waitress did say that we could order extra veg or side orders if we wanted..but as the menu said Spring veg & potato, we didn't think we would need to! At almost £17 for the main course, you would expect a reasonable amount on your plate? I had a rhubarb trifle to finish, tasty but again for the money it was not exactly good value. The total bill was £84 and I just felt that I had been ripped off. I don't mind paying a decent price if you get good food, and good service but I object to paying £17 for a plate that had more plate showing than food! I had thought that the nouveaux cuisine of the 80's (i.e. tiny portions, but over-inflated prices) had gone, but unfortunately it is alive and well at the Bear and Ragged Staff. I came home and ate a bread roll as I was still hungry! I don't think I'll be going back there for at LEAST another 28 years! read more