What a lovely pub. We stopped in after our long walk to see Watership Down. Had a pint and dinner…read more All the food was stellar. We shared a mackerel pate, which was really wonderful. Hubs had fish n chips (he never gets tired of it) and said it was the best one of our trip. I had the hoisin duck salad. The duck was shredded and crispy. Yum! I found the sauce a bit sweet, but with a little vinegar it was perfect. Neighbors were coming and going, greeting each other happily -- terrific atmosphere.

From the owner: A classic British pub with exceptional food.read more

This place has come through it all and is now growing into a true entertainment hub for this…read morepicturesque Wiltshire village. A change to Free House was the only option for this pub and it's now thriving as a result with a talented local young couple who have access to fresh produce reared/grown in the neighbouring countryside which they serve wth a smile. If their planning application goes through, they'll have an art gallery and live music regularly too. Menu is short but varied, fresh, tasty and sure to expand once they've established themselves. Sunday lunches not currently offered but may be a future include. Proud to finally include this in my reviews having lived and worked in the village for years. Watch this one - it's a grower!

This is so far my favourite pub anywhere. The pub's been in the same family for about 400 years, if…read moremy memory serves me correctly. And that shows. The welcome is genuine and they have their feet on the ground. They serve beer made down the road and it's popular with real ale fans. The food is good -basic and inexpensive - Ploughman's and sarnies, for example. Good choice of well made cheeses and pate. I love the double seats in the porch. I have fond memories of taking my father here and sharing a seat here. And it's a lovely place to go for a walk along The Ridgeway before or after. And it's wonderful to see such a beautiful old Berkshire building. Lovely location and a pretty garden. Inside is lovely - nothing added, nothing taken away. This is the real thing. PS The pointer in the map showing here is far from in the right place. Check it out on the map. Aldworth is a pretty little hamlet.

Simply the best pub in the south of England. Tiny, friendly, unspoiled. Excellent beers from the…read moreWest Berkshire Brewery ( try the Maggs Magnificent Mild) and simple food. No 'gastro' here. Large garden. Classic cars meet in the field at the rear every fourth Saturday lunchtime throughout the summer. All welcome.

This has to be in the top 5 best pubs in the UK!…read more Truly exceptional drink, food and service. I would be going here more often if I lived more local to it. It's a little tricky to get to, narrow country roads, etc, but we'll worth it. If you wanting to eat I would advise booking and this place gets busy from the second it opens. Caters to all, especially families and has a wonderful garden and patio. Tim Gray is the landlord of this gem and is hands-on and welcoming. You will not regret visit this amazing pub.

WOW!! I hadn't been in here for a few years despite living nearby, but I called in for Sunday lunch…read morea few weeks ago after my dear mum said it had changed hands and things were on the up. I have to say the food was superb, at the time I think i even said it was the best sunday lunch i had ever had, I think I was a little taken a back by the quality of the food on offer. They have successfully managed to retain some of the old charm and proper pub feel, while making the dining a cosy, friendly experience that is all about locally produced food. The lamb had already sold out (turn up early or book on the phone if you don't want to miss out) so the three of us had duck, chicken and beef. Each dish was cooked pretty much to perfection and the home made yorkshire puddings were great. Sunday lunch just how it should be! This pub focusses on local, fresh produce all of which is prepared on site and served in simple, traditional dishes. The menu is short, but in my opinion that is the way it should be, as it means each dish excels. It is always so disheartening to find a pub that has 30 dishes on the menu as you can almost guarantee each one will be mediocre. Not the case with this pub. To top it all off the ales are well kept, the Bowmans "swift one" was a very refreshing pint and anything on tap from Hopback is a safe bet. All in all this pub comes very highly recommended, great food, nice atmosphere, good beers and friendly service, what more could you want?!

2 words sum up the Yew Tree - substance & quality. The prices are reasonable with the a la carte…read morestarters ranging from £7 to £11 and the mains from £14-20. The menu is excellent and packed with mouthwatering dishes (as well as 3 or 4 daily specials) and the surroundings are lovely. There is a daily fixed price lunch menu with 2 courses for £15.95 and 3 courses for £19.95. Despite its pedigree it's not starchy or stuffy. Gull eggs are in season so we had that and an Omelette Arnold Bennett to start and the steak & ale pie and Pierre Koffman venison for mains with a couple of side dishes each. For dessert I had the raspberry souffle which just heaven on a plate - if you go make sure you leave room for this signature dessert!

Having eaten here a couple of years ago and reported on good food but disorganised service, I…read morereturned recently for lunch and had a wonderful meal. The restaurant is in the middle of nowhere and you almost rush past it on a nondescript piece of road just north of Highclere Castle, but turning into its ample parking areas, the smart cars there seem to have simply driven a few miles from the Peat Spade, another great inn. This time it wasn't full and the service was far better, but the food and drink weren't just good but exceptional, and extremely reasonable to boot. We started with a glass of house white a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc which was delicious and some very good bread and unsalted butter. I had the mussels and clams in a white wine broth which come daily up from Cornwall, and I can declare that they were the best I have ever tasted. The mussels were so fat and full that the dish could have made a meal on its own, while the clams, as ever, added a subtly the taste of the sea. The onion-rich broth was perfect and almost got finished! We then had the fish and chips, which came perfectly presented and was exceptionally delicious. One could perhaps quibble that twice or thrice cooked chips would have been even better, but these were crispy outside and fluffy inside, with a small dish of mushy peas to underline the fact that the dish was supposed to be authentic and not ersatz Belgian. Liver and bacon was pink and perfect, and could hardly have been bettered. A lemon posset followed, which was a good way of cleansing the palate after such a fine meal. I can't recommend The Yew Tree highly enough for lunch, especially with a bill (without service) of only £42 for two. There is wi-fi in the bar.

Has recently been renovated and a lot of money way spent getting the place up to scratch! It's a…read moregreat food pub with a menu full of pub classics done really well. The staff give excellent service. The interior of the pub is modern and well laid out. Well worth a look.

From the owner: Traditional pub offering local beers, great wine selections, and home-cooked food. A warm and…read morefriendly welcome awaits you. Two bars, Restaurant, Beer Garden & Terrace. Dogs welcome. Free Wifi.

Great food, excellent service and I loved the atmosphere Enough said…read moreBlah, blah, blah

A bridegroom friend of mine in Brightwalton listed Ye Olde Red Lion as one of the nearby B&Bs and I…read moredecided to book my stay there for his wedding. It turned out to be a very good decision and really enhanced the trip. When I arrived Robin, the proprietor, gave me a tour of all the rooms and let me choose which one I preferred for my first night (a fluke due to available scheduling, but a nice gesture) and I chose the thatched-roof Arran, which is the coolest of all the rooms, although honestly they are all very clean and nice. Me and the other wedding guests who stayed there took all our breakfasts and some of our dinners in the pub just a few steps away and I don't think any of us had one bad meal. Everything was well-prepared and tasty. The decor and ambiance is charming and authentic English pub-like which helped us to feel like we were really on vacation. The only minor quibbles are: - the wifi is broken into two zones, so you have to log in to different routers depending if you're in your room or in the pub. - our room's shower was a bit leaky on the floor, and one morning I showered too late and all the hot water was gone. However the cold shower was pretty invigorating :) But these were really minor items. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed staying there and found Robin to be a friendly and accommodating host. Very happy with the rooms and food, all priced very reasonably for the quality of the experience.

It's a warm and comfy hotel/b&b. They have a fantastic restaurant as well as a pub and s bakery…read more The beds are very lush, fluffy and king size. They have blinds and heavy curtains to keep the light out. And the bathrooms are modern with heated floors and a heated towel rack. It's new, stylish and very clean. The toiletries are top of the line and the towels are large and plush. And the staff are friendly and ready to help with any requests.

Oh dear. My 10+ rating is modified by the attitude and behavior of a very grumpy (lone) breakfast…read morestaff, undrinkable coffee, cold toast and Mr. Grumpy deciding to put cutlery away (incredibly noisily) a few feet from where we were having breakfast. Honestly, a near perfect night marred by a disappointing breakfast. This one person brings down the tone of a perfect establishment with perfect staff. My husband recalls Mr Grumpy also served us in Christmas Eve/day, which suggests he is brought in on holidays when it's difficult to find willing staff. I suggest he look for a job elsewhere that he enjoys!!

Don't be put off by its proximity to the A303. This a great pub and once you're past the front door…read moreit feels like a world away. Amazing menu - if I could write a menu packed just with the top pub food I love, this would be it. We only just managed to choose before we were planning a return visit. We both ordered the pie of the day (chicken & bacon) having checked it had a crust base not just a measly topping on a casserole. Staff are friendly and know the dishes. It's a 'slow food' place but we didn't have a long wait for food. PIETASTIC! and excellent value at £12.50 each. If you enjoy good food - do not drive past!!!